Chapter 12

After Logan and the others got back, Hershel was waiting for them with the others. Logan got an earful from the old man, but since he was in a hurry to save Carl's life, he let it slide this time.

Most of the others were sleeping in makeshift tents and/or in the RV. Shane went to take a shower leaving Logan who went to take a short walk.

After he got back, he met Shane who just got out of the house after his shower.

The two started a discussion about this place, since Carl's life is no longer in danger, this talk has to be done.

"What do you think?" Logan asked Shane who was beside him.

"About the place? It's very spacious, far from any possible hotspot." Shane answered.

"Yeah, but it doesn't have anything to hold back walkers from coming, well? Other than an old worn out wooden fence which will break easily." Logan explained.

"We could work something out eventually?" Shane answered not sure.

"The sooner we make something the better. I'd say tomorrow, we should try to find some hardware stores, get us some construction materials to build some proper walls around this place." Logan said, making Shane look at him weirdly.

"Wouldn't that take a bit too long?" Shane asked.

"Either that or we search for a place that has existing protection of its own." Logan said in a tone which drew Shane's attention.

"You got something in mind, right?" Shane asked, but he was sure with how the guy's mind works, he probably knew the alternative.

"Y'know when you and Rick argued about the best place he should go to, I already figured out that a farm without any protection would only last only temporarily. But a prison would be ideal." Logan said making Shane's eyes widen 

"I also searched on the map, fortunately there is one." Logan revealed.

"Then why the hell you didn't say a damn thing?" Shane asked clearly, a bit agitated.

"With how everyone's mind works right now? Suggesting they break into a prison to make it THEIR home?" Logan looked at him with a bored look. Which made Shane blink in surprise.

"I also don't want to abandon this farm, it could become our source of food, growing crops, and raising livestocks which could be more than enough for us or any who could possibly join us in the future." Logan continued.

Logan sighed, he knew the time and materials to build what he deems a proper wall around the entire farmland would be too much.

"We can start small, baby steps." Logan suggested.

"What you mean?" Shane again asks for him to elaborate.

"First, we reinforce the wooden fence, keep noises to a minimum, and slowly build the damn wall." Logan said, but he wasn't finished.

"Hell, we could also build some traps out, to lower walkers numbers, giving them a hard time to break the fence, enough to buy us time to raise walls that are enough to keep walkers out,"

"How much is enough?" Shane clearly interested in the suggestions asked.

"2 meters in height at least." Logan answered.

"Guess we will need something to carry those materials here." Shane doesn't argue since having a wall that keeps the walkers away is a good thing.

"We can search for them, trucks, preferably a Peterbilt kind. We have some manpower, me, you, Rick, Daryl, Jim, T-Dog, Glenn, and the kid who lives with this family." Logan listed.

"If we get the materials, I'd say we'd be able to complete it in a month and half with our current manpower, maximum two months and half." Logan was calculating everything.

"Do we have that much time before walkers reach these parts?" Shane wondered.

"Won't know unless we try." Logan said, then he noticed Maggie coming out from the house.

"Let's discuss this with everyone after Carl's life is saved." Logan gave Shane a pat on the back who nodded, and went to see Maggie.

…

"How's Carl?" Logan asked about the kid, their group only had two kids and they now had to live in such a cruel world.

"His life is no longer in danger, but he won't wake up until tomorrow." After she told him he let out a sigh of relief.

"I saw how you interact with others in your group, are you their leader?" Maggie couldn't hold her curiosity.

"We never decided who leads, I only made some good suggestions and they naturally agreed." Logan said, he honestly doesn't want to lead, he never did so in his life. 

"You haven't had anything to eat, right? Come, let me make something for you." Maggie motioned for him to follow her in.

…

Next Day

After yesterday's events, Otis and his wife Patricia came and thanked him for saving Otis's life. Logan said that it's mostly Maggie since without her showing him the way, he wouldn't reach there in time, but they still thanked him, Lori and Rick thanked him for saving Shane and Otis and helping them bring back those equipments..

Hershel himself thanked him for saving his friend and ranch hand. after they exchanged some words, with Logan offering to help around the farm since Hershel saved Carl's life, to which Hershel told him to find Maggie and she will tell him what to do.

Later after reuniting with the others, and clarifying how things went, Daryl got a horse from Maggie and went on a hunting trip. Logan found Maggie who told him he can chop the wood to which he agreed.

Maggie led him to a very large pile of wood and gave him an axe to chop it with.

"Woah, You have too much wood sitting here." Logan said, there is enough wood that it could take him a few hours to chop everything.

"Do you even know how to chop wood? City boy." Maggie tried to tease.

"Spoil alert Farm girl. I'm the best when it comes to axes." Logan shot back.

"Prove it then." She pointed at the axe while waiting for him.

"Alright, let me channel my inner Lumberjack." Logan said ridiculously,  put a log on a tree base before he took the axe.

He carried the axe, and skillfully brought it down without using all of his strength in the middle.

BAM!

The log split into three parts, then he took another and repeated the process, everything at a fast pace, seeing him chop the wood way faster than anyone she knew. Maggie couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise.

Less than three hours later, Logan stood in front of a neatly stacked pile of firewood. Maggie just kept on looking at him blankly.

[Image]

"I know I look great, but you will make me blush if you stare too much." Logan said with a little smirk, Maggie recovered and couldn't help but ask.

"How did you do that? That much wood would take few men, and at least double the time to cut" She asked in disbelief.

"I'm just built different. I would've finished in less time if the axe was sharp enough." Logan said.

"Let's just forget about it. how about we find something else?" Maggie didn't know what to make of this, so she decided to see if there is anything else to do.

"Sure, anything I can help with. But can we first meet the others?" Logan agreed.

"I don't mind, but why?" Maggie looked confused.

"Got some things to talk about with the rest." Logan wanted to bring the idea of building the wall as fast as possible, Shane told him before that they should secure the prison first if possible, then slowly start building the wall.

Logan knows that could be plausible, but their time would be divided between two places, for now they have to fortify this farm, then if they still need the Prison and it's still available, they can take it.

Everyone from their group gathered in the area they camped in with Logan and Shane standing in the middle while others circled them.

"Do we have anything we need to discuss right now?" Jim, who was content with being silent most of the time, asked.

"We do." Logan said, looking at everyone.

"We are now in a great place that offers us a lot of advantages, and we need to do our best to defend and protect it to the best of our abilities." Logan began.

"But the owner said we can stay until Carl heals, then we will have to move." Andrea said, the others nodded at her words.

"Maybe we can convince him while doing what we want to do."  Dale said.

"We will, there is merit to us sticking together, we can start by doing whatever he says, to build trust." Logan said.

"You want us to walk around without guns?" Shane seems to question that.

"For now, y'all need to get this in your mind, guns should not be your first option to deal with walkers, use the goddamn guns regularly, and you'll bring more walkers to us. I gave most of you Machetes and Knives, learn to use them." Logan let that sink.

"Not saying we shouldn't try to keep them on us, we will have to convince him to let us carry them until we accomplish what I want to suggest right now." Logan continued.

"And that brings us to an important point. We need walls around this place to be safe from walkers." Logan finally told them about the main subject of this meeting.

"Now I know that will take a long time, a lot of effort and materials we don't have. But we need to take action pretty soon, the longer we delay the harder it will become in the future." Logan finally stopped to let them absorb all the information..

"How long will it take to make it?" Amy Asked.

"We at first need to calculate the dimensions of the farm, for now all I have is a rough estimation. And the wall based on that would take at least over a month and half." This made them enter deep thoughts.

"We will need to find hardware stores for materials, and trucks to transport them." Logan stood silent again.

"Does anyone even know a thing about construction?" T-Dog who didn't say anything from the start asked.

"I have books in some boxes in the van, we could learn from those.." Logan said which made everyone look at him weirdly.

"Never liked reading." Glenn commented while cringing.

"Never liked school." T-Dog said.

"Are you one of them, book nerds?" Daryl asked too.

"…Knowledge is power, I just showed an example, I have various books for various things we may eventually need." Logan couldn't help but facepalm, these idiots complaining about school and books. When those will bring them a lot of advantages.

"If you guys are hesitating about this one, then hear this one." Logan said before turning to Shane.

"Me and Logan searched the map early before to find any possible place we can occupy, he pointed to a prison not too far from the road we came from." Shane revealed. 

"Occupying a prison?" Everyone questioned.

"We know that prisons are built usually with walls or fences around them, they also have a lot of space." Logan explained after Shane.

"But what if it was preoccupied with Prisoners and Prison guards." Glenn said.

"That's why we will scout it first, see its condition and act based on that." Logan calmly continued.

"Just a simple look from afar is enough for now. How about me, Daryl, and Jim go?" Shane said.

"If you guys are going to take the van, I'l just have to move my stuff into the truck where our arsenal is locked. You can take some guns" Logan said.

After that the discussion kept on going about other matters a little longer to solve some of their concerns.

Afterward, Logan returned to help Maggie with whatever he could, leaving the others to their thoughts.

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[AN/: Prison is such a good place in a zombie apocalypse, but the group did no actual fortification or reinforcement to it. And the Farm is an important place if they had time to build some walls around it, it would be an important place, it have 6 wells, woods with a source of water, fields that could probably feed a lot of people, livestocks...etc. building a wall will cost them a lot of time and effort, 'I intend to make them find materials obviously.' Prison will come along later, I'm not gonna abandon it.]