Chapter 12 The Return of a Few

Well, my muse pushed me to write this one. Just so I didn't leave y'all hanging.

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Sirius and Daryl watched Merle walk away, then Daryl turned to Sirius. "Let's go," he said, with a strained voice.

"Okay, the CDC first, I think. I can Apparate us there. I want to check on Sam," the dogman said, holding out his arm. "Get your crossbow ready, we're going in hot," he added, lifting his right arm showing he was ready with his wand.

Daryl cringed but put his hand on the arm, hefted his crossbow with his left hand, and with a twist they were gone.

Merle heard the noise and looked back. He didn't see them and shook his head as he resumed walking.

Sirius and Daryl appeared at the CDC armed and ready. There were no zombies about, so Sirius knocked on the door. He looked into the camera. And after a minute the door opened.

"What are you doing here?" Jenner asked, anger etched on his face. "I told you to give me a week. Now you're the second person to show up today. Do you not trust me?" His ire was palatable.

"I'm just checking on my people." Sirius said, giving the angry man a peace gesture. "I'm not trying to rush you, just checking on mine." He could understand the guy's anger. But they needed this building, and it was better to get the wards up now. He wouldn't have come if he didn't need to catch Sam. Jenner didn't need to know that though.

"Fine, but I don't want any more of you to show up until the end of the week," the good doctor spat. "I have a lot of work to do if you want me to get done what you want done. I know you want to take over this building, but I can't allow you to do that unless I get rid of everything that's in here that's dangerous. The last thing we need is for an outbreak of cholera."

"That's fine. I just want to get Sam and go home."

"Vi, tell Sam that his ride is here," Jenner said to the air. Making Sirius and Daryl look at one another, but the doctor didn't seem inclined to inform them as to who he was talking to.

The three men waited for Sam to appear. It took about five minutes and the short stocky man showed up with a smile on his face.

"All done. Wards are up," he said as he approached. "I had to cut the floor, but I repaired it," the warder told Jenner, who looked unimpressed.

Jenner sniffed and walked away. He had far too much to do to dillydally.

"Lovely man," Sirius said, heading towards the door. "How's Jessi doing?" he asked Sam.

"She's doing fine. She wants to stay here until the week is up," Sam informed him as he too walked out.

"Is that okay with Jenner?" the dogman asked, looking around for the doctor as if he was going to appear out of nowhere.

"That's fine with me," Jenner said from somewhere, making everyone look up.

"Creepy that," Sirius said, motioning them to move.

"It's a security system," Daryl chimed in. "I may be a redneck, but I knew a few things" he added at their looks.

"Must be a muggle thing," Sirius said, with a shoulder lift. "Okay, let's go get Rachel."

And with that, the three men left. They appeared in the courtyard of the Vatos hideout.

"Guillermo!" Daryl called out, hoping they would not be long. "Don't take too long, I could use a beer. There is beer, right?" he asked, looking at the man in charge of the camp, only to get a smirk as an answer.

The young Hispanic man came out of the door. "What are you doing back, homie?" he asked, not having expected them back today.

"We just came to check on Rachel," Sirius said, holding his hands in supplication. After Jenner, he didn't want someone else angry with him. Though Guillermo didn't look upset.

"She's not done checking on all the elderly yet," the leader said, with a smile. "She is a miracle worker. They are doing much better than they ever did and we're very happy to have her here. Do you think she could stick around for a while more?" there was almost a pleading quality to his voice.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Rachel can take care of herself. If she wants to stay, she's more than welcome to," was the answer. They could do without her for a day or two. There were more healers at the camp. She was the only one that volunteered to come.

"Do you think you could put up those… shields?" Guillermo asked, the sound of hope in his voice, though he's demeanor made it seem like he wasn't begging.

"I can do that for you," Sam said. "They won't be like what we've just put up at the CDC, nor what we have at the campground, but we can put some up to keep the dead out. If you want, in a week's time, the CDC will be open, and we could move all your infirmed there."

"I have to get together with the Vatos and ask them what they want to do. If we can move the elderly to where they are safe, then they might wanna move on and take care of some of the zombies that are running around. See what's going on in the rest of the world. We might be helpful to others," the young man said, thinking on what he was being told.

"I think it would be best to put them in the safest place possible and the CDC is the most fortified building in the area." Rachel said as she walked out. She wasn't carrying her bag, so it was unlikely she was finished. "Though a change in location may be detrimental to them." She looked thoughtful at that.

"Like I said, I'll have to talk to my homeboys first," was the reply.

"Until then, I'll put up a ward on your wall here, to keep the dead out," Sam said, going to the car wall. He started adding a rudimentary ward. It would hold for a week, by that time they would be able to either move the elderly or put up a permanent ward.

"I'm gonna stay here overnight just to check on some of the more ill patients." Rachel said to Sirius. "I want to make sure they are stable. I might stay longer. These people need a fulltime healer," she added, then turned to the young man. "Not that you didn't do your best, you did, they just needed more than you could provide."

"Thanks, ma'am," he said respectfully.

"That's fine, Rachel. We'll just go back to the campsite. You know that we left the car here for you," Sirius stated, a bit worried, but she seemed secure in what she was doing, so he let it go.

"I will see you at the campsite tomorrow. I'll bring the car back. I'll tell you then what was decided, if I am not back tomorrow then you know they are still talking," she said, turning around and going back to her patients.

Sam finished what he had to do to keep the dead out. The three men then popped back to the campsite. They were met by a group of people who had been worried about them.

"Where have you been?" Harry asked, grabbing Sirius' arm. Not gripping tight, just tight enough to show he was scared. Sirius gently took his hand off and gave him a one-armed hug.

"Where is my husband?" Lori asked before Sirius could answer. Her worried eyes looking over those that had returned. They widened when she didn't find Rick.

"You're not gonna like this, but he took off with your buddy Shane." Daryl said, though his tone was flat. No one could tell if he was smug or not.

Sirius was sure that the man hated Rick and Shane, just by the way he had spoken of them. He had confided that he didn't think Merle would pass the wards, but he didn't hate his brother. But the lawmen, yeah, no love lost there.

"What!? What do you mean he took off with Shane?" she all but screeched. Her entire demeanor screamed that this could not be happening to her.

"Just what he said. Shane asked him to go with him and he did," Sirius said, shaking his head at the whole drama.

"He just left?" this time her voice was small, like the news was horrifying, which it was.

Sirius felt bad for her. here she was pregnant and both the men in her life left with each other. It was unfathomable.

"He'll be back though, right?" Carl asked, holding on to his mother's hand like a lifeline.

Poor kid, he had just gotten his father back, and now he left again. With Shane of all people.

"He said he'd be back in a week or two. He just wanted to make sure Shane was well cared for while he was on his own. They said something about holding up at the station and finding out what the news is," Sirius said, kindly. He didn't want the kid to think he had been abandoned.

"Damn him," Lori whispered, holding on to her son and putting a hand to her belly.

"I want everybody to know that there's going to be a town meeting at the end of dinner today." Sirius said, changing the subject. It was important that they knew what was going on. There were things that needed to be decided by everyone. "I know most of you have eaten, but when I finish my meal is when the meeting will be. So don't go far."

"What about?" Harry asked, tilting his head to the side, trying to gauge if it was bad or not.

"Just some stuff we have to go over. That's all. It's nothing too drastic," his godfather tried to assure him.

"Where's Rachel?" Remus asked, looking around as if she was hiding.

"She decided to stay with her patients for the night. The Vatos are trying to figure out what they are going to do now that the patients are cared for," Sirius said as he started to walk away. It had been a long day and he wanted to eat.

"That sounds like something she would do," the werewolf said, shaking his head at how strongheaded the mediwitch was. It must be a healer thing because Madam Pomfrey was the same way.

"Okay spread the word about that meeting tonight," Sam said to the crowd, but he followed Sirius. He too was hungry after all the magic he had done.

And with that, everybody went back to what they were supposed to be doing.

Daryl followed Sirius. "Hey, Sirius, is there beer?"

Laughter was his answer. He entered the tent anyway. As he did a can flew towards his head. He snatched it out of the air.

"Only one," the dogman stated. "You have to earn more. It will be monitored. We don't want someone getting kicked out because they were too drunk to follow the rules."

"Thanks, man," the redneck stated, taking a chair at the table that Sirius and Sam occupied.

"What's the meeting about?" he asked, popping the can open and taking a swig.

"You'll find out after dinner," was the answer as Sirius started in on the food the elves had given him.

"I'd like to know too," Sam said, he too was eating. Setting up the wards took a lot out of him.

"Nope," Sirius said, after swallowing. "Everyone hears at the same time." he was firm on that.

"Fine," both men said. They all just ate or drank; the silence was compatible.

"What do you need me to do to earn my keep?" Daryl asked, chugging the last of his beer.

"Hunting?" Sirius said, making it sound like a suggestion. "We have preserved meat, but I figured that we should hunt more. Or you could try and round up all the cats and dogs. You might find a hunting dog among them."

"Maybe," was all the answer he got.

"Think about it. Sooner or later those animals will have to be rounded up. You are more than qualified to do so," Sirius said, looking at the redneck.

"Sure, why not," Daryl said, getting up and throwing his empty can in the trash. "I always want a good hunting dog. The ones we had ran off when the dead started walking."

"Happy hunting," Sam said, getting up and putting his plate to where the elves had sectioned off for dirty dishes.

"Yeah, what he said," Sirius said, still eating his meal.

"Whatever," Daryl said, leaving the tent.

"He's probably going to check out the woods" Sirius told Sam. "He seems like the type that thinks better alone."

"You're probably right," the other man agreed.

"I just hope he doesn't go far."

"Give him a few minutes. Have some dessert or something," Sam suggested.

"Good plan," the dogman agreed, never one to turn down pudding.

"I'll start gathering up the people," the shorter man said, leaving the tent.

Sirius just nodded and applied himself to the cake that just popped in front of him.

You got to love house elves.