Chapter 7: Parting Ways
Shawn stood by the extinguished bonfire, holding a plate of food Andrea had brought him. Carol sat quietly across from him. Aside from her still-reddened eyes, the sadness from before was almost gone.
The group was gathered in silence, the only sound being the clinking of spoons against metal mess kits.
"What are you all so gloomy about? We won a battle!"
"Woo-hoo, just a few hours ago, we were shoving a walker's head up its own ass."
As he said this, Merle shot a malicious glance at T-Dog, shuffling his feet, looking eager for a fight. They had actually fought before; Merle had pinned T-Dog to the ground and was beating him. If the others hadn't intervened, T-Dog would have been dead that day.
"Merle, can't you just shut up for a second!" Shane frowned, looking at him with displeasure.
He had enough on his plate these past two days. His girlfriend was gone, his future stepson was gone, and his best friend was back. If Merle dared to talk back now, he would beat him until he couldn't take care of himself. Of course, that was without factoring in Daryl…
"What should we do now?" Amy suddenly spoke up. She was asking everyone, but her eyes unconsciously drifted toward Shawn.
"Maybe we should hear everyone's opinion," said Dale. As the elder, Dale's strength was in providing ideas. He didn't offend people, but he also wouldn't let others carelessly decide the fate of the group.
After speaking, Dale gave a pointed look at Shane, Rick, and Shawn. As for Daryl and Merle… any discerning person could see they weren't capable of offering any beneficial suggestions for the group at the moment.
"OK, listen up, everyone. Maybe we should go to Fort Benning. I heard the military base there hasn't fallen yet. It's about 100 miles from here," Shane stepped forward naturally, scanning everyone's faces as he spoke. "We can pack up and leave now, drive through the day, and we'll be there in three days at most. We'll be protected by the army there, which is much better than struggling on our own."
When he looked at Rick and Shawn, his tone softened slightly, becoming more inquisitive. With the arrival of the lion and the barbarian, Shane had perhaps sensed the shift in his own status within the group.
Of course, beyond that, it was more about his concern for his old friend. Shane cared about Rick… and his wife and child.
Rick bit his lip, thinking for a moment. "Maybe the CDC would be a good choice."
"No one's paying attention to it, but who knows if the CDC has already developed a cure for the virus? Our group has strong men, weapons, and ammunition. We are strong. But we also have women, children, and the elderly. we have our weaknesses. If the CDC has developed a cure, we could get the best protection there too. Maybe from there, the virus will be eradicated, and this hell will be over."
Rick looked into each person's eyes, analyzing the situation seriously.
After hearing Rick's words, many in the group looked moved. Even Dale's light-colored eyes under his fishing hat couldn't help but light up. The grand vision Rick painted for them was too tempting to resist because it hit their weak spot perfectly. The women needed security, the elderly couldn't always be on the front lines, and the children needed a place to settle down.
Glenn adjusted the brim of his baseball cap and subtly stood behind Rick. Compared to Shane, he was more willing to trust Rick, to put his life in Rick's hands. At least when it came to rescuing group members, Rick had never flinched, whereas Shane's performance… seemed a bit cold.
After Shane and Rick had spoken, everyone, including Merle, unconsciously turned their gazes to Shawn. This man, whom they had only known for two days, had displayed a dominance and martial prowess that a normal survivor shouldn't possess.
Most importantly, from the very beginning, Shawn had always considered the team's welfare. If not for his proposal and that bag of weapons, many of the people standing here might be dead. So, at least in the quarry camp, Shawn definitely had a say… even if he had only joined a day ago.
"Hmm…" Shawn pondered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons.
He had the perspective of a prophet, so he naturally knew where the safest place nearby was. But at this moment, he didn't have the power to veto a decision in the quarry camp. When a group has three different voices, it only leads to division and conflict. If things went as expected, even if Shawn made his own proposal, he would only be able to take a portion of the camp with him.
And whether a divided group could take the Prison was a question for later; whether they could hold it after taking it was still a major problem. The number of walkers in the prison was uncertain, and a large number of walkers would relentlessly attack the fences every day. To counter that, Shawn needed the strength of the entire quarry camp, and possibly more.
But would Rick change his mind because of his suggestion now? Shawn guessed probably not. Rick had just found his wife and child; he would definitely choose what looked like the safer option.
After some thought, Shawn finally spoke.
"When I was traveling with the military, I found a farm not far south of here. It's far from the highway, out in the countryside, like a paradise hidden from the world. Even normal people would have a hard time finding it. Maybe we can go there. The woods will be our natural protection. The owner of the farm is skilled in medicine and farming. We won't have to worry about food or safety there."
Shawn relented. He knew the Farm was far less secure and persuasive than the Prison, but it was best to save the prison for later. He also needed some time to improve himself. Besides, Rick's group would end up at the farm sooner or later anyway.
[The Farm]
[The CDC]
Hearing the three options laid out, the camp members looked at each other, the instability of suddenly having to change their lives making them feel lost.
Fortunately, the one thing the camp didn't lack was leaders. There was the cold and decisive Shane, the benevolent and rational Rick, and Shawn, who was cruel and brutal towards the walkers.
What seemed like a difficult decision was actually settled quite quickly.
Team Rick: Lori, Carl, Dale, Shane, Glenn, Carol, Sophia, T-Dog, Jim, and Jacqui.
At first, Shane was dead set against it, but after Rick insisted again… well actually after Lori said, "Let's go to the CDC."
Shane: "Then I'll go too…"
Shawn turned to look at his own team.
Daryl and Merle, sitting on their motorcycles, revved their engines at him, as if urging him on. A heavily customized 1992 Honda CB750 Nighthawk and a modified Sport Chief series motorcycle were more than enough for a medium-to-long-distance migration.
Andrea was in the driver's seat of an extended 7-seater car. Amy peeked out from behind her seat, waved at Shawn, and gave him a brilliant smile.
'Alright, just four. But I couldn't take care of more anyway. These four are more than enough.'
Shawn surveyed his founding team members, finally nodding in satisfaction. He then looked over at two small red cars. A man in shorts and a light-colored vest stood next to his wife and child.
'The Morales family,' Shawn shook his head internally. 'In the end, you have to respect the fate of others. Good advice can't save a dead man walking.'
(Image Here)
Following either Shawn or Rick would have been enough to save their lives, but this family was still blindly determined to go find their uncertain relatives… Do you even understand what you're running to?