Chapter 21

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Hank turned the truck off and climbed out as we looked around. Daniel was already jogging toward some feral zombies to lure them away from the small highway-side town. I counted fifteen buildings, most of which were houses. From the smell, quite a few had zombies trapped inside.

The humans waited by the truck while I went to check the three stores. The hardware store had a zombie inside, but the other two were clear. The corner store had been thoroughly looted and no food was left on the shelves.

None of them were secure enough for my liking, so I went back to the hardware store to grab a ladder. It took two snarls before the resident zombie let me shoplift the long ladder.

The corner store had a flat roof which would make an excellent camping spot. I leaned the ladder against the wall and went back into the hardware store to claim two big tents and a raised firepit. If it rained, the humans would need the tents to stay warm and dry.

The firepit was mainly to avoid burning down the store. It struck me as idiotic that most roofing materials were made from oil byproducts and sealed with tar, making them quite flammable. What genius came up with that idea? No wonder my house insurance had been so high.

Daniel carried a load of firewood up the ladder while the others attempted to set up the tents. Chloe barked from below and whined.

Tom glanced over the edge. "It's too bad there isn't any way to get her up here. Poor girl. We can put her in the truck cab at night. At least it'll keep her safe from any zombies that may come by."

I walked over to look down at Chloe, who looked rather sad at being unable to find a way up. She was too big for a human to carry up a ladder, and she would panic if Daniel or I attempted to pick her up. I dropped off the side of the building and went back into the hardware store. I had an idea.

Once again, I had to growl at the zombie inside. The smell of humans must really be clinging to me if he kept bothering me like this. It took a bit of searching to find everything I needed.

I used ratchet straps to secure a dog carrier onto a two-wheeled dolly cart and took it back to the corner store. This was going to be interesting.

I went down on one knee and spoke softly to Chloe. "Come on, girl. Want to go up? Get in the doghouse."

She came up to me a bit uneasily, and after tossing a few treats in the back of the kennel, she eventually went in. I closed the door behind her and tied a thick rope securely to the handle of the dolly.

I grabbed the other end of the long rope and climbed up the ladder. After bracing my feet on the edge of the roof, I started pulling the rope up hand over hand. The dolly's tires gently hit the wall and rolled their way to the roof as I pulled.

Chloe was jittery by the time I was able to grab the handle and bring the dolly and the attached kennel onto the roof. When I opened it up, she bounded out and wagged her tail, happy to be back with people again.

With Chloe now safely on the roof with the rest of us, I went over to help manhandle one of the tent sections. Nicky was discovering her inner pyromaniac while lighting the campfire and I eyed her gleeful grin warily. Yeah, I was staying away from that area until she was done. Far, far away.

By the time both tents were set up and secured with buckets of rocks from the ground, Nina had already started cooking.

I sniffed the air. "Come on, Daniel. Let's go have a talk with a Runner. We'll be back before the food is cooked."

In silent curiosity, he followed me as we both dropped off the roof and headed down the road. I slipped into the edge of the forest so we could get closer without being spotted.

When we found the zombie, I asked Daniel, "Do you want to try first, or do you want to see me do it?"

He examined the oblivious Runner. "Ladies first."

I bared my teeth in humor and dropped into the typical Nightstalker crouch as I walked out of the trees. The Runner growled at me, and I returned it. My sunglasses hid my eyes, and the Runner came closer with a snarl to test the truth of my identity.

I turned to face the Runner with a louder snarl, holding my hands slightly away from my sides as a challenge and a warning. I held no weapons – my razor-sharp fingernails were more than sufficient.

The zombie charged forward. The second he came into range, I slashed at him while dodging his slower swipe. He was left with four bloody furrows on his arm that would take at least a week to heal. He backed up with a growl, and my chest rumbled with a warning. Like a wary cat, he slowly moved off.

I resumed my walk across the clearing and waited in the far trees. Now it was Daniel's turn. Having just seen it, he should know what to expect. This was one spot where our instincts didn't need to be curbed – one of the very few situations where we didn't desire to kill.

Daniel stalked out of the bushes, and I examined his stance. In some ways, it was similar to mine in that it was predatory and graceful, but it was noticeably different from my silent, flowing pace. If I was a stealthy mountain lion, then he was a proud wolf.

The Runner realized he had company and was more than ready to challenge someone else after losing his last match. The Runner growled at Daniel, and Daniel responded with a snarl as his eyes glowed a brighter red for a few seconds. The Runner dropped the challenge and went in a different direction.

Daniel rejoined me in the trees. "It didn't try the First Strike with me."

I shrugged. "My sunglasses hide my eyes, so they challenge me much more often. Did you notice a difference once he turned away?"

"Yes... It was as if it was over. I had no further desire to go after him or prove that I ranked above him."

"Try interacting with more Runners if you come across them, and you'll start picking up various types of body language. If you try camouflaging your eyes, they'll likely challenge you, then you can really see the difference. But that Runner is probably going to show up at the store before morning, so we're going to have to break a few unwritten rules."

He sighed, obviously not looking forward to what had to be done. "I'll do it. Then I'm going hunting. I'll meet you back at the store."

I nodded and turned to leave. Once I was out of earshot, I used some water from my water bottle to rinse the blood off my hands, then used a hand wipe to thoroughly clean under my nails.

On my way back, I collected more firewood.

~

       Dinner was just being served when Daniel returned. The faint hint of Runner blood lingered around him, and I spotted one or two red spots on his pants. The smell of rabbit also wafted on the air from his recent hunt.

His chosen prey didn't surprise me since I often hunted rabbits as well. They were common, multiplied quickly, and were just the right size if I was hunting regularly.

My mouth watered as I took my plate of pancakes to a chair. They had also found the syrup in the bag of supplies, and the bottle was passed around as we poured the golden liquid onto our food.

I managed to eat both of mine. Somehow, Daniel managed to eat almost four of the small cakes. Everyone else stuffed themselves with the rare treat.

As Marissa began washing the pans and cutlery, Hank asked her, "Do you want some help?"

"No thanks, I actually enjoy washing dishes. I find it relaxing. You can burn the paper plates and bring me the rest of the cutlery if you want."

"Sure."

People started tossing their plates into the fire and passing the forks and knives to Hank. When he came to me, I shook my head and said, "I'll do mine afterward. I may be sane, but my saliva still carries the virus."

He kept going, prudently skipping Daniel as he gathered the rest of the cutlery. It didn't take Marissa long to wash the three pans and the handful of cutlery. She went back to her chair, and I was just about to move when Daniel got up.

As he walked by me, he offered, "I can wash yours for you."

If he was trying to surprise me, he was doing a good job of it. It had been over two years since someone had last washed my dishes for me. I wasn't sure if this was his way of thanking me for my earlier advice, but I wasn't about to ask or complain.

"Thanks." I passed him the knife and fork.

"Trinity, do you mind if I give one of the extra pancakes to Chloe?" Nina asked.

I looked over to see her gesture to the small stack that somehow still remained after our feast. "If you want, you can. I'll bring a rabbit carcass back for her later tonight."

Nina softly called, "Chloe."

The husky eagerly trotted forward. Nina broke one of the pancakes into small pieces and handed them to the dog one by one. To give Chloe credit, she took each morsel gently before practically inhaling it. I somehow doubted a few of those pieces even touched her teeth before being swallowed in her haste to get the next treat.

"It's all gone," Nina told the dog as she ruffled up the fur on her head.

Chloe shook herself off and wandered over to Daniel, who was walking to the edge of the building with the bucket of dirty water. He stopped as she got closer, likely to avoid alarming her. The husky paused to sniff his shoes, then went back to where she had left her bone in the corner.

Both Nina and Daniel watched her meander away with stunned expressions. I tilted my head in a silent inquiry.

Daniel quietly said, "I've never had a dog sniff me and not run away."

"Welcome to the club. Never trust her to track anything for you either. She can't even smell a treat if it rolls into the leaves."

With another glance at Chloe, he walked to the edge of the roof and dumped the dirty dishwater to the ground below. Turning the container upside down, he left it by the fire to dry before going back to his seat.

We relaxed in our seats and watched the flames flicker as the sun slowly set. There was enough firewood to last until dawn, so there weren't any tasks left to be done. Even Liz lost interest in her coloring book and just curled up on Marissa's lap to gaze at the fire.

Daniel raised his head and gave a low growl. I glanced where he was looking but didn't see anything. I tested the air, but that also came up empty. It was the same direction we had come from, so it wouldn't surprise me if a Runner had crossed our trail and was on its way.

"There's a vehicle coming down the road," he clarified.

Even though I couldn't see or hear it, I didn't doubt him for a moment. "Should we hide the jerrycans before they get here?"

I didn't even finish the sentence before he ran forward with inhuman speed to jump off the roof toward the truck. His landing was punctuated by the mattress and suspension groaning in protest of his landing.

"Catch!"

It was a good thing I had Nightstalker reflexes since he tossed each jerrycan onto the roof, spacing them apart enough for me to catch one, set it down, and get ready for the next. He quickly scaled the ladder with the bags of extra supplies in his hands, disappearing into one of the tents with his load. I brought the jerrycans to him; it was probably better if they were out of sight.

"Did you grab the keys?" Hank asked as Daniel went to sit back down.

"Yes. They're in my pocket."

Hank sighed in relief, and as if on cue, a set of headlights rounded the corner down the road. Everyone remained sitting in case they kept driving, but considering it was just one vehicle and the sun had mostly set, they were probably looking for a place to stop for the night.

Daniel's eyes were still brown, as they had been most of the day. He must be accustomed to keeping them that color to hide what he was. If any of these newcomers happened to be zombies, I was tempted to spend the night in the forest. I didn't want to deal with another short-tempered zombie today, especially when I had just started getting along passably well with Daniel.

As the vehicle got closer, I could see five men crammed into a Jeep. Considering chairs and supplies were tied onto the roof, they had been planning on a long trip. Their presence wasn't an indication of a possible nearby Stronghold.

One of them pointed to our fire, and they slowed down as they realized someone was already here. Chloe sat up, finally noticing we had company. The Jeep pulled up to the store while leaving plenty of space between the two vehicles.

The edge of the roof prevented me from seeing what else they might be doing. Ben and Hank walked over to watch the people below. Chloe joined them and barked a few times at the newcomers before Ben tapped her shoulder to quiet her down.

A door opened and a man's voice called, "Hello! Do you mind if we camp up there with you for the night?"

Ben replied, "As long as you don't cause any trouble, you're welcome to spend the night up here."

Thanks, Ben, I mentally berated him. You know nothing about these guys, and you happily invite them up like long-lost friends. They could have camped out in one of the other houses or stores. Apparently, our rooftop paradise was just too enviable to pass up.

I impatiently sniffed the air as I waited for their scent to reach me. The sounds of doors closing and heavy duffle bags being lifted came from below before I finally picked up their scents. My nose wrinkled at their terrible hygiene; it had been a while since their bodies had encountered soap or clean clothes.

I murmured quietly, "I'm not smelling any gunpowder or firearms."

Daniel nodded and relaxed a bit. It didn't escape my attention that he kept glancing at the setting sun. I knew he had successfully hunted at night before, so he wasn't completely handicapped in the dark if this group turned out to be trouble. The fire should shed enough light, and if not, he had the flashlight I'd given him.

If it came to a melee fight, they would have to be extremely lucky to hit either of us, even if Daniel was half blind. Ranged weapons could be a problem though. Bows and arrows weren't that common since the art of making good ones had mostly been lost to the world of technology, but there were still some guns kicking around. We would recover from most wounds quickly enough, but a headshot still wasn't something to be contemplated.

In my early Nightstalker days, a bullet had stopped my heart for a while. I had been slower and weaker than a normal zombie for several days before it had healed enough to beat again, although I had remained in control and kept my sanity.

Other sane zombies had told me tales about those who got knocked out by a serious head wound. The injuries and inability to hunt while unconscious sent the bloodlust into overdrive; when they finally came to, they often attacked anything nearby.

I watched as the five men climbed up the ladder. Four of them were probably in their thirties, although the other one was younger, just past his teens. Their group and ours eyed each other up as the newcomers slowly approached the firepit. Nicky ignored them, pointedly staring at the fire.

"Thanks for letting us join you. We can share a bit of grub if you don't mind us using your fire."

"We already ate, but thanks for the offer." Ben gestured to the firepit. "The fire is already burning, so feel free to use it."

"Thanks," the man said, setting a duffle bag down and digging cans out of it. "Can we borrow your pot?"

Ben dumped the boiled water into the water jug I'd found and handed the empty pot to him. I subtly watched the group from behind my sunglasses as the man opened several cans of soup. Three of the men had hunting knives on their belts, but otherwise, they and their companions were unarmed. They set up camping chairs on the other side of the fire and sat down.

The man with the most stubble on his chin introduced himself. "I'm Frank. This is Kal, Joel, Justin, and Eddy."

Ben gave a quick round of introductions, pointing to each of us in turn as he gave our names.

"Where are you guys headed?" Frank asked.

"We are heading to Ironwind Stronghold," Ben replied. "Where are you going?"

"To any Stronghold we can find. We're kind of lost and have no clue where the other Strongholds are. Mind if we join you on your trip?"

Ben shrugged. "I don't see why not. This place is still three days away though."

Frank nodded in relief. "We don't know of any other ones, so this is the best lead we've had. Thank you."

I gritted my teeth at the thought of traveling with more humans. This was turning into a bloody circus faster than I could turn around. I had offered to guide two adults and a kid to safety. Now I had to deal with twelve humans and a Terror. If I start running at sunset, I wonder how far I can get before Daniel catches up to me? Probably not far enough.

The sun finished dipping below the horizon, and my instincts began to strengthen as the sky grew darker. I quietly stewed as my mood slowly rolled downhill. Daniel could probably smell my irritation since it was practically rolling off me, but no one else seemed to notice that my silence was one of aggravation. Daniel's brown eyes occasionally flickered toward me, although he didn't say anything.

Tom and Marissa stood up as she said, "We're going to head to bed. Come on, Liz. We have to climb down the ladder to go to the bathroom."

Hank dug in his backpack and pulled out a flashlight. "I'll come with you."

"It's getting dark, so that's probably a good idea," Ben said, also getting to his feet. Turning to our guests, he said, "You can use the blue tent if you want."

"Thanks."

One by one, they descended the ladder. I glanced at Chloe, but she hadn't drunk much water since her last bathroom break, so she'd probably be fine until morning. If she started pacing, I could always lower her to the ground once everyone was asleep.

Marissa and Liz were the first ones to come back up, and they promptly went into the tent that held our supplies and sleeping bags. Tom, Ben, and Hank weren't far behind, and Chloe managed to sneak in as well, carrying her bone with her.

I had no intention of setting foot inside a tent full of humans, so I remained where I was. The five men slowly finished their meal while Nina and two of them talked about the location of several Strongholds.

The last rays of light had almost completely left the sky when Nina looked at Daniel. "I have to use the washroom. Can you come with me in case I cross paths with a zombie or a snake?"

He nodded and stood up as he pulled out his new flashlight.

Nicky also jumped to her feet, speaking for the first time since our guests had arrived. "I need to use the washroom too." She paused and waggled her finger at Daniel. "And no peeking!"

He rolled his eyes, not that she could see it in the fading light. "Honest, that's the last thing on my mind."

Walking over to the ladder, he turned on his flashlight and shone it down so the others could see the rungs. I wasn't sure whether to be impressed or annoyed that the box hadn't exaggerated just how bright that light was. Once they were on the ground, Daniel also climbed down.

That left me alone with our five guests. Great.

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