Chapter 67: Day One
Shawn asked Rick for a 'Remington'. That's right, it was one of the weapons they had brought from Atlanta. The Remington Model 870: reliable, durable, with a long history! It was a famous American shotgun, hailed as the AK-47 of shotguns. And the one in Shawn's hands was a derivative of the M870 series. The Remington M870P, the 'P' standing for Police, meaning it was the law enforcement version.
Its 7+1 capacity was pretty much the top configuration for the series. The moment Shawn got his hands on it, he couldn't put it down. He used to think a real man had to face walkers head-on, but now he felt that a real man had to be able to face all of existence. And the shotgun was the legendary great equalizer. More equal than equal. Even walkers, who lacked human nature, had to bow before its 'truth'.
Because of the sudden apocalypse quest, Shawn felt this was a safer option. With the shotgun slung over his back and the Lv. 5 Stone Sledgehammer on his shoulder, Shawn felt incredibly powerful.
"Let's go!" Shawn roared. Behind him, the group, clad in their combat suits and holding various firearms and melee weapons, their expressions hardened as they followed closely. The rustling sound of their armor clashing sounded like an entire army on the march.
"Brother Shawn, I want to go too..." Just as Shawn reached the chain-link gate, Carl's pitiful voice called out. He had popped out of nowhere, broken through Lori's line of defense in a single bound, and was now hugging Shawn's leg, swaying back and forth.
"Carl, your parents may treat you like a child, but I won't."
"Have you forgotten what I taught you?" Shawn said coldly, glancing at the small appendage practically hanging off his thigh.
Carl looked wronged, but he had to repeat, "Don't go against the team's decision and act on your own. It will cost the team a greater price."
Although it was a bit rough, that was the general idea. Seeing Carl's disappointed face, Shawn finally decided to humor him a little. He took the key to the chain from Glenn and handed it to Carl.
"Alright, since you insist, I'll give you an extremely difficult mission." Shawn deliberately made his voice heavy. Carl's spirits instantly lifted. He snapped his little head up, his eyes shining as he looked at Shawn, as if he were glowing.
"Right now, the core members of the team are going in to clear out walkers, to lay the foundation for a better future for the team."
"And what you have to do is take charge of the only key that lets us in and out of the prison."
"And then, at the right time, open the gate to the path of life for us!"
"Can you do it?"
"Mhm!!" Carl's face was solemn, as if he had just received a monumental order.
Under everyone's gaze, Carl used all his strength to pull the gate open for them. The moment he stepped into the Prison, Shawn silently thought, "Accept quest."
The giant exclamation point hovering above the Prison instantly disappeared, and the entire facility seemed to subtly change.
After Shawn led the group inside, Merle sidled up to him with a wicked grin and whispered, "Shawn, is it really okay to trick a kid like that?"
"What's not okay?" Shawn glanced at him. "I promised Lori I wouldn't let Carl get hurt. A man has to keep his word."
Rick was right beside them. Hearing their conversation, he said nothing, just nodded to himself. If Rick, the leader of the group, had to choose a leader for himself, Shawn would be the first and only choice. Everyone had seen the changes Shawn had brought to the camp since his arrival.
As the group advanced a few steps, before they had fully entered the prison, several familiar black, armored figures suddenly emerged from behind them. They had seen plenty of walkers with flesh and skin, but this was the first time they had seen fully armored ones.
"Glenn," Shawn called out, then charged forward. There was no need to aim for the weak spot in their helmets.
Shawn grabbed one of the walkers by the collar of its bulletproof vest with one hand, lifted the entire body up, and then slammed it to the ground. He stepped on its helmet and twisted it forcefully to the side.
'CRACK—'
With a small, crisp sound, the walker was incapacitated. Then Shawn swung his hammer in a backhand motion at the other one. Its flesh was pressed against the helmet, and the helmet spun twice. The second one also collapsed.
Skillful, fast, and decisive. This was Shawn.
"Keep the armor. We can wash it and use it later," Shawn instructed. When he looked up again, Glenn had already pulled the rear chain-link gate shut and locked it. At least a hundred walkers were shambling inside. By the time they noticed Glenn, it was already too late.
Standing in place, Shawn looked to the left, then to the right. In the original story, not all areas of the prison were clearly detailed. Only some areas were introduced as needed by the plot. But from a quick glance, the building on the left had 3 floors and was not covered by a fence. The one on the right was a tall, flat-roofed building made entirely of rough concrete, looking much darker. Not only were all its entrances and exits locked with metal doors, but it was also almost completely separated from the building on the left.
Only on the second floor was there a square 'skywalk', covered in a metal mesh, connecting the two buildings.
"It seems the one on the left is the administration building, where the clerks, guards, and warden used to be."
"It's daytime, the weather is good, and there's plenty of light."
"Attacking the administration building first is probably a good choice."
Shawn pondered for a few seconds, then decisively walked toward the 4-story building on the left. As he walked, he said to the others following behind, "I'll be in front. You need to keep a 5-meter distance from me."
"The administration building in front of us isn't too big. Our goal today is to completely clear it out, not leaving a single walker behind!"
"Always watch your feet, what's above you, and all the half-open doors around you."
"A walker could be waiting with its mouth open at any moment, waiting for a delicious meal to deliver itself."
At this point, Shawn had reached the main entrance of the administration building. He stopped on the steps and turned to face the group.
"I'm taking you all in today, so I'm taking you all out."
"So remember, a 5-meter distance!"
With that, Shawn turned and kicked open the administration building's main door, striding inside.
Without electricity, the entire building looked somewhat dim, even in the daytime. Tables and chairs were overturned, and documents and copy paper were scattered everywhere...
Shawn looked down. He was stepping on a thick layer of dust. A stuffy, gloomy smell filled his nostrils.
"Nice place, but it's a waste to let walkers live here."
Shawn sniffed, catching a faint, rotten smell under the dust. It was the smell of a human corpse, an unbearable stench that lingered. It was a prohibition etched deep in the genes, a primal instinct. So the moment he stepped in here, he sensed that something was wrong.
*****
Hey guys,
If you're eager to know what happens next, you can now read up to 20 chapters ahead over on my Patreon.
I've also posted some chapters for free, so feel free to check them out as a little sneak peek!
Patreon.com/CanonTwist
P.S. psst... Don't forget about the Power Stones.