I untie Laëtitia and invite her to come with me to the front of a vehicle. Lilou and one last girl accompany us. On the way back, Laëtitia listens to me chatting happily with Lilou. She calms down a bit. Lilou tells her about the survival courses I gave to the whole gang with my sister. She talks about Grumpy and Star, our horse friends from Prince. We laugh like two little girls remembering Damien's glide.

Our crew arrives at the farmhouse. Mélia has seen us from a distance. I transmitted the signal that all is well via our secret lighthouse code without anyone seeing it. She understood that we were bringing back survivors. Everything is ready. The infirmary is open. The hot water is on. She has her first aid kit and her gun in hand. A meal is being cooked.

We start the disinfection. The teacher examines Naya's father and the young boy, Melia and I the girls. Only Petunia has a questionable-looking wound. She was not bitten, but scratched a few days ago. Mélia and I scrape the wound and bring a torch as close as possible.

We explain the reason for our procedures as we go along. The woman doctor is impressed with our knowledge. We give her the updated booklet and the protocol invented by the doctor and the biologist for her to study. Fleur, Lilou and Sarah share their cell with an eight-year-old girl.

For the first night, Blaise is allowed to sleep in the same room as his sister to reassure my Kawai. In addition, he has a touch with the girl. Mélia decorates their room with stuffed animals. Naya, Clarissa, Petunia and Damien are roommates. I discreetly warn Damien about Petunia and leave him a gun on the sly. Naya's father goes to join the woman doctor, her sister and her son. Laëtitia and the other girls share the last two rooms.

Naya explained to me where she and her father had hidden the ten horses of the group. I went to look for them the next day with Damien, Thibaut and Blaise. Prince recognised me as soon as I entered. He made a fuss over me. I examined the horses briefly. Nothing suspicious. We were in a hurry and in the middle of a contaminated area. Prince agreed to enter one of the cattle trucks without protest.

My presence and that of the boys he knows well allowed him to behave. The other horses, reassured by Prince's calmness, followed without any concern. Damien stayed with Prince at the back of the first cattle-carrier. Blaise at the wheel. Thibault took the wheel of the second cattle-carrier and I was at the back with my rifle. We took them back to the farmhouse and put them in one of the individual stalls, in quarantine, away from the other horses.

After five days, Petunia showed symptoms of illness. We don't know if it's the bacteria or something else. For safety, she is isolated in a room. I am not optimistic, sending her purulent wound. Mélia disinfects it and brings the torch as close to the wound as possible. On her way out, Mélia cries. She shares my bad feeling. The former tenants of the room we've just requisitioned are going to cohabit with the three supposedly healthy rooms. Naya, Clarissa and Damien stay where they are. Two days later, there is no doubt. Petunia is infected.

She is not yet aggressive, but she can't stand the light and is losing her sight. She is still able to think. She begs me to kill her. She feels the first cravings for blood. The others do not have to take such a decision. I execute her with a bullet between the eyes after offering her her last wish. A nice hot bath with lots of foam and relaxing music.

She leaves painlessly, a smile of well-being on her lips. I burn her body with all the linen in the room. Afterwards, I put the room through the torch and the UV lamp. Two days in a row. Only Clarissa is furious with me. The others understand my action. Naya even thanks me for having done this so quickly and for allowing Petunia to leave while remaining human, with a smile on her face. Petunia will always be our human friend and we will not think of her as a horrible monster, but as a fashionista pain in the ass.

Fifteen days after their entry, the fifteen survivors are integrated into the group. The horses too. I threaten to leave Damien prisoner for a few more days when he says something stupid on purpose during the test. Naya's father and Thibaut's father are the link between the two groups. They are respected in both groups. Naya laughs at me and my expensive tastes when she discovers the pool and jacuzzi. She calls me princess.

The Kawai jump at the bright pink flamingo and other such decorations. So does the little girl. The teenager is delighted to see some testosterone. They all jump into the pool with happiness. They cry with joy as they eat quietly and get a neat, comfortable room. The little girl gets tons of stuffed animals and cute clothes. Naya's father raves about the stable and its high-quality equipment. The female doctor raves about the medical equipment. Laëtitia drools with envy at the military equipment. The others are impressed by the food and the comfort.

Very quickly, the two groups merge. Each half of the group already knows half of the other, which creates new friendships very quickly. At twenty-seven and despite two children, our chances of long-term survival improve. Twelve boys, fifteen girls, thirty-five horses. A doctor and three new girls who know about farming. Naya and her father in horse and animal care. Melia and I are sad that we are no longer the princesses of our harem. It is a minor inconvenience compared to having a lot of friends and survivors back. We keep the costumes just in case.

Two month ellipse.

Clarissa is still mad at me. Even though everyone else made a case for me. No matter. A new division of labour has been made. I train Naya and the girls to defend themselves. Laëtitia is by far the most talented. Only Mélia and I manage to stand up to her. Even Damien flies through the air. And she's just as bad-tempered as I am. Naya and Damien are often the victims of her grumpy remarks. Our greater numbers allow us to make more expeditions. We set up six more traps on the two hundred and fifty kilometre circle. One for each cardinal point, three to the west. The sea seems to me a priority to reach.

The seventy-five kilometres around the farmhouse are healthy or almost healthy, no trapping. Between seventy-five and two hundred kilometres, a slight threat with one creature per week, including animals only. Between two hundred and two hundred and fifty, a major threat, with ten or so creatures per week, including humanoids. There is always the episodic presence of potential belligerent humans. Beyond that, absolute danger. We don't go there yet. On our southern edge, Charleston seems to be clearing up a bit. There haven't been any humanoids here for ten days.

I am on the northern trap with Naya and Damien. We are looking for a suitable place to set a second trap. When I find the botanical park, we stop with our backhoe. A fresh trap is already in place, dug less than forty-eight hours ago. In stealth mode, I approach the information panels. Two humanoids are in the background, dying and being eaten by a dozen infected rats. A manual is hanging up. I run my eyes through it at full speed. It's in the same style as ours. In fact, it's the one Richard had sent to two other survivalist groups before the war with just a couple of extra pieces of information.

The trap is done the Richard way. The location is strategically chosen. The directions on the sign are similar to the one I give. Shelters to wait in, not a precise location. The lights of several buildings are illuminated, as well as the streetlights of the city. I think we just found another group of survivalists. A group that knows Richard.

Naya, Damien and I decide to climb to the top of a skyscraper. The whole southern part of the city is lit up. I see two more traps in the distance. Through the sights of my rifle I can see a group of five people. They are wearing military fatigues and look athletic. A woman appears at the head of the group. I focus on her. Her back is turned to me. Finally, she turns around. I recognise her immediately. Papinou's ex-second wife. A high-level soldier. Mathilde.