A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 24

I was wearing my warmest coat and had a small light backpack on. Diane picked me up and put me on her shoulders as she jogged to the gate. The sentry waved as we passed through, but made no comment. I was happy that I finally got to go out with Diane.

She kept up a steady jog until we were out of sight of the fence before she picked up speed to a fast lope. My hair was braided so it wouldn't fly into my face and I looked around in curiosity. We were on a road where the snow had been packed down, but most of the snow elsewhere was untouched.

Not long afterwards she left the road to follow a trampled trail. She still hadn't slowed down any. She didn't seem to be tiring either, her breathing was slow and steady. I remember how long she used to jog around the running track, so I knew that she could run for hours on end.

She occasionally paused to kick some snow from the ground and inspect the hidden plants. I watched what she was doing. I recognized most of the plants I saw. After a while she stopped and put me on the ground. She unfolded a shovel and scooped some snow off the ground.

She crouched down, "Okay, what edible plants do you see here?"

I came forward and inspected the somewhat snowy plants that were somehow still mostly green. "This is clover. Here is a dandelion. Snowberry. These two grasses are also edible."

I picked a piece of clover and popped it into my mouth. It was cold and fresh. Diane chuckled as she picked me up and put me back on her shoulders. She kept running down various deer trails, although she occasionally left the tracks and plowed her way through untouched snow.

Just like when I had seen her run from my house, she ran through the deep snow almost effortlessly. I knew from experience that it was not nearly as easy as it looked. We talked a fair bit as she pointed out various plants and animals.

It often took me a bit to see what she was pointing at. The forest that had seemed so empty was full of animals as she pointed them out. I saw deer, moose, rabbits, grouse, and even a fox. We occasionally stopped in a clearing to check what was hidden beneath the snow.

I got to mark good spots on our map and put a piece of flagging tape on a tree. Diane showed me how much damage mice could do to the plants we were after. Some clearings had almost nothing left untouched. That was why she was out scouting. She found the good spots for others to go to.

I loved our new routine. I got to go out with Diane almost every day, although I did have to go to class with Agatha at least twice a week to learn other things. She gave me homework like math and I carefully kept my grades up.

It was nice to spend all day with Diane since she still spent most of the evening training with Ace. Rick was helping me with more training as well, although Trish was taking me to the playground more and more.

It had taken a few days to get used to being carried around on Diane's shoulders. She didn't mind if I squirmed a bit, but I had to be careful if I moved too much because it could throw her off balance. She easily corrected the few times it had happened, but there a chance of her stumbling if she had to watch her step in a bad spot.

Diane twisted and glanced behind us before dropping to a light jog. I turned on her shoulders and looked behind us, but I didn't see anything. I wasn't fooled though, Diane normally ran at a lope all day. She wouldn't have slowed down without a reason.

"I don't see anything, why did you slow down?"

"I can hear the bus, it should be visible soon."

I pulled my winter hat above my ears, but it didn't help any. All I could hear was Diane's boots crunching the skiff of snow on the road and the birds in the nearby tree. I kept glancing back curious to see when the bus would appear.