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

Chapter 45

I waited on the rooftop while Nicky braved the dining hall to get food for both of us. I blinked in surprise as she exited the building with Liz walking beside her. When they reached the top of the roof, Liz set her plate on a chair and ran over to give me a hug, which I awkwardly returned.

"She really wanted to see you again, and I knew you didn't mind her hanging around," Nicky said as she sat down.

Liz looked up at me in excitement. "Nicky said you helped her shoot her bow. Can you help me shoot after dinner?"

I sighed but gave in. "Sure." It wasn't as if I had anything else to do, and people would come up here to hang out once they finished their dinner. I wondered how many people were going to have a heart attack when they saw a child walking with me.

We finished our dinner and headed down. Nicky used a napkin to grab the edge of my plate and ducked inside to put our dishes in the bins. From the clamor echoing out of the doorway, the place was packed to the ceiling with hungry people.

She came back out, and we continued to the archery area. No one saw Liz with us, so I didn't get the chance to see their reactions. I was kind of disappointed about that.

When I entered the archery shed, I was surprised to see several small bows for children hanging on the wall. The string for each one was coiled on a holder beside it. It took me a second to remember that the strings would stretch if they were left on, so they had to be removed whenever they weren't being used.

Nicky grabbed a quiver of arrows and a bow that was similar to what she had used last time. I helped Liz pick out a bow and some arrows, then strung her bow for her. When we went back outside, Nicky was already taking aim at a target. I guided Liz a few lanes away, then, after a glance back, one more. Just in case Nicky's aim was worse than what I thought possible.

It was almost peacefully quiet out here. Everyone else was eating, so no one was wandering around, talking, making a racket while working, or anything. Just the twang of the bows and the three of us. The feeling surprised me, and I examined it carefully as I helped Liz stand properly to fire the bow.

My instincts had retreated temporarily. It vaguely reminded me of my friendship with Kelly and Travis, although it was different since they were Nightstalkers.

Some of my general irritation was still present and always would be while the virus flowed through my veins. I knew Nicky wouldn't harm me. Liz simply wasn't capable of it even if she tried, and I doubted she would, considering how happy she was whenever she saw me.

Both accepted me for what I was and were perfectly at ease with me. At the moment, I was about as relaxed as I could get in the presence of humans. It had been a long time since I'd felt anything like companionship around humans. I didn't mind the feeling. It was too bad it wouldn't last long; I knew it would disappear the instant another human came into sight or hearing range.

I went down on one knee as I helped Liz aim her bow. Her close proximity burned my throat, but Daniel had been right; I was getting acclimatized to the constant smell of humans. I hardly noticed it unless I thought about it or got super close like I was now. Even the usual bloodlust was barely bothering me, although that might be due to me hunting much more than I normally did.

Nicky kept muttering as she shot arrow after arrow. At least she was hitting the target most of the time. Liz was shooting at a much closer target, and her aim wasn't as bad as I had expected. She missed the target more often than not, of course, but I didn't expect a four-year-old to be an expert archer. I remained on one knee beside her as I helped her nock an arrow and gave her some tips before letting her fire it.

I glanced up as I heard footsteps approaching. Marissa frowned as her eyes darted between me and Liz, clearly unhappy with how close I was to her charge. This was the first time I'd seen Marissa since arriving at the Stronghold, but I wasn't sure if that was a coincidence or if she had been avoiding me.