The Virus Within: The Unranked (Book 4)

Ch. 7: Bloodstains and Afterscents

I scowled at the white outfit while Nicky wrapped duct tape around the spot where the long sleeves overlapped my gloves. Daniel was getting a similar treatment from Nina, although he barely seemed bothered by the protective clothing.

"That should do it," Nicky said as she cut the tape and stepped back.

I continued to glare at the white sleeves, bands of silver tape, and black gloves.

"Yeah, white isn't my style either," Nicky said, "but my rainbows also aren't your style, so you'll have to choose."

"If the zombie is infectious, I'm letting Daniel deal with it," I told her. "And if it isn't, then there's no need for me to wear this costume."

"Sounds like a good decision to me. At least she isn't making you wear one of those huge respirators."

Nina glanced over. "I thought about bringing them, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to convince her to come at all if she had to wear one of those."

"Not a chance," I told her. "I'd be watching from a distance."

Nina finished wrapping Daniel's cuff. "That's what I figured. I'm about eighty percent certain it isn't contagious, so this is just a precaution." She turned to our guides, who were waiting nearby. "Can you show us where the shed is?"

"Sure. It's a bit of a walk, about fifteen minutes or so. Do you want to go on foot, or should we see if any of the vehicles are warmed up and ready to go? We usually use horses, but..." he trailed off with a glance at Daniel and me.

"Yeah, horses aren't fans of zombies," Nicky commented. "And if you hang around a zombie long enough, they aren't fans of you either. I haven't gotten near a horse in years."

"We can walk," Nina said. "It isn't that far, and it's a nice day out."

Our guides led us out the gate as I pointedly ignored the guard gawking at the white coveralls Daniel and I were wearing. My mask dangled in my hand since I had no intention of wearing it until we got closer. There was also no point in depriving my companions of my scowl.

A couple of horseback riders trotted past us to lure away any zombies. The horses fidgeted and pulled against the reins when they picked up our scent and realized what they had passed by.

"Sheesh, they really didn't want this thing close to the Stronghold, did they?" Nicky asked as she scanned the fields on either side of the packed dirt road.

"Would you want a strange feral zombie close to your fence?" Wyatt asked.

"Perhaps I should have brought my water gun," Nicky mumbled. "If nothing else, it would have given me something to do."

Logan told her, "We can stand back and keep an eye out for incoming zombies while they collect the blood samples. I can't see the riders missing a zombie, but I have my bow if something gets too close."

"You are just a bundle of fun today, aren't you?" Nicky grumbled.

Logan wisely didn't reply. I sniffed the air, but the wind was coming from behind us, so all I was picking up was the faint afterscent from the strange zombie's original attack. I carefully examined it; it was similar to, yet different from, the mutant zombie at Ironwind. My instincts regarded the scent with nothing but contempt.

"We're upwind, so I'm not picking up much, but I don't smell any illness and it's definitely a lower rank."

"That's good news and bad news," Nicky muttered to herself.

Logan glanced at her. "How is that bad news?"

She gave him a disbelieving look. "She just said we were upwind. If this thing wakes up, it's going to know exactly where the Stronghold is. I think you get the bed by the door tonight."