The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 76

"-so she's in the infirmary while she rests, but otherwise, she's fine," I told the others sitting around the dining hall table. "She plans on heading back to whatever Stronghold she's from as soon as she's on her feet."

"It didn't occur to me that she'd vomit up the blood she drank earlier," Nina murmured, "although the human body really doesn't handle something as rich in iron as blood very well."

"Wasn't much left in her stomach by the time the cure reached that stage. Thankfully."

Jess made a face as she ate her breakfast but didn't object to learning the latest gossip.

"None of the ferals ever did that, although it isn't easy to convince them to drink blood. The blood probably did more good than harm, especially if it helped her with her control. If her primary problem is dehydration, then she should be fine in a day or two."

"That's my guess," I said with disinterest. Once she had finished the transition from zombie to human, I'd called in the cavalry to help the weak woman. As far as I was concerned, my contribution was over.

"And she couldn't even approach other Strongholds to ask for one of their vials," Luke murmured sadly. He looked at Nina. "Would it be worth putting a solar refrigerator near the border with the cure inside and have a big sign for sane zombies stumbling by? Or for those who were bitten and are coming here for help?"

"I'd prefer to leave one of the long-distance radios out there instead," Daniel said. "Then one of us can drive over. The last thing I want to do is attract raiders or have unscrupulous passerbys helping themselves to everything inside."

"I like that idea," Nina said. "It is possible to overdose with the cure, and if other sane zombies have as much trouble with coherent thought as Trinity said this one did, then that's a very real possibility, and we wouldn't even know they might need help."

"A radio at the border will set my mind at ease," Luke said, easily agreeing to the compromise. "And I'm willing to drive out whenever needed."

"I'll mention it to the guards," Daniel said. "I think there was another set of radios in storage, and we can put one by each of the main roads coming here. They were already discussing what they could do to avoid the type of situation they almost had last night."

"Isn't that why I was out there?" I muttered. "I noticed her almost as soon as she crossed the border." Admittedly, that had been a bit of a fluke since it usually took me some time to get that close to the border.

"They are very grateful for that," Daniel replied. "But they still don't want to shoot a sane zombie just because it got close and lost control. That's the biggest reason we're going to start digging the post holes for the new fence today."

I gave him a long look. "Why do I think this somehow involves me?"

"That's your choice, although there are several tasks where zombie strength would be helpful. Digging holes for the posts, putting up the fencing, keeping zombies at bay while we do this, and so on."

Nicky yawned. "You pretty much decimated that woodpile yesterday while pretending to be a beaver, so you could always try a different task this afternoon. Or you could take a second nap like most people would after pulling an all-nighter."

I snorted faintly at the reverse psychology. She knew I wasn't the type of person who'd sit idly all day. They had a hard enough time trying to convince me to sleep for a few hours if I got cantankerous.

"We'll see," I said.

Her resulting smirk was the sort I wanted to dunk in a horse trough.

"How is this new fence going to help if a zombie shows up?" Luke asked.