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

Chapter 41

I tilted my head when I heard two sets of footsteps coming closer. I pulled the silly grass crown off my head, and in a swift move that made my injuries burn, leaned over to drop it on Nicky's hair. She opened her mouth to protest my removal of her creation, and I jerked my head to the corner of the chicken coop.

She immediately caught on and closed her mouth. Gazing at the trees, she leaned back against the coop and put on a bored look. I blinked slowly at how quickly she played along. She must have been the top student in drama, provided they could get her to stay in the role they wanted her to play and not turn into a serial killer in the middle of a romance.

It wasn't long before Daniel and Nina rounded the corner of the coop. He must have been tracking my scent to have found me so easily.

"Sorry to bother you," Nina said. "I wanted to let you know that people are planning a small party in the open area along the western fence to celebrate a recent marriage. You're welcome to join. I just thought I'd warn you about it in case you walked that way and stumbled into it since some of these parties can get pretty rowdy."

"Thanks for the warning, although I'll pass," I replied. "I'm not much for parties."

"No worries. They aren't expecting you, but I said I'd relay the invitation."

The wind slowed and swirled slightly, bringing the pungent smell of chickens to us.

Daniel wrinkled his nose at the odor. "Why are you hanging out beside a chicken coop? I can show you a few other places where people rarely go, and they won't smell this bad."

"The wind was blowing from the forest until a second ago. This was the best spot I could find on short notice," I grumbled.

"Short notice?" He tilted his head, more focused now than before.

Making a face, I replied, "I made the mistake of entering the dining hall during dinner."

Nicky finally looked at our guests and chuckled. "Don't worry. There weren't any casualties. But I don't think it's something we should ever try again. I'll bring her a plate of food from now on."

Nina and Daniel looked surprised.

"Did something go wrong in the dining hall?" Nina asked, glancing at me in concern.

"Nightstalkers and crowds simply don't mix," I replied with a shrug. I tilted my head in Daniel's direction. "Have you ever gone into that place during the dinner rush?"

"Yes, it's louder than is comfortable, and the amount of control I need to use is noticeable, but I've never had any problem unless someone bumped into me. That only happened once or twice, and even then, I only growled at them."

Daniel was either far more accustomed to bustling humans than I had ever been, or he was so far out of touch with his zombie instincts that he really wasn't bothered by the crowds. It was probably a combination of the two, although I wasn't sure how solitary feral Terrors were.

"It isn't a problem for us to bring you a plate if you don't want to go in there," Nina said.

"The roof of the secondary building would be a good place to eat," Daniel commented. "People rarely go up there until after they've eaten, and if another group beats them there, they usually go elsewhere."

"That's an idea," I mused. Eating in the fresh air would be a vast improvement to the dining area, especially during the dinner rush.

"I'm sure I can manage that," Nicky said. "And it isn't as if I'm ever late when it comes to eating, so I can't see anyone finishing their meal before we get up there."