It was quite funny that we were hiding simply by sitting on a rock in tall grass some distance from the highway. I tilted my head, what was that sound? It almost sounded like the crunch of tires on gravel. There were quite a few sets of walking horse hoof beats.
Diane put her backpack on and rested her glaive across her knees. I took that as the cue to put my own pack on in case we had to run. Movement caught my eyes. I shifted on my rock a bit, the various colors of clothing showed that this was not one of Wainwright's Trading Groups. Well. I had no clue who they were or what they were doing out here. Now I wasn't sure I wanted to meet them after all. It was too late for me to back out now.
I watched as the entire group came into view. There were three trucks pulling semi cargo trailers with solar panels on the sides. Ladders adorned the sides, allowing a route to safety in case of a zombie attack. Each trailer also had a trailer with solar panels arranged in a tent shape.
I narrowed my eyes as I peered at it. There were four bicycles on each trailer under the solar panels. Two people happened to be pedaling slowly, so it must be able to generate power like that. All were mounted on horses, except for a dozen who were either driving or riding on top of the trailers. Additional horses wearing just a halter and a lead rope were also present.
It was slightly cloudy, but all of the solar panels allowed this group to move faster than Dave's group had before Diane had found more solar panels. There were weapons present, but most of the people were relaxed and none of them had spotted us yet. There were at least forty people visible and probably more that I couldn't see on the other side of the trailers.
Diane spoke quietly, "Let's try to see if we can get just one or two to approach us. Once they get closer, I will stand up. I bet a couple will approach me and I will motion you to stand up as they get closer. That should make them pause since they will know that I will likely be quite protective. We will see how it goes from there. Watch my hands for any signs I give. If we end up running, take off to the west down that deer trail we found earlier while I lure them south. I will catch up shortly and will be using my chickadee call."
"Okay." I slid off the rock slowly to sit on the ground. The clams distracted me, if we had to run, I didn't want to lose the lunch I had worked so hard for. I pulled a plastic bag out of my pack and put any clam that was done into it. Diane was still sitting and watching the group. They were almost across from us now.
Diane slowly stood up and balanced her glaive in one hand as she faced the large group. One woman jumped a bit as she saw Diane stand up, a crossbow in her hand pointed towards Diane before lowering.
Diane stood with her feet slightly spread, alert, but not threatening. She was obviously waiting for them to make the first move. The woman swiftly started speaking with those around her and heads started turning towards us. I shrunk down a bit, even though I knew that none of them had spotted my hidden form in the tall grass yet.
The trucks slowed down somewhat. They were getting closer just by following the road. I could hear some of the louder voices, although I doubted that anyone thought we could hear them. A normal person wouldn't have been able to, but neither of us were exactly normal.
"Where on earth did she come from?"
"Not sure, but she is there now. She has quite a few weapons on her."
"Show me one person traveling these remote roads without a weapon. I wonder if she has her horse picketed in the forest, I can't see her coming all the way out here on foot. She would be zombie bait by now."
"At least she isn't holding that bow. Hey Roland, you are the leader, why don't you go approach her? Perhaps your personality and charm will keep her from turning you into a pin cushion."
I grinned widely at their comments and their caution. Diane probably did look formidable since she was wearing all of her weapons.
I watched as one of the men dismounted and passed the reins and his sword to another rider. The trailers were almost directly across the road from us, and slowed to a stop while the rest watched him.
This must be Roland. He held up his hands to show he had no weapons as he stepped off the pavement and slowly walked towards us. Diane let her glaive slide through her hands until the butt rested on the ground and the blade pointed straight to the sky to show that she had no plans to attack him.
My eyes drifted to the others who waited with the now-stopped trucks. A few looked like they were ready to have their horses run in if a fight broke out. I could see one of the women driving had a loaded crossbow in her lap; it was mostly hidden, but I could see it.
Others were also alert and ready to help this middle aged man if he encountered difficulties or walked into a trap. The weapons and strangers made me nervous, and I remained motionless in case any movement attracted attention. I knew exactly how well motion could draw the eye from my own experiences.
The man was now within speaking distance. It was luck that he hadn't spotted me sitting on the ground yet. Diane's fingers rubbed lightly together before flicking out. That was my cue.
Diane also knew that the presence of a child would affect how the others reacted towards her. I was ready to do anything that would help her. I quickly stood up and the movement made Roland stop in surprise. I hid shyly behind Diane, aware of that everyone on the road was also watching us at this point.
I peeked out from behind her. Surprise and shock was clearly written on Roland's face. Those on the road were swiftly hiding their weapons. None of them had expected a child to appear out of the long grass and hide behind an armed woman. Then again, they had been surprised by Diane's presence. We were in the middle of nowhere though...
Roland held out his hands to show that they were empty as he took a few slow steps closer to us. Diane watched his approach with a calm, yet alert, stance. Once he was close enough to speak without shouting Diane spoke loudly, "Hello, I assume you are traders heading up to Mountain Fort?"
Roland stopped his approach and nodded, "Yes. Are you heading that way too?"
So they were traders of some sort. Diane nodded, "Yes."
He gestured slowly back at the group on the highway, "Would you like to join us? Honest, we don't mean you any harm. We are kind of surprised to see you out here on foot though."
Diane watched him while considering the offer, "Thank you. I think we will accept. I am Diane and this is Laura."
Roland grinned and relaxed now that he knew we were friendly. Diane turned to put out the fire and I quickly gathered up the rest of the clams. They were all cooked now. Once we finished, I stood just behind Diane's elbow and looked up at her with a silent question.
Diane nodded and I slowly stepped out around her to walk warily towards Roland with the bag of clams held out. Diane followed me as we closed the distance between him and us. Roland gave me a friendly smile as reassurance, he had obviously realized I was quite shy.
He slowly reached his large hand into the bag to grab two clams. I retreated to Diane's side. Most adults in this zombie-infested world were very protective of any child, and my actions might help make them more accepting of both Diane and myself. I couldn't do much to help her, but my young age and cute face were something that she couldn't copy.
Roland started to walk towards the trailers and Diane walked a comfortable distance from him. I stuck close to Diane, uncertain of what to make of this group yet.
Roland chewed on a clam, "Mmmm... These are very good. Thank you."
We reached the edge of the highway, and everyone in sight was trying to look welcoming. Not one weapon was visible at this point, they were trying not to scare me. I knew the weapons were there though.
One lady was waiting at the edge of pavement on foot, "Hi, I am Amber. Do you want to ride in the back of the truck with me?" She pointed to one of the trucks pulling a trailer, the truck bed had padding and seats in it for a comfortable ride. No one else was in it at the moment.
Diane nodded, "Thank you. It has been quite some time since I have been on a moving vehicle."
Diane lifted me in before easily vaulting over the side. I sat in a corner as Diane took a seat beside me. Roland mounted his horse and walked it over, "All comfy?"
His question was mostly directed at me, possibly trying to be friendly. I nodded, too shy to speak with so many people watching us.
He stood up in his stirrups before calling out to the rest of the ground, "We're good to go! Let's make some miles while we still have daylight!"
The trucks slowly picked up speed and Roland continued to ride beside the truck, "Ever see solar powered vehicles before?"
Diane nodded, which surprised him, "We traveled with a Trader Group from Wainwright Fort for a while and they used solar as well."
He looked startled, "You are quite a ways away from home."
Diane nodded slowly, reluctant to discuss that complicated subject. Amber bit her lip nervously, "Um. If you don't mind me asking, why are you all the way out here on foot? We have never seen anyone on foot before."
Diane tilted her head as she examined the brown-haired lady. Amber quickly apologized, "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
Diane blinked slowly, debating on exactly what to say. Once the sun started to set, my eyes would be quite noticeable. It was one thing to sneak out of a sleeping settlement, but it would be nearly impossible to sneak out for a run with a traveling group on the road. Someone would eventually wake in the night and notice our empty hammocks.
Diane slowly started speaking, "We heard that Mountain Fort is very fair to newcomers despite any... odd habits they may have as long as they don't break any rules. All we are really looking for is a fair chance to prove that we can pull our own weight."
Amber looked confused, "Most places have no problem accepting women or children into their settlements. Some of the ones I have seen were quite odd indeed."
I sat quietly and unmoving. I knew what Diane was about to reveal and I wasn't sure how this group would act. The leaders we had approached had always been alone when Diane mentioned our eyes.
Diane chuckled lightly, keeping the atmosphere from getting tense, "Perhaps, but as you will notice soon enough, our eyes have a tendency to glow in the dark and apparently it scared the living daylights out of everyone. We make great sentries as we can see very well at night, but the first glimpse of our eyes at night usually has them wishing us a good trip as we continue on our journey."
Most were watching Diane and none were looking at me. Diane's eyes were a light blue shade that meant she was controlling their glow, so she was likely on edge enough that they would be glowing otherwise. I knew if things got bad that she could probably grab me and escape before they realized what she was doing. She was extremely fast if she used the heat in her blood.
Amber blinked in disbelief, "They kicked you out because your eyes glow? That's it?"
Amber was looking at Diane's eyes, but she didn't let them glow. Most settlement leaders had actually not seen them glow, she had merely told them that they would in the dark and they had bid us a safe trip to the next location.
Roland looked deep in thought, "I am surprised that they would not accept you just with odd eyes..." He looked over at me speculatively, as if trying to discover another, more plausible or believable reason.
Diane shrugged nonchalantly, playing it cool, "It may also be the fact that I can't sit still for more than four hours, but if I go for a run before bed I ensure that I never lead any zombies back. I can see very well in the dark and I often lead them away from the camp. Odd as it is, the eyes spooked everyone far more than my restlessness."
Amber was still looking at my eyes, "Your eyes look normal enough to me. A really bright blue, but nothing scary."
Diane chuckled, "I will let you reconsider that once dusk falls and they are more noticeable. But there really isn't anything else. Despite the amount of weapons I am packing I have never killed a human. A couple of zombies in an emergency, yes, but never a human."
"That is good to know. Any good at hunting?" Roland was trying to change the subject to something more mundane.
Diane grinned, "If you want a certain kind of meat, just let me know. I was trained at Wainwright Fort as a Forager, so I am very good at hunting and gathering. I know most edible plants on sight as well as several medicinal ones."
Roland brightened, "That is good to know. We know several edible plants, but not as many as we know must be out there. Many are also small right now and we can't quite tell exactly what they are. I still can't figure out where you found those clams though, we looked in that creek last night, but didn't find anything."
Diane nodded with a smile, "Well, we can definitely help identifying young plants. The clams usually hide in certain spots, we can show you later tonight if we are still by the creek."
Roland nodded happily, "That is very good. I look forward to whatever you can show us."
Diane grinned over at him and asked him in a teasing tone, "And are you the type to run away from freaky glowing eyes at night?"
He laughed, "I highly doubt it. I stopped jumping at shadows years ago. Unless those shadows had red eyes, then I ran away."
Diane chuckled and I smiled at his joke. Roland seemed like an okay guy. He was pretty down to earth like Taver had been, but reminded me of how fair and easy going Dave had been. I slowly relaxed a bit as the trucks kept rolling.
Many of the others glanced at us in curiosity. I heard some whispering, half of the people didn't believe our eyes could glow and the other half were more curious than anything else. Now that I thought about it, Dave's group had been pretty accepting as well. Perhaps life on the road made people more tolerant and less likely to spook or overreact than those who lived behind walls.
I guess we would see their true opinion once the sun started to set.