Chapter 30: Wake Up, People.
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The tent was full that night, for the meeting. Everyone over fifteen and the runners were there. When asked, they were told that the runners were old enough, street wise, to attend. Most accepted that, but there were a few protests. Still, Sirius made the call.
Sirius noted that Dale was not there. So, either he left, or was booted. He'd have to check to see if his trailer was still here. Either way, Sirius wished him luck out there all alone. Then he looked again and noted that Andrea was also gone. Damn, she was a good fighter. Still, she loved that old man.
"Everyone quiet down," Sirius said, an Amplifying Charm applied to his throat. "Okay first to the easy stuff. It has been brought to my attention that I am overworking you. So, from now on, Sunday will be a day of rest. If you need to worship, then ask for a tent, and we'll set you up. However, I will not put up with attempts of converting others. You have a right to believe what you want, so does everyone else. Leave it."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, not sure what Sirius was saying.
"There are some religions that believe that you must convert everyone to that religion. I won't name names, or point fingers. I will say that it is against the rules here. We have enough bullshit going on without having religious tension brought in. Believe what you want, leave others alone. I can't say this enough." Sirius looked firmly at everyone. He knew that most magicals were not religious in any way, shape, or form. Most of the audience looked mutinous, so he added, "If you don't like it, leave."
"What if you don't believe in anything?" a quiet voice asked.
"Same thing. Don't try and convert the others to your way of thinking. If you want to deliberate theology, do it peacefully and in private. There are some things we'll do that go against your beliefs, but they are not up for discussion," Sirius said, his tone was serious.
"Which brings us to our next subject, we are no longer letting rapist and murders live. They will be persecuted immediately. The Death Sentence is now the only judgement. Before you asked, we will make sure without a shadow of a doubt they are guilty. We have the means to do so. Again, if you don't like it, you can leave," Remus took up the lecture.
"It was decided that resources that you work hard for were being wasted on the criminals. So, they have all been executed," Mac added, watching the reactions.
"So, you are playing God," a farmer cried, making others do the same.
"No, we made sure they were irredeemable," Mac answered, putting up his hands to stop the outcries.
"We have a truth serum that is unbeatable. It is magic, but works on non-magicals as well," Remus explained, also making placating gestures.
"Do you want to run into these bastards after they form up with someone like the Governor?" Merle asked, glaring at everyone. "I can tell you; you'd lose. You would be killed or raped, or both. These are hardcore bastards, they will not reform."
"Yeah, they are not like us," Big Tiny said, pointing to his fellow ex-inmates.
"I remember their types from our time in the pen, and what is being said is true, they are not worth saving," Axel said, nodding to Sirius that he thought he did the right thing.
"That's enough," Sirius said, amplifying his voice again. "It's done. Move on. The Death Sentence judgement is not up for debate."
"What gives you the right to dictate to us?" someone called from the crowd.
"I am the one who organized this whole sanctuary. It is by my leave that you are safe. It will be by my leave that you get kicked out. You don't like something I do, too bad. I have offered you housing, food, and electricity. Which I can tell you no one else can or would. Your lives are simple and easy, compared to what's out there. A little bit of work, and presto you have everything you need," Sirius stated, gesturing with each point.
"Yeah, most of you had good lives before it all went to shite," Harry said, standing by his godfather. "You have good lives now."
"We were street kids, we know what it's like to not have food, housing or electricity," Sue added, standing to be seen.
"If you had it rough after the world ended, then you know you have a sweet deal here," Mike said, not wanting to be left out.
"You are a bunch of kids," someone protested.
"And we've all killed," Peggy said, then added, "Have you?"
"The self-defense classes are mandatory, they make you stronger," Sirius said, moving the meeting along. "I have heard that some of you don't participate as well as you should. When you go out on runs, you are going to need that muscle memory. If you don't do what you can, you are going to wind up dead," he stated firmly. His face looked like it was carved out of granite. "You now have to ask yourself; can you live here with these rules. If not, we'll pack you a bag and you can leave. There will be no debate."
There was a lot of noise coming from those listening, some whispering, some talking and a few yelling. The main group stood up on their table watching it all. They knew that some would leave, but most were too scared to. They seem to forget in their comfortable lives that it was the end of the world.
"Okay, quiet down. See me after the meeting if you want to go. We've already discussed that there will be groups going outside the wards, that will start tomorrow. We will pick the teams that have the best hunters and spell work. There will be a magical on each team, as I've said, they will be carrying a mirror that can contact me anytime. If you find a group of survivors, then mirror me, and I will talk to their leader. If they are hostile, put them down with extreme prejudice," the leader stated, his visage lightening up a bit.
"The teams will be posted at Sirius' office," Remus said, since he was the glorified secretary.
"Do we have to go if we are picked?" someone asked, standing to be seen. He was a strong looking man with a gentle face. A lot like Rick.
"Depends on your reasoning," was the answer.
"I just don't want to," the man answered.
"Then you can leave," Sirius reiterated. "Only disability or sickness are valid excuses. That does include mental," he added as an afterthought. "Be warned, we have healers to validate your claims." That got people to talking again. Sirius held up his hands. "I know I'm coming off as a hardass, but this is simply not the time for democracy. I do take what my 'mayors' have to say, and we do the voting. So, it is not just me saying do it my way or the highway. If you want to be heard then tell the leader of your group and we'll discuss it," he said, wiping a hand down his face.
"You have been hit with a few hard truths, so go home think about it, and decide if you are staying or not. We will kit you out if you go, if your views change, you might be able to come back. We'll see on a case-to-case basis," Remus said, looking at everyone with kind eyes.
"Inner-city crews will start tomorrow too, any one over fifteen will be assigned. My hope is to get the whole city done within a year," Sirius said, bringing the meeting to a close. "Go home." He waved them away, not wanting to hear any debates. He was sure he'd hear them soon enough.
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"Sirius, I want to fly around and check on Sasha," Harry said the next morning. "And to see if the Thestrals are still around."
"I can't go with you," his godfather said, looking at all the paperwork on his desk. That and he knew there will be people leaving.
"The gang and I can go before classes. Those are held in the afternoon, and I'm done with all the assignments you gave me," the teen said, his eyes taking on a puppy dog look.
"I want an adult with you, and I can't afford to let anyone I trust go," Sirius tried again. He hated the puppy dog look.
"Maybe Daryl can come," was the reply.
"Yeah, his team is scheduled for later. Go ask him, if he says yes then use one of the vans," the man said, finally caving.
"Yes," Harry cheered and ran out the door. He knew that if they found where the Thestrals were, that's where they'd go on Sunday. The small herd should be near the community.
He ran to Daryl's RV. Merle had his own. He knocked on the door and waited. It was early but the Dixon's were known early risers.
"What the hell do you want?" the grumpy man asked as he opened the door.
"I want to check on my snake, but Sirius says I can't go alone," Harry explained quickly.
"Why me?" Daryl asked, taking a sip from the cup in his hands.
"Umm, you're the only one available," the teen said sheepishly.
"Want to try again?" Daryl asked, finishing off his coffee.
"Because you're brilliant at what you do," Harry said giving him a bright smile.
"Better," the man grumbled. "Go get your cohorts and meet me at the garage," he said, and then closed the door.
"Top of the morning to you too," Harry muttered at the closed door. Then he turned and ran to get his friends, who were waiting in his tent. "Daryl's going to take us for a ride. We're going to look for Sasha and the Thestrals. So, let's go," he said when he came to the tent.
The teens all ran to the garage and noted Daryl standing next to a Dodge van. They hurried to his side.
"I ain't going to be giving you rules. You know right from wrong. Just get in and tell me what we're looking for," the redneck stated opening the driver's side door.
"Sasha is a huge snake, like longer that most buildings huge," Harry said getting in the passenger's seat. "She stays far away from humans. So on the other side of the city, probably," he added thoughtfully.
"Couldn't you have gotten your house elf to get her?" Peggy asked, then blushed because she was saying something that could cancel the trip.
"I could, but what fun is that?" Harry said giving her a grin.
"Fucking kids," Daryl said, already in the air and driving to the far side of Atlanta. "Your snake, does it eat the Walkers?" he asked as if to give a reason something that big was still around.
"She doesn't like to, but said she would," was the answer.
"How do you know that?" the other man asked.
"I can talk to snakes," Harry said, lifting his chin defiantly.
"Cool," Mike said, looking out the window hoping to see the giant snake.
"She ain't gonna hurt us, is she?" the redneck asked, his eyes drifting to his crossbow that was sitting between the two front seats.
"No, I told her no humans," Harry said, looking at the crossbow too, and wondering if it would do any harm to Sasha. He didn't think so, but Daryl was a good hunter.
"There she is," cried Mike, who was the only one looking out.
"Land on that building, please," Harry asked politely, pointing to one that was three buildings away from the snake. "You guys stay here, while I go and check on her. I'll call her to the other side of the building. I'm not sure how she'll react to so many humans."
Daryl landed the van and pulled on his crossbow. He herded the kids to one side, and waved Harry to the other.
Harry made it to the furthest side and called the snake. Sasha came to his call but didn't crest the top of the building at Harry's request. "I just wanted to see how you are doing and if you needed anything," he hissed to his friend.
"I am good, the dead are getting tastier," she admitted, sticking her forked tongue out at Harry's face. "The more I eat them, the more I like them," she explained, smelling the other humans on Harry. "You brought friends," it wasn't a question.
"Yeah, we're going to check on the Thestrals when I'm done with you," he confessed, leaning over, and petting her between the eyes. She liked that. "Since you're okay, I wanted to let you know that Sirius is going to try and put the whole place under wards. Do you want to stay or roam?" he asked, a bit of sadness in his voice.
"I prefer not to be around humans," she said, softly, knowing that it would hurt the boy a little if she left.
"Yeah, I know," he sighed, petting her once again. "Come and see me sometimes. Try not to travel too far. I don't know if bullets can kill you," he added, thinking of all the guns he'd seen since he came to this country. Sure, he carried one, but it had been a bitch to get. If it hadn't been for the bosses, it never would have happened.
"I will stay close," she promised, then turned and left.
"Bye, Sasha," he called out in English.
"Come on, Harry," Peggy called to him when he sat for five minutes watching his friend leave. "She'll be back," the girl said, waving him to join them.
"I know," Harry said, running to his other friends. "Let's go find the Thestrals," he said, getting in the van.
"Where would they be?" Daryl asked, hoping it was close to camp.
"Near humans, so any of the places they live," the teen said, waving in a circle like it could be anywhere.
"Thanks for being clear," Daryl bitched, then turned to the closer settlement. The condos. They searched each area, bar the prison, however the Thestrals were in the woods at the campground. Inside the wards. Harry figured they only left to eat.
"Well, there goes that idea," he groused, now he'd have to think of something else to do Sunday.