"Mullins runner, do you copy?" A third voice cut through the radio signal coming from Abel Township.
"Yes!" she wheezed. The zombies were on her now, and she fought hard to stay ahead of them. She could hear the old Runner Five practically breathing down her neck.
"This is Runner Seven. You're almost at the gate. You only have a bit more to go, and we'll let you in."
The runner ducked her head down and dug her feet into the earth as she attempted to escape the old Runner Five, but she was losing steam fast.
"She's not going to make it," Runner Seven said urgently. "Snipers, take out the zombie in the front!"
"No!" Sam cried. "That's—that's Alice—"
The runner heard a sharp gunshot and a thud behind her; the old Runner Five was dead.
"It's what she would have wanted," Dr. Myers said gently, a kinder tone than the runner had heard before. "You know that, Sam."
Before she could hear anything else, the runner careened into the large metal gate labeled "Abel Township." The sound of clattering metal was never more welcome to the runner as Abel's doors slammed shut behind her.
She had not even had time to collect her thoughts before a swarm of people ran at her, all guns pointed at her heart. She stopped short, raising her hands into the air in immediate surrender, her eyes wide.
A built man with chocolate-brown skin approached the runner warily. "What happened to you? Why did that helo crash?" She recognized him as Runner Seven.
"I'm—I don't know," she squeaked nervously. "It was hit by some sort of rocket launcher, and—and here—" She showed them the medical kits hooked to her utility belt as well as the CDC box-file.
"A rocket launcher sounds impossible…" The man questioning her took the box and turned to a young but hard-faced woman wearing a lab coat.
"Is this it, Dr. Myers?" he asked her, glancing at the runner.
"Let me take a look." She stared as the doctor examined the files. Finally, she seemed satisfied. "Yes. This is it." She turned and left, clutching the CDC document.
Runner Seven waved his hands at the Abel citizens and the guns pointed at the runner instantly abated. He approached her, extending his hand with a smile.
"Thank you, runner," he said warmly. "I'm Evan Deaubl, Runner Seven. You've faced a lot of danger by yourself to get to us. And you even brought us medical supplies. We really need these."
The other people crowded around the runner, this time in curiosity rather than contempt. From every direction, the runner was hit with questions about her arrival, thanks for the supplies, and other things she didn't have enough ears to understand. She backed away some, starting to feel slightly suffocated.
"Hey!" came another familiar voice, pushing through the crowd. "Back away some, come on. Give her some space, give her some space! She can't take in all the new faces at once!"
Seven chuckled a little and instructed some of the other members of the community to deliver the med kits to the hospital. A tall young man with black hair and sharp, dark eyes broke through the crowd and approached her. "Runner Five! Knew you'd make it back alive. I'm Sam Yao! But I'm sure you recognized that already. Look at you! You look—well, you look terrible, actually—but you're alive, and you got all the supplies back. Sev, I made sure Five here got back in one piece."
The runner and Sam smiled and shook hands as Seven nodded approvingly.
"Made a friend, I see," he said amusedly. "And already she's the new Runner Five?"
Sam's smile faltered. "We need another runner, and here she is. So… so she can be Five now that we have her."
Seven shrugged. "That sounds good to me," he said. "Why don't we get you some clean clothes and I'll show you around?" he suggested. "You've got to know where you're staying if you're going to be around for a while."