The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 60

I hadn't taken more than ten steps before the man came to his senses and hurried after us. He cautiously kept his distance, although he wasn't letting me out of his sight since we were leading him to the cure. It didn't take us long to catch up to Daniel, who was waiting for us farther up the trail.

Once we reached him, he continued walking and looked over his shoulder. "As you probably guessed, I'm Daniel. What were you doing so far from the road?"

The man swallowed hard, nowhere near as relaxed as Liz in the presence of two zombies. "I'm Kevin. Liz mentioned most zombies walked on the roads and rarely ventured into the trees. It seemed to work."

"It is safer, although it still isn't foolproof."

The man nodded cautiously but didn't reply, so Daniel let the conversation lapse into silence. From her perch on my shoulders, Liz looked around in her usual carefree manner. I took a slow breath, but there was no hint of the infection she undoubtedly now carried. With how the man's afterscent clung to her clothing and skin, it was a given.

Even though our fast pace left Kevin breathing heavily and sneezing like he had the plague, it took us almost fifteen minutes to walk back over the same distance I had raced across in less than two minutes at Nightstalker speed. When we reached the road, our companions were alertly scanning the trees.

"They're back." John's relieved voice reached me even across the distance.

Nina was in the driver's seat in case trouble showed up, and when she turned around, she did a hilarious double-take when she saw the child on my shoulders.

Nicky continued pacing in the back of the pickup, only stopping once we got closer. "You almost gave me a heart attack when you jumped off the truck like that! Give me some warning next time!"

With a snort, Daniel gave me a sour look and sided with Nicky. "You could have told me to stop the truck."

The man trailing behind me sneezed into his sleeve again, and I immediately said, "Masks on. Nina, you might want to grab a vial of the cure."

The man stopped where he was and fiddled with the hem of his shirt, not sure if he should come closer or not.

As Nicky obediently donned her mask with the attitude of a rain-soaked badger, I added, "When I caught the scent of Liz's blood, I wasn't sure how much time I had. For all I knew, she might have been cornered by a zombie, but she only skinned her knees." I picked Liz off my shoulders and held her out. "Here, take the little monkey."

"Hey, Liz!" Nicky said as she helped her into the truck. "Long time no see! How did you get out here?"

"She was sneezing, so no Strongholds would let her in," Daniel said. "Marissa and Tom encountered the same problem many travelers do when they camp in unsecured buildings."

Nicky winced. "Ah. I see." Then she perked up as she told Liz, "Well, you get to travel with us now, so we can have lots of fun!"

"She was sneezing?" Nina asked as she opened the box in the front seat. "Does she need the cure too?"

"At this exact second, she just has a cold," I replied, "but she was around this guy long enough that she's going to need it eventually."

Nina hesitated. "Normally, I'd say let's give it to her just to catch things early, but our supply isn't bottomless, and there are others who may need it more-"

"She has until the next wave," I cut her off. "First help those who can't wait that long. If we don't return to Ironwind within two months, you'll have bigger problems to worry about."

She relaxed, no longer conflicted. "You're right. If she wants to stay at a Stronghold before we get back, we can send the cure later." The scientist continued rummaging inside the box.