A flurry of small wings and bird chirps woke me from my morning nap. I frowned up at the tree branches and shook my head. At least I got an hour's worth of sleep in.

I had slept for a couple of hours yesterday evening, but I was really beginning to wish I could sleep at night. I stood up and brushed my pants clean of the leaf litter from where I had been sitting against the base of a tree.

My companions were likely awake by now, so I stretched and headed back to the gas station.

As I got closer, I heard Nicky and Nina discussing the options for breakfast.

"I really don't feel like porridge this morning," Nicky said. "What else is in there?"

The two women dug through the large bag as they assessed their options.

"Peanut butter," Nicky muttered, "but no bread."

"We have pancake mix, but no eggs or powdered milk left to make them," Nina said. "We'll have to ask the next Stronghold if they'll part with some supplies."

"I'll have to supervise Daniel the next time he packs the truck," Nicky groaned. "No wonder he says his cooking is subpar – he never has all the ingredients!"

Daniel frowned but didn't comment. I noticed most of the small scratches on his arms had already healed from yesterday's demolition derby with the cabin's walls. The remains of the larger ones would be gone by tonight. Had he known how to properly doctor them, they would have disappeared by now.

Nicky continued pulling things out of the bag and putting them to the side. She grabbed several containers with spices and was about to put them down, then paused and peered at them more closely.

She looked around and spotted me approaching. "Trinity, what are the odds of you catching a pheasant or two on short notice? We need some breakfast, and we have all the spices we need for roasting a bird."

As much as I'd like to volunteer the songbird that woke me up from my nap, even my nose wouldn't be able to pick out one bird from among hundreds in this forest.

"Would a chicken work? I saw a small flock last night. It should only take me a few minutes to get there and back."

"How much trouble would I be in if I pointed imperiously and ordered 'fetch'?" Nicky asked with a grin.

I growled lowly in warning. "Heaps. And I wouldn't be bringing back a chicken either. Possibly a big stick to beat you with though."

She chuckled and shook her head. "Good thing I'm not that dumb then. Can you bring me a chicken? Pretty please?" she asked, attempting to give me big puppy dog eyes.

I sighed and turned around to head back into the forest. "Fine. I'll go track down a chicken."

If I didn't go, I'd never hear the end of it, and she'd probably be a pain in my butt the rest of the day. If I brought her a chicken, she would stuff herself full of food and probably be fairly mellow. The choice was logical.

Just before I reached the trees, Nicky called out, "Please clean it!"

I snorted and disappeared into the forest without answering. I checked the air, but unless I was mistaken, the birds hadn't wandered too far from where I had seen them earlier.

When I reached the area, I slowed down and followed my nose. It wasn't long before quiet clucking guided me directly to them. I peered through the foliage as I debated which bird in the clearing would be the best target.

This flock had been wild for some time, and the birds were smart enough to remain on alert and not wander too close to the trees. Unfortunately for them, I knew chickens weren't very good fliers. Unlike the songbirds, none of these feathery fowl would be able to fly far without tiring. And perching in a tree wasn't going to stop me.

One chicken was fairly close to the edge of the clearing, so I crept over to that side. I got closer and waited while it pecked at the long grass. The moment it turned away from me, I charged forward with silent footsteps.

A couple of the other birds saw me barge out of the greenery, and they burst into the air in a flurry of wingbeats. The bird I was targeting craned its neck as it tried to see which direction the danger was coming from.

Its two-second hesitation was two seconds too long. My hand swiftly grasped its neck and twisted. I made sure it was dead and shook myself off lightly. My instincts were completely uninterested in the bird since the sun was above the horizon. After skinning and cleaning it, I headed back to the gas station.

I passed the chicken to Nicky, who took it with a big grin and promptly skewered it on a stick. I leaned against the building and kept an eye on Nicky's attempt at cooking, although Nina was helping her.

Daniel turned his head and narrowed his eyes as he stared down the road. I glanced over but didn't see anything between the gas station and where the pavement curved and went behind the trees. No unusual sounds reached my ears, but I kept half an eye on him since I knew his hearing was better than mine.

His eyes never left the road as he maintained his vigil. Nina and Nicky were amiably coating the bird with a thick layer of spices and didn't notice Daniel's preoccupation with the dust-and-twig-covered pavement.

I subtly tested the air but came up empty. Nor did I hear anything unusual. Just birds, insects, and the usual forest background noises. Daniel shifted his stance, and my instincts stirred now that he was no longer relaxed.

The faint sound of a distant dirt bike finally reached my ears. Two-wheeled methods of transportation weren't common nowadays due to their small gas tank, so this was very unusual. Surely it can't be him...

The odds of Nina's attacker showing up here were slim to none, and I knew others also traveled along this road, but this was just uncanny. I wouldn't mind seeing the man dead, but if it was him, he had just arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time. I seriously hoped it was another traveler.

The women were distracted with the task of setting the chicken on an impromptu rotisserie made of sticks and didn't notice the faint rumble of the approaching bike. I quit leaning against the building as the sound grew louder.

Nina and Nicky glanced in the direction of the noise just as a red dirt bike came around the corner. The full helmet made it difficult to see his face. I could tell the rider was male, but he was just too far for me to make out his facial features. Daniel's eyes narrowed, and his hands curled into fists as his snarl split the air. That reaction told me exactly which unlucky fool had chosen to use the same road as us.

Nicky and Nina both jumped at Daniel's snarl, only now noticing the biker. At this point, the man was close enough I could see his eyes widen in recognition. He was braking hard, but his chances of turning around before Daniel caught him were slim.

I took several swift steps to Nina's side and urgently said, "Do you want your assailant from the other night dead?"

She looked at me with wide, shocked eyes, then recovered and shook her head. "No. I'd rather not have anyone else die."

I figured as much. Nina wasn't a vengeful type of person, but her decision was about to make my life unnecessarily hard.

"Daniel, let him go," I grumbled. "Nina doesn't want him dead."

The growl rumbling from Daniel's chest didn't falter. Ignoring me, he slipped into a hunting crouch as the fearful biker tried to slow down enough to turn on the debris-laden pavement. The smoothness in Daniel's movements was a massive red flag. I wasn't able to see his eyes from behind, but I knew they'd be bright red.

He took a slow step forward as the hunting side of his instincts revealed itself.

"Daniel," I repeated, putting a warning tone in my voice. "Stop."

The purposefulness in his next step was almost identical to a cat that planned to let a mouse almost get to safety before attacking. Even worse, his desire for the chase was blocking out other thoughts while his instincts kept him focused on this "revenge hunt". He probably hadn't even heard my words.

"Bloody hell," I muttered.

There was no way I could stop a Terror by force. But sometimes life isn't about who is the strongest or the fastest... I thought rapidly, but the man's chances of survival were plummeting by the second.

The man finally slowed down enough to begin a frantic turn. His rear tire skidded across the loose gravel as he tried to avoid wiping out. Daniel began to stalk forward. I knew Daniel would be in full-speed pursuit the second the man revved the engine. I also knew who would win at this distance.

I could only come up with one semi-possible idea to slow Daniel without attempting to seriously harm him. Well, let's see how much trouble this tactic is going to cause... I can't believe I'm about to put myself at risk to save someone I'd also prefer to see dead...

With silent footsteps, I darted after Daniel, who was still stalking toward his target in an ominous fashion. I jumped and brought my feet up; as quickly as I could, I planted my shoes on his back and pushed off, using the powerful shove to ricochet to a safer distance.

Daniel stumbled from the force and whirled around to defend his back with an enraged snarl. His instincts had been high before, but my surprise attack had sent them skyrocketing. The distraction had worked, but I was now on his radar. I swiftly backed up, making sure to angle away from the gas station, lest the building hinder my escape.

With a frustrated snarl, Daniel glanced back at the now-accelerating biker. His human mind knew I wasn't a true threat and only saw the biker as the problem that had to be dealt with, but at this point, his instincts were far more focused on the fact that a lower-ranking zombie had dared to attack him and interrupt his hunt. His instincts would not tolerate such an insult.

His hesitation gave me time to turn and silently race toward the forest. The bike revved as it picked up speed and made its getaway. I reached the trees and darted along my previous scent trail before climbing up some branches and going a different way.

I seriously hoped Daniel wouldn't realize he was tracking a slightly older trail until he came to the place where I had caught and cleaned the chicken. From my vantage point in the tree, I caught a glimpse of the biker racing away at speeds even Daniel couldn't hit.

That left just me on his hit list, and he was going to be pissed. 

Perhaps hiding for half an hour will allow him to cool down. What are the odds of Nina managing to calm him down a bit? I shook my head and dismissed that thought. This time, Nina didn't stand a chance.

I went back to the forest floor so I could move more quickly. As I raced along a deer trail, I found a handful of scent masking plants and quickly rubbed them along my clothing and skin. They would give me about thirty seconds of space. Barely worth the effort, but I would take it.

I left the trail, going at a ninety-degree angle through the dense shrubs. In the distance, I heard Daniel's footsteps in the dry leaves, and I knelt down in the thick underbrush so he wouldn't be able to spot me. I bared my teeth in silent triumph as he continued down the trail to where I had caught the chicken.

Once I could no longer hear him, I kept moving. Sitting in one spot in a zombie game of hide and seek was a foolish move. I didn't dare cross the road in case he saw me, so I slowly looped around to the other side of the gas station.

There was no wind, so I took that into account and crossed a creek. I went down another deer trail, then doubled back and returned to the stream. After cutting my palm with a fingernail, I rolled a broken branch in my blood and tossed it into the water.

I followed the branch downstream, hoping Daniel would assume it was a trick like last time and continue down the trail I had doubled back on. A minute later, I left the creek and broke my trail in several spots.

My twisted and convoluted trail ended up where I had killed the chicken. Due to my original trip this way, my scent was still here and wouldn't stand out. I also had a hunch Daniel wouldn't return to this spot since he knew the scent trail leading here was a dead end.

While waiting, I climbed up a tree to make sure Daniel couldn't sneak up behind me. I hadn't heard him break any trees, so he wasn't completely enraged, but the anger in his lingering scent wasn't promising.

I distantly heard Nina and Nicky calling out for me, but I wasn't about to return this quickly. Daniel hadn't had enough time to cool down yet. They must really be shouting for me to hear them from here. Yet, they were only calling my name, not Daniel's, so he must not have left in a manner that worried them.

If I could hear them, then they were close enough to hear me. I considered the situation as I kept my eyes peeled in case Daniel came back. At this point, he should have regained control, although I knew his instincts wouldn't rest until my behavior had been dealt with. Some lines just couldn't be crossed without consequences. There was no avoiding it in the zombie world, especially in situations like these.

Still, I continued to sit in the tree and delay that particular event. My absence did nothing to quiet the two women, who kept calling my name. Their persistence made me wonder if they were worried I had decided to return to Ironwind on foot. Now that could be a thought...

I quickly dismissed the idea. For starters, they wouldn't leave this place for at least several days, and even then, Nicky would probably wait for me to return. The odds of her surviving a trip back to Ironwind were rather low, especially since she'd constantly be blaming Daniel.

With a sigh, I came to the conclusion it was time for me to return to the group and face the music. I looked around, but still didn't see Daniel, which was a good thing. The downside was that he hadn't called out yet, so I had no clue where he was, and I really didn't want to meet him in the trees.

I tapped my fingers on my knees while I thought. Was there something I could do to throw Daniel off track? Or at least figure out where he was? Perhaps it was time to pull another item out of the veritable bag of zombie things he was unaware of.

I got to my feet and scanned the area to make sure the Terror wasn't lurking in wait. Once I was satisfied he wasn't around, I descended to the ground. I took a deep breath and made a Nightstalker proximity call. The low, creepy sound was more than loud enough for the women to hear it.

Of course, this also meant Daniel would definitely hear it. The sound was one that only sane Nightstalkers made, so it might throw his instincts for a loop, but the source would be pretty obvious.

With my location now revealed, I started running as fast as I could while remaining silent. Daniel's hearing was excellent, and he'd have no trouble determining exactly where the strange sound had originated. I kept my eyes and ears open in case we crossed paths.