The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 115

The ride was silent as each was left to their own thoughts. This suited me just fine. My peace and quiet was interrupted as Nicky started picking at the frayed edges of my shoes. I sighed, "Must you do that?"

Her voice was lazy with boredom, "These shoes are looking worse for wear. There must be dozens of shoes left in stores or houses, why don't you get a new pair?"

"These are broken in and comfortable."

"Well, you certainly have the first part right..."

I chuckled despite myself and shook my head. I was due for a new pair, but I was most fussy when it came to shoes. If they didn't allow me to move silently, then they were worse than going barefoot. Most sane zombies actually did go barefoot. The skin of the bottom of our feet was quite tough.

Nina's voice came from inside the truck cab, "And there is Riverbend Stronghold."

And there goes my good mood... Thanks Nina... This place was remote enough that there had been no chance of word reaching them about our coming. Neither Nina nor Daniel had stopped at this location in the past either.

Nicky sat up as we approached. We slowed and Nina greeted the sentries. One went in search of the leader in charge. The man who came didn't offer his name and was quite suspicious of Nina's story. He likely thought we were bandits scoping the place out.

Nina went over all of the fine details of the sneezing and third wave. The leader eventually let us in with reluctance. It didn't fail to escape my attention that both he and six armed men came with us. The leader grudgingly started to take us on a tour and he made sure to avoid anything that resembled a defense.

I took a deep breath and three scents of zombie infection rode on the air. The man refused to comment on the buildings or things we saw. Nina decided to ask the same question that she had at every location, "Does there happen to be a man in his mid-twenties here by the name of John McComfry? His brother Luke is trying to locate him."

The man shook his head, "None here by that name."

I took a discrete sniff, but he spoke the truth, at least as far as he knew. Nina offered the usual masks and cure, which he accepted unenthusiastically and passed to someone else behind him. This guy is practically as grumpy as a Nightstalker, he just lacks the virus.

Daniel took a sniff and pointed, "There is someone in that direction, may we go?"

The leader looked at him with narrowed eyes for almost a full ten seconds before reluctantly nodding, "Fine. These people are under my protection though."

We entered the building and followed the scent to a large back room where the person clearly spent most of their day. I now saw why the leader didn't really want us in here. It was a daycare for kids under the age of six. Daniel sniffed the air and looked around at the whirling group of a dozen children. The leader was watching him closely and the guards were also on edge.

Daniel sighed as he looked at me, "I can't identify which one it is. I know it is a girl, but I would have to get close to figure out which one it is."

The leader swiftly transferred his gaze to me in surprise. He had not been aware that I was a zombie. I turned my gaze so I was clearly looking at the leader, "I suspect that even if I pointed the child out that you either will not believe me or that you will not allow Nina to administer the cure or controlex. May I suggest proof that you are more likely to believe?"

Nina and Daniel looked at me in slight confusion. They had no clue what I was talking about and I had never mentioned anything like this before. The leader judged my faintly irritably expression before slowly nodding, "What do you have in mind?"