We set up camp without our usual banter and song. People were worried and nervous. Diane seemed lost in thought. Ace and Dave joined us before too long and helped to set up camp. We made a small fire using dry wood to keep smoke almost at non-existent levels.
We made a supper of roasted rabbit, veggies, and leftover jerky and bread. I had never seen this group so quiet. Diane looked over at Nick, "Hey Nick?"
He looked up, "Yeah?"
"Could you please take a look above that tire axle? I thought I saw something hanging down earlier and forgot to mention it."
I gave Diane an odd look. She never just forgot things like that. Nick frowned and quickly got up. He headed over and rolled underneath to look up at the axle. He started laughing, which earned him many odd looks. I was one of the people giving him an odd look. What was so funny about a wheel axle?
Dave frowned, "What is so funny? Is something broken?"
Nick reached up and, with a bit of fighting, got a box of pancake mix loose and held it up as much as he could under the trailer. He grinned, "I found her stash!"
I giggled as I realized what he had found. We knew that Diane had hidden some prepackaged foods around the trailers, but no one had figured out where she had stashed them. Nick had put a lot of effort into looking for the hidden stash while Diane was outside of the camp. I guess she must have somehow known about his attempts.
Others started chuckling as Dave grinned and shook his head, "Well, bring it all out. We are too close to the fort to cook it tonight so we will save it for our next road trip."
Nick pulled everything out and put it with their camping gear so no one would think it was meant for the cooks at the fort. Diane had managed to tuck a lot of food under there. It made sense though, why raid houses or stores every night when you could raid one house that you were positive that was empty of zombies?
The mood lightened up a bit as we visited and softly sang some songs as sun dropped below the horizon and the stars came out. People slowly started heading for bed. Diane glanced at me and gestured to the trailer with her chin. I hesitated before leaning in for a good night kiss.
I very quietly whispered, "No matter what happens, come back for me."
I could barely hear my words, but she could hear them perfectly. Her dim eyes flickered with a brighter blue as she nodded. She kissed the top of my head and I headed up to climb into my sleeping bag. The evening sky had cleared and we hadn't bother setting up the tents.
I lay there for a long time pretending to sleep. I heard Diane quietly ask, "Do I have time for a run before we are expecting company?"
Ace's voice replied equally as softly, "I am not expecting them for at least half an hour yet, just swing by here occasionally in case they arrive earlier."
"Can do. Don't be alarmed if you see a running figure cross the road around that rock that you were sitting on earlier. I will try to cross there so you know it is just me."
"Stay safe."
"Thanks."
I didn't hear any footsteps, but that didn't surprise me. The grass was damp from the rain and Diane's footsteps were normally hard to hear. I had almost dozed off when I heard Ace and Dave started speaking.
Dave's voice was very low and I had to strain to hear it above several lightly snoring people, "What is going on?"
Ace's voice was very faint, "About half of the population in the Fort were gullible enough to listen to the fear mongering that had been going on when you left. For some reason, over four hundred people are convinced that Diane is infected with a mutant strain of the zombie virus."
Ace sighed, "None of them want Diane to enter those gates. At least a dozen are determined to try and kill her on sight. We know that at least one of them has a rifle."
I heard Dave inhale in shock. I didn't blame him, I was also stunned. Dave was at a loss for words, "Why? She has never harmed anyone and that scar of hers is obviously old."
Ace sounded tired, "They are scared and not thinking straight. Believe me, we have tried to bring reason into it, but they just ignore us. They have their minds wrapped around this idea like a dog holds onto a good meaty bone."
Dave sounded irritated, "If she was infected, even with a mutant strain, she would have turned by now and her eyes are obviously blue, not red."
Ace chuckled weakly, "They are convinced that she is an immune carrier. Besides, her eyes used to be brown. I am not sure if you noticed on your trip, but her eyes can actually glow in the dark. Something obviously changed. But I agree with you, she isn't a danger to us. I am just as upset with the idiots inside the fence."
Both Dave and Ace fell silent. I almost dozed off before I heard the clip clop of horses' hooves. I was so tired, but my worry helped me to wake up. Ace's quiet voice broke the silence, "Looks like you found them. Not that I am too surprised. Did they bring you up to speed?"
Diane's voice responded, "Yes, they told me what is going on both inside the fence and out."
I heard another man's voice, "There is a group in the Fort that is convinced that Diane is carrying a mutation of the zombie virus. Some people plan to kill her the second they see her. Others are also scared that you and your group are now infected and are threatening to shoot at you if you pass the fence line.
"This group of rioters makes up half of the population, although none of them are in the Foragers, Guards, and Raiders. Once Diane has been gone for at least three months, and your group shows no signs of changes, they are willing to let you back into the fence. There are two people who have already said that they are going to accompany you to ensure that she does not make contact with your group."
Dave had obviously been mulling Ace's earlier words over. His shock had turned to righteous anger, but news that two of those people planned to babysit Dave's group was a new insult, "What madness is this?!"
Ace responded, "Madness fueled by fear and lack of rational thought, pure and simple. We have tried to bring rationality into it and calm the fear, but nothing we do is working. At the moment they are like a single-minded mob with each one feeding the others fears and emotions."
I heard Diane sigh, "So much for my absence cooling things down."
Matthew chuckled weakly at Diane's attempt at humor. Diane continued and her voice was stronger, "Well, it is clear that I can't really go back. No matter what we try to do someone is going to try and kill me sooner or later."
I held my breath as silence reigned below at her statement. I saw a shooting star zip overhead, quickly followed by two more. I could only think of one thing, don't let me be separated from Diane. Another star shot across the sky.
The Base Commander spoke slowly in his deep voice, "What are your thoughts on this? We are prepared to support you as best we can considering the circumstances."
"I was wondering if this would happen even before I joined Dave's group. After what I was told on the walk over here, it is clear that I can't really stay at this fort, even in the treehouses."
What had Diane been told? I kind of wished I had heard that conversation. The Base Commander's voice was calm despite the insane situation, "Where do you plan to go?"
"Probably west, we heard a rumor of a large group towards the mountains who had built a massive research center looking for a cure for the zombie virus. Perhaps a sample of my blood would tell them if I actually am a carrier of the zombie virus or if perhaps it can give them a new lead to a cure. Maybe something to temporarily cause the T cells to overreact like mine did, I am not sure. Summer is a good and easy time to travel. All else fails I am sure some group would take me in simply due to my knowledge of edible plants."
The Base Commander didn't miss a beat, "And Laura?"
I held my breath as time seemed to stop. Diane sighed, "I will explain things to her as best I can. I will let her make her own choice as to where she wants to go or who she wants to stay with, but I am pretty positive that I already know the answer."
Hope fluttered in my heart. Did that mean I could go with her? One of the Commanders spoke up, "Do you really want that kind of life for her?"
Diane was silent for a moment and my heart plummeted. Why couldn't that guy just stay silent? Diane spoke in a very reasonable tone, "Do you think that that thought has not crossed my mind? I thought over it even when I joined Dave's group. This will be even less ideal for a child. She knows that she would be welcome with any of the groups I worked with, with Trish, or with many others. Most villages would be happy to take her in if she tired of traveling. I am even sure that Nancy and Nancine would adopt her given the option.
"Would it be any better to force her to remain here when half of the population is off its rocker and likely speaking badly where I can't hear them? What would they do to her if she tried to defend me?"
My heart swelled as Diane seemed to be in favor of me going with her. Silence greeted Diane's questions. Matthew sighed dejectedly, "Is there anything we can send off with you or give you for your journey?" I hadn't been aware that Matthew had been below, but in the end, he was currently her real Group Leader.
"I wouldn't mind that big grey horse that you used to ride for a while. It had way too much energy for most people. It will allow Laura to keep up, I can't really carry her on my shoulders when we arrive at small places. We would stand out too much. Hmmm..."
Diane paused before speaking, "That will unlock the trapdoor to my treehouse. Please take that large picture of Evan and Kailey off the wall and keep it somewhere safe in case I can return one day. It is just too large for me to carry. I have small prints of it in my pack and they will have to do. Neither Laura or I have anything else of value in there."
Matthew spoke, "I will get it and keep it in my office. I can get that horse and its tack for you as well. Is there anything else we can send you off with? One horse doesn't seem like much after all the time you have been here."
"Just a few basics like a hatchet, small pot, collapsible bowl, a larger quiver and a good supply of various arrows. I already have a picture of our group, Ace, Trish, and several other friends, so I won't forget you. I will be sad to leave without seeing Trish, but at least I got to see you and Ace."
Ace spoke slowly, "I can drag Trish out here when the Commanders go back, so you can see her. I am going to miss you, although I will not exactly miss the bruises."
I grinned as I heard Diane chuckle. "Thanks."
Dave spoke up, "Just let us know what you want or dig it out of our supplies and it is yours." He was still supporting us even when half of the Fort simply wanted us gone. I was touched by their concern for both of us.
Diane replied, "Thanks, I will have to do a bit of digging to ensure that I don't forget something important."
The Base Commander spoke up, "When do you plan on leaving?"
Diane's response came instantly, "Tomorrow morning at day break. Everyone can claim that I stayed with the village that we had visited and that way I won't have any hotheads on the trail trying to track me down."
"That is a good plan. I have to get back before my presence is missed, but I wish you a safe journey and good luck."
Diane spoke, "Thank you. I am pleased to have had you as a Base Commander. You did an excellent job with the resources you had at hand."
It was silent for a few minutes. Another of the Commanders spoke, "Is there anything you will need from the base? It may be best to camp here until close to noon before heading in like usual. Pretend that you were actually traveling and not just camped around the corner. The gate sentry will stop you and your group can look surprised when they are not let in."
He must have been talking with Dave. Dave still sounded somewhat upset, "We still have supplies, so no worries there. I am not happy with this population at the moment. I think our next trip is going to be heading south to that group down by US border. They aren't the kindest people and our two little watch dog tag-alongs will get their eyes opened. If they bad-mouth Diane, then they will not be sleeping on the trailers or joining our meals. I can't exactly box their ears since I am not their Group Leader, but they will hold their mouths shut if they want to travel with us."
Diane spoke up, "Zombie incoming, I will lure it off so it won't be an issue."
The group was quiet for a bit. Leave it to a zombie to interrupt them. Dave spoke quietly, "Are you sure that this is the only way? This doesn't seem fair."
The Base Commander sighed, "We have tried everything we can think of. No, it isn't fair, but we can't guarantee that she will be safe around most of the population. The archers know that if they shoot at her, that they will be exiled, but it hasn't fazed them any. I know at least six are hiding around the Fort right now since they know you guys were due back days ago."
I heard Matthew comment, "As much as I will miss Laura, she is truly better off with Diane. As close as she was to Diane, I don't trust those causing problems to leave her alone either."
Ace spoke quietly, "There are other settlements out there. With their knowledge of plants and Diane's hunting abilities, they will likely be welcomed almost anywhere."
Dave sighed in defeat, "Well, I wish her luck in finding that research center. Perhaps her blood may hold the key for a cure or a vaccine. She had been bitten and survived."
I refrained from shaking my head. How could they be so blind? If she had gotten bitten by a zombie, her eyes would have turned red, not blue. She was the opposite of a stumbling mindless zombie. Things below were quiet before they said their goodbyes and I heard the horses leave.
I didn't hear any creaking, so Dave hadn't climbed up the ladder yet. I dozed off while waiting for Diane to return.