Chapter 89: Susan Vaughn
Dozens of kilometers outside Kensington Base, a luxury RV was speeding down the road.
Two SUVs escorted it from the front and two from the back, forming a grand convoy headed toward the base.
"Boss, Young Master Rivers says we need to stop and rest. His girlfriend is feeling unwell again."
Saul Eaton, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned his head to look at Luke Locke, who was in the back with his eyes closed, feigning sleep.
The stoic-faced man’s brow furrowed. With his eyes still closed, he replied, "Tell that woman to tough it out. We’ll rest when we find the next house we can stay in overnight."
"Sigh... Right."
Saul Eaton resignedly picked up the walkie-talkie. Just as he finished relaying the message, he could hear the faint sound of a woman’s sobbing and Ron Rivers’s soft words of comfort from the other end.
An angry voice immediately followed. "Luke Locke! I said stop the car for a few minutes! What’s the problem?! Susan is crying!"
Hugh Palmer’s expression soured. "Brother Rhodes, that woman’s a real siren. She’s got Young Master Rivers completely bewitched."
Hearing the commotion, Saul Eaton shuddered, goosebumps crawling all over his skin. "Young Master Rivers is such a simp. He used location data from before the internet went down to rush hundreds of kilometers just to pick up her and her family, dragging us along to suffer in this freezing weather."
Byron Bell added with lingering fear, "The key is, that woman is a real piece of work. Did you see what she did to her cousin? Pushed her in front of the zombies as a shield. The look on her face... you guys didn’t see it, but it was downright hideous. And she’s been nothing but trouble this whole trip."
Hugh Palmer couldn’t help but complain further. "Good thing we brought enough ammo. Otherwise, on a trip like this, we’d all have ended up dead out here."
Luke Locke’s brows knitted tightly. "She can only cause trouble for one more night, at most. We’ll be back inside the walls by tomorrow. Once we hand them over to Chief Rivers, it won’t be our problem anymore."
Saul Eaton’s face twisted into a grimace. "True. Only a few dozen kilometers left. Let’s just hope no more trouble pops up."
Luke Locke took the walkie-talkie. "There’s nowhere to stop around here. We have a hundred-odd zombies chasing our convoy. If Young Master Rivers wants to have an intimate encounter with them tonight, I don’t mind making camp right here."
His voice was hoarse and dry, tinged with a hint of impatience.
Inside the RV, the light was soft. Ron Rivers’s arm rested loosely but possessively around the woman’s slender waist. She snuggled into his embrace, her body as pliant as a handful of springtime willow fluff.
The girl looked to be in her early twenties. The corners of her eyes were reddened just so, making her delicate face look all the more pitiable.
Her eyes, as she looked at the man, were filled with boundless affection.
With a sob in her frail voice, Susan Vaughn slowly explained, "Brother Shawn, I... I just saw the scenery here and it made me think of my parents. My family and I once came here to hike and watch the sunrise... I... I just miss them so much."
Ron Rivers’s expression changed instantly, his eyes filling with heartache. He turned, grabbed the walkie-talkie, and, with a complete change of tone, yelled, "I’m carsick! I need some air for a few minutes!"
Luke Locke glanced coldly at the RV in his rearview mirror and spoke into the walkie-talkie in a frigid tone, "Ten minutes. That’s it." He then gave Saul Eaton a meaningful look.
Saul Eaton understood and picked up his own walkie-talkie. "Clean up our tail. We’re stopping for a ten-minute break."
The roof of the rearmost of the two military trucks behind them opened. Two men in camouflage combat uniforms emerged with submachine guns and unleashed a furious barrage at the vehicles behind them.
The sound of gunfire erupted across the snowy outskirts of Kensington as the relentless zombies chasing them began to fall one by one.
At the same time, a startled scream came from the RV...
Saul Eaton couldn’t help but roll his eyes when he heard it. ’Who knows how many zombies that woman has attracted throughout this whole trip.’
A short while later, when the gunfire from the rear vehicle stopped, Luke Locke quietly said, "Stop the car."
After getting out, he gestured for a few men to go check for Crystal Cores, then arranged for others to stand guard around the convoy.
As soon as the vehicles came to a complete stop, the high-pitched screaming from inside the RV also ceased.
The door opened slowly, and Ron Rivers carefully led a delicate-looking girl in a white down jacket out of the vehicle.
Susan Vaughn’s eyes were red-rimmed, as if she had just been crying.
The moment they were on the ground, Susan Vaughn motioned for Ron Rivers to help her over to Luke Locke, who was leaning against the rear vehicle with a cigarette dangling from his lips.
"I’m so sorry, Captain Rhodes. I just saw the scenery and it reminded me of my family. If you all had come sooner, maybe my parents wouldn’t have died... *sob*... *sob*..."
As she spoke, she started crying again.
The corner of Luke Locke’s mouth twitched. ’Unbelievable. Now she’s blaming me.’ "I was just following orders," he said.
After speaking, he quickly took a few steps back as if afraid of catching something filthy. ’There’s something unsettling about this woman,’ he thought.
Ron Rivers quickly pulled the girl back. "Susan, don’t get too close to him. He reeks of gunpowder."
Susan Vaughn gently patted Ron Rivers’s hand and nodded. She looked at Luke Locke, brushed her long hair back, and met his eyes with a gentle smile.
"Thank you for being so patient with us on this trip, Captain Rhodes. We just need a breath of fresh air. We’ll be on our way in a few minutes."
Luke Locke nodded and paid them no more mind.
Seeing this, Susan Vaughn headed back to the RV with Ron Rivers. A moment later, she returned, carrying a thermos and a stack of paper cups toward the men.
A rich, sweet, milky aroma wafted from the thermos. She casually offered it to Saul Eaton, who was standing next to Luke Locke.
"I’ve caused everyone so much trouble along the way. Thank you all for coming to rescue me. I just made some milk tea for everyone. It’s cold out, so please have some to warm yourselves up."
"This was made with the precious purified water that our Susan can only produce a little of each day. Do you even realize what you’re drinking?"
Ron Rivers stood to the side, looking none too pleased, though he himself was slowly sipping a cup of the milk tea with a look of utter enjoyment on his face.
Susan Vaughn shot him a chiding glance. "Shawn, they’re protecting us. I should be grateful. Don’t say that."
Then she turned to Luke Locke and explained softly, "This is pure water I created with my superpower. Don’t worry, it’s safe. Please drink it while it’s hot."
Luke Locke nodded and said coolly, "Thank you, Miss Vaughn."
Seeing Saul Eaton start to pour the milk tea, Susan Vaughn returned to the RV with Ron Rivers, satisfied. She leaned back on the sofa, her eyes occasionally flicking toward Luke Locke and his men to see if they were drinking it.
"Boss, this milk tea smells amazing! I haven’t had any in the two-plus months since the apocalypse started."
Byron Bell’s eyes shone as he stared at the cup of milk tea cradled in his hands, his voice filled with delight.
Saul Eaton looked at the milk tea in his hand, brought it to his lips, and took a sip. "Mmm! It’s so sweet!"
He was about to grab a cup from the hood of the car for Luke Locke, but Luke deftly sidestepped him. "I don’t want any. I’m cutting back on sugar. And I’m worried that woman might have poisoned it."
"No way."
"Young Master Rivers is drinking it too."
Lured by the sweet aroma in the air, the other men came forward to grab a cup, warming their hands on them as they drank.
Hugh Palmer took a sip and paused in surprise. "Is it just because I haven’t had milk tea in so long? I feel like this stuff blows the signature drinks of every pre-apocalypse chain out of the water!"
Everyone sang its praises, finishing their cups in a few large gulps. They even started to think that maybe Miss Vaughn wasn’t so bad after all, sometimes.
Susan Vaughn kept her eyes fixed on the men outside. Seeing the milk tea drunk down to the last drop, a pleased smile spread across her face.
When Ron Rivers saw her smile, he couldn’t resist taking her delicate hand. "Feeling better now? From now on, I’ll be with you, protecting you. Don’t be sad anymore. It breaks my heart."
"Thank you, Brother Shawn," she said, before pressing her lips against his.
Soon, the faint sound of a woman’s sensual moans could be heard from the RV, causing the men outside to freeze for a moment.
Luke Locke glanced at the RV, then walked a few steps further away. "Stay alert."
Before long, the people in the RV finished their business, and the convoy set off once again.
Susan Vaughn, still panting slightly, rested her head on Ron Rivers’s chest, listening quietly as he went on about what they would do when they returned to the base. She gave him patient responses from time to time.
Inwardly, however, she was scheming. ’How can I get Luke Locke to drink my Superpower Water? He’s the strongest one in this group. I have to find a way to win him over, no matter what it takes.’
Ron Rivers looked down at the charming woman in his arms, feeling the softness of her body pressed against his chest, and was filled with immense satisfaction.