The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 42

"Have you been to this place before?" I asked Nina as we approached the next stop in our delightful journey.

"No, and it's been almost four months since the traders last stopped here. We usually never have to send our people so far away."

"That doesn't sound very promising. Do you have any good news to go with that?"

"Well," Nicky piped up, "it isn't overrun yet. Maybe they'll even offer us some lunch!"

I wasn't sure whether Nicky's optimism was due to her cheerful personality, her unique outlook on life, or if it simply existed to bask in the questioning looks I kept throwing her way.

Nicky sat up as Daniel slowed down. This place boasted two tall chain-link fences, with the outer one having strips of plastic stuck between the links as a sight barrier. The guard towers on either side of the gate looked like they had been built from wooden shipping pallets and plywood.

No horn sounded, although from the glimpses I could see through the fence, a dozen people were waiting, likely with weapons. The gate opened just enough for three people to emerge.

Daniel slowed down even more and came to a stop a polite distance away.

"What brings you to Riverbend Stronghold?" one of the men asked, not entirely welcoming.

"We're from Ironwind Stronghold," Nina said, "and we have reason to believe the third wave is coming early." She continued telling him about the virus, sneezing waves, cure, and other drugs.

I had a feeling I'd be hearing this well-rehearsed speech so many times during our trip that I'd hear it in my sleep for weeks to come.

The man's greeting may have been stilted before, but his growing frown and closed expression were an indication he wasn't nearly as trusting as the other places we had stopped at. A healthy caution, in my opinion, but it was going to make our task harder.

He looked at Daniel with narrowed eyes for some time before turning his attention back to Nina's spiel. When Nina finished with a tentative request for a tour to find the infected people and some lunch, he crossed his arms.

"Never heard of a cure before. And with that zombie beside you, I'm not sure I believe it," he replied stubbornly.

"If you prefer, we can leave the cure here for those who start sneezing," Nina suggested. "They can wait until it's clear that they're infected."

"I guess." From his tone, I doubted the vials would be used. He still didn't move or invite us into the Stronghold.

Since Nina was getting nowhere, I decided to ask the question she usually did at every stop. "Does there happen to be a man here by the name of John McComfry? He'd be in his mid-twenties. His brother Luke is trying to locate him."

His frown only deepened as he glanced at me and curtly replied, "None here by that name."

I took a discrete sniff, but he spoke the truth, at least as far as he knew.

"Thanks." I pretended disinterest and turned my head to the forest while still watching him and his friends from behind my sunglasses.

Nina dug in a bag by her feet and held out a package of fabric. "Here are some masks to help in the coming wave."

The leader accepted them unenthusiastically and passed them to the woman behind him. This guy is practically as grumpy as a Nightstalker. He just lacks the virus.

Daniel spoke, possibly hoping a different angle might work. "I've never considered the cure, but that's partially because my sense of smell lets me determine who's infected before they turn, as well as help keep ferals away from Ironwind. Even if you have no plans on letting others use the cure, would it not be helpful if we could point out the people who are infected? As most Strongholds learned in the last wave, even one sneeze can infect many."