The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 48

"I can't believe how small this place is," Nicky said as I jumped out to open the gate for the truck.

"They must have merged with another group when they built their current place," Nina replied, also looking at the mismatched collection of mobile homes and rickety sheds that had been dragged in or built from whatever leftover wood they could find.

"Have I finished my two hours of adulting?" Nicky asked plaintively.

"I guess," Daniel reluctantly replied, "but don't get too carried away."

"Oh good. Remind me to never adult again. It stinks."

After Daniel drove through the gate, I closed it in case any zombies decided to pay us a visit, although I didn't see any around.

"Which building do you want to stay in?" Daniel asked the two women.

After a brief discussion and peeking inside a few buildings, they settled on a large cabin with a wood stove. I carried an armful of bags inside and glanced around the fairly open space.

Two small beds were pushed against one wall with no privacy to speak of. In one corner, there was a small kitchen with an equally tiny table and two uncomfortable-looking wooden chairs. From what I could see of the bathroom, I decided the forest was preferable to the small plastic toilet that had likely come from a holiday trailer.

Once we finished packing things inside, Daniel said, "I'm going to look around. Let me know if you need me."

He went into a nearby house that was leaning a bit too much for my liking. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but as long as the floorboards didn't break in such a way that forced me to rescue him, I didn't particularly care.

I unfolded the tarp and draped it over the back of the truck in case it rained tonight. Sitting on a mattress in the back of a truck for most of the day was bad enough, but sitting on a wet mattress would be even worse.

"I wonder if this water pump works..." Nicky said as she wandered over to it.

"I hope so," Nina replied, watching. "Water is the most essential element of life."

"Duh. Without water, you can't make coffee." Water started flowing out on the third pump of the handle.

"I don't care how much water we have," I told the redhead, "you aren't getting any coffee."

"In that case, we're stuck with boring water." She let go of the handle and the water ceased to flow.

The door on the house banged against the siding with an inelegant thud, and I looked up to see Daniel carrying a large reclining chair out. Apparently, he had also seen the kitchen chairs and decided he needed an upgrade.

Nina saw him coming and opened the cabin door for him. I wasn't sure if the large chair was going to fit, so I paused to watch. He carried the bulky seat like a paperweight as he angled it through the doorway and somehow squeezed it inside on the first attempt.

Nicky came over. "If you want to find some firewood, I'll see if I can pump enough water to fill the reservoir on top. That should get the toilet and shower working, and heaven knows we could all use a shower."

"After a day like today, I think I can agree with that."

I headed for the gate while Nicky went to test the hand pump beside the cabin. As I left, I heard it faintly squeaking as water was forced through it for the first time in who knew how long. Outside the fence, I entered the coniferous forest and scanned the area to get a sense of the lay of the land.

Once I got past the tree line, the spruce trees were scraggly and choked out the light that would have otherwise let the handful of grasses and plants below flourish. If nothing else, fallen branches were plentiful.