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

Chapter 70

I shifted in my seat as I waited for the sky to darken further. The restlessness was back and slightly worse than before. My instincts made it hard to remain sitting; they wanted to head to the forest instead of hanging out on this open rooftop.

The fire burned merrily in the large bucket and gave off enough light that Daniel didn't need his flashlight to watch me, although it rested on the seat beside him, just in case.

My senses seemed to come alive as my instincts strengthened. Even from up here, the small movements of animals on the edge of the forest caught my attention. Details were sharper, and my sense of smell was even keener. A heat haze interrupted my watch of the forest.

"Ten seconds." I checked my watch as I wrote it down. "It's been twenty minutes since the last one, and the one before was eighteen." The muscle tremors were more unpredictable, and the time between them varied enough that I didn't see a pattern.

Nina scribbled in her notebook, sitting by the fire since she couldn't use her equipment without sunlight powering the solar panels. "The drug is probably breaking down faster now. I assume your headache is fading? How is your control?"

"Yes, the headache is fading to something that I can actually ignore." I fell silent as I evaluated my control and found an anomaly. One so bewildering I could barely believe what I had just noticed.

It took Nina mere seconds to realize I hadn't answered one of her questions, and I had always answered each one so far, even if it had been reluctantly. She looked up. "Trinity? Are you having any problems with your control?"

All three were watching me closely, waiting for my reply.

I looked at Nina, letting my confusion show. "My control is fine. But the bloodlust is gone. Your scent is even less appealing than that apple was."

Daniel stared at me in complete disbelief. "Are you sure?"

I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the strong scent of the two humans, but it didn't bother me. The burning in my throat was truly gone. The virus didn't care about their presence.

The faintest hint of desire for their blood was there, but I had to search for it to notice it. Normally, it was a constant war to contain the virus within and avoid giving in to the siren-like temptation. I didn't even know when this change had occurred.

I exhaled slowly, still stunned by this latest discovery. "I know I was getting accustomed to the scent of humans back in the Stronghold, but this is different. I actually have to search for the bloodlust to find even the faintest hint of it. The burning in my throat is gone as well. I'm so used to suppressing and ignoring it that I'm not sure when it faded."

"Has your sense of smell changed?" Nina asked, her pen flying across the notepad in her hands.

I took another deep breath, but the humans might as well have been grass for all my instincts cared. Daniel's scent bothered them as it always did, which wasn't a surprise. I could smell the animals in the forest, which brought up the bloodlust I usually felt around wildlife.

"My sense of smell is as strong as ever, perhaps a bit stronger after my instincts rose at dusk. I can smell the wildlife in the forest, and their scent makes me want to hunt, but neither you nor Nicky cause any noticeable bloodlust."

Nina looked intrigued and got up. "Let me get a blood sample so I can compare it to previous ones tomorrow."

Without waiting for a reply, she went to her bag and retrieved a needle and a vial, along with the blood pressure cuff and other instruments. I rolled my eyes but held my arm out for her.

As she came closer, I noticed my instincts protested against her proximity more strongly than usual. She quickly took the sample of blood and checked my vitals.