The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 53

Once Nina finished administering the cure and serum, we headed back to the Stronghold. The van followed us most of the way, then deviated to the newly placed trailers where some people were setting up temporary fencing. A small group was already waiting outside the gate for us.

"How did it go?" A man asked Daniel as he stopped beside them.

"We gave them the cure. About half remained behind so they wouldn't be too crowded."

He sighed in relief. "Thank you very much. Please come in."

He waved us through the open gate and walked alongside the truck. Other than the guards, no one near the gate was carrying a weapon. Their hospitality was a welcome change from having to practically batter down the gates just to help the idiots. This stop might not be so bad after all.

"You said you could smell if someone was infected even before they sneeze?" an old lady asked, using a cane as she walked beside the slowly moving truck.

"Yes," Daniel replied, inclining his head respectfully at her.

"That'll make things much easier. If you want to park there," using her cane, she pointed to an open spot beside another truck, "we can talk about what needs to be done."

Daniel parked the truck in the indicated location and got out, carrying Nina's supply bag for her. "It doesn't smell like too many are infected. Maybe a dozen or so. If you don't mind giving us a tour, we'll probably find most of them without searching too hard."

One of the men addressed the older woman. "Marsha, could you guide them? I'd like to check on the group in the trailers and see if they need anything."

"Certainly," the old lady with a cane replied. "Also check if those trailers have water. The tanks were emptied after we cleaned them, and the boys probably didn't remember to fill them."

"I'll check," the man promised as he left.

Most of the group went with him, eager to see the friends and relatives they had likely thought were gone forever. Some lingered behind to accompany the guests and discover who else was infected.

The old lady, Marsha, said, "We can walk past the guest quarters, then continue along the perimeter which will give you a good look at most of the Stronghold. By the time we finish searching, I'm sure we'll be ready for some food."

"That should work," Daniel said amiably as he walked beside her.

If Daniel thought this elderly lady with snow-white hair was slow because she had a cane, he was sadly mistaken. Within a few seconds, he had to quicken his steps to a normal pace so he wasn't left behind by the energetic ninety-some-year-old woman.

As Marsha chattered with Nina about our drive here, she kept waving her cane in the air to emphasize her words or point out various people and buildings. The poor cane spent more time in the air than it did helping her walk.

"...and someone called Luke in Ironwind Stronghold is looking for his brother. John McComfry. Have you heard of that name?"

The old lady tapped her cane in the dirt thoughtfully. "McComfry... McComfry... Name rings a bell, but that bell is a bit rusty. Hmmm... Oh! Yes, used to be a veterinarian clinic owned by a McComfry family in a town not far from here. Nice couple with five kids. Three went off to college, got their degrees, and set up their own clinics in other states. The town is currently in no man's land, so no one's there now. I don't think we have any Johns here."

That matched what I knew about Luke's family, although he said he had already checked out his parent's home. This was the first time someone had recognized the name, which was one step ahead of every other stop so far.