Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Getting the containers was actually easier than I thought it would be. It seems like it shouldn't be. For some reason, I thought we would be scrambling all over to find them in one's and twos but instead we found a couple hundred easily.
The first place Merle took us had a few dozen old rusting metal containers stacked along the back of the lot, empty and forgotten, while the stacks spread throughout the lot still held various contents. The older stacks went quickly, creaking and groaning as they were shrunken. Those less rusted shrunk smoother and with less noise but still easy. Those that still had items in them were a bit more difficult.
"Do ya wanna empty em first?" Merle asks, still throwing stunned looks at the now empty back lot where we got about fifty containers.
"I guess I could," I offer indifferently.
A simple unlocking spell opens the container. A levitating jinx raises it up and a tilt of my wrist has the container tilt so that all of the crates and boxes within come tumbling out onto the pavement. Then it's set down long enough to close the doors and shrink down to add with the others.
We get a good rhythm going. Merle and Daryl alternate keeping watch and going through the piles of stuff for anything worth keeping. Most of the items are electronics but there were a few with furniture or household items that may come in handy.
By the time I get the last container tucked away, it's not yet noon and the various piles of tossed items have created a labyrinth of junk hills. Merle is still cursing out of sight while Daryl stands on the tumbled stack of washing machines that allows him a better view of the messy lot.
"Done," I call out, my magic tugging insistently as I backtrack along the destruction and finally climb over a couple furniture hills to reach the truck. The back of the truck is stuffed full of several boxes and crates, some boxed shelves and even a very comfortable recliner chair sitting on the ground as there was no more room. I shake my head, shrinking it all down to make room for the boxes the brothers are currently struggling to carry.
"Damn, ya wanna shrink this shit too, Hoss?" Merle grumbles.
I flick my wand, stifling a giggle when the items shrivel down to the size of a matchbox in their hands. I climb into the truck, calling over my shoulder teasingly, "All you had to do was ask."
Merle guffaws loudly, slapping Daryl on the back as they join me in the truck. "How much time ya got, Hoss?"
"We need to get moving," I tell them. "We can come back later or something."
"So, how big an area are ya gonna cover?" Merle asks, turning the key and starting the truck.
"No clue, but as much as possible would be best, " I answer honestly.
Daryl pulls a map from the glove box and between the two of them they get a route picked. We will enlarge the containers and set them up along the roads lining the woods. It will be a lot of land that will be good for not just the centaurs but any other animals or creatures that find their way there.
I let myself doze as we drive, relaxing into the warm seat and trusting the brothers to keep me safe. It isn't long before Merle is nudging me away, nodding to the road that splits ahead. I stretch, yawning wide.
"Wanna start here?" Daryl asks, tapping a finger on the map spread out across the dashboard.
I nod my agreement, "Let me get in the back of the truck with one of you as guard and we will do this as quick as possible."
"A drive-by wall-in," Merle quips with a smirk that has Daryl scoffing back.
"I'll probably crash when we're done," I warn them, climbing out after Daryl who drags the map with him.
"Is there a reason we can't wait a day or so?" He asks, steadying me as I climb up into the back bed of the truck.
"Just feels urgent for some reason," I answer, settling down on the tire wheel and opening the bag.
Daryl lays out the map, pointing to the spot we are on and where we are going. The first container is levitated down, enlarged, then adjusted in place. Merle let's the truck roll slowly forward as I start on the next one. It's not so much a drive by as it is a slow crawl but I get to stay seated and it goes quickly.
The centaurs don't appear, not that I expected them to. Their territory is deeper in the woods and further from the roads. We do see birds, rabbits, and even a fox darting through the tall grass so it makes me hopeful that we are saving a few animals at least.
"Might be a good idea to do this on other woods," Daryl comments, handing me another shrunken container so I can focus on enlarging and positioning them in place.
"It would protect more animals from the dead and create safe zones," I smile over at him, thrilled that at least he is thinking about more than just humans surviving this. "Help me find places to enclose and we can work on it."
For now, we have a lot of ground to cover if we want to be finished today.