Other than a few sentries, everyone had gathered inside the biggest building in the compound. It used to be an airplane hangar, but now that the limited amount of aviation fuel was gone, the planes had been towed down the road to free up more space.

We barely fit inside since there were about twelve hundred of us in the Wainwright Fort now. Most still wore the white name tags of trainees, but in a few hours, there would be a few less white tags and more official badges. There was a stage up front and marked pathways leading up to it. People could stand anywhere except on the designated pathways.

Kailey was practically bouncing with excitement while Evan grinned at her energy. The Base Commander walked up on stage and dead silence reigned without him asking for it. Everyone was waiting in anticipation.

"Welcome everyone to our graduation day! Tonight, we are going to call up those who have proven that they have the experience and knowledge beyond their trainee status. We have quite the list tonight, so let's get started!"

Cheers, hoots, and whistles echoed off the walls in loud approval and excitement. I couldn't even hear my own cheer amongst the noise. The Base Commander would name a profession, and then go one group at a time as he called up individuals within that group who had graduated. People didn't pay attention to last names, instead, people knew professions and who belonged to which Group Leader.

Everyone cheered as each person was called up. As they left the stage, the noise died down to allow another name to be called. Dozens of professions abounded from Builders and Nurses to Cleaners and Mechanics. The various teams kept this place running, doing almost any task imaginable or required, although they rarely – if ever – went outside the fence.

The Guards, Raiders, and Foragers were normally the only ones who ever went outside of the perimeter fence. Most people thought we were nuts to leave the safety of the fence.

They began announcing the Cooking graduates, and Kailey practically vibrated with excitement. I was also listening intently, eager to see if we were correct.

"Group Leader Emily nominates Kailey!"

The usual cheers, hoots, and whistles sounded. My cheer was far louder than my previous ones as I gave her a high-five. Kailey let out a whoop before trotting up to the stage amidst the cheering. Evan was sure making a lot of noise while she was on the stage. I began to wonder if he may lose his voice at this rate. Then again, I was cheering so loudly that my throat hurt.

Kailey came back, with anyone within reach offering congratulations and backslaps. She proudly showed off the deep yellow badge on her shirt that declared her to be an officially trained Cook. I swung her around in a hug, well, as much as I could with so many people crowded together. Those around us didn't mind; they were just as excited and made a bit of room to allow me a few rotations.

We cheered as others got nominated. They were now on the Foragers, I cheered loudly as several people I knew from other Foraging groups went up. Ties of friendship and trust ran deep when they were forged in the face of constant danger and threat. Foragers and Raiders needed way more training than most other professions, and most of us still wore our white badges.

"Group Leader Alex nominates Diane!" Cheers rang as I froze in shock. I had no indication that I might be graduating and the announcement had caught me completely off guard. My teachers were still pushing me through numerous classes, indicating that I had more afterwards. Kailey tackled me in an excited hug, much to the amusement of observing bystanders. I quickly shook off my shock and disentangled myself from Kailey before jogging to the stage with a huge grin on my face.

I went up to the Base Commander who shook my hand. As I unpinned and handed over my white name tag, the Base Commander held out the green badge that Foragers wore. I took it with shaking hands and quickly pinned it on. The cheers were still echoing around us.

I headed back to my two friends as people along the way congratulated me, giving high-fives and backslaps. Both Kailey and Evan gave me an excited hug while Kailey kept babbling in the thrill of the moment. Evan had earned his light brown Mechanic badge last time, as he had been working on vehicles for years already. He had just needed a bit more training with some of the oddball vehicles found in this place.

We cheered as another person from my group got called up. All in all, about a hundred people graduated. I took a closer look at my new badge. It was a rich tree-green color with engraved black lettering that proclaimed my name and position.

My ID in the bottom right corner was nearly invisible since it was so tiny. The badge wasn't shiny, which was a relief since shiny things tended to scuff up easily. Come to think of it, none of the badges were shiny. The original white name tags were just a shiny plastic name tag holder that held a piece of white cardboard that had obviously come with the name tags.

Some people had changed positions a couple of times until they found their niche, and it probably saved the administration staff a lot of time if they just had to print off another paper name tag. The badges themselves were another story, being made from colored metal and permanently engraved. The pin was heavy duty, so there was no chance of it coming undone accidentally or getting stabbed by the needle once it was done up.

After the ceremony ended, we headed back to the room that Kailey and I shared. Evan said he would be right over and that he just had to grab something first. Kailey was still bouncing around in the very limited space as she admired her new badge. I sat on my bed and pulled my legs out of her path, watching her with a grin.

I heard Evan's footsteps walk in before he proclaimed, "I think this is cause for a celebration."

I looked over and saw that he had three miniature bags of zesty cheese Doritos in his hands. I had no idea where he had hidden them. To the best of my knowledge, the last bag of chips, or any kind of junk food for that matter, had been eaten within the first month.

Raiders were not interested in risking their lives for empty calories such as chocolate and chips when they were out raiding. And if they brought any back, there was backlash from the supply sergeants, Cooks, and Nurses. The space a box of chips took up could have held other, more-needed supplies or nutritious food.

Kailey launched herself at Evan and rained kisses all over his face. She suddenly stopped and dropped down with her face turning beet red as she glanced at me with wide eyes. "Um, that wasn't what it looked like..."

I chuckled and held out one hand. "Just give me my Doritos."

Evan was also turning red and tossed me my bag while taking a seat on our window sill.

"Besides," I added, "it isn't like that is the first time I have seen you two kiss."

Evan almost lost his seating, and Kailey looked like a deer in headlights as she spluttered, "But - when... Where... How?"

I smiled at them as I honestly replied, "I am happy for you two. You don't have to hide it."

Evan had regained his seat on the window sill, but still looked shocked as he inquired, "How did you find out? We thought we had been so careful!"

I opened up the bag of chips as I let them wait in suspense for a few seconds. "I knew something was on Kailey's mind. She wasn't as talkative. That, and I happened to see you two kissing a couple days ago from the running track."

Kailey narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion. "We glanced at the track in case you were there, but no one was using it. In fact, we didn't see anyone outside at all."

"I was resting under the tree off to the side."

Kailey seemed to accept my claim and looked relieved that I didn't have a problem with her and Evan being together. The three of us had gone to school together, and she had always thought that I might have had a crush on him. In reality, I had never considered him to be anything more than a friend.

She regained some of her excitement as she looked at the tiny bag of chips in her hands and proceeded to bombard Evan with questions. "Doritos! Where did you get them? Are there more? Doritos!" Her voice cut out as she shoved one into her mouth.

Evan grinned at her as he ate a chip, enjoying her excitement. "I hid them in Diane's glove box while you were sorting supplies. I figured I would save them for a special occasion. I brought them into my room after lunch in anticipation of Kailey graduating."

I raised my eyebrow while chewing the rare snack. My car had been locked, and to my knowledge, no one had touched my keys.

Evan laughed at my reaction. "What? I changed the oil in your car for you several times. Did you think that I wouldn't see the key you had duct taped to the undercarriage of your car?"

With a faint snort, I looked away and pretended to ignore him.

Kailey was quick to pounce. "So are there more saved for when Diane might have graduated?!"

Evan and I laughed at Kailey's obsession with junk food.

"Maybe, maybe not," Evan replied. "Either way, there is nothing junk-food-related left in either vehicle if it helps."

Kailey gave a cry of distress and flopped back on my bed before savoring another chip. We had eaten our last bag of chips about a month after arriving, and Kailey had particularly missed them. It was really amazing how much you could miss junk food when you haven't had any for two months.

       The next morning I went in search of my Group Leader. I was still confused as to how I had qualified for my graduation. My skill with a bow and arrow was excellent after three months of daily practice and hunting, but I hadn't even fired a gun. We had been trying to add other classes to my schedule while working around some of the excursions with Raiders to farms.

After some searching, I found him in the workout room lifting weights.

"Alex, do you have a moment?"

He nodded. "Sure, what do you need?"

"I am kind of confused as to why I qualified to graduate. I know that I can identify plants really well, but I haven't even touched a gun since I came here. And I know that I am not the best when it comes to tracking or fishing. I am no better at dealing with zombies than the others, if anything, I am even more cautious and don't like to approach them."

Putting down his weights, he stretched his arms. "Well, technically, Foragers are supposed to be good at finding and collecting food and supplies. The fact that our group has been on so many runs with Raiders may have blurred some of the lines and expectations, particularly when it comes to interactions with our undead friends.

"Here are the facts that the Commanders were most interested in during the meeting. At this point, your ability to ID and collect edible plants outstrips almost all of the Group Leaders and trainers. Your fishing skills are a bit below average, but we plan to work on that. Guns don't mean much when the ammunition runs out, and our supplies are running low anyway. You have significantly improved with that bow of yours. You also went through a lot of training that was technically meant for Raiders, which is a huge bonus."

He continued ticking points off on his fingers. "One noticeable thing is that you are very alert, a couple of other Group Leaders mentioned that you were usually the first to spot a zombie or potential trouble, and after watching closely, I was in agreement. Yes, we are not done training, but no one ever stops learning. It isn't possible for everyone to be skilled in everything. So, there you have it."

I stood there thinking. I knew my ability with plants was better than several of the teachers since they had asked me to help them collect plants for certain lessons. Rumor had it that a lot of ammo had been used up when the zombies first arrived. To the best of my knowledge, it was impossible to kill one with a gun, although some people had still tried. Our Foraging group had never been one for guns, favoring archery even when we hunted larger animals.

It was kind of embarrassing that they had labelled me as being alert when, in reality, I was just paranoid about having a zombie sneak up behind me unnoticed.

But who was I to argue with the honor of graduating? I thanked him and went off to the running track.