A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 62

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.