Glenn and Maggie ran across the street to get the others while Daryl and I watched the house, and a few minutes later the whole group were busy bees getting re-setup in the new house. This one is smaller but let's be honest, it feels more comfortable even if it didn't have the fireplace.
"Ey, come give me a hand with this." Daryl jerked his head towards the dining room and I nodded, following.
I raised an eyebrow when he picked up a dining room chair and laid it on the ground, putting his boot on the leg and stomped down (Dixon specialty) until it broke off.
Oookay then. Not quite sure what we're doing but alright.
I grabbed a chair and followed suit, although when I went to stomp the leg off, it took me like 4 tries vs Daryl's 2 to break it. And I had to practically jump on it, not just step down.
I reached down to pick up one of the legs, almost panting. 'What are these chairs made of, nokia phones?'
I feel like I'm becoming weaker, and clumsier. What's going on with me? Where's my head at these days?
"What d'ya think?" Daryl asked, looking at our pile of destroyed kitchen chairs. "Think it'll be enough for the night?"
Wait — I'm dumb. It's for the fireplace.
I looked at our pile and my face scrunched, shaking my hand. It might but we don't know how fast this stuff is gonna burn or how long it'll last. I'd rather be safe than sorry.
Daryl looked around but there's not much else here we could actually toss in there.
"We could do the shelves in the living room too." Daryl suggested.
We both turned when the front door opened, my heart beating a little faster with the flicker of a thought that it could be trouble but it settled as familiar voices carried through the house.
A few seconds later, Glenn came through the doorway.
"Hey w— …what are you guys doing?" His eyes wandered the floor of splinters just waiting to happen. It looks like someone throwing a temper tantrum took a baseball bat to the dining room.
"To burn." Daryl answered, picking up a leg that's still mostly intact.
Glenn nodded, mouth forming an 'O'. "Is that gonna be enough? It looks a little… little."
"Probably not. We'll do the shelves too," Daryl moved past me.
"You know I think I saw some wood under the deck out back." Maggie came around the doorway, behind Glenn. She must've been close enough to hear the conversation.
Actual wood would be best but if it's outside it's probably wet.
"It's probably wet, but grab T and let's bring it inside anyway." Daryl motioned at us.
Maggie grabbed T-dog and the 5 of us went out back to collect our water logs. We'll just have to hope there's nothing on these logs that will burn and mix with the air and cause problems.
I'm not sure about what what types, but I know there's certain kinds of plants and stuff that will produce toxic fumes if burned. I don't know if there are any of them in this area — or even this country but I know they exist, that's enough for me to be cautious about it. Warmth is a bigger issue though, they'll have to risk it.
"We could dry the wood by the fire while we burn the other stuff inside." T-Dog let Glenn load up his arms with wood.
I held the door with my foot for them, keeping a good grip on the wood in my hands as everyone faried the wood inside until we had enough to last the night.
As soon as everyone was in, I let the door go and closed it with my hip, before heading into the dark living room. Where Rick and Hershel are taping garbage bags over the windows.
"Did we find any water?" Carol came out of the master bedroom.
"Nah. House is pretty much picked clean." Rick answered as he held a part of the bag and let Hershel put duct tape over the edge.
"We could get some snow from outside?" Carl suggested, coming down the stairs with Beth and Randall.
Not bad, kiddo.
The 3 of them came into the living room where the couches have been pushed to the walls to make more room for all of us, and I gave Carl a fist bump, tipping his hat a little.
There's plenty of clean snow out there that we can melt and boil. It won't be cleaner than bottled water, but it'll be perfectly drinkable.
"Good thinkin' son." Rick praised him and Carl looks like a little happy lizard under a heat lamp.
"You three go with Eve, find something to collect it in and head out front. Remember, try not to get any grass or anything in it." Rick instructed and I mock saluted before motioning at my little soldiers to come through to the kitchen.
I pat Daryl's shoulder/back as I slipped past him into the kitchen.
"What should we use?" Beth watched me start opening cupboards.
Aha. I pulled a large pot out of the cupboard next to the stove.
This should do the trick. I spun it my hands and passed it to Carl.
I got out several more, handing them off one at a time until none of the bigger pots remained. Then I dug through the rest of the kitchen until I found the garbage can. A small plastic one underneath the sink, with the bag still in it.
Perfect.
I took the bag out and checked to make sure the inside of it is clean — which it is — before marching out, my little troop following along.
You know, things these days would be a lot more boring if these kids weren't around.
Collecting the snow took awhile but once we had a few pots of it, it's technically plenty. The rest is just to preserve and refill our water supply, make sure we have a stockpile just in case. We don't know how long we're gonna be here or how much water we'll need. And it would be nice to have extra and get everyone a warm sponge bath if we can manage.
We don't want anyone getting sick, especially in the winter, so we need to keep ourselves clean as much as possible.
Not easy when both water and soap are limited, and a group this size hardly has privacy. Good thing a few of us tend to wash up in groups. The girls mostly, Rick & Carl tend to as well, and occasionally Maggie & Glenn if she doesn't join the other women.
When my garbage can and the rest of the dishes we snatched from the kitchen were all finally full and taken into the house, I shut and locked the door behind us.
Rick and the others finished the bags over the windows in the living room and kitchen; anywhere the light from the fireplace might peek through and giveaway that there are people here.
As if the cars in the driveway don't already, but we took steps to make sure they'll still be there.
And watch — I'm guessing — is gonna be upstairs or out of the front windows. Seeing as how the backyard is fenced in everywhere except the sides of the house. One side now housing the cars and the other (the one we snuck down) is in perfect view from these front/side windows.
Security shouldn't be too difficult. No more than usual at least.
The fire's already going and Lori found some oven mitts it seems, preparing to boil the water much quicker than I expected.
She's been a little self-conscious lately about how she can still do her part even though she's pregnant and most of us — the boys especially — won't let her do anything straining.
I feel kinda bad for her, but also… I can't — I'm having a hard time comprehending how she didn't think this far ahead. I mean, I don't know much about babies but even I know that unprotected sex = child. Like, it's not that complicated.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just ignorant. I've never been an emotionally driven person, so I don't understand making decisions that are based on that.
For me, emotions kind of come and go. Like waves of the ocean. I feel them, and sometimes they're pretty strong, but they're temporary things. They don't stick around, so I tend not to trust them as anything but status updates. They let me know what's going on with me and then I decide whether or not something needs to be done. Which is usually deciding whether or not it's important and needs immediate attention, or just waiting them out.
I get she was grieving and all, and everyone grieves differently, but… I still can't wrap my head around why she chose to do that of all things.
Personally, I probably would have killed stuff. A lot of stuff. Gotten mad, etc.
I stepped over Beth's legs, patting her on the head through her purple knit winter hat and sat down next to Daryl on the couch, letting out an exhausted sigh as I sank in.
I had the urge to pull back, out of his space but he moved his arm over the back of the couch, so you know what. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna lean against his side and be warm. He's closer to the fire too and comfy.
It'd be nice to read for awhile, but I don't wanna get up.
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