"Hurry up, or I'm going to drag you out by your ankles," I told my sister through her closed bedroom door.

"Oh! I'm in favor of watching that!" Nicky chirped from behind me.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Jess's muffled voice replied. "Patience is a virtue, you know."

"And I save mine for when I'm about to ambush something," I retorted, "so you probably don't want to be quoting that proverb at me."

The door was flung open, revealing a flustered-looking Jess who was valiantly trying to wrestle a hairbrush through her disheveled brown hair. "I'm trying! But I can't go down like this!"

Nicky skipped forward and gawked at her. "Wow. There ought to be a medal for getting that many knots in straight hair."

"Tell me about it," Jess grumbled, still fighting with one of the many knots. "The entire reason I cut my hair at my shoulders was to avoid this."

"Let me go grab my hairbrush," Nicky said. "If it can handle my curls, those knots aren't going to stand a chance." She paused. "You don't have lice or anything, do you?"

"No," Jess replied, wrinkling her nose at the thought of such parasites.

"Good!" Nicky scampered down the hall and swiftly returned with a hairbrush that was missing half its bristles. "Hold still."

Within several minutes – and with a few squawks and squeaks from Jess – her hair was finally under control and knot-free.

"There you go!" Nicky proclaimed. "Now let's go down and get some breakfast before all the good stuff is gone!"

I went with them, although the dining hall was busier than I liked. While Nicky and Jess grabbed some food, I continued to the table where Nina and Daniel already sat. More than a few people welcomed me back with murmured greetings, which I awkwardly returned without stopping. When I reached the table, I sat in my customary corner with a sigh.

"They missed you," Nina observed, taking a bite of her toast.

"No kidding," I muttered, glancing back the way I had come. "You would have thought I was Queen Cleopatra or something."

"Not quite, but they do see you as a nighttime protector whose presence was missed."

I snorted. "More like a shadowy assassin that gives them nightmares and keeps them from going outside at night."

"But you're on their side," Nina replied logically, "and that makes all the difference. You aren't seeking their blood – you're defending it."

What was it with people trying to use logic this early in the morning? I shook my head and dismissed the conversation. Nicky claimed the seat beside me, leaving Jess at the end of the table where a fifth chair now permanently resided.

"I assume you were the one who brought the side-by-side back?" Daniel asked.

"Getting it out of the tree was interesting. Jess didn't mention they had parked it in such a safe place."

"It was in a tree?" Daniel glanced at me in surprise.

"Wedged between two trees, actually," I replied in a bland voice.

A young man sitting at the next table happened to be hunching his shoulders as the details came forth. His friends were hiding their growing smirks, clearly enjoying his reaction. I suspect I found the driver, I thought to myself, keeping half an eye on him in case more clues came to light.

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it actually ran after that."

"I was dubious about that as well. But it runs, even if one of the tires needs to be straightened. Stopping is a different issue – the brakes are long gone."

One of the men lost the battle of silence and started snickering, which made Daniel glance over his shoulder.

In response to Daniel's raised eyebrow, another young man explained, "Brent was curious how fast it could go. He didn't realize the brakes didn't work."

Brent squirmed in his seat and peeked back at us, possibly expecting a rebuttal or lecture.

"You could have been seriously injured," Daniel simply said, locking eyes with the guilty culprit, "but I'm sure your mother would have given you enough of a lecture that I don't have to."

"His mother tore a strip out of his hide and threatened to lock him in the zombie barn," one of the other men offered, still trying to hide a smirk.

"I heard someone got dunked in the horse trough," Nicky said. "Was that him?"

All of them started laughing, along with others at nearby tables.

Nicky scratched her head. "Is that a no?"

"No," one of them managed to reply around his laughter. "That kid that came with you- Joel, I think? Yeah, that's his name. He had the audacity to say he missed your off-the-wall craziness and the way you tormented Ben. Well, Ben was close enough to hear that, and he dunked Joel in the horses' water trough. Then Hank helped Joel dump Ben in."

"Then Chloe jumped in when Ben was trying to get out, and he fell back in!" another man added before breaking down into laughter again.

"I pity the horses that had to drink that water," I muttered, shaking my head, although I was amused Joel had somehow convinced Hank to turn on his former friend.

"They emptied and refilled it," Jess reassured me. "The dog hair alone dictated that."

"Good." Even if they hadn't, the horses probably had the good sense to turn their noses up at the water after Ben had been in it.

"Do you plan to visit Luke this morning?" Nina asked me. "I'm pretty sure he won't want anything to eat, but I'll feel bad if we don't take him something. He'll probably need more water as well."

"I can swing by the cave with some food and water," I said.

Zombies could drink water right from creeks and rivers without worry, but it probably hadn't occurred to the hospitable scientist that such a thing was common among sane zombies, not just as a last resort.

"Thanks. When you come back, can you come find me? Some people are sneezing, and we're fairly certain it's just a cold or allergies, but we'd prefer to play it safe since there's only about three weeks until the next wave."

"If it was anything like the last guy, I'd have smelled it as soon as I came through the gate."

"I know, but they're worried, and I'd prefer to rely on your nose instead of using my limited supply of chemicals to double-check, especially since your sense of smell is more reliable."

"Fine," I replied, dismissing the veiled compliment with a shrug. A walk around this place wasn't exactly a chore, and there was always a chance someone had gotten infected.

With a quizzical look, Jess asked, "How good is your sense of smell? Like, I know it's good, but people keep talking about it like you could smell someone a mile away."

My lip quirked up. "A mile downwind? Easily. If you were bleeding heavily, several miles, and I could even tell if you were a child or an adult."

Her jaw dropped before she recovered. "Really?"

"Downwind, yes. Upwind, no."

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

"Yep," Nicky agreed. "So if you're going to cut wind, do so downwind."

"I'll, uh, keep that in mind," Jess mumbled.

Nicky grinned at her discomfort, but Nina quickly steered the conversation to other topics, such as which tinctures Jess wanted to try, and why Nicky couldn't race the old side-by-side through the fields while Jess picked the plants she needed.

Once everyone finished eating and dispersed, I grabbed a one-gallon jug of water and put some food on a paper plate before heading to the forest.

Luke's scent crossed the trail in several spots, so he must have explored the forest during the night. I hadn't picked up his scent in the fields beyond, so he hadn't left the trees.

My footsteps crunched through the leaf litter as I headed to the clearing. I wasn't entirely sure if he was in or around the cave right now, but it was a good place to start.

Two dead rabbits lay on the table, already gutted to avoid contaminating the meat. The clanging of a hammer hitting a chisel revealed Luke's whereabouts. The noise would have also prevented him from hearing my approach above his attempts to literally raise the roof.

"Hey, Luke," I called out. "Feel like taking a break?"

"Sure. I'll be out in a moment," he called back.

I sat down at the picnic table to wait, although it didn't take him long to emerge, briskly brushing off his clothing to get rid of the dust and rock chips.

"What would your parents have said if you told them about your dreams of becoming a stonemason?"

He chuckled. "They would have encouraged it. But I doubt this scenario would have ever crossed their minds."

"Probably not," I agreed. "How are the renovations going so far?"

"The rock on the cave roof is actually brittle, and it's easier to break off chunks than I anticipated, so most of that area is done. The tunnel is another story and will take longer. I can probably get most of it done before I move into the Stronghold. The next occupant might have to do some touch-ups."

"You make it sound like you're planning on moving into the Stronghold soon," I observed, hiding my intense focus.

"As soon as the controlex removes or reduces my bloodlust to the point where it's safe for humans," Luke clarified. "Your instincts might make you more of a loner, but Runners prefer to congregate with others. I was quite social when I was human, and I miss having company. I think my biggest challenge will be getting used to crowds and the hustle and bustle, but I'm looking forward to being able to be part of it again."

As a Runner, Luke actually had a much better chance of tolerating crowds than I ever would. Feral Runners often hung around other Runners and mindless zombies, so the idea of having others around didn't bother their instincts. They just had an obsession with knowing where they were in the local hierarchy.

"I assume I have you to thank for those gifts that mysteriously appeared last night?" Luke asked.

"If you're referring to the live traps, then yes. Let me know if you want more. I think I found enough, but always feel free to ask Daniel or me if you want us to hunt down something or if the local wildlife decides to shun the traps."

"I think this will be plenty. At the moment, I only have six set up, but there are definitely lots of rabbits around. One even hopped into the cave last night."

With a glance at the rabbits beside me, I asked, "Shall I presume it didn't live long enough to learn from its mistake?"

"You would be correct. I hope the cooks enjoy it as much as I did."

I chuckled. "Someone will be glad for it." I put the plate down on the picnic table. "I doubt you'll want this, but I brought some food in case you were hungry."

Luke came forward, but shook his head regretfully. "You would be correct. It smells good, but I have no desire to put it in my mouth. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. If the controlex hits you like it did me, you won't want anything to do with actual food again. You will be hunting more though."

He glanced at the two rabbits. "I noticed that part already. So far, my symptoms are almost identical to yours."

"Almost?"

"They seem to be milder. The blackouts are a second or two shorter, and the muscle tremors are occurring less often. I'm not sure if you were downplaying your headache, or if mine is worse, but that is the worst part so-" he cut off with a growl, shaking his head and blinking his eyes rapidly, although they didn't focus on anything.

I waited, knowing exactly what he was going through. After about six seconds, he sighed and his eyes focused on me.

"Sorry about that. My vision blacked out and caught me off-guard." He pulled the notebook out of his back pocket and began to record the time.

I dismissed his apology with a wave of my hand. "Been there, done that. I snarled the second time it happened, so it was probably a good thing no one was near me."

He nodded, and we talked for a while longer before I took my leave, taking the rabbits and food back with me. Even though he hadn't said anything, I knew he didn't really want company while the blackouts and muscle tremors were making him feel somewhat vulnerable.

I dropped the rabbits off with the butchers and went to find Nina. Predictably, she was in the lab. Daniel was absent, which was a noteworthy occasion.

She saw me and stood up with a smile. "Ready to reassure some paranoid people?"

Not really. Instead of voicing my thoughts, I shrugged. "Sure."

If they were paranoid about being infected, I failed to see how the presence of another zombie was going to make them feel any better.

"The closest person is in the garage," Nina said as we climbed the stairs and went outside.

I heard the sneezing long before we found the man fixing a vehicle. Even though a face mask covered most of his face, his look of relief when he saw us was evident.

Nina and I stopped when we were about ten feet away. I took a deep breath and immediately regretted it as the revolting smells of oil and gasoline assaulted my nose.

"It's just a cold," I told him.

"You can smell it from there?"

I shrugged. "As easily as I can smell the deer jerky you're carrying."

"Thank you so much. It's a relief to know for certain. I'll keep the mask on just to prevent spreading this nasty thing around."

"That's a good idea," Nina said. "We'll go check on the others who were coughing or sneezing."

As I followed Nina outside, I said, "If the others are in a garage or other smelly place, let's ask them to come out into the fresh air."

"Sorry, I didn't even think of that, although most of the others should be outside. Oh, look." She pointed to the side as she changed direction. "There's Charlie. We can check on him before continuing."

The boy was following his mother as they carried baskets of laundry to where the people were filling the washbasins.

"Charlie," Nina called out, "do you mind meeting Trinity?"

Judging from how he glanced back with wide eyes and gulped, I had a feeling he wasn't in favor of this idea.

His mother stopped and put her basket down, already turning to come this way, much to her son's dismay. Her steps were hesitant as she approached, but she hid her nerves fairly well.

"Trinity," she greeted me, bobbing her head, "it's nice to see you again. I want to thank you for helping my son."

"I didn't really do anything, but you're welcome." I paused, uncertain of what to say. "How's he been doing lately?" Idle chitchat had never been my forte, even when I was trying to dig for information.

"He's been doing very well. Charlie, come over here."

I took a deeper breath as the youth reluctantly approached, but there was no indication he had ever been infected, much less been a Runner.

"There's no hint of zombie about him," I murmured to Nina, who stood beside me. "Not even an afterscent."

"That's a relief," she replied quietly. "We gave him strong soaps to shower with and clean bedding in hopes of removing the afterscent so it'd be easier for you to detect any lingering traces." She raised her voice to normal. "How are you feeling, Charlie?"

"Fine, thanks," he mumbled, still taking nervous glances at me.

I wasn't sure what rumors he'd heard about the resident Nightstalker, but it wasn't about to stop me from investigating this zombie-turned-human while I had the chance to indulge my curiosity. "Toss me your shirt."

He blinked in confusion, but when his mother lightly tugged his sleeve, he pulled it off and tossed it to me. I snagged it before it hit the ground and lifted it to my nose. He hadn't worn it long today, so the laundry soap was still the most evident scent. He'd been in contact with both of his parents, ate a lot of meat at breakfast, and pet a dog this morning.

At this range, I could pick up the afterscent from his time as a Runner, but it was weak. He must have practically scrubbed his skin raw to have managed this. It was just the afterscent though – nothing current or building. There was no way for me to tell he had once numbered among the zombie ranks. I wasn't sure whether to be intrigued or annoyed by that detail.

I tossed the shirt back to him. "Well, your scent is clean. The cure did its job. There's no trace of the virus now."

"Uh, okay. Thanks?" His voice made it sound more like a question. He put his shirt back on, not really relaxing since he still wasn't sure what to make of me or my actions.

His mother was far more relieved. "Thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear the virus is gone. He has a real chance at life now!" My sudden frown reminded her that I was still a zombie, and she quickly tried back-tracking. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't intend- I didn't mean that-"

"Forget about it," I replied bluntly, interrupting the flustered woman's attempts at an apology. The less she said now, the less I had to be reminded about how the majority of human survivors regarded zombies.

"But- I didn't-"

Suddenly far more annoyed than I should be, I turned and walked away, ending the conversation and preventing anyone from realizing how much the unintentional words dug under my skin and rankled.

As a human, I had no real skills other than the outdated tax knowledge of a world long gone; as a zombie, I had some valuable abilities, but I would never fit in with humans. Neither option was exactly a glowing commendation of a life well lived or something that heralded a bright and shining future.