Chapter 195

Two days later, everyone in Brandon’s group woke up early to begin their journey.

Although it was still early—barely 6 a.m.—the sun was already out and shining. Just as Brandon had predicted, the snow began to melt, exposing parts of the paved road beneath.

"Wow, I never thought I would miss seeing the asphalt!" said David. He was holding Laura’s hand, walking her out onto the ground.

Laura took careful steps, making sure she didn’t lose her balance. Although she was only four months pregnant, her belly had already begun to show.

The group of twenty slowly walked down the street, carrying all of their belongings on their backs. They didn’t have a vehicle, so they had to make the trip on foot.

Brandon walked at the front with his wife, leading the others toward the small town that was closest to the mountain.

"We should hopefully make it there before nightfall," said Brandon, trying to maintain a decent pace.

Mila nodded and glanced back at Derek and Laura, making sure they were keeping up.

While the walk was tiring, everyone was happy and chatting. People mainly commented on the ’warm breeze’ and how nice it was to see occasional patches of grass along the highway.

A few hours later, David walked over to Brandon’s side. "Hey, do you mind if we rest for a minute? Laura’s having a hard time keeping up."

Brandon nodded but looked up at the sky. He was worried that if they continued to take breaks this often, they wouldn’t be able to make it to the mountain town before dark.

Mila patted him on the shoulder and smiled. "It will be okay. We’ve made it this far; we will make it to town."

Brandon smiled and turned to face the rest of the group. "Okay, everyone! 15-minute break!"

Laura leaned against the guardrail that ran along the highway they were walking on and exhaled. Her feet were aching, and her back was sore. She couldn’t imagine how bad it would be later on in her pregnancy.

"I really hope we make it to the government base soon. I don’t know how long I can keep walking like this," she said to her husband.

David bent down and massaged her calves with his fingers, hoping to relieve her of some of her pain.

The rest of the people pulled out the few rations they had left and snacked on them until Brandon called to continue their journey.

Fifteen minutes later, Brandon made the call to continue, and everyone packed up and started walking.

They walked along the highway for hours, taking breaks whenever David requested them.

It took them until well into the night to finally reach the outskirts of the mountain town.

"Okay, everyone. We finally made it here. We just need to find someplace to spend the night before we set off for the government base tomorrow," he announced as they approached the town.

It was very dark out, so it was hard to see the condition of the houses from a distance.

Brandon led the group into the town, keeping an eye out for some sort of shelter where they could make camp.

"Hey, honey, do you smell that? It smells like smoke," Mila said quietly, sniffing the air around her.

Brandon smelled the air and, sure enough, he picked up on the faint scent of smoke.

"Let’s head over there. Maybe they’ll let us stay the night with them?" he suggested.

Mila nodded. "Let’s approach them cautiously first. It might be bandits." While she loved her husband to the bone, he was too trusting.

Ever since they met, he had always fallen for various phone and email scams, costing them a good amount of money. No matter how many times she warned him to watch out for these scammers, he always continued to fall for their tricks.

This time, however, the lives of others were at stake. She wouldn’t let him blindly lead their group into a trap.

Brandon smiled. "Thank you, honey. I hadn’t thought of that." He was aware of his overly trusting nature, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t have it in him to believe that humans could be so evil.

They walked down the streets of the town, following the scent of smoke until they reached the street of the Skinner Mountain Motel.

Brandon had everyone stay quiet as he and Mila observed the motel.

"It looks like a large group. Almost every room has a faint light inside. Also, look—they have many vehicles and even an RV!" she pointed out.

"Wow, and look, every room has its own heater! They must have a good amount of supplies," he agreed.

Brandon walked back to the rest of the group and told them about what he saw.

Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System Chapter 194: Vote Tsunade Can Hear My Inner Voice Chapter 73 - Roasted Rabbit Harem Stealer: Reborn with the God-Tier Sharing System Chapter 169: Submission and small meeting "What do you think we should do?" asked David. He was curious how people could live so well off that they had a heater in every room.

Brandon thought silently for a few moments. "I think I should approach them and see if I can speak with their leader. The rest of you stay here. If I don’t come back, you’ll need to run."

Mila shook at his words. "Honey, no! Surely there’s another way? What am I supposed to do if something happens to you?" She took a deep breath.

"No, I’ll come with you. We either come back together or get captured together."

Brandon was speechless at first, but then noticed the resolve in his wife’s eyes. "You know I can’t agree to this. What kind of man would I be if I allowed my wife to walk into danger?"

Mila shook her head. "No, this is my choice. Please honor my wishes." She knew her husband loved her very much, but she wouldn’t let him go unless she went with him.

After a few more back-and-forths, Brandon finally agreed to let her go with him.

"Okay, David, you’re in charge until we’re back. Make sure to stay hidden until we’re back," instructed Brandon, and set off toward the motel, holding Mila’s hand.

David nodded and watched the couple walk away. Laura walked over with a worried expression. "Do you think they’ll be okay?"

"Yes, don’t worry. They’ll be okay," he said softly, trying to convince himself with his own words.