The two left the hospital. Sean helped Morne into the car, and they sped off toward Rick's house.
At Rick's house, Lori was hiding in a second-floor room with Carl.
Lori gently covered Carl's mouth. "Carl, don't be afraid. Stay quiet, okay?" Lori comforted Carl while suppressing her own fear. After speaking, she walked toward the window and tentatively peeked outside.
The street was in chaos. Blood from people being bitten was splattered everywhere. Out-of-control cars crashed into roadside houses. People were fleeing in all directions, with individuals constantly being pinned down and bitten to death by crazed attackers.
Lori pulled back and turned to search the house for something to defend herself with. Rick and Morne were still in the hospital, their fates unknown. She couldn't count on Sean to risk his life to save her and her son right now, so she had to save herself.
Bang, bang, bang! A violent pounding came from the front door on the first floor.
"Oh, damn, was I seen at the window just now?"
Lori quickened her search, keeping a close eye on the noise at the door.
Bang, bang, bang! The pounding grew more urgent. In her anxiety, Lori grabbed a metal box used for miscellaneous items and led Carl to the wardrobe. "Carl, hide in the wardrobe. Don't come out no matter what you hear, do you understand?"
Carl nodded fearfully and watched as Lori closed the wardrobe door.
Lori walked to the bedroom door, paused for a moment, then summoned her courage, pulled the door open, and ran down to the first floor.
Reaching the front door, Lori saw it shaking violently. She rushed forward to brace it and cautiously looked through the peephole.
A hideous face with a mouth full of blood appeared in Lori's view.
Terrified, Lori shouted, "Who are you? Get away! Stay away from my house!"
No matter how Lori yelled for him to leave, he didn't respond. He just kept growling and pounding on the door.
As the noise continued, a group of people gradually gathered at the door, repeatedly growling and banging on it.
Just as Lori was about to give up, a car charged toward the crowd at the door, knocking them aside. The car door aligned with the front door of Rick's house. Sean opened the door and shouted urgently, "Lori, it's Sean! Open the door, quick!"
Hearing Sean's voice, Lori hurriedly opened the door. Seeing Sean approach, she asked, "Sean? Did you go to the hospital to see Rick and Morne? How are they?"
"Lori, there's no time to explain. Pack your things, get Carl, and let's go. I'll explain on the way."
"No, Sean, I'm not going with you unless you explain. And what is going on? Has everyone gone crazy?"
"Hey, listen, Lori. I don't know what's wrong with these people either, but we have to leave."
"I went to see Rick and Morne. Rick's heart stopped, and Morne just woke up and hasn't recovered yet. We couldn't bring Rick with us. I'm so sorry."
"No, you have to bring Rick. He's your best friend, he's Morne's uncle..."
Lori cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face.
"I know, I know, Lori. But I have to get you out safely for Rick's sake, okay? Lori, go pack your things. We have to leave."
"Carl, come out! Help your mom pack, we have to go!"
Sean shouted into the house. Growls could be heard from around the car outside. "Aunt Lori, Uncle Sean, we need to hurry. They're surrounding us again," Morne's weak voice called out.
Hearing this, Lori immediately turned and told Carl to help her pack.
Before long, the two had finished packing.
Lori walked out, pulling Carl, whose face was stained with tears and who was clutching a family photo album. Clearly, Lori had told him about Rick while they were packing.
The two opened the car door and sat in the back seat. Sean followed immediately, started the engine, and sped off, knocking aside several people surrounding the car as he headed toward the King County Sheriff's Department.
The car sped down the road. Lori sat in the back seat, glanced at Morne, then at Sean, and finally turned to look at the scenery rushing past the window, tears dripping down her cheeks.
She wanted to hate Morne and Sean for leaving Rick to die.
But she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to hate them.
Morne was Rick's nephew, the only bloodline left by Rick's brother. They had lived together for eight years, and she knew how deep the bond between Rick and Morne was. If Morne hadn't been injured, he would have brought Rick back, even if it were just his body.
Hate Sean? Sean was Rick's best friend, but he had no obligation to save her and Carl. In this chaos, choosing to save oneself, even abandoning family, was what most people would do. Sean had already done enough; she couldn't resent him.
She could only hate the people in the police force who had messed things up, and the rioters who had gone mad at the same time.
Soon, the car stopped at the back door of the police station. Sean told Morne to watch the car and ran toward the armory inside.
"Aunt Lori, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Morne said, getting out of the car and slowly walking toward the back seat.
"It's not your fault, Morne. I believe you wanted to bring Rick back. You don't have to apologize. If anyone is to blame, it's these inexplicable rioters."
As Lori finished, she clenched her teeth.
Morne looked into Lori's eyes for a moment, then at Carl. He murmured something to himself but ultimately said nothing more, turning away to keep watch.
Before long, Sean ran out with a bag of guns and ammunition. "Quick, get in the car! Let's go, they're coming after us!" Sean shouted as he ran.
Morne quickly opened the driver's door, then circled around to the passenger seat. Sean tossed the gun bag into Morne's lap, got into the driver's seat, and hurriedly started the car.
The four of them turned to look behind the car. A group of people in various clothes were chasing them, growling incessantly.
"What's wrong with them?" Carl asked, confused.
"I don't know. Maybe something's wrong with their brains," Sean said bitterly.
The car drove onto the highway leading out of King County.
"Sean, where are we going?"
"I haven't decided yet. Let's hear what the news says. Maybe the riots have been suppressed somewhere."
With that, Sean turned on the car radio.
Zzz...
"This is a report from this station... Currently, with the arrival of a large number of troops, Atlanta has cleared the riots within the city. At the same time, shelters have been set up. All those fleeing are welcome to seek refuge. There is plenty of food, strong firepower, and a well-organized military that can provide protection and life security..." After the four of them finished listening, they looked at each other, and Lori was the first to speak.
"I think we should head toward Atlanta. If it's true, we'll be much safer."
"Perhaps so, but we still don't know what caused this riot. They don't look like normal people. Having too many people gathered together might be dangerous."
Morne said cautiously.
"Let's go with Lori's idea. With the military there, there shouldn't be any major problems. But Morne has a point; we can observe near the shelter first before deciding whether to go in."
Sean made the final decision and steered the car toward the highway to Atlanta.
The car sped along, and they soon saw the entrance to Atlanta, only to find that both the inbound and outbound lanes were jammed with vehicles heading into the city.
Sean quickly turned the steering wheel and pulled the car over onto the grass by the side of the road.
"Looking at this, I don't think we can get in from here. It's completely blocked."
Sean punched the steering wheel and said irritably.
"What do we do now?"
Lori looked at Sean and Morne.
"I know a back road that leads into Atlanta, but I'm not sure if it will be just as crowded as here."
Morne said after thinking for a while.
"We have no choice. Let's try it. Morne, you lead the way."
Sean turned the car and slowly advanced in the direction Morne pointed.
They reached the back road Morne mentioned. It was very quiet, which felt slightly abnormal.
Sean carefully drove into the city. As the car entered, what met their eyes were dilapidated streets and piles of corpses.
Just as Sean was about to continue driving forward, the car came to a stop.
Sean stepped on the gas, but there was no response. He looked at the dashboard; the fuel light was flashing. The car was out of gas.
Having no choice, Sean told the other three. He got out of the car and cautiously kept watch. Once everyone was out, the four hurried toward a house by the side of the road.
Reaching the house, Morne took off the gun bag, pulled out two shotguns, handed one to Sean along with some ammunition, and then gave a handgun and several magazines to Lori. He then swung the gun bag back onto his back.
"Be careful, Uncle Sean. Please take the lead. Aunt Lori, you and Carl stay in the middle, and I'll cover the rear."
"Mm," the two replied in unison.
Sean tentatively pushed the door, but to his surprise, it fell right off, revealing a house packed with people.
"Damn it!"
"Run! Run, Morne, Lori, Carl! Turn around! The house is full of people, let's run!"
Morne looked back. The people inside the house had already begun swarming toward them. Seeing the crowd covered in blood with flesh that looked bitten, he was momentarily stunned.
"Brother Morne, let's go!" Carl gave Morne a shove. Snapping back to his senses, Morne shouted urgently.
"Follow me! Aunt Lori, hold onto Carl! Let's go!"
Morne took the lead and ran toward another part of the street. Lori pulled Carl along behind him, with Sean following closely while covering the rear.
The sky grew darker. The silhouettes of the four running and the inhuman figures chasing them were starkly visible in the night