I slowed to a stop as I noticed a cloud of dust rising in the distance. The trees prevented me from seeing what caused it; but considering it went in a straight line, it was almost certainly some sort of vehicle. From the size of the dust cloud, I suspected that there were at least several large vehicles. I wasn't exactly near the Fort, but the various groups were known to travel far and wide. Could they be Raiders? Foragers? Or someone else?
My curiosity was piqued, and I started running at my fastest pace in that direction, both for speed and just in case I would have to sit still for a while.
As I neared the location where the dust had stopped, I slowed down to a walk since it would be less noticeable. I reached the top of the hill and paused as I examined the activity at the farmhouse with interest. I was currently about half a kilometer away, but I easily recognized the familiar vehicles below.
The grey and light brown uniforms showed that the group was mostly made up of Raiders and Foragers. Eight blue uniforms hailed the bearers as Guards.
I tilted my head in perplexity as I took a closer look at the people working. I only recognized a few of the people below – the rest were strangers. Slowly, I crouched down so that I would be less noticeable on the top of this grassy hill. Then again, that simple action alone was noteworthy. No zombie crouched down unless it had prey, and considering the coordination of the average zombie, they were lucky that they were unable to starve to death. No one seemed to have noticed my movements, so the tall grass would make it very hard for them to spot me now.
I kept watching the large group as they started organizing themselves into small teams for various tasks. Why were there so many Guards? Half of my runs with Raiders only had one or two Guards, if we even had any accompany us at all. I tapped my finger on my knee in thought. I was missing something.
The last month had taught me odd things about life and time. It had also taught me patience. I recalled my own joint runs with Raiders, and I knew from experience that it would take them several hours to thoroughly search this small farm.
They would be here for a while yet. I had time. I sat down in the long grass and watched the activity below. As I watched, some things began to stand out.
Most of those below were between the ages of twenty and thirty-five, which wasn't that surprising. Older people tended to be slower, usually preferring a safer position inside the Fort. I was pretty sure that two of them were in their forties though.
The behavior of the Foragers and Raiders showed that they were still in the early stages of training. I had not yet spotted a green or grey name badge, which meant that they were all trainees – this also explained why I didn't recognize them.
Despite watching for the Group Leaders, hoping to see someone I recognized, I didn't see any of the leaders in charge of the various groups below. They had to be around though, so they were likely inside the buildings or out of my line of sight at the moment.
From the way the two groups interacted, this was their second or third run with another group. I knew it was not their first run since they didn't have enough nervous energy. This also meant that they were not as alert due to lack of nerves - and their lack of experience didn't help in that area either. I had only recognized two of the Foragers so far, and both had switched positions to become Foragers just before I ran. They were both still trainees.
Something about the Guards seemed off though. The usual posture and air of relaxation while being subtly alert was absent from most of them. Two facing the forest on the far side were an exception, and I recognized one of them from my previous runs.
The Guards were loosely scattered around the perimeter as they protected the numerous trainees around the farm buildings. The vehicles were parked by the gate, which seemed to be on the edge of their perimeter. I watched in disbelief as the two Guards by the gate meandered closer to one another and began talking. They did not have any attention on their surroundings. I blinked slowly in confusion; I had never seen a Guard behave like this.
Remaining motionless in the concealing grasses, I continued watching the two Guards for several more minutes. They kept up their oblivious conversation the whole time. As one stretched and leaned back, the sun glinted off his blonde hair and his shiny white badge. My eyes widened in sudden realization – they were trainees.
I had never seen Guard trainees before. All of the previous Guards had been military members before the virus had emerged, so they hadn't needed training. This new discovery also explained why there were eight of them; two were experienced while six were in training. Groups had either six or twelve members with one Group Leader in charge. This group had six trainees with two experienced Guards from another group along to help.
Where was the Group Leader for the Guards then? They were sharper than most experienced Raiders and twice as suspicious. He knew that he had six obviously new Guard trainees out here that were supposed to be keeping an eye on two other inexperienced groups. He would be keeping a sharp eye out for trouble. I turned my attention to the farm buildings uneasily.
I closely inspected the farm, looking for any sign of sunlight glinting off a gun barrel, not that an experienced Guard would be so careless as to let the sun hit his gun if he was sniping. Most of the activity on the farm was on the other side of the barn, so he might be there.
If he had spotted me, he would be watching and waiting. If I approached, he would deal with me depending on my behavior and level of threat. If I left, he would make a note of my speed and direction of travel in case I was a spooked survivor.
In general, Guards tended to lean more towards the shoot first and ask questions later category, although my uniform and badge would almost guarantee me a chance to speak first as long as I didn't try to actually ambush someone. Guard Group Leaders were fierce fighters, and I had no intention of putting one on edge when I showed myself.
The two Guards by the gate continued their chat. They hadn't even looked in my direction since they started their conversation. I suspected that their trip here had been uneventful. If they hadn't seen any zombies, they may have figured it was safe enough to lower their guard. Idiots. If their Group Leader was watching them, they would have hell to pay later on.
They walked a bit to the side so they could sit on the truck tailgate. I lifted my head slightly in surprise. Why were they sitting while on guard? They hadn't been standing for that long. That wasn't even taking into consideration that anything coming out of the northeast would be invisible due to the fully enclosed trailer blocking their line of sight.
I felt the urge to shake my head at their stupidity but didn't since the movement may attract attention. At the moment, my head was all that could possibly be seen through the long grass. They would have to be a lot more alert than they were being to even have a chance at spotting me.
As a plan emerged in my head, a grin appeared on my face for the first time in a long time. I would help their Group Leader with a certain training lesson. I rose to a low crouch and moved to the northeast.
I climbed onto the top of the trailer while taking care to be as quiet as possible. The Guards were still talking in front and remained oblivious. I was fairly certain that this raid was going to proceed the same way that all my previous ones had.
Everyone would gather supplies at one central point first, and from the activity I had seen, that spot was likely behind the farmhouse. Once everything was collected, then they would start loading the most desirable stuff first. If something didn't fit at the end, it was dumped into a building for a later raid or left where it was depending on its value.
I sat down and buffed the dirt off my badge to ensure that it stood out against my somewhat dirty brown foraging leathers. The spot I chose on top of the trailer was easily noticeable, so people simply had to look to see me. I crossed my legs and sat up straight as I looked around with innocent interest. Most people were behind the house, so they should be done shortly.
I saw the Guard Group Leader come out of the barn with two Raider trainees. He talked with them for a few moments before they headed off to the side and out of my sight. As soon as he had come out, the two gossiping Guards quickly got to their feet and hurried back to their previous posts.
They stood between the vehicles and fields as they diligently faced the fields, pretending that they had never slacked off. They hadn't even bothered to glance up as they walked past the trailers. I winced internally at the terrible turn their luck had just taken. They were about to learn a rather hard lesson. They would have fared much better if they had spotted me as they resumed their posts.
The Guard Group Leader started a visual sweep out of habit. He paused when he saw me. I smiled widely as I put my finger to my lips to mime silence before pointing to my badge. I looked pointedly at the two Guard trainees who stood stiffly on guard behind me, oblivious to my presence. His eyes narrowed at me in suspicion, and he frowned in thought before grinning momentarily and nodding to me.
He started walking along the perimeter talking to each of those standing guard. The Guard trainees would shake their heads no, and he would immediately move on. The two experienced ones shook their heads no, and he talked for a few moments longer.
Shortly after he left, the two experienced Guards did a slow visual sweep, pausing for a second in my direction before returning their gaze to the outside. The Group Leader wandered back into the buildings. I suspected that he was letting the other Group Leaders know about my presence quietly. I grinned, wondering which trainee would spot me first. I wasn't exactly obvious since I was sitting still on top of the trailer, but I wasn't invisible either.
I exhaled in relief; that had gone better than I had hoped. Guard Group Leaders had quite a reputation, and I had been surprised to see him grin, even if it had only lasted for a second. I was pretty sure my foraging leathers and badge had done most of the talking for me for the moment. Otherwise, I could have been scrambling to put distance between us if he took exception to my presence.
I didn't know this particular Group Leader, although I had seen him a few times and knew his name. Chances were that he wouldn't have recognized me, and having a stranger suddenly appear behind his trainees would not have sat well with him.
The sounds of squeaking wheels and voices started getting louder. They must be bringing the first load to the trucks. I sat still and put a slight smile on my face as I watched and waited. Both groups came around the corner as they carried supplies or pulled carts with various items.
The other two Group Leaders were in the middle of the procession of grey and brown uniforms. Their eyes darted to my location, but they didn't say anything. I knew both of them by name since we had done runs together in the past. That was another relief; they would also recognize me and could reassure the Guard Group Leader if he was still overly-suspicious.
One of the younger Raider women suddenly stopped dead in her tracks as she caught sight of me. She had been at the back of the group and had spotted me shortly after rounding the corner. I was impressed. She was quite sharp for a newer trainee.
Because she was near the back, her stop had gone almost unnoticed. One of her group members saw her stop out of the corner of his eye. He quickly looked around but didn't see any zombies, and with the trainee Guards in plain sight, he didn't do anything more than a fleeting glance.
He turned to her in concern. "Carmen, is something wrong?"
It was loud enough for me to faintly hear it and loud enough to make all of the people in front stop as they turned around in concern.
Her Group Leader played along perfectly as he turned around. "Carmen, are you okay?"
She pointed at me. "Devon, who is that on top of the trailer?" Her voice had been much quieter this time. My ears had a hard time picking up her voice, so I doubted that any of the Guards had heard it. I broke into an open grin at her expression.
The Raider Group Leader glanced over his shoulder at me. "That is an old friend of mine. We were wondering where she got to."
His voice was loud enough that the two Guard trainees heard it, but they kept facing ahead, assuming that I had come in from another direction. Experienced Guards would glance around a lot in case something got by someone else. These two really needed more training.
The Guard Group Leader came up behind the frozen groups and walked around them before raising his voice for all to hear, "Jordan, Mike, why didn't you let me know when Diane arrived?"
The two chatty Guards jumped slightly before they turned around. "Sir, who are you referring to? We haven't seen anyone."
The Group Leader was not impressed and frowned at the duo. He pointed up at me. "Her."
They looked up in shock to see me sitting at ease on top of the trailer. I grinned down at them in a friendly manner. Everyone else was silent. I could see that the other Guards had turned around and were watching as well. The experienced ones had smirks, while the other trainees looked on in confusion as they realized a stranger was present.
The Raider Group Leader let out a huge sigh as he walked forward before speaking loudly, "Diane, please tell me you were keeping an eye on the perimeter."
I grinned back at him and replied loudly, "Of course. I watched everything in my line of sight."
The two Guard trainees cringed at my words as well as the look on their Group Leader's face.
The Raider Group Leader walked closer. "Please tell me you at least had to work in order to get up there unnoticed."
"I walked right over and just climbed up."
The two Guard trainees shuffled their feet in embarrassment, looking like they wanted the earth to swallow them.
The Raider grinned even more. "You just walked?" He was enjoying the silent humiliation of the two delinquent Guard trainees and trying not to show it too much.
"Of course, running on gravel makes way too much noise."
The Raider Group Leader burst out in laughter and shook his head side to side in amusement. "Welcome back, Diane. Welcome back."
The words made me glow inside. I had missed my extended family.
He continued on, "Oh, and since you arrived just in time, feel free to help us pack all of this. I have a feeling that we will need an experienced hand to make all of this fit. It will also be a relief to know that someone experienced is keeping an eye out for danger."
The two Guard trainees looked like they would rather be anywhere but here. Judging from the glare their Group Leader was giving them, I would rather face another Swift than be in their shoes.
After I came down, some introductions were made before I helped them start to pack the trailers. He hadn't been joking. Only the Group Leaders had any idea about how to pack properly. I gave quiet tips and advice to those loading. They were quick to put them to good use.
The trainees were watching me closely, even the older ones. They were unable to figure out how I had gotten all the way out here and past eight Guards. I was wearing a green badge as well as rather dirty foraging leathers that had seen hard use and rough terrain. I had clearly not been at the Fort recently, but the Raider Group Leader had known me by name. Then I had been part of a humiliating lesson to two of those Guards.
I could practically hear their unvoiced thoughts. Who was I and how had I gotten all the way out here? The Guards were supposed to be there for their protection, so how had I snuck past eight of them? Group Leaders rarely got mad unless safety was in jeopardy, and the Guard Group Leader was obviously angry with those two trainees. No one wanted a Guard Group Leader upset with them.
My old training and recently-gained experience had me constantly glancing around while working. I couldn't help it; it was a life-saving habit. It had been a strong one before the attack and second-nature after this last month on my own. I didn't have to think about it; I just did it. Not much that moved escaped my attention with my enhanced eyesight and hearing.
My alertness was not missed by the trainees, many of whom were trying to copy me. The Group Leaders saw but did not comment. They had almost the same level of vigilant behavior that I did. The Raider Group Leader seemed particularly amused while watching his trainees increase their vigilance as they worked. He was one of those people who always seemed to be in a good mood.
We managed to load up almost everything they had gathered, although some people would have to put boxes on their laps and by their feet on the way back. The Guard Group Leader got onto one bus, and I followed, intending to apologize for embarrassing his group and reassure him that I was a Forager from Wainwright.
The Raider Group Leader followed me and prevented any trainees from trying to tag along for the drive back to the Fort, directing them to help out various individuals in different vehicles. The trainees quickly got the hint that the two Group Leaders wanted to talk with me alone.
The Foraging Group Leader drove a different bus and led the way back with all of the trainees driving in the middle. We took up the rear.