The Virus Within: The Road Ahead (Book 1 - SERIES COMPLETED!)

Chapter 16

The tension between Daniel and me was obvious to anyone. His gaze kept darting to me whenever I moved, and I kept a wary eye on him. Even though we were in control, our zombie instincts were wreaking havoc with our minds.

Seemingly oblivious to everything around her, Nicky was amusing herself by using a shoelace to do various string tricks. Ben stared at the scenery while pretending the occasional rumbling noise and resulting odor didn't originate from him.

I watched the trees go by while keeping half an eye on the Terror in the other corner. My instincts refused to let me forget about him.

Resolutely, I tried to focus on the road and the occasional zombie running after us. Daniel's seat gave him a much better view of what we were heading toward. It also kept me within his peripheral vision at all times.

It was almost as if he expected me to try to attack someone before the day was over – and it was equally obvious that he'd stop me if I attempted it. I was about ready to say to hell with it and leave this group in the care of the Terror while I walked the rest of the way on foot.

Three things stopped me from following that impulse. One, this would get me to an area with several Strongholds without wandering around in circles. Two, Nina didn't seem to mind handing out directions, so she might even mark the Strongholds on my map for me. Three, I had told Liz that I'd make sure they got somewhere safe. Before I had become a zombie, I had always kept my word, and I saw no reason to change that.

That being said, if I had known exactly what I was getting into, I would have simply said I'd help them until we met others who could get them to a Stronghold. Then again, that would have left them in Hank's first truck, and they'd probably still be hiding in the grocery store.

Annoyed by my own thoughts, I huffed lightly and shook my head, which earned me a glance from Daniel and Nina. I had agreed to help three humans get to safety. I had not agreed to get mixed up with a Terror and then get stuck in close quarters with him. The walls of that Stronghold could not come into view soon enough for my peace of mind.

Nina interrupted my thoughts. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your story? When did you turn?"

I turned my head to gaze directly at the lady for a few seconds before finally speaking. "I turned in the first wave, about a week after the first zombies appeared. It turned out that the flu shot I got had been one of the contaminated ones."

She blinked in surprise. "You were one of the originals?"

I nodded slowly. At my workplace, the annual flu shot had been mandatory, and they even brought in a nurse to do it for free every year. Like all my co-workers, I had gotten the vaccine, just like we had every other year. It was just a flu shot to prevent respiratory influenza, after all.

We had no way of knowing that this year's dose had been contaminated in the formulation process. The virus had snuck into almost every bottle being sent worldwide, wherever basic healthcare was present. Then, it laid in wait with a three-month incubation period before the first symptom finally reared its ugly head.

The non-stop sneezing had been annoying, but no one could have predicted the apocalypse it was heralding. At the end of those three days of sneezing, people went into seizures as the virus re-wired their brain. And not long after that, they rose with red eyes and a desire for blood and raw meat. The vast majority had been regular zombies – completely mindless creatures that readily attacked anyone and anything.

Of course, not everyone had gotten the shot the same day, so it was a rolling wave of panic and chaos. Many who were fleeing the zombies or taking shelter in fortified areas had also been ticking time bombs. Even if people kicked out the sneezers before they turned, it was too late for those who had been near them.