Note: I am changing MC's name to Shawn cause I think that's the only name i could think of that sounds similar to Shou.
***
Chapter 4: Antibiotics
"I'll take you to the camp. Hope that n-word's washed his neck clean for me." Merle's voice was hoarse, his low laugh dark and grim.
Shawn, walking in front, heard Merle's words and nodded to himself.
That's Merle, all right. One second he's about to be eaten, the next he's ready to grab a weapon and start a fight. A true, hardcore man of action. His methods might be a bit extreme, but he's got a long list of strengths too.
'I don't know if it's genetics or what, but these Dixon brothers seem like they were born to survive in the apocalypse. The older brother is ruthless, and the younger one is a badass in his own right.'
Walking out of the department store, Shawn grabbed a city map.
"I'd love to go back to the camp with you, but I have some business to take care of first."
Shawn glanced at the bottom-left corner of his vision. The countdown was now approaching the one-hour mark. If he didn't act fast, there would be no 'later' to talk about.
"You gonna take that big-ass hammer and go smash some stupid son of a bitch's brains in?"
Merle laughed, his words the familiar, foul-mouthed recipe. His eyes kept darting to the horse bone club on Shawn's back, a greasy look in them as he plotted something.
"Actually, you're right," Shawn said, tapping the unfolded city map. His finger landed on the nursing home not far away.
"I want to trade some of these guns for something. I need your help."
As Shawn finished speaking, Merle was already fiddling with the guns in the bag.
'Click-clack—'
With the crisp sound of a round being chambered, Merle looked up at Shawn, a sniper rifle resting in his hands and a bloody grin on his face.
(Image Here)
"What are you waiting for?"
***
Ten minutes later.
The countdown had officially dipped under one hour.
Shawn and Merle carefully approached the perimeter of the nursing home.
"Watch for my signal later. If the talks go south, take out their leader and we run. You need to be alive to fight back," Shawn instructed carefully, afraid that Merle would get antsy, charge in with a gun, and get himself killed in a hail of bullets.
"I know, I know. What are you, a boy scout troop leader?" Merle dug a finger in his ear, looking impatient.
Shawn suspected that if anyone else had said that to him, Merle would have already blown up.
"Alright, I'm going to knock."
Shawn approached the dilapidated main gate of the nursing home, the horse bone club on his back and the gun bag, now only a third full, in his hand.
"One more step and we shoot!" a low roar sounded when Shawn was about five meters away.
Shawn looked up to see a head peering out from above, the dark barrel of a gun aimed right at him. He tossed the gun bag forward and smiled up at them.
"Is this how you treat your guests? I want to see Guillermo."
Guillermo was the leader of the nursing home camp. Before the apocalypse, he was a custodian there. When the outbreak happened, he decided to stay behind to protect the elderly residents of the nursing home.
The man showed no sign of taking his finger off the trigger. He just glanced at the gun bag before ducking back out of sight.
Two minutes later, the nursing home's gate opened, and six or seven figures walked out quickly. The three men in front were all carrying firearms. The man in the lead, holding a silver handgun, was Guillermo.
(Image Here)
He walked up to Shawn, nudged the gun bag with his foot, and glanced at the common handgun models and ammo visible inside before looking back at Shawn.
"I don't remember inviting you. And are you a... soldier?" Guillermo tilted his head, his eyes narrowing.
"Relax, it's just a simple trade. I need antibiotics. I don't care if it's a small amount. You can have all of these guns and ammunition," Shawn said, raising his hands to show he was not a threat.
"You're all still alive? Why didn't you keep fighting?" Guillermo raised his pistol, the barrel vaguely pointing at the uniform Shawn was wearing.
Shawn understood that Guillermo's "you" referred to the military. Who could blame him, when he was still wearing the combat uniform? Everyone he met asked him the same thing.
"Sorry, the military is pretty much gone. This is just a transaction between you and me," Shawn replied, his expression unchanging.
"Then why should I give you medicine? Couldn't I just take it from you by force?" As soon as Guillermo said this, the six men behind him burst out laughing.
The grating laughter made a vein throb on Shawn's temple. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he saw the glint of a sniper scope just now. If Guillermo kept talking like this, Merle might lose his patience.
"Is that so? What if I told you... my partner has a sniper rifle aimed at you right now..."
"Don't move! If you take one step back... 'Bang'—"
Obeying the law of conservation of smiles, a grin appeared on Shawn's face as the smiles on the faces of Guillermo and his men vanished. They looked at Shawn cautiously, their eyes darting around.
The overall combat strength of the nursing home camp wasn't low, but aside from a few firearms, all they had were melee weapons. That's why they were so desperate for guns to arm themselves.
The curve of Guillermo's lips flattened. He looked at the gun bag at his feet, then back at Shawn.
"What are you still hesitating for? I'm giving you what you need, and you give me what I need. Like I said at the beginning, this is just a simple trade."
"There are... still elderly people in the nursing home, aren't there?" Shawn stared intently at Guillermo.
Guillermo swallowed. At this moment, at least, the combat uniform Shawn was wearing was very persuasive. In their experience, that uniform didn't represent friendliness.
"Wait here!"
Guillermo holstered his pistol and shot Shawn a glare. He then looked around but found nothing. After pretending to glare at an imaginary enemy, he retreated inside.
About five minutes passed.
Just as Shawn was starting to get agitated watching the capsule's countdown tick away, Guillermo walked back out holding a small, translucent plastic bag.
"Three boxes of antibiotics. I hope you don't come near here again."
Guillermo took a deep breath, his brown eyes meeting Shawn's. In their depths, Shawn could read a hint of pleading.
'They're all hedgehogs, all soft inside beneath their spikes,' Shawn sighed inwardly.
"Deal."
Taking the antibiotics, Shawn turned and left without looking back. Feeling the stares on his back, he felt a wave of emotion.
'They're just a group of ordinary people putting on a brave face. They aren't evil to the core. Those are the hardest people to survive in this apocalypse.'
'But with my current abilities, I can't help them. There are too many elderly who can't move. The quarry camp might not agree, and Rick might not agree.'
'Especially... a Rick who has found his family.'
Pushing the thoughts aside, Shawn walked back toward Merle. Merle slung the sniper rifle over his shoulder and let out a cocky whistle.
"You got balls! Goin' up against a whole group alone. A hell of a lot more guts than those cowards back at camp."
It wasn't hard to hear the satisfaction in Merle's tone. Perhaps in his eyes, Shawn was already one of his own.
Shawn opened a box of antibiotics and swallowed two pills.
[Antibiotics Consumed]
[Antibiotics taking effect…]
After the two notifications, the capsule icon in the bottom-left corner of his vision turned green, followed by another countdown, this one only half an hour long—the time it would take for the antibiotics to fully work.
Seeing the system prompt, Shawn breathed a sigh of relief. Real-world medicine actually worked.
Meeting Merle's confused gaze, Shawn pointed to the bloodstain on his side.
"Looks like the scratch won't get infected. Let's go. To that camp you mentioned. It's time to go home."
Merle fell into step beside Shawn, and they walked on together, into the light of the setting sun.