A/N:
Hi everyone!

So, this story was written as a Christmas present for all the Runner 5s who participate in the Don't Die December Tumblr challenge. But it's also a small tribute to my favorite running app, Zombies, Run! Because it is awesome and is making my running so much fun! So yeah, thanks for creating that app, Six to Start and Naomi Alderman!

If you haven't already tried the app, you should. It's a great way to keep your running interesting and challenging, no matter whether you're a beginner or running long runs already.

As we celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December here in Denmark where I'm from, I'll upload it now. So merry Christmas to you all, happy new year, and happy running!

And for all the Don't Die December runners: Stay safe out there, guys!

A Christmas Run

A "Zombies, Run!" fanfiction

by Simone Lindquist

"Hey, Five!"

Runner 3's voice made me look up from the sink in front of which I was standing, helping out with the dishwashing. He stood in the doorway with that grin on his face he always wore, one hand on the doorframe as if he had just used it to swing his way into the room instead of walking. I grabbed a handkerchief as I turned to face him.

"Yeah, what's up, Simon?"

"Sam wants us," he replied, nodding for me to come along. "He's got a job for us."

I put down the kerchief, apologized to the others for leaving them with the rest of the work – though they just smiled; many of them thought the Runners had the most dangerous job and would much rather be in here than out there – and while putting on my jacket I followed Simon as he made his way toward the communications tower. I was already wearing running clothes; I rarely ever put on anything else these days because I knew they might need me suddenly and I didn't want to be delayed because I had to go and change my shoes or something stupid like that.

"So what kind of run is it this time?" I asked curiously.

Simon shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but it's either something really dangerous or really heavy," he grinned. "Four is joining us as well."

Huh. Yeah, then this could turn out to be something big. Normally, they only required one or two of us to go out. Were we going into an area where the zombie density was high, I wondered? But I would know soon enough; communications were towering up in front of us now. The big radio tower completely took your eyes away from the small cabin situated next to it, in front of which Sam Yao was waiting for us. He was a small Asian guy, seeming to almost constantly be wearing his headset. Next to him, Runner 4 – Jody – had already put hers on as well.

"Hey, Five, Simon," Sam said with a smile as we approached. "Glad to have you both."

"Are you feeling up for a run?" Jody asked.

"Always," I replied. "Where are we going this time?"

"Sam is going to tell us in a minute," she replied. "He's being really secretive about it."

"I'm not being secretive!" Sam protested. "I'm … just being resourceful. By waiting for everyone to get here, I save time by only having to tell you once."

"Sure thing, buddy," Simon said, clapping his shoulder. "Now, lift the curtain and let us know where you're sending us today!"

Sam sighed, then straightened a bit as he handed Simon and me our headsets. While we put them on, I noticed how our commando central friend fidgeted a little, first straightening his clothes, then checking his headset. Silently, I wondered what had gotten him so nervous, and I suddenly felt fairly sure that we were heading out to a dangerous area. I grimaced inwardly. It wasn't that it scared me because I had been in dire situations before, but to be honest, I always liked the low-risk jobs better. But then again, who wouldn't? Except for Simon, perhaps, who seemed to love the thrill.

It wasn't until Simon and I were ready and had checked the batteries of our headsets that Sam finally revealed the big plan.

"Okay, so the thing is," he began, fidgeting again, "the people who've been keeping track of the calendar tells us it's actually the end of November already. December is just around the corner, which means Christmas is approaching."

"First Christmas since the apocalypse," Jody muttered.

"Yes," Sam agreed. "So I thought, and Janine agreed, that after all we've been through lately, maybe we should do something to raise the mood of the citizens of Abel Township. We are actually considering having a Christmas celebration. Obviously, without much in the way of presents and turkey, but still."

"You're not sending us out to get a Christmas tree, are you?" Simon wanted to know.

"No," Sam replied. "We thought about it, but the risk is too great. You would have to go pretty far to find one, and even if we did manage to locate trees that were useable, there's still the chance that the sound of a saw or an axe continuously cutting into a tree would attract zoms. So instead, we're doing something else."

"Which is?" Simon was getting impatient, I could tell. He had that air about him that made it obvious that he just wanted to get out and get started and wished Sam would skip to the part where he told us what our mission was. I smiled a little at that.

"Well, the thing is, one of the cooks, Karen, used to work at the old supermarket about a mile from here, and she told me that they used to store a lot of things that were off season in a small storehouse close by. She also said they used to have a lot of Christmas things lying around, like decorations. So I suggested, and Janine approved, that we sent Runners out to get some of that and then we can make Abel ready for Christmas!"

The reason Sam had been fidgeting, I realized, was because this was his idea and he was proud of it. And honestly, I thought he had good reason to be. The thought of Christmas closing in would be bad in itself because everyone would be remembering all the people they used to celebrate it with. If we could do something to make the world seem less grey, perhaps it would remind us all that at least we still had each other.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," I declared. "So where is this storehouse exactly?"

"I know it," Jody said. "The one right behind Old Mill's Lane, right?"

"Precisely," Sam replied. "I'll send you west; that way you can go around the city and hopefully avoid most of the zoms that might be swarming there. There are rucksacks ready for you at the gate. Find the decorations, fill the bags, and then you'll be back here in no time."

"Got it!" Simon grinned, turned, and headed towards the gates. Jody and I followed while Sam went into the operator room to guide us on our way as he always did.

The bags were old and used, like many things here at Abel, but they seemed like quality items, with no ripped seams or similar, and they were so light I knew I wouldn't really notice that I was wearing it once we were out there running. Hopefully, however, it would be a lot heavier on our way back. I liked the idea of decorating Abel Township; I would gladly volunteer to do it.

"Okay, guys," Sam's voice sounded through my earpiece, "are you all set?"

"All set," I confirmed.

"Good. Raise the gates!"

The alarm that always followed when the gates were raised sounded, and even though I had been here often, at this very spot, waiting to run, I still had to keep myself from grimacing and covering my ears.

"Runners, ready?"

Affirmative replies sounded from my left and right and echoed my own yes.

"Covering fire …"

The gate watchers raised their guns and fired at the approaching zoms, drawn close by the sound of people behind the fence. There were always a couple of the grey ones hovering around. When I first arrived at Abel, it had made me uneasy, because it seemed so much less guarded than where I was from. Now, I never thought about it much unless I had to go out.

"And … go!"

My feet moved as I started running. The mission had begun.

o0o

"Okay, guys, you're doing great," Sam told us about five minutes later. "You've picked up a couple of zoms, but nothing you can't outrun. Now, right up where the trees begin, you have to turn left to avoid the house-populated area."

"Got it," I replied.

The trees were still a bit off, but we would reach them in a minute or so. Somewhere behind them, I knew, were a small bunch of abandoned houses. I had run past them before and it always struck me how different they looked; some of them seemed as if the owners could return from a holiday anytime, while others were clear indicators that the apocalypse had indeed happened, with broken windows and bloody walls where people had defended themselves against the zombies, or died doing that very thing.

"Hey, Five," Simon turned to me with a grin on his face, "want to race?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Simon," Jody cut in. "You don't know what's between those trees, you know. There could be a bunch of zoms waiting."

She shuddered at the thought.

"Four's right," I agreed. "I'll race you when we're back at Abel."

"Aw, come on!" he protested. "A small race won't harm, and if there are zoms, well, then consider it a warm-up."

"You just want retaliationbecause I beat you last time we raced," I teased.

"Well, it makes me feel slightly better that you've also beaten Four."

"Once," I reminded him. "I've beaten her once. She's still the champion of fast. I've beaten you three times so far."

"One of those was a tie!" he declared. "And besides, this means that there's hope for me yet. If I can beat you, I might eventually beat even Jody and claim the champion title."

Another huge grin lit up his face as he increased his speed just the slightest. Exchanging a gaze and a smile, Jody and I followed his example. Simon was always like that, joking around, challenging himself (and others in the process), but maybe that was why I liked him so much. He was great at keeping your mood up.

We had reached the trees now and dutifully turned left like Sam had instructed us to. Glancing at the line of trees, I spotted a zombie that was trying to make its way toward us, but was stopped by the branches that had grabbed a hold of its shirt. It reached out its arm and moaned, but it was too far away for me to really care. When the apocalypse had first hit, I had felt a weird mix of afraid and sad every time I encountered the undead. Now, I didn't bother about them much except if they got too close. It was weird how you could get used to even the scariest things and scenarios.

"You know, my money would be on Runner Four anytime," Sam declared, and I noticed how Jody blushed just the slightest and mumbled something. "Anyway, you should be able to see the storehouse when you turn that corner. It's the big grey building."

"Let's hope it's not grey inside as well!" Simon grinned.

"Yeah, that would be bad …" Sam replied, then resumed his guidance of us. "According to Karen, theirs was room 47. If you enter through the back entrance, it should be right there."

"And the zoms we had picked up?" I wanted to know.

"You've lost them. They scrambled right into the trees; maybe they heard an animal or something."

I let out a small sigh of relief. Hopefully, that would be the last we saw of them today, and, if we were really lucky, the last zoms in general on this mission. I didn't much like the prospect of running from a mob with a bag of Christmas decorations weighing me down, and I really wanted to bring our future luggage back to Abel.

As expected, when we turned the corner a big, grey building towered in front of us. There were no zoms in immediate sight, and we continued along the side of the place, looking for what must be the back entrance. I wondered who else had stored their stuff here besides the super market; perhaps the owners of the houses used this place as well. Or perhaps other store owners drove here from the nearest city for cheap storage space. If it was cheap, that is. There was no way to tell.

I shook my head to clear it of the strange, irrelevant thoughts that always popped into my mind lately when I was out running. I had always had a tendency to imagine the lives of the people around me, and after everything had gone grey, well, that tendency had expanded to include buildings and things I picked up on the ground. After all, you never knew where they had been or what had happened last. The world used to be more predictable before, the scenarios to choose from less.

"I found it!" Simon, who was a bit ahead of Jody and me, waved for us to hurry. He was standing in front of a door in the same sad grey color as the rest of the place.

"Is it locked?" Jody asked as we reached him.

He shrugged.

"Let's find out."

"Be careful, guys," Sam's voice sounded.

Simon reached for the handle, and as he did, we all backed away a little. Just in case. You never knew what might be inside. If it was locked, at least we would know the storehouse was zombie-free. On the other hand, then it would be that much more difficult to get inside.

The handle turned. Then the door opened with a creak.

For a few seconds, we all held our breaths. Even Sam on the other end of the line. Then, when nothing came scrambling out at us, we almost simultaneously let out sighs of relief.

"So far, so good," Simon remarked. "Now, let's see what's in there."

He rummaged in his belt bag and pulled out a flashlight, turned it on, and stepped through the opening into the dark storehouse. With a hand on the knife I always carried with me out here, I followed, and Jody brought up the rear. She closed the door behind her, just in case the zombies from before weren't done blundering about here anyway. Then we all followed the light from Simon's flashlight as he moved it around what turned out to be a small hallway with a whole lot of doors on each side, numbered. A strange stench of rot lay in the air.

"The place seems empty …" he muttered.

"But then why was the door unlocked?" Jody whispered. "And what is that smell?"

"What can you see?" Sam wanted to know.

"So far, it's just a dark hallway," I replied, keeping my voice low as well. I wasn't sure why; maybe it was the atmosphere of the place. "And a lot of doors. Number 47, right?"

"Right. It should be near where you are now, if Karen remembered correctly."

"We'll know in a moment," Simon declared. He moved the light to the first door and lit up the number 55. Shrugging, he started down the hallway, counting the doors to find the right one. In the meantime, I pulled out a small flashlight as well.

"Jody …"

"I'll watch the door," she said. "We don't want any surprises."

I smiled, agreeing.

"Sam, would you tell us if anything moves outside?"

"Of course," he replied. "The angle's not very good, mind you. I can't exactly see the door from here. Whoever put up those cameras missed out on something. But I can see if something's closing in. I'll let you know."

"Thanks. I can always count on you, Sam."

"Yeah, you know, that's what I'm here for. That, and because Maxine doesn't want me bugging her, I suspect."

I laughed quietly and moved down the hallway to join Simon who had found number 47 and was considering the padlock on it. He scratched his head.

"We need a way to open this," he declared.

"Oh!" Sam said. "Right! There's a bolt cutter in one of your bags. I made sure you came prepared."

"You're the man, Sam!" Simon grinned and took off his rucksack to check it. I did the same, but when neither of us found anything, he signaled to Jody, who went through her bag as well and pulled out the tool we needed. While Simon went to get it, I decided to check out the rest of the hallway. The smell in here and the fact that the door had not been locked nagged me as much as it had Jody. Had someone else been in here? And had they been dead or alive when they were? Also, most importantly: Were they still here?

I stopped short when my light fell on a slightly open door. Heart suddenly racing, I stepped towards it, grabbed the door, and swung it open as fast as I dared.

Nothing moved, but the smell got stronger. Grimacing, I moved into the opening and finally located the source of the rotten smell. It wasn't food. Instead, my flashlight revealed dried blood on the floor and a body slowly going to pieces leaning against the wall. I pinched my nose while I took in the scene. It was very clear to me that this dead wouldn't rise; there was a gun near what was left of the man's hand and what must be brain matter splattered on the wall. Possibly, the man had chosen the easy way out, and it had not been recently.

I hated seeing things like that, and thankfully, it didn't happen very often anymore. Wrenching my gaze away from the body, I grabbed the gun, then quickly searched the rest of the room, trying to breathe through my mouth as I did so. There weren't many useful things in here, but I did find an unused blanket and a flask of bottled water.

When I left the room, I made sure to close the door, but the smell seemed to stick in the air. Suddenly, I very much wanted to get out of here. But we hadn't yet gotten what we came for. I went back to Simon, who had cut the padlock and gone into the room. He was currently opening boxes and looked up when I entered.

"Oh, hey, Five, give me a hand, would you?"

"Sure." Anything to take my mind off that stench. "Did you find anything yet?"

"Nope, but I think I'm getting close … Or," he grimaced, "I hope."

I smiled a little.

"I'll help you."

After we had opened about a third of the boxes in the room, we finally found what we were looking for: five cardboard boxes brimful of Christmas decorations of every possible kind. Simon and I looked at each other and I saw my sudden joy mirrored in his face. As we went through the first box, I couldn't help smiling at the memories the various decorations brought up, and it suddenly struck me how much I was going to miss a normal Christmas. Because even if we did, in time, manage to make a comfortable holiday for everyone, I knew it would never be the same again. I even found myself missing the crowded streets full of people who were last-minute shopping for presents.

"Do you remember these?" I laughed as I pulled out one of those crazy Christmas balls that had a weird face painted on it; I knew they were supposed to look happy, but I had always thought they seemed more psychotic than anything else. "I used to hate them!"

"What have you found?" Sam asked.

"It's one of those horrible Christmas balls that sings when you walk past it," I explained. "My grandmother had one and every year it drove me crazy!"

"So I suppose we won't be hanging any of those anywhere near you," Sam replied. "Do you think it still works?"

"Well," I said, checking, "it's got batteries, but other than that, we'll see when we get back. It's too noisy to turn it on out here!"

"Yeah, unless we want the zoms to dance around a Christmas tree," Simon grinned.

I rolled my eyes at him, then went to call Jody and tell her to come in here; the faster we filled our bags, the faster we would be back at Abel. So we all dug in while making sure we got a little bit of everything. The Christmas ball I reluctantly put in a side pocket in my rucksack when I had taken a lot of the stuff I liked better first. I might hate the thing, but maybe some of the others had fonder memories of it and so I couldn't quite convince myself to leave it behind.

We were almost done packing our treasure when Sam's voice sounded again, and the slight alarmed hesitation in it made me straighten right away.

"Um, guys, you might want to get out of there. And quickly."

All three of us exchanged a gaze.

"What is it, Sam?" I asked, almost holding my breath while I waited for the answer. In my mind, I was already considering what other exits this place might have that wouldn't be too hard to get open.

"There are zombies coming. A small horde, closing in from the east. I couldn't see them before because they were in the forest, but …"

"The door. Is it still clear?"

"Yeah, they're still around 500 yards away, but I suggest you move now!"

None of us hesitated. Quickly, we closed the bags and put them on, then ran toward the exit. As soon as we were outside, I saw them. There were maybe fifteen zoms, stumbling their way towards us. I swore inwardly.

"Looks like Zombie Claus is coming to town," Simon remarked as we spun around and made our way back down the side of the building.

"Don't say that." Jody shuddered. "You're ruining my image of Father Christmas."

"Father Zombie, you mean."

"Stop it!"

"Aw, come on! 'Father Zombie'? Anyone?" When neither of us laughed, he sighed. "I really need a better audience. This one appears to have lost its sense of humor."

"Or maybe you just need some better jokes," Jody sourly retorted, probably mad about the ill-timed Christmas joke. Simon just shook his head theatrically and sighed.

"You have to pick up the pace," Sam told us, with that slight hint of nervousness I could always detect in his voice when there were zombies chasing his Runners. "They're closing in. Slowly, and not too surely, but definitely closing."

Damn it. I'd had a small hope that the zoms would have been distracted by the open door and have blundered into the building, getting trapped. But apparently, as I should have expected, they found moving, breathing targets to be of much greater interest. After all, you couldn't eat bricks.

We raced past the front of the building and continued, hoping to shake off our pursuers before we got too close to Abel. But the thing about the undead was that once they had gathered into a horde, that horde had a tendency of growing. Risking a glance behind me, quickly, I knew that it was happening this time as well. A few zoms came scrambling out from between the trees, attracted by the noise. I grimaced. The rucksack suddenly felt heavy on my back.

"Guys, to your left!"

"Seen them," I replied and all three of us turned right.

"The bag's heavy," Jody complained as she glanced nervously at the undead hunting us. She was starting to freak out; I could tell by the slight shrill in her voice. I really liked Jody and she was a great Runner, but she was easily spooked. She was also right, however; the bags were heavy, and they were slowing us down, something we couldn't afford if we wanted to escape the growing horde of zoms. But on the other hand, I really hated the idea of dumping our luggage. After all, we were doing this for the citizens of Abel who needed a reason to smile this Christmas. If only we had a noisemaker, then maybe I could have lured most of the pursuers to follow me only …

Then it hit me. A noisemaker. I may not exactly have the version we normally used, but I had something similar.

"Simon," I said, "do you think you could carry two bags and still keep up the pace?"

He blinked in surprise at my question.

"Uh … I suppose, if I don't have to run a marathon."

"Great. Because I've got an idea."

"What are you thinking, Five?" Sam asked.

"I'll lure the zoms away so Three and Four can make it to Abel with the decorations," I explained. "I haven't got a noisemaker, but I've got …" and I reached into the side pocket of my rucksack, "this!"

Simon's eyes widened in recognition and a huge smile spread on his face at the sight of the item I was holding.

"The singing Christmas ball!" he declared.

"I figure it might work." I smiled. "Let's just hope the batteries aren't dead. No pun intended."

With that, I pulled out the small plastic strip that proved the thing was brand-new and pushed the button before Sam had time to protest. For about a second, I held my breath in the quiet … Then the ball started singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in that high-pitched, electronic voice that had always annoyed me at my grandmother's place. Now, it seemed to me the sweetest sound ever.

"I'd say the batteries are fine," Simon declared.

"Then let's hope this 'song' is enough to attract the zoms," I replied while I wrestled off my rucksack and handed it to Simon who tugged it close to his chest to keep his balance.

"Five, I'm not sure this is a good idea," Sam told me. "That's starting to be a lot of zoms …"

"Well, I'm doing it anyway," I replied. "Are you in, Sam? Because I need you to be my eyes."

He didn't like it, I could tell; his tone was hesitant as he reluctantly accepted my plan and said that he would guide me. I had already expected that answer; if there was one thing you could count on, it was that Sam Yao would always have your back out here in the middle of the post-apocalyptic wilderness. He would never let his Runners down.

"Okay, guys, I'm going to continue on this way," I told the others. "You go left, get back to Abel. I'll see you there."

"Yeah, alright," Simon said grudgingly; he probably wished it was him who would be leading the zombies away.

"Be careful, Five," Jody told me, and I nodded in reply.

"I will."

Then they turned left, and I held up the still singing Christmas ball and kept running. Without the rucksack, I felt a lot lighter, but I kept my speed constant to keep the zoms as interested as possible. If I got too far ahead of them, they might lose interest and start chasing Simon and Jody instead, and then my plan would be good for nothing.

"Sam, is it working?"

"It's working, yeah," he said and I let out a sigh in relief. "Most of them are coming your way; Three and Four have only got a few on their tail now. Keep running, Five. We don't want them closing in."

Obviously. I could feel the adrenaline spread through my body like it always did when I got chased. The Christmas ball was still singing in my hand, but I barely noticed it now; it was all about staying ahead of the zoms and live to see another day. I had to find the best way back to Abel, but which one was safest? I couldn't tell, and running into another horde could easily be the end of me.

Fortunately, as long as you had Sam Yao, you were never running blind.

"You're holding a good pace, Five," he told me. "Now, do you remember that river near the old camp site?"

"The one I ran past the other day?"

"Yep, that's the one. You'll reach it if you continue down this way. The area looks more or less deserted right now, and the winding roads should help you shake off the zoms."

I knew what he meant; as the roads close to the river were lined with thick shrubbery and the undead really sucked at turning fast, the odds of his plan succeeding were great; even more so because once I reached the riverside, I would be far enough away from Jody and Simon to turn off the Christmas ball and my pursuers wouldn't have its awful singing to guide them toward me. So I picked up my pace and kept running. There was no need to hold myself back anymore; I had already become their main target of interest and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was still going strong in my hand.

It only took a few minutes before I could see the riverbank and my heart leapt in relief as I found the off button on the ball and pressed it. The singing stopped. The only bad thing about that was that it made the moans from the zoms sound louder than before, which made me shudder. Even though I had been chased so many times by now that I had stopped keeping count, I still didn't much like it.

"I've reached the river, Sam," I said. "Where to next?"

"Turn right. That way, you can double back toward Abel."

"Got it."

As I ran past the riverside, I started to feel slightly better, because I remembered this area; I had been on this very road just a few days ago on a supply run. A bit further down was the bridge, which was unfortunately completely broken, and after that, the river got narrower for about a quarter of a mile. The water level had risen, though, due to all the rain we'd had lately, but maybe, if I was lucky, it would still be possible to get to the other side of the river, where I would be safer. We had learned that zombies couldn't swim, even the slightest current would sweep them away, and there was a pretty good chance they would stumble down into the water anyway. After all, they seemed to be running purely on a need-to-eat instinct.

"Sam, where's the narrowestplace of the river?"

"Uh …" I could almost hear how he had to take a moment to check his cameras. "It should be maybe 200 yards ahead of you."

"And how does it look on the other side?"

"Empty. I can't see a single zom."

Perfect! If I could cross, I should be able to make it to Abel without too much trouble. However, as I continued running, I realized that if I tried to wade through the water, it would slow me down more than I liked. But maybe, just maybe, there was another way. I couldn't be sure until I saw the exact spot that Sam had judged to be the narrowest point. Still ahundred yards to go …

When I reached it, I knew my new plan might work. With a bit of a run-up, I should be able to jump across to the other side of the river. It was risky, however, because if I didn't make it and fell into the water, I could get injured and then the zoms might catch up with me. However, it was a risk I was willing to take.

"Sam," I told him, "I'm going to jump to the other side."

"You're what?" he sounded surprised and not all too pleased. I could imagine how he struggled with himself for a moment before he continued, curious against his will. "Can you make it?"

"I think so," I replied. "It's not that far. I've done something similar before, remember?"

"Right. Okay, give it your best shot. But you better get over safely!"

That was pretty much what I was hoping for as well.

I stopped. I could still hear the zoms approaching, but I forced myself to ignore them as I judged the distance between this bankand the other once more. Then I took a couple of steps back, even though my instincts were screaming for me to keep moving forward, away from the predators on my tail. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes for just a second, then ran. As soon as I reached the edge of the bank, I took off.

The jump itself seemed to last forever, yet at the same time it was over in seconds. My feet hit the ground on the other side, and for a moment I was afraid I would stumble. But despite all the rain we'd had, the cold weather had hardened the earth and I didn't fall. Letting out a deep sigh of relief, I forced my legs to start moving again. In my earpiece I could hear Sam cheer.

"Yes! You did it, Five!" Then, a moment later, another joyful outburst. "And the zoms are just falling right into the water now. You're good; they won't be able to reach you. If you keep going right, you'll find the road leading to Abel. Three and Four just got back too. Come on home, Five."

So that's what I did. Went right. And as I ran the zom-free route, I couldn't help thinking that even though Christmas really never would be the same again, at least I could still celebrate it with people I cared about who also cared about me. My friends were waiting for me back at Abel Township. Back home.