Chapter 12
Ezekiel leads them around in a quick tour, his voice retaking a grandiose lilt.
The residents don’t stare like those at Sanctuary; their regard is furtive and done in glances, murmuring and muttering to each other in low tones as they go about their business. Sirius soaks up the attention, taking his time to wink and make flirty gestures to any women standing on their own. Harry sees most of them turn away in disinterest but there were some that smile and wave back.The residents’ clothes are all stained but clean, barely any lacking the tell-tale patch or line of stitches from mending tears. They all seem underweight and tired, an instinctual distrust to the stiffness of their shoulders. Harry spies some teenagers hanging around and wonders if Zoey will want to make new friends while they’re here.
The Kingdom is larger and far more intricate than Harry had seen coming in. There may be actual houses but they also make full use of a small elementary school. The fields already have quite the yield but there are also tables lining the rooftop that are filled with growing crops. There are an abundance of water collectors placed all over the place, the tarps used beginning to look worn and bleached from the sun. Inside the school, the windows that get the most sun bear more tables of plants that look more like herbs. Harry doesn’t recognize what they are but Zoey seems excited about them. The rest of the space is split between storage rooms, the barracks for The Kingdom’s own guards and more space for beds. The courtyard of the elementary school has a few cows, the grass long eaten to the dirt and being fed from a trough. Two people sit on stools and manually milk the cows, the tss tss of milk squirting into the bucket fading away as Ezekiel brings them back towards the main courtyard.
Decorations were put up in the few minutes they were away. Three groups of three residents work quickly and efficiently to get what they have up in a festive manner. Tables are being set up by two women, a third coming around with a pile of folded cloths in her arms that are soon revealed to be tablecloths. Harry thinks all of the fuss is a little much but refrains from mentioning it. If these people want to celebrate, let them celebrate.
“The Kingdom looks as good as ever,” Negan compliments when they all come to a stop. “Still don’t have power, though?”
Ezekiel shakes his head, “We are still working on it. Unfortunately, electricians are in short supply these days.”
“Generators?” Negan tilts his head.
“The gas needed is better used for the vehicles,” Ezekiel waves it off. “We have been looking into solar power but finding them is difficult and no one here knows how they work. We are not in dire need of power, anyway. The water collectors supply our water, where we boil it over fire and filter it. It will be nice to have but not necessary. Not right now, anyway.”
“That’s fair. The gas would go farther for runs to get supplies,” Sirius tacks on as he winks at a woman nearby.
Harry ribs Sirius with his elbow, “Focus, Sir’.”
“I am completely focused,” Sirius replies, not even looking away from the woman. “One hundred percent focused on fine – mean, I’m fine. I’m focused.”
Harry shares an exasperated glance with Zoey, “Sure, Sir’.”
“I’m sure Melinda would like to get to know you later on, Sirius,” Ezekiel teases, finally getting Sirius to pay proper attention. “For now, I think it’s time to get the vaccinations underway. Harry?”
Finally, Harry thinks as he nods, “Yes, lets get this done. What’s the order of vaccination?”
“My people have already worked it out. I just need a few minutes to draw everyone to the court yard. Please, take this time to prepare yourself if needed.”
Ezekiel walks off before anyone can respond, calling out an order for some signal to be rung. Not long after, there is a single, abrupt clang from somewhere near the school. The decorators keep doing their job as the courtyard slowly begins to fill with... the teenagers and the women.
Well, Ezekiel did say they decided the order for themselves. Harry raises his hands and channels his magic to his palms, feeling them tingle as he says, “Alright. If you didn’t already know, my name is Harry. I’m here to vaccinate you, so I ask that two people come up at once to receive it.”
“What can we expect?” An older woman asks as she reaches out to stop the younger teens from stepping up. “How is this going to work?”
“It sounds corny but you’ll need to take my hand. You’ll either feel like you just got tickled or it’ll feel like a quick shock, it depends on the person. Once you feel it, you are vaccinated. Simple and easy, right?”
“King Ezekiel informed us that you are also a healer,” another woman comments instead.
“Is it true?” someone else asks.
Harry falters. He expected this but not this early, “Yes, I can but I don’t have the energy for both vaccinations and healing right now. I had planned on approaching those that needed it later in the day when I’ve had time to rest.”
“What do you want?” the first woman asks, sounding resigned.
Harry lowers his hands, letting the magic go as he takes in their fragile hope, “I thought Ezekiel would have made it known that this service is done in the name of the new alliance. I don’t want anything, I’m just here to help.”
“Harry speaks truth,” Ezekiel interjects, having finally returned. “It seems I forgot to mention it. My apologies, everyone. Harry is kind and only wishes to give the vaccination to as many people as he can.”
That makes everyone perk up and smiles to finally grace their faces. It seems their initial reticence was their wariness on what they’d have to pay for something Harry had always intended to be free. He raises his hands again and channels his magic, “Shall we get started?”
---
Harry catches onto the order of vaccination rather quickly.
After the teenagers are all done, from youngest to oldest, the women line up. Every female resident he vaccinates proceeds to be replaced by an older one until they are all done. By then, the vaccinated women have already cleared out to continue with their tasks and a steady stream of men begin to pile in. Like the women, the men line up, youngest to oldest, none of them making a fuss or starting an argument on the order. It’s such a far cry from Sanctuary’s response to the vaccine that Harry isn’t even uncomfortable with the sheer volume of people around him.
It’s actually enjoyable.
Thankfully, it seems Ezekiel takes good care of his people. So few have any actual issues and those who do have been provided the needed medical aid to help. Two of them are budding diabetics, even this far into the Fall, several have bones in varying stages of breakages and healing, one has a stub for an arm that’s starting to get infected and a few have deeper wounds that have yet to fully heal. Harry spends the extra magic to at least purge the infection in the one man’s arm and resigns himself to the after party to regain the energy needed to heal the rest.
There are a couple of women that are pregnant but they’re far enough along to be aware of it. Harry just makes sure the babies are coming along okay and leaves them to it.
It takes almost an hour to get everyone done – far more efficiently than Sanctuary as well. Without having to sort through a lottery system allowed the process to be streamlined. The preparations for the party gained more and more helpers, the courtyard being transformed into something far more fun and pretty. Fires are started and food starts cooking, the air already smelling heavenly from the roast. As the final, oldest man is vaccinated, music starts up.
As the food cooks and music flows, survivors become regular people once more. Harry seats himself with Negan and Ezekiel, allowing Zoey to go explore to her heart’s content. She’s gone in an instant, disappearing through the crowd with a hop to her step. As people start dancing, Harry takes in this more open, less stressed community. The Kingdom possesses a different atmosphere than Sanctuary. Harry's new home feels like a giant machine, every person is a cog in a maze of interconnected cogs that keep the tower running optimally. The Kingdom, on the other hand, has a much more whimsical shimmer to it. Everyone speaks with similar tones that Ezekiel uses, some even taking it further by pretending to be real peasants in the presence of an actual king.
Harry tries his best not to judge...
... but it’s really hard when they keep bowing with such reverence.
It’s a weird world out there already but did they really need to bring the Dark Ages back?
As the food starts getting served, beer is brought out. Everyone gets a bottle or can with their food, even the teenagers under the strict supervision of their parents. Zoey manages to use her doe eyes to get Negan to agree to let her try one, on the condition that she doesn’t tell Lucille.
Zoey and Harry share a conspiratorial smirk.
Zoey ended up not liking the beer. She leaves it with them and disappears from the party to explore some more. Harry ends up worrying about her too much to really join in with the festivities, though people certainly keep trying.
Almost all of the residents Harry made a mental note to approach for healing actually approaches him as the afternoon slips by. Having eaten and rested long enough, Harry was more than happy to ease out their issues. As the sun starts setting, Sirius checks in with Harry before following his new female friend. Negan and Ezekiel become best friends as they nurse their drinks and speak under the joyous din.
After Harry has had his fill of the festivities - he did enjoy himself, even if he didn't join in - he follows an inebriated Jerry to the rooms that had been set aside for their group.
Regardless of how it started, the day ended on a good note. Harry hopes it stays that way.
—
The next morning, Harry is the first one awake.
Sirius is in the next bed, sleeping soundly. Same as Negan in the bed closest to the door. Zoey, Harry finds immediately, crawled into bed with him sometime in the night and is currently imitating an octopus very well.
The room is painted a light blue and there are four beds in it. It's clear the room doesn't normally have four beds, as three of the beds are cots. The walls are adorned with tasteful, generic art pieces and the dressers are a dark brown with gold accents. The room looks nothing like the White Room, so for the first time in a long while, Harry doesn't feel entirely uncomfortable being in it. The living room in their penthouse is certainly much bigger with more windows but the walls are white and there aren't many pictures.
Reluctant to wake Zoey, Harry settles down, passing the early morning hour in reflective silence. Zoey shifts several times in her sleep, mumbling but Harry can't make anything out. Finally, Zoey inhales sharply and her arms tighten, squeezing him momentarily as she wakes groggily.
“Hm?” Zoey murmurs into Harry's shirt.
“Morning sleepy head,” Harry mumbles fondly.
Zoey exhales, her body going boneless as she dozes, “Morning.”
Harry really needs to use the bathroom right about now, “Think you can retract your tentacles?”
“My what?” Zoey asks, blinking awake with a frown of sleepy confusion.
“I need the loo, let me up,” Harry clarifies. Zoey hums in disappointment as she flops back into the bed. She pulls away from Harry and rolls over, almost immediately dozing back off. Harry chuckles, patting Zoey's visible shoulder gently as he pushes himself off the bed.
It's also been a long while since Zoey crawled in to sleep with Harry. She must have had a bad dream or their encounter with Shiva scared her more than she wanted to admit. Which is understandable, considering Shiva’s charge had scared the hell out of several grown adults. Harry can only hope Ezekiel learns from this incident and keeps Shiva in a separate room in the future.
Breakfast is a quick and quiet affair. Negan didn't drink very much, so he lacked the morning after hangover. Sirius was much the same; in fact, he's been in a downright good mood. Ezekiel wanted them to stay longer, have a proper send off but Harry refused it. He wants to get to Hilltop so he can vaccinate them and get to Shirewilt faster. He’s eager to get back to Sanctuary.
Nearly everyone that partied the night before are still sleeping, so they are able to get into the vehicles and away from The Kingdom with very little fanfare.
“I'm getting Walk of Shame vibes here,” Sirius mentions moments later.
Harry looks at Sirius with a brow raised, “Felt it more than once, then?”
Sirius pffts, “No!”
“What's a Walk of Shame?” Zoey asks out of nowhere.
Sirius chokes. Harry grins evilly, “I'm sure Sir’ would be happy-”
“No, I wouldn't!” Sirius cuts in, his voice almost squeaking. Harry knows Sirius is already in trouble for even mentioning it in Zoey's presence. Lucille will not be happy to hear this particular question. “Ask your Dad!”
Oh, Harry didn't think Sirius was that dumb but it's hilarious to see him floundering about in a panic.
“Best ask Lucille, Zo,” Harry says, unable to keep the amusement from his voice. Sirius gives him an utterly betrayed look. “I think she'd react better to that question.”
“Harry!” Sirius gasps. “How could you?!”
“But what is it?!” Zoey pushes in growing frustration.
“Sirius, if she asked Negan, you'd be on the wrong end of a sledgehammer,” Harry informs his oblivious Godfather, who switches from betrayed to considering. Harry intentionally ignored Zoey's increasing probing on the topic, not willing to be the one to tell her.
“Good point,” Sirius states, nodding.
“If someone doesn't tell me what it is, I'm going to call Dad right now,” Zoey threatens, somehow holding the walkie.
Gleeful, Harry looks at Sirius with a convincing expression of pity, “You poor sod.”
“Why are you so evil?” Sirius mutters in reluctant respect. “What happened to my sweet, innocent Godson?”
Harry snorts, breaking out into chuckles at Sirius’ dramatics. Then, he grins and watches in delight when Sirius gets blackmailed by Zoey into telling her what a Walk of Shame is.
—
The walkie's crackle interrupts Sirius mid-explanation.
Negan here, we're speedin’ the fuck up and hauling ass. Something went wrong at Hilltop.
Harry reaches for the walkie at the same time that Henry tries to reach back. Zoey dodges both grabs and asks into it, “Dad? What's going on?”
Zoey, you nevermind. Give the fuckin’ walkie back to Henry!
Zoey hands the walkie to Henry with a tremendous scowl.
“Heard ya, loud and clear,” Henry says into the walkie, placing it on the dash in front of him. He speeds up noticeably, chasing the truck in front of them.
“Ask him what's going on!” Harry demands crossly. What could have happened for Negan to suddenly speed up?
Henry sighs, grabbing the walkie and saying, “Boss man, Harry's asking questions.”
Jesus didn't go into details. Eat something and be ready. Negan out.
Now Harry is worried. What could have happened? Sirius turns around in his seat, “Eat, Pup. Sounds like your skills will be needed when we get there.”
“How could you know that?” Zoey asks, bewildered.
Sirius grimly replies, “We wouldn't be going faster if it wasn't life threatening.”
Zoey's eyes grow wide and she looks at Harry in concern. Harry grimaces, unable to refute that point. It's true; Harry can't see any other reason they would be going faster. He can only hope the scale of the bad event is small enough for him to help with. Zoey takes that as a sure sign that Sirius is right and worriedly sits back down.
Harry pulls out a snack - a chocolate bar, he immediately breaks it into three and hands Sirius and Zoey a piece each. Zoey bites into it slowly, like a mouse, still bothered by the emergency. Sirius, on the other hand, eats the entire piece in one bite. He chews aggressively and then taps the distracted Zoey on the shoulder. She looks at him with a large frown. Sirius crosses his eyes and grins a dirty, chocolatey grin, making a frankly ridiculous face.
Zoey snorts and laughs, amused and disgusted in equal measure. “Ew!” Zoey cries, giggling.
Sirius laughs, accidentally spitting chocolate onto Zoey. She squeals in disgust, wiping the mess off as both Harry and Sirius break down into their own childish giggles.
“Why are guys so gross?” Zoey laments, even though she's fighting a smile.
“Hey, settle down!” Henry's voice cuts through their mirth. “I'm trying to concentrate here!”
They sober pretty quickly. Harry eats the last piece, enjoying the burst of sugar as he digs another snack out. Harry may dislike being worried over but he has to admit, he's never eaten better than now. It's mostly the older ladies pushing snacks into his hands but he's had more than a few guys offer as well. Mostly Alex and his buddies from the Ring. Harry does appreciate it, more than he can say to them but he still wishes they would stop and worry for themselves. Being under Negan's wing as he is, Harry can get as much free food and things as he wants. So can Zoey but she chooses to work for points. They shouldn’t be using their hard earned points on him when he’s able to just get them on his own.
... though, he has to admit, he’s starting to welcome their warm regard. He can’t remember specific examples from his previous life but he knows, on some instinctual level, that they can be so much worse. He doesn’t like the attention, never will but he’s not worried about it as much as he had been. The unease that developed from the near riot has since eased out, replaced by budding fondness for those who greet him cheerfully.
Harry eats a few more snacks, sharing them with Zoey and Sirius. Harry’s levels are more than okay but he’s well aware that he has limits, even as broadened as they were. If the worst has come to pass, there may be casualties whether Harry likes it or not. The sugar and crisps sit heavy in his stomach, his magic just barely keeping it from twisting anxiously.
Harry doesn't know how long it takes but they finally begin to slow down. They drive up a slight hill to a large, wood wall with a gate. The gate starts opening before they even get to it. They don't slow down much before pulling in so the stop is too hard and abrupt.
Sirius is unbuckled and out of the van before Harry has a chance to get his buckle undone. Seconds later, he's free, climbing out right after Zoey.
“Harry?!” Paul calls, sounding near desperate.
“Paul! What's going on, now?” Negan calls back from the truck.
“I'm here!” Harry waves, pushing past Sirius to make himself known. Sirius makes an aborted movement that Harry ignores.
Paul's face falls in relief, “Thank God you're here. Come, they're this way! I don't know how much longer they have!”
“Paul!” Negan shouts as Harry follows, Sirius and Zoey hot on their heels. “For fuck sakes! You! Yeah! You! Tell me what happened!”
Paul looks back over his shoulder at Negan worriedly but keeps going, shaking his head. He leads Harry to the nearest metal house and explains in a hurry, “They got here this morning, I'm still trying to figure out what happened but it's slow going. Please, please help them.”
Paul opens the door for Harry. The teen steps in, walking into a what looks to be a basic infirmary. A man is standing next to another man that Harry Knows is dead. He pauses and looks at them, revealing a knife in the dead man's ear. Paul stops at the sight, devastation wiping away the desperate hope.
“Paul?” The man asks hopefully.
“This is Harry,” Paul explains lamely, unable to look away.
It's enough for the man. He suddenly becomes energetic, “Thank goodness! Come! Come here, Bea here needs your attention first!”
Harry does as he's told, his own Knowledge flaring up upon looking at her. Though she's barely bandaged and treated, she's been bitten along her shoulder and neck. The black veins around the wound shows she’s in advanced stages of the infection. Harry hovers his hand over her chest and allows his healing mist to seep down into her skin. The skin begins to regrow back over the terrible, mortal wound and it stops bleeding in moments. The black veins spreading outwards from the bite visually recede and her skin tone flushes from pale to peach.
“My brother wasn't kidding,” the man says quietly. “Truly miraculous.”
Harry doesn't fully heal her, not when he doesn't know if he can handle the strain of the other four. He pulls away and says, “She'll be fine for now, you may want to re-bandage what's left. Who is next?”
The man points to the man in the next bed. All five are unconscious and barely stable. The man he was pointed to is, indeed, the next one to be healed. A quick glance at the others tells Harry what he needs to Know as he gets to work healing. Like the first woman, Harry heals the man just enough so that his life is no longer in danger.
“Excuse me,” Harry can hear Paul say faintly. “I guess I'd better go explain everything to Negan.”
Harry silently moves onto the next woman, ignoring the man checking the woman over. Zoey's concerned yet awed voice wafts over, “Whoa that's… different.”
“Hm?”
Same as the previous, Harry heals her most of the way and moves into the second man.
“Oh, um… nevermind.”
“Why not heal them all the way?” The man asks out of nowhere, sounding curious.
Harry purses his lips, feeling a massive drain on his resources that he hadn't planned on using. Healing them all the way would definitely stretch things too much and Harry is still working on repairing his relationship with Zoey and Sirius to even entertain the idea. Harry can practically feel Zoey's deadpan stare on the back of his head as he answers in a low tone, “My stamina is finite, I'm afraid.”
“Oh?” the man inquires softly. “I would say that's too bad but I can't really argue with the results… if only Travis held on for a little longer-” the man goes quiet, a heavy note of grief in his tone. Harry surmised that Travis was the recently deceased man.
“I'm sorry, had we known sooner-” Harry finishes healing the last woman. As soon as he lets his magic go, he begins to feel light headed, cutting himself off without meaning to.
“Harry?” Zoey asks just as Harry’s legs swoon.
Sirius is next to him at that very moment, grabbing Harry's arm and gently pulling the teen to an empty chair. “Easy, Pup,” Sirius states solemnly as he helps Harry onto the chair.
“I'm fine, Sir’,” Harry assures. It was just jelly legs from the pretty massive drain on his reserves. “A cup of tea and a biscuit, I'll be right as rain.”
Sirius snorts, “Uh huh. Eat something, will you? And rest. You did good.”
Harry nods at that, feeling pleased that his Godfather isn't making a big deal out of it. He suddenly senses a couple of Wills quickly approaching.
“You did wonderfully,” the man states confidently, checking over the next. “There is no need to apologize-at all. My bad if you felt I was accusing you or something. That's not what I intended at all.”
Harry is saved from answering by an abrupt, noisy entrance from a harried woman. Sirius steps in front of Harry quick as lightning while Zoey flinches from the unexpected entrance. The man, Harry guesses he must be Hilltop's resident doctor - or as close as they can manage - looks up at the same time, surprised.
“Is she okay?!” the woman demands, a myriad of desperate emotions battling for supremacy.
“Travis?!” Another woman calls from behind the first woman. “Is Travis okay? Can you see him?!”
“Theresa, she's fine,” the man says, pointing at the first woman Harry healed. He stands at the same time the worried woman's eyes snap to her unconscious friend. Theresa utters a hurt, relieved sound as she steps in and the man quickly blocks the other from entering.
“Oh, babe,” the woman murmurs lovingly as she delicately sits on the bed in the small space available and begins to touch the unconscious woman lovingly. Harry looks away from the scene just as the second woman asks the man, “Travis? Is he-?”
The doctor shakes his head, “I'm sorry, Natalia. There was too much trauma and blood loss.”
Natalia's sound of utter grief makes Harry's eyes shut in sympathy.
“Travis… no… no… not Travis!!” Natalia grounds out, her voice thick and pained. “How?! How did this happen? It was supposed to be a quick run! Jesus said it would be safe!”
Harry's lips tighten. How could Paul promise something like that knowing nothing is guaranteed with the dead roaming about? What happened? Why are there five people heavily injured and one dead?
“Natalia, you know Paul wouldn't say such a thing,” the doctor responds, keeping the door blocked. “If you need anyone to blame, blame that snivelling coward that caused all of this.”
“Oh, d’you mean Jesus, who came back from that stupid Summit like God had personally anointed that his shit don't fucking stink?” Natalia says scornfully, scoffing. “Oh yeah, Harlan, real good he's doing! If he hadn't been such a fucking dunce and tried to start shit with good Ol’ Greggie, we wouldn't be in this mess!! Travis wouldn't be-” she cuts off, a sob escaping.
Harlan raises his hands, “That's not what happened and you know it, Nat. Now, I can let you in to say your goodbyes but I will not tolerate any violence or vitriol in my infirmary. Got it?”
Natalia sighs thickly in aggravation, “Just-let me take him. I need-he wanted to be buried, not burned. He can't be burned.” She sniffs and Harry can hear how clogged it is.
Harlan sighs, “Do you have a place in mind?”
He must get an affirmative from Natalia because Harlan finally backs away from the door, “Go grab some extra hands, first. Travis was a big guy, you'll need the help.”
“Just-for a minute-” Natalia enters, her eyes solely on the dead man who still has a knife sticking out of his ear. She turns angry eyes on Harlan, who has the decency to look contrite as she spits out, “What the fuck, Harlan!”
Harlan raises his hands in a calming gesture, “It was not my intention to leave that there, Natalia. You see-” Natalia scoffs and rolls her eyes, turning her full attention to Travis. Harlan continues anyway, “-I knew I should have waited for you to come back but I didn't want to risk him turning and attacking the others. I was just… distracted and forgot. I'm sorry Nat.”
“Don't call me that,” Natalia replies venomously over her shoulder.
Harlan sighs, “Nat-”
Natalia straightens and glares venomously, “No! Fuck you! How dare you-”
Harry has had enough but before he can intervene, the other lady does, “Nat! For fuck sakes, girl, take it out on Jesus! Harlan does good by us. He don't deserve that shit!”
Natalia huffs, stomping out and slamming the door so hard it bounces back open. Sirius relaxes minutely, not even flinching at the bang.
Harlan sighs explosively, taking off his rubber gloves to rub his undoubtedly sweaty hands all over his face and hair in a physical sign of stress. Harry takes in Harlan's overall status at that moment, finding the man's health very malnourished and greatly stressed. Harlan glances at Theresa, “Thanks, ‘Rees. I owe you one.”
Theresa shakes her head, her smile wobbly as she continues to softly caress her unconscious partner, “Nah, man. You've saved mine and Bea's life so many times. Least I can do.”
“This time, I can safely say it wasn't I who saved Beatrice,” Harlan states evenly, washing his hands in a basin of clearish water and soap.
Sirius shifts minutely but isn't tense, so Harry figures his Godfather doesn't perceive them as threats. Theresa looks at Harlan in confusion, “No? Did Em come back?”
Harlan shakes his head in denial and then jerks his chin in Harry's direction, “The young man - Harry, I believe his name is.”
“Wait,” Theresa whips her head towards them, her eyes instantly honing in on Harry peeking out from behind Sirius. Surprise takes over and she huffs disbelievingly as she looks him up and down, “That is him. You sayin’ Jesus wasn't lyin’? Them stories were true?”
“Can someone please explain what the fuck is going on here?!” Zoey finally bursts out dramatically, throwing her arms up and out in explosive frustration. “What stories? What was Jesus saying? Why the hell are your people so hurt? How the fuck did all this happen in a week?”
Sirius coughs, hiding his snickers at Zoey's outburst. Harry sighs in fond amusement, “Zo…”
Zoey gives Harry a what? expression. Harry narrows his eyes at her flatly. Zoey twists her lips and unhappily backs down.
Harlan takes a moment to gather himself from the surprise interrogation but smiles genially, “It's fine. She has a point with those questions, though not one I think I should really comment on.”
Zoey pouts. Sirius nods a little, “Probably for the best. Do you know where Jesus would take Negan to talk?”
Harlan denies it, “No, I'm afraid not. My duties don't often take me from this hut.”
“Normally, visitors would go talk to Greg,” Theresa supplies helpfully, giving a meaningful look to Harlan. He just shrugs and makes a motion to continue. She does, “Harlan doesn't wanna step on any toes, so I'll tell you the digs. See, when ya'll called that Summit, Greg didn't wanna go. Said he had better shit to do, so he sent Jesus because Jesus is the kind of guy to just roll over and take it for the good of the group, ya know? Then, when he came back, he was full of like, all this hope and shit. Which was kinda funny watchin’ him try to get in to talk to Greg but Greg wasn't in no mood to listen for two days.”
“Wait, your leader refused to come to the very important Summit because he had better shit to do? What the fuck?” Zoey asks crossly. “Why the hell is he the leader anyway? Sounds useless.”
“Zo!” Harry can't help but chuckle at her bluntness.
“No, she's got a very good point,” Sirius states, crossing his arms. “But I'd very much prefer to hear the rest of this story.”
Theresa tilts her head and focuses back on her still unconscious partner, “Well, Jesus finally got in to see Greg and told him all about it. Greg seemed really happy about it at first but that night, he gathered the dozen or so men loyal to him, stole almost all of our supplies, including our trade stock and locked themselves in the mansion.”
Harlan sighs, nodding when Sirius, Harry and Zoey look at him. Harry finds his voice, “No one has tried to get in?”
“Oh, we've tried,” Harlan replies in disgusted bitterness, throwing the slightly dirty towel on the scant counter available. He gestures sarcastically to Travis, “If I had all my supplies, he would have made it long enough for you to get here but I had almost nothing. They took everything but the emergency medical supplies I put away and those are all gone treating them!”
Sirius shakes his head, “Stole food, water, medical supplies and locked himself into a veritable fortress with over a dozen men?” Sirius thinks for a moment and asks, “There any women in those numbers and how much food and water did they happen to steal?”
Theresa looks at Sirius weirdly, glancing at Harlan before answering, “Two women who are married to a couple of guys. As for the other stuff… water we had plenty of, the river isn't far and we usually boil but our food hadn't been restocked in a few days because the Summit and the shit Greg pulled on Jesus after.”
“How many days of food, do you think?” Sirius inquires, making a gesture with his hand. “Just guess based on how many mouths you normally feed.”
Theresa shakes her head, “I'm a runner. Everyone in here besides Harlan is. We have no idea. Everyone who isn't a runner is on half rations, so you'd really need to ask Carla for specifics but my best guess - we had a few days, tops.”
Sirius snaps, pointing at her, “Good. Good, that.” He turns to his Godson, “Harry? You feeling alright to take a walk?”
Agreement is on the tip of his tongue but Theresa intervenes, “Nah, he shouldn't be out there right now. No one outside Greg and his Goons-For-Less would dare fuck up Harlan's infirmary. Too many people rely on him.”
“Is it bad out there right now?” Zoey asks.
Theresa nods, “We had nothing to trade for food. Jesus thought he could get through to Greg for a whole day and a half before he gave up. People were getting really hungry by that point, so he decided to form a few teams of runners to head out on quick runs to hopefully find enough food to keep us going.”
“Why didn't he ask us for help?!” Harry laments. “We could have sent supplies to you guys!”
“Hey, man, we ain't no charity ‘round here,” Theresa scowls. “We may trade with ya'll but we got pride. We ain’t gonna ask for handouts unless shit got really bad and we weren't that bad.”
“Sure but if we had, none of this would have happened,” Harlan shakes his head, sighing. Theresa has no words. She simply looks back down at her partner.
Harry is happy to know they have so much pride, it blinds them to rational thought. None of these people would have died if they had just been honest about their situation with Sanctuary.
“So, what happened to them?” Zoey asks, motioning to the still unconscious but now fine survivors.
“They were actually supposed to have the easiest location to look into. It was only a couple of hours from here by foot. I learned that Bea, here, was the only survivor of her squad. I was on another squad with Natalia and just got back before I came in here. So, yeah, there's a lot of angry people out there. Best he let things settle for a bit.”
“This is a mess,” Harry says unhappily. His magical levels are still low but not as much as they were. The brief rest did good in getting some back but he won't have enough to vaccinate for a few hours yet. As it is, he hesitates on eating any of his snacks when he's unsure of how much food they managed to bring back. He doesn’t have enough to share with everyone and it seems incredibly insensitive to pull something else out to eat while everyone is still relatively starving.
“A salvageable one,” Sirius states confidently, turning to look Harry over. Theresa takes that moment to glance at Harry as well, finally getting a clear look. Sirius continues, “This Ol’ Greggie chap doesn't sound smart enough to ration that food, so at most, it will be a couple more days. Water, probably less. Not to mention, two married women in there with over ten high strung, paranoid, trigger-happy guys sounds like a ticking time bomb to me.”
Theresa pauses, “Oh shit. I didn't think about that. I know at least two of those fuckers are pervs. And they have all the alcohol.”
“We could wait and let them sort themselves out, that wanker doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to keep control for very long,” Sirius suggests cheerfully. “But if I know Negan, he's going to want to do this the hard way.”
“What's the hard way?” Zoey asks curiously.
“Breaching,” Sirius answers with a dramatic flair. “Something I'm quite well trained in, I'll have you know.”
“I don't think that's a good idea,” Harry inserts, shaking his head. He looks at Theresa, “How many people are left?”
Theresa's brow furrows as she thinks, “Um, I don't…”
“A week ago, we had thirty nine people,” Harlan supplies in a monotone. “Gregory took fourteen into the mansion with himself. Then, Jesus sent out three groups of four out to scavenge for food. Five of those runners have died.”
Nineteen. The sheer difference in number is staggering. There were barely enough people here to defend the town with little, if any, weapons. What was Paul thinking? Five lives for pride is too much.
Sirius hisses, “Oof. Did you guys bring back anything?”
Theresa nods, her eyes tearing up, “Enough food and water for a couple of weeks, now.” She blinks the tears from her eyes and sniffs, “It wasn't worth it, though, was it?”
No one says anything.
“Baby?” Theresa suddenly says hopefully. “You comin’ back to me?”
Harlan straightens, watching them like a hawk.
“Hm?” Bea moans, her eyes fluttering open. She scowls up at Theresa's beaming face and grouches, “What trampled on me?”
Theresa giggles, leaning down to kiss her girlfriend. Harry and Zoey look at each other in perfect sync, making faces at each other. Zoey covers her mouth and laughs silently at their like mindedness, prompting Harry to grin at her. They both sober when Bea speaks up again.
“Wait, just-” Bea moves Theresa away, sitting up to examine herself. “Wait-!... What? Where did they go?” Bea feels her face as she stares at Theresa with mounting horror. “Are we both dead?”
Theresa's dismissive pfft throws Bea off guard long enough for the sounds of the others gaining consciousness as well. They both pause to look around. Harlan immediately washes his hands, “I was just beginning to get worried. This is good.”
Sirius nudges Harry and Zoey, “We should get out of the way. I need to speak with Negan and Jesus, anyway. You're good to walk, Pup?”
Harry nods, getting to his feet. Though he didn’t eat, no dizziness appears, “I'm good.”
Sirius nods, even as Zoey gives Harry the stink eye as she tries to determine if he's lying. Harry just smirks and reaches out to mess with her hair. Almost as if she was expecting it, Zoey ducks with a glower, sticking her tongue out at him, “Nehneh!”
Harry chuckles, “Stay on guard there, Thumbelina.”
“No! You don't get to call me that!” Zoey demands as she precedes him out of the infirmary. She crosses her arms and jerks her nose into the sky, “Only Dad is allowed to! Not big jerk brothers!”
“Well, then, I guess being a big jerk is better than being a little jerk!”
Zoey gasps in offense, “You are so rude.”
Harry scoffs, pushing her gently, “Says the one that swears too much.”
Zoey huffs, sticking her nose back into the air and crossing her arms, “Nuh uh! I swear the perfect amount.”
Sirius’ laugh interrupts their bickering. They both look at him, to which he grins and says, “Your bickering reminds me of James and I at your age. Poor Remus was always stuck in the middle of all our arguments and Pe-” Sirius cuts off, his expression stuttering. He recovers immediately, waving his hand dismissively. “Anyway, don't mind me. We should see if we can find Negan and Jesus now, hm?”
Sirius stalks ahead, shoulders stiff. Harry stares at his Godfather's back; it seems Sirius had forgotten about all of that until now. He wonders how much it weighs on Sirius to not be able to avenge Harry's parents. How did that rat die again…?
Harry's pondering is interrupted by, “Who is James and… Remus?”
Harry turns to Zoey, taking in her curious expression, “Oh, well, James is my Dad. Remus is… well, he's my Dad's and Sirius’ best friend.”
“Oh,” Zoey says, processing that.
“Come on,” Harry prompts, wrapping an arm over Zoey's shoulder and pulling her along. “We'd better keep up.”
Zoey sighs and leans into his side, wrapping her arm around his waist. Harry can't quite explain how nice it is to do this; hang out with, tease, talk with his sister. Even training together is awesome because of how much progress she's made. Harry regrets what he said to Negan that day, back before they even started on their plans to find a new place. He would much rather have been present to see his sister bloom into the capable young woman she's turning into. It sucks. It sucks so much because his friends back in his old life were the closest he had to siblings and he got to experience everything with them.
Harry doesn't plan on missing out on any more, that's for sure.