Chapter 49: Preparation
An uncontrollable, bloodthirsty rage stirred in his heart, a rage that wanted to be soothed by the blood of walkers. That's right. Counting from the time they set out, tonight at midnight was the Blood Moon. And now, more than half the time had passed; it was already close to 8 PM.
The Blood Moon in the sky grew larger and larger. Shawn was even worried he wouldn't be able to control himself.
There were many reasons why Daryl and Merle hadn't responded to the radio. Perhaps they had encountered a horde or other survivors, or perhaps the heavy rain had simply disrupted the radio, and they needed to rest outside for a night before coming back... But no matter the reason, Daryl and Merle's silence was a good excuse for Shawn to leave the convoy.
Just one night was all he needed... If he stayed with the camp to face the Blood Moon under these circumstances, there would definitely be problems. Rick and the others had no experience dealing with Ferals; they would suffer heavy losses. Plus, this was the second Blood Moon. The number of walkers attracted would only be greater than the last time.
Shawn was almost certain that if he stayed with the convoy, someone would die in the jaws of a Feral.
"I have to go find them!"
Shawn grabbed the Stone Sledgehammer from behind him, the dragon-like veins on his arms bulging! His body seemed to be on the verge of expanding. He turned his head and glanced at Rick's surprised expression.
"I'm going to find Daryl and Merle. I'll also check out the nearby gas stations to see if there are any parts that fit the RV."
"You guard the camp. I'll be fine."
Shawn's voice was hoarse and low. When he spoke, a thin mist of hot air came from his mouth. With that, he gripped his hammer and was about to open the door and jump out. But in the next second, Rick stuffed something into his arms.
"Take the radio. I've wrapped it in a thick layer of plastic. It shouldn't get wet."
"Whether you find them or not, you have to be back by dawn. If you're not back, I won't make everyone wait for you."
Shawn stared at the radio in his arms for a moment, then grinned and jumped out of the truck. The moment he hit the ground, his combat uniform was soaked through by the rain. Shawn tucked his hands into his coat and silently moved the radio into his system backpack, where it would be completely safe from the rain.
With his back to the astonished gazes of the others in the convoy, Shawn shouldered his Stone Sledgehammer and, like an agile leopard, charged into the pitch-black forest.
"Dad, why did Shawn go out?" Carl asked, looking at Rick from the back window of the truck, a hint of unease on his small face. He was worried something would happen to Shawn, and also worried something would happen to the convoy without Shawn... And this feeling wasn't just Carl's; it was shared by the others in the convoy.
Shane leaned against the car window, his eyes dazed as he watched Shawn's retreating figure. In the car with Glenn and Maggie, Hershel and Beth also looked back, but all they could see was the pitch-black forest. Andrea squeezed Amy's hand, a flash of worry in her eyes as she watched Shawn's fleeting figure in the rearview mirror. Jim and Otis were slow on the uptake, repeatedly asking those around them what was happening after learning Shawn had left the convoy.
***
Shawn moved through the dark forest. An ordinary person wouldn't be able to see anything here without a light; the tall trees blocked out even the last bit of light. But in Shawn's eyes at this moment, his entire field of vision had a faint red tint, and he could surprisingly see everything in the forest clearly. Even a walker playing dead on the ground couldn't escape his gaze.
Only after passing through the entire forest and reaching a large open area did Shawn breathe a sigh of relief.
"If nothing goes wrong, I should be able to get back by dawn."
"But with Rick here, I don't really need to worry about the convoy. He'll know what to do."
Shawn didn't think for a second that Rick's talk of 'leaving' was just a joke. They weren't far from the Prison now. If it really came down to it, Rick would definitely leave for the Prison.
In Rick's view:
One: Shawn didn't need them to worry about him. He was even better suited for survival in the apocalypse than Daryl.
Two: Waiting would only infinitely increase the probability of the convoy suffering losses. If the convoy got into a worse situation because they were looking for Shawn, wouldn't the gain not be worth the loss?
And the core reason for this decision was, of course, Rick's personality. Old Dale and Shane hadn't died, so Rick didn't have to act according to Dale's principles, and he was influenced by both Shawn and Shane. It wasn't hard to understand that Rick prioritized the interests of the majority of the convoy. Not to mention Lori and Carl were still with them. Rick probably already knew Lori was pregnant, though he had never mentioned it in front of everyone.
But after settling everyone in the Prison, Rick would still come back to look for Shawn, Daryl, and the others. This was the most rational judgment.
"Looking for Daryl now is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"He and Merle left on motorcycles. It would be too difficult to find them."
"So... it's better to find a way to get through the Blood Moon first, and then figure things out."
The bloodlust in Shawn's eyes intensified as time ticked by. Even if he wanted to look for them, he had to deal with the second Blood Moon first. Otherwise, leading a huge wave of system-enraged walkers to them... was he trying to save them, or wipe them out in one go?
"I'm not sure exactly how many walkers the second Blood Moon will attract, but I estimate it won't be less than 30, doubling just like the time between them."
"I can use the terrain of a building to my advantage and take on this wave!"
"I remember on the map... there's a village near here."
Shawn's eyes lit up, and he immediately changed direction and ran toward the village.
An hour and a half later, Shawn passed through a muddy path. The heavy rain beat down on him, the force of it actually painful. The rain slowed him down, making it much more difficult to move than usual. By the time he reached the village, he felt like his sweat and the rainwater had merged into one.
"The village isn't that big, and the living things in it would have been eaten quickly. After the villagers turned into walkers, they would have gradually dispersed."
"At most, there are no more than 20 walkers in the village now, scattered in various corners."
"With the cover of the heavy rain, the walkers that have left the village probably won't be attracted back."
Shawn lay on a small hill outside the village, carefully studying it.
The US didn't lack for land. The size of the entire village was actually comparable to a small or medium-sized town. But the village lacked key facilities like a hospital, a police station, a fire station... Without these key basic resources, a village, no matter how large, was still just a village.
*****
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