Sarah watched the mother and her child walking nearby. Although Tracy had comforted the hungry little boy, Sarah could clearly see how he kept holding his stomach—his expression showed that he was truly starving.
"Brian... Maybe we should give them something to eat..."
If any accident happened next, this mother and son would have no strength left to even run away. She remembered she still had some food in her backpack. Hesitating for a moment, she walked over to Brian to ask for his opinion.
"..."
After listening to her, Brian glanced at the pair, observing their weak steps. He remained silent for a while before finally softening his heart. With a quiet sigh, he took out the last few chocolate bars from his pocket and handed them to Sarah.
"Don't use the food from your backpack—it's too obvious. There are many people here who are also hungry. Even though the soldiers are around, there might still be someone trying to steal. I still have some chocolate. Give it to them discreetly, tell them to stay at the back of the group and eat quietly without being noticed."
"Okay!"
Squeezing the chocolates tightly in her hand, Sarah nodded happily and quickened her pace toward the mother and child.
Watching her walk away, a shadow of concern flickered across Brian's eyes. He wasn't sure whether keeping her kind nature was a good or bad thing. In the old world of civilization, kindness was a rare quality with no real danger. But in this dangerous apocalyptic world where lives were as fragile as grass, such a personality could easily be exploited. If they met kind-hearted people, all was well. But if they encountered malicious ones...
Thinking about it, he realized that once inside the quarantine zone in Atlanta, he might need to teach Sarah some lessons on human nature—at least enough to distinguish those truly worth helping from those harboring ill intentions.
Soon, he saw Sarah reach the pair. She subtly placed the chocolates into the woman's hand and whispered a few words.
The woman turned her head in surprise, seeing the girl suddenly by her side. Then she looked down at what had been placed in her palm, her eyes filled with tears. She shot Sarah a grateful look, her lips moving silently—"Thank you."
After helping others, Sarah returned to Brian excitedly, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction, smiling brightly all the way.
Seeing her happy face, Brian smiled too, but couldn't resist reminding her:
"While being kind is good, don't blindly help just anyone. It won't benefit you."
"I know that!" Hearing Brian, Sarah rolled her eyes. She wasn't stupid. Though only thirteen, the experiences of the past few months had made her grow rapidly. She was no longer that innocent girl unaware of the world.
Whether in the city or outside, after witnessing so much of humanity's darker side, she understood that not everyone treated their companions with goodwill. Sometimes, a companion was merely a tool for survival—or worse, food.
So the concern Brian originally had simply didn't exist. Sarah already had her own internal standard for judging good and evil.
Seeing that Sarah had understood his words, Brian nodded and simply said:
"As long as you understand, that's fine."
Before long, the group arrived at a place they couldn't bypass. The street ahead had collapsed, forming a vertical wall blocking their path.
Everyone stopped simultaneously. Soon, several soldiers stepped forward, leaning against the edge of the collapse, lifting each person up two at a time.
As the line moved orderly, the mother and son silently shifted to the end of the queue. When no one was paying attention, they quickly took the chocolates and ate them in secret.
The entire group then walked through the ruins for nearly half an hour. Along the way, they followed their planned route, encountering only scattered infected individuals, avoiding any large groups.
Tracy looked at the increasingly close quarantine zone and couldn't hide her excitement. Pointing at a collapsed apartment building ahead, she told the crowd:
"All we need to do is pass through there, then go a bit further, and we'll enter the safe zone!"
Upon hearing this, everyone felt a surge of energy. They lifted their heads, eyes shining with hope. Someone immediately shouted: "What are we waiting for?" or "Let's go!"
Seeing the group regain its spirit, Tracy secretly nodded in approval. Although she knew this state was temporary, it didn't matter—as long as they could maintain it through the final stretch.
"Alright, don't get too excited," she raised her hand slightly to calm the restless crowd. "We've all walked a long way and are tired. Let's rest here for ten minutes, then push straight to the quarantine zone."
Hearing that they could rest, everyone temporarily suppressed their eagerness to leave immediately and began looking for places to sit. Their legs trembled from exhaustion after the long journey.
Just as Brian was about to sit down, Wilfred suddenly approached him, his voice even raspier than usual, whispering:
"Brian, come with me for a second."
Frowning slightly, Brian listened to that raspy voice—like sandpaper scraping against a wall—and knew exactly why Wilfred had come. He stood up and followed behind him to a slightly more secluded area.
"...You've figured it out, haven't you?" Once they were far enough, Wilfred softly asked, making sure no one else was watching.
"Of course I have!" Brian casually sat on a broken stone, knowing Wilfred was referring to his cordyceps infection. He continued, "I've noticed your unusual behavior these past two days. Combined with your strange physical changes, even others could deduce what's happening to you."
Wilfred stared deeply at Brian. After a brief silence, he spoke again:
"Now that you know my condition... why do you still help me? Aren't you afraid I might suddenly turn into an infected?"
"Heh..." Brian chuckled lightly, indifferent. "I'm just helping a father fulfill his final wish. Also, I've been keeping a close eye on you. Even if you suddenly turned, I wouldn't let you harm anyone."
"Cough... cough!"
After hearing Brian's words, Wilfred opened his mouth as if to say something, but suddenly his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. His left side convulsed violently, and he broke into a violent cough. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, squatting down and covering his mouth, desperately trying to control himself and avoid drawing attention.
Luckily, the symptoms came quickly and left just as fast. He soon recovered, but his cough had already drawn suspicious glances from nearby people.
Brian was startled by what had just happened. Looking at Wilfred, now weaker than before, he frowned and said:
"With how you are now, I doubt you can last much longer..."
"There's no need to last long!"
Wilfred took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, waved his hand, and stood up again.
"The morphine you gave me hasn't worn off yet. It should keep me going for a while. As long as I see Anna safely into the quarantine zone, I will choose to end my life. And if necessary, I will even distract the infected for you."
Then he looked at Brian and continued:
"You're smart. I'm certain that even within the quarantine zone, you'll manage better than most. I know Anna well. She's kind and passionate, but she lacks caution. So I hope that, within your capabilities, you'll continue to look after her after entering the quarantine zone."
"Nothing is absolute. How can you be so sure I'll do well in the quarantine zone? Remember, I'm still just a thirteen-year-old kid." Brian fixed Wilfred with a confused gaze, unsure why he suddenly brought up this conversation.
Seeing Brian's puzzled expression, Wilfred let out a helpless bitter smile. Truthfully, he didn't fully understand why he said those things either. He simply replied:
"...I can't explain it either, but my gut tells me—you can."
This time, it was Brian who had nothing to say. He closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then slowly stood up:
"Don't worry. Both Sarah and I really like Anna. Even without your request, we wouldn't abandon her."
Without waiting for Wilfred to reply, he turned and walked back toward where the group was resting.
Watching Brian's retreating figure, Wilfred suddenly revealed a long-forgotten smile. In a barely audible whisper, he murmured:
"Thank you..."