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

Chapter 79

Nicky ate half of her lunch before Daniel and Nina appeared in the dining hall. Judging from how Daniel narrowed his eyes at Nicky the moment he entered the room, I was pretty sure I knew what was on his mind.

Daniel filled a water bottle and walked beside Nina as they made their way over to our table. He sat down and asked Nicky, "Where did you find colored permanent markers in the lab? Even Nina wasn't aware there were any down there."

"Oh, I didn't find them," Nicky replied cheerfully. "Trinity gave them to me while you were landscaping the forest."

I smirked as Daniel's irritated gaze moved to me. Impishly, I added, "It kept her busy and out of the room Nina was in. She's been plotting revenge on that shoe for a long time."

Nina chuckled, which earned her a sour look from Daniel. She tried to control her grin without much success and said, "I wasn't aware Nicky was capable of such intricate details."

With a shrug, I replied, "I never saw the finished product, so I couldn't say. It definitely kept her busy for a long time."

If it was anything as detailed as the horse sketch Nicky had colored, then I wasn't overly surprised. However, I highly doubted Nicky had used the brown or grey markers this time...

"It was brilliant!" Nicky told me, waving a carrot stick in the air to emphasize her point. "All those hours plotting and planning for this day finally paid off!"

Oh, I bet it paid off, I thought in amusement. It probably wasn't quite the distraction Daniel needed today, but it was the one he got. He'd probably never leave a spare pair of shoes under the coat rack again.

"Well," Nina began, "you'll have to come to the lab after lunch and see it. I also wouldn't mind another saliva sample."

I suspected the second half was closer to her real motive, although she seemed more than willing to show off Nicky's handiwork if it helped her research.

"I guess."

My lack of enthusiasm didn't faze the scientist.

"By the way, the feral Nightstalker no longer has muscle tremors," she said, changing the subject. "As long as I don't approach the bars, it doesn't have any interest in me at all. Otherwise, it's still extremely aggressive and strikes out at anything that approaches it, regardless of whether it's a stick, a remote-controlled car, or Daniel."

I bet that thrilled him to his toes. "I assume the lights were on?"

Nina made a face. "We have no other way to observe it-" she cut off mid-sentence as she blinked in realization. Daniel glanced at her before comprehension also dawned on his face.

"But you can see in the dark!" she exclaimed. "You would also have a better idea if it was behaving like a normal feral Nightstalker because you've encountered them before!"

How do I get dragged into these situations? Trying to edge out of her suggestion, I said, "It'll probably act differently in a cage than out in the open."

Nina waved that concern away. "Any of your observations will be better than what we have. I'd also be curious to see how it reacts if a human enters the barn in the dark."

"You aren't going into that barn at night with no lights," Daniel warned her, a faint growl in his voice. "I wouldn't be able to see it or hear it if it got loose."

Nina frowned but realized this argument wasn't one she was going to win with Daniel. Her eyes tracked over to Nicky speculatively. Daniel also tilted his head in consideration as he regarded the redhead.

Nicky noticed and looked at them like they had lost their minds. "You want me to go into a dark barn in the middle of the night with two Nightstalkers lurking inside? Are you nuts? Even I have some sense of self-preservation."