"first lesson, Katniss. never ever strode into unknown territory like this without having intelligence concerning the place you are walking into, the expected number of both walkers and humans, dangers, exits out and in. fallback plans and reinforcments if possible"
After 15 minutes evading Katniss's questions and burning curiosity about how he made the weapon appear from thin air, the duo made it into the camp yard.
He promised her to explain when they are back, tho he already planned to scratch that to being the power of words and let her imagine the rest.
' if a magician can pull a bird with a trick, so can i ' being handsome have it perks, they won't care if you are a little freak...
"But we haven't done anything like that so far?" She didn't want to argue but...he really just stepped into the yard pulling that demon thing from the ground, rolled its blades retracting it into what resembled a curved huge blade then hoisted it on his hip.
"For multiple reasons, first cuz we don't have much time to do a field practice now, second because you have me, i already know what we should expect here"
' more like i already scanned the field for any possible traces left recently from humans but there's but one, Rick's...so our enemies are walkers here. Guess there's no need to go into all that with her. She needs to experience it firsthand '
"Katniss, hold on" he held a hand up, they had already discussed signals.
But he has a plan for still voicing his signals out loud.
The place around was as creepy as it can be.
Silent and abandoned, a chopper was burned ahead, another one looked intact to their right.
Multiple Humvees were around, Sasuke counted 8. The good ones.
Tents were perched around the yard. Boxes in the ground, some holding few weapons and ammunition. Others empty.
"Simulate that i'm not with you here, tell me your next set of actions"
Katniss looked at him for a moment, closed her eyes briefly before stating what she would do if her safest pillar wasn't here.
"Take the few weapons and ammo that are on the open ground, enough to fill a bag.
Reach for the closest Humvee, that one" she pointed.
"I don't know how to hotwire a car but let's assume i do, you told me you will teach me how. Anyway.
i will make sure the inside of the car is safe, even the backside. Hotwired it and drove straight out"
She finished and waited for his input.
"Let's assume a few, about 6 to 9 walkers heard the noise while you were inside trying to get it to start, they crowded your car...what then?"
She frowned, really thinking about it.
"Probably drive over them once i get it to start"
"It didn't, maybe fuel issue, maybe a maintainance thing. And now your presence is known, and you're stuck in there. What next?"
"You are making it hard for me, okay give me a minute. So...try to fight my way out? With the guns i've secured earlier"
He sighed, expecting that.
To those who didn't experience that encompassment from multiple walkers, it may sound easy to just fire a gun dropping them one by one then get out of there.
"No katniss, here's what you have to do. I stated their number specifically for this. They are 6 to 9. You don't fire, you don't make any loud sound that attracts more to you.
You find something to cover yourself with, and lay down try to disappear from their view." He pointed to her vest.
"You stay silent and calm, it may take minutes...But they will disperse somewhere else eventually, you use that chance to observe then fix your car if you know the issue or run if it's clear.
No stupid fighting, unless you are a master of it, and i mean in melee, you do that once fighting 5 around you under pressure becomes easy.
You won't always have the bow with you. but any sharp object can serve as your melee weapon. Always remember this, survive first. Bravery, pride and all that can be discussed when you are truly strong."
"What if it is a horde of them? They can just keep being around and i am stuck"
"Then there are two options, if i am alive...you stay in your place without doing anything, i can track you, wherever you are. So just trust that i will be on my way to you.
That's also only if the place you are in has good defenses and not like a normal car with fragile glasses, in that case you resist until i reach you and try to strengthen your defense.
If i'm dead? Trust your instincts, i can only say this. Whether to stay, fight your way out or end it there. Trust your judgment. Well i will make sure this never comes to happen but who knows?. Better have it planned from now."
She didn't respond, the idea itself terrified her, she really can't imagine that, how would she feel if that were to ever happen.
"You didn't ask why i am talking stupidly loud here in the middle of the camp when we already learned hand signals for stealth, they are the answer" Sasuke pointed around, and Katniss nocked her arrow in alert.
The place was suddenly noisy with growls.
Many walkers staggered outside some of the open tents, 13, in just few seconds.
"Second lesson, always fear a silent place like this where there's supposed to be a population. Third lesson and our last for now" he pulled 8 kunais, rotated and threw.
The remaining 8 walkers all dropped dead. Katnis took 5 before one closed in on them making him take the action.
"Those things function like us, in some ways. They feel tired and weak or maybe bored...i still don't know what is it exactly
anyway, It only happens when there's no food in sight for a long time. Living food.
So if they spend a long time without feeding, and there is no way to form a marching herd they just find a place to drop still. Either standing, sitting or lying on the ground as their bodies kept rotting.
Meaning, assume everything on the ground, sitting and still is an active walker waiting to bite anything unless its head is visibly pierced through or too damaged"
"How do you know that?"
"Experiments" 'and foreknowledge'
"Their hunger awakens them from that slumber. too weak to move at first but recharges to full mobility soon like what has happened here. Now let's inspect the tents first.
Remember, threads and ropes are essentials when doing runs. I didn't have you guys hold them on you just for decoration. They are important"
He pulled a wire, tied it simply with the zipper of the tent, crouched down to bury a kunai on the ground at the base of the tent and showed her the wire he let through the hole in it and turned to her.
"Never let your guard down, even if it means doing things the boring way, since a mere bite put you down. So, we don't open things like those with our hands if possible. Use your items. Pull back to a safe space" he took few steps back until he was beside her.
"Until this you must've already planned a safe escape route in case too many are waiting inside"
He gestured toward the open grounds behind them and then started pulling the wire, the entrance flaps separated showing what's inside as the zipper was pulled down with the wire.
"Now you don't have to welcome whatever may be inside with your own body. Ready your bow, secure your corners first, then every place, Behind and under furnitures. Once you are sure of it, secure the entrance behind you. And that means closing it with an interior tie so no intellect walker sneaks up on you. Then loot the place silently. Repeat the same to exit, go"
Even though he didn't plan to, Sasuke spent the next two hours showing her all the necessary tricks.
Measures so she won't die a stupid death like the ones he watched on the zombie series and movies.
He seriously can't believe how careless the cast from the TV show were when they are in unknown territories doing runs, just to be jumped upon from corners and such, ending their lives.
Walkers, it takes but one misstep and you are gone.
He made sure she understood that and even let her fall into some mistakes, saving her at the last moment to engrave that survival instinct into her.
It was brutal, but Katniss has the heart of a warrior thus he didn't treat her as a flower.
One of such cases being that she didn't lift her head, focusing more on the ground near her feet not expecting a legless walker who had been lying at the top bunk to just lunge from above her.
Sasuke ended it in mid-air pulling her back before they collided. And that did the trick.
She became even more paranoid than him.
Billy was a military man, and a solo survivor since the beginning to back it up, he never had those issues. Morgan, as Sasuke observed wasn't as cautious...
So he let his lessons be from Billy. A guy of similar age may work better than a kid telling you how to live.
...
*Huff* *huff* *huff*
"This is tiring, i don't know how can your mind keep up doing this with full focus for every run. I feel like i'm going to have nightmares tonight" Katniss slumped on the seat behind the wheels as the duo finished clearing the yard and decided to take a rest.
She thought she was already cautious, keeping her surroundings clear and eyes open when she was with her Grandfather.
But this run changed everything.
Even previous runs with Sasuke felt lighter and only now she understood why, because he took care of the problems before they even surface. shouldering the risks.
Yet the moment she took the lead, every turn became dangerous.
Some walkers were blown in half, being in places that you won't expect, like under a chair or behind a table, squeezed in places you won't be guarded from.
They weren't many but if even one of them went undetected, it could end your life in a jiffy.
Their jaws were stupidly strong, ripping into flesh with ease.
In two hours she followed his words and started simulating many scenarios.
Always expecting a walker to be waiting behind the corner, under and above things. A crowd of them hiding behind a tent or inside a truck.
She felt like her head was bloated from all the possibilities he threw at her and she just wanted to go back and have a good nap.
"You'll get used to it. You did good, and now you know how to hotwire. But are you sure you know how to drive this?"
"It's a little different but yeah i can, roads are empty anyway, i won't be killing anyone that is alive."
She shrugged and Sasuke got out from the Humvee that they packed with whatever they found.
Heading to the second, similarly packed.
His eyes drifted briefly to a grim scene beyond the yard, Katniss retched the first time she saw it and didn't want to be near it.
The area near the hostpital's emergency exit.
Bodies, there were bodies everywhere, dozens of them covered in white clothes.
On the ground, in the bunkers, trucks...The buzz of flies and stench can be felt even up from the camp yard.
He made up his mind.
Tonight he will come to retrieve the remaining Humvees and chopper into his storage seal, and then loot the hospital.
The medical tools and other things there may come in handy at some point.