Chapter 47: Prison's Specific Location
"Next, the prison needs to be in a location with convenient transportation, but not too convenient. Because that would mean a lot of passing vehicles nearby." Shawn's finger slid across the remaining two-thirds of the map, along main roads and suburban side roads...
Shawn vaguely remembered that although there was an open field near the Prison, three sides of it were surrounded by dense forest. Only a single straight road leading from the main gate connected it to the outside. "So the Prison should be on a branch of a main road in the far suburbs."
"Besides having some first-aid facilities inside, there must be a fully equipped hospital, fire station, and other basic infrastructure nearby. This way, if a large-scale emergency occurs, it can be dealt with in a timely manner. So the Prison won't be too close to this infrastructure, but it definitely won't be far either. A small town with a hospital is a good reference point."
With that, Shawn crossed off another third of the area, leaving only one-third.
Combining this with the topographical feature of being surrounded by forest on three sides, Shawn finally tapped his finger on the lower-right section of the map. A forest area that would take about 65 kilometers to cross.
Shawn looked up at the group. "The Prison is not a tourist attraction; it won't be marked directly on a travel brochure. So I can only roughly determine that it's within this area. As I told you before, the prison is on slightly higher ground, so it won't be too hard to find once we get on the smaller roads. As for the specific distance..."
Shawn was a little unsure. In the current situation, they obviously couldn't take the highways and main roads. They were blocked by too many cars, and their small group simply couldn't move them, so they had to take detours. Plus, to accommodate the RV's driving speed and to prevent accidents, they were actually driving very slowly. If the highways were clear, this journey could be completed in two days at most.
"You should all know that just crossing the state from top to bottom might only be 500-600 kilometers. But if we have to take the side roads to get to the Prison, a conservative estimate would be 800 kilometers, and that's not including any other situations we might encounter along the way." Shawn gave a rough number.
If everything went smoothly, they could rest for a night on the fourth day, find and scout the prison on the fifth, deal with some of the walkers and take the prison on the sixth, and fully move into the cells on the seventh.
Rick's brow furrowed tightly. His beard, now a centimeter longer, gave him a feigned look of old age. Although Shawn had only mentioned 800 kilometers and 4 or 5 days, Rick could see much more. This basically meant that for the next few days, they would have to rough it just like they did today. The apocalypse was still the apocalypse; every extra day spent out here was an extra bit of danger. But faced with the Prison that Shawn described, Rick was unwilling to give up.
'"This is a rare opportunity. After this one risk, things will get much, much better,"' Rick told himself.
Taking a deep breath, Rick continued. "OK, the rest of you will have to rely on each other. We'll divide into four groups by vehicle. I need everyone here to take care of the people in their own car. If there are any problems, you must remember to use the radio to inform me and Shawn. As Shawn suggested, there needs to be at least one person awake in each vehicle at night to deal with potential situations. At least during this period, no infighting, no arguing. The team needs the strength of every one of us."
Rick looked at them, his tone solemn. The group nodded silently. Shane subconsciously glanced at Lori and Carl in the back of the 'Red Tyrant'. Through the transparent glass, he nodded at her.
Rick took it all in.
The brief meeting was adjourned. Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder and walked to Shawn's side, patting his arm. "Merle and I will sleep on the roof tonight. If anything happens, I'll wake you. Don't worry."
The roof he was talking about was, of course, the roof of the nearly 3-meter-high fire truck. Sleeping on the roof was almost the safest option. Neither walkers nor humans would be able to spot them right away, but Daryl could spot them immediately.
Shawn nodded, smiled at him, and then vaulted back into the passenger seat. Shawn lowered his Stone Sledgehammer, cradling the end of the handle in his lap, and gradually fell asleep.
He couldn't say he slept well, but at least nothing special happened in the middle of the night. Shawn slept until dawn.
He slowly opened his eyes. Just as he was about to stretch, his peripheral vision caught a dark figure by the side window. Without thinking, Shawn threw a punch.
"Shit! man, are you tryin' to kill me?" At the last second, Merle jerked his head back, a cold sweat on his back. He felt that punch could have blown his head off.
Lying on the roof, Merle waited for a moment. Hearing no response, he tentatively stuck his head down from above again, only to see Shawn's half-smiling expression. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's me, not a walker."
"Of course I know it's you. If it were Daryl, I wouldn't have thrown a punch," Shawn shrugged.
"Don't joke around. I'm your diehard buddy, brother." Merle looked at Shawn with a grin, not at all angry about almost having his head taken off by Shawn's punch.
Hearing Merle's slightly fawning words, the corner of Shawn's mouth lifted. He naturally knew what Merle meant by 'diehard buddy'. It wasn't just about being good brothers or good friends. The words 'diehard buddy' were an undisguised declaration that he was firmly on Shawn's side, that he was part of Shawn's faction. Unless Shawn abandoned him, he would not betray him, no matter the situation. This was Merle's promise to Shawn. Although it wasn't as sappy as a vow between lovers, it was proof of Merle's loyalty.
Merle had been cautiously observing Shawn's expression after speaking. Only when he saw Shawn's subtle smile did he relax, thinking to himself, 'Lori showed her goodwill to Shawn yesterday too. When we get to the Prison camp, Shawn will most likely be the one calling the shots. I was the one who was close to him from the very beginning.'
Merle was a bit of a bastard, but fortunately, his head was clear most of the time. When his own interests were at stake, even if the other person wasn't Shawn, Merle would still stand firmly behind them. Not to mention, Shawn had saved his life on that rooftop in Atlanta.
By the time Shawn got out of the truck, the others were already packed and ready to go. He didn't have much of an appetite in the morning. So he just got into the driver's seat.