I smiled and gave Carl a wink as his mother passed him by to continue whatever she has to do before we take off for gun practice today.
"Alright." Rick sighed, like a weight had been taken off his shoulders. Fighting with your spouse like that can't be easy. Especially when it comes to your kid.
"Now all we gotta do is decide who'll teach who. Who do we have that already knows how to shoot?" Rick turned back to us, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. Almost like a, 'congratulations for winning an argument with your mother'.
"Present company excluded we've got, T-Dog, Glenn, Lori, and Daryl." Shane listed.
"Daryl's outta commission, so that leaves us with 3, 4…6 possible instructors." Dale interjected.
"Have you ever taught anyone how to shoot?" Rick looked at me.
I gave him a deadpan stare and just blinked.
I hate to burst your bubble, sweetie, but I'm a better shot than you are. You may have been a police officer before, but I had an awful lot of free time, not much of a social life, and a fondness for the range near my place.
"Okay, then." Rick's amused tone was accompanied by a head shake.
He is just gettin' trampled by women today. First Beth & Patricia, then Lori, now me.
"We only need to train 5 or 6 people, I'd say we've got all the instructors we need." Shane rubbed his shaved head.
"Let's get goin' then." Rick nodded. "Dale, I want you to stay behind, hold down the fort while we're gone."
Dale nodded, readjusting the rifle on his shoulder.
Agh, the ride here was so bumpy. I got out of the car and stretched my shoulders. We drove off road for like a mile to get here.
It wasn't a particularly long ride, but it wasn't a comfortable one.
Apparently Shane and I think it was Andrea, found this sight during their search.
It's a fairly secluded area. It's got several yards of space between the fence and treeline of the woods. The grassy hill behind this old wood fence acts as a natural backstop for the bullets.
It really is perfect for this. The only drawback is, we've gotta watch our backs against the trees for walkers we might attract.
We should count our blessings, there aren't many walkers this far out from the major cities. I don't imagine many get the chance to somewhat safely practice shooting nowadays.
"'Ey, help us set these up along the fence" T-dog handed me a crate of old bottles and glass jars without even waiting for me to fully turn.
Since when did we have these? I don't recall going on a container hunt.
I walked towards the far end of the fence, and set the crate down near a 'Do Not Enter' sign on the fence. You know, this fence kinda looks like the type horses jump.
I started setting them atop the thick fence, spacing them 1-2 feet apart. When my crate was finished off, I took it back to the cars and tossed it in the trunk with the rest.
Everybody's pairing off with instructors already. Rick & Shane already taking Carl, Lori, Beth, and Patricia to their starting positions, several feet from their targets; almost exactly between the treeline and the fence.
I motioned at Andrea before she could be snatched up by someone else, but it didn't look like anyone was going for her anyway(I don't know why the Hell not). T already paired off with Jimmy and Rick and Shane have got their hands full.
So it looks like I'm teaching Andrea, Carol, and overseeing them plus Patricia.
I pointed and motioned at all three of them and they followed me to the far end of our setup.
They've all got their selected guns, so I don't have to worry about teaching 'em which gun is best for them. Shane took care of that in the car, I assume Rick did as well in the other vehicle.
Cleaning and whatnot will come later, and probably best left to Shane as he is our foremost expert in that.
Today, and my job, is all about how to handle the weapon itself. How to aim, how the safety works, when to fire, remove and replace the clip, etc, etc.
The technical stuff, and polishing off skills will come later. Much later. After they're all familiar enough with their weapons to have no trouble shooting what comes at them.
I showed each of them how to handle their weapon, spaced the three several feet apart mostly for safety reasons, and gave them their target bottles & cans along the fencing.
I stood back from Andrea at the farthest end, to watch and keep watch while the shooting began.
The easy part's done, now to the piece I'm actually interested in. Seeing how well they all do.
I sat on a tree stump behind Andrea; cleaning my piece and keeping an eye out for anything that's cause for concern while I watch my pupils nailing almost every shot.
It took them a few shots to get the hang of it, aside from Ms. Queen of aim herself, but after they did, they've yet to miss.
I'd like to say, 'Damn I'm good' but I really haven't done much. They're doing all the leg work, all I'm doing is slight corrections when they stray. Like a spotter for a gymnast.
This is pretty boring in all honesty, though.
I'm surprised these guys are above decent shots, actually. For the most part. As far as I know, none of them have handled firearms before.
I don't know if it's their own innate talent, the survival instinct of needing the skill, the quality of those teaching, or a combination of everything but whatever it is, I'm glad. For their sake.
I watched Andrea shoot again, and good grief. She's a damn fine shot. She's got intuitive aim like I've never seen. Almost too good to believe.
Although... I'm likin' Beth's aim. Too bad I can't ask her to come out with me today. Hershel would have a cow. Plus she's pretty young too, and I'd rather not risk her life if I can help it. She may not fare well in the wilderness anyway.
I'd ask T-Dog but his arm hasn't healed yet and if we got into a sticky situation, it would only be a hindrance.
Jimmy's a decent shot but again, he's the same as Beth. Young and under Hershel's wing.
Maybe I should've asked Glenn before we left. Why did he stay behind anyway?
He said Dale was gonna teach him mechanics but I saw Dale's face when Glenn said that. He had no idea about any such thing before that very moment but he still went along with it for Glenn's sake.
I've got a feeling it has to do with the secret Glenn's been keeping— which I'm astounded he hasn't blabbed about yet. Sorry man, but you can't lie for shit.
I'm a little peeved Dale's in on it now, but I suppose I can't blame him. I haven't been around much to just talk to, and well...Dale's pretty nosy. I don't think there's anyone on this Earth that old man couldn't get the truth out of.
One of these days, I gotta teach you a little somethin' about being subtle, Ace. Truth be told, it might be a good idea if I taught everybody. Just in case.
It could help them get a little more in-tune and accustomed to trusting their own instincts.
How would I teach them though? I don't even know how I do it, really. I'd like to think it's nothing more than a light step but if that were the case, there would be a lot more people like me out there.
Daryl's subtle but his step isn't exactly light, most often. Stealth isn't something you can really teach. It's something you gotta find, and teach yourself.
It takes practice, and there isn't a lot of room for mistakes. One mistake and you get caught.
I watched Andrea shoot yet another hole in the center of the O's on the 'Do Not Enter' sign below what her target was actually supposed to be.
She hasn't hit that metal can even once, but she hasn't tried to either. There's no doubt in my mind that if she were aiming for it, it'd be a bullseye.
I know Rick said "No one goes alone" but if I take a rookie out into the woods, it'll cause more problems than it solves. Yeah, sure it's an extra set of eyes but you only need an extra set when one isn't enough.
My track record hasn't been the best since the highway, I'll be the first to admit that, and I do agree we need to stop going off on our own but... I'm not seeing a better alternative.
I don't wanna go against Rick, and I know I'm being nit-picky about this.
I should just suck it up and ask T already.
Dammit, Daryl. Why'd you have to go and get hurt?
I don't know how to track as well as you, and yeah I'm quieter but that's not enough.
I need my partner.