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

Chapter 60

Patrolling during the day was different than at night. Various groups of people were out and about, both in the fields and the forests, although none were in the rabbit forest where I usually hunted. A sensible precaution on their part.

The groups in the forest never saw me; even in the day, I could hide like a Hollywood ninja in the underbrush. However, if I wasn't hidden among the trees, I was easy to spot. I kept my smooth, flowing pace close to a slow jog when I was in the open. People waved when they spotted me, and I gave a brief wave in response as I kept going.

Most of the groups were watching over animals, gardening, collecting wild foods like fruit or nuts, or gathering other things we'd need. I even spotted Ben and Chloe as he and half a dozen others picked mushrooms and whatever else they could find. The husky trotted around the group, watching all directions like a sentry on the lookout for zombies. Still, she didn't spot me among the trees.

Quads occasionally drove down the roads as they slowly lured mindless zombies toward the eastern ravine. I knew one or two heavily armed groups were driving several hours away to raid empty towns for any remaining supplies. I circled farther out to avoid the area the barn was in. If a zombie wandered over there, Daniel was more than capable of dealing with it.

When I came across a small town, I slowed down to ensure no one from Ironwind was here. The presence of a couple of zombies removed that notion, so I went closer to investigate.

There were about fifty houses and stores, and it looked like every single one had been entered at some point, likely by Daniel or the locals. I entered the hardware store, whose shelves were so bare you would have thought people were trying to stock up on tools during a zombie apocalypse or something.

I walked up and down the aisles. There were no welding glasses left, not that I had expected to find any this close to a Stronghold. The section with spray paint had a handful of colors left, and I took a dull blue one.

The next aisle had gardening supplies, and most of these were untouched, including the plant pots. After debating for a bit, I picked out a wood-patterned one I thought my sister might like. A small package of fertilizer sticks got dropped inside it, along with a small watering container.

Perhaps I should have brought my backpack. Oh well. I could just leave it in the nearby forest and pick it up tonight. Nothing else in this place interested me at the moment, although I took note of a few things in case I wanted them later.

Back outside, I continued my patrol, stopping only long enough to tuck my treasures under a bush. Even though I didn't smell any rain, I turned the pot upside down over the other items in case a brief summer rainstorm decided to blow through.

I spiraled outward until I hit Daniel's main outer perimeter. From the scent, he had done a couple of loops early this morning and hadn't been back since. His scent wall was starting to fade slightly, so he must come out here several times on a normal day. A Runner wouldn't be able to determine the slight difference, but I could. Barely.

Having accomplished two loops of the Stronghold with no traces of a Runner, I headed directly back so I would arrive in time for lunch.

When I reached the gate, I tossed the radio up, and the guard caught it midair. I went in search of Nicky, with my first guess being the chicken coop. As I walked down the road, she happened to round a corner and spotted me.

She jogged over. "Did you know they have an evil turkey here? That monster chased me around the pen several times!"

I sighed as I rethought my original plan to come back for lunch, although I was positive someone would come looking for me if I tried to patrol until dinner.