The Virus Within: The Unranked (Book 4)

Ch. 24: The One Who Didn't Get Away

Once a horseback rider brought us a sheet of tin, Daniel got the honor of dragging the two unconscious zombies to the mobile home. Nicky and I accompanied him to make sure the zombies didn't get loose again.

"Well, there's your problem!" Nicky said, gesturing at the open trailer and the hole in the side of the house.

"That's not our only problem," I said, sniffing the air and walking through some nearby shrubs. "This guy wasn't fast enough to escape."

"Huh?" Nicky said, coming over. "I thought they did a headcount and everyone was accounted for—ew. Okay, I did not have to see that many innards."

"He's not a local," I said grimly. "He hasn't bathed in at least a week, and no one in this place wears clothing like that."

"A bandit?" Nicky guessed. "Some locals were complaining that another goat went missing last week, and they didn't think a zombie got it."

"That's a possibility," Daniel said, picking up a damaged lock and bolt cutters that were laying right in front of the trailer door. "No one in this Stronghold would have opened this trailer. We made sure to warn those nearby, and we even put a note on the door and a lock on the trailer."

After peeking past Daniel, Nicky jumped into the trailer and picked up several sections of chain, dangling them between her fingers as she asked, "Were these all in one piece when you left?"

"Yes, but we weren't sure it would hold her," Daniel said, "which is why we left her in the trailer and put a note on the door."

I traced the scent trails as I pieced together the crime scene. "After our mystery man opened the door, our friend got loose and caught him." I walked over to the hole in the wall. "The city zombie decided to pay the screamer a visit for some reason, then came back to feed. It must not have let the screamer join the meal, so that one wandered off and found the humans."

"I think both zombies can go in the trailer," Daniel said. "It's more secure, and we're already going to have to apologize for what happened."

"Make sure you tie proper knots this time," Nicky told him, exiting the trailer.

He sighed. "You know you have the right to remain silent, right?"

"Yep. But I rarely acknowledge it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you're volunteering to tie them up?"

"Actually, I've changed my mind. I'll be quiet now."

Shaking his head, Daniel went into the building beside us. As I dragged the zombies inside the U-Haul trailer, the squealing of metal came from his direction. He soon returned with bands of metal and heavier chains. Since he clearly planned to secure the zombies in his fashion, I got out of the way.

"What are we going to do with our dead troublemaker?" I asked, glancing at the bushes Nicky was avoiding.

From inside the trailer, Daniel said, "I'll check with the people in charge. I'm sure they're going to be asking questions as soon as we get back, so that will be a good opening."

If I didn't have to deal with a mutilated body, that was perfectly fine with me. I circled the immediate area and checked for scents in case this guy hadn't been traveling alone but came up empty-handed.

When I returned, Daniel had rolled a large rock in front of the door and was twisting a piece of metal through the latch to lock it in place. His precautions were probably for the best, because at this rate, the next fool might even pretend they were Prince Charming and try to awaken them with a kiss.

Nicky wandered over to me. "Well, that's one way to start the day."

I snorted. "I've had to rescue people from zombies twice in three days. This is not what I signed up for."