I had a few déjà vu moments while walking around the Fort that evening and the next morning. The buildings and schedules were familiar, even after my month-long absence. I half-way expected to see Evan or Kailey appear – and the knowledge that it would never happen made my heart ache. Much to my relief, I had been given a small room to myself in a different building. I wasn't sure I could handle trying to stay in my original room.

Last night, I had briefly met my new Group Leader, Erica, and was introduced to the other eleven members. I found out that the twelfth one had broken her leg recently and decided to transfer to a less hazardous profession, which is why she was short one member. Ten of them had been in her original group from before the attack.

We were currently driving towards a nearby lake to go fishing. I glanced around the bus as I examined my new group. It was an all women group. I had never heard of an all women or guy group before. Most looked like they were between eighteen and twenty-three.

All but one had their green badges. The one with the white name tag was the previous replacement for a member they had lost during the zombie outbreak. I was now the twelfth member, although I already had my badge.

I listened to them talk amongst themselves as I tried to get a sense of the group dynamics. I blinked in surprise when one of them mentioned that we had the entire afternoon off once we got back and handed the smelly fish over to the Cooks.

We pulled up beside a small lake and got to work. There were already small boats pulled up on the sand, and someone had left the gill nets on the shore, so we just had to pull them out into deeper water. With four people in each boat, our group split up, although the others didn't go that far away.

I rowed the boat as the other three slowly released the net into the water. The floats on top of the net began to form a long line behind us. The other women talked as we worked, although I remained silent as I tried to learn more about my new group.

It was strange. This was the oddest Forager group I had ever worked with. I was used to casual chatter while working, and my old group had been quite good at keeping an eye on our surroundings. But I was somewhat at a loss of how to fit into this group, and truth be told, after listening to them on the drive up, I wasn't sure I wanted to join into their conversations.

This group reminded me more of a gaggle of college girls heading out to a bachelorette party. To be honest, Erica confused me. It was as if she had taken the coffee my perky Nurse had and had received an injection to make her scatterbrained at the same time. All the time. The rest of the girls were not any better.

It was a good thing that we were on boats since the girls barely paid any attention to their surroundings. They were mostly chattering amongst themselves, about which guys in the Fort they were the most interested in, of all things. Apparently, it was a frequently recurring discussion. I maintained a neutral expression despite my growing confusion.

"Lilly, did you see Jordan weightlifting yesterday?! Oh my goodness, some of those weights must have weighed a ton! You should really ask him to go on a date."

"But did you see Kyle's arms? He was bench-pressing weights, and I bet that thing weighed two hundred-pounds!"

I finally tuned out their conversation for my sanity's sake. It was one thing to be impressed or to admire someone's strength, but the way they were swooning over them repelled me. Such talk did not interest me at all. I had seen Kyle earlier today, with his wife still at his side. I had no clue what was going on in their heads. I would expect such talk from teenagers in high school, not Foragers in a zombie apocalypse.

Erica interrupted them, indicating that it was time to pull the nets to shore. The girls were not strong enough to haul the heavy nets into the boats, so we had to return to shore to get the fish out.

I rowed back to the beach and grabbed the rope attached to the net. My three group members came to help me pull it in. Being cautious, I pretended to put more effort into pulling than what I was actually using. I had no doubt that I was much stronger than any of my group members.

As I was pulling in the net, I noticed that almost no one was so much as glancing around. There was a forest on the other side of the highway behind us, and I kept glancing over my shoulder at the trees. Anything could be in there – and I didn't want it creeping up behind me.

Erica noticed my frequent glances. "Diane, is something wrong?"

I voiced the source of my concern and confusion, "Are we not going to post a lookout? We have not been paying that much attention."

"There is no need. We are a long way away from the trees. Besides, we would hear the moaning before a zombie got too close. We would have plenty of time for someone to spot it and go lure it away. Zombies don't move that fast."

I froze, completely motionless, in shock and pure disbelief. The older woman's words went against almost all of our training! Not to mention that it was just stupid, even if it would take a zombie a couple of minutes to cross that kind of distance. Not all zombies made noise; some just weren't inclined to make much noise, and a few had sufficient damage to their throats to render them mute. I had seen several mutes myself.

Erica didn't notice my reaction and continued speaking, "Come help us pull our nets in, your arms are stronger than ours."

I blinked in surprise and hastily looked around, trying to figure out how she had spotted my greater strength so easily. One of the women held a rope out towards me, and I realized most of my group members had slim builds and thin arms.

I nearly sighed in relief when I realized that Erica had simply been looking at my body build. Then I promptly had to restrain a groan as I realized that even though my arms didn't look that muscular, they still boasted more muscles than my group members. Great, I had been drafted into the group that was least likely to survive the simple appearance of a zombie. Just great.

I shook my head in exasperation and went to help them pull their nets in, making sure to stand to the side a bit so I could keep an eye out for company without having to look over my shoulder. I was suddenly very glad that my improved hearing, sight, and awareness would make it nearly impossible for a zombie to leave the treeline without me noticing.

Erica had been right; I was the strongest one in the group. It was not surprising after the changes that had occurred over the last month, but I would have been the strongest even when I compared my new group to my physical abilities a month ago. Apparently, I was really going to have to downplay my strength, speed, and stamina if I wanted to even stand a chance at looking halfway normal around these people.

Once we loaded the fish into the bus, I tried to start up a relevant discussion. "What did this group do yesterday?"

A younger member answered me, "Oh, we picked apples in the orchard in the morning and went swimming in the afternoon."

"Can I ask why we have two afternoons off back to back?"

She looked confused. "We usually take the afternoons off."

Surprise rendered me speechless for several moments. I had never heard of a group that took time off just because they could. Group Leaders did have some control over the schedules, but this was abusing it to a severe extent. In the past, Alex had given us half a day off if we had worked a very long or extremely hard shift the day before. Picking apples for a few hours or pulling in a couple nets of fish did not count.

I decided to change the subject before I got too irritated to hide it. "When are we heading out on a run with Raiders?"

"Our group doesn't go out with the Raiders. We really aren't strong enough to help them."

That was a strange response, even though I could see the wisdom on the Raider's side in declining their help. I tried to redirect the conversation once again. "Okay... what other duties do we have this week?"

It was a legitimate question. My old group had helped other groups when they were extremely busy. Especially if we hadn't done a big run for a few days.

She faintly snorted in response. "We don't have extra duties, and other groups have never asked us. Although some of us help out with the baking or as hairdressers."

She had raised her voice and was looking pointedly at another girl her age. There must have been a long-standing argument there somewhere, but I wasn't about to touch it with a ten-foot pole. This young woman reminded me far too much of a spoiled teenager who lacked a wider view of the world.

I desperately tried to search for another safe topic. "Do you know what they are serving for lunch?"

I knew the answer thanks to the Raider Group Leader yesterday, but she didn't know that.

Her expression relaxed. "Ah, I hear there will be bread rolls, steamed green beans, roasted lamb, peas, boiled potatoes, and gravy." Her response then turned to the junk food that was no longer available. "I asked a cute Raider last week if he would bring me back some chocolate, but he never did! It has been so long since I had a chocolate bar."

I closed my eyes as I silently wished that this trip would end. Did it not cross her mind that stuffing chocolate inside of Raider gear in hot summer weather would not work? I decided not to mention anything, reluctant to dare another attempt for a meaningful conversation.

How she had survived this long was nothing short of miraculous, and I bet it would take an even bigger miracle to get this group to act like the mature adults they technically were. It was like they thought this was a frivolous camping trip, refusing to acknowledge that life had changed and that such behavior should have remained in the old world.

I sighed faintly in relief as we pulled up beside the kitchen. Once we unpacked, I grabbed a quick bite to eat while they all went for the showers claiming they stunk of fish.

And I used the term "we" loosely. They each carried one small basket in and disappeared as the cooking assistants came to help unload. They didn't seem surprised that this group didn't stick around to help.

They did glance at me in surprise when I remained and helped unload everything. My old group had never left until all of the work was done, nor did any other group I had ever worked with. I was getting more and more perplexed.

My old group may have associated far more with Raiders than any other Foraging group, but I was seriously concerned at what I had seen and heard today. I kept rolling the day's events around in my mind as I walked towards the mess hall.

I saw John sitting at a table and went to sit across from him, thankful that I didn't have to sit alone in order to avoid my new group members. John was glad to see me back, and was more than happy to have some company while he ate.

After I finished my light lunch, I went in search of my old Group Leader. Perhaps Alex had some answers. I certainly wasn't about to join my current group as they cut hair or gossiped over their tea...

After asking around a bit, I found out that Alex had taken his trainees out to learn zombie evasion tricks at the training field. It was about three kilometers outside the fence – and that detail filled me with excitement and anticipation. I felt up for a good hard run since I had not had one for a couple of days. I had been too nervous to touch my faster speeds where others could possibly see me.

Such a run would take the better runners in the Fort about fifteen minutes if they were racing. If I kept near my top speed, I could probably make it in about half that time. The short distance was barely a warm-up compared to what I did every morning.

I told the sentry where I was going as I passed through the gate, and he voiced his concerns, "Are you sure you don't want to take a quad? There are zombies between here and there."

I shook my head in good humor. "Unless you saw a Swift, then I am not overly concerned. I am going to find a group who are doing the same zombie training that I have practiced for months. The trip there shouldn't be an issue. Besides, quads take gasoline, and we are running low. It shouldn't take me long to get there if I jog. If they come back and haven't seen me, then you can send out a search party."

He looked shocked at my nonchalance, as if the thought of a trip on foot while dodging zombies should have made me rethink my original plan. I wondered how often he went outside of the fence.

Without waiting for a response, I started jogging down the road. Once I rounded the corner of the forest and was out of sight, I grinned and sped up to hit my top speed. The feeling of my muscles finally being able to truly stretch was a delight and something that I had missed even though I had only returned the other day. The wind whipped through my hair with my speed. I was much faster than I had been a month ago. I also knew beyond a doubt that I was the fastest person in the Fort.

My speed was something that would stand out like a red flag, and I would be well advised to not hit my top speed where anyone else could see me unless there was a life or death emergency. Most people were unable to run quickly for more than a minute, but that was barely a warm-up for me.

Far too soon, I reached the edge of the forest and could see the training area. I immediately slowed into a light jog. I wasn't even out of breath yet, much to my amusement.

As I neared the group, I could see that the chest-high wooden fence surrounding the training yard had been expanded. It was about the size of a soccer field now. The fence kept extra zombies out while allowing people to practice with the captive zombies inside. New objects had been built inside, including a large observation platform and a few taller objects that involved dangling ladders made from rope and pieces of wood.

There was a tall slide, and it even had a hand-held zipline at the top leading in a different direction. I examined the odd stalls in the one corner; most of them had a zombie behind a chain-link door, although three of the stalls were empty and had the doors open as the trainees practiced with the former residents. The extras were behind bars for safety until they were needed. 

It made sense. Most zombies were pretty predictable, but some behaved erratically at times. Sometimes zombies fell down and were really bad for lunging at people as they tried to get to their feet. A zombie on the ground was sometimes more dangerous than a standing one.

The trainees had split into groups of four as they practiced with one zombie. Alex was keeping a sharp eye on them while calling out advice. Even while closely focused on his group, Alex was still sharp. He spotted me before I had covered half of the distance between us.

His trainees took longer since they were focused on the task - and zombie - at hand. I had covered three-quarters of the distance between us before one of the trainees caught sight of me and pointed. Alex nodded at the trainee without bothering to look behind him, showing that he already knew I was there.

By the time I had reached the fence, all of the trainees knew I was here. They were much more observant than my new group. I easily vaulted the fence and walked over to Alex while watching the trainees. We observed them in silence for a bit.

Alex patted my shoulder. "Glad to see you back. You had us really worried when you disappeared."

I ducked my head sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"No worries."

His response and lack of questions didn't surprise me. I was pretty sure that within a few days all of the Group Leaders and Commanders would know everything I had told the two Group Leaders on the drive back – if they hadn't been told already. It only made sense that my old Group Leader would have been one of the first they had talked to.

He called out some more advice before turning back to me. "So how is your new group?"

His question seemed pretty pointed, possibly indicating that he knew something. Watching him speculatively out of the corner of my eye, I answered his question truthfully, if a bit bluntly, "To be honest, they seriously worry me."

He didn't look surprised. That both relieved and worried me at the same time. Relief since someone knew that something wasn't right in that group, but worry since it was still happening. In a quiet voice, I summarized the day's events.

"... and I'm not sure what to do. I know we associated with Raiders a lot and that could have an impact on my outlook, but something seems really wrong. Someone is going to get hurt the way they are acting, and soon."

He was quiet for quite some time. He obviously knew some of what I told him, but the look in his eyes told me that I had provided new – and unwelcome – information. I waited patiently while watching his group members take turns luring the zombie around and behind obstacles. They were moving at a jog or a quick run to ensure the zombie couldn't catch up. Working as a team, they took turns so they could catch their breath while keeping the zombie distracted.

These group members were more than ready to support each other and made sure that the zombie didn't chase one person for too long. The loyalty within such a new group only highlighted the problems I had seen during one morning with my current group.

When Alex finally responded, his voice was just as quiet, "The Commanders had come to me as soon as they knew you had returned. As your previous Group Leader, I had first dibs on bringing you back into my group. It would have been handy to have someone so alert and experienced with a gaggle of trainees. We had a rather long discussion.

"Erica's group was originally formed when they wanted to help collect wild edibles. Their help wasn't essentially required elsewhere, and since food is at the top of our priorities list, they were given the go-ahead to become Foragers, even though we knew that they would only do simple things like fishing or berry-picking. Their group has recently gained notice – and not in a good way. They are becoming slackers. We were hoping that you would prove to be a good influence on them. But from what you are saying, the situation has deteriorated far more than what we had realized."

They had been the closest thing the Fort had to a makeshift-work group. It allowed them to contribute, but also allowed them far too much freedom to abuse the kindness that had been granted to them.

Alex continued, "I will go to my superiors tonight. Just hang in there for a few more days while we sort something out. Try to keep them safe."

He was asking me to guard twelve stubborn women with almost no sense of self-preservation, without them realizing it. He knew what he was asking, and that he was asking a lot. He knew that I knew it. Well, they had made it this long without me. It couldn't be too hard to keep an eye on them for a week, especially considering that they were only outside the fence in the morning.

"I'll try to keep them as safe as I can."

He nodded and let it go.