Brian stood outside the motel, waiting for Osborne to back the RV out from the corner. It suddenly struck him, and he turned to Kelly, the blonde girl leaning against the fence, and asked curiously, "Why are all the cars here out of gas? Did you guys drain them?"
"Yep," Kelly replied lazily, leaning back against the wall as if recalling something unpleasant. "We got here yesterday, planning to fill up, but some jerk had already siphoned all the gas from the station. So yesterday, we had to search the entire motel to find all the car keys and drain what little gas was left in them. There wasn't much, though..."
She glanced gratefully at Brian and Sarah. "Good thing you guys showed up. Otherwise, we'd probably have to risk going into town for more gas today."
"Ugh, we're like delivery guys now?" Brian rolled his eyes, inwardly grumbling at the situation.
Osborne managed to back the RV up to the convenience store entrance and called the three kids over to help load supplies from the store. Strangely, despite the gas station being completely drained, the convenience store's food was untouched.
The kids got to work moving supplies, while Osborne grabbed a gas can and a hose and walked over to Brian's car to siphon the remaining fuel. After nearly an hour of hustle, the four of them were ready to go. Osborne took the wheel of the RV, and they were back on the highway.
Brian sat in the passenger seat, chatting with Osborne about everything that had happened since the outbreak. He learned why Osborne had been so wary of him and Sarah. Osborne and Kelly lived in Round Rock, in a remote area that few people visited. When the plague hit, they didn't panic and run like other families. Instead, they took the opportunity to stock up on food from the nearest supermarket.
They boarded up the windows, locked the doors, and waited for rescue. But a week passed with no sign of help. Water, electricity, and the internet all disappeared. Then one day, a few kids knocked on their door, asking for food. Osborne, being kind-hearted, let them in and provided for them.
But kindness can be exploited. That night, the kids secretly opened the locked door and let in a dozen armed men and women. Osborne and Kelly, sleeping soundly, never expected such a betrayal. They were overpowered in their confusion.
Watching these intruders devour their food, Osborne felt furious. From their conversations, he learned something that chilled him to the bone. These people didn't know each other. They were just three families who had taken refuge together during the chaos. At first, they got along, but as food grew scarce, tensions rose. They were too afraid to go to infected areas for supplies, and nearby safe spots had been picked clean. Just when hunger seemed to drive them to fight each other, someone suggested a horrifying plan.
Send the younger kids to knock on the doors of nearby houses, pretending to be in need. Once inside, they'd open the door at night and let the armed group in. While the homeowners slept, they'd be easily overpowered, and the intruders would take all the food. This "safe" method had worked on at least a dozen houses before they came to Osborne's.
Osborne couldn't believe how quickly these people had turned into monsters in just a few days. Though he was furious, he kept his cool, not wanting to provoke them. Instead, he quietly freed himself and Kelly and slipped out while the intruders were distracted. Knowing they were armed, he didn't go back inside. He found materials to seal the door shut and set the house on fire, watching as the intruders screamed in agony in the flames.
After that, he and Kelly left Round Rock, heading for Dallas. When their car ran out of gas, they ended up at the rest area, where they met Brian and Sarah.
Listening to Osborne's story, Brian felt the true darkness of human nature for the first time. It was something no movie or book could fully capture.
"Phew~~" Brian leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of the disturbing thoughts. Before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep.
Ding-ding-ding—
When Brian opened his eyes again, it was drizzling outside, and the radio was playing soothing music, creating a peaceful atmosphere. He glanced at the clock—11:00. He'd slept for almost two hours.
Osborne, in the driver's seat, teased, "Hey, you're awake!"
"Ah... ah..." Brian coughed a couple of times, sat up straight, and looked around. Kelly and Sarah were lying on the bed in the back, whispering to each other. Kelly caught his gaze and glared, "What are you looking at?"
Brian just shrugged and turned back to the window, watching the rain. They were now on Interstate 35. He asked Osborne, "Where are we now?"
Osborne sighed, his face showing concern. "We've passed Waco. Not much farther to go. The situation is worse than I thought. Every city and town we've passed is already overrun. I wonder what Dallas will be like."
"It should be okay," Brian said, though he wasn't sure. "Dallas is pretty central. The government wouldn't just let it become an infected zone."
Osborne raised an eyebrow, surprised that the boy seemed to understand the situation. He nodded in agreement. "I'm not worried about the virus. I'm worried about the people living there."
"The quarantine measures ordered by the government seriously harm the individual interests of all citizens. If you haven't experienced it, you might not understand. These people will gather and protest in their cities, and some criminals will take advantage of the chaos. That's why I'm worried about what's happening inside," Osborne explained with a wry smile.
Brian understood immediately. It was like the pandemic he had seen in his past life. People would complain and make a fuss over the slightest dissatisfaction, and some would promise to meet their unreasonable demands just to get their votes. It was ridiculous.
But he was still puzzled. "Don't they realize that their chaos could spread the virus within the city?"
Osborne's lips curled into a mocking smile. "As long as the disaster hasn't truly hit them, these people have no idea what fear is."
"Huh? What's that?" Brian asked as the RV rounded a bend and a scene ahead caught their attention.
The wide interstate ahead was packed with a long line of cars, with military trucks patrolling back and forth. Helicopters occasionally flew over the traffic, circling and scouting. At the end of the road, a barrier had been set up, with armed soldiers patrolling in the middle. Two people in protective suits were scanning the occupants of the cars at the front of the line with handheld devices.
Once they confirmed that the people in the car were fine and there were no hidden passengers, the barrier would be opened to let the vehicles into the city.
Brian and Osborne exchanged glances, both seeing the relief in each other's eyes.
"They're here!" Osborne exclaimed.