The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 66

As we left the Stronghold behind, I covertly watched Logan and John. John's presence didn't concern me. He was coming for his brother and had decided it was safer traveling with two zombies. The various stops were almost like a tourist trip for him.

Logan was a different story. I still wasn't entirely sure of this man's angle or why he was traveling with us, especially considering how he and I had met near the pit trap. He claimed he wanted a transfer from where he had been staying, but we had stopped at several Strongholds since picking him up, and he hadn't shown any inclination of remaining at those places.

His earlier attempt to assist me when the other man was refusing to delete my call particularly bothered me. Unless he knew the man from before – and I didn't think he did – there was no reason or motivation for him to step in and try to help a zombie he barely knew. And that didn't even touch on the way he had vouched for me at the Stronghold he was staying at.

It just didn't make sense.

He had no reason to help a zombie, let alone want to travel with two of them. As a general rule, humans weren't at ease with zombies. There were a few exceptions, like Nina, Nicky, and Liz, but they were few and far between.

After what Logan had gone through with those three Nightstalkers, it was astonishing he even considered coming anywhere near Daniel or me. This guy had so many reasons to avoid us that I could have built a fence around a Stronghold with them. And yet, not only was he traveling in a pickup truck with us on a long trip, but he somehow seemed relaxed and unconcerned about his safety.

Logan had managed to live outside a Stronghold for several weeks, so the thought of traveling alone wouldn't bother him. Nor would he be overly concerned about feral zombies after trying to kill a homicidal trio of Nightstalkers. His fighting skills with a bow and belt knife were almost certainly good enough to win against a feral Runner and possibly even a feral Nightstalker.

Yet, he claimed he wanted to travel with us for protection.

Needless to say, I wasn't exactly buying his story.

So why is he traveling with us? And what is prompting these weird behaviors? I'd halfway say he was trying to back me up in that argument, but of all the people out there, he'd have known the other guy didn't stand a chance in a fight. And he has no reason to do any of these things.

Humans usually required some sort of motivation or reason before they would do anything – and regardless of what angle I tried to look at this from – I simply wasn't able to figure out what this man's goal was. My thoughts continued to roll through my head as I regarded the silent man who was watching the scenery and oblivious to my scrutiny.

As minutes ticked by, I was no wiser. Nothing lined up. And I didn't like it when potential-grudge-holding strangers were doing things that didn't make sense.

I might have to get him alone and get to the bottom of this... Although that was easier said than done since I didn't want the others to be aware of my intended interrogation. On top of that, Logan rarely went off by himself.

I'll just have to watch for my chance.

~

       "See this rough texture, Liz?" Nicky pointed to the whittling marks on what I assumed was a carved rhino. "This means someone actually carved this out of wood, so it's handmade. Although with this level of non-craftsmanship, I think it was made with their feet." Nicky paused, then asked Nina, "Speaking of that, why do we have fingertips, but no toe tips, yet, we can tip-toe, but we can't tip-finger?"

"Because it's the English language," Nina replied absently. "It's clearer in other languages."

"I guess that makes sense. And I know there's something at the ends of my toes, because they inform me every time I smash them against something while walking in the dark." She shook her head. "Anyway. Liz, you can have this hippopotamus, and we can pretend this rag is a water hole. Hippos like water, right?"