It's been forty days since we returned from supply scavenging.
We began the building process the very next day after we returned, and let me tell you, we went a long way from where we started.
The first order of business was making sure the earth walls didn't collapse in on us.
We ensured that by using salvaged steel rebars and cinderblocks to line the surroundings of the digging sites.
Then, we had to prevent the threat of subterranean moisture for structural integrity and equipment preservation.
We did that by applying a thick layer of sticky, scavenged roofing tar to the exterior faces of the walls after we finished pouring concrete and slapping heavy plastic tarping over it before backfilling the dirt.
It was a messy, miserable job, but we had to do it because if moisture seeps into the cellar and the lab, everything we do is moot.
Then came the roofing.
We laid the ceiling beams and capped the entire thing.
We had to make sure the lab was nicely ventilated; otherwise, whenever Jenner messed with something, it could poison the entire settlement.
Luckily, we had most of what we needed to ensure that from the stuff we took from the CDC.
We had to triple check that everything was in order, and that was the real headache because we didn't have a real expert on the matter—which made us rely heavily on Jacqui, God bless her kind soul.
We would have been like headless chickens running around aimlessly without her.
But the lab and the cellar weren't the only things keeping us sweating out there.
Since we had brought back a massive haul of extra timber, plywood sheets, and pallets of bricks from those construction sites, and we were already building stuff, we decided to build a whole new residency building right next to the main house.
The farm was getting way too crowded with everyone crammed into a few small rooms, and people needed proper space to live, plus were gonna have more people join us sooner or later so we had to be prepared for that eventuality.
We laid down a solid brick foundation first, leveling out the dirt and breaking our backs lifting the heavy pallets.
Once the base was set, Rick, Shane, and the rest of the guys got to work raising the timber frame.
We used every single 2x4 and plywood sheet we had hauled back to wall it in, creating a sturdy, multi-room bunkhouse that could fit dozens of people comfortably.
Even Merle managed to make himself useful for once, nailing down the roofing shingles with a hammer although he kept muttering God knows what under his breath.
It took a lot of extra days, but seeing a fresh, solid building standing in the yard made us feel like everything we've done was worth it.
Once the new residency, the cellar, and the lab were done and dusted, we shifted our focus inside.
Setting up the electrical lines was another nightmare altogether.
We had to route heavy-duty cables from the solar farms and the generators we retrieved from the CDC down into the lab to ensure Jenner had constant, uninterrupted power for his equipment.
One surge or blackout could ruin weeks of his research, or worse, shut down the containment systems. That would truly be catastrophic.
Dale, Jim, and I spent three straight days pulling copper wires through PVC pipes, crimping connectors until our fingers were raw and bleeding.
While we had our hands full with wiring, Shawn, T-Dog, and Otis started building the storage racks for the root cellar.
We used the leftover plywood sheets and thick timber beams to create deep shelves that could hold hundreds of pounds of supplies, jars, smoked meats, and root vegetables.
It felt good looking at those empty shelves, knowing that soon they'd be packed to the ceiling with enough food to keep us going—though the bulk of the space would be for transferring the supplies out of the containers and into here.
We had just helped Jenner move his gear out of the temporary setup yesterday.
He was like a kid on Christmas, sorting through his microscopes, centrifuges, those big refrigerated storage, and those heavy glass vials we hauled from Atlanta.
The permanent lab was a bit on the smaller side compared to the one in the CDC, but it was clean, well-lit, and the ventilation system worked perfectly.
This morning, I walked down the concrete steps into the cool, damp air of the cellar.
The smell of fresh concrete and dried tar was still heavy in the air, but everything was solid. Not a single bit of moisture was seeping through the seams, which meant we did a good job.
Tracing my hand along the walls, I stepped out and headed to the new lab, where I found Jenner standing by his new workstation, calibrating a piece of medical equipment.
He didn't even look up when he heard my boots hit the floorboards.
"Everything's ready, Zephyr," Jenner said, his voice echoing slightly against the bare cinderblock walls.
I could feel the tremor of excitement in his voice. "The power is stable, the air filters are running smoothly, the containment hood is fully operational, and everything is calibrated."
"Good," I said, stepping up to the table. "No more excuses, then."
Jenner finally looked at me, pulling a fresh needle and a plastic syringe out of a sterile pack.
"No more excuses. Roll up your sleeve. Let's find out what's running through your veins."
I didn't say anything more.
I just pulled up the sleeve of my flannel jacket and rested my arm on the cold metal table, watching Jenner do his work.
(To be continued...)