At eleven o’clock at night, the car stopped beside a small stream. There was no wind, making it a perfect night for an outdoor barbecue.
A few camping lanterns were placed on the roof of the car, illuminating a one-kilometer radius as brightly as day.
Officer Graham took the durian, ready to show off his skills by making a durian cake. Evelyn Ford and Wyatt Vaughn were very excited, while Ronan Kendrick and Quincy had already fled to a safe distance.
"With the camping lanterns on, it doesn’t feel like we’re on the run anymore. It feels more like we’re travelers on a road trip."
They were having a barbecue tonight, and everyone sat together preparing skewers. If it weren’t for the apocalypse, a day like this would be absolutely perfect.
"Evelyn, should we collect some water here? This stream looks pretty clean. It’s probably safe to drink."
"No need. We’re not short on water right now. It might look clean, but there could still be hidden dangers. We’d better not drink it."
Even though they were far from the heart of the forbidden zone, they still had to be careful.
Evelyn Ford checked the roof of the car. Luckily, no bits of flesh had landed on it, or she would’ve had to wash the whole vehicle. The windshield, however, still needed cleaning.
Aside from crows, there were no other animals to be seen in the desert. These crows were brazen, gathering in flocks and attempting to get closer, even trying to snatch food from the table.
The crows in the Rocksea Forbidden Zone were enormous, unlike those in other regions. They had a few red feathers on their tails, and their caws were hoarse and unnerving.
Peter Owens and Miles Vaughn had driven them away with sticks several times, but each time, the crows would fly off only to return a few minutes later, cautiously trying to snatch food again.
Wyatt Vaughn sighed. "Maybe we should give them something to eat? There’s no food in the desert, so they must be hungry. They’ll probably leave once they’re full."
Evelyn Ford shook her head. "No. If we give them food, they’ll just follow us. The next time they come near, don’t just shoo them away—shoot them. These crows aren’t starving. This morning, they were flying out from the direction of Stone Village, and all of them had chunks of meat in their beaks."
Evelyn Ford paused, then continued, "They’ve been tailing us all day. The reason they’re after us is because they’ve eaten human flesh, and now they’ve set their sights on us."
A chill ran down everyone’s spine. "That’s horrifying. Have these crows become sentient or something?"
"I think Evelyn’s right. I saw a crow with a chunk of meat in its beak this morning. Get them away from here! It’s disgusting."
As Quincy spoke, he couldn’t help but start to dry heave again.
When the crows drew near again, Ethan Dawson and Miles Vaughn took their guns and started shooting them.
"They really know how to bully the weak and fear the strong. When we used sticks to drive them off, they weren’t scared at all and kept provoking us. But now that we’re shooting at them, they’ve scattered and fled."
Ethan Dawson shot three of them and Miles Vaughn shot two. Evelyn Ford told them to burn the carcasses.
"They won’t call for backup to get revenge, will they?"
"No, but they’ll cannibalize their own kind. That’s why I had you burn the bodies."
Evelyn could already smell the sweet aroma of the cake. On the other side, the prepared meat skewers had been placed on the grill.
"Mr. Graham, you have a real talent for cooking! You made a cake just by following a book, and you succeeded on the first try."
When the durian cake was ready, everyone gathered around.
Officer Graham smiled. "Cooking is actually pretty fun, and it’s so easy. Tomorrow, I’ll make blueberry egg tarts."
He handed out slices of cake, and the few who couldn’t stand the smell of durian made a run for it.
After eating the durian cake, Evelyn went back to the barbecue. Officer Graham, unable to sit still, then made everyone some lemon tea to cut the grease. Her stomach was now filled with a full medley of sweet, spicy, and sour.
"If we didn’t have to drive tomorrow, we could have a few drinks."
The moment Evelyn finished that sentence, all eyes snapped toward her.
"Drinks? What kind of drinks?"
"Beer, red wine, spirits, cocktails..."
This time, Ethan Dawson practically fell to his knees in front of Evelyn. "I’d kill for a beer. Just a sip."
Quincy rushed over, ready to hug Evelyn’s legs. "Why are you only mentioning this now, Evelyn?! How could you hold out on us like that? Are you a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? I want beer, too! Barbecue without beer is just pointless."
Evelyn glanced at the crowd. "Then who’s driving tomorrow?"
Taylor Vance smiled. "I’ll drive. I don’t drink."
Zion Lowell nodded too. "You young people go on and relax. I’ll drive tomorrow, too. I haven’t been behind the wheel in years. I really miss it."
Quincy hesitated. "You two gentlemen... are your skills reliable?"
Taylor Vance shot Quincy a glare. "Who are you looking down on? If I were thirty years younger, I could’ve been a professional racer."
"Ooooh..." everyone jeered in unison.
Zion Lowell cleared his throat and started boasting too. "Back in my day, I was practically a god behind the wheel. You can count on us. We won’t drive you into a ditch."
"Haha, Mr. Lowell, are you for real? You don’t look like a driving god to me. You look more like the king of tall tales."
Hearing this, Zion Lowell jumped to his feet as if to hit Peter Owens. "I’m a bona fide veteran driver, you’re the one who’s all talk! Just you wait. Tomorrow, I’m gonna dazzle you all."
"Bwahahaha..." Everyone roared with laughter at the exchange.
Since the two older gentlemen were so eager to drive, the group was happy to grant their wish.
Evelyn brought out all sorts of alcohol, along with more meat skewers, tilapia, eggplant, zucchini, and chives, throwing everything onto the grill. It looked like everyone was determined to party until they dropped.
Evelyn was a lightweight, so she only had a small cup. Ronan Kendrick, on the other hand, drank a fair amount. He was usually aloof and kept his distance, but tonight, he downed every drink offered to him.
Evelyn pulled out a speaker and played some rock music to liven things up. Zoe and Wendy immediately began to perform their own version of a wild, chaotic dance.
Evelyn clutched her stomach, laughing until it hurt. Ronan was probably drunk, as his cheeks were a little flushed. He kept his eyes fixed on Evelyn, his gaze never straying.
"Haha, Ronan, quick, look at Quincy! He looks just like a gorilla."
Quincy was completely drunk. He’d just thrown up a moment ago, but now he had run to the front and was starting to perform a gorilla walk for everyone.
Evelyn laughed so hard she started to hiccup. ’I have to record this. When they wake up tomorrow, I’ll use the video to tease them.’
Ronan dragged his chair closer to her, then rested his head on Evelyn’s shoulder.
"Are you drunk?"
Ronan shook his head. "No."
Evelyn stifled a laugh. "I smell like durian."
Ronan leaned close to her ear and sniffed. "I don’t smell it."
"You’re definitely drunk."
Ronan shook his head with a perfectly straight face. "I’m not."
’Alright, if he says he’s not, he’s not. He’s the boss.’
Up at the front, Miles Vaughn decided Quincy’s impression wasn’t good enough and insisted on having a competition. Even drunk, the two couldn’t stop bickering. After a while, they suddenly hugged each other and started barking like dogs.
Evelyn suppressed her laughter as she recorded the scene. Sitting in the back, Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell could no longer bear to watch the two of them.
"Mom, have Dad and Uncle gone crazy?" Zoe asked, her little head full of big questions.
"They’re not crazy. Their heads just got kicked by a donkey."