By the time the next Stronghold came into view, there were only a couple of hours until sunset.

"We can stay the night at this place and leave early in the morning," Nina said. "If the guards know you're a sane zombie, they'll have no problems letting you outside the fence at night."

"I guess that'll work. After the last place, I suspect I'll be helping track people down, so it won't remain a secret for long."

"Is that a yes?" Nina asked tentatively. "I just don't want to say something if you didn't want them to know."

I sighed. "Yes. I plan on staying out most of the night, so they'll find out anyway. I'd prefer it if they didn't know, but I don't see that happening anytime soon."

Nicky yawned. "Great. That means you can help track people right away." When I raised an eyebrow at her, she grinned and said, "You have to admit your skills made things go faster at the last place. If we need something carried, we ask Daniel. If we need to cure people, we find Nina. If we need to track something by scent quickly, we come to you. And if we need people to hide, someone brings me a coffee. It's simple logic, if you think about it."

"Logic also says I don't go inside most buildings," I countered. "Daniel could be checking a lot of bedrooms."

"That could be our new method of searching if lots of people are infected," Nicky said, "although everyone should be inside the fence at this time of night."

If the people in this place behaved like they did in Ironwind, most of them would be relaxing outside and have more than enough time on their hands to gawk at any visitors.

We fell silent as we got closer to the gate. Like last time, there was an armed crowd waiting, and several people recognized Nina and Daniel. Even though Daniel's eyes were red, proclaiming him to be the dangerous creature he actually had the potential to be, a couple of the people in charge cheerfully welcomed us inside.

My instincts detested going into another den filled with a gaggle of strangers. We hadn't even parked before a number of curious onlookers lingered on the sidelines, which didn't exactly help settle my instincts.

Food must be the number one focus in hospitality, because we were promptly shown to the dining area. The locals had eaten, but they were eager to serve their guests. A dozen of them sat down with us to visit and hear what Nina had to say.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" one lady asked me again.

I shook my head as I declined their hospitality for the fourth time. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I'm not hungry at the moment."

"Let me know if you want anything." She wandered back into the kitchen.

Nina and Daniel talked with the locals about the upcoming wave while they ate, going into great detail about the drugs we had with us.

"-and there's at least a dozen infected here," Daniel said. "I'm probably going to need Trinity's help to locate all of them."

The leader nodded. "We'll be happy to show you around and help you find anyone you need to."

"I think we're all finished eating," Nina said, glancing at the empty plates. She asked the leader, "Do you want us to locate everyone now or in the morning?"

"Tonight is best. Some get up early and take the livestock out."

"We should get started then," I said, "but before we leave..." I stood up and walked along the table, behind the people sitting there.

The people watched me in confusion, unsure of what I was doing.

I paused beside a brown-haired man and took a quick sniff. "Looks like you get the honor of being first."

Nina shook her head as she grabbed her carry bag of supplies. "He's infected? Why didn't you mention something earlier?"

I dismissed her concern with a shrug. "I wasn't exactly sure who was infected, and it didn't make sense to interrupt the meal when a short delay wouldn't harm anyone." I glanced at Daniel. "I'm surprised you didn't notice."

"All of the infected people were in this room during the dinner rush," he said with a shrug. "I wasn't sure if it was from someone present or just the afterscent from when they ate in here. It doesn't seem as strong as the others we found at our last stop."

I had to give him credit on that score. Even I hadn't been sure if it was someone present when we first sat down. Too many people used this room several times a day.

Nina wasted no time giving the man his options. Predictably, he chose the cure.

Once everything was settled, the leader said, "Shall we see who else is in need of assistance?"

"I think that's a good idea," Nina said.

With a nod, he headed for the door. I trailed behind Daniel while Nicky followed me, ignoring my personal space as per usual. I wasn't a fan of her proximity but having her behind me was far preferable to the other strangers trailing behind us.

Unlike Nicky, I gave the Terror in front of me a fair bit of space, although he didn't seem to care about my proximity lately. That was a reflection of his humanity; his zombie instincts would never be happy with another zombie following closely behind him. I wondered if he even noticed his instincts in a situation like this, but I doubted it. He probably overrode them as blindly as he did his bloodlust.

Once we were outside, the man in front asked, "Where do you want to start?"

I wanted to get this goose-hunt over with as soon as possible, so I gestured to the left and said, "There's someone nearby in that direction."

The man bowed slightly. "Please lead the way."

And just like that, I turned into the lead bloodhound. Great. I get the delightful joy of locating thirteen – no, fourteen – people in this place.

I soon discovered that locating the infected individuals wasn't the aggravating part – it was having the rest of the locals watching, staring, whispering, and sometimes pointing.

By the time I located the eighth person, I was ready to declare Daniel had to search the bedrooms at all future stops so I didn't have to do this. Almost two dozen people were now accompanying our search, more out of curiosity than doing anything useful.

The annoying idiots kept invading my personal space, which made my attempts to ignore them very hard. Nicky continued following in my footsteps, which was probably her way of keeping them from coming up behind me.

As I watched Nina talk with the man I just located, Nicky exclaimed, "Hey!" at the exact same moment I felt someone tap my elbow.

My instincts flared as I whirled around with a snarl and bared teeth. Nicky was already skipping back and dragging the teenage boy out of harm's way. The rest of the crowd hastily put more space between me and them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nicky demanded, glaring at the teenager.

I watched with tense muscles. I had been trying to ignore the people around me – and now a stranger had gotten close enough to touch me. My instincts raged behind my control, and I was furious at myself for not realizing how close one of them had gotten.

"I just- I didn't-" The young teen stuttered as he backed farther away. "It was a dare."

Nicky propped her hands on her hips. "A dare to what? See how fast you can get yourself killed?"

He winced and muttered, "To touch a zombie."

That answer set Nicky off even more. "Are you an idiot? You'd be better off walking up to a stray dog and yanking its tail!"

He cringed and didn't reply.

One of the adults quickly picked his way through the crowd and stood beside the teenager. "I'm very sorry," he said apologetically. He bestowed a dark look upon the youth, who cringed even more. "And you," he said sternly, "you're going to come with me. We're going to go find your friends and have a meeting with your parents."

He glanced at me and hesitated when he noticed my teeth were still partially bared. He bowed low and said, "I apologize for his actions. I'll personally make sure this group won't bother you again."

With a low growl, I shook myself off, forcefully reminding myself the teenager had simply touched my elbow. As far as my instincts were concerned, such a stealthy action was a subtle way to test my reflexes before attacking, which required an immediate retaliation to teach the offender that I wasn't to be messed with. My human mind knew such a reaction was far too drastic to be contemplated, especially when other locals were trying to fix the situation.

"Very well," I replied tersely, an undertone of a growl still in my voice.

The man bowed his head in thanks and ushered the teenager ahead of him. People parted to let them pass. A few drifted away, although most lingered to watch, prudently giving me plenty of space.

As if nothing had happened, Nina calmly asked the man she had been talking to, "So, would you like the cure or the sanity serum?"

He glanced at me, far more nervous now than he had been before, and told Nina, "Uh, the cure, please."

Nina already had the vial out and quickly gave him the injection.

Daniel quietly asked me, "Do you want me to take over the search?"

"I can do it," I said shortly.

I had been keeping tabs on the scents the entire time Nina was telling our latest victim about the drugs, so I knew exactly which direction the next person was. I wasn't sure I could handle Daniel's tracking abilities right now. The sooner we found all these people, the sooner this ordeal would be over.

Since Nina was done, I continued walking.

The next five people were all relaxing around the buildings and easy enough to locate.

I took a deep breath. "There's one woman left, but I don't think she's been outside for a while."

Tracking this person was challenging, even for me, since her trails were faded by the passage of hundreds of people. I stopped in front of a door and glared at the large four-story building that had been turned into a sleeping barracks.

"I can track her if you want," Daniel offered.

I exhaled in extreme reluctance. "It'll be faster if I do it." I had no idea what I was trying to prove, or even if I was trying to prove anything. Perhaps I was just in a foul mood from all the aggravation.

The extreme annoyance and irritation that plagued me were both familiar, and yet, almost foreign from how much time had passed since people had bothered me like this. I had apparently become far more laid-back in Ironwind than I had realized. I couldn't even blame my mood on the coming dusk, since it was still too far away to strengthen my instincts.

If I get any growlier, I might have to see if Daniel is up for a round of wrestling to wear off some of this energy. I wasn't quite in a bad enough mood to decapitate trees, and a wrestling match would allow my instincts to vent and blow off steam, which would settle them for a day or so.

Nicky skipped ahead and opened the main door. She peered inside before proclaiming, "The hallway is empty."

It might have been empty of people, but had scent been visible, it would have been a fog so thick you could have cut it into bricks and built a castle. Even without my bloodlust bothering me, my head pounded from the sheer number of people who had packed themselves into this building.

Other than a couple of trips to the radio room in Ironwind, I had never gone deep into the main building, much less climbed the stairs to the sleeping quarters, but I had even less desire to attempt it now. Had Nina tried to stick me into such a place when I had first arrived, I wouldn't have even stayed the day.

Locking onto the woman's scent, I walked through the doorway. When we reached the first big junction, I paused to take a breath and wrinkled my nose at the miasma of people who didn't faithfully use the showers on a daily basis. Still, I knew which way she was. I turned left and began climbing the stairs.

I paused at the second level to ensure the person I was tracking hadn't stopped here, but even Daniel's nose would have been able to tell this floor didn't have the musky zombie undertone.

On the third floor, I stopped in front of a closed bedroom door and glanced over my shoulder while nodding at it. As the leader and Nina came forward, I moved away. He knocked on the door and waited. It was opened by a young woman, who did a double-take when she saw the group in the hallway.

After introducing herself, Nina explained the situation to her. Already knowing the outcome, I went back the way I had come. The handful of people following us moved to the side as I went by. Nicky trailed after me like a delayed shadow.

The fresh air as I exited the building was welcome. It still teemed with the scents of hundreds of people, but it was a far cry from what I had just come out of.

I leaned against the wall and waited for the others to make their appearance. After a glance at me, Nicky seemed to decide silence was the best course of action. She also leaned against the building and watched a couple of scraggly clouds drift across the sky.

After some time, she murmured, "I'm sorry. I didn't see that kid until the last second."

"It's partially my fault for not paying attention," I grumbled.

"I was surprised you didn't know he was there." Her tone held a silent question.

"With so many people so close, I was trying to ignore them due to how my instincts were reacting to their presence. I won't be making that mistake again."

"I'll pay more attention as well. It didn't occur to me someone would be daft enough to try something like that."

"So says the one who constantly invades my space."

She shrugged. "But that's me. And you know me. It's a completely different scenario. You don't see me running up to every zombie I see to give them a hug. You're privileged. You just don't realize it yet."

I snorted and turned my head as I heard the group approach the door.

The leader was talking to someone. "-assume you're planning to stay the night?"

"We were hoping to spend the night here. Is it possible to get one of the cabins along the fence?" Nina asked as the door beside us opened. "I believe they can comfortably hold four people."

"Unfortunately, they're all occupied. There are some rooms on the bottom floor of this building that are open. There's two beds in each one, and they have a patio door that goes right outside so you don't have to use the main hallway."

"Thank you. Two rooms would be great."

The man guided us around the side of the building and pointed. "This one and that one are empty, and they're fairly close to each other, or there's another ground-level room just around the corner."

"These are fine." Nina peered in a window of the one we had stopped in front of. "They're larger than I expected."

The man shrugged. "Some traders and guests don't like being separated in case the fence fails. I've seen twelve cram themselves into one room before. The bathrooms and small kitchenettes are along the main hallway."

I could see an expensive-looking recliner against the far wall that would appeal to Daniel's penchant for comfy chairs. I didn't really care if there was a matching one in the other room since I planned to spend most of the night in the forest.

"Unless you have any questions, I'll let you get settled in," the man said. "Just stop anyone who wanders by if you need something."

"Thank you," Nina said. As he left, she opened the door and went inside.

The other empty room was three doors down, so I went to investigate. The plain room resembled a hotel room with two beds and a worn, high-end armchair. This place must have raided a store or found an abandoned cargo trailer for such luxuries.

Dozens of faint human scents were present in the room, although no one had slept here within the last week. It was somewhat musty after being closed up for so long, although leaving the door open for a few hours should air it out.

"Cool, we even get blankets. Most places don't do that," Nicky said, peering into the room behind me.

"No?"

"Nope. They don't want the extra laundry. I'll fetch the sleeping bags in case I need another layer." She promptly headed to the truck.

When I got closer, she tossed a sleeping bag to me, which I had been told to bring along for appearance's sake. Nina carried the box with the vials while Daniel grabbed the other four bags that contained her supplies. Everything I needed was in my backpack, so it was a light trip for me.

Nicky immediately laid claim to the bed closest to the hallway by tossing her backpack on it, so I dropped the sleeping bag on the other bed. We went outside and wandered over to the other room.

Nina came out and asked me, "Did anyone here have more than four days before they started sneezing?"

I shook my head. "No. It was pretty much the same as the last place if you account for our travel time."

With a heavy sigh, Nina replied, "I'll keep hoping, but that doesn't leave much time for anyone who's infected."

"I assume we're leaving at daybreak?"

"Yes. I'd like to reach as many places as possible, especially if we have so little time."

Daniel came out of the room. "If we're leaving that early, I wouldn't mind hunting. There's at least half an hour before sunset. Can you keep an eye on these two?"

"I suppose so," I replied. "As long as Nina doesn't attempt to get into mischief."

He snorted in amusement. "You have Nicky standing behind you, and you're worried about how Nina will behave?"

"Of course. You wouldn't care if I trussed Nicky up and dumped her on a bed. If I did that to Nina, you'd probably have more than a few objections, and possibly leave a few bruises on my hide."

"You would be correct," he replied in a dry tone. "However, comparing Nina to Nicky is completely unfair."

"No kidding," Nicky replied. "At least my mind is halfway intact."

Daniel frowned slightly at Nicky, although Nina just looked amused.

"Go on," Nina told Daniel. "I'll make sure I don't overly aggravate Trinity, so I'll be fine."

I'm not sure I like the way she said she wouldn't overly aggravate me... Daniel exhaled lightly and glanced at me one last time before heading toward the gate.

"Is there a reason why you keep purposely provoking him?" Nina murmured.

She looked amused at how easily I could rile Daniel up over the silliest and most unlikely things, like Nina potentially causing more problems than Nicky.

I shrugged. "He has to learn to stop taking Nicky so seriously. Besides, I'm pretty sure annoying him was part of my duties on this trip."

"Peace and quiet would be preferable," Nina said, although it sounded more like a suggestion.

I chuckled and shook my head. "You stick a Terror and a Nightstalker in close proximity, and you expect that? Let's not forget about Nicky..."

Nina glanced at Nicky, who was listening to our conversation. "Yeah, she isn't getting coffee if I have any say in the matter."

With a grin, Nicky replied, "In coffee's defense, I've done some pretty weird shit without caffeine."

I exchanged a look with Nina. With another shake of my head, I changed the topic. "So, what do guests usually do to pass time in a place like this? Idle chitchat and gossip usually involve a shitload of questions, and we already know how well that's going to go with me."

Nina made a face at the potential outcome, then looked around. "Do you feel like checking out their archery range? You and Nicky usually spend a fair bit of time there. I've practiced with a bow a few times before, although my aim leaves something to be desired."

"Is your aim better or