The days passed quickly and Diane's original timeline had to be revised. We were covering much more ground than Smokey did even though we stopped to enjoy the sights. Diane never seemed to tire as she ran at a steady lope or jogged all day. We were about a week away from the big junction and the last town along this highway.

We were going to have to stop to see if we could get more directions and supplies. Diane had carefully raided stores and houses for small, light and valuable objects to act as trading goods. Mostly medications since almost no one would dare enter a store or house at this point. She had needles designed for leatherwork and some other small things that people would happily trade for.

I yawned and headed over for breakfast. I paused as I noticed the sleek black bicycle and attached trailer. The trailer looked like an enclosed baby trailer, but it was built as if to hold a small adult. It had space for cargo behind it as well, and that bulged slightly as evidence that Diane had packed it with more trade supplies.

"Wow! I get to ride in that?!" I danced on the spot in excitement.

Diane grinned at my reaction, "Yep. It will make things much easier. Traveling hundreds of kilometers on foot is unbelievable, traveling the same distance with a bicycle and trailer is much more plausible."

I nodded and quickly sat down to eat my breakfast so I could go investigate the trailer. The seat was padded and there was even a cup holder. The top could pulled up in bad weather or I could leave it down. I was excited to try it out.

Before long, we were sailing down the road in high spirits. I could squirm as much as I wanted and it didn't bother the trailer. I was also able to pull out my Connect Four game. I had to name the rows and columns so Diane could direct me. I was winning more often since she could only glance over her shoulders.

We found a house just before sunset and Diane sent me up a tree while she checked it out. Once she was sure it was clear, she brought the bike inside. I noticed that Diane was stretching her legs in various ways.

She caught my curious and perplexed gaze, "I may be able to jog all day with no problem, but my legs are telling me that a bike uses very different muscles."

Her legs were sore. It hadn't even occurred to me, but she had been pedalling at a good rate all day. I remembered how much my legs hurt the one time I rode my bike to school and back with my Dad. I was surprised that she could even walk.

"I hope it doesn't hurt too badly. We can go slower tomorrow."

She shrugged as she dismissed it, "It isn't that bad. My legs will be fine by morning with my quick healing. The muscles will build up strength in a few days and I won't even notice it."

I nodded, I was envious of her ability to rapidly heal and the way her muscles easily adapted to any type of work or exercise. I pulled out my herbal plant book and decided to glance over it and drill Diane with questions. It was my excuse to avoid having to pull out the math booklet.

In a way, it was nice to sleep in a bed every night instead of in a hammock. I wondered if we would get our own room at the medical research place we were heading towards. I wasn't sure what I would do when Diane had to go out for a run. For the first few days, I wouldn't be staying inside while Diane went out. I would go with her and sleep in the hammock, just in case.

We should reach the last settlement sometime today. We had passed some hand-painted signs that said it was called Toga Place. Oddly enough, there were no other signs along the highway. We saw the wooden posts for them, but they had been cut down and hidden.

I stared at the wooden post, "Why did they cut down the signs?"

Diane glanced over, "They did it when the zombies first started appearing in an attempt to stop people from fleeing north. Many people drove past the border trying to evade the virus."

Diane pointed over to the other side of the road, "There is a nice patch of raspberries there if you want a snack."

I nodded eagerly. Fresh raspberries were so tasty. "Yes please."

Diane pulled the bike over and rested it on the kickstand. We happily stuffed ourselves with the sweet fruit. Diane went for the ones further in since her leather clothing offered good protection from the thorns.

Once we ate most of the berries, we continued on. We often stopped to grab some fresh edible greens to have a good salad to offer as a supper contribution when we arrived. I pretended to read my herbal book while in reality I was watching our surroundings closely. Something was up.

The only reason I knew was because Diane was pedaling slowly and it no longer looked effortless. I glanced up from under my eyelashes, but I didn't see anything. That didn't fool me though, someone had to be watching us for Diane to act so.

The trailer had several saddlebags and backpacks rigged up on its sides and back with tons of supplies that Diane had scavenged, but that wouldn't slow her down. I was pretty sure that it must be a sentry or someone from Toga Place since that place should be nearby. I played along. I had lots of practice doing that by now.

I peered around Diane as I heard hoofbeats, a lady on horseback was approaching at a trot. Diane looked alert and fairly relaxed. She didn't seem to be expecting any trouble. I remained still in the trailer to avoid being noticed for as long as possible.

Diane slowed to a stop and watched her approach the last bit of distance. The lady slowed her horse to talk as she approached within speaking distance, "Hello, I am Elizabeth from Toga Place. I see you are heading in that direction, may I accompany you?"

Diane nodded, "I am Diane and this is Laura. We were heading there in hopes of trading some supplies for a night under a roof and some directions to another location."

Why did she always introduce me and call attention to me in the very first sentence? Considering the glance the lady sent my way, she must have known I was here even though she hadn't been able to see me until just now. There must have been someone watching us earlier.

The lady nodded easily, "I will happily guide you there. I will leave it to the leader to arrange those trades, but I don't see any difficulties preventing those trades."

The lady turned her horse and Diane pedalled along beside her as they discussed Toga Place's size, rules and general expectations for guests. There were just under 200 survivors inside of a large fenced area. The rules seemed pretty common, no stealing, no fights, and so on.

We rounded a bend and now I could see the wooden palisade walls. A dozen men were chopping wood outside of the open gate. I could see several access doors all along the length of the fence. We got lots of curious looks as we entered the place. I sunk as far into the comfy padded seat as I could, uncomfortable with the attention.

Two men were plainly waiting for us and smiled, "Welcome to Toga Place. What brings you here?"

Diane replied, "Thank you. We came from Wainwright Fort and are looking for a friend in a large settlement around here somewhere. The settlement is known for its medical research, and I think the name was Bethany Fort, but I am not sure about that one."

He nodded, "Ah, yes. That'd be Bethany Fort. West of here, about a week's ride out. But, first things first, can we offer you two a room for the night?"

Diane nodded, "Thank you, we do have some supplies we can trade in exchange for supper and for a bed for the night."

He smiled, "No need to trade for supper, although I won't turn down that can of bug spray I see over there in exchange for a small guest house to yourself."

Diane grabbed the can from the saddlebags rigged up to her bike and lightly tossed it to him with a grin, "Here, although I would like to hear everything you know about Bethany Fort."

Diane was fond of bribery, whether chips and candy, or other desirable supplies. I had a sneaking suspicion that she had left that can sticking up like that on purpose. She had been a Forager too long to be unable to shuffle things a bit so the bag would have closed.

He caught the item with a happy smile, "Thanks. Sure, I can guide you to the guest house and give you a tour. We can discuss Bethany Fort during supper when others may be able to contribute to the conversation."

He led us to the guesthouse where we left the bike and supplies. He then gave us a tour. This place was more advanced than the smaller places we had visited or avoided. They even had a few solar panels. I had begun to think that only Wainwright had solar power, yet here was proof that I was wrong.

A border collie kept coming to Diane and me to get petted. I liked dogs and other animals, I was never shy around them. The amount of people I was seeing here had me sticking close to Diane though.

There was time for us to grab a shower before supper, although our hair was still damp as we headed to supper. There didn't seem to any formality to the seating, people just sat where they wanted. It was a mess hall setup with various picnic tables and other types of tables set up in rows. The setup relaxed me a bit, but my shy nervous energy hadn't faded any in this loud crowd.

We grabbed our plates and noticed Elizabeth waving at us, she was seated beside the guy who gave us the tour. We went over. Diane sat so that there was one spot between her and the edge of the bench. I gratefully took it, relieved that I would not have to be seated beside a stranger. Some days I could kiss her for her thoughtfulness. It was too bad that she was so uneasy about kissing for fear of being contagious, although she did let me kiss her cheeks occasionally.

Elizabeth smiled at us, "How is your stay so far?"

Diane returned her smile, "Good. The tour was excellent. It is always interesting to see how different places set things up differently."

Elizabeth waved over another person who just loaded up his plate. The new guy sat in an open seat across from us. Elizabeth gestured at the newcomer, "Diane, please meet Taver. He is a traveling trader who has been to Bethany Fort in the past. Hopefully he can give you some tips on finding it."

I examined this mostly bald older man while eating my soup. He didn't seem too interested in the discussion. He was slightly chunky and his plate had a lot of bread and greens on it with a huge bowl of soup. He was eyeing up Diane as if wishing the topic had been about something else, "So you are thinking of heading to Bethany fort?"

Diane was unfazed and remained polite, "Yes."

He shrugged, "It ain't so easy to find. It is off of the road and well hidden. You can't see it from the highway."

Diane tilted her head inquisitively, "Do you have any tips or landmarks to assist?"

Taver replied, "It is close to that big lake, but that is a huge area. It is a seven day journey from here on a good horse."

That meant that Diane could make it in four or five days, if we knew exactly where we were going. I wasn't sure what he classified a big lake as, and if it was invisible from the highway, we could miss it.

"Do you happen to be heading in that direction anytime soon?"

The middle aged man shifted with a bit of a frown, "I happen to be heading there in a few days, yes, but I am not a babysitting service. Travel on the road is not easy."

Diane grinned, "No worries there. We have been on the road for almost a month and a half. We can pull our own weight. I would be more than happy to trade your guidance for some of our trade items."

Taver looked like he was thinking hard, "We may be able to work something out, but I will not be slowing down for you."

He probably had heard of the stuffed bags that had been hanging from the trailer. Greed was a powerful motivator for a trader. Hopefully it would be sufficient for him to act as a guide.

Diane chuckled, "Honest, I won't be slowing you down, especially once you are packing your pick of the trade goods. We are also quite self-sufficient when it comes to finding stuff to eat on the road."

I grinned at that comment. I was pretty sure that Diane could manage to supply a dozen people in the middle of the wilderness if she put her mind to it. Taver now looked thoughtful, "Okay, as long as you know that I won't slow down for you. I am leaving in four days, early in the morning, so be ready to leave when I leave those gates if you plan to tag along."

Diane nodded amiably, "Certainly. After supper would you care to have a look at our trade supplies?"

He nodded, "That works for me."

Diane turned to the man who gave us our tour, "It looks like I am going to have to do some trading to remain here for four days. I have a lot of experience with edible wild plants as well as medicinal plants. Who would I speak with to offer to teach half a dozen people all they can learn for the remainder of my stay in return for lodgings and food?"

He considered it for a moment, "Let me have a word with some people. Perhaps once Taver has finished his trade, you can take several people out just to ensure that you know more than we do. If you do, then I can help with that arrangement. If not, then we can work out something else."

That seemed to settle it. We had a guide and a place to stay until he was ready to continue on. I could feel some of Diane's excitement, we had been traveling for months hoping that this place was more than just a rumor. Not much stood in our way now.