A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 103

Julian was carefully sharpening his new dagger. Both of us had our attention on the scene in front of us though. One of the other new young men was planning to approach Diane. I had overheard him talking with Julian earlier. Julian had tried to dissuade him, telling him he was asking for more than he bargained for, but Jeff wouldn't listen.

Julian and the other two new people had fit into the caravan well the last week. Jeff struck me as fairly impulsive and not too inclined to think things through long term. I noticed Roland was also leaning against a trailer with a faint grin on his face. I guess he knew where this was going too.

Roland had made it quite clear that anyone who joined us had to wait a minimum of one month before he would allow them to get fired. Jeff just saw the extra speed and strength and thought it would make him an undefeatable hotshot. I wasn't sure why he underestimated Diane so. Perhaps it was because she kept her real abilities under the radar and didn't show off. I wasn't sure.

Either way, quite a few lingered near the campfire while waiting patiently for Jeff to make his request. It was a fighting training night and I could see that Jeff was hyped up with the idea of becoming better than anyone else. He wasn't quite going about it the smartest way though.

He puffed up his chest to look bigger and stronger than he was before he approached Diane. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you the one training us?"

He may have been trying to be polite, but the way he worded it made it kind of miss that mark. Diane tilted her head as she tried to figure out where this question had come from. She had been outside the fence collecting wood when Jeff had spoken to Julian, so she was unaware of his crazy daydream.

"To the best of my knowledge I am the most skilled at using a sword, dagger, belt knife, or spear in this group. Others could probably teach the basics, but why change teachers when we went to something more advanced? This way I can pair up people with similar abilities so no one is being held back or hurried too fast."

Jeff looked curious, "Where did you learn to fight?"

"When I was with Wainwright Fort."

Jeff looked like he was thinking hard, trying to line up details with his wildly unrealistic ideas. "How long did it take you to learn?"

Diane humored him with a response as she realized where this was going, "That really depends how you look at it. I didn't start serious fighting training for at least a year. I did have other training classes before that, like evading zombies, dealing with them in close quarters, and some other weapons training meant more for hunting or self defense. It all gave me a very good base for when I did start training."

Jeff pressed further, "So how long?"

Diane sighed at his persistence, "From the day I asked the trainer for special fighting classes until the day I left, it was about three months, but you must keep in mind that I had the Heartfire virus for at least a year by then and that greatly helped me. The training was extremely intensive and I was the only one being trained so I had the trainer's undivided attention for at least three hours a day.

"It was a good thing I had the Heartfire virus or else I wouldn't have been able to move the next day due to the amount of bruises I got in one session. The Heartfire virus also gave me the endurance I needed to get through those long sessions. For someone without the Heartfire virus, or someone who has not had it for at least three months, they are probably looking at a year or so with this kind of training until they have the upper hand in the average fight."

Jeff's face fell with that news, then he suddenly looked hopeful as he moved onto his backup plan, "Can you give me extra training like you had?"

Diane shook her head, "You would not be standing the next day. I was running at a lope most of the day when I started fighting and I was exhausted at the end of the sessions."