A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 65

He shrugged and continued, "If you ask her, she is sure to give you a tour and an explanation that will boggle your mind. I didn't understand half of what she showed me."

They discussed the Bethany Fort for some time before Taver eventually shrugged, "If we want to make that good spot by tonight, we are going to have to pick up our pace."

Diane chuckled in amusement. As much as he said he was not going to slow down for us, he didn't seem to want to abandon us. She sped up to her favorite easy lope, calling back over her shoulder to the startled Taver, "Let's see who tires first, me or that heavily laden mule of yours!"

I giggled, I already knew the answer to that one. I wasn't going to tell Taver though. Let him find out the hard way. Besides mules in general did not like going fast for long distances and it was carrying a decent load. If it ran for more than ten minutes at this pace, I would be surprised.

Taver's horse was trotting lightly and Taver kept glancing at Diane in disbelief. I grinned in amusement, his reaction was pretty funny considering he had run harder yesterday morning and we had still kept up. I remained silent though, no sense in making him even more uneasy around Diane than he already was. At least he wasn't avoiding us.

Less than twenty minutes after starting this faster pace, his mule starting complaining and trying to slow down and pull against her lead. Taver shook his head, "We have to slow down for a bit to let the mule catch her breath."

I giggled as Diane slowed down to a walk. She wasn't even breathing that hard. I found it pretty funny.

We only saw a couple of zombies the entire day, but I was still distracted by the sights. We were in the rolling hills and approaching the edge of the mountains. The view was often beautiful and breathtaking.

Taver and Diane occasionally talked, but seemed to prefer traveling in companionable silence. We eventually reached a treehouse and fence similar to the previous one, although this one was truly empty.

I went with Diane to go get water, "Why did you seem uneasy when Taver was talking about the scientist?"

Diane glanced at me while trying to remember the exact point I was referring to, "Oh, when Taver said she might take a sample of blood?"

I nodded and she suddenly grinned, "I hate needles. Always have although I have no clue why. I have no issue getting bruises when practicing against a Guard Group Leader, but having a needle jabbed into my skin? Just the thought of it makes the heat in my blood shift slightly. Well, I came this far to volunteer, so I will just have to take a deep breath and put up with it."

I blinked as I followed her back to the camp. I hadn't been aware that she detested needles. Then again, I didn't like needles either. If her blood potentially held a cure, then she could be donating blood several times. I wondered at what point she was decided to run for the hills to avoid another needle.

The days passed surprisingly quickly. Taver still seemed a bit uneasy about Diane's freaky ability to keep up on foot, but he was willing to talk with us. At least he hadn't seen her eyes glow yet. If all went well, we should make it to Bethany Fort sometime tomorrow afternoon.

We made camp earlier than usual since there was a good sized stream nearby and Diane promised us battered fish in the morning. Taver had been more than willing to lend the flour as his contribution for breakfast.

We had found out that he had no ability to cook. It was either raw or turned into charcoal. He mostly ate smoked meat on the trail, which was why he welcomed Diane's cooking so much. Diane seemed amused by it.

I woke to the smell of battered fish and started climbing down eagerly. I heard Taver groan from a nearby tree. He wasn't exactly a graceful early riser. His joints got stiff and slightly painful overnight, so he often had difficulty getting out of the hammock in the morning. "Ugh... We don't have that far to go t'day. Don't you ever sleep in? Come to that, how have you not collapsed on the ground yet? Whatever coffee you are drinking before you wake me up, I want some."

Diane laughed and called back, "Put it down to excitement. We have been traveling for almost two months to locate this rumored place and it finally looks like the end is in sight. Come on, where is your youthful energy?!"

Taver groaned and flopped back into his hammock. I giggled. Most people had a hard time handling Diane's energy on a normal morning and she seemed quite excited today. I wondered if a couple cups of tea might wake me up enough that her enthusiasm didn't seem over the top. Doubtful.

The fried fish was a good start though. Despite his groans and complaints about old bones, Taver came down before too long. He wolfed down some fish before taking a big swig of his coffee. He almost spat it out as his eyes went big and round. He managed to swallow it and sputtered, "What on earth did you do to this?" He eyed his cup with a partial look of horror.

Diane grinned at him, "I turned it into an espresso."

I sniffed the air and recognized the faint bitter scent. Diane made it only on rare occasions while traveling with a group in Wainwright Fort and never drank any herself. The plants in it had large concentrations of caffeine and stimulants that tended to interact and amplify each other. She had told me that I wasn't allowed to have any either.

He gave her an unreadable look before taking a much more cautious sip, "Doesn't go well with the fish, but it sure has some bite to it."

"A few of the herbs I put in are responsible for that. Plants with more caffeine don't always have the most pleasant taste."

He shuddered and took another sip, trying to get used to the extremely bitter flavor. I stuck with the spruce needle tea. It was light and refreshing. Taver stood and paused as he glanced towards the horses.

I looked over and noted that the saddlebags were all packed up. The horses had also been groomed already. Diane must have really been excited, all we had to do was saddle the horse and load the mule. Taver muttered something about impatient young whipper snappers as Diane grinned. It wasn't long before we were on the road again.

We stopped for a small break at noon. I walked beside Diane as Taver started leading the horse on foot, something he had never done before. Diane was watching him with a baffled and curious expression. He saw her expression and made a face, "What on earth did you put in that coffee? I can't even sit still in the saddle at the moment."

She chuckled, "A bit of this and a bit of that. You said you wanted it strong for this morning."

He shook his head, "Aye, but I didn't mean that I wanted it to scare me awake and chase me around the mulberry bush."

I giggled as Diane burst out laughing. I spun around Diane in a dance, happy to stretch my own legs for a bit. Taver seemed amused by the situation and took it in good humor. Eventually he mounted and Diane picked me up once more so we could travel at a faster pace.