The sudden discovery of the return of those that left on a task had caused a sudden change to take place within the Reed Residence.
So many had been self isolating in their homes trying to hold onto what little they had left with no real purpose to keep them busy.
Not having Brick and Homer return sooner had dampened their spirits a little with the addition of there being some people being thrown outside of the walls.
Others were stuck as they were as they were waiting for there to be someone to take real charge of the situation or for there to be someone kind of inspiring event that would take place to help them move forward.
Each new arrival was greeted warmly but it was uncertain if the new people were truly welcome by everyone.
Everyone was living off what they had left or what they were being given.
There were always chances that there would be those that were dissatisfied about having to share what little they had left with others.
Small crowd began to gather around the new survivors as various questions were being asked.
As all that was happening, Brick had already got into his work mode as a bodyguard.
He stepped in front of Tanya blocking their way as he spoke. "Please move aside for now. The young miss is tired and needs to go see her father.
If you have questions or concerns then please voice them at a later date. We have much to do so I hope that there will be willing participants that will assist in future projects."
His intention was to provide a safe route for Tanya and uphold his duty as her bodyguard in order to further preserve his place by her side and increase his importance.
His additional goal was to provide a means of communication between everyone to help deal with rising problems.
There were many issues that needed to be brought up and when that time came, he needed to have some people that had already expressed willingness to help out with certain tasks.
He turned to Tanya asking her in a low voice. "Do you want me to have your people sent together to a place where there can settle down or do you want to bring some with you?"
Tanya knit her brows in thought then relied explaining her reasoning. "Father would not like it if I brought others back with me and he would dislike it even more if they were within his sight a lot of them time.
I cannot keep them close to me right now so I hope I can trust you to arrange that for me. Is that something you can arrange?"
Tanya was uncertain what the situation inside the Reed Residence was like since she had returned.
Brick had no power previously and even she could hardly remember him until he appeared to save her and reminded her of himself.
It meant that he was not very high up in terms of influence within the Reed Residence to the point that she and her father had just thought of him as an average member of the security team.
Despite going through tough training, Brick was still unable to stand out before the apocalypse came and he was unable to establish himself enough to gain any more important jobs besides having to patrol the outer walls and sit in the building near the outer gate.
If he had no power then it would be difficult for him to arrange for others to be given a place to stay.
Fortunately Brick had a solution and did not take her answer as being something difficult to accomplish. "Not every place may be completely in the best state but it will be enough for a few nights."
He had made efforts to clear many homes in the outer parts of the Reed Residence so there was enough room made for people to settle down in.
The main issue was that the houses that were completely clear without an owner still had some problems with the mess and smell that had been created from the zombies that had inhabited and died in those places.
There would be some that would be uncomfortable with living in the home of someone who recently died in it but it was the best Brick could do for them.
At worst they would have to just camp outside or stay with someone else for some time.
Brick understood what Tanya was worried about so he knew the reasoning behind her choosing not to let others she was close with stay in the inner walls so soon.
They had yet to prove themselves loyal enough and there would be others questioning over the fact that Tanya would be showing favouritism towards others.
If her father was unhappy about them being brought over instead of those he intended then seeing them often would only help to provoke him.
What was needed was to placate and distract him until he let go of the matter completely then it would be easier to integrate the new arrivals into a more suitable environment.
A familiar figure was spotted among the crowd which made his eyes light up a little.
He waved his hand to beckon them over until Alice was standing right in front of him. "Welcome back!"
Brick looked back towards Tanya who was waiting patiently then turned back to Alice. "Try to arrange a place for the new arrivals. Use one of the empty homes we cleared out. By the way, how is everyone? Any troubles?"
Alice had plenty to say but she saw how Brick was in a hurry so she said. "We are safe but we did run into some troubles earlier. I will tell you later. Leave it to me!"
Brick nodded gratefully before helping Homer to lead Tanya inside towards the inner walls then towards main building where the Reed Family lived.
It took some time to gain entry into the main gate and arrive but they eventually arrived at the front door leading Tanya inside.
The overall atmosphere was quite heavy upon entering as several intimidating gazes were sent towards Brick.
Despite the gazes, he did not flinch away from them and continued to pass by until he was positioned behind Tanya who had seated comfortably opposite her father.
Upon entering the room, her father had already leapt towards her pulling her into a hug before finding himself back in his seat.
Whatever small affection and relief her had shown towards his daughter being safe and in front of him was replaced with a serious demeanour and businesslike attitude.