Chapter Twenty-One: Doris, Stay Strong!

Listening to Eugene’s sentimentality, Gavin shook his head and laughed.

"If the Mexican zombies didn't keep pouring across the border into Texas, I’d be just as grateful to Mexico as you are."

He waved a hand at Eugene. "Go drive. I don't like being too close to the zombies."

"Fuck, the big shots always have demands, while the little guys just want a cola, quarterback!" Eugene chuckled, walking back to the old Ford with a grin.

Watching Eugene walk away, Madison sneered and remarked, "What a damn hypocrite."

"Hypocrisy is fine, as long as there’s still a conscience left," Gavin said, patting Madison on the arm before climbing into his T-Rex truck.

After finishing the entire bottle of cola, Madison strode back to the RV. As he climbed in, Winnie moved from the bed at the rear of the RV to the sofa behind the driver's seat, leaning over the back to ask, "Are we going to Palmer, just like the boss said?"

"Haha, you learn fast. That's right, Gavin is the boss—the best boss I’ve ever followed. He’s brought me countless honors and piles of cash!"

Madison chatted away while starting the RV. As he followed the T-Rex in a U-turn, he continued to Winnie, "Don't worry, kid. In less than twenty minutes, we’ll be watching the sunrise over the artificial lake outside Palmer."

"I'm not worried. I'm just a little hungry. Maybe when we get to the lake, I can wake Mom up to make us some breakfast?" Winnie said, turning back with a look of concern to check on her mother, who was still unconscious on the bed.

Even at her young age, the elementary schooler was already worried about her mother's standing within the group. In her school, the cliques of girls loved to pick on people like her mother. Winnie even thought that if she could shrink her mother down and put her in their elementary school, she could make her cry all day.

Madison accelerated and patted his stomach. "Breakfast...啧, Gavin and I only had a burger this morning. A good stew would be perfect." He tilted his head toward Winnie. "Hey kid, is your mom a good cook?"

"Of course she is. That's all she ever does—cook and clean. But I didn't expect the boss to be Gavin! I even have his poster at home!"

"That's right, haha. Gavin King, the most famous big shot in Texas. As for me, I'm Madison—Madison Konasek. And you?"

"Winnie Baker. Thank you for saving us!" Winnie reached out her hand to Madison in gratitude.

Madison smiled, shook her hand, and asked, "Are there many kids like you at school? Are all kids this precocious these days?"

"What precocious? I'm twelve! I'll be in middle school next year!"

"Is that so? Middle school, huh? When I was in middle school, I was running with my cousin’s gang. Too bad I never got the chance to steal a car."

The two kept chatting back and forth.

***

Madison had had many children; though young, he was experienced with kids and soon had Winnie giggling. Amidst the laughter, the woman unconscious in the back of the RV slowly shook her head and actually forced herself awake.

"Winnie..." the woman called out weakly, but neither Madison nor Winnie heard her.

"Winnie... are you there?" The woman gradually sat up, bracing herself against the bed as she lifted her torso. In her daze, she saw a massive silhouette occupying the driver's seat of her RV.

"Ahhh!!!"

In a heartbeat, a scream filled the cabin, nearly making Madison and Winnie jump out of their skins.

"Oh my god!" Winnie gasped in shock and scrambled off the sofa to run toward her mother. "Mom, be quiet! Please, stop screaming, you're scaring me!" She threw herself onto her mother’s lap, reaching up to cover her mouth.

Once the woman realized her daughter was safe, she let out a sigh of relief, then abruptly snapped to, pulling Winnie into a tight embrace.

"Dear God..." The woman wept, clutching Winnie close, her muffled sobs filling the vehicle.

Listening to her mother cry, Winnie rolled her eyes, patted her mother’s leg, and said, "Doris, be strong. That’s what you taught me!"

"Wuu... I will, I... wuu... Kenny was bitten by them. I saw it with my own eyes. Your father, my husband, is dead... wuu..."

Even while talking about being strong, Doris couldn't stop the image of her husband’s death from playing over in her mind.

*Strong?* Can everyone’s strength always overcome the pain in their hearts?

Listening to her mother’s sobs, Winnie bit her lip in worry. She was terrified that a mother like this would be looked down upon by the group's boss. Just like the girl cliques at her school, they would despise and ostracize the little idiots who did nothing but cry.

Winnie scrambled out of her mother’s arms and leaned on her legs. "Mom, stop crying! If you keep crying, the boss is going to teach us a lesson! Believe me, Gavin is super scary. He picked up another man with just one hand and threw him to the ground!"

"Huh...?" Even in her grief, Doris couldn't help but gasp. "What boss?"

"Our future boss, of course! Mom, you don't actually think the two of us could handle those man-eating monsters, do you?" Winnie rolled her eyes so hard they almost disappeared. When would her mom ever grow up?

Doris blinked in confusion, asking in a daze, "We're saved?"

"Obviously! If nobody had saved us, I don't even know how to park!"

***

"Wait, you don't even have a driver's license, how could you... Dear God, what sin have I committed for you to punish me like this!"

"And Edward, Edward he... wuu wuu!"

"I need to call the police, I have to call the police, I... I also need to call your grandparents!" As she said this, Doris seemed to regain some composure, and her voice quieted down.

With the silence returning, Madison in the driver's seat let out a long breath and kept his eyes on the T-Rex ahead.

In the T-Rex, Gavin steered with one hand while checking the status of Palmer on his phone. After watching a few seconds of a promotional video for the town, he put the phone down, calculating what could be exploited from the footage.

While he pondered, the T-Rex covered the final sixteen kilometers, gradually approaching the Palmer area. Gavin began to slow down, picking up his 8x scope to scan the surroundings. When the artificial lake came into view, he exhaled, turned the truck off the road, and drove onto the open grassland.

As the RV rolled onto the grass, the jolting motion made Doris, who was still silently weeping while clutching her phone, tremble.

Winnie hopped off the bed, excited. "We're almost there!"

"Where? The police station? A shelter?" Doris sat up, gripping her phone, and crawled to the window to look outside.

The morning sun was beginning to break through, and with the light mist that often rose on the east coast, the scene looked quite dreamlike. Looking at the surreal landscape, Doris’s eyes grew damp. This was the view Kenny had wanted to show her.

But now... Dear God, why did she have to face all this?

Fortunately, she still had her daughter. If Winnie had already died, Doris would have wanted to curl up under a blanket, cry until she couldn't breathe, and then put a gun in her mouth and pull the trigger. Perhaps that would have been easier.

At that moment, the weeping Doris looked back at Winnie and bit her lip. For her daughter’s sake, no matter what she had to endure, she had to keep living!

*Doris, be strong!*

After silently cheering herself on, Doris wiped away her tears and left the bed. She went into the small bathroom, looked at the bloodstains on her forehead in the mirror, and turned on the faucet, cupping water to slowly wash them away.

She hadn't even finished washing her face when the vehicle stopped. The sudden jolt made her quickly brace against the wall. Immediately after, she felt something jump onto the roof of the vehicle. The heavy footsteps made the hair on her arms stand up.

Madison, in the driver's seat, looked down the aisle toward the roof and laughed. "Gavin is fast. Let’s go, kid. Bring your mom and get out to take a look."

"Did you mention the stew to your mom? I’m really looking forward to it. I’m sure Gavin will love a good stew too, haha~"