We stared at the snarling creature that pounded on the thick, welded cage bars in its desire to get to us. The large cage looked like it could hold a rhino in full charge, although that didn't comfort me any. I sure hoped the cage wouldn't fail in containing this deadly thing. The instructors were ducking behind hay bales to make the Swift run from one end of the cage to the other as a new person caught its attention.

The difference between it and the regular zombies was striking. For one thing, it was fast. I might be able to outrun it at my fastest pace, but I was unable to hold that speed for more than a minute or so. Its eyes were an even brighter red, and it seemed better able to track things around it. An object thrown at it would only distract it for a second or two, whereas a normal zombie would have paused for about five seconds. It had better coordination and was not quite as clumsy.

They replayed the video of it in the obstacle course. The incline of the ramps had barely slowed it. It could climb, but it was slow and somewhat clumsy at it. It would be able to climb a tree given enough time. The longer I watched those videos, the more uneasy I became.

They concluded, "The only weakness we have found is that Swifts seem to be just as incapable of learning as their normal counterparts."

It was a small blessing, but I would take it. I was glad that they were so rare around here. We had been in this barn for several hours already as we tried to get more accustomed to its movements. We were doing this in hopes that we would not panic if we encountered one in an uncontrolled environment. Judging by the expressions of others in my group, it was not succeeding.

This thing was dangerous, plain and simple.

       Over the next week, we were sent back for three more "acclimatization sessions" with the Swift. I could never get out of that barn fast enough when we were in there. I never managed to be the first one out the door either. Everyone cleared the room the moment we were allowed to leave.

Rumor via the flourishing grapevine said that no one was comfortable around the Swift – not even the instructors who were out there every day. I didn't blame them. If I ever came across one, I hoped that I had a cannon ready to fire or a fast getaway vehicle with a full gas tank. I seriously hoped that I never encountered another Swift. Those things gave me the creeps.

Otherwise, life and schedules went on. Despite the number of Foragers and Raiders out and about every day, we rarely found anyone who was still alive. Neither had any new vehicles driven up the highway despite the fact that we were still broadcasting on the radio, providing directions, survival tips, and other information. Wainwright Fort was not that close to any large city, so many people probably were not able to find enough fuel to reach us.

Although he never mentioned my medical condition, my Group Leader ensured that I did not get too many jobs that involved sitting for long. How thoughtful of him. I didn't need that much exercise.

I hadn't had a single flare-up since coming here though. The hour-long morning and evening sessions on the running track alone ensured that. Yeah. I had doubled my time on them, just so I would be in shape to outrun zombies in a bad situation. Someone had noticed and changed my schedule to reflect it.

Our routine was pretty predictable. Foragers usually went out every day gathering edible plants, hunting, or fishing. Occasionally, we were asked to look for certain medicinal plants. We still had a zombie evasion class, but it was mostly practice at this point since they had run out of new things to teach us.

As a Forager, our work outside the fence generally gave us daily practice with the usual lure-the-zombie-away tactics. So far, we hadn't had to use the more serious evasion techniques in real-life situations. Our trainers heavily advised us to avoid all close contact with zombies, not that we really needed to be told. Despite how predictable zombies usually were, fifteen meters was closer than anyone wanted to get.

All it took was one misstep, a stumble, or some other misfortune for tragedy to strike. Our group had been lucky so far, but two other Foraging groups had lost a member due to zombie accidents. The Raiders suffered the worst losses though; each of their groups had lost at least one member in the dangerous job of entering buildings, even with as much care as they took.

Usually, once or twice a week, the Group Leaders from the Foragers and Raiders would band together and plan to go after supplies on a more extended run. We almost always targeted farms on those joint runs. Raiders focused on things inside buildings while Foragers concentrated on things outside. I quite enjoyed those runs, especially since more eyes meant that danger had a slimmer chance at getting close without being noticed.

Raiders and a few Guards would often join forces and go off on their own to raid other stores in small towns. Foragers were not part of those runs since we lacked their peculiar training that happened to resemble something along the lines of a SWAT team's infiltration techniques.

I had been asked to take part in some Raider training, mostly building layout and close quarter evasion tactics. We never knew if a run would go bad, causing the Raiders to need emergency assistance inside. Since most of our members volunteered for the extra Raider training, our Foraging group was one of the ones that usually accompanied the Raiders on the extended runs.

I was currently learning various new skills like how to make arrows out of commonly found materials, such as thin pieces of pipe and wooden dowels, using a fish net that was thrown with two hands, as well as other things.

Our weapons class attempted to train us in almost any weapon that we could easily find. They mostly focused on things to break a zombie's legs so we could get away, such as big sticks, lengths of pipe, and even axes.

One class even focused on what we could do with rope, including tying various knots and how to weave things like hammocks. The hammocks could be hung high up in a tree and were out of reach of zombies for lunch or a nap, or in an emergency situation, even overnight.

     I followed my group members as we put some food on our plates. Despite having missed the main dinner rush and being late due to mechanical issues, there was plenty of food left. The engine on the fishing boat had broken down and none of the three group members in my boat knew anything about motors. It was a long paddle back to shore. 

I sat down with my dinner plate and took a closer look at it. The meals had slowly shifted over time. Things like canned, frozen, or plastic-wrapped foods slowly faded from the menu as they got used up. Raiding groups still found some during their excursions, but we had hit almost every small town within a four-hour radius.

We avoided the larger towns and cities though. One group had cautiously approached the City of Calgary to see just how bad it was – they quickly left the area due to the sheer number of zombies wandering around on the outskirts of the city. In such close quarters, going there would be a suicidal move even if we could get past the roads filled with abandoned vehicles.

Early July had more edible plants available, as well as a greater selection of berries. The livestock groups and gardening groups were doing quite well, so our resources were increasing. In a few months, we should be mostly self-sustainable, which was a good thing since we could only drive so far in one day and camping on the side of the road appealed to absolutely no one.

I glanced up as I watched Kailey and Evan filling up their plates. Kailey finished first and came to sit down beside me. A glance to the side showed that Evan was still dishing up. Kailey started sharing the best gossip of the day as soon as Evan sat down. All of the good gossip had apparently stopped at the mess hall first.

"A group of Raiders came back and said they found another group of survivors towards the east. Not military, but from what I heard, they had a pretty good setup. They guessed that there were around sixty or so behind the walls."

That surprised me, and I glanced around the room. I hadn't seen any new faces today, nor had I heard any rumor of an upcoming extended raid for supplies that would accompany such an influx of people. I buttered a bread roll and waited for her to continue as she finished her mouthful.

"Anyway, they declined to come here. They said they were safe enough within their walls. They even claimed to have thrown a net over a Swift and dropped a huge rock down from the top of the wall to break most of its bones before dragging it away using a horse and a long rope. Their wall was made from tree trunks placed vertically, and the Swift was unable to get over it. A palisade wall has no real handle holds like our chain-link has. However, they did send back a list of things they wanted, in case we were interested in trading."

Evan and I looked at each other. It was shocking news, but not exactly unexpected. If it weren't for Swifts, zombies weren't too bad to deal with out in the country since there were fewer of them - if you knew what you were doing and kept a safe distance.

John arrived and sat down with his own plate. He acted like the Guard his blue badge declared him to be and wasted no time in getting to the point. "I assume you heard about that independent holding out east?" We all nodded.

"Great, did you also hear that they knew of two or three other independent settlements as well?"

Our blank gazes rendered words unnecessary. He grinned triumphantly, pleased that he knew more than we did. He was also just as happy to share the information.

"Apparently there are some small communities that are surviving out there. As long as they can build a fence or palisade tall enough to keep Swifts out, they seem to do well enough. Winters will be hard, though. None of them were interested in coming here, although all of them were interested in trading. The Commanders are working on putting a small group together dedicated to trading and relations. The exact title of the new profession is yet unknown, although 'Trader' is highly in favor."

That was interesting news. It had not occurred to me that a palisade wall made from logs would provide insufficient handholds for a Swift. The biggest catch was that most people did not have enough time to build such a wall before being overrun by zombies.

We had mostly been using tall chain-link fencing with extra posts for support in case a couple dozen zombies tried to push on it. They were fairly quick to put up, and they had worked so far but would be unable to stop a Swift if it was on a scent trail or could see us. That was why we had raised Guard posts scattered along the fence with sentries constantly on the lookout.

"A smaller military base in the US with an extensive medical lab radioed us, and their news isn't encouraging. The zombies aren't rotting like we hoped. There has been no deterioration at all. As you well know, broken bones reset themselves, and any injuries tend to heal up pretty quickly. Our second hope, winter, is likely out as well. They stuck a few in a walk-in freezer and set it as cold as it would go before leaving them in there for a month. The zombies barely slowed down and didn't suffer from frostbite."

Kailey sucked in a breath, looking shocked. I made a face at the unwelcome and unexpected news. We had expected the zombies to slowly drop due to rot within six months tops. This more or less dashed our hopes of picking up the pieces of our lives once the zombies were all gone. This news was a game changer. John, unfortunately, still had more bad news to share.

"Even worse, they are not dehydrating or starving either. Somehow, their skin absorbs moisture and their bodies are still producing blood and fluids which, as we know, are highly contagious. It will come as no surprise to you that they don't drown either; they can be submerged for over a month without any negative effect."

We already knew that water didn't really bother them. A few had fallen into a dugout and had been bobbing around. Apparently, they float by default. We ended up lassoing them and dragging them out. That had not been a fun job...

Various tests had proven that animals were not affected by the virus even if it was directly injected into their bloodstream. The animals involved with testing ended up as zombie bait just as a precaution. The water from the dugout was safe for livestock according to science, but it wasn't something we wanted to drink. Boiling any water would kill the virus, but we were trying to use well and rainwater whenever possible.

John leaned back and continued, "Now, for some good news, the monthly graduation ceremony is in three days."

Our eyes lit up in anticipation. It was always such a fun event; it was also a chance to forget about the red-eyed foes outside the fence. Kailey practically bounced in her seat, particularly excited by the upcoming ceremony. Her Group Leader had barely provided any suggestions for improvement this past week. There was a good chance she would be graduating. Of course, we didn't know for sure.

This would be our third graduation event, and the names of those graduating was always kept a surprise. That was partly why it was so exciting. It was hard to believe we had been here three months already.

I stretched and made a face when I realized that some of my muscles had stiffened up. "Well, I should head to the running track. I may have been on my feet most of the day, but we weren't gone much longer than usual. If I don't appear on the running track today, the Nurses are bound to come and track me down since they've classified it as a health concern."

Kailey shrugged wordlessly, unwilling to volunteer to tag along. It didn't surprise me that she showed no interest in joining me on the running track. She didn't like jogging and almost always declined my subtle invitation. I got to my feet and headed out of the mess hall.

Kailey's silence over dinner was unusual considering that she usually chattered endlessly, talking so much that she was constantly the last person to finish her food. She had been acting a bit odd lately though. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed, but as a close friend and roommate, I did.

It was just small things mostly; she wasn't as talkative the last day or so, and she was acting a bit off. Maybe she had a disagreement with a group mate and it was weighing heavily on her mind, or perhaps something else was bugging her. Maybe she had indigestion.

Every once in a while, she got into these moods, and asking about it wasn't the wisest course of action. I hoped that she would snap out of it in a couple of days.

I shook my head and started to jog as I reached the running track. I didn't really feel like jogging, but there was no point in trying to skip it just because I had got back a couple of hours later than usual. I had tried that once before, and Nancy had come to see if I was all right.

       The next day was a light one for my group, which I appreciated since it was quite hot out today. We had picked berries this morning, and now we had the afternoon off. Our Group Leaders were able to tweak our schedules as they saw fit, and between yesterday's long run and today's heat, they saw no reason to risk heatstroke or exhaustion.

I considered my options. Whenever we had afternoons off, I usually did some sort of physical activity after lunch. The gym would be full of sweaty people, and in this heat, the smell wasn't worth it.

I decided to visit the running track instead. I managed a few laps inside the fence before deciding that it was just way too hot out. Taking a break, I sat underneath a tree as I drank some water. I relaxed in the shade while I looked around. Not many people were outside today in the heat. Blinking, I did a double-take when I noticed Evan and Kailey walking slowly between two of the buildings. And they were holding hands. Well.

I suspected that I now knew why Kailey had been acting so evasive.

I watched with amused interest as they paused and kissed one another lightly. I couldn't stop the grin that stretched across my face. They had obviously not seen me and there was no one else in sight either. People were either off working, or if they had the afternoon off, then they were hiding from the heat. Some people were partial to a nap after lunch during such a hot day.

I watched as they walked into the main building while still holding hands. I rested a bit more before getting to my feet again. I tried jogging for a while longer before giving in and finding somewhere cooler to hide.