The next day.
Shawn got up and jumped down from the fire truck.
Carrying a Stone Hammer in his hand, he called a full meeting through Rick.
Shawn led 4 people, Rick led 8 people, plus 6 people from the Farm.
All the survivors active in this area were here.
"Is it about the Prison?"
Rick's complexion was much better than yesterday.
At the Farm, there were no Walkers to harass them, no troubles to disturb them, and all members of the team were safe. Rick slept soundly.
Of course, the main reason was that more people were huddling together for warmth.
The saying "strength in numbers" was truly embodied by the active survivors in this area.
No one did anything to sabotage the team; everyone was wholeheartedly striving to survive.
"Yes, but not entirely."
Shawn took over the conversation, drawing everyone's attention to himself.
Shawn looked at everyone. They, like Rick, looked much better. Just one night's rest made them look almost like they did back at the Quarry Camp.
"Before we begin, I'd like to ask you all to answer my questions honestly."
Shawn heavily placed the Stone Hammer at his feet and said loudly.
"First question—please raise your hand if you have personally plunged a knife into a Walker's head."
What kind of question was this?
Everyone was puzzled, but they still raised their hands as Shawn requested.
Shawn looked up.
"Rick, Glenn, Shane, Daryl, Merle, T-Dog… and Maggie?"
Shawn was a bit surprised, not expecting Maggie to dare to kill a Walker with her own hands so early.
But even with Maggie, only 7 people raised their hands. The remaining 12 people looked at Shawn without speaking.
"Now, please raise your hand if you have killed a Walker with a firearm."
Hearing Shawn's question, those who had previously raised their hands did not lower them, and a few more people in the group loosely raised their hands.
Glenn, Andrea, Old Dale…
Almost everyone from the Quarry Camp raised their hands.
During the first group battle, everyone had firearms and had killed at least one Walker.
Apart from that, the remaining few never raised their hands from beginning to end.
In other words, if they encountered Walkers now, including Shawn, only about 12 or 13 people in the team could fight immediately.
And if they wanted to avoid making noise and attracting more Walkers and survivors, only 7 people could act.
Moreover, among these people, elites like Shawn and Daryl were extremely rare.
Most people in the United States knew how to shoot, but knowing how to shoot didn't mean they were experienced, nor did it mean they could handle things alone.
When a real crisis struck, how many could actually act?
It was a simple calculation, and Shawn quickly figured it out clearly.
After some thought, Shawn spoke under everyone's gaze.
"I believe everyone knows about the Prison I mentioned."
"That's right, the exact location of the Prison is to the south. With enough gasoline, we might be able to reach it in about a week of travel."
"If we leave now, by this time next week, we'll be standing on the soft lawn inside the Prison's fence, grilling some skewers, and opening a couple of beers to celebrate."
When Shawn said this, many people present couldn't help but show joy on their faces.
But then, Shawn's words poured a bucket of cold water on them, extinguishing the flame that had just ignited in their hearts.
"But this morning, when my mind was clear, I suddenly realized that I had thought the problem was too simple."
"If we go like this now, we'll just be extra food for the Walkers in the Prison."
"True, we could take down the Prison, but we might have to pay the price of at least half of the team for it!"
"Think about it, perhaps in another week, half of the people standing here will be gone."
"They could be your wives! Fathers! Respected elders! Or even children!"
"Now… can you still smile?"
Shawn looked at everyone frankly, clearly stating the pros and cons of the situation.
In short, it was one sentence—you people are completely insufficient; how can you take down the Prison?
If it weren't for Shawn, Rick and his group would have drifted for half a year after multiple confrontations with Walkers before finding the location of the Prison.
And even at that time, Rick's team paid a certain price to completely gain control of the Prison.
Hershel was bitten on the calf and had to have a forced amputation; T-Dog was dismembered by Walkers in the chaos; Lori's abdomen was cut open to retrieve Judith, but she was severely injured and died, becoming a Walker…
If Shane had still been there at that time, he definitely wouldn't have let Lori get into trouble, right?
And now with Shawn's addition, although the team was stronger, was it truly strong enough to easily take down the Prison?
Shawn doubted it.
After all, if the Prison could be easily taken, it would have been occupied by other survivors long ago, just like the small town to the east that Shawn had visited. How could it be Rick's turn?
What Shawn wanted was to take down the entire Prison without losing a single person!
This would be the team's true first complete victory!
After listening to Shawn's analysis, everyone fell silent.
Carol stroked her daughter's long hair, looking down at her own hands.
If Rick and Shawn weren't there, could she protect her daughter?
If Walkers were close by, could she calmly kill them?
Watching others do it ten or a hundred times, but only by doing it yourself once do you realize how difficult it is.
Everyone lowered their heads, silent like Carol.
"Being able to survive from the beginning of the apocalypse at least shows they still have redeeming qualities," Shawn secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Shawn, what do you plan to do?"
Rick approached, asking in a low voice.
Daryl and Merle stood behind Shawn, one on his left, one on his right.
"Training!" Shawn said without hesitation: "Whether it's cold weapons or firearms, everyone must join the training, even the children!"
Shawn's words were a bit harsh, but rather than crying when being torn apart by Walkers, Shawn hoped to awaken everyone at this moment.
"What are you kidding about?"
Hearing that children also had to join, Lori's face immediately changed. She raised her hand and tightly hugged little Carl's shoulder, not letting go.
The next second, she looked at Rick: "I thought we were a democratic team."
"Democratic?!!!"
But before Rick could react, a deep growl from Shawn's throat startled everyone.
Even Daryl and Merle, looking at Shawn's back at this moment, felt a little scared.
They knew that this time Lori had really angered Shawn.
Shawn stepped forward with heavy steps, bringing the hammer to his front and setting it down, his hands resting on the Stone Hammer handle. The oppressive bloody aura emanating from him made everyone feel a little breathless.
His gaze was like a red-hot branding iron plunged fiercely into Lori's skull. The scorching high temperature melted her entire being in just a few seconds, breaking Lori's last psychological defense amidst the thick smell of gunpowder.
At this moment, Shawn's state was somewhat similar to, yet different from, that during the Blood Moon.
"Hey buddy, you need to control yourself. Lori didn't mean it like that…"
Seeing that the situation was not right, Rick immediately apologized to Shawn, but Shawn just stared intently at Lori, completely ignoring him.