Chapter 3

I lock eyes with Morgan, and we have a silent conversation on who will take the lead with explanations. Morgan, who's finishing up with bandaging Rick, tilts his head towards the living room and I give him a nod as I stand.

"I'm going to go check on Duane and Rhodey. They've been quiet for a while, and it's getting to be around supper time. Im sure they're both a bit hungry." I say more for Rick's benefit than anything else.

In the living room, I find Duane and Rhodey curled up together on the couch. Duane appears to be asleep and Rhodey looks relaxed but alert. His tail starts to thump when he sees me, but he makes no attempt to move from his position and disturb Duane.

"Hey boy," I say as give him a scratch between his ears. "Any trouble brewing?" Rhodey huffs and licks my hand to let me know everything's calm, so I reach over to gently wake Duane.

"Hey buddy, you feeling hungry? Your daddy's in the kitchen patching up that guy you whacked earlier, so a proper supper will have to wait but would you like a snack?"

Duane slow blinks at me and I can tell he's fighting the sleep fog, but he manages to nod his head and sit up, as I lay out some snack options.

"Alright buddy, what would you like? I've got blueberry and cherry pop tarts, some Scooby Doo fruit snacks and a couple of Kool-Aid juice pouches. Take your pick." His eyes widen at the sight of the snacks, but he eagerly snatches up a pack of cherry pop tarts and a juice pouch.

"Thank you, Miss Indy," he says with a full mouth, and I send him a wink. "No problameo buddy."

We sit in comfortable silence, enjoying our food when a thump at the door has Morgan rushing towards the front door and Duane cringing back into the sofa. Rhodey jumps off the couch with a silent snarl facing the windows.

"What's going on? Whose there?" Rick asks, hobbling into the room. I'm immediately on guard thinking a live person maybe trying to break in.

Morgan looks through the peephole and slumps against the door. "Jenny" he sighs. "It's Jenny. Sh- she was my wife. She got bit a few weeks ago. I couldn't save her, and I was too selfish to end her suffering. So, she turned. She wanders around all day; but every night- every Goddamn night she comes back here. Back to us, and I can't help but think, maybe she's still in there ya know?" his voice cracks and I can tell he's holding back tears.

Duane sniffles and I move to the couch to pull him into a hug, but as soon as my body touches his, I'm thrown into a vision.

Morgan and Duane are in the backyard; they've just finished with some target practice and are heading inside.

"You're doing great with target practice son. Soon you'll be a better marksman then me. Up there with the finest snipers in the military."

Duane lights up at the praise. "Really? Does that mean we can go and catch up with mister Rick and Miss Indy?"

Morgan chuckles at his son and rubs his head. "Of course, Duane. I wouldn't've said it if I didn't mean it; and yes. We'll be on our way soon. Now run along inside. It's getting dark soon and you how it is at night."

Morgan begins cleaning up their training area, making sure the place looks just as abandoned as the rest of the houses on the block, to not draw attention.

When he hears a scream, it's like time slows down. He turns and sees his wife, Jenny, holding their son Duane, as if she were just giving him an affectionate hug, but instead of a kiss on the cheek, Jenny is biting into Duane's neck while the boy struggles to get free.

Morgan is moving before his mind can register the movement. He fires off two rounds into Jenny and she drops like a hot potato, taking Duane with her.

In the next second, Morgan is holding Duane in his arms as his baby boy takes his last breaths. "I- Duane! Just hold on for me okay? It's going to be okay, I promise, alright? You just have to hold on. Just hold on for me son!"

Morgan scoops Duane up into his arms and sprints in to the house. He gently places Duane's body on the floor beside his medic pack and-

I gasp loudly as I come out of the vision, and instinctually grip Duane tighter.

"What was that? What just happened to you? Your eyes glossed over, and you didn't respond when I called your name. I tried to tap your shoulder, but the dog wouldn't let me."

I absentmindedly reach out to pat Rhodey while ignoring Rick and turn to make eye contact with Morgan. He's looking at me like I'm a complicated puzzle, he's been trying to crack for ages. His eyes widen when he connects the dots.

"Alan Torrez." He says and I nod my head in confirmation. My grandfather was a gifted seer. Although he was known to be crazy as hell to most, there were some who took him seriously.

"He taught me everything he knew."

Morgan nods and a serious look crosses his face. "What did you see?"

"It- it was momma. She was biting my neck and it- it hurt so bad daddy!" Duane answers for me and starts to sob into my stomach; my blood runs cold.

"I- Duane? Honey did you see the vision as well?" Duane nods his head.

"Y-yeah. But I could feel it too. Daddy was cleaning up from target practice and I was coming back into the house, but I saw momma and she was reaching for me. It felt like she was happy to see me; she opened her arms for a hug, but then she was biting me and I- I couldn't get away! And it hurt so bad!"

I pull Duane closer to me and rub his back. "I'm so sorry buddy. I didn't know that could happen. I can't always control the visions, but I've never pulled anyone into them with me either. I didn't even know it was possible."

Morgan open his mouth to speak but an outburst from Rick cuts him off. "Okay, Enough! What is going on here?! First Morgan tells me that the war is over but there was no winner? And the dead apparently don't stay dead! And now you two are having secret conversations right in front of me and talking about visions! You're all crazy aren't ya!"

An awkward silence settles over us, punctuated only by Duane's muffled sobbing and Rick's panting.

I close my eyes, take a deep breath and slowly let my calming magic loose. Duane drops off to sleep and Rick finally catches his breath.

Then I guide my magic towards Rick to get a more in-depth read on him. My magic picks up on his surface confusion, pain, anger and frustration. I dig a little deeper and find his aura. It's a light bluish green that tells me that Rick is a relatively good person. He always tries to do what he believes is right and would do anything for the ones he loves.

Decision made, I open my eyes and make eye contact with Rick. "I'm a witch."

oOoOoOoOoOo

I think it takes a few moments for that to sink in for Rick because his only reaction is a slight tilt of his head and he squints his eyes at me a bit.

"You're a witch," he draws out slowly, and I nod my head, while maintaining eye contact.

"You don't look like a witch to me." I can't help but snort a bit at that.

"Have you ever met another magical person before? I mean what did you expect us to look like? Green skin, huge warts and cackling while making muggle soup in our cauldrons?"

Rick breaks eye contact and actually looks embarrassed. "Um, n-not the green skin, but yeah I guess the stereotypical Halloween type witch is always what I've pictured; black cats and flying on brooms and such."

Morgan and I share another look and Rick huffs in annoyance. "What now?"

"Well you were kinda on the money is all. Brooms weren't really used for travel because you could be seen, but we used them for a sport we called quidditch. And for school, we were allowed to bring a pet; an owl, cat or toad. Many of my muggleborn friends brought black cats with them as first years. They thought it was hilarious."

Rick does his head tilt eye squint thing again, and I'm starting to realize that's just his thinking face. "I can't tell if your being serious or not."

My lips quirk involuntarily, and I reassure him I'm very serious.

"Do you mind if I ask a few questions?" Rick asks after a moment of silence.

"Ask away," Morgan chimes in.

"What are muggles? And you said something about having muggle born friends. Morgan had explained to me that y'all had your own governments, schools and communities and such, but I wanted your take on this whole thing. Oh, and um, wh-what was your name again miss?" Rick looks a little embarrassed still, but I realize that I never introduced myself to him.

"My name is Indiana Torrez, but please just call me Indy. That is Rhodey," I point to my dog, who moved to stand alert and listen at the windows.

"Muggles are what us magical people call those who can't access their magic, or those, for all intents and purposes, have none. You see, everyone and everything in the world has magic. The only difference between a muggle and a magical, is the ability to access and use that magic. A muggle born is a magical child born to muggles. They can access their magic, while those in their families cannot. However, even though muggles may not be able to access their magic directly, it can manifest in other ways. Like being able to tell when others are lying or having above average vision or hearing. Or maybe if you're really interested in something like art or sports, your magic can evolve to help bolster your talent in that area.

"I actually have a theory that it was your inherit magic that's been keeping you alive all this time Rick. I mean power has been down for months and I know that hospitals have backup generators and such, but even those wouldn't last for months strait. I'm pretty sure your magic was keeping you alive and most likely putting your body into a type of stasis until you were stable enough to wake."

Rick is nodding along so I take a deep breath and continue, "My take on everything however is… probably a bit skewed. Morgan mentioned my grandfather, Alan Torrez. He was 218 when he died, and we were very close. He taught me everything I know, really. He was a powerful wizard and an even more powerful seer. It sounds crazy but he had visions of the past and future. Before I was born, he had a vision, and the reality we live in now is what he saw.

"Nobody took him seriously. The magical people were very arrogant in their supposed superiority and none of them, well the ones who had never stepped foot in the muggle world, believed that muggles could ever be a threat to them. Never mind that muggle to magical population was roughly 100,000 to 1. Magical communities were hilariously outnumbered, and they were willfully ignorant of that fact.

"So, my grandpa taught me everything he knew. He was a serious task master and he had me training from the time I could walk, but he did it because he knew the world I would eventually live in, and that he wouldn't be there to protect me. So, I've known about all of this long before it would happen. Today is the first time that I've left my house, since before my mother died. Being alone in my childhood home was getting to be a bit much, so Rhodey and I ventured out to see who and what we could find. My hope is that there are magical communities out there that have survived and are rebuilding."

I sigh as I gently wriggle out of Duane's grasp without waking him. Three clicks of my tongue has Rhodey leaving his post by the window to curl back up with Duane. "It's pretty late now, so I know you guys have to be hungry. How about we continue this in the kitchen while I whip us up a quick supper."

Both men agree and I follow behind as Morgan assists Rick in hobbling back to the kitchen.

I'm not sure what kind or how much food Morgan has, but I'm sure it's nothing Ricks stomach can handle since he hasn't eaten in months. I know I have some instant oatmeal packets, and I think that will be bland enough to prevent refeeding syndrome.

After Morgan and Rick take their seats, I prop my backpack against the counter and turn to the guys with a smirk. "Wanna see a magic trick?"

Morgan gives me an amused look and Rick looks curious. He turns to Morgan, sees his expression and nods towards me.

I flick my wand into my hand from my wrist holster and tap it on my backpack. I don't have to say a spell because its keyed to my magical signature.

I hear Rick's gasp as my black hiking backpack turns into a large black trunk that comes up to my waist. I turn the dial on the front to number 1, flip the lid up and climb down the ladder into the pantry room. I grab a box of maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal and a half gallon of milk. Im lucky that my grandpa thought to build inter-room doors, so that I don't have to get out of the trunk to access another room. I head to door 7 and grab a pot, a few bowls and spoons. A quick pop into room 8 for a mild healing potion for Rick and im heading back out of the trunk.

Morgan and Rick's faces have me bursting out into laughter, and I almost drop everything as I climb out. "You two should see your faces! If your jaws dropped any lower, they'd dislocate!" My laughter dies down a bit as I set everything up to cook. I turn around when I hear sputtering coming from Rick.

"How- I mean, what? Y-you just disappeared into the trunk! It's not big enough to fit you! And is that milk? I thought you said the powers been off for months?! How could you still have milk? And- I mean, what?"

"Magic" I say, and I throw him a wink. I hear Rick muttering to Morgan, but I ignore them and focus on cooking. I open about 8 packets of oatmeal into the pot and add in the milk. Then I use a mild heating charm on the pot to cook the food for a few minutes. When it's done, I let out a quiet whistle so Rhodey will wake Duane and send him into the kitchen.

The young boy stumbles cutely into the kitchen and I pull him into a hug. "Hey honey, you feeling better after your nap?" I feel him nod into my stomach so give him a quick tight squeeze then steer him into an empty seat. Im feeling a bit tired myself so instead of serving everyone, I drop into the last available seat and snap my fingers. The spoons dish the oatmeal into the bowls, then the bowl float over and place themselves in front of each of us. Another snap and two bowls, holding kibble and water for Rhodey appear in front of him as well.

"I know it isn't much, but I figured something on the blander side would be better for Rick's stomach, and I have a ton of instant oatmeal packets. Oh, and Rick take this. It's a very mind healing potion. It will work with the inherent magic within you to speed up your healing process. You should be right as rain in a few days."

Surprisingly, Rick takes the potion and immediately downs it. I chuckle at his grimace. "That tasted awful. I would ask what was in it but I'm not sure I actually want to know. But thank you Indy, it's very kind of you to help me out."

"No, you do not my friend. And you're welcome. We have to stick together after all. Were pretty outnumbered by the biters, and you're good people."

He chuckles and we all dig in. Rick is only able to eat about half his portion, and gives the rest to Duane, who looks for his dad's approval before digging into his seconds.

By the time us adults have finished our meals, Morgan settles me with a heavy look. "Indy, about your vision… do you know when it takes place? I'm sure you understand, but I need to do everything I can to protect my boy. He's all I've got left in this world."

"I understand completely Morgan, but you're not alone any longer. You and your son are the first magicals I've met in over 6 months. There can't be many of us left, and like I told Rick, we have to stick together. Were stronger together. My vision was set a few days from now. It was just you and Duane, because he mentions that you guys were going to catch up with Rick and I after you brushed up on your shooting skills. I don't really have more details for you other than that it was going on dusk and your wife was hugging but biting Duane like he described. The only thing I don't get is why we would split up in the first place."

"Well," Rick chimes in, "I've been thinking that I need to go find my family. Honestly, they've been on my mind since I woke this morning. I can feel that they're still out there, waiting for me to come back to them, and everything in me is screaming to get moving to find them. It's why I came home before I did anything else."

The pieces start coming together for me. "That must be why we split up. Rick just isn't strong enough to be traipsing around all of Georgia by himself, so I must have decided to go with him. And I suppose you and Duane stayed behind to get some shooting practice in before being thrown into serious life or death situations.

"But where did the guns come from? Unless you have more stashed around the house? All ive seen on you is that hand gun, and in the vision, you had some much heavier artillery."

Morgan shakes is head in the negative. "No, your right. The handgun is all I've got and I'm running low on rounds. I couldn't waste them on target practice."

I look over to Rick and he has a 'why didn't I think of this sooner' look on his face. "The police locker!" he says but I have no idea what that is.

"Um- what is a police locker?"

Rick grins and explains "Its where we keep all of the guns at the sheriff's department. It's a huge, very secure room under the building, that has a lot of guns and weapons that we could use. I'm betting we go there and stock up. This could actually be a solid plan! But this time, instead of splitting up, we all stay together, safe and alive. Listen, I'm extremely grateful to ya'll for what you've done for me, but I have to go find my family. I think it would be beneficial for us all to stay together, and I would be very grateful if you chose to come with me."

I look to Morgan because it's ultimately his decision. Rick is a grown man, and I'm confident he can take care of himself, but Duane is just a child. Now that I've had that vision, I won't be going anywhere without the father son duo by my side.

Morgan sighs but when he looks over at Duane, who's still eating, I can tell his mind is made up. "We leave at first light."

oOoOoOoOoOo

A few hours later im woken by Rhodey gently nudging his nose into my neck. As I sit up and stretch, I see Morgan with his back to the front door. He's holding a gun but his shoulders are shaking and there are silent tears pouring down his face.

Sleep leaves me quickly and I scramble over to the crying man.

"Morgan, hey what's going on?"

I hear a light thump on the door and then I get it. "Jenny" I whisper, and Morgan just nods, lost in his grief.

"I-I have to do it. Were leaving in the morning and I can't just leave her here. S-she needs to rest. I should have done this a long time ago. I should have been stronger, but I just couldn't. it must be done tonight but I still don't know if I can…" he trails off, sobbing silently.

I gently pry the gun out of Morgan's hands and wrap my arms around him. "You don't have to do it on your own anymore. It's okay to lean on someone- you don't always have to be the strong one. I've been here before with my mother and I would have begged anyone to share that burden with me. I had to face that on my own, but you don't. Let me lessen this burden for you."

He looks at me with tears in his eyes and I can feel the hesitation rolling off him. I send him a gentle smile and a burst of calm determination. "Let me help you."

It takes him a few minutes to gather his composure, but he finally nods his agreement.

"okay, this is the plan: Rhodey is going to go out the back door and scout around to the front, when he comes back, we'll follow him out. You are going to cause a small distraction to get Jenny away from the door, and I'll come up behind her, alright? Nothing crazy, okay? And in the morning, before we go, we'll give her the burial she deserves. Now, here, take this. It's much quieter than a gun; it won't draw attention "

I hand him a large hunting knife as he manages to croak out a quite "Okay," and we head for the back door.

A whistle and two clicks of my tongue has Rhodey by the back door, ready for his mission. We move as quietly as possible to not wake Rick and Duane, but also to not draw other biters attention.

It takes Rhodey a minute to scout the front yard and return to the back door. Two brushes of his nose against my hand lets me know there's about a dozen biters outside milling about, and a soft nip to my finger tells me that only Jenny is on the property. I relay the information to Morgan, and we go ahead with my plan. He slips out seconds before me but when we get to the front yard, Morgan freezes on site of his wife.

"Jenny," he whispers, but she hears him and turns to move in our direction. I can see Morgan's grip on the hunting knife tighten, but his hands are shaking.

Jenny is very focused on the frozen man, so it's very easy for me to sneak around and gently slide the knife into the base of her skull as she reaches for her husband. Morgan unfreezes and rushes forward to catch his truly dead wife. I keep watch and keep the biters at bay while he takes a few moments to grieve.

By the time he's calmed down and is ready to move her body to the backyard, I've had to dispose of three biters that were drawn to the noises we made. Together we carry her body around to the back of the house and I transfigure a leaf into a large white sheet to cover the body. We quickly head inside after that.

Before I can head to the bathroom to clean up a bit, Morgan pulls me into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you, Indy." He breathes out shakily and I give him a tight squeeze in return. I pull back and make eye contact, so he knows im serious. "Like I said earlier, you're not alone anymore. You're stuck with me now, and if you ever need anything, you just have to ask. I got your back. Now get some sleep; we have an extremely busy day ahead of us."

A/N: I was going to make this chapter longer, but it's been ages since I've updated, so I figured ill put this part out now and the other half up later. I'm not going to lie, this chapter gave me more trouble then it probably should've, but I think that's because I'm still figuring out the dynamics of each character and how they are going to respond and react to each other. On the plus side, its my longest chapter so far!

Drop me a review and let me know what you think of this chapter

-BBP