Chapter 14
Chapter 14
I'm not really sure why I'm still traveling with them. I think it's more morbid curiosity while having nothing better to do. So Asher and I ride with Merle and Daryl as the group travels to the CDC.
You know, I could argue until I'm blue in the face and it wouldn't do any good.
I could point out how the cities were lost. I could remind them of the deserted streets, the destruction, and the crowds of dead that they saw with their own eyes. I could point out that they dropped actual bombs on the city. I could, but it wouldn't do any good because they won't listen.
So I am not surprised when we find the building looking just as damaged and abandoned as the rest of the city. I am not surprised when the group STILL wants to go knocking on the doors to see if any one is home. I am not surprised that not a single one thinks to pickup one of the guns laying near the bodies around us, although fear of the dead is an acceptable excuse for that one.
No, what surprises me is Mr. Rick screaming for someone to help us, knowing the noise will draw a herd. I'm surprised when Merle snaps at me to get back to the group when I am, very carefully mind you, gathering still loaded weapons after shooting the dead with my crossbow and reloading before each step. I'm surprised that when the herd shows up, as we all knew they would, these people are STILL wasting time banging on metal doors instead of running for their lives.
I fire a gun for the first time, it kicks more than I expected. I have several long guns on one arm, held by their straps, as I hurry back to the group. I grab Asher's hand, warning him, "DO NOT LET GO! No matter what!"
The metal shutters open and we hurry in. A man is there, just one man, watching us warily. Still, he lets us in, however cautiously. Merle takes the guns hanging from my arm which the man spots, ordering all weapons to be left here. Daryl scoffs, glancing over as I slip my crossbow into my bag. Merle makes a big production of setting down each gun right beside the elevator that the man is in. Then we all cram into the crowded elevator and go down.
He's not a very observant man though, the doctor. Or perhaps he's just struggling to keep an eye on such a large group. He doesn't notice when Asher and I slip away. It's just, I don't want to have my blood drawn and Asher mutters that he doesn't like needles. We don't even go far, just to look in some of the rooms nearby.
There are mostly offices down here. The offices have couches and there are several bathrooms that we peak into. The showers are a surprise, and if we're staying we may as well try it. So I lock the door, turn on the wonderful hot water, and share a shower with Asher more because he climbs in and pulls me to follow. It's not like I haven't shared bathrooms before so it's not weird. I help him wash his hair and pass him a washcloth bubbling with soap so he can clean up the rest of himself. I step out first, promising not to leave the room
When he finally comes back out, the water has gone cold. I help him dry off and get dressed in some clothes resized from my stash. Thank Merlin, I gathered the shoes and socks so he doesn't have to run around barefoot.
We can both smell food cooking so we follow our noses, and the noise because they're always loud, to a kitchen with a long dining table. The group is all gathered around the table, laughing and eating like this is some holiday. Merle throws a look our way that's a bit relieved but no one else does more than notice that we're here if they notice at all.
There is still a little food left, not enough for us both so I scrape it onto a plate for Asher. Merle lumber up out of his chair, nodding to me so I help Asher climb up. He starts eating the moment I set his plate down.
"Are ya hungry, kid? Afraid there aint no more but I can find ya somethin if ya want," Merle asks loudly, almost pointedly.
A few adults look embarrassed at that but I shrug them off and go snooping through the fridge. With the electricity still working, all the food is still good. This place would be nice if my magic wasn't shifting uneasily. Something about this place is dangerous, I just don't know what.
The adults were all pretty far in their cups so by the time I'm done scrambling some eggs and hash, they're wandering away to rest. Asher waits for me to finish eating, swinging his feet and looking around curiously. I lead him back to the room, resize a few toy cars, and warn him to stay put. My backpack and messenger bag are too full to hold much more but I have a few shrunken bags that I can fill. I pull out a long gym bag that is so big I could hide inside so it should hold plenty.
Whatever is dangerous here, I would rather not lose the supplies. So I get to work scavenging, starting in the kitchen. There is a walk-in pantry and two long freezers. I unplug and shrink the freezers down, trusting that magic will keep the items within preserved. For the pantry, I grab everything off the shelves and shove them into a moleskin pouch. I take most of what is in the fridge and cabinets too, just to be safe, but I leave enough for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.
I've already looked in the offices here so I follow the hallways further out. The doctor man is in a room surrounded by windows looking out into the hallways. There are machines in there with him but since I don't know what they are I don't bother them. A few more rooms are similarly enclosed so I leave them alone too.
When the hall circles back to the elevator again, I notice the stairs beside it. It's dark within but nothing a luminous spell can't overcome. I follow the steps downstairs but besides a few large machines and a lot of empty drums, there isn't much. So back up I go, one floor at a time.
We were already close to the bottom floor and many of the ones below where we stayed are full of the window surrounded rooms or strange walk in fridge looking things that my magic doesn't like so I leave them alone.
On the first floor above us, I find storage rooms the size of the great hall at hogwarts, full of palates stacked floor to ceiling and wrapped tightly in plastic. Of the two I look closely at, I can see that its mostly pre-packaged meals of some kind. I shrink them down and toss them into my gym bag.
The next floor up has one long room full of black plastic crates as well as racks of weapons on the wall. The loose weapons I put in a pouch while I shrink the crates for my bag. There is an office area full of phones, maps, and computers. I grab the maps and leave the rest.
The next floor up is what looks like a hospital wing with clear white plastic hanging from the ceiling to separate the individual beds. I take my time searching there. Some stuff will be useful but others are things I don't recognize. I mostly take the bins of supplies that I recognize or the descriptions on the boxes sounds useful.
The next two floors up are set up like long dormitories with bunkbeds setup every few feet. The one after that has more palates, some I recognize as baby diapers, so I shrink the lot. My magic is still not happy but I feel better for having the supplies.
I head back down the stairs. Asher is asleep so I put my bag aside and crawl onto the small bed with him. My magic isn't so stressed that a little sleep will get us in trouble.