We were staying here for the entire day to rest and load our half of the trade goods. The fact that we didn't have to stay inside of the fence was even better. Dave had noticed the lack of variety in the salad last night and had traded some stuff in exchange for Diane showing six villagers more edible plants.
She had given them a printed cheat sheet booklet that all Foragers carried. Neither of us had even looked at it in months, so we wouldn't miss it. We got to spend most of the day in the nearby meadows showing people which plants were good. Three of the Traders accompanied us with their only job being to lure zombies away from the fearful villagers.
We stayed out until just before supper and returned with quite a haul of green edibles and mushrooms. The six we had escorted were quite excited. They had recognized most of the plants, but had not known that they were edible. I had really enjoyed the day and showing off my skills.
Supper had much more variety since a couple of bored Traders had gone hunting earlier. I listened with interest as Dave and a few locals discussed a medical research lab that was working on a vaccine for the zombie virus. Dave hadn't heard of them and was interested in trading. He asked several people for directions, but all they knew was that it was further south near the mountains along a major highway.
As I listened, I was somewhat surprised at the number of different groups of survivors that they knew about. I should have guessed that if Wainwright Fort had three Trader groups, that they had to be trading with someone, but I hadn't realized that there were so many groups still surviving. It sounded like there were at least fifty towns were scattered across the province.
After supper we headed back out to the trailers. Sandy wanted to get out of the dining hall since it had a low ceiling. I didn't blame her, I was tired of the crowds of people I didn't know. Several more had asked if I would stay with them instead of going outside to the trailers. I had politely declined each time, but their attempts had me rattled.
I was surprised when Joel and Jake joined us. Diane looked at them in curiosity and Joel shrugged, "They may be a friendly bunch, but it is somewhat like the fort. If you don't belong, you aren't quite accepted. Besides, it will likely be quieter out here."
Jake started chuckling, "Ah, come on. Tell the truth now. Sandy was describing the breakfast that Diane had made this morning and he was practically drooling. He is hoping that if he volunteers to help fry the fish and wash dishes that you will make it again tomorrow morning."
I giggled as Sandy and Diane laughed. Diane had made battered fish since it had been just the three of us this morning. It had been really good. Diane grinned at the slightly blushing Joel, "Sure, I will catch it and prep it, but you will have to keep an eye on it as it fries up. If Jake wants a taste, then he can do most of the dishes afterwards."
Jake grinned sheepishly at getting caught in his attempt for a work-free breakfast, but nodded his agreement. I giggled, if he thought that he was going to volunteer someone else to do the work and then try to come along for a free meal, he was sadly mistaken.
We played a few board games and got ready for bed earlier than usual. I had watched Diane yesterday and today and I had noticed that she had gone back to hiding her abilities as soon as the village had come into sight. She had even hidden her nearly inexhaustible stamina, pretending to have the limits that most people had.
Tomorrow morning we would leave to head back to the Fort. On one hand I was glad to be leaving this village, but on the other hand it meant that our trip was now half over. Too bad Dave hadn't chosen a more distant place to go to.
I had no real desire to go back to the Fort. I blinked at that realization and examined it. Other than a few friends, the Fort held nothing I really wanted. For others, it was a safe haven in a chaotic and dangerous zombie-filled world. I didn't mind being outside of the fence.
My training had taught me that zombies were to be treated with caution, but that being terrified of them served no real purpose. Part of my lack of fear was because that Diane was always near me outside of the fence.
Diane. She truly had become my anchor in this new world. In a world where everything and everyone I knew was gone, her presence kept me grounded. Without her, I would be lost. She had appeared out of the darkness in the middle of a cold winter's night just to rescue me.
I still wasn't sure how she had found me, but I was glad that she did. I still planned to follow her wherever she went. I knew that if I was with her that I could handle anything this world threw at me simply because Diane would protect me from anything beyond my abilities.
We once more watched the stars as we fell asleep. I didn't see any more shooting stars though. Even if I had, I probably would have repeated last night's wish.
I woke to the smell of frying fish and baking flat bread. I came down with Sandy and Jake not far behind me. I grinned at Jake's fallen face when he saw Joel's plate already had crumbs on it, showing that Joel had already sampled the wonderful smelling fish.
There was lots left though and we all grabbed some flatbread, fried fish, and greens. Somehow the five us managed to level a plate stacked high with fried fish. Joel had eaten a lot of fish and Jake hadn't been far behind him.
Jake was just washing up the last of the dishes when the rest of the group came out of gate. Dave had likely set his alarm and roused the others so we could get on the road as soon as the solar panels had enough power.
They moved our way quickly while glancing around our camp. One of the other girls spoke up, "What did you make? We could smell it inside and it drove us crazy that we were missing it. Is there any left?"
I was lying in the soft grass and stretched lazily while grinning at her, "We had fried fish, flatbread, salad, and some jerky. There is lots of salad and jerky left."
The look on their faces was priceless. Nick shook his head sadly, "And you didn't save us any?"
Jake grinned at him, "Well, I didn't see you up before the crack of dawn helping to make breakfast."
Joel snorted, "Look who's talking, you weren't even awake when you started scarfing down that fish like it might swim away."
Dave was eyeing up the frying pan that Joel was putting away with sadness. Diane must has seen it and took pity on them. She picked up a container and handed each newcomer a round of flatbread that had been wrapped around a piece of fish. She passed the first one to Dave, "Here, this might hit the spot."
Dave smiled in delight as he took the treat, "Thanks!"
Nick took a bite of his and looked at Joel with wide eyes, "Just how many pieces of fish did you manage to eat anyways? This is delicious."
Joel turned a bit red, "I am not sure, exactly."
Nick shook his head, "Come on, at least give us an estimate."
Joel shrugged, "I lost count after thirty or so finger sized strips."
Nick's eyes bulged and a few others started laughing around their mouthfuls. Nick looked at Diane with wide eyes, "You only saved us one piece? How much did you make?"
Diane chuckled, "I had expected for more to be left over. I had saved those just in case. I caught eight large fish in the creek. In theory, we all should have been able to have a fillet and then some."
Nick looked down at his little wrap and moaned at his fate at being left out. It didn't take us long to pack and with the clear sky the trucks were rolling before any of the villagers wandered out. I was glad to be back on the road.
The moment that the town was out of sight, Diane jumped off of the trailer to jog alongside us. She had obviously missed running like she had on our trip so far. I glanced around as I noticed that there wasn't a single zombie in sight.
Diane didn't seem worried though, so I figured that she had lured most away at some point during her midnight run. I remained on top of the trailer. I had my own special cushion that was big enough for me to lie down on. It had appeared with Diane one morning a couple of days after we left the Fort.
I guess that it was a reward for studying so hard. It was really comfy to sit or lie on. I dug through my bag of textbooks and pulled out the science one. I lay down with the textbook and kicked my feet in the air as I read.
I used scraps of paper to bookmark the pages with quizzes and I would get someone to quiz me on the material later. I wanted to prove that I was actually reading and learning. This was one way to prove that I didn't need to go to class with the teacher.