Ch.67

I heard Shane's big speech and the gunfire that followed even while I took no part in it. I was busy under the hood of the truck modifying it to take in less gas by using the solar paneling on the floor of the trailer. It was a hell of a lot of work and by the time things were said and done, I walked over with my sword and dispatched those not fully dead, telling them. "Always double tap to the head. If you're unsure, be sure or be dead."

I flicked the blood off my sword, cleaned it and grabbed a shovel, counting the bodies and digging graves out by Otis. I dug and dug until there was no more digging to do, lined up. I loaded up the bodies and brought them to the graves with the others. One by one we buried them and I made wooden grave markers for all of them with their names including Sophia.

When the service ended, I finished working on the truck and walked Daryl through the upgrades, what the truck and trailer could do and be used for, everything. I told him how to lock it down and set his bike in the back, strapping it down. I asked what he thought and what he might want to change. He said it was all good so I went with Rick and Glenn when Maggie asked me to make sure Glenn made it back.

I drank scotch while Hershel and Rick had it out. When Hershel mentioned Otis and Shane saving Carl, I spoke up. "I hate to put a damper on your parade, but since Rick hasn't told you, I found proof Shane shot Otis in the leg and used him as bait to get away with the stuff. The fact that Shane was limping himself likely means he figured Otis could outlast him so he got him killed to save his own ass."

I downed the bottle of scotch while Rick flinched and Glenn cursed. Hershel grew a bit angry, but I wasn't the one that did it and I'd brought Otis back. I turned to Rick as I set the now empty bottle of scotch down. "I only kept my peace because you said you'd handle it. But with Shane getting more and more aggressive, I'm not gonna be risking my life waiting on it to be me he sacrifices to save his own ass. If he comes at me or Andrea or Amy, I will put him down and you with him if I have to."

I lit a blunt and told them I'd be back in a bit. I headed to the restroom, killed three walkers and took a piss before coming out to find two new guys taking it easy. I put out my roach and they asked who I was.

Set my sword on the bar and sat down before the big guy reached for it. I grunted. "Touch it and it's going in your head."

His friend waved him off and smoothed things over I lit a joint and just listened to them ask questions and make wry jokes to try and find out where our camp is. When Glenn said my name was Oz, the street smart skinny one mentioned Dorthy and the wicked witch. When they insisted, the fat one said he'd shoot us, I watched Rick kill them before I took their guns and passed them to Rick. "Now that was dramatic."

He grunted and I tilted my head before it started to get dark and a car with four men showed up. They talked and I held up my hand, counting the voices to four. I gestured to Hershel and Glenn, telling them when the voices grew faint. "You two take the extra guns and go to the back. Stay low and stay quiet."

They moved and I turned to Rick. "They're not gonna just leave peacefully and this place isn't going to be safe soon with those gun shots. They've nearly admitted to raping and with their methods so relaxed, murdering to get what they want, anything they want. You need to decide now if you're prepared to do whatever it takes to get back to your wife and son."

I drew my sword and readied my crossbow. "Cause I have."

He said it didn't have to be this way and I shook my head. "You're still not grasping what it is you're up against sheriff dumbass. They're rapists, murderers and thieves and you just killed two of their men. There's at least four of them and they've already proven they're more than willing to kill."

He glared at me and I growled low. "Fine, play it your way, but I'll do whatever I have to, to survive."

They fired on us after Rick explained things and I went out the back, killing one before taking his weapon and killing several walkers before Glenn nearly got shot by another. I opened fire with the dead asshole's gun, injuring the kid on the roof. His buddy pulled up in a truck and he jumped down, getting injured only to be brought back with us because his buddies left him.

The kid had cried and begged until I knocked his ass out, yanked his leg off the fence and asked Rick if he wanted to bring him with us or kill him. He said he wanted to bring him with us so I hauled the kid up, bound and gagged him before Hershel bound his leg. I killed the walkers around us while they loaded the kid up before we left. When we returned to the farm, I ignored what came next, staying out of it even a few days later when Shane and Rick took the asshole out to drop him off.

Hershel wanted Shane gone, but it wasn't my business until it had to be. For now though, I did the chores, told Lori to fuck off when she came down on Andrea for doing watch duty instead of chores and worked through my own shit. I built a descent smithy, used it to make tools and forged swords from some of the Durasteel K-bar and trench knives.

I made bullet casings from brass and steel, making salt peter, bullets and rounds for the large and small caliber weapons. I made extra bolts for the crossbows and taught a class on shooting them for everyone willing to learn on the farm. Even Hershel himself learned from it and Beth got out of her suicidal funk when I explained that the walkers can be beaten, even if they outnumber us and the rest of humanity can be rebuilt, lame schools and all, but for that to happen we were going to need everyone to work together.

She asked how many walkers I'd killed and I frowned before telling her. "It's in the low thousands range about now. I try not to think about it much, but if we go by the numbers as Shane calls it, then a couple dozen trained experts can clear a small town. Get a hundred of us together and we can clear a city the size of Atlanta."

I stood against the straw dummy and told the group. "Now, I'm not asking you all to do something like that, but I am asking that you not be amongst the next thousand walkers I kill. And for that to happen we're going to have to get you all decently trained at least enough to hunt, track and survive. I can teach you things you wouldn't believe you were capable of. Skills you'd think were from martial arts movies or straight out of a game. How to follow subtle tracks for miles, tell the size of a herd of deer from the imprints and trail, kill walkers or anyone that comes our way looking to rape, murder and pillage, but I can't protect you all."

I looked to Lori watching us. "And sitting on your ass expecting a man to take care of you ain't gonna cut it with me. If you want to get complacent and expect to survive you gotta another thing coming because I've seen Shane, Rick and even Daryl's skills and I can safely tell you that not a one of them can guarantee your safety or anyone's here. This isn't some house you can rule over-"

I turned to Hershel. "Or drop your guard in."

I stood straight and turned to Dale. "I wish to God your morals could wipe this shit away, but it's not going to be so easy. This is a cruel and harsh world and it's only gonna get worse for the next while. I can teach you to survive in it, but I won't make the decisions for you. That's not who I am. You're all grown men and women so you can decide what your conscience tells you to do with the skills I teach you, if you choose to learn."

I turned back to Lori. "Just don't expect me to risk my life to save yours if you're too stuck in your ways to even learn how to protect yourself."

I looked to the rest. "Stay or go, I ain't stopping you, but if you stay you will come to hate me because I will push you to survive, mentally and physically. You will come to learn a whole new definition for the word pain and when it's over, you can do the things I do, to a degree. Wiping out hordes of walkers, gathering supplies, fortifying what's yours and protecting it with your own damn strength, not waiting on a man to come save you. This isn't the Arthurian times, those aren't dragons and you'd best know how to kick ass with the best of them princesses because the white knights with Prince Charming are like him, dead and gone."