Chapter 29
Chapter 29
The containers around our safe zone begins at the road leading to the house, circles back to the previous street and ahead to the next. It's not complete since it needs a gate but I can transfigure one later. In the meantime, I introduce the teens around to the group. I resize some mattresses and bedsets, setting them up in the sunroom for tonight. Then I'm asleep almost before my head touches my pillow. I don't even notice when Asher crawls into bed.
Morning begins with a large breakfast of sausage, hash, and toast with jam. The table isn't big enough for everyone so several people grab a plate and head out onto the back deck. I sit at the table with Carol and the kids while the brothers take their plates onto the front porch. There is still a clear divide between groups but hopefully, when given time, we will become a more cohesive group. Heck, we might even rebuild a stable community. In fact, if we're making safe zones, we can make other communities, right? The neighborhood by the campgrounds, a different neighborhood, or even a hotel could hold people. We could save so many more. Maybe... maybe we can go back to the pharmacy and see the twins again. Would they even remember me? I want to at least make sure that they are still safe. I wonder if they would like to come here. Would that be a good idea? Or would Mr. Jacob try to take over. Would they be willing to listen to me again or will I just be bringing in my replacement?
Daryl comes back inside, his and Merle's plates in hand. I wait for him to put his dishes in the sink, then I get up to follow him back out. I'll mention it to him and Merle first. They've been good with ideas so far.
Merle is sitting in one of the rocking chairs when we step out. Daryl goes to the second rocking chair so I climb on the porch swing, looking out over the front garden. This really is a beautiful place. I don't want to lose it.
"You gotta 'nother feelin, Hoss?" Merle asks.
"Not so much a feeling as a thought."
"Wanna share with tha class?"
So I tell them. I tell them how I found the twins and secured the pharmacy. I tell them about Mrs. Vanessa and her daughter Kayla. I tell them about Savannah and Erica and then later Mr. Jacob and his wife and sons. I hesitate to mention how they took over but I won't lie to the brothers so I tell them. I tell them that the group wanted a leader that looks like a leader, not some dumb kid.
"They sound like dumb shits," Merle comments idly.
"They were good people," I chide without much heat. "I understand and I know I'm not the best leader because there is a lot of stuff that I don't know."
"So what are ya wanten to do?"
I shrug, pulling one leg up and resting my chin on my knee, frowning down at my dirty trainers. That's the problem, isn't it. I don't know what I want to do. I don't know what THEY will let me do. What if they laugh at us? Or what if we invite them here and they take over? What if they don't handle my magic? What if they hate me? What if they blame me for all of this?
Should they blame me for this?
It is sorta my fault. Or, we'll, it's Pettigrew's fault. Whatever he had bubbling away in that cauldron is what created these creatures to start with. It only really spread the way it did because the magical world tried to hide the attacks. It left the non-magicals at a huge disadvantage. By now, it's spread worldwide and changed, somehow turning people who haven't been bitten.
I tell the brothers. I tell them about Hogwarts, Dumbledore, and Voldemorte. I tell them how I'm famous. I tell them about my friends and the crazy things we've experienced. I tell them about this last year, the tournament. I tell them about Cedric, poor noble Cedric, who didn't deserve his fate. I tell them about the Minister refusing to believe me and how their attempts to protect their secrecy is why it spread as fast and as far as it did.
They are quiet as I finish. I can't bring myself to look at them. I can't bear it if they judge me even if I understand why they would. It's just, I feel at home here. I trust them and I feel like they trust me. I don't want to lose that.
"Well, shit," Merle says slowly, softly. "I figured ya had it bad but, Damn, that's rough."
I glance over to them but both are staring out at the garden so I go back to staring at my dirty trainers.
"Sounds like ya got dealt a shit hand," Daryl comments. "Ya do know that ya ain't responsible for all this, don'tcha?"
"I just want to help as many people as I can," I reply.
"Well," Merle leans forward, looking past his brother to meet my gaze, "if savin folk is what ya want to do then that's what we'll do."
Daryl nods his agreement.
I rub at my eyes, muttering a choked, "Thanks."
We sit quietly for a few minutes, just enjoying the tranquil morning. I guess sitting quiet doesn't work for them because both start to figet until Merle slaps his knee, saying, "Well, let's get ta planning this out."
We head back inside, stearing into the sitting room where the maps are still spread across the table. Together we find where the pharmacy should be by backtracking my route. It's almost on the other side of the city so it will be a dangerous trip. We discuss extending our current border or walling in another neighborhood. Merle marks the one by the campgrounds and two large hotels near the hardware store he wants that could be good.
"We need more folks before we start building up," Daryl points out. "And we don't want ya exhausting yerself."
"So do we go back for the pharmacy group or look around us for more people?"
Merle hums, "We got more folk to help us look. I say we send some o them out to scavenge an if they find folk then they can bring em back."
"Werewolves do have good senses," I agree.
Merle shouts for the others to gather around, "Best we start assigning folk before they get too comfortable."
They trickle in by twos and threes until the room is full. Merle nods to me to start. I stand, rubbing my hands over my legs to wipe away the sweat.
"We need to set up groups to search for supplies and survivors," I tell them. "We also need groups to go through the area here that we walled in to check for threats. Once it's clear, I will pull down the wall and we can spread out."
"We need to decide who will bunk together once the homes are cleared. We also need to set up a patrol schedule and guard roster."
"We can do that, we worked security before, ya know," one of the werewolves, a tall black man with no hair but a thick short beard, says while motioning between himself and the one who answered my questions that first day.
"Thanks, Mr...," I trail off purposefully because I still don't know any of their names.
"Antonio," he answers while the other man points a thumb at himself and says, "Malcolm."
"Okay, you two can set up the roster and guard schedule. Who wants to lead the scavenge groups?"
The man with the golden ginger beard raises a muscular arm, speaking before his arm is raised, "I'll take some people."
"I didn't get your name," I admit sheepishly.
He grins, offering, "My name's Ebon."
"I can too," one of the shorter guys, blonde haired and blue eyed, offers. Adding, "My names Chris."
"Okay," I say, clapping my hands together, "You two get teams together and head out to check the area. I'm going to transfigure us a main gate. Then Merle, Daryl, and I are heading back for more containers. If Antonio and Malcolm can set up someone for gate guard duty, that would help."
"We should also check nearby farms for animals," one of the brunette women suggests, adding, "My name is Maddie."
"Who wants to organize the groups to clear out the area we've walled in here?"
Maddie raises her hand at the same time one of the teen boys and another of the werewolves does. I tell all three to talk it out and organize groups. Everyone should have a job, leaving the kids with Carol at the house.