A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 86

With so many spruce and pine trees around, we had to be really careful with our cooking fires. Diane went to pick out a spot for a quick campfire while I went to investigate a nearby creek. I pulled my long shorts above my knees to keep from getting them wet.

My scar had never faded and the silvery mark was still on the back of my leg. The bumps had smoothed out and disappeared, but the color remained. It wasn't that noticeable, but if someone thought hard they may realize it was actually a bite mark.

I dug around a large rock and my hand encountered a smooth surface. I pulled it out with a grin and inspected the large clam. It had been a really long time since I had clams... I pulled out my small collapsible bucket out of my backpack and put it inside.

By the time Diane had a fire going, I had collected a dozen big clams. I skipped over to her, "Look what I found!"

I tilted the bucket so she could see it from where she was sitting on a rock. I made my eyes really big as I pleaded, "Can we have them for lunch? Please?"

She gazed at me for a moment, "Do you want them steamed, baked, or roasted?"

"Roasted in the coals please!" They were the best that way, cooked, but still nice and juicy. They didn't get that bad aftertaste or go slimy when done that way.

Diane tilted her head, "You realize that they will take about an hour to cook properly, right?

I nodded enthusiastically, "I will collect all the firewood we need."

Diane chuckled in good spirits, "Sure. Go grab some more firewood while I enlarge the firepit."

I darted off towards the trees. She only had a tiny fire the size of her hand at the moment to roast the flatbread she had made this morning, but she expanded the pit in the patch of the gravel she had found. The fire would have to burn for a while and then die down to coals for roasting.

I quickly brought back an armload of wood before going back for more. Diane wasn't overly concerned about time, she had just been teasing me and we both knew it. We were about a week away from that settlement and we had made good time so far.

Once I had a nice pile of wood for Diane, I went back to the creek to find more clams while the fire burnt down. Diane kept an eye on the fire, our surroundings, and me. I also kept an eye open, but the Heartfire made it easy. I spotted anything that moved, if I was looking in the right direction.

I took another dozen clams back to Diane and went back to play in the creek. Two dozen clams were more than enough for both of us. Diane would probably dry some for soup later. Some little fish darted around, and just for fun, I decided to see if I could catch them in my hands.

My increased speed let me catch a few gently in my hands before releasing them. They were quick and could turn on a dime though. The water made it hard as well, the fish wasn't exactly where it appeared to be. The fish were actually deeper than they looked.

A low whistle of warning made my head shoot up. Diane was staring at the highway where it disappeared around a bend. I tilted my head, but I didn't hear or see anything so I wasn't sure what Diane might want me to do. Did I run to her side or go hide in the trees?

Diane noticed my hesitation and motioned me to come to her. I quickly ran over, constantly peering in the direction her eyes had returned to. I even jumped up on a rock so my head was at her height. "I don't see anything..."

Diane nodded without looking away from the bend in the road, "I know I heard someone laughing, so there is likely a group coming up the highway. They may have come from that last crossroads and caught up since we have been here for a while now."

I didn't doubt her hearing. It was still better than mine. We had been here for well over an hour as the clams roasted and I goofed around in the creek. It had never occurred to me that someone would catch up from behind.

I jumped down from the rock and looked up at Diane, "What are we going to do?"

Diane tilted her head in consideration, "Well, we could hide in the trees until they passed us or outrun them. Or we could wait to see who it is, if it is a group of travelers or traders, they may know exactly where they are going, and since I only know that Mountain Fort is somewhere in this direction, we might have guides. Who knows, it might even be one of the Trader Groups from Wainwright Fort. Although if it is Dave, we might give him a heart attack."

The thought of surprising Dave put a huge grin on my face. He would probably fall off of his mount if he saw us in the middle of nowhere on foot. I really hoped it was Dave's Trading Group, "Then let's see who it is. We can always run into the forest and get away. They won't be able to keep up on foot and the terrain in the forest isn't good for horses."

Diane chuckled at my excitement, "We will likely be able to see them long before they spot us if we don't move much. They will be looking for others on the road, not people cooking lunch by the tree line."

I nodded enthusiastically before sitting on a low rock by the fire to watch the highway. Diane bent down to pull the clams away from the coals before sitting on a rock to watch as well. Last year's tall dry grass was mostly still standing and that would make it difficult to spot us unless they were really observant. The fire was just coals so there was no smoke, and the fire pit was so deep that even with no grass they wouldn't spot it.

I waited, hoping for a glimpse of the people I could now faintly hear. I really hoped it was Dave's group, it would be good to see them again. Hopefully they didn't have anyone else tagging along with them...