'So you can draw,' I sign, tipping my head towards Milo and then Willis, 'and you can write.'

I glance at the short story in the older boy's hand. Just like his brother, Willis' creation has detail beyond what I would believe for a pre-teen. If he continues he could become a good author for the people in Abel. There's little entertainment here-material wise. I make it a mental note to ask Sam if there's any supply runs scheduled for books or toys or games.

'So,' I look towards Penelope who's walking a step behind me, 'what's your talent?'

"She believes she's Cupid," Willis answers before the dark haired child can. "If she thinks you should be with someone, she'll do anything to try and make it happen."

Milo snorts. "Like the time she tried to set up the mailman with out neighbor."

"Hey," She whines. She bunches up her stained dress in her hands and keeps her eyes on the ground. My eyes soften in sympathy as I tap her shoulder, gaining her attention.

'I know someone like that.'

"Know? Like present tense?" Milo quirks up a brow, a slight fraction of curiosity shining in his eyes. "Who?"

Well, crap. This took a turn.

'That... doesn't matter. All I know is don't make Penelope feel bad. I'm just trying fine with it,' I send her a look, 'as long as you doesn't try to pair me up, got it?'

She nods slowly, although there's a certain look in her eyes that make me narrow mine suspiciously.

I hear the sound of the gates being opened, but without the alarm I'm so used to. My brows furrow in confusion at the girl that runs through the gates, her head down with eyes not wanting to be seen and a stained gray hoodie that helps with her goal.

Something is not right.

I close my eyes, squeezing my eyes shut for a slow second before opening them. When I do, the gates are closed and everything looks as it should be.

I'm probably overreacting.

"Uh, Runner Five?" Willis sends me a raised brow and curious eyes. "Are you okay?"

I quickly nod, again telling myself I'm simply being paranoid. 'Yes, just got distracted.'

"Yeah, that was kind of weird... Five, wanna see this other picture I drew?" Milo asks as we continue walking, the moment from before and its questions leaving my head as quickly as they came.

•

A deafening high pitched noise comes through the intercom, and the three children standing near me wince, Penelope even covering her ears.

"Calling Runner Five, or Runner Eight, or both," Janine's voice, urgent and serious, screeches through said intercom. "Runner Five and Runner Eight report to the gate."

"Oh, come on," Willis exclaims, throwing his hands up dramatically. "This always happens when you're hanging out with us. Why doesn't this ever happen when you're hanging out with Sam or Caleb?"

I give a shrug and an apologetic look in reply before turning and running towards my tent, making a grab for my backpack as well as my headphones. The second I put them both on I hear Janine start speaking once more.

"Runner Five and Runner Eight, urgent assignment."

Damn.

These past few days and missions I've been doing my best to keep away from Sarah. While she has said she now trusts me, the fact that she was curious about my I.D. name and has yet to tell me about Project Greenshoot says otherwise. And I have no intentions on giving her other reasons to feel suspicious. So keeping away from her and her questions are the best right now.

"Sam's on the rest period-"

Double damn.

"-but... but we've discovered a traitor in the camp."

Triple damn!

"We need you to chase her down before she gets away." Her voice is more frantic, almost scared. I'm actually a bit surprised, since she rarely breaks her cold demeanor.

"Copy that, Janine," Sarah answers through the headset. "On my way."

I'm already at the gate, waiting for it to open and chase after the traitor. My mind scurries with thoughts. I only really know a few people in the Township, but even the ones I've only seen are relatively nice people-except for Rajit, but he has to handle showers so I'd be grumpy too.

And then it hits me-the realization's force is comparable to a truck and I find myself wanting to slap my own face as hard as I can for letting my suspension slip.

The girl from before...

Jesus on a boat. The one time I tell myself to not worry about it.

With her urgency to leave combining with the fact she wasn't wearing a running number gives pretty big suspicion she's who I'm after.

"Hello, Five."

...We're after.

"How does this work?" Janine mutters. "Raise the gates!"

It feels so wrong hearing her say that.

"Covering fire."

At the sound of the shooting the two of us race off, watching the zombies stumbling toward us fall to the ground one by one as the bullets take them out. I sneer at the dead bodies as we jog pass them, but quickly turn my attention ahead as Janine speaks.

"Runner Five and Runner Eight. There's a girl who called herself Tess headed towards New Canton now. She's stolen three working laptops from my storage and several large memory devices," She spats, each word filled with anger and venom. "She's fast. You need to catch her before she gets there. Go."

"Looks like it's just you and me again," Sarah smiles. "The dream team."

Ew.

Our pace is steady, but I fear it might not be fast enough. She left about an hour or two ago. Even if she isn't fast still that's two hours time...

"We're on the road to New Canton," Sarah reports with a pant in her voice. "Can't see this Tess yet."

No crap. She's two hours ahead of us. If we're able to catch up if won't be anytime soon.

"So fill us in, Janine. What happened?"

"She was one of the people from Brunswick." There's a tone of distain that's clearly audible.

Sarah nods. "Ah, the people we rescued from the fire and zombies. Five, isn't that 'friend' of yours from Brunswick?"

I send a warning look, but still nod. What's she trying to get from me now?

"You can talk about friends later," Janine snaps. "And you are correct, Eight. Most of those people have re fortified at Brunswick, but there's still a few they evacuated to us at Abel."

"We're welcoming like that."

I roll my eyes at her tone. Abel may be welcoming but I can name a few in the Township who aren't as friendly.

"Far too welcoming as it turns out. She showed quite an interest in our technology. Before the outbreak she had been a computer science student at Mannon College, or so she said.

"I can always use an extra hand for repairs, so I foolishly trusted her. Last night I gave her the keys to the communications storage room."

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and then I scrunch up my nose. Glaring at nothing in particular, my thoughts become a tiny... quite a bit bitter and petty.

Of course you trust her, but not me. It's not like I've helped Abel multiple times and actually has caused no real trouble here...

"This morning, she filled a backpack and tried to stroll out of here through the front gate. It's only because Roman, Runner Nine, was wondering why someone was heading out with a full backpack and sounded the alarm that we know she's gone at all."

I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, wincing at the fact that I didn't notice that myself.

"And we know she's gone to New Canton?" Sarah inquires.

"She sent them three transmissions last night via Roufflenet. I keep copies."

My eyes widen slightly at that, and the second I get over the small shock I see Sarah with a similar expression, except she seems more tense-more worried.

"You read all our e-mails?"

"I don't read them," She insists, and I nearly laugh at the small fraction of her voice that sounds flustered. "I just... keep them, incase of situations like this."

"But you still can read them," Sarah counters back.

Good thing I have no one to talk to then. I can't imagine someone reading my personal e-mails and such.

"Only if security demand it, which in this case, it does."

...Yeah, still not doing it.

"No, I'm just glad you're watching over us, Janine." I can practically see the deceit in her words. "So what's she taken? Why worrying about a few laptops."

Um, maybe because it's the zombie apocalypse and laptops aren't something you can get everyday?

If only she could read sign language...

"Laptops and storage devices-all our backup," Janine corrects, her voice rigged and strained. "She's taken our knowledge, Eight. There's no cloud storage anymore. She's got our plans, our supply lists, the information we traded food and guns for and..."

Her words immediately stop, and I worriedly grab at my backpack strap as Sarah says, "And?"

"All our Roufflenet mail files including..."

"Just say it. Runner Five's okay."

While I'm not a big fan of Sarah speaking for me, I'm surprised she trusts me to hear whatever Janine has to say. I can't stop the grin that slowly grows on my face after my bulging eyes go back to normal.

"Including all your transmissions to the Military Base."

My smile drops. Oh.

Oh...

"Well then," Sarah responds tensely, "guess you and me better put on a burst of speed, Five."

I curtly nod, not bothering to look her way as I change my jog into a brisk run, feeling sweat start to form on my forehead.

I don't know the actual e-mails that were sent. I never got to read them. I was kept in the dark about most of this, only knowing of the mission's name. In all truth I still don't know what made me qualified for such a mission.

"This is bad news, Five," Sarah says, her face scrunching up in worry with a jaw clenched in mild frustration. "If that girl gets those files to New Canton-well, there's things in there we don't want them knowing."

There's things in there you don't even want me knowing, and I'm a part of this mission. I purse my lips bitterly.

"Now I'm sorry, but it's going to be difficult for me to give you much information. For one thing, we can't talk at the base-never know who might be listening, as this little traitor shows; For another, we're working on a need to know basis.

"We used to have a job to do, you and me, but since that rocket launcher attack on your helicopter-well, my bosses have put that job on ice until we can work out what's going on. So no mission briefing for you I'm afraid."

I blink a few times as I process that information. So it isn't because they don't trust me, or it's not the whole reason. I do think that they're still a bit wary, but apparently that's not the reason they've kept Project Greenshoot from me. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling, because I know this shouldn't make me as happy as it does. But really, when was the last time I truly had someone's trust? When was the last time someone truly had mine?

I shudder at the memory.

"What's that? Is that her?" Sarah's voice is hopeful, and I snap my gaze to the side. My surprise of having caught up so quickly is diminished when I see strips of gray, rotting flesh falling from the figure's broken body.

I shake my head in disgust as my partner sighs. "No. just another zombie. Run on. We'll get her... Now what can I tell you? I'm military; I guess you can already tell that much already. And since the Major's in the North meeting up with some big chiefs, Janine's the only one at Abel who knows."

I nod. Figures.

"You can't hide anything from the woman who controls the communications, can you?" She laughs. "And she's-well, she's spikey, but she's trustworthy."

"I can hear you, you know," Janine quips with voice sharp.

'We know,' I tap. "That's why we only said nice things.'

"Unlike Mr. Yao, I do not enjoy your sarcasm, Runner Five."

'From what I've heard he doesn't enjoy it either. Or anyone else. Just me.'

"Lord love ya," Sarah interrupts, and my cheeky smile fades. "I'd say that to your face. You're a spiky loner, and ya can be damn difficult to deal with, but I trust ya with the last bullet in my pistol."

'Amen to that.' Except for New Canton missions, I mentally add.

You are never taking me on one of those again.

"Alright then."

"Any news? Do you know how far she's got?"

I hear Janine sigh. "No, we think she's sticking to the wooded areas where we can't find her on the cameras. And she doesn't have a tracker, of course, and another bit of bad news."

'Not surprised.'

"What else would you ever bring me, Janine?"

"I've located all the Roufflenet transmissions since she arrived at Abel," She explains ignoring our two comments. "She hasn't stolen all our files by chance-New Canton asked her to get them. They offered her private sleeping quarters, unlimited hot water, fresh fruit rations-"

"Wow," Sarah gapes, and I can't help but find myself from thinking the same thing. Even at Mullins we shared rooms and had a time limit on our showers. "What do they want so badly that they'd offer such luxury for it?"

"They want to know about our coms, so they can bring them down. Make us blind and deaf-defenseless."

I suck in a sharp breath at that, sharper than normal since now I'm panting and sweat drops are dripping from my nose. My thoughts turn to Lem, and I still can't help but think how someone as nice as he was could've worked with and for New Canton. The people there-from what I've experienced and have been told-seem horrible.

All this because we didn't join them when they asked?

But then I nearly trip over my own feet when I realize I thought of Abel as 'we' instead of 'they'. I'm unsure how to feel about. I've come to the fact that I now have friends, and that this place is a sort-of home for me, but to think of it as 'we'... it's still odd... but not uncomfortable.

I ponder on this for a few minutes, my panting breathing mixing in with Sarah's and our feet hitting the ground in an almost identical rhythm. That combined with the music Janine so kindly put on for us almost makes the situation less chaotic.

That is until the music stops, and loud knocking nearly makes me trip and fall on my face. I fling out my arms to regain my balance and scowl when Sarah chuckles.

"Who is it?" Janine's irritated voice growls through the headset.

"It'll be one of Sam's friends, Janine, asking if he can come out to play."

"Mr. Yao is on his rest break," She practically shrieks in my ear, making me wince, although my running partner doesn't seem at all bothered by this. "And if that's on of his X-box demanding playmates the answer is still no. We don't have enough extra power-"

"It's me. It's Ed," I hear his muffled voice yell through the door. "It's urgent."

"Oh. Come in. What is it?" That question is still stiff and irritated.

"Is it Tess they're saying?" He asks quickly, with an muttered babble that follows. I know exactly who that's from. "Tess who's run of to New Canton? Settle down, Molly. Settle down. But is it her?"

"Yes, it is but-"

"Damnit," He curses with a groan following after. "I-I ugh..."

I run my hand over my sweaty face, the other gripping the strap of my backpack. This isn't going to be good news. I can already tell.

"What?"

"I might've-I... well, the thing is she was so-settle down, Molly. It's still okay... but Tess was so interested in hearing about what I do and she asked all these questions and..."

Oh no... this is definitely gonna be bad news.

"And?" Janine prompts, and I can almost see the look on her face as she says it.

"And I might've told her where this bloke had two working motorbikes in the back of his shed near Last Elbow's Diner and how they were between here and New Canton and how they're still in good nick because I was out to check 'em a few days ago."

Oh my-Jesus on a freaking boat!

"I thought we'd leave 'em safe and sound until we needed 'em and-"

"Two motorbikes?" Sarah questions.

"Half way between here and New Canton?" Janine finishes.

'Ed, I really want to smack you in the back of the head right now.'

"I don't know what she said but I'm guessing it had something about her being angry with me."

"It doesn't matter." Sarah gives me a look but I just glare and shake my head, pushing back a strand of sweaty hair from my face. "That'll be where she's headed. Last Elbow's Diner-I know it. Come on, Five. If we don't beat her there we'll have lost her for good."

A surge of panic runs through me, starting at my chest and blooming outwards into my limbs reaching all the way to my fingers and toes. I cannot and will not let them know my mission here before I do. That is not happening. The thought itself makes my hands sweatier than they already are.

My breathing is growing more erratic now, my lungs gasping for air each time I force it out. I don't stop though. I can't. Stopping will only give Tess a better chance of getting to those motorbikes.

I don't really know how long it is before we speak again, but when I see a figure-a human-dashing through the trees towards the shack near us, I hear Sarah shouting next to me.

"There! There, I see her. She's breaking the cover of the trees."

'So do I.'

She's in front on us, and I know we'd have to curve to get near her when we get close enough, since we are a few feet from the trees itself. There's a gash on her leg, most likely from a branch or rock. She's still running, but there is a limp to it.

That must be what slowed her down enough to let us catch up.

The closer we get to the retreating girl, the louder a familiar beeping noise becomes.

"I have her on the cameras now," Janine informs. "Just keep going. If you speed up you can make it there before she-"

"What's she got there?" Asks Ed over Molly's constant babble. "A noise maker?"

Clever girl.

"She's hoping to attract zoms toward us. It's working; There's one behind us now." Sarah sends Tess a heated look, her jaw clenching as she speeds up.

I reach behind me to grab my axe, just incase the zom get too close, but my hand grabs at nothing but air. I suck in a gasp of air and huff it out in annoyance.

You have to be kidding.

In my rush to leave I forgot to strap on my axe. I grit my teeth angrily, mentally smacking myself for such a careless and stupid mistake.

"She's only a few hundred meters away," Sarah pants, wiping the sweat from her brow. "We can get there first if we keep sprinting. Come on. Hey, Tess! Tess, you damn traitor! Selling us out for a clean bed and a hot shower, ay?"

I see Tess is slowing down, or maybe we're just running faster-I can't exactly tell. But I know that now we're closer to the shack than she is, and the closer we get the more Sarah and I start to curve our direction to get close the... blonde haired girl in the hoodie.

"What's Runner Eight holding?" Ed asks the second I turn to see her holding something that looks like a long pole or a really skinny baseball bat.

"That would be a baton or a billy club, I believe," Janine answers, and I see Sarah's grip on said baton tighten as she begins to slow down. "Runner Eight is rather handy with her weaponry and-"

Runner Eight whips behind her just as Tess puts on a burst of speed to catch up. The blonde lets out a shriek as Sarah's baton smashes against her face, knocking her to the ground. I cringe at the sound of metal breaking bone.

"Excellent swing!" Janine praises, while Ed mutters, "That's gotta hurt."

My brunette partners snatches Tess' bag and hands it to me. "We got her, and her backpack full of stolen storage."

"Yes, we saw. Very effective."

"What'd ya reckon we should do with with her then? There is a zom approaching."

I send her a sharp glare at what she could possibly be suggesting. Even though the idiot is a traitor, I don't believe we should leave her for the zombies. That in itself is just cruel. And I think breaking her face with a billy club is a pretty good punishment in itself.

"That shed is pretty secure," Ed tells, and we quickly drag her inside as Tess mumbles in protest and struggles slightly. "If you put her on the upper floor and kick the ladder away-"

"Leave her a weapon, just to be sporting; Perhaps your excellent baton," Janine instructs.

I quickly shove Tess up the ladder-nearly dropping her at one point-while Sarah holds it secure. Afterwards we let the ladder plop to the ground and Sarah throws her baton to Tess, nearly hitting her in the face again.

"Well," She says, dusting off her hands, "of course that would leave those last two motor bikes. One for me and one for Five. I believe we're coming back home in style."

I nod, quickly grabbing the hammer that's lying on the ground and shoving it in my already full backpack. As I mount the bike, I go through what I was taught at the AMTB and Mullins, which was sadly not much in the motorbike department.

That being said, I nearly scream as I surge forward on the bike.