Chapter 31: Growing a Bit More

I'm having keyboard issues. So, bear with me.

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Having Sunday off was a godsend for everyone, be they religious or not. The places of worship were set up and services were had until lunch time. Then everyone ate in the meal tent like always, however after lunch people were getting restless. Too used to working all the time.

Soon enough, there was a great deal of request for barbeques and liquor. Sirius was fine with the barbeques but limited the liquor to beer and only three per adult. There was even a spit put up for a wild hog that Daryl had caught. Meat and all the groceries needed for a good cookout were handed out and everything was set up on the campgrounds.

There was an outdoor movie screen set up and it played kids movies until three, teen dramas until seven and action films during the rest of the evening. A great time was had by everyone. Mostly.

"I wish the Thestrals were still outside the wards, I wanted to go and check on them," Harry said to the runners. They were sitting under a tree right as the woods started. Not far from everyone, but far enough not to be heard.

"We can still do that," Peggy said, not seeing what the problem was.

"I guess I just wanted to leave the wards for a while. You know, to test myself," the dark-haired teen said with a shrug.

"You do that now," Mike pointed out, picking at some grass.

"It's not the same," Harry said, pulling a long piece of grass and throwing it at the younger boy.

"Ah, teenage rebellion," Sue said wisely, with a sage nod of her head. "Now really isn't the time for your hormones to get us in trouble," she stated as fact. She was leaning against the tree and had her legs out in front of her.

"I know it's just… Sirius is so protective. He even showed up yesterday while my team was clearing out a business center," he whinged, putting his head in his hands.

"He showed up at our area too, you don't hear me whinging," Sue said, shaking her head at the young man.

"I know, it's just…" he said again, not sure how to voice his feelings. "I just feel like he's holding me back," he tried, sitting up straighter. Then shook his head. "That's not all, not completely right, it's just…"

"You're used to independence, I understand, I really do. However, we can't take the risk of you proving your manhood," she said, leaning forward and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just do the best you can with your team, and Sirius will see that you are growing. You don't have to prove it," she said again.

"Okay, I'll stop trying to get him to see that I'm not a boy anymore. It'll be hard, but you're right, now is not the time," Harry finally relented.

"Let's go find a barbeque," Mike said, not sure what was going on, but glad they weren't going outside the wards.

"I hear there are some games to play to. It's like a real carnival," Peggy said, getting up and running back to where all the families were cooking and playing.

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Lori was not having a good time. She was pregnant and not feeling like doing anything on her day off. She just wanted to be left alone, but Rick and Carl insisted that they do a family cookout with the rest of the community.

"Why are we here?" she asked her husband. He had hardly spoken to her since he came back. They only lived together now, like amicable roommates. There was no love anymore. They even slept in separate rooms.

"To enjoy one of the last good days of the year. It'll get colder soon, and we won't be able to do this," he replied in a calm tone. "I thought you'd enjoy the sunshine," he offered.

"My ankles are swollen," she complained sitting in a lawn chair next to an outdoor table.

"Put your feet up on the cooler," he suggested, not even looking her way. "It's what you did with Carl," he added, flipping a burger.

"You could be a bit more sympathetic," she snarked, putting her feet on the cooler.

"You could be carrying my child," he quipped back, serving up a few of the done meat patties. "Carl, come get your burger," he called to his son, who had taken off the minute Lori had opened her mouth. Not that he blamed the boy, all the woman did was bitch.

"Coming, Dad," Carl said from a few places down. He came running up and grabbed the plate. "Are you two done arguing?" he asked, putting a bun on his burger, and grabbing the ketchup.

"I promise you, son, I have not argued with your mother once since we got here," Rick said with a smile.

"Oh, okay," his son said, returning the smile. His smile dimmed when he looked at the angry face of his mother. His father had the patience of a saint. "I'm going to go find Sophia," he said, and hotfooted it out of there.

"Must you wear your bitch face?" Rick asked, holding out a paper plate to her. "You are scaring my son," he added, and placed the plate on the table when she didn't take it.

"He's my son too," was her comeback.

"I never said he wasn't," was the calm reply. Rick looked around at all the happy people and wondered if he would ever be happy again.

The two just sat in uncomfortable silence.

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The outside teams had yet to run into any communities, but they did find many survivors that were just trying to find a safe place. There was talk from these survivors that there had been other communities, but they had fallen for one reason or another. Usually because someone died and then rose to bite someone, and no one realized it until it was too late. There was talk that one had been Fort Benning.

When Sirius was told about this, he ordered two groups to go and gut the camp. They would have to shoot from the cars, but he didn't want any artillery to fall in the hands of someone like the Governor. They could hopefully find more survivors on the way.

It was three days later that those groups called Sirius.

"Sirius here. What's happening?" the leader asked, sitting behind his desk doing the never-ending paperwork.

"We've come upon Fort Benning, and it's deserted. There are no survivors, and it looks like the zombies have cleared off," Sam said, from the passenger's side of the car he was in. He turned the mirror to show the ripped tents and turned over jeeps.

"Shrink everything, and bring it back," Sirius said, looking at the devastation. It looked like they put up quite a fight.

"Will do," Sam said and ended the call.

Just as he was about to put the mirror away, he got another call. "Sirius here. What's happening?" he repeated his greeting.

"This is Team Three, we've come upon a campsite in Virginia," the wizard of that team said.

"I don't know where that is, Paul," Sirius said, peering behind the man as if that would give him a clue.

"About two states up, well, the corner of two states. Anyway, there are about twenty people here. They seem non-hostile. I have their leader here," Paul stated, turning the mirror to and astonished looking man.

"Hello, I'm Sirius Black, the leader of Atlanta's community. Do you require assistance?" Black asked, trying to pull the man out of his shock.

"Assistance?" was the weak reply.

"Yes, you can join our community, or we can offer trade," Sirius said, peering closer at the man. he looked gaunt, like Sirius had when he had escaped Azkaban. "We have food, water and housing," he tempted.

"The Saviors will kill us," the man replied, looking very worried.

"Not if you are here in Georgia," was the rebuttal. Sirius was worried about these Saviors, who didn't sound like saviors at all. "We have protections," he added.

"For what price?" the man asked a bit braver. "I don't want to trade one frying pan for another."

"The only thing we ask is no violence, and that you work for your provisions. As you can see from the men and women there, they are very well taken care of. You can ask them about what is required, but only you can decide. My people will stay there long enough to talk it over," Sirius explained patiently. He didn't need more people, but if the human race was to survive, the more the better.

"I'll talk it over with the rest," the still unnamed man said, giving the mirror back to the wizard.

"Paul," Sirius said, "give them some food and water."

"Right," Paul said, and then ended the call.

"So much to do," Sirius whinged. He had to warn everyone about these Saviors, and get things set up to take in more people. Though the latter was easy, they had cleared out more apartment buildings and had them hooked to solar power. Now that everyone was more active, they required more things, which fell on him to arrange with the house elves.

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It was a week later that one RV pulled up to the campsite, they were all that was left of the group that had left. There were five children and two adults. So, all the children survived, but only two parents from different families did. It was a sad sight, but Sirius was glad at least the kids made it. Those classes were good for something.

"What happened?" he asked one of the adults. They all looked tired, but not worse for wear.

"We were ambushed by a group of humans," the woman said, shouldering a shotgun. One that she had not had when she left. "They came in the night and had killed most of the adults before we knew they were there."

"There are a lot of predators out there," the man added, he too was carrying a weapon that he had to have picked up on the way. "And I ain't talking about the wildlife."

"I tried to warn you," Sirius said gently, trying not to say it snidely.

"We know, and we're sorry to have doubted you. We were just so sure," the woman said, and then she trailed off.

"Welcome back," Sirius said instead, shaking their hands and guiding everyone to the meal tent. He made a note to have a healer talk to the kids who lost their parents. He had no clue what to do with orphans. "Will you keep the kids?" he asked the two adults.

"Two of the girls are mine, I'll house the other girl," the woman said, petting the hair of the orphan.

"I can take both boys," the man said, looking very sad.

"I can find someone else…" Sirius started, only to be interrupted.

"No, I'll take them. Sammy here is mine anyway. I'm sure Dean will fit right in. They are not too far apart in age. It's just that my wife…" he trailed off, getting a faraway look in his eyes.

"I'll have someone come around and talk to all of you," Sirius said, getting up from the table he had led them to. He moved to leave the tent, pulling out his mirror and making a call to the nursing home where most of the healers resided. He told the head healer what was going on and she said she'd send someone over. That relieved a bit off his mind as he went about the rest of his day.