The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 58

"Yes, the survivors came here," the man at the gate said. "Please come in. We heard there was a group going around with a cure, and we were hoping you'd show up before it was too late. They're outside the other gate."

The man ushered us through the gate and jogged beside the truck, clearly in a rush to get us to those who needed the cure.

"I assume some were bitten or injured when they escaped?" Nina asked. "Or are there people who are sneezing?"

"Both," he replied. "They're outside the other gate. The ones who are sneezing are separated from those who aren't, but two have already turned. Most probably aren't infected, but we couldn't let them inside the fence just yet."

"You can jump in the back for a ride," John offered.

The man hesitated, then examined the limited room in the back of the truck. Daniel slowed down so the man could climb over the tailgate and sit between Logan and John.

"Keep going to the gate ahead," the man told Daniel. "They're in the buildings just down the road."

Daniel complied, speeding up a bit more now that he wasn't forcing the poor guy to run alongside us.

There were quite a few guards at the gate ahead, and all of them carried rifles and bows. Considering they would have heard how one person turned into a Nightstalker and caused the downfall of an entire Stronghold, it was a wise precaution on their part.

The guards opened the gates and let us through. Down the road, there was a rickety, weathered barn that had seen better days. Three buildings beside it looked like they had been constructed by drunken lumberjacks. The raw, unfinished wood only had a nodding acquaintance with straight lines, but they were probably sturdy enough to survive a dozen earthquakes and a blizzard.

"This is where we usually let infected people stay," the man told us. "Two turned into Runners during the last wave, but they couldn't handle being around people, so they left."

To hear that two sane Runners had originated from this place was surprising. Daniel and Nina glanced at each other, so they must not have known either.

Zombies circled the fence surrounding the buildings, drawn to those within. When Daniel stopped in front of the gate, the man jumped out and ran over to open it. Once we drove through, he closed it.

Daniel parked the truck in front of the barn as I wrinkled my nose at the smell of dozens of infected people. They may have escaped the Stronghold alive, but unless Nina intervened, they wouldn't remain that way for long.

We got out of the truck, and I hung back with the others while Nina and Daniel waited for the man to unbar the barn door. A quick glance at the other buildings showed their doors were secured in a similar fashion. Such a precaution wasn't to prevent people from going in – it was to keep potentially dangerous zombies from getting out.

The man pushed both doors open as far as they would go. I wasn't too sure what I expected to see, although I wasn't surprised the jail cells had been jerry-rigged from various types of fences and metal. Blankets, tarps, and cardboard formed visual barriers between each cell, although most had left some openings so they could talk with their neighbors.

Light streamed in through the chain-link-covered windows. After being in so many mask-bedecked Strongholds, it was almost strange to see only one or two people wearing masks. Since almost no one was wearing masks, our group didn't put ours on.

I could smell two zombies and hear their groans and growls coming from the completely covered cells. In truth, I was surprised more hadn't turned. I slowly trailed into the barn behind the others.