Runner Five was cold and hungry. As she made her way across the quad to the makeshift building that passed as a cafeteria, she noticed the light drizzle. Now she was cold, hungry and wet. Delightful. Why couldn't she have been in a sunny country like Australia when the zombie apocalypse hit? Not somewhere where the general weather forecast was 70% chance of showers alongside 100% chance of zombie sightings.
Not for the first time she noted that being a Runner was like being a rockstar. People moved out of her way in the quad. They looked at her in awe and respect. Small children would run up to her and tell her that when they grew up they wanted to be a runner just like her. Even though she was designated in the last meal rotation for lunch and there was always the ever present fear in people's minds that food may run out, she was waved through to the front of the queue.
There was also a downside to being one of the most recognised people in the camp. Certain people had started a betting ring on how long Runners would last. She knew that a lot of the eyes on her were watching her for weaknesses. 'Was it just me or did it look like she was limping?' 'Did you see how little she ate last night? She'll need more food in her if she wants to outrun those zoms'. Her odds had come down significantly over the last few weeks. She didn't really look like a runner but she was still here, wasn't she? What the people in Abel didn't realise was that the fear of being turned into a zombie gave her feet wings. She was nothing much during the compulsory training runs that Runner Seven organised around the Township but out there in the field, she was fast. She was good.
"Runner Five. Runner Five"
The voice was so familiar and close that for a split second she thought she was still wearing her headset.
"Psst… over here"
She turned and saw Sam, lurking around a corner and motioning her over. Her heart sank at the sight of him. She hadn't eaten since last night, missing breakfast because she'd slept in and she was starving. However, she owed Sam her life. She owed it to him on several occasions in fact. If ever there was someone worth missing meals for, it was Sam Yao.
She walked round the corner to join him.
"Hello" he said, a big grin on his face. "It's a bit odd to talk to you like this, isn't it?"
She couldn't help but smile back. It was always so strange to see him in the flesh. To her, he was a disembodied voice, guiding her through the dark. Sam kept himself to himself at camp, taking most of his meals in the Comms Shack. For all she knew, he probably slept there too.
"I feel really bad asking you this, Five, but I need a favour"