We came to a room where several people in white lab coats were mingling with the newcomers. Like the shower room, the walls had stalls with opaque shower curtains hanging in front, ready to be pulled closed for privacy. Instead of a showerhead, each small room had a small stand with a stethoscope, jar of popsicle sticks, blood pressure pump, band-aids, and some other odds and ends.

An elderly gentleman in uniform greeted us at the door, "Hello, we just need to complete a quick medical checkup to ensure everyone is in good health. Ladies, please go to the right. Gentlemen, please go to the left. A doctor or a nurse will take you into a cubicle for a quick checkup. They will be asking you to remove your shirt and pants to check for any injuries. They will also check your heart, blood pressure, and some other vitals."

Kailey and I looked at each other before we went over to a couple of available nurses. One of them ushered me into a partition while closing the curtain behind us. The blonde-haired lady glanced at my name tag as she smiled at me, full of enthusiasm, acting like there weren't zombies just down the road.

"Hello, Diane! My name is Nancy. Nice to see that you made it here. Now I just need to check if you are safe and sound. Please remove your shirt and shorts. You can leave your undergarments on."

I removed my shirt and shorts slowly, still unsure about this overly enthusiastic nurse. She picked up a stethoscope.

"Great!" she said. "Just hold still while I listen to your heart and lungs."

The stethoscope was cold as she placed it in about a dozen different locations on my chest, side, and back while listening. She stepped back and did a quick walk around me, looking for any injuries before proclaiming cheerfully, "Excellent. Your heart and lungs sound clear, so you can get dressed. I will just grab your blood pressure, and you can be on your way!"

I wasn't sure what kind of coffee this lady had gotten into, but the amount of energy this perky nurse had was startling. She used a blood pressure cuff and wrote down my blood pressure. According to her, it was a little high, probably due to the stress we had been under this last week. They would be doing a checkup on everyone again in four days to ensure that it wasn't anything permanent.

She pushed the curtain open and led me over to the waiting area while chattering about all the potential friends I could meet here and how we should visit for coffee occasionally. I nodded while making a mental note to warn Kailey about avoiding the coffee in this place.

Kailey came out and gave me a thumbs-up which I returned. I looked around while we waited for Evan to come out. There were a lot of guards in this room. An awful lot of them. I noticed that two large guards were standing on either side of a heavily reinforced door that had an "Authorized Personnel Only" sign on it.

A curtain parted as a nurse and lady walked out. The nurse was talking somewhat quietly, but since the room was more or less silent, we could faintly hear her. "Looks like you may have a cracked rib, dear. Jordan? Can you please take her to the specialists?"

One of the guards came forward. "Please follow me." He led her through the Authorized Personnel Only door.

Kailey and I looked at one another, then away. I glanced back at my nurse; she had a sad look on her face. I transferred my gaze to the closed curtain where Evan was getting checked. I was pretty positive that the cracked rib was a polite cover up to keep the lady from freaking out – and I was equally sure that I would never see that lady in these buildings again.

Evan finally came out and walked over as Kailey started her usual rambling. "About time!" she exclaimed as we walked towards the exit. "Were you getting your hair done or something? You can never complain that I take too long after this..."

A guy in uniform, who had been waiting by the door we were approaching, came over and greeted us, "Welcome. I'm John. We like to give everyone a tour so they have a good idea of the layout. Since it is close to lunch, I figure we can stop at the mess hall on the way."

He guided us to the lunch room while discussing landmarks and pointing out things on our maps. He also went over the rules, which were pretty straightforward, even if they were a little stricter than we had expected. Anyone who wanted to stay had to put in an effort to work for their keep. If you didn't work, you didn't eat, unless you were sick or someone gave an exception beforehand.

We finally made it to the lunch room, and I gazed around with interest. It was set up like a buffet, though the food was plain. Admittedly, given that we were in an emergency situation, this was a small miracle. I could see peas, potatoes, bread, and some other things that looked like they started out life in a can, freezer bag, or as some sort of military MRE ration.

We quickly filled our plates and sat at a vacant table. Once we had eaten a bit, John continued to speak, "Well, pull out your schedules. We can take a peek at what the receptionists have lined up for you. Most of your schedule will be the same every day of the week, although there is one block of time that will vary to allow for additional training."

Kailey inquired, "Do we work all day?"

He glanced at our schedules as he replied, "Normally you work about eight or ten hours a day, depending on the type of work. The rest of the time is yours, although any additional help is welcome."

He pulled my schedule closer. "Never seen that before. Ah, a medical note. They've got you on the running track at eight o'clock in the morning and in the evening for half an hour. There is a note here that you have full access to the running track and workout room at any time. Don't be shy about using it either; they would much rather have someone working out than trying to find a quiet place for a nap. These are just basic training schedules; as you get more training, they will change a bit."

I dubiously regarded the blocks of time that they had set aside for me to workout. Oh, joy. I would be getting more exercise in a day than I normally got in four. I also doubted that foraging involved any kind of sitting. I had a suspicion that I would finally be able to lose those ten pounds that had been bothering me.

The schedule vaguely reminded me of when I had been back in high school where my day had been divided into blocks of time. I examined the paper more thoroughly. My schedule started with running at eight every morning, and my day was filled with "Position Training" until 5:30, although it had time set aside for lunch.

After dinner, there was an eighty-minute block of time called additional training. That class varied every day as it covered first aid, field training, zombie training, survival training, people skills, and other types of training. Apparently, they figured we needed a lot of training against zombies and for survival.

Lastly, there was my eight o'clock running session. A glance at the others' schedules showed a similar layout. They lacked the workout and running on their schedules, having more position training instead. Their days ran from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon. I noticed that I had Evan and Kailey in at least one or two of the additional training sessions, which was a relief for me.

"Have you heard any recent news about what is going on in the world?" Evan's quiet question pulled me from my musings.

John sighed as he responded, "Not really, just rumor and hearsay. We have radio contact with several other forts and bases across Canada, and they have relayed news from further out and down south into the US. It ain't good. Several bases stopped broadcasting recently, so that is bad news. The big cities were hit really hard. Abandoned cars caused a complete gridlock, and with so many zombies and recently infected in a small area... as far as we can tell, the casualties are catastrophic."

Evan said, "We saw several quads luring zombies off. What about the fences around this place? Can they keep a zombie out if the quads miss one?"

John replied, "A section of good chain-link fence can hold off a dozen zombies, although nothing will stop hundreds or thousands of them. We did get word that Swifts can somewhat climb. It takes them a while, but they can. I hate to dampen spirits and hopes, but it doesn't look good. Since the zombies are dead, many are hoping that they will rot in a few weeks and fall down once the tendons and muscles disconnect from-"

"Eww!" Kailey wailed, causing several people to look at us. "I am trying to eat spaghetti here! A few less details please!"

John's face turned bright red, and I heard several chuckles around us, not to mention that Evan and I were also snickering at both John's and Kailey's expressions.

"Ehrmm...." John cleared his throat, trying to recover his composure. "Well, yes... Ummm... Sorry. Yeah. Some others are hoping that our snowy winters will kill the zombies if all else fails. Freezing temperatures cannot be easy on exposed flesh."

He then concentrated on his own meal. We all ate in silence for a while. I could see amusement dancing in Evan's eyes, although he didn't say anything. Kailey was focused on her food, and John was still as red as that tomato slice on his plate. With one last chuckle, I tried the spaghetti myself.

After we finished eating, he gave us the tour of the Wainwright Military Base, which he unceremoniously dubbed the "Fort". This refuge was larger than I had expected, although huge changes were underway.

In places where smaller barracks or buildings might have once stood, veritable swarms of builders were rapidly erecting larger and taller buildings. Several of the new structures were already built, and I suspected that the others would be done within the week considering how hard those several hundred builders were working. On the other side of the fence, several quads quickly drove by.

"We found it easier to slowly lure several zombies away on quads until we can no longer see the Fort," John explained. "The quads pick up speed until they are out of the zombie's sight, then they make a big circle and come back. There is a pattern; we lead them out in almost any direction, but we only come back along one track. This keeps us from luring too many zombies back in."

That made sense to me, although I would be paranoid about the quad breaking down with so many zombies close by. I didn't want to get close to a zombie.

John led us into one of the newer buildings and up a flight of stairs. As we walked down the hallway, we could see that almost all of the rooms had bunk beds to make the best use of space.

"Men and women are typically separated into different rooms to reduce...untoward incidents that might occur with all these small rooms. Family or friends are welcome to stay together. They're still working on the next building, so there aren't many options. We tried to keep you together. Kailey, Diane. Your schedule shows that you are sharing one of the smaller rooms. Ah, here it is." 

He opened the door. I figured it must have been used as a janitor's closet until very recently since it smelled faintly of cleaning supplies and dust. It was barely big enough to hold one set of bunk beds and two small dressers that were stacked on top of one another in the corner. It had a window though, which was an added bonus. We were on the second floor, so I had no worries about anything trying to climb through the window.

"At least we aren't on those tiny cots we saw downstairs," Kailey commented.

I nodded in agreement. There had been cots in one of the larger rooms downstairs, but John told us that one of the new buildings had just been opened up to accommodate those who had been using the cots.

We went up another flight of stairs, and I glanced in a few of the rooms. The bedrooms were filled with bunk beds, and some of the larger rooms even had eight bunk beds crammed inside, using the most of any available inch of space.

"Evan, here is your room, you are sharing with three other men. Please be respectful of others, and if you encounter any issues, please talk to one of the receptionists in the main hall."

Evan nodded. At least Kailey and I didn't have to share with strangers, although our room barely had enough space beside the bed to walk. It would be cramped but beggars can't be choosers.

John led us back to the ground floor and grabbed a large cart. "Okay, please take a cart. I will help you get your stuff into your room. If there is anything you want to donate, I will see that it gets to those in charge of supplies. Larger items can remain in your vehicle if you don't need them."

It was a long walk back to our vehicles and pushing the cart over the short grassy stubble of the parking lot didn't make it seem any shorter either. Once we unlocked the vehicles, Kailey started digging through the supplies in Evan's Jeep.

She started muttering to herself, "Camping gear and most things can stay until later, I wouldn't mind bringing in some of the bedding. Umm. Food?" She looked over her shoulder at John.

He replied, "If you can eat it in a few days, feel free to do so. If there is more than you can eat quickly, the Cooks are hoping that all easily perishable food will be donated so it doesn't go to waste. Canned goods can be left in your vehicle, stored in your room, or donated."

Kailey and Evan started hauling out boxes of food and supplies before rooting through them as they sorted them into three piles to match the categories. I went to my car to start. John followed me and offered his assistance. "Just let me know what pile you want me to put something in and I can help."

"Thanks, how about everything I put on my right goes for donations, and what I put on the left goes to my room? I think I'll leave most of the stuff here though, since the majority of it is camping gear. If there's a sudden need for old sleeping bags and dented pots, come and find me."

He laughed at my response as he piled the obviously old camping stuff to the one side. I started sorting through everything. We had thrown most of the big bulky stuff in my car, along with most of our camping supplies. I threw those into the front seats to make room for sorting.

There was no stove in our room, so I passed boxes of canned goods to my right, although I stuck three cans under the one seat, just in case. If things got really bad, then I had no doubts that various guards would be ordered to search each vehicle for hidden food, so there wasn't any real point in hiding a lot of it.

I put our three suitcases to the side since they held our clothing and toiletries. I put my hairbrush by my feet. I couldn't wait to brush out my hair since it was still faintly damp and knotted. I took a good look at the rest of the stuff, but there wasn't much left in my car besides camping gear now.

John was carefully loading his cart of donations so it wouldn't tip over on the rough ground. I closed my trunk and picked up my hairbrush. I began the tedious task of brushing all of the knots out of my hair while waiting for Kailey and Evan to finish. I listened to the two bantering in the background.

"Donate the popcorn, we have no way to pop it anyway."

"Sure, what about the chips and crackers?"

"Those are Doritos! And they stay with me! Those are my bedtime snacks!" Kailey and her Doritos...

"I think I will keep the crackers. They will last a while, and I can share with my roommates. What is in this box anyway?"

"Uh, just put that box in the donate pile. Diane must have packed it. It isn't edible."

"What is it?"

"Honest, you don't want to know."

"Okay, now I am curious. Tell me."

"Dried shoe soup."

"What?" The sound of cardboard being opened and plastic being shuffled showed that Evan had decided to take a closer look. "They're just different types of MREs that become soup."

"Exactly! Dried shoe soup!"

"Surely, they don't taste like shoes..."

"Obviously you never tried them before. Honestly, put them in the donation pile. Even the dog wouldn't taste it." At that comment, I heard a thunk of the box being dropped.

I shook my head; those MREs weren't as terrible as she was making them out to be. Sure, the neighbor's dog refused to lick out the bowls, but they hadn't tasted that bad once you added some frozen veggies and pepper. Apparently, Kailey thought differently.

John finished loading up his cart and pushed it over to ask Kailey which stack of boxes was the donation pile. He quickly loaded it into the cart that already held my donations. He said, "I will drop this off and come back. Take your time. There's no rush."

Kailey was sitting on the ground, sorting through another box. I wandered over and looked down at her while brushing out my hair. "You gave away my MREs?"

She evaded the direct question. "There wasn't a stove in the room. Besides, we donated almost anything that needed cooking."

I grinned silently in amusement, refraining from mentioning that they actually didn't need to be cooked. Perhaps the Cooks might be able to make them taste better than I could...

I leaned against the Jeep for a few moments as I fought with my hairbrush, coming to the decision that my hair was going to have to be trimmed within a day or so. Long hair equaled knots, and lots of them – not exactly ideal for a zombie apocalypse.

I gave up on my hair for the time being and helped them sort out the rest of our supplies, tucking the first aid kit into my bag. Once we finished sorting everything, Kailey dug out her hairbrush, and both of us managed to get our hair knot free and tied back in a ponytail. We were finished before John returned.

We pushed our carts back to our respective rooms. John left with a wave, saying he would be back just before dinner. That gave us a couple of hours of free time. Kailey and I unpacked and decided that a nap was in order since the day's events had left us feeling drained. We hadn't slept well the last few days either, which probably didn't help. Evan left to go figure out which bed in his room was his.

It felt like I had barely fallen asleep before the sound of knocking woke me up. I went over and opened the door sleepily. Kailey rolled over in her upper bunk and groaned, "Go away! I need more sleep!"

John wasn't bothered by her greeting and had obviously figured out Kailey's big weakness. "Alright, you can stay and sleep. The rest of us will head down for dinner."

Kailey loved food. She rolled over and managed an impressive vault out of the upper bunk for someone who looked only half awake. "Food! I'm coming!"

Evan chuckled from behind John, having already been rousted from bed. I yawned and attempted to clean my glasses on my shirt. The cleaning attempt just smeared things to the point where I cringed. I snagged a cleaning cloth from my dresser before we followed John back to the mess hall. There would be time to clean my glasses halfway properly once I sat down at the table.

It had been a long day, and if I thought I was tired before eating, I was having a lot more trouble remaining awake afterwards. Evan and Kailey looked like they were in the same boat. John noticed the slow blinks and lack of conversation.

"Head on up to your rooms, get some shut-eye," he said. "There is a morning bell that sounds around 6:30. When it goes off, get up and grab some breakfast before heading to your scheduled location. I will try to touch base with you sometime tomorrow to see how you are doing."

We headed on up, brushed our teeth in a nearby bathroom, then practically fell into bed.