Chapter 43: The Motel
The group stopped on the road outside a motel up ahead. Before they had even come to a complete stop, they saw 7 or 8 walkers with twisted gaits slowly approaching.
Snatching the handheld radio from Rick's hand, Shawn keyed the team channel. "Take care of the walkers first so the women, elderly, and children can get out of the cars."
"Do not use firearms. I repeat, do not use firearms!"
Firearms were only for emergencies. Even in this suburban area, a single gunshot would still attract a large number of walkers.
Shawn jumped out of the car, dragging his Stone Sledgehammer. He gripped the handle with both hands and swung it upwards from below. The sledgehammer slammed into a walker's chin. The force of the blow actually sent the walker flying half a meter into the air!
The walker landed on its back, struggled for a moment, flailing its limbs, and then went limp, collapsing back onto the ground. Shawn's single blow had snapped the top of its cervical spine. Although the walker's brain hadn't been pierced and it wasn't dead, it was now paralyzed and unable to move.
"Holy shit!"
"Did Shawn get even stronger?!" T-Dog exclaimed with exaggeration. Then he looked at the Stone Sledgehammer in Shawn's hand, and then at the much smaller, half-meter-long crowbar in his own. For a moment, he didn't know whether he should join in or not.
'Swoosh—!'
An arc flew through the air and embedded itself directly into the incapacitated walker's brain.
Shawn's eyebrow shot up. He looked back to see that kid Daryl giving him a chin-lift, as if to say 'you're welcome'.
"Daryl, you son of a..."
Shawn felt like he was about to cough up blood. Sometimes, having a teammate who was too strong wasn't necessarily a good thing. Seeing the brain matter ooze out along the arrow shaft, Shawn shook his head and dragged his sledgehammer toward the remaining walkers.
And in the 'Red Tyrant'.
Seeing that Shawn and Rick had both gotten out, Carl picked up his primitive bow, wanting to follow them and kill walkers. But he was suddenly grabbed by the scruff of the neck by his dear mother.
"Mum—"
"I want to go help kill walkers!" Carl struggled.
"Shawn promised me he wouldn't let you participate in this kind of thing again."
"Otherwise, you can go down and ask him later. See if he helps you... or me," Lori said, pulling Carl into her arms and playfully flicking his cheek with her finger.
A desperate disease requires a desperate remedy. After learning that Shawn had brought Carl back safely, Lori's condition had improved overnight, just like today's weather. After several consecutive days of rain, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky today, only a vast, azure expanse.
And thanks to the scene of Shawn's frank apology, the relationship between him and Lori had eased a lot, even better than before. At the very least, seeing the changes in Carl, Lori had already accepted Shawn as his 'master' from the bottom of her heart.
When Lori looked up, she saw Rick was already standing outside the back door of the truck, waving at her.
"So fast?" Lori was a little surprised. They had taken care of everything in the time it took for her to say a few words to Carl?
"Do you even see who my master is?" Carl laughed at Lori's surprised expression, wriggled out of her embrace, and got out of the truck with his primitive bow on his back.
Lori followed, helped out of the truck by Rick. Only when she saw the walkers lying all over the ground did she begin to believe it. The impact of Shawn, who had long been active in the apocalyptic environment, on Lori, who had long been active around the camp, was immense. Especially when she saw that most of the walkers' heads had been smashed to pieces. Lori felt that Shawn had nearly ground their skulls into fine powder.
Imperceptibly, a new sense of awe for Shawn grew in Lori's heart. And this awe was completely different from the feeling of being directly threatened by him before. Lori was thankful, so very thankful, that a survivor as powerful as Shawn was her teammate. And even more thankful that Shawn, her teammate, wasn't just a brute with great strength and no brain.
He had purpose, had plans, was calm and patient, and made steady progress... Shawn's presence made the camp better. Lori's favorable impression of Shawn grew even more.
Watching Shawn walk toward them with the hammer on his shoulder, Lori suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of security. Following Shawn, perhaps Rick's and Carl's safety could also be guaranteed to the greatest extent.
Suddenly, Lori put the matter of Shawn taking Carl away for a whole week behind her, even though it had just ended yesterday.
Shawn finished off the last walker, lifted his hammer, shook off the blood, and shouldered it. As he approached, the group re-gathered by the convoy. Those who had been watching from the cars also breathed a sigh of relief and got out, helping each other.
After getting closer, Shawn exchanged a nod with Rick. He scanned the group, and seeing no problems, he announced, "We'll rest for half an hour. It's best not to go more than 10 meters from the convoy."
"You can't lean against the cars. You can go get gas, but you must be accompanied by at least three people."
"If there are no problems, you can eat something now."
"We'll be back on the road in 30 minutes. We'll rotate drivers for the afternoon. Pay attention to conserving your energy."
The reason they couldn't lean against the cars was that although they seemed safe, they were also full of blind spots. The cars themselves were significant visual obstructions, and walkers could potentially invade from under the car, through the windows, or from the chassis. Although the probability was low, you only have one life. Better to be safe than sorry. Shawn believed that the people here were all smart enough not to stupidly deliver themselves into a walker's mouth.
After speaking, Shawn looked up and met the eyes of Daryl beside him. Daryl nodded silently. The two of them turned and walked toward the motel behind them.
"The number of walkers wandering in this area isn't small, which means no one has been here yet, and the supplies haven't been looted. Let's find something useful," Shawn said softly.
"I know. You be careful too," Daryl nodded, his voice muffled. From his tone, anyone who didn't know him might think he was a little angry. But Shawn knew this was just his way of being cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Daryl had always been a strong person. His existence was extremely special, even among all the survivors.
The motel had two floors, with at least 40 or 50 rooms in total. Shawn went to room 101, while Daryl stood at the door of 102. The two exchanged a look. At this distance, they could look out for each other if anything happened, so they decided to open the doors at the same time.
'Bang, bang, bang—'
Shawn first knocked heavily on the door a few times, then kicked it open. He stood to the side of the doorframe, holding his Stone Sledgehammer, not rushing in.
He heard a low growl, and then a walker in ragged clothes poked its head out, almost at a jog.
'Schlick—'
The moment it saw the sunlight, a hammer suddenly loomed large in its vision.
A one-hit headshot!
[+300 XP Gained]
The walker collapsed lifelessly. At the same time, Daryl had also taken care of his side. The sound of a crossbow was much quieter than a sledgehammer. With Daryl's accuracy, the walker's forehead was pierced the moment it appeared.
*****
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