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

Chapter 17

Once the truck rolled to a stop and became just another roadside ornament, everyone began grabbing their backpacks. Other than three bags of food and water, we were traveling lightly. I put the bag with the water bottles by my feet since it was the heaviest.

Liz came over and looked up at me almost expectantly. With a faint sigh, I once more picked up the child and put her on my shoulders.

She squealed in excitement. "Giddy up, horsie!"

I growled lightly at her. I was way better than a horse...

She lightly kicked me with her heels. "Horsies don't growl. They go neigh!"

Nicky started snickering, and I sent a glare her way. Hank ignored us, immediately heading for the nearby tree line like we had traveled previously. I grabbed the bag of water and trailed behind.

The group shuffled a bit until Daniel was in the lead while I followed as the rear guard. Walking had one perk: I was able to put more space between myself and Daniel, which eased the tension somewhat.

The forest air was still a bit brisk, so the humans shouldn't sweat or overheat too badly today. Our walk was steady and not so slow that I wanted to lean against a tree and glare at someone.

However, it wasn't long before I was ready to strangle Ben – he seemed to think his gas was the equivalent of propulsion power. Being so far ahead, he didn't notice the glares I leveled at his back.

Nicky swatted his arm. "If we could bottle the stuff that keeps escaping your ass, we'd be halfway to the moon by now. But we can't – so cut it out or walk on the road. You smell so bad that any zombie would think you're already dead."

Her complaint didn't help cut down on the number of escapees. I made a mental note to subtly check all the bags and hide any cans of beans that may be present.

"Any idea how close we are to the next town?" Ben asked Nina.

"I'm not sure. Do you still have that map?"

Everyone stopped for a break as Ben came to fetch the map from me. I passed it to him, and as he walked away, a high-pitched pfft made me growl. Ben picked up his pace as he made a hasty retreat.

Nicky muttered, "It's days like this that make me glad farting isn't as contagious as yawning."

I completely agreed with her. If this entire group all developed this sort of flatulence, I was leaving and picking whatever direction happened to be upwind.

As Ben passed by Nicky, another rear-end raspberry made her exclaim, "That's it! Who has a cork?" She paused. "No, wait. That's a bad idea – it might turn into a projectile. And who knows where that thing will end up. There's no way I'll be able to keep a straight face if we find a Stronghold and learn that a cow was killed by a flying cork."

A snort of laughter escaped me as I shook my head and moved to the side where the air was clearer. A gentle breeze came from behind me, bringing fresh air with it. I inhaled it gratefully, noting that there were some deer nearby, along with a couple of rabbits and some pheasants.

I hadn't hunted last night, so the smaller creatures were tempting. I might have to take a break of my own the next time the humans needed a rest.

My Nightstalker instincts shifted slightly as I caught the faintest hint of a scent. I raised my head to sniff the air, but even after half a dozen deep breaths, I wasn't able to detect it again. Whatever it had been. Perhaps I imagined the faint scent, or maybe it was several weak scents overlapping into something unfamiliar. It wouldn't be the first time such a thing happened.