World was already on Fire

It is only a matter of time

Ginny laid awake staring up at the tents ceiling, she was in a shared tent with Lori and Carl. It was ten minutes to five in the morning, she knew the exact time due to a quick check of the tempest spell. She had only two hours of sleep, jumping at every little sound. War had made her paranoid. She felt herself becoming Mad eye Moody. She would sometimes catch herself repeating his catchphrase Constance vigilance.

She had been thinking about the group, she really didn't want to leave Lori and Carl even though they had Shane and a large number of a group. She decided to stay a little longer just get her bearings. It would take a long time to get to Britan. She reasoned that her family was safe and hopefully behind strong wards. She fiddled with her old school coin waiting for anyone to answer her calls.

She was glad she kept this as an old keepsake. She had hoped to never need it again. Ginny heard Lori shifting beside her, the woman slowly waking up as it now closer to six Alcock now. Carl had ended up having his own cot. " What time is?" asked Lori half sleepy. Ginny chanted the tempest spell and Lori eyes snapped open. " 6:10 " Ginny whispered. " Its looks like a projector " mumbled Lori. " A what? " Ginny asked.

" A projector? you don't have those?" Lori asked. Ginny shook her head no. She had been raised in a magical household and only really started learning about muggle Technoloy in the last few months. had knew the basics like how to use a phone since heroine had taught her but that was about it.

Rick had helped her too, him and Shane use to prank call her just watch her reaction." I wasn't raised in the muggle world" she said.

Lori furrowed her eyebrows in question, " muggle?" she asked. " What we refer to non-magic people" Explained Ginny. " We tend to keep to ourselves" she added as Lori nodded. " Have you been up all night" Lori asked noticing how tired the other seemed. " I slept" Ginny sat up. She could hear Carol up and about getting breakfast ready. Lori sighed.

She was used to waking up at this hour due to having to wake up Carl every morning for school, so she always woke up at this time. It was rare to sleep in for her unless it was a Sunday when Rick would take Carl to the park. Thinking about Rick made tears swell up in her eyes. " You aright " Ginny asked as Lori turned away. " Yeah, just give me a minute".

" Is Rick?" Ginny asked already knowing, Lori stayed silent for a minute before turning to the other. " Yeah, was just thinking about him" she smiled sadly. It was too fresh. " Yeah, I miss him to" Ginny said standing up. She pulled out a dagger from her bag. " here" she said handing her the dagger. " what's this for?" Lori frowned. " Protection, I know for a fact Shane going to take away the guns" Ginny said.

" Why, were safe up here? help should be on the way any day now? Right?" Lori stared at the witch. " They bombed the city, you saw it, they do that as a last resort when there no hope left," Said Ginny, " they killed all those people thinking they could contain it, but they only made it worse, they will wake up and walk and most likely in our direction. This quarry is only safe for so long, maybe a month or two give or take this place is to open." Explained Ginny.

Lori chewed her thumb knowing it was true but didn't make even less painful to hear. Ginny stood up and made her way out the tent and went to help Carol with breakfast. By then everyone was getting up.

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Ginny had been correct in her assumption that Shane would take their guns. He used the excuse that he and her were the only allowed to carry and Dale could keep his shot gun as he was always on watch duty.

Ginny didn't like it, she understood since they were civilians and children without the proper knowledge of how to handle a gun. Its why she gave Lori one of her daggers. She planned on teaching her and Carl to use them instead of relining on guns. There were only so many bullets to go around. She saw what Shane was doing though, he was a controlling the group. He aways was a control freak.

She planned to give out lessons to group members who were willing to learn.

That had been Five weeks ago, everyone had settled into a routine, Ginny had been giving lessons to many of the woman, mostly Andrea and Amy. Andrea was the first to agree wanting to prove herself capable.

Carol attended a few when Ed wasn't looking but she was still too scared. Ginny had already had to put Ed in his place when she caught him slapping Carol a few nights into camp. He ended up with a broken nose. Since then, he had kept to himself.

It was the same day the Dixon brothers showed up, Merle was the biggest asshole she had ever met, and she thought Shane had been bad. Every word that came out of his mouth was lewd or an insult. If she hadn't been raised with six older brothers and lived through a war, she would have not been able to handle such behavior from the man.

She found his humor quite funny.

Daryle was the shy one, she could tell he looked up to Merle and would follow him into battle. He spent most of his days hunting. Very anti-social is what Ginny would call him as it was the only term, she could remember Hermie using.

It was a plus that Shane hated them so in her book she liked them. He had tried and failed to take their guns. It was funny.

Ginny was knocked out of her thoughts when she heard a car drive up, Glen was back. The boy had taken up to scavenging which he was really good at it. He preferred to work alone. " hey, hit the jack pot " Glen grinned was wide as he pulled out a big box of can goods. He had scored four boxes of baked beans, tinned meat and fruit cans and another box hygienic. A good haul for today.

Everyone crowded around him quicky.

Ginny watched while carving her knife into a stick, she didn't know what she was carving yet but she is thinking along the lines of a bear or dog. Glen tossed the box of can goods to T dog who caught it swiftly, T dog and Carol were the main ones who managed the cooking and chores, T dog was one of the rare men who would help the women with laundry. Ginny didn't like the system where somehow woman ended up doing the chores while the men just liked to walk around acting like they were guarding, It was annoying, she tried to argue but it seemed the woman were contempt with their place in the group we except Andrea and Amy. Even Lori seemed fine with chores as she seemed to be the one giving them out.

At least the Dixon brothers knew how to wash their own clothes like big boys, for all Merle Faught's the man was one to never rely on the group, he and Daryle supplied the meat from there hunts and cook their own food, they stayed away from the group with good reason.

Ginny had come to learn fast how unappreciated this group of people were, if it wasn't for her, Glen and the Dixons they would be starving and dead. Those three carried the group whether they knew it or not, if Ginny had her pick, she would choose them three to survive with.

Ginny heard someone sit next to her on a log, it was Lori, the woman was holding a basket of laundry, Ginny was sure they were Shane's, the red head wrinkled her nose, another thing she noticed, Lori sleeping with the man. She didn't understand why Lori would move on so quick. it hadn't even been a week and she and Shane had shacked up " I take it Shane can't do his own laundry " Ginny snarked as Lori sighed " he's busy " she said as Ginny rolled her eyes, " yeah taking down my traps " Said Ginny making Lori eyes widen. " He did what?" she asked.

Lori had been the one to help Ginny and the Dixons put up the string with cans for a warning system, she admitted it made sense and would give them time to escape specially at night. " yep, he took it down this morning, your so-called busy boyfriend was out dismantling our only defense " Ginny said standing up as Lori eyes widen. " wha" she opened her mouth and then closed it." I'd start thinking on your future here, i plan on leaving soon, I can't keep expending my energy for a group as ignorant as this, it won't end well and soon the dead will make their way out of the cities" she said tossing the wooden figure down at Lori's feet, it was of a bear.

Ginny made her way over to where she saw Daryle who was headed to the woods, most likely leaving on another hunting trip, Ginny grabbed her own bow and arrow and followed the man, Daryle looked like he was about to protest but the look on her face made him shut up, He could tell she wanted to get away just as much as him.

The two silently walked into the tree line not saying a word.