A Different Virus: Heartfire

Chapter 6

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.