Heavy Snow

Certainly, Arnold and Alexander were good-looking as well, but compared to them, Hurley's appearance had the upper hand. Just as Craig was about to order them to continue the journey, he noticed it was snowing, and the snowfall was getting heavier. In just a few minutes, a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the road. With nowhere to go, they could only continue resting in their cars.

Craig's voice came through the radio, "Rest in place. We'll move when the snow stops." The weather had been like this lately, with snow falling and stopping intermittently.

Alice happened to be taking a nap, covering herself with a blanket from her space, closing her eyes to rest. Until she naturally woke up, Craig's order had still not come.She opened the curtain to look outside, and the snow had piled up to the level of the car windows. Trying to push the car door, she found it wouldn't budge. Frowning, Alice opened the sunroof on the roof, and snow was still falling outside, drifting in through the opening.

Alice took a shovel from the trunk and cleared the accumulated snow on either side of the car. Turning around, she saw that Hurley's car was also buried in snow, so she decided to help him clear it.

Hurley, who had just opened the sunroof, saw Alice and was momentarily surprised. He then stepped onto the roof from inside and jumped down. "Let me do it," Hurley took the shovel from her.

Alice checked the time; it was five in the afternoon, and the sky was already dark. It seemed they wouldn't be able to proceed.

Craig also brought two people to help clear the snow. He said, "Camping outside is not a solution. If we don't clear the snow in time, we'll wake up buried in it tomorrow morning. We'll move forward twenty kilometers, there's an amusement park there. We can find a place to rest for a while."

After clearing the snow, the convoy continued through the snow. In areas with thick snow, two cars had to clear the snow simultaneously with their plows. After a slow journey, they finally arrived at the amusement park before 8 PM.The amusement park was deserted, with no one in sight. The shops inside had all been vandalized, and cars were parked in the parking lot as people sought refuge in various shops.

Alice entered a convenience store, its shelves in disarray but relatively clean, requiring only a bit of tidying up. Additionally, the store's roll-up door was intact, eliminating concerns about nighttime attacks.

Hurley followed her inside, pointing to a corner and asking, "Can I set up a tent there?"

OK," Alice replied without hesitation. The convenience store was spacious, and as long as he didn't disturb her, she didn't mind.Opening the trunk, she retrieved a tent, moisture-resistant mat, and sleeping bag from the space inside. After setting up the tent, she brought cooking utensils, bowls, plates, and various condiments.

With the convenience store's ample space, cooking was convenient. While Alice was cooking, Craig and five others approached, saying, "It's cold tonight. We're planning to gather some firewood. Do you want to join us?"

Before she could respond, Hurley preemptively volunteered, "I'll go."

Alice nodded slightly without arguing with him. Unwilling to deal with thawing meat, she retrieved unfrozen meat from the space.

Fifteen minutes later, Hurley and the others reached a snowy forest. Snow-covered branches hung overhead, and when someone pulled a broken branch, the accumulated snow shook off, hitting them directly and causing shivers.

"It's dangerous when it gets dark. One person carries one large branch; don't be greedy," Craig warned.

Hurley dug out a broken tree trunk from the snow, and others followed suit, searching the ground. This was much easier than chopping from the trees, and soon everyone had gathered enough firewood.On their way back, a man's ears twitched, and he asked suspiciously, "Did you guys hear anything?"

The others listened but couldn't tell if it was because of their hats or if there was really no sound. They shook their heads, saying, "No sound

The man scratched his head and listened carefully again, but there was no movement. Hurley, with sharp black eyes, glanced in a certain direction. He had faintly sensed the ground trembling moments ago, but it quickly disappeared. Was it just an illusion?

Hurley carried the firewood back to the convenience store, took out an axe, and chopped it into several pieces before igniting a fire. Since the firewood was wet, it produced a thick smoke, choking everyone.

Alice's eyes were teary, and just as she stood up to leave, her wrist was grabbed by a pair of hands. The man pulled her quickly outside.

Outside the convenience store, Hurley coughed a few times with a hoarse voice, "Are you okay?"

Alice shook her head, glancing at the clearly defined bones of those hands, hesitating before pulling her hand away. As Hurley's hand let go, the warmth of his touch seemed to linger on his fingertips.

Ten minutes later, the thick smoke in the convenience store had almost dissipated, and the two returned.

Alice had just finished cooking chicken stir-fry and had a pot of soup simmering. After half an hour, dinner was ready.

After satisfying their hunger and thirst, the two went back to their respective tents. A fire burned inside, leaving a crack in the window for ventilation.The convenience store had a bathroom, and the water inside was usable, solving the restroom issue.

Alice hung an energy-saving rechargeable lamp in the tent. Unable to sleep for a while, she took out her phone and headphones from the space to continue watching a TV series. She lowered the volume so that she could hear if someone spoke to her.

"Alice!" A man's magnetic voice echoed in the room.She immediately pressed pause, took off her headphones, and responded from inside the tent, "What's up?"

"I noticed you haven't slept yet, thought of bringing you some snacks." The man's footsteps were now outside the tent.

Alice unzipped the tent and saw Hurley holding several bags of puffed snacks and canned peaches. She wondered how he managed to keep them from freezing. Perhaps sensing her curiosity, Hurley smiled and explained, "I made a temperature-controlled box. I don't have fresh fruits and drinks, so I converted the surplus supplies from the safe house into various snacks and stored them in the temperature-controlled box to prevent them from freezing."

Alice couldn't refuse and took the canned peaches and potato chips. Seeing Hurley about to leave, she asked, "I brought a tablet with me, downloaded a lot of science videos on it. Do you want to watch?"Since Hurley brought her snacks, she felt the need to return the favor in some way. "Sure," Hurley replied.

Alice turned around and went back into the tent, discreetly taking out the tablet from the space. She handed it to him with the downloaded videos ready. "I have headphones; you can play the sound."

"Thanks." Hurley took the tablet from her hands, and as he did, his fingers brushed against hers, the smooth touch leaving him momentarily surprised.

The two entertained themselves separately in the tent, with Hurley keeping the volume low. It wasn't until midnight that Alice decided to go to sleep.

Outside the amusement park, dozens of bears approached from a distance. They circled the parked cars in the parking lot, sniffed around, and then headed towards the shops inside.Their scattered figures looked like sesame seeds scattered in the snow from afar.

In the late night, a sudden scream echoed.

Alice immediately opened her eyes, stepped out of the tent, and gunshots rang out one after another.