Hello Kitty

At Gavin's invitation, Winnie paused in surprise.

"Boss, I really won't be a burden? There are still zombies over there."

As she spoke, Winnie pointed toward the town behind the gas station.

In the two nearest yards, they could see a few zombies, barely clothed, wandering slowly.

There were only a few of them.

But zombies were like cockroaches. When you saw a few, there were probably a whole lot more you hadn't seen.

Winnie didn't understand that, but her instincts still warned her that this place was dangerous!

Seeing her tense expression, Gavin ruffled her hair and asked softly, "What is it? Getting scared?"

"No, of course not. I just..."

When Gavin asked, Winnie cautiously tried to explain. "I'm just worried that Mom and I might become a burden."

"Relax. There's not much to worry about here. As long as you two don't scream, trip, or knock over the shelves and freezers, you'll be fine."

Gavin patted the kid's head and nudged her out of the vehicle.

Then he and the girl turned to look at Doris.

Doris had already changed out of her nightgown and into a fairly practical pale-blue tracksuit. She'd changed her shoes, too, into white flats.

Under Gavin's gaze, she gripped her little handgun in her right pocket and nodded nervously.

"I can do it!"

She said it with great determination, then put her right hand in her pocket and started to get out.

Noticing what she was doing, Gavin glanced at her pocket and held out a hand to stop her.

Doris trembled when he stopped her.

Gavin nodded toward her pocket and smiled. "What have you got in there? Mind showing me?"

"Huh? Oh, sure, boss!"

Doris tensed up at once. Biting her lip, she pulled the little handgun from her pocket and gripped it tightly in her sweaty right hand.

When Gavin got a good look at the gun, he couldn't help smiling. "A pale-pink Ruger LCP. Wow, it even has a Hello Kitty print. A classic girls' handgun, but I'd recommend a Sig Sauer P320 instead."

Gavin tapped the little pink gun and spoke softly.

"You've done well to learn how to protect yourself with a gun, but when the situation is dangerous yet basically under control, Doris, let's try not to shoot."

"Even if zombies chase you, your legs are more reliable than a handgun. Remember what I said: handguns are for dealing with people. I don't want to hear any gunshots in this gas station!"

As he spoke, Gavin looked Doris in the eye. She couldn't help averting her gaze.

"I... I understand," Doris replied nervously.

Gavin nodded with satisfaction and turned off the gun's safety for her.

He patted the gun's body and smiled. "All right, don't be nervous. Put it away, then go find the things you and Winnie need in the convenience store. Grab some extra seasonings, too. Your cooking is amazing."

"Unfortunately, this isn't a good time to practice shooting. Once we get to my farm, I'll make time to teach you and Winnie."

With that, Gavin headed for the convenience store, with Doris and Winnie following cautiously behind him.

In America, a middle-class family like Doris's really did need a handgun.

But the pink Luger LCP was more often meant for elementary-school girls. Even the print made it clear that it was better suited to a little girl.

Just then, William came out of the convenience store, dragging a corpse behind him.

As she passed William, Winnie couldn't help looking at the zombie.

She happened to catch sight of its face, which Gavin had stabbed to pieces.

When Winnie's steps faltered, Doris took her hand and whispered, "Don't look at that, sweetheart."

"No, I should look. I believe I'll be able to deal with zombies someday, too!"

Winnie's face had gone a little pale, but her voice remained firm.

Nearby, Eugene heard her and gave her a thumbs-up from a distance. "That's the spirit, kid. Be a warrior! It might not help you live longer, but it'll definitely make you stronger!"

After speaking, Eugene returned to Gavin and asked, "Well, big shot, what else do you need me to do? Keep watch, or haul stuff back and forth like them?"

"Come to think of it, what kind of guns do you have at your farm? Any sniper rifles? If you do, I could hold off at least two squads by myself~"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Eugene. I've got a pretty good collection of guns at home, though. I like collecting those little beauties."

Gavin patted Eugene on the shoulder, then pointed toward the store. "Go haul stuff. Try to fill the RV's storage compartment."

"Shit, you really do give orders like an officer. Fine, then. Let this spotter sink to the level of a grunt digging trenches~"

Cursing under his breath, Eugene went into shopping mode. He started clearing the shelves where the emergency medicines were kept, not even sparing the motion-sickness pills.

Madison and William both started packing up all kinds of snacks.

Doris quietly swept up all the women's products in the store. As she packed, she handed bags to Winnie to take back to the RV.

Everyone was still tense, but unlike in the movies, they weren't making ridiculous amounts of noise despite trying to creep around.

Outside the store, Gavin saw that everyone was working in an orderly fashion and keeping fairly quiet.

He nodded to himself, pulled out a cigarette, and continued watching for any movement around them.

By the time the cigarette burned down, the zombies in town still hadn't noticed them.

Gavin tossed away the butt and went inside to help carry things. After another ten minutes or so, the RV's storage compartment was nearly full.

Only then did Doris, who had relaxed considerably, come over to Gavin and whisper, "B-boss, I didn't stock the RV with much fresh meat or vegetables, and this convenience store doesn't have any, either."

"I think after three meals at most, we'll have to eat bread, canned food, oatmeal, instant noodles, and macaroni."

"Really?" Gavin replied with a smile. "We can still have three more feasts like the one this morning? That's great news."

"As for later, there'll be no shortage of food at the farm. Don't worry, Doris."

With that, Gavin patted her shoulder reassuringly and called everyone over.

When they had gathered around him, Gavin pointed to the pickup's bed. "There's still plenty worth taking in the store, but we only have this much space. Let's leave some room for emergencies. Time to go."

"Ha, finally done being pack mules. Are we heading straight to Coskana?" Eugene asked casually.

Gavin nodded and replied calmly, "That's right. We've got the perfect backup campsite now: the open land near the feed supply center."

"And we have plenty of water and food, enough to last us at least half a month."

"Next, we'll hurry to Coskana without stopping along the way. Once we know what the situation is there, if everything goes well, we'll reach the farm before noon!"

With that, Gavin waved everyone along, and they returned to their vehicles.

After starting the Tyrannosaurus, Gavin took one last look at the zombies circling in the distant town, then pressed down on the accelerator.

Coskana was less than twenty-five kilometers away. After passing a villa district and two smaller towns, Gavin could see the city in the distance.

But... the moment he first saw Coskana, Gavin couldn't help frowning.

The city, more than three kilometers away, was sending up thick plumes of black smoke. Faintly, Gavin could also hear the occasional explosion.

The sight naturally made everyone in the RV uneasy.

Doris clasped her hands to her chest and began praying silently.

With the smoke billowing over the city, Gavin drove on for another six hundred meters before stopping on an overpass.

He got out with his binoculars and stood by the roadside, watching the city in the distance.

The others got out of the RV and gathered behind Gavin, looking anxiously at the city and his back.

Sensing the team's breathing grow heavier, Gavin suppressed his unease and turned to smile at them. "Guys, the explosions are concentrated around the railway junction in Coskana, on the eastern side of the city."

"After all, there's never a time when not a single train is running, even at three in the morning. As long as trains are still moving on the tracks, sooner or later something will go wrong when they're left unattended."

"In a city like Coskana, with railways running in every direction and a poorly planned station, accidents are even more likely."

"Don't worry. I'd already thought of this."

"Let me take a good look. We'll find a way."