The Protagonist System

143 The Long Haul Conclusion

I only felt a little guilty as I stripped the place of everything viable. I had to leave the expired foods, like the breads, packaged meats, and everything else that was supposed to be kept in a cool dry place. There hadn't been any power for about six months and there was no way I was going to trust anything perishable after so long.

Some of the dry goods were borderline and I marked those, because their expiry dates were either just passed or were about to. Those I made sure to keep out to put in the back of the truck and I would drop most of it off at Hershel's place. With those and the MREs I planned to give them, they should be good for food for at least another four months, as long as they used the expired stuff first.

The cheaper junk foods like crates of cereal, granola bars, and other similar things, had almost a year left on their expiry dates, so most of those I kept for the camp. How would I explain them? I wouldn't. One of the things the store sold were different sized trailers and I stored two of the larger ones and assembled two more to use immediately.

I had to go back outside to take the truck out of my inventory and hooked the two trailers up, one attached to the other. It would be a pain trying to back the thing up with two trailers, so I would avoid that as much as possible. I also filled the back of the truck and the first trailer with as much as I could get away with, only shrinking them slightly to make them fit.

The pallets were still wrapped in plastic, so it was easy to stack them up and I secured them with straps. I left the second trailer barely half empty, because I wanted the people at the farm to know I was dropping off a significant amount of supplies for them, in order to make room for the animals I had negotiated for. I also added two crates of MREs into the second trailer to explain why I had been gone for so long.

The last thing I did before I left was to grab the inventory list and I checked off the things I had taken and stored the list. After that, I locked all the doors and boarded up the windows with copied wood. I also stuck it all in place and none of it would be removable with conventional tools, meaning it would have to be smashed open or burned down to get inside.

It was the best way to claim that I had a source for more goods nearby and that I only needed a day to pretend to travel here to get more. A polite fiction was needed for me to pull off copying things and adding some of the other things I had found and could smuggle into each following trip. I drove out of the parking lot with a smile on my face and I hummed a tune that I could tap my hand to.

The drive back to the farm was uneventful, thanks to the silenced engine, and I ended that spell when I neared the road that lead to Hershel's farm, just in case they had one of the guys out on watch or something as they waited for me to return. Nothing showed up with the human reveal spell, so I relaxed and drove the rest of the way and parked on the side of the road.

“Geez, maybe I should have gone with you with you there all day.” Glenn said to me when I stepped down from the driver's side of the truck and I saw that Maggie was glued to his side like usual. “How did you get all of it packed in like that?”

“They had one of those forklift things there. It had enough power to get the trailer filled and then I had to pull a few pallets apart to get everything else in there.” I said and motioned to the second trailer. “I also went to my stash and grabbed the two crates of MREs I promised Hershel.”

“We can give you a hand.” Maggie offered and let Glenn out of her embrace.

“Thank you. Most of this I'm leaving here because the dates are just up or almost up. I'll make another run for longer lasting things and then Glenn and I can hang around for a few days so I can do the electrical work needed here on the farm to get the power going. After that, we can load up the animals in the second trailer and can head back to camp.”

We barely started to empty out the second trailer when Beth and her boyfriend Jimmy joined us and carried the things into the house. I ignored them opening one of the granola bar boxes and handing handfuls of them out to everyone else. It was their food now, I wasn't going to tell them how to distribute it.

Of course, this gained a lot of attention and we soon had everyone out helping to unload both trailers and the cargo area of the truck. When I tried to say some of it had to go to my camp, I was ignored and Otis stopped helping and he stood on the porch with his rifle within reach. Both Glenn and I understood the implied threat. Maggie's angry glare at her father didn't change anything, either.

I didn't really need the proof that they would have robbed me if I had showed up with the food right at the first; but, now I had it, as did the other people at the farm. When the truck and trailers were empty, Hershel approached me.

Before he could speak, I held up my hand to stop him. “Before you say anything, I'll be taking those animals and crop seeds that I negotiated with you in good faith.”

Hershel frowned at me. “It's a man's job to protect his family and...”

“As a man who loves God, are you breaking your solemn and sworn vow with a man that has been honest and trusting? A man sworn to uphold the law? A man who has done nothing for you to doubt his conviction?” I asked and Hershel didn't say anything. “Well? I'm waiting. Answer the question.”

“Yes, dad. Answer him.” Maggie said and walked over to Glenn to put an arm around his waist. “Are you spitting on our beliefs and breaking your word?”

Hershel's frown turned to her. “You have fornicated under my roof without having the sanctum of marriage around you to protect your soul from damnation.”

That was when I realized that nothing I did was the cause of this betrayal. Hershel was on his high horse over his daughter falling in love with someone that didn't share his beliefs, or so he assumed.

“Glenn!” I almost shouted and he winced. “Do you believe in God?”

Glenn looked surprised at the question he didn't expect, as did everyone else. “Y-yes, I do.”

“Do you follow his tenets?” I asked.

Glenn looked embarrassed. “I... I try to. Now, anyway. I was...” He took a deep breath and sighed. “I've sinned and I've confessed everything I've done before the walkers and afterwards to Maggie. She listened to me and she didn't judge me, and she forgave me.”

“That doesn't count!” Beth shouted. “You need to wait to be married before you can lay together as man and wife!”

I laughed and they all looked over at me. “Who else is he supposed to confess to besides the woman he loves? A priest? Have you seen any of them around here? I sure haven't.” I said and none of them looked happy at that revelation. “They were probably the first to be bitten or killed after the outbreak because of them trying to help the others that were bitten or dying.”

No one had anything to say in response, because they all knew it was likely the truth.

“As it stands, a person's own belief should be all that matters to them, since Jesus died for our sins and paved the way for the rest of us.” I spouted in my best preaching voice. “A righteous man does not need a building of wood and stone to be close to God. His faith and his conviction are between him and the man upstairs, no one else. Who are you to judge if Glenn is a good man?”

Hershel's grown didn't go away. “I am her father and the ultimate authority on this farm. It's my land. My blood, sweat, and tears have made this farm prosper and I will not give away what my family needs to survive this tribulation.”

I was very tempted to point out that if he was right, that this really was a tribulation from the bible, then he had failed in his test. He was doomed to suffer until the trumpets sounded and judgment was called. Something must have shown on my face to give my thoughts away, because Hershel's frown disappeared.

“You need to leave.” Hershel said, his voice sad. “Go with God and be at peace.”

Otis made a show of picking up the rifle and holding it properly as he prepared to fire it. His wife grabbed his arm and didn't jerk on it, because she wasn't stupid. It did stop him from raising it past his waist, so I nodded at her.

I couldn't help saying what I said next. “If you're sending me off with God, doesn't that mean he's leaving with me?”

Beth gasped and tears came to her eyes as her boyfriend hugged her.

“The words of the Devil do not bother a man of faith, heathen. Leave me and my family alone.” Hershel said, his tone filled with anger.

I had to smile at that. “If that was true, why are you telling me to leave? Shouldn't you be turning the other cheek and trying to convince me that...” I stopped talking when I felt a hand on my arm. I glanced down and saw a dark skinned hand and looked up to see Michonne's calm face.

“None of this matters.” Michonne told me.

“You're right. I'm sorry for wasting time.” I said and earned a small smile from her, which was the first change in her expression I had seen, and I looked back at Hershel. “I hope you and your remaining family and friends enjoy your ill-gotten gains. I won't be coming back here to add to your protections or to keep you supplied.”

After everything that was said between us, it was this that made Hershel's face lose color.

“Let's go, everyone.” I said and opened the driver's side door and motioned for Michonne to climb in. She did so and sat in the middle of the bench seat. Glenn and Maggie went to the passenger side and Glenn opened the door.

“Maggie!” Hershel and Beth shouted at the same time.

“Where do you think you're going, young lady?” Hershel asked, sternly.

Maggie gave him and huge smile. “I've been soiled by this man and no other man will have me. Since I've laid with him as his wife and he with me as my husband, I must suffer my punishment and be banished from familial succour, as per the rules set in the good book.”

Her words left them speechless and she giggled and pushed Glenn to climb in first. She climbed in after him and sat on his lap.

I leaned forward a little and smiled at Maggie. “It's nice to use his own words and teachings against him, isn't it?”

Maggie beamed a smile at me. “You have no idea!”

Glenn chuckled and Michonne had another small smile on her face. I started the truck up and no one shot at us as I drove down the road.

“Take a left at the access road down that way away.” Maggie said and pointed to where she wanted us to go when the truck neared it.

“That's where we made our stand.” Glenn commented and then realized what he just said. “You both better close your eyes for this. You don't want to see it.” He said and then whispered. “I didn't want to see it, either.”

“I recommend it, too.” I said as I brought the truck to a stop at the turn and both Michonne and Maggie looked at me. “You're both grown women and I won't tell you not to look; but, believe us. It's better for everyone if you don't have this sight burned into your brain. It's one of the main reasons I usually go fighting walkers alone.”

Maggie nodded and closed her eyes as she hugged Glenn tightly. Michonne gave me a slightly raised eyebrow and I took that as her answer and nodded.

“I'll tell you when we're past it.” I said and took the turn carefully. With two trailers attached, it was much different driving the large truck down smaller and less refined roads than it had been on smooth pavement. Just before we reached the spot, I said something else. “By the way, the bumps you're about to feel are just speed bumps and potholes.”

Maggie made an odd sound and Glenn made a choking sound. She was squeezing too tightly, apparently. Michonne lightly hit her arm and Maggie jerked and then eased her grip. Glenn's sucked in ragged breath had Maggie apologize and she kissed him with her eyes still closed. It was the best distraction for the both of them.

Michonne's eyes widened at the sight of all the bodies piled around the choke point and the small pile down the homestead's driveway. Glenn had held on and protected my flank, which let me work and I finished the job much quicker than if I was alone.

The truck rocked as I used the front bumper to push the barricade and a pile of bodies aside, some I had to drive over, and Maggie made whimpering sounds each time. She didn't stop kissing Glenn, though.

We made it through without getting stuck, thankfully. The two trailers were heavy enough and the hitches were well secured to only rock from side to side.

“We're past it.” I said and sped up. I didn't want her trying to look out the cab's back window to see it.

“Our farm is two fields back and one in. You can see the grazing field a quarter of a mile over to the left.” Maggie said and kept her eyes closed. “There's no sign on the road and it's barely two tracks through the tall grass; but, it's there.

There was a slight hill I drove over and I let out a sigh when I could no longer see the barricade in the side mirror.

“Is it clear?” Glenn asked.

“Yeah, there's nothing in the mirrors.” I confirmed.

Both Glenn and Maggie let out their own sighs of relief.

“Where's the spot I need to turn?” I asked and Maggie looked out the windshield.

“Can you slow down a little? I'm used to going this way on the tractor.” Maggie said.

“Sure.” I said and slowed to the speed a tractor would travel.

Maggie looked surprised and gave me a questioning look.

“I've done a lot of work with a tractor back at the camp.” I admitted.

“You should see it, Maggie. It's like a small fortress.” Glenn said with pride. “He and Dale even made little walkways for the guys that take turns watching over the camp and they added paths around the whole thing to handle any walkers that show up. They end up gathered into a pit where it's really easy to deal with them, too. It's great!”

Both Maggie and Michonne had surprised looks now.

“To be fair, Dale and I spent a lot of time designing it and building it. We also had easy access to a rock quarry and we used it ruthlessly.” I explained and their surprised looks faded. “With some water, a few different mixes of gravel, and a little ingenuity, it was almost easy to make homemade concrete.”

“It took forever to dry, though.” Glenn said with a laugh. “Juan and Merle were almost beside themselves as they waited for the first part of the walkway to dry so they could mount the mini-gun properly.”

Both Maggie and Michonne made shocked sounds and stared at him.

“Um, we may have... not told you everything... about what we have back at camp.” Glenn stammered nervously.

I chuckled and both women shifted their stares to me. “I was hoping to wait to surprise you with our biggest and latest feature, too.”

“The mini-gun?” Maggie asked.

“We have two of them actually.” I said and they kept staring. “But, no. Go ahead Glenn.”

“We have a tractor trailer filled with books that we made into a working library.” Glenn said.

There was complete silence for a few seconds, then Maggie let out a squeal and hugged Glenn like he was a stuffed toy and he made a squeak sound again. The kissing started again and neither I nor Michonne tried to stop them.

After a few minutes, Michonne pointed off to the left and I saw what she noticed, a barely there path through tall grass.

“Good eyes.” I complimented her and she nodded. I carefully took the turn and hoped that the path came out onto another road, because I didn't want to take the chance of trying to turn the truck around on unknown and untested fields.

I drove on and watched the speedometer as well as the odometer. They told me how fast I was going and how far, so when it started to roll to the next number, I knew I was close to the farm's grazing field.

“Maggie? A little help?” I asked and felt bad about breaking up their make-out session.

Maggie broke the kiss and looked happy, Glenn had a red face, and I didn't ask why. “It's just a bit farther. We broke the field up with a smaller fence to keep them out of the crops.”

I nodded and drove a bit more until she pointed and the prize. Well, prizes. Maggie wasn't like her father and she was more than happy to share her stake in the farm with us. Because there were only three members of her family, she had the rights to claim a third of everything, and she did.

It took us an hour to get a male cow, two female cows, four goats, a pig and a sow, and six chickens and a rooster. I was kind of glad they had robbed me now, because we barely had enough room for everything in both trailers and the back of the truck. We also took a large amount of hay and packed it in everywhere we could fit it.

Instead of trying to find the proper crop seeds, Maggie directed us to dig up certain parts of the crop fields and we could get the seeds from those. It was much harder that way; but, it made her feel better about completing the deal I negotiated in good faith.

I made a joke about Maggie being the best part of that deal and both Michonne and Glenn punched me in the arm and shoulder for it. Maggie had laughed, then she blushed hard, then she looked quite pleased about it.

We drove away from the Greene Farm with a full load of animals and headed back to the main route that we knew was cleared out. The trip back to camp would take another 6 hours, mostly because Maggie didn't want to stress the animals out too much by driving too fast. She was our expert farmer, after all.