The tension between Daniel and me was obvious to anyone. His gaze kept darting to me whenever I moved, and I kept a wary eye on him. Even though we were in control, our zombie instincts were wreaking havoc with our minds.

Seemingly oblivious to everything around her, Nicky was amusing herself by using a shoelace to do various string tricks. Ben stared at the scenery while pretending the occasional rumbling noise and resulting odor didn't originate from him.

I watched the trees go by while keeping half an eye on the Terror in the other corner. My instincts refused to let me forget about him.

Resolutely, I tried to focus on the road and the occasional zombie running after us. Daniel's seat gave him a much better view of what we were heading toward. It also kept me within his peripheral vision at all times.

It was almost as if he expected me to try to attack someone before the day was over – and it was equally obvious that he'd stop me if I attempted it. I was about ready to say to hell with it and leave this group in the care of the Terror while I walked the rest of the way on foot.

Three things stopped me from following that impulse. One, this would get me to an area with several Strongholds without wandering around in circles. Two, Nina didn't seem to mind handing out directions, so she might even mark the Strongholds on my map for me. Three, I had told Liz that I'd make sure they got somewhere safe. Before I had become a zombie, I had always kept my word, and I saw no reason to change that.

That being said, if I had known exactly what I was getting into, I would have simply said I'd help them until we met others who could get them to a Stronghold. Then again, that would have left them in Hank's first truck, and they'd probably still be hiding in the grocery store.

Annoyed by my own thoughts, I huffed lightly and shook my head, which earned me a glance from Daniel and Nina. I had agreed to help three humans get to safety. I had not agreed to get mixed up with a Terror and then get stuck in close quarters with him. The walls of that Stronghold could not come into view soon enough for my peace of mind.

Nina interrupted my thoughts. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your story? When did you turn?"

I turned my head to gaze directly at the lady for a few seconds before finally speaking. "I turned in the first wave, about a week after the first zombies appeared. It turned out that the flu shot I got had been one of the contaminated ones."

She blinked in surprise. "You were one of the originals?"

I nodded slowly. At my workplace, the annual flu shot had been mandatory, and they even brought in a nurse to do it for free every year. Like all my co-workers, I had gotten the vaccine, just like we had every other year. It was just a flu shot to prevent respiratory influenza, after all.

We had no way of knowing that this year's dose had been contaminated in the formulation process. The virus had snuck into almost every bottle being sent worldwide, wherever basic healthcare was present. Then, it laid in wait with a three-month incubation period before the first symptom finally reared its ugly head.

The non-stop sneezing had been annoying, but no one could have predicted the apocalypse it was heralding. At the end of those three days of sneezing, people went into seizures as the virus re-wired their brain. And not long after that, they rose with red eyes and a desire for blood and raw meat. The vast majority had been regular zombies – completely mindless creatures that readily attacked anyone and anything.

Of course, not everyone had gotten the shot the same day, so it was a rolling wave of panic and chaos. Many who were fleeing the zombies or taking shelter in fortified areas had also been ticking time bombs. Even if people kicked out the sneezers before they turned, it was too late for those who had been near them.

During those final three days before they turned, the person was highly infectious, and a huge portion of the population had been exposed to the airborne droplets without realizing the risk. Three months later, they would make up the first wave – if they survived those who turned in the original outbreak.

Once someone turned, the virus's transmissibility changed, and it became much more potent in the saliva and blood, but no longer capable of surviving while airborne. A sneeze was no longer dangerous, but bites and blood to blood contact were guaranteed to infect the victim. People who were unfortunate enough to get infected in such a manner only had one to seven days before they would also turn into a zombie.

It was just over six months since the original outbreak had wreaked havoc across the world. As if that hadn't been enough, three months later, the first wave had hit. Anyone who'd been infected during the outbreak began sneezing and turned.

I hadn't come across any Strongholds recently, but the second wave would have ended only a week or so ago. If it had been anything like the last one, it would have hit the remaining survivors hard.

Between the bites that swiftly turned people and the slow-reacting sneeze transmission, it was an evil two-pronged attack against humanity. Those lucky enough to turn into Runners, Nightstalkers, or Terrors were still sane when they recovered from the seizures, but many had been unprepared for the bloodthirsty instincts and desires caused by the virus that now resided in their bodies.

The devious virus made the thought of blood and raw meat as tantalizing as a glass of cold water on a hot day. Many people thought they were dreaming and went along with the flow, only to lose themselves before they realized the danger. Undercooked meat was also a subtle hazard that had claimed the lives of others who had resisted their bloodlust. And unfortunately, some just never discovered that animal blood was needed to keep their instincts from stripping their sanity from them.

The first few days were like walking on a tightrope while blindfolded. Not only did we have to fight the virus's influence and figure out the new rules for remaining in control with no instruction manual, but we also had to survive the humans who wanted to kill a potential threat.

"I had no idea that anything was wrong," I slowly and somewhat reluctantly began. "My horse was increasingly skittish around me the last few days, but I put it down to a new shampoo or a neighbor's kids scaring her. Zombies had started appearing in various countries a couple of days before I got on a train to go visit a friend, but none had been reported in the USA. Halfway through the trip, the train stopped because we were told that the station at our destination had been closed for safety. Nor could we go back, because we learned that the station we'd left had been overrun by zombies."

My mind was lost in the past as I continued, "It was almost two days before a local radio broadcast finally gave us some decent information. The radio informed us that anyone who was sneezing a lot was likely infectious, and to keep them isolated. Three others had been sneezing and were promptly quarantined in the last train car. Later on, the radio declared that anyone who was sneezing an unusual amount would likely go into seizures and develop rabies-like symptoms that caused them to attack anyone."

I remembered the panic on the train all too clearly. "Two others began sneezing and both of them, as well as the others in quarantine, were sent into the forest by a trainload of panicking passengers who wanted them as far away as possible since the radio kept telling us about the zombies that were appearing in more and more cities. Later that afternoon, I started sneezing as well. After the fifth sneeze in ten minutes, I was chased off the train by people worried about their health and safety."

Exhaling slowly, I shook my head. "The sneezing didn't stop, and I got really worried. I wasn't sure what to do, so I followed the train track back the way we came, hoping to find a rural town for some supplies and food. The next day, I encountered my first zombie, which I recognized as one of the previous passengers. I ran from him and ended up getting lost in the process. Unable to find my way, I wandered around in the wilderness until the seizures hit."

I clenched my jaw at the memory of the white-hot waves of pain, and Daniel and Nina looked sympathetic. Daniel would remember that pain – it wasn't something you could forget. Nina didn't have any traces of confusion on her face, so Daniel had likely shared his story with his traveling companion, and she was already aware of the horrors of turning. The others listened intently, as if they had never heard anything like this before.

"When the pain stopped, I had no idea what had happened. It was like I had been heavily drugged. My thoughts were slow and sluggish, and my mind didn't work as it usually did. I had the most insane desire to taste the metallic blood of any living creature. Only it didn't seem insane anymore, like it was just as simple as drinking a cup of tea."

I tilted my head as I recalled the event that had likely saved me from a fatal mistake. "A bear chose that moment to walk out of the trees. It huffed threateningly at me. My new zombie instincts made me immediately respond with a snarl, which made the bear turn and run. The sound was so ferocious that it shocked me and snapped me out of the bloodlust trance. The thirst was still raging, and my control was thin since I had only eaten some berries over the last three days.

"I staggered to my feet – thankfully it was nighttime – and I happened to walk past an injured rabbit. The smell of its blood overwhelmed me, and my new instincts were perfect for locating it. I had occasionally eaten rabbit stew while growing up, so the thought of eating rabbit didn't overly bother me."

My eyes gazed at the clouds as I paused, trying to pick out words that fit.

"The craving for its blood was so powerful that I started drinking it. I recall being tempted to eat the meat as well, but that thought seemed... shadowed, and I was off balance from my earlier snarl and what I was experiencing. I could resist that temptation, so I did simply because I had no clue what was going on.

"After a few hours of wandering around, I got more accustomed to the virus's influence, but I also found the railroad tracks. I headed back to the train to see if anyone else had turned. I wanted to talk with them and see if they were going through the same thing I was."

I closed my eyes and sighed. "When I got there, there were five zombies around the train, and all of them were eating a man who had been thrown out. The smell of the human blood had me fighting for control and forced me to back away. I remember watching the other zombies ripping off mouthfuls of flesh as I left. They were behaving like rabid animals, and while I could feel the same urges, there was clearly a big difference between me and them. Only one detail stuck out: they were eating humans, and I hadn't done such a thing. It was a wild guess, but it was the best I could come up with at the time."

I glanced at a zombie as we drove by it before resuming my long story, although the others seemed content to listen. With the truck windows rolled up, I wasn't sure if those inside could hear me or not.

"I hung out in the trees around the train as the night wore on, listening to the radio inside and partially hoping to save anyone else who might get tossed out. While waiting, I overheard the radio saying that if anyone turned into a zombie, they were supposed to avoid eating any kind of raw meat, and that they could remain in control if they drank the blood of any animal except for humans. That was an important bit of news and confirmed some of my earlier guesses.

"The dawn forced me to take shelter, and I found an old bear's den to crawl into. The following night, after I hunted down a rabbit to help with my control, I went back to the train. I tried calling to those within, but they were scared of my glowing eyes and closed the window coverings.

"The smell of all the humans in those train cars bothered me since I hadn't gotten used to hunting animals for their blood yet. I left the area to see if I could find a town. I found one all right, but it was inhabited by nothing but zombies. I went back to the train to warn the passengers, but I was too late. The zombies had managed to break in. Despite searching for several nights, I couldn't find any survivors, even with my sense of smell.

"It wasn't until I tried to get to where my sister had been staying that I realized just how far the virus had spread. While looking for her, I met a few other sane zombies during my travels, including a pair of Nightstalkers who shared the welding glasses trick, which finally allowed me to go outside during the day. About a month after I turned, I stumbled across Chloe, and it's mostly been the two of us until I met Marissa, Tom, and Liz about a week ago."

I fell silent, and the others were quiet for some time, possibly waiting for me to continue speaking.

Daniel broke the silence. "Due to a delayed delivery to my town, the flu vaccine arrived several weeks late. The original outbreak missed my location until those inside the barricaded area started turning. I had heard the radio broadcasts and reports before I started sneezing, and I remember how hard it was when I turned. I can't imagine going through it without knowing what to expect. Did you ever attack or kill anyone?"

"If you don't count me going after that clown from last night, then no. Even if they tried to kill me, I simply tried to escape. I may have broken the arm of one guy who attempted to kill me, but I wasn't intentionally trying to inflict a life-threatening injury. You?"

He made a bit of a face. "The first day I turned, I killed a man. I wasn't accustomed to my new temper or my strength. There were a few times when people tried to attack the group I was traveling with. I gave a warning, but when they chose to ignore it, I left the attackers either injured or dead."

From how he said it, he didn't like what he had done. In a way, that was reassuring. I didn't want to imagine a sadistic Terror. If he had been among humans since day one, such close contact almost guaranteed conflict at some point. Out in the forest, I only had Runners and deer to argue with, unless I decided to challenge my sanity by trying to talk with humans.

"May I ask what sort of things trigger your temper?" Nina tentatively inquired, pulling out a notepad and pen.

"Probably the same things that annoy Daniel. Invasion of my personal space, insults, and that sort of thing. Like most Nightstalkers, my temper is fairly short, so a combination of things can send it over the edge without much warning. I've been trying very hard this week to keep it under wraps, but it isn't something I can hide over a longer period of time. Hunting regularly helps, although the presence of a Terror has my instincts off-balance, which is also keeping my temper in check for the moment."

Nina jotted down some notes on the paper. "Did you get along with the other Runners and Nightstalkers you met?"

Apparently, I forgot to mention that questions were also on the list of annoyances...

I exhaled heavily and rolled my shoulders to hint that I was tired of talking. Regardless, I answered her question.

"I didn't have any trouble with the sane Nightstalkers, although I did encounter two ferals. One left once she realized I was a zombie, but the other one was a rather nasty piece of work, even for a feral. I was carrying enough human objects that he wouldn't stop trying to attack me, and I ended up killing him. Runners always investigate me; about half are deterred with a growl or snarl, but some are confused by my sunglasses, and I usually end up taking a swipe at them before they believe me. I met a couple of sane Runners and traveled with one for about a week. He was a bit uneasy around me, but we got along well enough."

"Thanks," Nina said. "In case you weren't aware of it, you express irritation with body language the same way Daniel does, so I'll leave you in peace. I'm open to discussing any topic if you want to talk."

It will be a long time before I get that bored, I thought to myself as I turned my head to watch the scenery. We slowed down as Hank turned at the specified corner, then picked up speed. Nicky yawned and knocked on the back window.

When Hank rolled down his window, Nicky asked, "How much gas is left in the tank?"

"About a quarter," Hank replied.

"Ugh. That isn't even going to last half a day, let alone three days. Every vehicle we've passed has the gas cap open, and I'm not walking for a month to reach this place."

I made a face at that thought. There was no way I'd be able to travel with a watchful Terror for that long without us clashing. We were zombies – it simply wasn't possible. Something was bound to snap, and it was almost guaranteed to be my temper.

No one replied since we knew there wasn't much of an option unless we found something else to drive or a place to hole up until another group of travelers came this way.

The clouds above parted, and the sun decided to make its appearance. Of course, my usual rotten streak of luck dictated that it had to shine right on my face. I pulled my hood over my face to shade my sunglasses and turned my head to the side so I didn't have to face the direction of the bright light.

The truck horn honked, and Hank called, "It's coming up on your side, Trinity."

I wondered idly if there was any possible way of convincing someone to trade their luck for mine. They would undoubtedly be getting the rotten end of that deal, but it would make my life much easier.

I shifted to my knees and waited. It wasn't long before Hank swerved, although it wasn't enough to evade the Runner that banged on the passenger door as it tried to get to the humans it could see within. I leaned over the side of the truck and snarled nastily at him. Caught by surprise, the Runner twisted around and snarled back at me as he backed up a few steps.

It wasn't much of a distraction, but it was enough for us to get past the Runner before he recovered. He wouldn't be able to catch up unless we ran out of gas shortly.

A rumbling growl from the back corner made me turn around warily. Daniel's eyes were red, showing that his instincts were too high to camouflage them.

I silently cursed myself for forgetting that such a snarl would trigger his instincts even though it hadn't been directed at him. Technically, it wasn't his fault; it was our zombie instincts, and as a Terror, his were likely touchier than mine. And from his reaction, Terrors took challenges to their rank and power about as gracefully as Nightstalkers did.

I didn't look directly at him, lest he take it as a challenge, and I spoke quietly with no hint of my usual sarcasm or insult. "I snarled at the Runner, not at you or the humans."

Nina joined my cause and carefully put her hand on his arm, "Easy, Daniel. She chased the Runner off to keep us safe."

He exhaled gustily as he slowly relaxed, still unable to look away from me. His eyes shifted back to brown as he got a better hold on his instincts.

"Sorry," he finally said. "I knew what you were going to do, but I didn't expect it to affect me like that."

"In that case, I'm not looking forward to when it's your turn to snarl at a Runner."

That wasn't an exaggeration either. I had yet to hear anything worse than a growl from him, and even that had my instincts