The window design of the guest bedroom resembled that of most villas. It was divided into three sections: the left and right panels were narrow, while the center featured a vast glass wall.
To open the middle glass panel, one had to activate a switch located at the head of the bed, which would raise it electronically. The windows on the smaller side panels could be opened manually.
Outside, the backyard of the manor was visible. Twelve or thirteen meters below lay the swimming pool, still stained with a hint of blood. The unfortunate soul who had been frolicking in the pool was gone, leaving behind only a few water marks leading to the parking lot.
Beyond the pool stretched a spacious shooting range where they had practiced target shooting the previous afternoon. It was equipped with a Frisbee launcher and tracks for moving targets.
Adjacent to the shooting range lay a forested area connected to the manor, a thoughtful measure to shield innocent bystanders during practice.
After assessing the surroundings outside the manor, Gavin leaned closer to the window and cast his gaze to the left, where a group of zombies had gathered. They were positioned at the far left edge of Madison's room.
The lights in the backyard were dimmer than those in the garden and parking lot. Gavin squinted to gauge the distance accurately.
Upon reaching a conclusion, he straightened up and touched the window hinge at the edge. After carefully running his fingers along it to confirm its lubrication and maintenance, Gavin slowly pushed the window open.
He tentatively nudged it ajar, and the window glided open and closed with remarkable smoothness, making no sound at all.
At this moment, Gavin glanced back at Madison and made a motion to zip his lips.
Madison nodded in understanding, and Gavin continued to open the window until it was fully ajar.
Seeing this, Madison stepped forward, raised her hand to hold the window in place, and handed Gavin a bottle of wine.
The two wine bottles were of different designs. After weighing them in his hands, Gavin silently focused on the third target from the left in the shooting range.
He aimed and threw.
The bottle soared through the night sky, striking the target with a sharp shattering sound.
In the open shooting range, the sound of breaking glass echoed more clearly than it would have in the parking lot.
On the side, Madison quickly raised her hand and gave Gavin a thumbs-up.
Gavin did not even glance at her; instead, he checked his watch and then turned his attention back to the group of zombies beyond the glass.
Based on his assessment, if the obstacles were significantly reduced, the zombie group would require about eleven to twelve seconds to traverse the eighty meters.
However, Gavin observed that when the zombies left the parking lot, they hesitated briefly at the shooting range fence. Only a few of the front zombies managed to leap over the fence in a single bound, while the majority had to crash into the wall before rolling and crawling over it.
When the zombies finally began to cluster and mound at the third target position on the left, Gavin looked down at his watch and noted that fifteen seconds had elapsed.
He then fixed his gaze on the range fence.
After a moment, understanding dawned on him: the height of the shooting range fence was approximately 160 centimeters, a height designed to effectively stop wild boars from entering the shooting range.
Most sedans measured around 140 centimeters in height, with SUVs being taller and sports cars shorter.
Gavin recalled the 20-centimeter height difference and resolved that any future escape plans would necessitate keeping a height of at least 160 centimeters in mind when selecting obstacles.
He then walked toward the door without a word, collecting another bottle of wine along the way.
Upon exiting the room, as was their routine, they pressed against the wall to avoid the zombies near the food delivery entrance on the first floor before reaching the terrace at the end of the villa's shooting range.
This time, Madison stood on the terrace, staring blankly into the gloomy night.
Gavin calculated the distance accurately, threw a bottle out, and reveled in the sight of hundreds of corpses shambling about.
Time passed slowly, and as the zombies began to spread and patrol the target area, Gavin gestured for Madison to follow him back to the corridor.
As they walked, Gavin seemed to hear something and glanced back.
The faint noise emanated from Madison's quivering lips.
He said nothing but continued forward until they reached the side door of the parking lot, where he patted Madison on the shoulder.
"Come on, lend me your Tyrannosaurus Rex. I've never driven a pickup truck like this before."
As he finished speaking, he extended his hand toward Madison.
Given Madison's current level of anxiety, Gavin did not wish to place the steering wheel—and his life—in her hands.
Madison appeared momentarily stunned, instinctively pulling out her keys as she asked, "Didn't we agree that I'd drive? That's my favorite car, and you should take a break. I've been depending on you this entire time."
"Come on, what's the fuss? I need to get home and rest next."
"When your family is far away in Chicago, I'll have to pray that you don't choose a bed, haha..."
Gavin chuckled and patted Madison's shoulder.
Noticing that Madison still seemed dazed, Gavin took her arm and continued, "I haven't called my family yet. Once we get in the car, please help me call them a few times."
"Can you believe it? It's not that I don't want to fight, but I don't dare."
"What?"
Upon hearing Gavin's words, Madison blinked in surprise and regarded him with suspicion.
"Are you timid sometimes?"
"Of course! When Charlie Sheen was revealed to have AIDS, I was freaking out."
Gavin teased, causing Madison's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"Wait, what did you say? Charlie Sheen was exposed for having an AIDS problem? When did that happen? Why haven't I heard about it?"
"Impossible! There's no way I wouldn't know such major news! Are you joking, you piece of work?"
Just as Madison exclaimed this, Gavin reached out and took the key from Old Mac.
Realizing his left hand was empty, he instinctively grasped at the air before wiping the sweat off his hands with his pants. He swung the saber in his right hand twice and said, "Gavin, are you serious? Charlie Sheen is really in love?"
"Who knows? I just heard about it."
Gavin replied nonchalantly.
The incident involving Charlie Sheen's revelation had occurred in 2015—only thirteen years ago.
Gavin mentioned it merely to lighten Madison's mood.
Seeing her condition improve and her breathing steadier than before, Gavin placed his hand on the door and whispered, "Okay, enough of that nonsense. Even if Charlie Sheen didn't have AIDS, he'd have turned into a real zombie by now."
"Back to our plan: I just checked, and there are no zombies in the parking lot. Their sensitivity to sound has become their weakness."
"Just stick close to me. Let's avoid unnecessary actions and drive away from this wretched villa!"
"Man, enjoy the roar of that T-Rex engine!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gavin swiftly opened the door and crouched low as he made his way toward the stairs.
Madison, who had just begun to relax, immediately tensed up again as she followed him down the stairs.
Once Gavin descended the stairs and crouched down to enter the garden area, he moved toward the parking lot under the cover of the bushes.
Madison's teeth began to chatter slightly once more.
But Gavin had no time to spare for her; his focus was solely on the surrounding environment and the Dodge Tyrannosaurus Rex!
Although the Tyrannosaurus Rex was located in the center of the parking lot, it was still quite distant from the exit.
However, this spot was actually closer to the villa.
After crossing the garden area, Gavin reached the Tyrannosaurus Rex after passing only two rows of cars.
Despite Madison's anxiety, she instinctively maneuvered around Gavin and paused in front of the passenger door as he halted.
Gavin glanced at his watch before pressing the car key. The Tyrannosaurus Rex's lights ignited instantly, accompanied by two soft clicks as the locks disengaged.
As the car lights illuminated the surroundings, Gavin flung open the door and tossed the sizable backpack, secured with ropes, along with the saber into the back seat. Without delay, he leaped into the driver's seat and started the engine as swiftly as he could.
As the roar of the Tyrannosaurus Rex's engine filled the air, Madison had already settled into the passenger seat, turned around, leaned against the back of the chair, and gazed intently out the rear window.
Despite his chattering teeth, his hands gripping the back of the seat, and cold sweat trickling into the corners of his eyes, he remained fixated on the direction from which the zombies might pursue them.
While Madison observed him, Gavin gently pressed down on the accelerator.