Their suits looked like custom gear built to cool the body and pull sweat away fast. But even with clothes like that, no one should run this hard. The scary thing was that Caroline didn't slow down at all. She just kept going faster, like a storm picking up speed. In a short time, the men chasing her realized she had already vanished down the road. "Forget it. Stop chasing. Go back and watch the shelter," the leader growled. The other two men sighed in relief. They all turned their mutant cats around and rode back. Caroline drove a few miles. She checked the mirror and saw no one behind her anymore. She stopped worrying and sped toward the spot she had picked earlier. Caroline couldn't let anyone keep tailing her. If they ever saw her pull a full house out of her storage space, it would cause real trouble. Tyler's side was different. He didn't drive fast. In fact, he drove just slow enough that the people behind him wouldn't lose him. Twice, he even pulled over considerately, like he was tired of driving. He got out, stretched, and took out snacks and drinks. He sat there enjoying the view while eating like he was on a road trip. At one point, he even stopped to fight a mutant rabbit by the road. They wrestled like a cartoon fight that lasted forever. Tyler skinned the rabbit and roasted it slowly over a fire. Truth was, he was giving the guys behind him plenty of time to rest. He didn't want them to fall behind. Yes, he was that thoughtful. The men tailing him were also riding giant mutant cats. They thought they were following quietly and cleverly. After all, Tyler was acting completely natural. He even took off his shirt to wipe the sweat off. He would stretch and show his bare stomach like he didn't have a care in the world. No one would think a guy doing that was pretending. But Tyler was absolutely faking it. After their second break, Tyler climbed back into the truck and started driving again—steady and unhurried.By now, they had already left Hornvale, and the sky was growing darker by the minute. But Tyler still kept moving forward. The three people following behind began to hesitate. What is he doing? Why are we going this far out? Every group had its own territory. Crossing those borders without permission was a big deal. And the ones tailing Tyler were the type who followed rules to the letter. Finally, their leader made a quick hand signal. "Stay on him." So they pushed through their doubts and kept following. Luckily for them, a few miles later, Tyler finally stopped. He had reached what used to be a rural area. After the apocalypse, acid rain and snowstorms had drowned the entire place. The small houses were half-collapsed, covered in grime, and completely abandoned. The whole area looked empty, bleak, and forgotten. Tyler stepped out and found a house that still seemed sturdy enough. He helped Shane, now dressed in a loose, oversized robe, up the stairs. He carefully chose the angle, making Shane look like he was just sleeping, so the people outside couldn't see his face clearly. At the top floor, Tyler laid Shane down and positioned him neatly. Then he came back downstairs. Before getting into his car, Tyler raised his voice and called up toward the top floor. "Take care of the supplies. I'll come check on you in a few days!" Then he started the engine and drove off without looking back. The three people who had followed him froze for a moment, staring at each other. Their leader lifted a hand again. "Let's go check that building. Tyler's probably heading back to the shelter. No need to follow him." And with that, they turned toward the abandoned house, ready to find out what Tyler had left behind. They had no idea that, at that very moment, Shane was slowly opening his eyes.Before they split up, Nelson had warned Tyler that the anesthetic he mixed would only keep Shane asleep for six hours. The moment six hours passed, Shane would wake up without fail. So Tyler needed to time his escape perfectly. And he did. He left exactly three minutes before the six hours were up. The three riders chasing him reached the building in those same three minutes. When Shane woke, he saw he was in a strange, quiet room. He looked down at the robe he was wearing—a loud, floral woman's nightgown Caroline had grabbed during a supply run. She had thrown it on him without a second thought. Don't blame Caroline for it. She just didn't want to waste any of the good, wearable clothes on Shane. So she chose the ugliest thing she had, because she really couldn't stand seeing him running around with nothing on. Shane stared at the floral pattern in disgust. He ripped the nightgown off and tossed it aside. Then he glanced around, confused, and called out softly. "Nelson? Nelson?" Only the wind answered him. But then, his eyes sharpened. He turned his head fast and stared in one specific direction. The trio, who had just ridden up on their giant cats, thinking they had hidden themselves perfectly, were instantly frozen by the look in Shane's eyes.