Arthur stopped and turned off his Tenere. "What's the situation, Rick?" His body remained tense in case this was an ambush; one wrong signal from Rick, and he was ready to react.
Rick sighed, his voice tired. "Carl got shot by one of their people. It was an accident. Otis was hunting a deer and didn't see Carl from the other side. The bullet went through, hitting Carl also." He slowly walked toward Arthur.
Maggie and Hermione arrived as their galloping slowed. Arthur had intentionally stayed ahead, ready for any ambush. "What about Carl's condition?" Arthur asked again, shaking Rick's hand.
"For now, stable," Rick confirmed.
"That's good," Arthur said with relief.
"Rick!" Lori shouted as Hermione helped her dismount Ravenna. Lori bolted straight to Rick and hugged him. "How's Carl?" Lori asked. Rick told her the same details he had given Arthur, then kissed her forehead.
Arthur led them inside the Greene house, to the room where Carl was resting. "Thank God the deer bore most of the impact, but according to Hershel, there are still five more shrapnel needed to be removed before Carl's surgery becomes successful," Rick explained as they entered.
Rick was about to continue when Hershel suddenly spoke, checking Carl's blood pressure. "If the last shrapnel doesn't get removed in time, and Shane and Otis don't get back later with a respirator to stabilize Carl, then we would have to proceed with the surgery that may or may not save your child."
Lori, uneasy, walked to the edge of the bed and held Carl's hand. "I thought his condition was now stable?"
Hershel looked up at her. "It's only temporary. There's still internal bleeding that we have to take care of, and if..."
Before he could finish, a deep voice interrupted. "Where did Shane and Otis go to look for a respirator?" Everyone turned to see Arthur leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
Patricia answered him. "O... Otis told me that they'll try raiding the nearby high school. The... there's a FEMA trailer there that contains medical equipment," she stuttered, intimidated by Arthur's direct, deep stare that pressured her the moment he turned his attention to her.
Hearing this, Arthur uncrossed his arms and moved to leave the room, but Hermione's voice cut through. "What are you planning to do, Arthur?"
Arthur turned to her, smiling. "To go where Shane and Otis are."
"You haven't rested properly yet, and now you go on another run outside?" Hermione challenged, staring at Arthur's face as if reading his every thought.
The feeling of being read like an open book made Arthur smile warily. "Stop doing that, Hermione, it makes me uncomfortable," he said. Everyone else was instantly confused and curious about what Hermione had done.
Arthur sighed, seeing Hermione hadn't stopped. He was about to speak, but Hermione interrupted him again. "You'll say that they might need your support and that you're doing this because Shane and Otis might encounter a Variant, right? Yeah, no, they won't learn if you keep covering them."
Rick and the others, including Arthur, were speechless. Arthur raised his hand in a sign of surrender. "You got me, but you still forgot something. Going after Shane and Otis is to make this guy function properly," he said, pointing at Rick.
"He didn't even inquire if the group was okay. He hasn't eaten anything, even though this house has that resource. I know he's worried, but the camp was also his responsibility the moment they look up to him as their leader," Arthur continued, stating Rick's situation plainly. Rick and Lori instantly realized the truth of his words. Hermione merely nodded, as if she already knew this was coming.
"Why don't you become the leader then?" Hermione asked. Arthur stared at her, then spoke with amusement. "You're seriously asking me that? I'm sure you already know the answer."
Hermione nodded. "It's just to make Rick hear you." Rick looked between Hermione and Arthur, utterly confused by their exchange.
"If I were to become the leader," Arthur paused, then a provocative smirk formed on his lips as he drew his Magnum 500 and aimed it directly at Hershel, making everyone in the room freeze.
Rick was about to tell Arthur to holster the gun, but Arthur continued, the gun still aimed. "I'd ransack this place and kill this guy right here, right now, then I'll take this place and make it my own, then kill everyone who opposes me."
"Arthur, drop the gun down," Rick slowly commanded, his hand resting on the revolver on his hip. Arthur just flashed that provocative smile.
He let out a sharp, theatrical laugh, finally dropping the gun and holstering it with a loud click.
"Whoa! Take a breath, Rick, you looked ready to draw," Arthur chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on, it was a joke! A demonstration! You really think I'm going to trade my beautiful, simple life as the group's friendly neighborhood badass hunter?"
He threw his hands up in mock exasperation, gesturing around the room. "Being a leader means I'd have to sit in here and listen to people complain about how many beans they got for dinner, then spend two hours trying to mediate a fight over who gets the last can of SpaghettiOs. No, thank you."
He patted Rick on the shoulder. "You're the Sheriff, the guy who has to keep this group running. My taking over would be like putting a fox in charge of the henhouse—fun for a few minutes, but bad for long-term survival. Now, if you're done looking like you're about to have a stroke, how about you go get some food, then I could actually get out there and do what I do best—catch up to Shane and Otis and hunt down that medical gear."
He walked closer to Hershel and offered a handshake. "Sorry 'bout that, old man. Just wanted to test you guys and tell Rick about his responsibilities. Name is Arthur Kenway, by the way."
Hershel stared at him before accepting the handshake. "Hershel. Glad you're not being serious."
Lori leaned toward Hermione. "Is he really like this?" Hermione just shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, I predicted that he'd act like this."
Arthur kissed Hermione on the forehead, then walked out the door. Rick hesitated before following him outside.
Arthur mounted his bike and turned on the engine. "Arthur... about earlier, I'm relieved that you're not serious about it," Rick said, looking over the farm.
"Most of it is true; it's up to you to decide on what it is," Arthur replied casually. Rick chuckled. "Yeah... this place is nice. It would be great if we could stay here."
Arthur didn't reply right away, staring at the farm's landscape. "Then do your job on what you think is best for the group," he said, patting Rick's shoulder.
He revved his bike. Rick took a step back as Arthur sped off toward where Shane and Otis were. Rick watched Arthur disappear, then walked back inside with a newfound confidence.