"It is reported that a virus called "Cordyceps" or "CBI" is spreading rapidly around the world. The southern region has been completely affected, and a large number of infected patients have also begun to appear in the east and west..."
"The World Health Organization, together with elite medical teams from various countries, is working hard to overcome the "CBI" bacteria and is expected to produce a related vaccine next year..."
"The government has urgently established the Federal Disaster Relief Agency, equipped with the latest developed "infection scanner". They will do their best to save all compatriots trapped in the infected area, and will also quarantine all those who are detected as infected by the scanner..."
"There were large numbers of protesters on the streets of all cities, condemning the government's policies related to the quarantine of the epidemic. They demand democracy and freedom..."
Brian sat on the sofa, his left hand constantly changing the channels on the radio, and the pen in his hand kept writing quickly on the paper, recording all the information he heard.
A whole week had passed since the plague broke out, and he and Sarah had been here for a whole week.
Joel and Tommy were nowhere to be seen from beginning to end. After Sarah's leg recovered, they searched all the areas near the bridge and even searched all the way back to where they had separated, but they didn't see a single person.
Gradually, they learned to accept reality and understood that the person they were looking for might never appear again.
"Barton, be careful."
"Hehe, Sister Sarah, catch the ball!"
Listening to the noise coming from outside, Brian put down the pen in his hand, closed the notebook, stood up, walked to the door and looked outside.
Although the signal they sent did not find Joel and Tommy, it attracted two fleeing survivor families nearby.
Three figures were playing freely on the lawn outside the house, passing the football back and forth between their feet.
There was a fire by the lake with an iron pot on it. Smoke was rising. Two women were busy working on the side. Brian could smell the fish aroma coming from the pot even from a distance.
Outside the house, a middle-aged white man was using a knife to sharpen long logs into stakes, and then driving the stakes into holes that had been dug to form a fence.
On the roof of the utility room next to him stood a black man, holding a pistol and looking around vigilantly. The two of them chatted casually during the conversation.
The white man's name was Kenneth. The day after the signal was sent out, he came here with his wife Cathy and his 10-year-old daughter Angela.
The black man is named Taylor. He and his wife Yvette came here because they were chased by infected people. The black boy Barton playing on the lawn is their son.
Although everyone gathered together for warmth, as the number of people increased, a huge food burden came with it. Fortunately, their residence was close to the lake and they were able to get food by fishing. Recently, they also formed a team to go to the town to collect supplies several times, otherwise they would be worried about filling their stomachs now.
Looking at Sarah playing with Barton and Angela, Brian smiled slightly. Fortunately, she had these two children to play with her, otherwise Sarah might still be immersed in the pain of losing her loved ones.
Then he leaned against the door and began to think seriously about his next destination. Although everything here seemed so comfortable and peaceful for the time being, since the person he wanted to find was no longer there, there was no reason for him to stay here. Brian didn't want to stay in this dangerous place forever.
In particular, the recent physical abnormalities of the infected made him feel a little uneasy. He found that some infected people began to grow very strange red and white lumps on their heads, but the number varied.
He learned from the radio broadcast that these were fungal spores that were derived from the nutrients that the virus absorbed after invading the human body.
The one Brian had seen the most had half of its head corroded by the fungal spores. This mutation was very strange, and in his opinion it might even produce some degree of "evolution", which was one of the reasons why he didn't want to stay here any longer.
If he leaves here, he currently has only two options. The first is to go to Dallas to find Yarman. Brian still has the note left by the old man, but he is not sure whether the other party can really take him in.
After all, Dallas is a mess right now. Even if Yarman is willing to take them in, would his daughter and son-in-law be willing?
The second way was to go to Washington to find his parents. Although Brian had always been afraid to face them because he had occupied someone else's son's body, there was no doubt that this was indeed an excellent place to go.
The only thing that bothered Brian was that the journey was too far. He roughly estimated that it was nearly 2,000 kilometers.
"Well, let's just take it one step at a time."
"What are you thinking about?" Just when Brian was immersed in his own thoughts, he suddenly heard someone talking beside him. He looked up and saw that Sarah had walked to his side and was looking at him with some concern.
"I've seen you in a daze these past two days. Is there something wrong?"
After a moment's silence, Brian walked to the steps at the door, then glanced at Sarah and patted the seat next to him, motioning her to sit down and talk.
After the girl sat down, he looked around and made sure no one could hear them, then he said, "I'm going to leave."
But Sarah didn't show any surprise. She just said calmly, "Okay, when do we leave?"
"You know what I'm going to say?" Hearing Sarah's calm tone, Brian turned his head to look at the other person's calm face and asked in surprise.
"Um."
Sarah nodded. She had actually noticed that Brian's mind was not here at all. She saw that he was paying attention to the outside information every day, and was intentionally or unintentionally storing some food that was easy to carry and preserve. From that time on, she knew that he would leave here sooner or later.
"I didn't expect you to know me so well." Brian raised his eyebrows, leaned back against the pillar, gently held Sarah's hand and said, "Want to join us?"
"Of course, I'll go wherever you go!"
.....
At night, when everyone was sitting around the iron pot drinking the fragrant fish soup, Brian stood up and announced that he and Sarah were leaving.
"Why do we have to leave? Aren't we fine here?"
Taylor seemed very puzzled when he heard Brian say he wanted to leave. He was very satisfied with his current living environment. He knew that the world outside must be very chaotic. Even if he went to the city, it might not be better than living here. At least here, as long as you didn't make too much noise, you wouldn't be hurt by the infected.
"Taylor, stop talking. After all, they still need to find their relatives. We should show our understanding."
At this time, the white man Kenneth on the side also spoke. In stark contrast to Taylor, he obviously hoped that Brian and the other man could leave here, so instead of saying anything to stop them, he stopped the black man from continuing to try to keep them.
He always felt that Brian and Sarah were a burden, and were of no use other than consuming their limited food. In his opinion, even the last time they went out to collect supplies, it was all thanks to him and Taylor.
What made Kenneth most dissatisfied was that he knew there was an assault rifle in Brian's room. He felt that the gun should be handed over to him to protect everyone's safety. But when he asked for it, the damn man refused to give him the gun. So when he learned that the other party was leaving, he did not stop him. Instead, he rolled his eyes and had other evil thoughts in his mind.
Taylor knew exactly what Kenneth was thinking, because he had heard him complain more than once about the two extra people in the camp. But he actually agreed with Kenneth's idea. After hesitating for a while, he asked, "When are you going to leave? Have you decided where to go?"
"Ah, we will go to the town tomorrow to collect some supplies, and then spend the night in the town. If everything goes well, we will leave here the day after tomorrow. As for where to go...it should be Dallas."
Brian pretended not to notice the thoughts that were already written on their faces and said with a smile, but he sneered in his heart. This was another reason why he didn't want to stay here any longer. If he continued to stay in this team where the two people were not in harmony with each other, problems would arise sooner or later.
Hearing that they were going to spend the night in the town, Kenneth's eyes suddenly lit up. He suddenly sat up and patted his chest with a righteous look and said, "It's too dangerous for you two kids to go to the town. How about this, I'll go with you tomorrow and come back after I send you out."
Brian glanced at Kenneth with a half-smile, and did not refuse. He said, "Thank you for your help, Uncle Kenneth."
Then he looked at Angela and Barton who were reluctant to leave Sarah after learning that they were leaving. He picked up the bowl of fish soup and said, "Drink the soup quickly, or it will get cold."
When everyone heard this, they picked up their bowls and drank the fish soup in silence. Cathy and Yvette did not speak from beginning to end. They were used to listening to their husbands and did not have any thoughts in their minds. In their opinion, it was not a bad thing to have two less useless children in the team to share the food.