Much to our fortune, the bathrooms here had shower stalls. The water was cold, but even Nicky wasn't in a rush to leave. Considering how long we loitered in the bathroom, that made it even more surprising when we went to the dining area and discovered Daniel and Nina hadn't come down yet.

I hadn't heard any commotion, so I assumed Daniel hadn't lost his cool. Nicky was halfway finished eating before the other two finally made an appearance. I scrutinized the Terror, who didn't look like he was in a good mood. From how the locals gave him a wide berth, they must have come to the same conclusion.

Nina ignored his mood and got some breakfast. When they reached our table, Daniel took the seat across from me instead of the one in the opposite corner like he usually did. Drat. He chose that seat for a reason, which means he wants to talk with me. And I can only think of one topic that might be on his mind right now.

I took a long drink of water to delay the conversation. His eyes never left me as he ate his first bite of scrambled eggs. He was patient. I had to give him credit for that.

His keen focus had my instincts shifting, and I reluctantly decided my delaying tactic wasn't worth the effort when I knew the discussion was inevitable.

I exhaled in annoyance. "Just get it off your chest without causing a scene."

"Are you sure they're dead?"

"If someone has no heartbeat and isn't a zombie, then I think I'm safe in saying they're dead."

He growled faintly at my ambiguous response. "I want a plain answer. Are all three of them dead?"

Nina wouldn't have known if anything happened to the third man, and Daniel was bothered by this lack of knowledge.

"Two are unquestionably dead," I finally said. "I'm not sure of the fate of the third one."

He narrowed his eyes. "How can you not be sure?"

"Because I was escorting these two to safety, and he left on a motorbike or a dirt bike while I was taking care of the bodies," I huffed. "You probably heard it leave. There's no way I can catch something like that unless it passes fairly close to me. And considering he left in the dark, he may have run afoul of mechanical problems or zombies."

I didn't bother mentioning I hadn't even attempted to go after him, thus keeping my promise. The man never had wielded a gun in any of our encounters, so I reluctantly concluded he might have been more of a follower. That was about the limit of my optimistic side. My pessimistic side recalled the metal pipe he carried last time and hoped a zombie had eaten him.

Daniel grumbled, but he turned his attention to his plate and continued eating. There was nothing he could do about it at this point. Not that it helped his mood.

More people began trickling into the room for breakfast, so I was glad Nina was focused on eating. The lack of a crowd had made things easy so far, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be long before this large room would be bustling with hungry people.

Thankfully, it didn't take Nina too long to finish. We went back to our rooms and grabbed our bags. It was time to pack the truck and get out of this place.

The leader and a couple of older people met us at the gate.

"Thank you so much for coming," the leader said. "Do you need any fuel for the rest of your trip?"

"You're welcome," Nina replied. "And thank you for the offer, but we still have a lot in the back. We might take you up on a couple of jerrycans on the way back if we're running low."

"We'll be happy to provide them. Feel free to stop by here anytime. I know you're in a rush, so we'll let you go. We wish you safe travels."

"Thank you. Stay safe."

He smiled. "We'll watch in case anyone sneezes, and we have the sanity serum vials you left if they do, so that's a weight off our back for the next three months."

The sentries finished opening the gate, so the leader waved us ahead. I watched the Stronghold slowly grow more distant and wondered what they would think when they realized two people were missing.

Perhaps they'd blame the third man, who had somehow convinced the guards to let him out in the middle of the night. It certainly couldn't have been due to a Nightstalker roaming the forest outside of the fence, or so I kept telling myself.

This wasn't exactly a promising start to the second day of our trip. In the last twenty-four hours, I'd been in two Strongholds, snarled at one overly daring teenager, gotten into a wrestling match with Daniel, killed two adults, and let a third one escape a similar fate.

I seriously hoped the rest of our trip was less eventful.

Once the Stronghold was out of sight, I dug around in my backpack for something I had found while checking various abandoned houses in the area.

"You wondered where your gift was last night? Catch."

Nicky's eyes lit up even before I pulled the Rubik's Cube out of my backpack. I gently tossed it to her, and a grin spread across her face as she caught it.

"Thanks!"

It had been surprisingly difficult to locate an appropriate gift for Nicky. It had to be something she couldn't use to decorate anyone's belongings, use as an airborne missile when annoyed, wouldn't make copious amounts of noise, or annoy anyone in any other fashion.

Nicky rolled the brightly colored cube around in her hands a few times before twisting the orderly colors into a jumble. If Nicky could spend hours coloring, then I hoped this would keep her entertained for a while. Time would tell.

The truck slowed down, and I leaned over the edge of the truck to look ahead as we turned onto a dusty gravel road.

"Why are we going down a side road?" I asked dubiously. "The highway is back there." In my experience, side trips rarely boded well.

Nina held up a map. "Most Strongholds aren't along major highways, so our drive is going to involve a lot of zig-zagging. We'll head to the closest Strongholds as opposed to following one road and just stopping at the places along it."

Nicky looked up from her Rubik's Cube and examined the dust that was swirling in the truck's wake. "When you offered to let me visit every Stronghold in the country," Nicky told me, "this isn't how I imagined it. I think I'd like you to retract that offer."

I pulled my hood over my head. "If I'd known I was going to be dragged along on such a trip, I would have confined you to Ironwind."

"I hate to break it to you, but that's not how road trips work."

"So I've noticed," I replied dryly.

She chuckled and continued twisting the Rubik's Cube in her hands.

~

       Horns sounded as we approached the next place. People outside the fence swiftly retreated inside, only to appear by the gates with weapons in hand.

"Sheesh," I muttered. "Why didn't anyone warn me that these places greet everyone with a show of arms?"

"Ironwind does the same if a larger group appears," Nina murmured. "There are a few bandit groups around that cause problems, so this also acts like a drill."

"Have bandits ever bothered Ironwind?" I asked, trying to recall if I'd heard any rumors of bandits attacking the remaining Strongholds.

"Once in the early days, but there aren't many bandits around anymore. They usually don't have enough people to build a place capable of keeping zombies out."

Daniel added, "Not to mention that Strongholds always have guards around in case a Runner shows up, so attackers always meet resistance, and they have to deal with whatever feral zombies are hanging around outside the fence."

Nicky glanced at Daniel. "And a Terror is a bit more protection than the group of bandits expected, huh?"

"I was in the barn, and the guards actually fended them off before I got there. One of our guards got shot in the arm, but they killed eight of the bandits. The rest fled, never to return."

"You have really boring stories," Nicky informed him.

"If this trip remains half as boring, then I'll be satisfied."

I fully agreed with Daniel, although considering three people had tried to kill Nina during the first night of our trip, we were already off to a rough start.

The people ahead weren't pointing their weapons at us, but they were definitely waiting to see if their assistance was needed. If this is a potential zombie drill, I'd like to know what they're expecting if they need forty-some bows and a dozen guns.

Admittedly, the bows would have a hard time bringing a Nightstalker or a Terror down unless their aim was good enough to strike a major organ on something moving that fast. The guns and rifles, on the other hand, were a more serious threat.

"How much ammo do these places have left?" I asked quietly enough that only Daniel could hear me.

"Usually not much," he replied at the same volume. "It's more of a last resort at this point. Like if a feral Runner almost scales the fence and the archers can't stop it. If more than two or three of the guns are loaded, I'd be surprised."

My eyes carefully scanned the group as the truck slowed down. Two of the guards in the towers likely had ammo. There was a guy to the side with a rifle who looked almost bored, but held his weapon with familiarity. One or two others might have a few bullets, but now that I was looking, one lady didn't seem to know how to hold her handgun. If anyone gave her ammo, I'd be more worried about the locals than myself.

An unarmed woman walked forward. When she saw Daniel's red eyes, she paused and blinked before quickly glancing at the rest of us.

Nina leaned out her window to greet her. "Good morning. We're from Ironwind Stronghold. The third wave is approaching earlier than expected, so we're visiting as many Strongholds as we can. Daniel can check if anyone is infected, and Ironwind sent several vials of the cure with us."

The woman approached Nina's window with more than a few cautious glances at Daniel. "We know the third wave is coming, and most are carrying masks with them. I've never heard of a cure or a way to tell who's infected."

The bystanders behind the fence noticed her uneasy behavior and became more alert. The archers drew closer to the fence, the guards in their raised posts watched us like hawks, and the man with the rifle slid the bolt on his gun and turned the safety off.

I eased my hand into the small gap beside the mattress and pulled out a crowbar, hiding it between my leg and the cab.

Nicky noticed it and murmured, "You won't need the crowbar here. We're close enough to Ironwind that they'll know the name, and I can't see them shooting three women, even if they're traveling with a zombie."

I remained vigilant and didn't reply. Nor did my hand leave the crowbar, although I kept it hidden.

If Nina heard Nicky's comment, she gave no sign of it since she was already talking. "As you can see, Daniel is a sane zombie, and with the wave so close, he can smell if someone is infected. The cure is fairly new, but it's worked every time so far. We also have a serum that will let someone stay in control if they want to become a zombie."

The woman came a few steps closer. "I know there's a sane zombie at Ironwind, although I've never seen one before. Do you have other proof that you truly hail from there?"

"I know most of the people and the layout. I believe Kurtis and his group usually come here to trade."

The woman relaxed a bit more. "Aye. We know Kurtis." She looked at all of us before asking Nina, "So you're here to figure out who's infected before the wave hits and they start sneezing?"

"Yes, and we have the cure and sanity serum if they want it. There is no charge – this is a gesture of goodwill from Ironwind."

The woman nodded slowly. "How long do you plan on staying?"

"Just long enough to find every infected person, offer them the cure or serum, and then we'll continue to Gabin's Stronghold."

With one last glance at Daniel, she backed up a step and waved us forward. "Welcome to Colville Stronghold."

"Thank you," Nina replied.

Daniel slowly drove the truck beside her as she walked to the gate. The people watching us slowly relaxed, but I still planned to keep a low profile.

One of the guards leaned over the railing of his post, then said something to his companion, who also peered in our direction and regarded us with surprise. They must not have been close enough to hear Nina's earlier words. Judging from how the others began whispering to those closest to them, this place had never seen a sane zombie before.

"You can park over here," the woman said, pointing to a grassy area just inside the gate. Turning around, she called out to some grey-haired people. "Dwayne, Mason, Emma, can I get your help over here?"

A group of seven approached, although more lingered in the area.

"They say the third wave is close, and that the zombie can smell who's infected. They supposedly have a cure and some type of serum. From Ironwind Stronghold, or so they claim."

The doubt lacing her words made me wonder just how many more Strongholds would even let us in. Daniel got out and went to stand by Nina's open door, waiting patiently to avoid spooking the locals. I remained sitting where I was as the group debated how much they might be able to trust us.

I didn't bother trying to listen since Daniel likely heard every quiet word that left their lips. In less than a minute, the group came over.

"You can smell who's infected?" an older man asked.

Daniel inclined his head. "Yes, I can either track them from their scent trails, or we can walk past the bedrooms and I can tell you which ones have been occupied by someone infected. The choice is up to you."

The man looked somewhat surprised that Daniel sounded so human but took it in stride. "Let's go for a walk around the Stronghold and see how many you find."

"Certainly."

We hadn't gone far before Daniel nodded his head in one direction. "Can we go in this direction? Someone nearby is infected."

The man nodded and altered his path to match Daniel's. Considering how many people in this place were infected, even Daniel was bound to stumble across one sooner rather than later. So far, my companions seemed content to let me remain an unknown entity, and that was just fine by me.

We rounded the building and found the infected man. Nina broke the news to him and went over his options. Despite how suspicious those around the gate had been, this man chose the cure almost instantly.

Why are they so trusting? The only proof they have is a red-eyed guy said he was infected, and then another stranger offered to inject a mysterious liquid that can supposedly eradicate the zombie virus. It confused me, but since it made our task easier, I left the riddle for another day.

"Shall we find the next one?" Daniel asked.

Our elderly escorts nodded, and the man said, "Yes, please."

We began searching for our next victim, and our path took us past several trails without following them. Apparently, Daniel needed some help.

With a sigh, I quietly said, "Turn to the left."

Daniel took shameless advantage of my assistance and headed down the correct street. It only took one more hint before he located the second infected person.

Like her predecessor, she was also interested in the cure, but asked, "Can I keep it and just use it if I start sneezing? Will it have enough time to work?"

Nina nodded easily. "Certainly. Here's the vial and a syringe. Any doctor or nurse here can inject it. It works in six hours. Just don't let them sit in direct sunlight."

"Thank you very much!" The lady delicately took the offered items and put them in her pocket.

Nina imparted a few more directions and tips, and then glanced at Daniel, who resumed our search. Still keeping my voice too low for human ears, I continued guiding Daniel. The next two people were nearby.

When Nina spoke with the fourth woman, the lady shook her head and stepped back. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't trust vaccines, or cures, or whatever name you may give it. The zombie virus came in some of the flu shots, and I'd rather not chance it."

Nina nodded slowly, clearly wishing to discuss this, but she refrained from starting a potential argument. "And that is your choice. I'll leave a vial of the cure and several of the sanity serum here in case you change your mind, but I suggest wearing a mask the next few days since you'll likely start sneezing."

"If the day comes, the day comes," the woman replied with an unconcerned shrug. "And I wasn't near anyone who sneezed, so time will tell."

Time will tell indeed. If she makes it three days without sneezing, I'll be amazed.

"Very well," Nina replied. Turning to the side, she told our grey-haired guides, "I'll leave a few vials here for those who choose to wait or for any we might miss. If anyone is exposed during this wave, they're welcome to travel to Ironwind for the cure before the next wave. I know it's unpleasant, but I recommend everyone wear a mask the next week or so."

"You really think everyone is going to wear a mask all day for two weeks?" the infected woman asked.

Nina shrugged. "That's my recommendation. If people choose to carry the mask with them and just put it on when someone nearby sneezes, that's their choice. We'll have more of the cure by the fourth wave."

With a shake of her head, the woman picked up the bundle she had been carrying and walked away. Nina and Daniel exchanged a look with our guides, who were troubled by one of their own refusing to take precautions, especially when a zombie had told her she was infected.

I watched the woman continue down the road. As she passed by a car, the cat underneath pinned its ears back and quietly slipped away.

"We'll have to watch her," one of the men murmured to his companions. "Maybe get Jolie to talk to her and convince her to wear a mask when inside or join one of the workgroups outside the fence."

"At least if she sneezes, anyone who's exposed will have three months to get more of the cure from the traders," another replied.

"That's very true," Daniel said. "Shall we find the next person?"

"If you'd be so kind."

I took that as my hint to guide Daniel through this place in search of more infected people. The following thirteen people opted for the cure, with most of them accepting it on the spot.

"You'll have to search beds for the last eight or nine people," I told Daniel. "They must be outside the fence."

He pretended to follow his nose to a building that must have housed a quarter of the people in this place. "The rest of the infected might be outside the fence. Do you mind if we walk past their rooms so you can talk to them later?"

"Sure. We can do that."

"If no one minds," I said, "I'm going to sit in the truck and take a break." The last thing I wanted to do was walk through several buildings.

"I'll come too," Nicky immediately added. "My feet are killing me."

"Do you know how to get back?" one of our guides asked.

"We parked by the eastern gate," I replied, pointing, although the buildings hid the gate and the truck beside it.

"We'll come find you when we're done," Daniel said.

"Sounds good." I began walking back to the truck with Nicky.

~

       It was almost an hour before Daniel and Nina returned to the truck.

"Thank you very much for coming," the woman said, far friendlier now than she had been when we first arrived.

"You're welcome," Nina replied. "Just keep an eye out for anyone sneezing. As I mentioned, there