The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 17

Daniel drove the truck off the main road as we made a detour to the small rabbit forest north of Ironwind Stronghold. He managed to find a path that kept us far away from the handful of people in the fields, and we reached the forest without any fanfare. As we drove down the narrow, rutted track, Luke examined the trees around us in curiosity.

"I think this is as close as I can get," Daniel said, bringing the truck to a stop.

Luke and I hopped out of the back of the truck while Nicky and the others remained seated.

"We'll be right back," Nina said.

"Good luck calming my sister down when she doesn't see me in the truck," I commented. "But in the meantime, I'll show Luke the cave and try to clear a path for when you return."

"Don't worry," Nicky said. "I'll tell her that you're shy and just need a bit of time to build up your courage."

I snorted and shook my head as Daniel started driving the truck away. Branches squealed as they scraped against the truck's already battered paint job. Maybe one of those branches will swing back and whack some better excuses into Nicky.

Dismissing the redhead who was about to find out how lousy her explanation was, I asked Luke, "Feel like seeing this cave?"

He nodded, and I led the way through the dense undergrowth, unable to find a proper deer trail to follow. We trudged through the greenery as Luke gazed around, likely committing everything to memory as best he could. I stopped in a small clearing and pointed to a dark opening barely visible behind some bushes.

After sniffing the air to ensure nothing was inside, Luke ducked his head and entered the tunnel. I followed him, able to see everything clearly, although I knew Luke's sight wasn't much better than a human's.

He paused at the corner and turned on the flashlight I'd lent him earlier. When we came to the larger cave at the end, his flashlight stopped by my feet while the rest of the light illuminated the area.

"I don't think it's fair that you don't have to duck in here."

"Perks of being short," I said, smirking at the lanky man who had to stoop over and bend his knees to avoid hitting his head on the uneven rock. "We may not be able to reach the top shelf, but we rarely bang our heads on anything."

"Well, as far as caves go, this is better than most I've found. I think I'll chip part of the ceiling higher so I can stand up, unless you have any issues with that."

I shook my head. "Don't let me spoil your fun. I don't have any attachment to this cave."

"That'll have to wait until they bring the hammer and chisel. We should probably start clearing that path before they return. If we finish before they arrive, I wouldn't mind checking out the forest."

"Sounds good to me."

We went back outside and started breaking branches off trees as we retraced our steps.

Luke tossed several massive branches into the small clearing in front of the cave entrance. "At least we're getting plenty of firewood out of this. I'll just have to break it into smaller pieces later."

I ripped a small shrub out of the ground and shook the dirt from the roots. "It'll take a while to dry and burn nicely, but there isn't exactly a lack of trees in this area."

"Unlike the prairies we traversed previously," Luke agreed, lagging behind me as he broke off more branches. "Although I only need a fire for cooking or if any company comes to visit."

I bent a small sapling over, and the slender trunk broke free from its roots with a loud splintery crack. I tossed it to the side, winding our path around a larger tree at the expense of a younger one. This is far too much like gardening and weeding. I really have to start thinking about the tasks involved before I volunteer to do something.