A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 80

I woke up and stretched. My muscles were a bit stiff, but they quickly loosened up as I climbed down to the ground. It was the fifth day and there was no actual pain, although my bite mark still ached occasionally if I moved too quickly.

Diane smiled at me, "Good morning."

I grinned at her, I was waking up a tiny bit earlier each day, but Diane still had breakfast cooked by the time I rose. "Good morning."

We were both certain that the Heartfire virus had taken and that the zombie virus was long gone. I was so relieved and happy. I was looking forward to trying to keep up with Diane as the days kept passing.

Diane shifted the cooking rock away from the fire, "Ready to go for a walk?"

I nodded eagerly. One good thing was that as soon as I woke up, I wasn't tired in the least. Diane grabbed her glaive and her pack before heading towards a nearby deer trail. I walked beside her and occasionally tried jogging. I knew if I pushed myself that things would progress faster. I wanted the speed and stamina that Diane had.

Diane always let me set the pace and I was out of breath by the time we got back to the campfire for breakfast. There wasn't much in the way of greens this early in the spring, but Diane always managed to find a decent variety, which was a small miracle.

Once breakfast was done, we started down the road again. I kept pushing myself, and when I got tired, Diane carried me on her shoulders while she stretched her legs at a much faster pace. It worked out well for both of us.

We were covering lots of ground now that walking no longer hurt my leg. I glanced down at Diane, "How far are we from Toga Place?"

Diane thought for a moment, "If we continue at this speed, we should get there in five days or so."

We had remained at a treehouse for a couple days while my pain faded, so that put us behind schedule. "Are we going to stay there?"

Diane sighed and I could tell that she didn't really want to talk about this subject, but she was being honest with me as she always was. She always treated me like a mini adult instead of like a kid. I really appreciated it.

"It would be best if we can stay there for a few months while we think about where we want to go. Toga Place was one of the more welcoming places. As much as I would like to return to the Trader group at Wainwright Fort, it simply isn't safe. Your eyes are already mostly blue and that alone might have them targeting you as well."

The hard tone of her voice towards the end promised that anyone who tried to hurt me would probably regret it. I was once more reminded that even though she didn't really look like a fighter, she was quite dangerous if she felt a fight was warranted.

Diane was right though, Matthew and Ace had both mentioned in their letters that it wasn't safe to return. I really didn't want people shooting at me with arrows. I wouldn't be able to dodge them like Diane could.

I didn't really want to stay in a settlement, but I knew that winter would eventually return and we would need some sort of shelter. I guess I would just have to get used to new people again. I could understand the necessity of it, but I didn't like it.

I still planned to stick close to Diane. Too many people had tried to convince me to stay in their place and I didn't want to be parted from Diane.

I looked around as I jogged beside Diane. We should reach Toga Place sometime today. I glanced down at my leg, but the bite mark was hidden. Diane had lent me a tube of concealer to put on the silvery scar.