"Trinity!"

I glanced at my window and got off my bed, not sure who the urgent voice belonged to. Nicky had been fine at breakfast, so she shouldn't be pulling an insanity blitz, and Daniel was somewhere around the Stronghold, so they'd approach him if a feral Runner had been spotted.

Other than the event with the arsonists, no one had ever disturbed my rest between breakfast and my first patrol, so something was up. I opened the window and looked down at the man. To the best of my knowledge, I had never spoken with him before, although I had seen him in the guard posts occasionally. His voice may have sounded urgent, but his expression was more excited than anything else.

"They're coming! A group going to loot some stores met them on the road! They're about two hours away, and your sister is with them. One of our trucks is escorting them back, but they thought you might want to meet them at the border without so many people around."

My breathing stopped. Jess was finally here. Then my mind kicked into high gear. Meeting her along the border would allow for a semi-private reunion, which was what both of us would prefer.

I slipped through the window and dropped to the ground, landing on the packed dirt with a faint huff.

"They'll be coming from the northwest," he continued, only slightly startled by how I had exited my room. "If you take the eastern road and hang a right at the junction with the motorcycle leaning against the stop sign, you'll meet them. They'll cross over the border on that road."

"Thank you!" I turned to go, then paused.

Why should I run on foot when I could steal Nicky's side-by-side? That would get me there faster, and if she rode with me on the way back, it would give us even more time to talk.

"I'm going to take the side-by-side," I told the man, who waved an acknowledgment as I jogged away.

The mechanic in the garage did a double-take when he saw me grab the keys, but he didn't ask questions or make any comments. I drove the side-by-side out the eastern gate and down the road, following the directions I was given.

I would be at the border at least an hour before they arrived, but I'd probably need that time to get my swirling emotions under control. I certainly couldn't count on Jess since I half expected her to run over for a teary-eyed embrace.

The people who saw me driving along the road did a double-take and stared, likely confused since I almost always went on foot. The trip was both too long and not long enough. It felt like it took forever for me to reach the border, but that left me with a lot of time on my hands. Perhaps I hadn't thought this through well enough.

I parked the side-by-side in the ditch and turned it off. A regular zombie stumbled along the road toward me. Clearing the area would give me something to do for fifteen minutes. Pocketing the keys, I jogged up the road.

The zombie followed me, too dense to realize what I truly was. I encountered a few more along the road and took them for a scenic tour down a deer trail before pulling a disappearing act. I slowed down as I noticed an unwary rabbit nibbling on some clover.

My bloodlust was basically nonexistent with the sun so high, but the blood would still help keep my control in check. Since it was a wise precaution, I slinked behind some shrubs and crept up behind the unfortunate bunny.

The quiet snap didn't even disturb the birds singing in the trees above. I had zero appetite but made a face and drank the blood anyway. It was like forcing yourself to eat dessert when you were already full.

My stomach didn't hurt, but it was making me slightly lethargic, like I'd eaten a huge meal. With the situation ahead, I was glad of that strange side effect.

I meandered back to the road to wait.

~

       I opened my eyes as the distant rumble of vehicles reached my ears. I gazed at the empty road, which disappeared behind the trees in a gradual bend. My nostrils flared as I scoured the air for any hint of scent, but the wind wasn't in my favor, particularly with moving vehicles.

I slid forward so I was leaning against the hood of the side-by-side instead of sitting on it. My eyes never left the road as I waited impatiently for them to arrive.

Then, finally, a truck drove into view, followed by three vans and another truck. The truck in front was one from Ironwind, complete with five people who usually went out all day to scour empty stores for supplies we might need. The sixth passenger was my sister.

She was engaged in an animated discussion with the people around her. Other than having her hair cut to her shoulders, she looked exactly the same as when I had last seen her ten months ago.

One of the men sitting beside her pointed in my direction. She sat up straighter and stared at me as the truck drove down the road. My time sitting here had settled my mind into an expectant calm, but from the raw longing on Jess's face, she was barely keeping it together.

The truck slowed down and veered onto the grass in the ditch. The other vehicles stopped on the road. I wasn't fond of the observers, but my focus was on my sister.

As soon as the truck came to a stop in front of me, Jess slid over the side and took an eager step forward before hesitating and glancing back at the others. Someone must have warned her about how growly I got if people didn't respect my personal space. Screw that. I'll make an exception. She can learn the rules later.

"Where's my hug?" I demanded, standing up. "I didn't spend the last seven and a half months walking thousands of miles searching for you for this sort of greeting."

Bursting into tears, she ran forward with outstretched arms. I was afraid of that... Stuffing my instincts as far down as possible, I took several steps forward, also holding my arms out. She careened into me hard enough I had to take a step back to keep my balance.

She buried her face in my shoulder as she squeezed me in a hug. "I missed you so badly! I can't believe we're finally together again!"

"I missed you too, Jess." Her scent matched the one on the scarf, but having her arms wrapped around my back had my hackles rising.

She hugged me tighter as the salty tang of her tears grew stronger. The zombie virus kept my eyes dry, preventing tears from emotions. Only light was powerful enough to bring tears to a Nightstalker's eyes.

"Alright, get off me. You had your hug."

She laughed shakily and backed up a step. "You haven't changed at all."

"I've changed more than you have, but you'll figure that out as we go." I smirked up at my little sister, who had the audacity of being six inches taller than me.

"I look forward to it." She glanced around, then asked, "What are you doing all the way out here? Not that I'm complaining about seeing you earlier."

"Nightstalkers don't get along well with staring crowds, so some smart individual had the foresight to send me out here for a quieter reunion."

From how the woman and man sitting inside the cab of the truck grinned at each other, one of them was likely responsible for the brainwave and now had their rare compliment from me as payment.

"You never got along with crowds..." Jess countered, wiping the happy tears from her eyes.

"Perhaps, but my intolerance has gone up a few notches. Want to ride back with me so you can ask your two million questions?" Had Nina been here, the offer would have stunned the curious scientist. The cantankerous Nightstalker who detested questions had just given an open invitation to be bombarded with the detested things. And Jess had no idea how significant that was.

She gazed curiously at the side-by-side behind me. "Sure."

"Then let's quit holding up the others," I said, sliding into the driver's seat while she got in on the passenger side.

The truck driver took that as his signal to resume his position in front of the convoy that was politely waiting for them. Once the last vehicle had passed by, I took up the rear, lagging far enough that I wasn't in the dust of their passage. The distance also prevented them overhearing our conversation and kept most of them from staring at us.

"So, you're really a zombie? The people in the truck confirmed it, but you don't look any different."

"Most of the changes aren't easy to see. Just look at how difficult it can be to tell a feral zombie apart from a human if they aren't moving. Half the time, people mistake Runners for regular zombies until they get close."

She made a face. "We almost got ambushed by a Runner because it didn't notice us until we were passing by. We thought it was a normal zombie. His clothes were still clean, and two people even commented that he almost looked human, but he was just wandering down the road, which no one would do these days." Her light brown eyes flickered to me. "Your trick of spraying liquid glass cleaner in its face made it let go of the side of the van."

I bared my teeth in a grin. "I'm glad you were paying attention to those tips. As Nicky recently said, sane zombies blend in very well. There is another sane zombie here called Daniel. He's a Terror, but if you remain courteous, he doesn't even growl much."

"The others also gave me tips on our trip."

"Which people? The ones you're traveling with, or the ones from Ironwind?"

"Both. The people in the Strongholds were also happy to talk, although the group from Ironwind knew more and had first-hand experience."

I sighed. "Some of it is over-exaggerated rumors, but most of it is probably more correct than I'd like to admit. You'll have more leniency with me because you're my sister, but don't be surprised when you hear me growl or snarl."

"The two guys from Ironwind talked about sane zombies a lot, although most of what they told me contradicted what I'd been told by other people. I don't know what to believe anymore. This is so confusing."

"You'll catch on quickly enough. Just give me more space once the sun sets."

"They said you were somewhat grouchier once it got dark out," Jess murmured, "and that you spent most of the night outside the fence. I assume you're safe out there because you're a zombie?"

"I patrol most of the night. If I growl, other zombies know I'm a zombie and ignore me."

"What about bears and stuff?"

As tempted as I was to tease her about such things being snacks, I didn't want to overwhelm her. This day was going to be enough of a challenge for her sanity without her thinking that her sister ate bears on a regular basis.

"Most animals won't let zombies near them. That's why Mairee kept running away when I tried to put the saddle on her. She could smell the infection building."

"Even bears?"

"Even bears," I confirmed.

"What is Ironwind like?" she asked, changing the topic to something more mundane.

"Fairly laid-back. You'll probably be able to choose what sort of work you want to do. There are enough people here that we don't have to work from sunup to sundown, but also not so many we're fighting over space."

She continued asking about the layout, usual tasks, and expectations as we drove. I began to wish we were closer to the Stronghold so she could see it for herself and slow down the steady stream of questions.

"Do you know if my room will be close to yours?"

"You can have the room two doors down from mine. If someone objects, they can come argue with me."

A grin spread across her face. "How come I have a feeling I could use that like a 'get out of jail free' card?"

"Possibly, but keep in mind if you abuse it, your sister will certainly find out and come looking for you."

"And what would you do? Growl at me?"

To echo her statement, I actually did growl softly at her before chuckling to show it had been meant in humor. "Yes, and possibly dump you in the horse trough."

"You wouldn't."

I grinned again, pulling back my lips just enough to show the truth behind my threat. "Don't tempt me. I'm plenty strong enough now to haul you all the way over there. The horses may want nothing to do with me, but they won't overly care if I dump you into their water."

She shook her head and examined me. "Just how strong are you? Even the guys from here weren't sure."

"I'm not superwoman, but I could probably lift this side-by-side if I tried." And I didn't mean just the front end.

"Huh. And I bet you still don't like dancing and parties."

"Nope."

"There goes that hope." She rubbed some scratches on the back of her hand before pausing. "Uh, what if some of my scratches crack open and bleed?"

"My bloodlust is basically nonexistent, and I've never heard of Daniel having a problem. But give other zombies some space; Runners because their control is usually a bit shaky, and Nightstalkers because their sense of smell is so keen."

"Why is yours nonexistent if you have such a good sense of smell?"

I exhaled heavily. "A lowlife slipped an experimental drug into something I ate, and that removed it."

"He what? Who was this?"

"Her name was Louise. She ran off and no one's seen or heard from her since."

"Why?"

"She wanted to test how well it worked," I replied shortly.

She shook her head. "That's insane."

"I fully agree." I changed the topic. "How was the trip down here?"

"Almost as crazy. We had three close calls with Runners; two on the road, and one that almost got into a Stronghold. The trip only took us fourteen days, which was faster than we expected, but that was mostly because we came across a group on their way here, and they let us travel with them the last two days."

"Huh. I didn't think we were expecting the traders until tomorrow," I said, gazing at the vehicles and people ahead of us. This group didn't really strike me as a trading caravan, especially if eleven of the people present were traveling with Jess.

"They aren't traders. They're coming to visit someone called Nina."

With that timeline, I had a sneaking suspicion they were from one of the other labs and were coming here to get samples of the cure so they could replicate it themselves.

"How many are in that group?"

"Just five. They're in the first two vans."

The number of people didn't add up. Five and twelve made seventeen, and I could see at least nineteen, with more likely hidden in the back of the vans.

"What about the other vehicles? Did your group drive them down?"

"No, we were hitchhiking. The last Stronghold we stopped at volunteered to drive us here." She paused and sat up straighter as she looked ahead. "Oh, is that Ironwind Stronghold?"

"It is."

"Look how tall that fence is! And guard towers by the gates! Are those barns? And stables? Where are the animals?"

I was beginning to regret the open policy regarding questions. "Yes, they are barns. There is a stable. The animals are in the fields."

She craned her neck to see more. "This place is huge. I can't even see the other side of the fence!"

Someone was getting a little over-excited... Thankfully, she was too busy gawking at everything to ask more questions. A handful of people were gathering at the east gate to welcome the newcomers and additional travelers.