A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 43

The brides all came up on stage and went to stand beside their husbands who had been waiting for them. Each pair said their vows and the entire hall burst into cheers, hoots, and hollers. Trish and Nathan embraced in a passionate kiss. I swiftly covered my eyes. A quick peck on the cheek was one thing, but that sort of kiss wasn't allowed at the kitchen table and shouldn't be allowed in public.

The music entered an energetic pace and the newly wed couples headed to the open dance floor. I saw no point in remaining up here. My job was done. The only problem was getting off of this platform without attracting too much attention.

In the end, with all of Rick's training, it was more easily accomplished than I had thought possible. I easily snuck past the decorations and managed to work my way along the side of the building to where Diane had been standing.

I took her hand in mine with a sigh. I was glad that it was over. She didn't seem surprised at my appearance, so she had likely been watching my approach. I stood on my tiptoes, but was far too short to see through the sea of people.

Diane picked me up and carefully put me on her shoulders, ensuring that my dress didn't get crinkled up. I could now see the couples in their first dance. They had the first song to themselves. Diane and I cheered on Trish and Nathan amongst the noise of others cheers. This place was noisy.

The moment the second song started, it was a free for all as the ceremony ended and people were free to head to the dancefloor, grab food, or talk with others. Diane waited a few minutes for the worst of the rush to settle as people created impromptu paths through the mass of bodies.

She headed for the food tables with me still on her shoulders. We collected two plates before heading to the back corner. It had been roped off with a waist high rope as the kids' corner. We ate a bit before I managed to convince Diane to dance with me. A game of tag broke out and Diane encouraged me to play with the other kids while she visited with other parents and guardians nearby.

She did leave to go dancing with others occasionally, but she mainly stayed in the kids' corner. I noticed that she mostly danced with other Foragers, Raider, or Guards. Some others seemed a bit uneasy around her for some reason. I shook my head, they probably still thought she was going to turn into a zombie.

As the evening went on more and more children were taken away for bed time. Soon most of those remaining didn't want to play. Quite a few of the adults had also dispersed. Diane seemed to notice this, "Feel like heading back?"

I was ready to leave, "Yeah."

She nodded towards the half empty room, "Let's say good night to them before we go."

Trish and Nathan must be somewhere in that direction. I nodded happily and joined her as we crossed the large room. Sure enough, Trish and Nathan were on the far side.

Diane smiled at them, "Well, congratulations. I hope you two enjoy the married life."

Trish grinned, "Thanks! I hope we do too. I hope you have a good evening."

Diane nodded and turned to go before she paused, "You too. By the way, your wedding present is in your room."

Nathan frowned, "I made sure that I locked both the window and the door before I left." He had installed an actual deadbolt lock just for Trish's peace of mind. Most rooms didn't have locks.

Diane chuckled and waved a hand lazily at them, "Yeah, I noticed. I bribed someone to pick the lock for me and re-lock it afterwards. Good night."

Their jaws dropped and I giggled at their dumbfounded expression. They had expected a mere lock to stop Diane. Boy, were they funny. Why did everyone constantly underestimate her abilities?

Trish snorted, "All that work and we are still not safe from her... By the way, you get to enter the room first to trigger whatever trap she laid."

Nathan chuckled as the last part was directed at him. Diane laughed as we walked away. I grinned widely beside her. She had told me what she had done on the condition that I wouldn't mention it until tomorrow.

Diane had, somehow, managed to find a huge standing wardrobe and drag it not only back to the Fort, but also get it up the stairs. They had to assemble it, but even Diane had a hard time moving that box. She had also found brand new bedding in town for their new king sized bed.

Since Trish loved junk food so much, we had hidden about 50 mini bags of chips in their new room and taped a dozen chocolate bars to their ceiling in various locations before ensuring to hide every ladder in that building.

We grabbed our backpacks from under Matthew's desk and headed towards the fence. I took a deep breath of the fresh air as we left the building. After spending most of the day inside, the clear air was heavenly.

Diane stopped and turned to look at something behind us. I glanced up and froze. Someone was in a window above us, he had a bow in his one hand and an arrow in his other. He hadn't nocked the arrow yet. The way that Diane had spotted him was uncanny. He looked startled that she had noticed him.

Diane stared steadily at him. I knew that Diane could launch an arrow before he could even put his arrow on the bow string. I remained motionless where I was, as I was supposed to in this situation. The man slowly nodded and put his bow down before backing up out of sight.

I didn't recognize him, but he had obviously recognized Diane's silent warning in her stare. Diane turned and kept walking towards the fence without looking back. I walked beside her nervously and refrained from looking back as well.

We made it to the treehouse without any problems.