Arthur arrived where the group had set up their camp. Everyone was smiling, sitting happily by the fire. "How's the place, guys? Starting to like it?" he asked, settling down next to Hermione.
"This place is peaceful, like it's away from the trouble and horrors back in the city," Dale said happily.
Carol hugged Sophia closer, as if afraid of losing her again. Jacqui joked, "Indeed, this place is unlike out there; here, it's like everything is back to normal. I don't really want to move away anymore, after y'all forced me to," she said, looking at Arthur.
Arthur just chuckled as Hermione rested her head on his shoulder. "Then if we want to keep this place, you guys better not complain when we start the training."
"Do we really have to?" Amy asked, and everyone turned to Arthur.
Arthur was silent for a moment before speaking. "The walkers... no, it's not good to call them walkers now since some of them can run. Zombies... yeah, some of them are slowly evolving. Maybe not all, but they won't be slow as the normal ones now. They'll be fast. Their weakness is still the same; a stab or bullet in the head is enough."
He paused. "One careless action or overconfidence can lead to death. Glenn and T-Dog saw how those geeks were moving." Hearing their names, Glenn and T-Dog nodded with grim faces.
"If we didn't arrive on time, Shane and one of their people were going to get eaten," T-Dog said slowly.
Everyone fell silent, processing this new and terrifying reality. After a few moments, Arthur clapped his hands, snapping them out of their thoughts.
"Lighten up, guys. Me, Rick, Shane, Daryl are teaching you skills for this reason, so leave the worry for your future self. For now, rest properly," Arthur said in a teasing voice, making it sound as if everything was under control.
Everyone nodded, standing up and walking toward their tents or sleeping areas. Arthur called out to Glenn. "Hey, Glenn." Glenn turned, and Arthur signaled him to come closer.
Glenn approached him. "Is there something that you need?" he asked. Arthur, instead of replying directly, turned toward the house. "You're good at reading the area, right?"
"Y... yeah? It kind of became a habit of mine to analyze what's the quickest and easiest way to get from one location to another. After... everything that happened, I kind of also learned how to look for a way that will help me cover from the walkers," Glenn hesitated, unsure where this conversation was going.
Arthur thought, then said, "If this were an enemy camp, let's say your most important person got captured and held in that house and is being guarded, how would you go inside?"
"I... I don't know, man. I'm just a pizza delivery guy before," Glenn stammered, looking frantically between the Greene house and Arthur.
Arthur chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Calm down. Just think and say it to me."
Glenn stared at Arthur, then took a deep breath. "Okay, first, I'd scout the place from the woods. After knowing the general routes where people usually walk, I'll stay until it's night, maybe even midnight, and use the dark as my cover to slowly approach the house. If the windows on the first floor are locked, I'll try the doors. But if those are also locked, I'll try the second-floor windows—people tend not to lock the windows on the second floor."
He paused, seeing that Arthur was listening.
"Then I'd try to climb up, go inside from the second floor, and then search the house. After I find where my important person is being held, I'll get that person and escape."
Glenn sighed as he finished, staring at Arthur and waiting for a reply. After a moment, Arthur turned to Glenn with a cheeky smile. "Good plan, but dumb. You didn't consider the night watch, and you didn't knock out most of the guards. Even if by some miracle you got inside, getting outside is much more difficult, considering that the person might be weakened and the guards outside are still wide awake."
Glenn realized his mistake and sighed. "I told you, man, I'm just a delivery guy. I'm not some trained special ops or ninja."
Arthur then smiled. "You have good observation. You're fast, and maybe stealthy, based on your plan. Now let me break down your plan and tell you the mistakes you made."
Arthur leaned back against a nearby tree trunk, crossing his arms and keeping the cheeky smile. "Alright, delivery guy. It's not bad for your first plan, but you gotta think about the whole route, not just the front door. Let's polish that plan."
Glenn leaned in, trying to focus and replay the scenario.
"Okay, so the scouting is good," Arthur continued, ticking off a point with his finger. "You'd watch from the woods to find the regular patrol routes. Smart. And waiting for midnight is also a solid call for cover." Glenn nodded confidently, but Arthur's smile grew wider.
"Now for the beginner mistakes," Arthur said, tilting his head. "You said you'd check the ground floor windows and doors first, right?"
"Yeah, fastest way in," Glenn replied.
"Wrong. That's the fastest way to get caught. A leader is going to have the doors bolted. The moment you touch a window latch, you risk a squeak, a rattle, or getting spotted by the night watch," Arthur said, letting the words sink in.
Glenn frowned. "Oh, the watch... I didn't think about that. How many would there be? One or two, maybe?"
"See? That's the beginner thought," Arthur said, pushing off the tree. "So here's the better, yet still inexperienced, way to look at it: Instead of checking the first floor, you stick to your original plan of the second floor—that's the smart instinct. Most people forget to secure it as thoroughly. But you don't climb the outside wall like a monkey. You'd move through the woods, quiet as a mouse, and find a large, dense object near the house. Maybe a tall shed or an old tractor if they had one."
"Then what?" Glenn asked.
"You'd use it as a boost, not a ladder," Arthur explained. "You climb the easily accessible structure, then jump or scramble onto the second-floor roof or porch, giving you a less exposed angle to the window. You're still relying on a noisy scramble, which is a flaw, but it's better than scaling a bare wall."
"You're right about people forgetting to lock the second-floor windows. That's a classic mistake. But what's the first thing a pro does that you didn't mention?"
Glenn thought hard. "Um... knock out the guards?"
"Eventually, but even before that. You're not a ninja; you're making noise. The night watch is a problem. You need a diversion."
"Like... throwing a rock the other way?" Glenn suggested hesitantly.
"Exactly! Basic, but it works. You'd throw a rock or light a small, quick fire away from the house to draw the night watch, buying you maybe two minutes to get inside," Arthur said. "The beginner's move is thinking that two minutes is enough time to start searching the house. You'd rush the window, slip inside, and start blindly looking."
"This is where you die, Glenn," Arthur stated, his tone suddenly serious. "You didn't factor in getting out. You have a weakened person. You've made noise getting in. The guards who fell for your diversion are now heading back."
"I'd go out the same way I came in," Glenn offered weakly.
"And what if the guards have moved? What if they're right under your window? You need a pre-planned escape route. A better idea would be to use the back door on the first floor. Why?"
"Because the front is too exposed?"
"Because it's a straight shot to the woods! You get the hostage, move quietly to the main stairs, and when you get to the ground floor, you sprint out the back door and disappear into the trees. It's loud, it's messy, and you're relying on a dash of pure luck, but it's a plan."
Arthur clapped him on the shoulder again. "It's a good start, kid. You have the right instincts for movement and observation. You just lack the imagination for violence and the foresight to cover your own ass. Keep observing, and maybe I'll teach you more of my skills if you keep this up."
"Anyway, go rest. You guys are in for a training tomorrow," Arthur said.
"Alright, thanks for the late-night teaching, man," Glenn said, trying to lighten his mood, but Arthur could see he was still thinking deeply about the plan.
Arthur walked to his tent, removed the L96A1 from his back, shed his upper clothing, and before lying down, closed his eyes, thinking, 'Let's see if you have what it takes to be an assassin, Glenn.'