This is great news. I start dancing on my roof. Mathilde raised Mélia and me from the time we were five to ten. She is a friend. An ally, militarily very competent. I warn my two friends. They already suspect something from my joy. We decide to go and see the group. I notify our arrival in my own way, by firing one then two bullets and then one again at the head of the actor in the poster next to them. Mathilde will understand. It's a code among survivalist groups. She looks up in the direction of the shot. She is calm. She understands that it is someone she knows. Someone non-belligerent.

We drive through the city. I make my two friends wait further away, out of sight. I have to go alone. So I move forward. The five people are still there. Their weapons are down. Mathilde looks at me in surprise. She thought she saw Richard, I suppose. She must not recognise me. I have grown so much.

- I am a princess's knight in shining armour and heir to the wooden throne. I come to you, Lady Matilda, to pay my respects and to ask you where the dragon or felon is to be fought.

Surely, from the looks on the four men's faces, only she understands my gibberish. She bursts out laughing. Mathilde comes towards me and takes me in her arms, crying.

- My little Robin Hood. Don't worry. There are no treacherous dragons among my knights.

She kisses me. Mathilde asks me to tell her more. She gives me her information first. She leads a group of thirty people, including ten soldiers, a biologist, a doctor and a veterinarian. There are also farmers and good handymen. Five teenagers complete her group. Mathilde also owns two semi-trailers filled with food, equipment, weapons and medicine. Six vehicles in all. Ten sheep and twelve cows and two bulls. Their refuge was attacked six months ago. It was no longer protected. They are looking for a new one. They passed through the town of my old high school. The shelter was in the building. The members are all dead. Mathilde's group was coming towards Richard. She questions me. It's my turn.

She knows me well enough to detect a lie. Besides, I trust her. Richard had given her the address of the refuge. We didn't see each other physically anymore, though, I still had almost weekly calls until the war started. I signal for Naya and Damien to come. She greets them politely. I repeat Mathilde's information and briefly explain who she is and the almost maternal bond she has with me and Mélia.

I then tell Mathilde that Richard is dead. When she realises that it was I who put the bullet in his head, she places a tender kiss of understanding in my hair. She is delighted to know that Melia is alive and safe. I hand her my updated manual. The doctor is there and flips through it quickly. He is impressed by the comprehensive details. I tell the five people how many we are without detailing the fact that I am the only one militarily trained. I have a safe house only, they will have to quarantine themselves. Mathilde has a map of the area. I show her where the safe area is, the dangerous area and the rough location of the traps.

The other members of the group have joined us on a sunny esplanade. I recognise several of Papinou and Richard's friends among the soldiers. Mathilde explains to them who I am so that they can trust me. Anyway, she behaves like a mother wolf towards me. We discuss what to do. There are too many of them for our infirmary. If just one is infected, it ruins our sanitized area. The doctor proposes a compromise. An almost healthy town a hundred kilometres from the farmhouse. Orcity. There is a hotel. It's far enough away that it won't endanger the farmhouse if there are infected people among them, and close enough that we can monitor and help them.

Mathilde gives me her word of honour about her peaceful intentions. She gives her word to her group. Melia and I are like her little girls. We are General Farmer's little girls. We have the same righteousness as he does. We are the goddaughters of Richard Dubois, the former member of the GIGN and decorated marksman. Mathilde has total confidence in us. She would trust us with her life. Mathilde orders her group to obey me without any protest. She places herself under my command in front of each of her soldiers. Her tender gaze and affectionate gestures show them the emotional bond between us. The bullets in the poster give an idea of my level in combat. His group accepts my conditions.

I isolate myself and ask the opinion of my two friends. Damien sums up the situation best. They are more numerous, better equipped and armed. They know exactly where we are and how our defences are designed. If they want to, tomorrow we are dead. Mathilde seems to like me and to be non-belligerent. I trust Mathilde. He trusts my judgment. With them, we will be even more certain of our survival.

We accept their arrival, however, we ask to inspect them as soon as they arrive in the safe zone. They will have to stay locked in their hotel rooms and keep the bare minimum in weapons. We will bring them food and check their condition daily. The animals will be grazed in the stadium which is secure. The fifteen day quarantine is accepted.

They gather their things and follow us towards Orcity. In Mathilde's equipment, there is a CB radio. We install it at the hotel. We have one at the farmhouse. I agree on the channel with Mathilde and on the schedule for the food deliveries. They only keep a few guns and night scopes. Everyone gets a room key. The general pass is given to me. A schedule of who can go out and at what time is established. Military discipline makes it easier to organise. I allow one of the teenagers to keep her two cats after briefly inspecting them. I collect the other animals.

Naya and I examine the girls, Damien the men. Nothing suspicious. One of the soldiers has a broken arm. A crude splint has been placed. The doctor is a surgeon, however, he was short of material. Tomorrow, under my supervision, he will operate on the man and treat him at the town hospital. Afterwards, he will carry out the treatment at the hotel. I promise to bring back fresh produce the next day and we leave.

Our friends at the farmhouse were beginning to worry about our delay. We tell them everything in great detail. Mélia screams with joy when she hears about Mathilde and the various soldiers I recognised. She declares to our group her total confidence in Mathilde. Her affection and tenderness for her. Mathilde is a bit like a grandmother to both of us. Mélia also declares that this woman is much more dangerous than Papinou and Richard combined. So if she has become belligerent, we won't make it through the night. Only I understand and laugh at her joke.

Just as I'm about to go to sleep, Thibaut knocks on my door. He wants to talk to me. Although I am in my pyjamas, I invite him in. He comes to apologise for Clarissa's behaviour. She was his girlfriend before and they got back together when she came back. But tonight he had a fight with her. They broke up. He couldn't take her complaints about me anymore. I did the right thing for the group. I saved the life of her father's team. I saved the lives of Naya's band. I killed a friend before she became dangerous to the group and before she suffered.

Thibaut agrees and supports me. We talk for part of the night, lying side by side. We make plans for the future and dream a little. We end up falling asleep against each other. In the morning, before leaving the room, he gives me a longing kiss and then runs away, realising what he has just done.

The next morning we are still alive. Mathilde did not attack us. Our doctor, Mélia, Damien, Naya and Blaise accompany me to bring eggs, bread, jam and meat to our neighbours who welcome us with joy. One of the soldiers leaves with Blaise and Damien to get some food from the local supermarket to fill the hotel's cold rooms. Mélia and Naya stay with Mathilde to talk.

The two doctors and the injured soldier follow me to the hospital. We find everything we need to operate safely. They discuss the respective supplies of medication, Richard's booklet and the experiments conducted. The operation goes well. The soldier will be able to heal now. The doctors collect some surgical equipment, including a table for the mas.

After a fortnight, they are all found to be healthy. The soldier's scar is clean. They will be able to come to the farmhouse with all their livestock. I sheared their sheep to check for wounds. We have a good supply of wool to make blankets and clothes. Fifty-seven people, ten of whom are highly trained and ready to fight and one who is recovering. Two doctors and a biologist. A veterinarian. Many people able to farm or look after animals. Many able to tinker, repair and build. Fertile fields. A substantial livestock. Plenty of equipment and vehicles. Our survival is improving day by day.

We all decide unanimously that expeditions and trapping will be concentrated towards the sea. The importance of having a zone that cannot be re-contaminated is essential in everyone's eyes. A healthy zone to better radiate afterwards, to install farmers and those not fit for combat in safety, then advanced posts as and when necessary. A re-conquest of the territories will be able to start very soon. A return to a peaceful life, one day, begins to be glimpsed. Many are crying at this dream that is becoming a reality, including the military.