Chapter 29: Dictatorship
"Democracy?!"
"In this bullshit apocalypse, you still want to talk about democracy? Are you trying to die faster?"
"Do you know why the army is always one step ahead of a panic? But why did it also eventually fall?"
"It's because of people like you, with the word 'democracy' always in your mouths."
"When a walker is standing right in front of you, can you talk to it about democracy?"
"Can you? I'm asking you, can you?!"
Shawn's tone was severe, showing no tolerance for Lori's petulance. Every syllable he spoke struck Lori's heart, making her face turn pale.
"Don't take your temper out on a woman." Shane stepped in front of Lori, blocking Shawn's gaze. He narrowed his eyes at Shawn, as if in warning.
"What are you going to do about it?" Shawn tilted his head, the vertebrae in his neck cracking. Not bothering to reason with Shane, he dragged the Stone Sledgehammer straight over to him, stopping when they were only 10 centimeters apart.
Shawn's 1.9-meter height combined with the massive Stone Sledgehammer created an incredibly intimidating visual impact. If this hammer hit a walker, it could smash its head with one blow. If it hit a person, then…
Merle swallowed and stepped forward, pulling at Shawn's arm. "Hey man, listen to me… let it go. It's not worth fighting them over this."
Although Merle's words weren't pleasant, everyone knew his intention was to persuade Shawn to stop. At this moment, he seemed less like a jerk.
Glenn was also shielding Lori, patting Shane's back. But at that moment, Merle's own brother—Daryl—stood motionless. He let out a soft 'hmph', his eyes fixed on the hand Shawn was using to hold the sledgehammer.
'A reverse grip? Is Shawn planning to hit him with the handle? And at this distance, a fist would be more effective than a hammer.'
'He's just trying to scare Lori and Shane.'
If Shawn could hear Daryl's thoughts right now, he would immediately applaud. He didn't expect Daryl to be so observant.
That's right. Shawn was just using the friction with Lori to pick a fight with Shane. He knew that if Lori felt wronged, Shane would definitely stand up for her. Just like how people trained hawks, this was the first step in taming Shane—to first overwhelm him with sheer presence.
Hearing Merle's intervention, Shawn sighed in relief. Good, his side also had someone who could be useful at a critical moment… but why was it Merle who stepped up? The best candidates in Shawn's mind had actually been Daryl or Andrea. But as long as the problem was solved, it didn't matter.
Shawn glanced at the silent Shane, whose eyes were darting around, then dragged his Stone Sledgehammer back to his original spot.
Leaning on the hammer, Shawn looked at the others, who all had varied expressions. "I don't know how you did things in Rick's group."
"But this is how I do things. If you don't listen, you can all get the hell out!"
"And the benefits of listening… I think you've seen and felt them for yourselves." As he finished, Shawn's tone softened slightly. He spread his hands to his sides, gesturing for everyone to look at their surroundings.
And hearing Shawn say this, the group thought to themselves: It's true!
They had democracy with Rick, but their situation had been terrible. Not only were they constantly chased by walkers, but even the CDC had been like a mirage, a beautiful dream that lasted only for a moment.
But what about Shawn? There were four people following him—Daryl, Merle, Andrea, and Amy. These four had never lacked for food and had almost never been chased by walkers in such a pathetic state. Shawn had even taken only two people and reclaimed the motorcycles from a group ten times their size, making the enemy pay a heavy price. Even the Farm Owner Hershel was full of praise for him. It was as if it wasn't Shawn borrowing his land, but him borrowing Shawn's.
On top of that, Shawn had a clear vision for the future and had set his sights on the Prison long ago.
Shawn was a capable man. To be able to do all this, maybe… a little dictatorship wasn't such a big problem. Besides, those who knew him well knew that Shawn, like Rick, was actually a good person who had contributed a lot to the camp.
After using the hard approach, Shawn planned to try a softer one.
"Perhaps many of you feel that letting children handle weapons is a cruel thing."
"But please don't forget where we are now, and what kind of situation we're in."
"Mercy and democracy can't save everyone. Overprotecting children is just limiting their necessary growth. And I never said that the children need to fight walkers up close."
"I just want to teach the children the methods and means to fight walkers, so that even if you're not by their side one day, they will have the ability to protect themselves."
This time, Shawn's words were much more sincere. Hershel, Carol, and Lori—all the adults with children by their side—breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to the tension from before, they now felt a little moved.
Rick and Shane were former police officers. To enter the police force in the US, they must have undergone long-term professional training. Daryl and Merle were skilled with ranged weapons and were also excellent hunters. Glenn was the team's living map, constantly operating around walkers, with clever positioning and rich experience.
As for Shawn, there was no need to say more. Who here dared to say they could take a blow from his hammer head-on? When it came to melee combat, If Shawn said he was number one in the team, no one would dare say otherwise. No matter the weapon, he could break all techniques with sheer force.
With such a group of people gathered together, and willing to teach the children wholeheartedly—wouldn't other groups kill for such an opportunity? And yet they had just been resistant...
It dawned on them. Even Lori suddenly felt a pang of regret. 'Maybe I shouldn't have objected just now…'
Children have to grow up sooner or later. Instead of sharpening the spear when the battle is already upon them, it's better to start learning now. Even in the apocalypse! Children have their own starting line! At the very least, Carl and the others would be able to surpass their peers by a large margin. This was no exaggeration.
The 'Crown Prince' needs to act like a 'Crown Prince', not grow up to be some naïve simpleton. And as for Carl himself, he had long been clamoring to fight walkers. This couldn't be a bad thing.
"I'll help everyone get familiar with the firearms," Rick said, finally relieved.
Internal conflict was the last thing he wanted to see. But with Shawn around, there would be fewer problems in the team In the future.
This was also not a bad thing. Rick himself had been troubled by the issue of democracy for a long time. If every decision had to take everyone's feelings into account, could he even lead this family?
This wasn't peacetime, where they could go out for a picnic and a walk. They'd have to vote just to go to the bathroom…
******
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