Chapter 2
|ELIA|
|October 24th, 2010|
IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT to secure Merle in good health as well as gather and sort supplies into storage to be loaded into whatever vehicle they decided to take.
Elia put everything away and locked the cocoon tent and storage bays while she worked out a plan of action.
She wandered over to the truck, contemplating how they would use it in the city. The three motorbikes were in the garage of the Haven along with the smart car she usually used for supply runs. Only the truck would have enough room for three passengers and the supplies they wanted to gather.
"Glenn!" Elia called as her eyes moved to the box truck parked in the center of the road.
"Yes?" Glenn asked cautiously as he approached slowly despite knowing they trusted him.
"Has Merle been in the sun this entire time?" Elia asked feeling the heat against her skin despite it not causing even the slightest of sweats to glisten her skin.
"He could go under the pipes." Glenn admitted, looking around just in case Daryl was looming behind him.
"Well, that's something at least." Elia nodded. "Thanks, Glenn."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Glenn enquired guiltily; he never would've left if he knew that Merle was trapped.
"No, the less people to leave camp the better." Shane interrupted their conversation, despite knowing it would be another strike against them.
"The guns are worth the trip; we will be better protected." Rick argued, as if he had been arguing with Shane on the matter for ages.
Elia glared at the man, realizing why he had been so adamant about joining them to the city. "None of you are coming," She stated sharply. "Thanks for the offer, Glenn, but I'd feel better of you were her to keep an eye on the children."
"You can't stop me from coming, we need the guns and I'm responsible for what happened." Rick argued, his hands motioning out as if that was the end of the matter.
"I'll make you a deal." Elia said coldly and waited until she had everyone's attention. "I'll trade you the bag of guns for ownership of the cube van."
"We get all the guns?" Shane asked, wondering why she'd be willing to make the trade, but it would be better for everyone in the end. Only two people leave, and the box van was worth less than the bag of guns and ammunition.
"We prefer bows and blades, if you haven't noticed." Elia answered and Shane as well as Glenn nodded. Elia, Daryl, and Merle all owned a gun or two, but they used their arrows and blades more often.
"Deal." Rick said offering the keys for the truck. "You can keep the truck, and I get that bag of guns back."
"Nice." Daryl said snatching the keys from Rick as he stormed past. "We outfitting it?"
"Absolutely." Elia agreed, giving Glenn a soft smile as she ignored Rick and Shane. "We'll bring you back a bag of stuff for looking after the kids."
"You don't have to." Glenn said guiltily. "I never would've left if I knew Merle was trapped."
"I know." Elia said giving the younger man a soft smile. "Daryl and Merle know that too."
"Damn right, we do." Daryl said walking over and passing Elia a crossbody duffle bag. "We wouldn't trust you with the girls otherwise."
The two left at that moment, leaving everyone that heard in shock at a Dixon admitting that they trusted the non-white man with someone they obviously cared for.
Elia worked in the back of the van while Daryl drove. Elia could do wandless magic, one of the skills that was coveted, and the reason bloodlines and nobility were a focal point in the magical world. The Heads of Household for any Ancient or above families inherited wandless magic when they became Lord or Lady of their House.
She scrubbed the interior and burnt runes into the shell frame, strengthening and insulating the frame as well as expanding the space to three times the original size.
"Any other store we need to stop by or is the department store it?" Daryl asked as he glanced back for the fifth time. He loved watching her in her element.
"Home Depot on our way out." Elia answered as she climbed up to sit in the passenger seat. "We'll put in three walls and hidden doors, so it seems the appropriate size. One will be a bedroom and bathroom while the other will be a storage room."
"For Merle?" Daryl asked softly and Elia nodded.
The Haven had two bedrooms and two storage room, but it also had a drop-down queen-sized bed, and the couch was the size of a single bed. Merle could stay inside, but he felt that he was invading a space that wasn't his own.
The tent that was set up was a studio apartment with a large storage room, so it wasn't exactly uncomfortable. Merle liked the tent; it had been a gift for his birthday after Elia officially joined the family.
They would all feel better if he was packed up to go at a moment's notice like the Haven was. Sure, the trailer was extended, but with the press of a button, the cocoon tent would rise, and the trailer would roll in before both would lock in place.
The truck could easily be turned into a small home and pull a twelve-foot enclosed cargo trailer. It would not only be an easier setup and safer, because the metal frame could hold wards better than fabric, it would provide more space for storage.
"The quarry isn't safe anymore and I know we'd all feel better if he had a mobile home ready to be on the move at a moment's notice." Elia explained squeezing his hand. "We could use more storage anyways."
"It's a good idea." Daryl said giving her a fond smile. They didn't really need more storage, but they were always willing to add more.
The storage rooms were large, expanded twice over. Originally three times the size of their bedroom and then seven times the size of that. Magical numbers were structurally sound.
The trailer was the same, expanded thrice over, then walls and hidden doors were put in place to make it seem the original size, then the two rooms were expanded by a number of seven.
They had plenty of storage, but extra storage space was always welcome because it gave them more room to work with. With the use of magic, everything could be preserved in the exact state it was in when it was added, so they didn't have to fear anything going bad.
They never stopped scavenging, hunting, foraging, etc. because they had so much space. They were stocking up for the long haul however, so they could always use more space.
"We'll have to convert the engine, but that'll be easy." Elia said as they knew that gas would run dry and eventually become useless. The regular vehicles would eventually be abandoned, and they would be the lucky few that could do what they did.
"We should clear out the Home Depot while we're there." Daryl said and Elia nods in agreement. On top of their storage rooms, they had hundreds of seven-compartment trunks expanded to a hundred-and-forty-seven square feet each compartment for storage.
Elia pipped up with direction every now and then while mentally accumulating a list of everything they should grab.
The store was relatively easy to get into and they quietly made their way through it, gathering supplies and tossing them into the expanded duffle bags. They left the fake jewelry, clothes with more than two colors, open-toe shoes, but they took the entire camping and weapon sections.
Only once they'd gone through the entire store and taken out all of the walkers did they went through the door to the roof. Merle was silently watching them, skin slightly red despite the heat and eyes glowing a bright green.
Elia's eyes flashed a glowing green that caused the man to relax and allow his eyes to fade back to their light blue. "'Bout time." Merle grumbled as Daryl followed her through.
Elia waved her hand and watched the clear strand of magic ripple through the air, unlocking the cuff. Merle sprang to his feet and pulled her into a tight hug.
He released her quickly, giving her a wide smile. "I knew you'd come." He said, as close to a thank you as the man ever got.
"We cleared the store as we took out the walkers, let's get out of here." Elia said glancing at her husband who was smiling. before leaning over the ledge and summoning the bag of guns that was laying in the road next to the tank.
"We're stopping by Home Depot on our way out." Daryl told Merle as the three trekked down the stairs and into the truck. A walker slammed on the door just as it closed.
"Let's go." Merle said latching the door shut as Daryl started the truck. Elia let Merle take the passenger seat while she sat in the floor in the back and used a few spells to sort the supplies. "Why'd you expand this thing?"
"We're turning it into your mobile home." Elia explained giving him a warm smile. "It's about time you had one and I made a deal with the new guy. He gets this bag and the truck is ours."
"It was also the only reason he didn't follow us to the city." Daryl explained to Merle as he turned a corner and weaved around the cars.
"We're going to clear the store and be on our way." Elia said before further explaining. "On the drive back to the quarry, I'll work on sorting the supplies and setting the truck up."
As planned, the stop at Home Depot only took twenty minutes. Daryl and Merle guarded Elia as she loaded the entire store into her bag one section at a time.
Home Depot had everything they needed and everything they would need in the future. They stayed in the parking lot for an additional half hour to expand the enclosed cargo trailer.
It didn't take much work to get it expanded, get the walls and doors up, and get the light-colored interconnecting planks of wood lining the walls, floor, and ceiling.
It was two storage rooms with rows of cabinets and drawers as well as walls lined with floor-to-ceiling fridge-or-freezers. The main room gained four bunkbeds with boxspring-mattress combinations beneath thick memory-foam mattresses. Underneath the beds were drawer systems for storage.
They'd been gone for about two hours, so they were making good time without being suspiciously slow or quick for the size of their haul.
The hour drive back to camp was enough time for Elia to put the walls and doors up, add the necessary runes, and set up the main area.
Home Depot had sets for everything and with a few waves of her hand and a dozen or so runes, a set was put together and ready to be used.
The kitchen was small, with a small oven and stovetop, a sink, a mini-fridge, and a pull-out pantry against the wall behind the driver's seat. Next to the small kitchenette was a five-person dining table with cushioned benches rather than chairs.
Across from the kitchenette, behind the driver's seat, were two bunkbeds with a boxspring-mattress combo and a memory-foam mattress on top of each of the four bunks. The door to the bedroom was between the bunkbeds and the door to the storage room was to the left of the dining table.
The storage room walls were covered in floor-to-ceiling fridge-or-freezers while the center of the room gained rows of floor-to-ceiling cabinets and drawers.
The bedroom gained a matching set of armoire, dresser, nightstands, and frame from the king-sized bed. The walls in the bedroom and storage room were lightly colored interconnected plants of wood.
The bathroom had a large shower, an incinerator toilet, a nice sink with two drawers and a small cabinet, a medicine cabinet, a hamper, and a garbage can.
Elia stocked the mobile home before joining her husband and brother-in-law in the main area. There were solar panels with the hook-ups ready for when they placed them on the roof, there were a few dozen interconnecting planks of wood to line the walls and ceiling of the main area, and there were a few bags of supplies.
Merle took a quick tour and gave his sister a hug before they pulled into the camp.