Chapter 22: Moral Dilemma
I will have my first surgery on the 18th of this month. My mother did pass away, and I felt like writing to get my mind off that.
Also, I'm going to put Protecting Harry back up. I've been working on it too. My muse is going to both stories. I've done it before, and I hope to get them both finished. They are my only unfinished stories. I have 30 and Protecting Harry will make it 31.
Hphphp
After they cleared the building, Sirius had Sam ward it against Walkers. They moved on to the next one, which was full of zombies. The group got to see Michonne in action and damn she was good with her swords. Everyone admired that, especially Rick.
They made their way to the campground. It was about time that everyone separated for the evening. Sirius gave Michonne one of the empty RVs. She was just glad to finally have a place to sleep.
The next morning Sirius set up five groups, each would take a building on that block and empty them of everything, including Walkers. If they found survivors, they were to tell them about the community, and then they were to let Sirius know. He would take anyone who wanted to join to the campground and process them. After all these months they weren't hopeful in finding anyone. Still, it would be up to the survivors if they wanted to come or not.
It took the better part of a week to clear out the whole block. The warders put up basic wards to keep the dead out. They would see about using them for refuge, but the main goal was to clear the whole city. It might take years, but they were determined.
"Why do you want to clear the whole city?" Michonne asked, not seeing it worth the effort. They were sitting in Sirius' office. They had just cleared out the last condo.
"I want there to be a place for all the survivors. I know it seems like a pipedream, but it might be what saves humanity. That and it gives something for everyone to do. We're running out of things to keep all these hands busy," Sirius answered, sitting behind his desk, fiddling with some paperclips.
"I see," she said, then got thoughtful. "You might want to do the warehouse district next."
"Yeah, we've raided quite a bit of that area, but I can see making sure that the warehouses are empty as beneficial," he said, nodding at that thought.
"You could also have Rick clear out the jail. He knows the building. I can help him with that," she said coyly. She just wanted to know the man better. She knew he was married, but he had told her about the baby and that it wasn't his. She was muddled as to what she wanted from Rick but felt that spending more time with him would help her mental standstill.
"You need a magical along with you. Sam could go, he's a warder," Sirius said, a smirk playing on his face. He didn't share his thoughts.
"Have you thought about what to do with the people that don't pass your wards? They might be out there killing others," she said, tapping her finger on the desk for emphasis.
"I know, right now we need the prison for the single people, and we don't have the manpower to keep prisoners," he sighed heavily. "I am going to ask them if they want the condos, but they are not warded yet. If enough people want to move there, I'll do that. But those buildings aren't fortified."
"You just said you don't have enough work for everyone. Can't they do it?"
"We mostly have women and children. The ratio is off. That and they would need to be trained in keeping prisoners. Not just anyone can do that," he said, having already talked this over with Rick.
"Have Rick train some then. Heck, I'll take up that job. You would only need ten or so. I doubt the whole prison would be filled. There aren't that many survivors," she said, thinking hard.
"Okay, I'll talk to the single people today, and the families too. If enough want to move to the condos, then we'll set it up," he said, making an 'I give up' sign with his hands.
"Sounds good," she said, getting up from her chair.
"Go find Rick for me, will you?" Sirius asked, standing as she did.
"Sure," was all she said as she left.
At lunch, after talking to Rick, Sirius stood on the table to get everyone's attention.
"Alright everyone, listen up. We have cleared out a block of condo's and would like to move people to there. The wards will be set up tomorrow, so it'll be within the next few days that this happens. You will not be forced to move there. If you like where you are at, that's fine. We will start using the prison for its purpose, so there is that. Rick has volunteered to train up anyone who wants to be a guard. We'll need at least ten, and I'd like half of that to be magicals," he explained after the crowd got quiet.
The crowd then started talking amongst themselves. There were many that wanted to move, thinking they could finally have an apartment, opposed to the rooms they were staying in.
"One more thing, the communal meals will still be mandatory. We'll set up a cafeteria, or a communal hall at the condo complex. If you stay there, you must eat in that area. The communal lunch will still be here. Electricity will still be doled out upon how much you work. None of that changes. The only thing that is different in the condos is that the buildings are nicer, but less fortified," Sirius said, holding up his hands for quiet.
"How do we let you know if we want to move or be a guard?" one person asked.
"I'll be in my office all afternoon. You can come by and tell me there," was the answer. With that he got around to assigning the afternoon tasks, like warding the warehouse district and the condo complex. He would schedule Saturday classes for the guards. It'll be a while to get them, or the prison, up and running. He just hoped he was doing the right thing. There really were no laws anymore, but was it right to let bad people run amuck?
Months passed and the prison was set up, but only had ten people in it. The wards were reworked, that if someone didn't pass them, they would go to a holding cell. They were then questioned. If it was just personal reasons, they were let go. If it was something along the lines of trying to take over the community then they were held there. There was some that were murderers and rapist.
Veritaserum was used to find out why the wards kicked them out.
Sirius was no longer struggling with the issue. These people needed to be locked up or killed. He was for the latter, but it was not his place to decide that.
Hphphp
One morning Glenn and Kingsley were alerted that someone had passed the first two wards of the prison. Which now was split in half. Prisoners on one side, guards and singles on the other. Prisoners were fed in their cells, so the singles still had the cafeteria.
The two men rushed out to see if help was needed. It wasn't the first time the wards went off. It was getting more common here, than at the campground. Many people thought that the prison would be a good place to hole up for the winter.
There was a group of four people, who looked worse for wear. They were in better shape than most, but not as good as Michonne. They were all dressed in filthy rags and were in desperate need of a shower.
"Hold," Kingsley said, holding up his hand. His wand was ready, and Glenn held a handgun.
"We come in peace," one of the three men said, keeping his machete down. They were all armed with some kind of sharp implement. One was a sharpened shovel.
"We know, but you need to know what you're getting into before you come further," the dark-skinned man said. Then he explained the workings of the community. The four listened thoughtfully.
"Dude, if I can get three meals a day and not have to scrounge for food, I'll do anything you say," the other black man said. "I'm Tyreese, this is my sister Sasha. These two are Allen and Ben. We're the last of our group."
"Come on through the gate," Glenn said, waving them to the next ward, which was the intent ward.
"Okay," Tyreese said, taking his sister's hand with a great deal of hope in his eyes.
The four walked through without issues, but the health wards stopped them. They were all in need of potions. Nutrition was needed the most.
"Tell me about your group, while we wait for a healer," Kingsley said, magicking up a couple of logs to sit on. This caused the new band to gasp in shock. "Yeah, you'll have to get used to that."
Glenn chuckled as he sat on the log. "It's a long story but the short of it is, magicals have been around forever, but a few hundred years back they went into hiding. There are at least ten magicals here at the prison. They use magic all the time." he waved them to sit on the other log. "Tell us about your journey," he said, giving them his full attention.
"Me and my sister were holed up in a bunker for months. We ran out of food and left. We ran into a group of twenty-five people. It's where we met these two. We're all that's left," Tyreese said, still holding his sister's hand.
"Damn," Kingsley said, looking morose over the loss of life. "We need to start sending out search parties," he said to Glenn.
"We'll talk to Sirius. We have to go see him about these guys anyway," the young Asian man said. "We'll be leaving in a few minutes. There's a community shower, and fresh clothes at the campsite. We have showers here, but no extra clothes," he explained to the newcomers.
"Real hot water?" Sasha said, a deep yearning in her voice.
"Yes, real hot water," Kingsley confirmed. Unlike the five in front of him, he never had to go months without a shower.
"There is one thing you should know. We found out in the beginning that the virus is airborne," Glenn said, watching their reaction.
"Shit," all four of them said, Sasha started crying.
"Is there a cure?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"No but our healers are working around the clock for a vaccine," Kingsley said, seeing the healer come to them.
She gave them all a nutrition potion and a few other to up their immune system. "He's right," she said as she handed out the vials. "We're close, but it'll be a while. We have ten magical and nonmagical working every day. Science is new to us, and magic is new to them, but we're going to find a way to stop this. Thank Merlin that we have the CDC," she said, finishing checking them over.
"I hope it's sooner, rather than later," Allen said, looking around what was to be his new home.
"What if we want to leave?" Ben asked, not sure if he wanted to live under such strict rules. But also, not sure he wanted to venture on his own.
"This is not a prison, pardon the pun, it's a community," Kingsley said, waving his hand to encompass the whole idea, rather than the building.
"So if we want to leave we can?" Ben asked, just to make sure.
"Well, I'd hope that you let us get you clean and healthy before you go, but that choice is yours," Glenn said, smiling to let him know that he was speaking the truth.
"Good to know," was all the other man said, and the rest of the group relaxed from a tension they didn't know they were holding.
"I feel safe here," Sasha said, leaning against her brother.