AJ crouched down and picked up the knife from the ground, still staring at the man in front of him, who quietly went back to eating his fish.

AJ arched an eyebrow at the man's naturalness and calmness, the boy expected a more... rough attitude?

- Your eyes are too focused on me, kid.

The man said, turning slightly to the side, and AJ stared at his face. More specifically, the somewhat intimidating scar over his eye.

The man himself was intimidating, not only because he was several times larger than AJ, but because of his appearance, his face covered in scars, the same thing with the visible parts of his one arm.

- Who are you?

AJ asked, ignoring what the man had said, and trying to look natural, not showing the small fear he felt.

The man sighed slightly and stood up, making his height even more evident, where AJ had to literally lift his arms to aim the gun at his head.

He was bigger than most people he had ever seen.

- Tip number one. Focus on your surroundings.

The man said, walking to the side.

It was then that AJ saw, through his peripheral vision, the zombie approaching right next to him.

The boy turned and pointed the gun at the head of what used to be a girl, but he didn't even have to shoot. His eyes followed, surprised, even amazed, at the simple movements the man made.

He grabbed the zombie's head and threw it hard to the ground, stomping on its head immediately afterwards.

The zombie had recently transformed, so its skull was still quite hard, but it didn't seem so due to the force with which the man had stepped on it.

AJ stared at him for a few more moments, following him with his eyes as he crouched down to his height, and looked at him intensely.

- It' s good that you are paying attention to me. But remember this, never focus only on the opponent you see, focus on your surroundings, focus on what you can't see, that's what will kill you.

He said, a hard yet concerned look deep in his brown eye.

- What? How can I concentrate on what I can't see?

The boy asked, he had several questions in his head, to tell the truth, but at the moment he could only ask one.

- You learn to do this with experience. You learn not to focus only on what you see, not to rely only on your eyes, but to use your instincts, your whole body to your advantage. Many people can't do this very well, but they all have this potential.

The man said, looking at him in a strange way. His tone was a little lighter, more nostalgic perhaps.

AJ lowered his gun, and looked at him curiously.

- Don't lower your gun.

He said, taking AJ's arm lightly and making him point the gun again in his direction, causing the boy to arch an eyebrow, confused.

- But why? You didn't try to attack me, you could have killed me already.

The boy asked, confused, this was the first time someone had asked him to point the gun in his direction.

- Second tip. Be suspicious even of your own shadow. There will be times when you will meet people, apparently friendly, but who have hidden purposes. They may pretend to be your friend, they may even help you, save your life, but this is only because they want to use you in the end.

He said, getting up and walking back to the front of the small fire.

AJ followed him, pointing the gun at his back, thinking about his words.

It made sense, and he had been in similar situations some time ago, but he always found this kind of situation confusing and ambiguous.

As Clementine always said, it was something very complex to understand.

-... Can you use your instincts?

The boy asked, increasingly curious about this man who looked so dangerous, but had done him no harm so far.

- More or less. My instincts are important, but my senses are just as important. For example, I didn't see you approaching me, but I heard you when you cursed softly after failing to catch that fish earlier.

The man, looking slightly amused at AJ, who slightly widened his eyes and stared at him intently.

- Did you hear it? How do you do it?

The boy asked, unsure whether he should still be pointing his gun at the man, or not.

- Like I said, experience. You have to get used to your own body... more or less.

The man said, wiping his hands on a small bucket of water beside him, and turning to AJ, leaning his arm on his leg.

- Think about this, look straight.

He said, placing his index finger right in the middle of his chest, pointing upwards.

AJ looked at him confused for a moment, but did as he said, lowering the gun.

- Okay, you see me, you see my campfire, and the trees around, and behind me, right?

he asked, making AJ a little more confused, and at the same time curious.

- Yes.

The boy answered, looking at the man's finger with a certain intensity.

- Okay, now, try not to focus only on what you see, try to use your ears, for example, but at the same time, not failing to use your eyes.

The man said, smiling slightly at the boy's confused expression.

AJ tried to do as he said, trying to concentrate on both his vision, and his hearing.

The boy heard the sound of nature, the sound of the river water flowing not far away. After a while he heard something that sounded like footsteps, small, quiet footsteps.

- I hear something walking.

The boy said, looking at the man.

- There is a rabbit hopping a few meters away, but do you see any difference?

The man asked, looking with an amused smile at AJ's confused face.

- No, I see the same things.

He answered after a while, and the smile on the man's face widened.

- You didn't even notice that I switched fingers.

The man said, and AJ looked at his hand again, surprised to see that his index finger was down.

- But... what? I was staring at you the whole time.

The boy said, curious, surprised, confused, and quite interested.

- This just proves that some tiny details can go unnoticed. Don't concentrate on just one of your senses, concentrate on all of them. And use all their potential. You're staring at a man, pointing a gun at him and focusing only on him, and his companion could walk by behind you and you don't even notice, and boom, you're dead because of it.

The man said, leaning his arm back on his leg, and looking softly at the boy, who stared at him attentively.

- This is hard...

He said softly, looking down at the ground and crossing his arms.

Everything was hard, he should be used to that fact by now.

- Yes, and that's exactly why you need experience to learn it. Only a few people get it, because they don't stay on the road for so long, sooner or later they find somewhere where they belong, and it doesn't become so "useful" for them anymore.

The man said, turning again to the fire.

- Have you been on the road for long?

AJ asked curiously, walking beside the man, but keeping a certain distance from him.

- Yes. Years, maybe a decade? Close to that, for sure.

He answered with a sigh, staring at the mesmerizing dance of flames ahead.

- Haven't you ever found a place where you belong?

AJ asked, still looking at his face.

- No, in my case it's not a place, it's a person. A person that I lost a long time ago. No home, or community, can fill the void she left behind.

The man answered, and AJ held back from asking who this person was, because he saw that this was a rather delicate subject for him, as was clear from the sad expression that dominated his face.

- I noticed that you were having problems with fishing, do you want me to teach you some tricks?

The man asked after a while, and AJ looked at the fish skeletons lying in front of him, just beyond the campfire.

- Are you good at fishing?

The boy asked, following the man with his eyes as soon as he stood up, and started walking beside him soon after.

- Not with a fishing rod.A net, if I am lucky enough to find one. A primitive spear, and sometimes I use traps.

He explained, looking at the spear that was lying on the ground next to a bucket on the river bank.

- Traps?

The boy asked, watching the man bend down and pick up the spear.

- Yes, in case I don't want to fish manually. I use them most when I go to sleep, so that when I wake up there's always a fish that ends up in the trap, and I have breakfast.

He explained, looking curiously at the tip of the spear, but shrugging his shoulders afterwards.

- There are several ways to fish, the one I am most used to, is to take it easy. One of the main keys to fishing is patience.

He said, looking at the fish that followed him through the crystal clear water.

He stepped into the water, up to just above his shin, moving slowly and calmly, as if he was afraid that he would step too hard on the ground and end up breaking it.

AJ stared at him, following his movements calmly with his eyes.

- You don't have to go to the fish, let the fish come to you, even without a lure.

He said, raising his spear slightly and following, with his head, the movements of a fish. In one swift movement, he plunges the spear into the fish's body, and pulls it out of the water.

AJ looked at him slightly surprised, staring at the medium sized fish that was now struggling in the bucket.

- If you are in too much of a hurry, and make a mistake, the fish will get spooked, and disperse. Slow, calm movements won't scare them all away at once. Take it easy, and you will succeed.

He said, handing the spear to AJ, who looked at the object in his hands for a few moments before walking towards the river.

AJ imitated what the man did, doing exactly the same thing he had seen. And in one swift movement, he plunged the spear into the body of one of the fish that passed by, pulling it out of the water immediately afterwards.

The boy stared at the fish on the end of the spear for a few moments, happy that he had finally managed to catch one.

Now he would win the bet he had made with Clementine.

- See, just take it easy, the same thing goes for hunting... in fact, it goes for anything.

The man said, leaning his back against a tree as he watched the river, with that same nostalgic expression as before.

- You didn't try to take a gun. Or take mine from me.

AJ said, turning around and looking at him curiously.

The man looked up, and stared at him for a while.

- I don't want to hurt you, kid. I have no reason to do that. In fact, I think it's better to help you survive, at least then I can die knowing that the future still holds hope.

The man said, looking at the ground, a neutral expression now.

- Aren't you afraid of death?

he asked, placing the spear handle on the ground and leaning his body lightly on it.

- No, not afraid. I have lived with it long enough, I can even say that we are close, almost best friends.

The man answered, putting his hand inside the pocket of his overcoat, still looking at the ground.

- So, you want to die?

Aj asked, arching an eyebrow.

- No. Not being afraid of death and wanting to die are two very different things. Although, there was a time when I did think about killing myself, several times.

The man answered, laughing slightly at the boy's question.

- Why?

AJ asked again, and the man sighed slightly.

- Because I had nothing. I lost everything, I had no place for myself in this world, all I had around me were zombies. But, I guess I'm just too stubborn to kill myself, or to die.

The man answered, sitting down at the base of the tree and looking at AJ.

- Did you lose a lot of people?

The boy asked again, approaching him and sitting down in front of him.

- Quite a lot... I saw a lot of people die. I killed many people... children, whether it was for mercy, for survival, or because I just wanted to.

AJ listened attentively, and seemed to grow more curious with every word he said, more intrigued. He had never met anyone like him, and was not used to having such friendly conversations with a stranger.

- Have you ever had to kill children? Why?

He asked, not quite sure why he was so interested, he was just interested.

He was like a new comic book he had just found.

-... I had to kill her. She... she was not able to keep herself in a group... let's say she was someone who saw killing other people as an form of art.

The man said, a sad tone present in his voice, heavy eyes that stared at the ground.

AJ lowered his eyes as well, remembering when Tenn had explained to him what art and an artist were.

He couldn't imagine someone's death being as beautiful as Tenn's drawings. It was definitely not an form of art.

- What is your name?

AJ asked, looking again at the man.

He looked uncertain for a moment, then he seemed to hesitate... and finally, he looked surprised.

-... How about a game? If you guess my name, I'll teach you how to make fish traps, and how to skin the animals you hunt, how about it? You don't have to tell me your name either.

he asked, disguising the surprise, and even the uncertainty that was present in his expression before.

AJ stared at him for a while, it would be good for him to learn how to make fish traps, he could make several, and just catch the ones that were trapped, in the morning.

Besides he had never skinned an animal before, it looked disgusting... and exciting.

- Deal.

The boy said, watching the man get up.

- Well, I guess the people in your group have already noticed your absence. I don't want to cause any trouble, I won't be staying long, don't worry. I'd appreciate it if you didn't bring them here, I don't have a very good history with communities.

The man said, and AJ became slightly thoughtful.

He seemed like a nice guy, a little strange, and even mysterious, which only made AJ a little more curious about him.

Plus, despite his intimidating appearance, he was pretty cool, and taught him a few tricks. Now he would try to use his senses more whenever he left the school.

He didn't look bad, so, at least until he left, AJ decided to keep quiet.

- Okay, I won't talk.

He said, taking one of the knives from his belt and holding it out to the man, who smiled at him.

- You can keep the knife, just bring it with you whenever you come here. As proof that I won't try to hurt you, or anyone else in your community.

He said, and AJ arched an eyebrow, lowering his arm slowly, a little hesitant, and quite surprised.

The boy nodded to him, picked up the bucket and spear, and turned, walking upstream, back to the school.