Ironwind Stronghold slowly came into view. For two weeks, I had been impatiently waiting for us to arrive at this destination to make sure the humans arrived alive, check if my sister was here or at one of the Strongholds with a radio tower, and continue on. Now, I wasn't sure what was preferable – riding in a bouncing, jolting truck or going inside a Stronghold packed to the brim with humans.

The tall chain-link fence surrounded the complex of buildings. It was at least four times my height and supported by telephone posts. There were a couple of smaller access doors scattered across its length. I could see several larger entrances for vehicles, all of which had guard posts above them.

I still wasn't entirely sure I wanted to go inside, and I eyed up the tree line beside the road wistfully.

Nina noticed my preoccupation. "Having second thoughts?"

"I think it's closer to fifth and sixth thoughts at this point," I muttered.

"Please give it a try. No one recovers from five bullet wounds in a couple of days. If it gets too bad, let us know, and we can set up a tent or move a small shed into the forest."

I didn't reply. Several hundred humans and two zombies all crammed inside one fence? This is a surefire recipe for trouble.

Hank slowed down as we approached the gate, and as we got closer, several guards pushed the doors open. I saw several guns and other weapons present.

When we stopped at the entrance, a man standing on the ground grinned at Daniel and Nina while glancing at the rest of us. "You made it back. We were beginning to wonder what happened. Who are your friends?"

"We had more than our fair share of vehicle problems and a bridge washed out," Nina replied. "We came across this group on our way back."

He nodded and waved the truck in, telling Hank, "Welcome to Ironwind Stronghold. Go on in, take your second left, and then the first right."

Hank drove the truck ahead as I watched the gate close behind us with an ominous bang. Daniel and Nina glanced at me, but I didn't bother removing my slightly irritable expression as I watched dozens of people going about their various tasks.

I took a deep breath and wrinkled my nose at the smell of so many humans. Clamping down on my bloodlust, I dug through the scents as we drove down the street, but no hint of my sister was to be found. Considering Nina and Daniel originated from this place, it was a foregone conclusion, but that small spark of hope made me check every Stronghold.

Hank pulled up in front of the building and parked in the spot Nina pointed out. As he shut the vehicle off, a man approached the truck.

"Hello, Nina," the man said with a welcoming smile. "Are these people joining Ironwind?"

"Most of them, yes." Nina proceeded to introduce everyone, leaving me for last. "This is Trinity. She's just staying until she heals. She's a Nightstalker, so don't be surprised if you see her going outside the fence on a regular basis."

The man looked at me in surprise, but he wasn't scared. "I can help the others unpack and show them the ropes, although most of it won't apply to a temporary guest."

"I'll give her a quick tour. She'll probably stay in the secondary building since it's smaller and has fewer people in it."

He nodded and turned to the rest of the group, who were already climbing out of the truck. As he guided them away, Chloe happily trotted after Ben, who still had her bone. My eyes lingered on the brown husky as I realized so many days spent with a handful of friendly humans had expanded her 'family'.

Nina got out and waved me forward. "Most of the stuff he's going to show them won't interest you, and the secondary building has private showers. Feel like a small walk to the end of the road and back? It won't be much of a tour, but I can point out the basics."

"I can drive the truck, if you'd prefer," Daniel offered.

"I can walk," I insisted.

He'd already lowered the tailgate, so I braced my hand on the side and carefully jumped down. Despite my precautions, pain shot through my leg when I landed. Thankfully, it quickly subsided to a throbbing ache.

I didn't have to pause for more than a few seconds, which was a noticeable improvement from yesterday. Even though it ached and hurt, the special attention I'd been giving my leg meant that it no longer felt like someone was twisting a nail in the wound with every small movement.

"You can leave your backpack in the back of the truck," Nina said. "No one will touch it."

I took her suggestion and left it in the corner. With the bullet wound in my shoulder, I wouldn't have been able to wear it without unbearable pain anyway.

Nina began walking, and I matched her slow pace. Daniel walked on Nina's other side as we wandered down the middle of the road.

She pointed to a narrow three-story building beside us. "That's the secondary building. It has its own bathrooms and showers, courtesy of a cistern on top that we fill with a hand pump. You won't have to use the large communal facilities that most do."

That was good. I wouldn't even have considered using a large communal shower room while getting gawked at by dozens of humans. I had bathed in creeks or with fire-warmed water for months. I didn't feel the cold as badly as humans, so water from a river wasn't exactly a hardship.

Nina pointed to a large sprawling building on the other side of the street. "That's the main building. The dining hall is the wing on the left, the main level is mostly offices, and the other floors have bedrooms."

She pointed out various garages and buildings as we walked down the paved street. Two men approached and waited politely for a break in the conversation.

When Nina looked at them, one said, "Good afternoon, Nina. I hope we aren't interrupting. Daniel, could you possibly help us replace the east gate? The old one jammed partially open again, so we'd prefer to replace it as soon as possible. We have a new one ready, but we can't lift it."

"Sure," Daniel replied, going with the two men.

Nina continued our tour, and I was surprised to see how much land was inside this fence. I could see where they had expanded it to make room for new buildings and even a chicken coop. To the southeast, beyond the main fence, a shorter section of chain-link circled around several barns and small pastures meant to keep animals in overnight.

As we walked past people, I got many curious looks. Less than ten minutes into the tour, I began hearing snippets of whispered conversations.

"She's actually a Nightstalker. I wouldn't have guessed from how she looks."

"I thought they couldn't come out during the day?"

"That could be why she's wearing sunglasses. I heard she's injured, and she's just staying until she heals enough to travel. I wonder how she got injured..."

Word apparently spread faster in this place than wildfire, and I pretended I didn't hear their soft whispering. I occasionally ventured a question, but otherwise just listened to Nina talk as she pointed out various buildings.

"-and that's about everything," Nina finished.

From how the injury on my leg pulsed in time with my heartbeat, I was glad this was the extent of our walk.

We turned around to walk back, and she pointed to the side. "The forest over there has tons of rabbits. You can hunt as many as you like."

"Thanks."

Just like every other Stronghold I'd seen, they'd cleared the trees away from their fence so they could see zombies coming well in advance, although this section of forest was closer than the others. I didn't see any tree stumps on the grass between here and there, so they might have built this place on a farmer's field or burned the stumps out.

As we started our return trip, three men came out of a nearby garage.

"How's it going? This is the new Nightstalker, huh?"

Nina didn't seem surprised at how fast the news had traveled, although she tilted her head slightly, as if puzzled. "Things are going pretty well. Yes, this is Trinity."

I took a deeper breath, picking up faint traces of confusion in Nina's scent. It also let me pick up the men's scents. My muscles tensed as my instincts flared to life. I had met these men before.

The man wasn't fazed by my presence. "Nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll get to know one another real well later on." He stepped forward, holding out his hand for a handshake.

I picked up the meaning behind his words. They were the same words he had used last time. I backed up a step and snarled viciously at him. It was a true warning snarl, not one of the halfhearted sound effects that reflected my mood.

Nina raised an eyebrow at the malevolent sound. "Don't you think that snarl was a bit much for someone who was only trying to be friendly?"

My eyes never left the man as my vision took on a redder hue and my instincts raged behind my control. "This isn't the first time we've met. I know his exact opinion about zombies from the last time he tried to kill me."

The man took a surprised step back as his muscles tensed. He gritted his teeth, belatedly realizing I already knew his game. Nina's eyes darted between the two of us rapidly, trying to wrap her head around these new details and our past history, as well as how it might pertain to our current situation.

The man drew his knife and took a fighting stance with an almost gleeful smile. "I heard you were injured, and I can see it in your movements. This'll be a short fight."

Ignoring the pain in my leg, I dropped into a crouch and pulled my lips back to show my teeth as a threat. It was all I could do to not attack this man. My instincts knew he was threatening me, as well as that he had seriously injured me months ago. At least he didn't have any guns this time.

I growled at him again. "You won't win against a Nightstalker with just a knife. My fingernails count as weapons."

"Put your knife down," Nina told the man, anger seething in her voice.

He ignored her, as did his two friends, who, contrary to her demand, pulled out their own weapons. One had a piece of metal pipe, so I didn't dare let him get close to me. It wouldn't take much of a blow to my head to knock me out with my current head injury.

As much as I hated to admit it, three armed men against one badly injured Nightstalker wasn't a fight I was going to win. Anyone who passed by would automatically assume the zombie was the foe and attack me as well.

The man grinned savagely at me. "Well, I guess I get a second shot at killing you. I won't mess up this time."

My control was at its limit. If I tried to fight, there was a good chance I'd lose control, and an even greater chance I would lose this battle with my current injuries. The man took a step forward and brought his knife into a fighting position. His friends circled to the sides to flank me.

With a snarl of thwarted rage, I turned and bolted. It took me less than five seconds to reach the chain-link fence at Nightstalker speed. The men's footsteps raced after me.

"Shit!" Nina swore, before shouting in an urgent tone, "Daniel!"

Without slowing my run, I launched upward with a powerful jump. A searing pain almost made my leg give out as the scab and injury tore open. Still, it was enough to get me most of the way up the fence.

I glanced back, but the men were chasing me and not going after Nina. Had they been, I would have returned to try and protect her. I wouldn't have been able to do much, but I probably could have delayed them until Daniel arrived.

I scaled the fence and dropped to the ground on the other side with a grunt, staggering to the side when my leg protested the impact. Two sets of footsteps were already approaching the fence behind me; nearby, the small motor of a quad sputtered as one of them tried to start it.

Recovering my balance, I took off at a run toward the forest. If one of them had a quad, I needed to get far enough into the trees that they couldn't follow me. I raced across the long grass and clover, trying to reach the sheltering underbrush before the quad got through a gate.