The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 35

The sentry opened the gate for me. "Just call out when you come back so we know it's you. Are you sure you don't want to wait until morning?"

"There is a reason my kind are called Nightstalkers," I replied dryly.

My comment only increased the smell of unease and fear emanating from him and his companion. The locals must have mistaken me for a Runner. I walked through the gate and disappeared into the darkness with ease. Not that it was a particularly hard feat when the light above the gate was dimmer than some porch lights I'd seen.

For the lack of anything better to do, I circled the compound to learn the lay of the land as well as to ensure nothing sinister lurked out here. My lingering tension from today's travels faded as I wandered aimlessly through the dark forest. It had been a long day, and I wasn't looking forward to the rest of the trip.

I shook my head to dispel that line of thought and lifted my nose to the wind. It was too bad Luke hadn't come along. Since he wasn't here, he'd just have to wait to collect his mountain lion. I went deeper into the forest to claim the big cat for myself.

When I found it, it was drinking from a puddle. I eased out of the bushes and silently crept up behind it. It paused and sniffed the air warily. Unfortunately for the big cat, I was already standing beside its tail.

As it began to turn its head, I launched myself at it, shattering its spine with a loud crack. Its blood was hot and welcoming after a vexing day. The heavier predator taste had a sweet undertone due to the controlex, but the combination actually went together very well.

If the rest of our trip was as aggravating as today, I might decide to target larger predators. One perk of traveling was that I could kill larger or more uncommon animals without worrying about the local population. People rarely realized just how much wildlife was around them, and the locals probably wouldn't notice if a bear or cougar disappeared.

By the time I finished, I was in a much better mood. I dragged the carcass to a nearby road and hung it in a tree. The locals would find it tomorrow morning since this was a main route for them. The marks on the neck were unique, and this group should know it was a sane zombie's kill. Even if they didn't, the big cat had clearly not died of natural causes. If they were brave enough to turn it into soup or jerky, they'd have extra meat with no work, although I suspected they'd just take the hide and feed the meat to the dogs.

I wandered back to the Stronghold and circled around it from the cover of the trees. This place didn't have much in the way of nighttime lighting, just dim, solar-powered bulbs above their two gates. Other than a couple of guards who stood or sat in small sentry boxes above the gates, the place looked deserted. The people here clearly hid inside and didn't stir until the sun rose.

Movement caught my attention, and I narrowed my eyes as my instincts roused even more, which was quite an impressive feat considering how high they normally were at night. In the semi-darkness between the buildings, Nina walked toward an outdoor bathroom, seemingly unaware of the three people following her at a distance. None of them were Daniel.

Moving quickly, I slipped through the trees to get closer. The chain-link fence was more than twice my height, but my Nightstalker abilities allowed me to climb over it without a sound. I kept to the shadows as I drew closer. The overly strong smell of cologne masked their scent, so I snuck behind them to get a good whiff of their trail.

I recognized their scent and bared my teeth as I glared at their backs. These were the same three who had tried to kill me when I first arrived at Ironwind. The very ones who had shot me almost half a year ago.

The smell of gun oil indicated a gun was present as well, although I couldn't see it from my current angle.

Like an invisible shadow, I slipped around them as I checked how well they were armed. It didn't surprise me the same trigger-happy idiot was the one with the gun. All three had belt knives, although none of them had drawn them yet, which struck me as odd.