"I can't believe how small this place is," Nicky said as I jumped out to open the gate for the truck.

"They must have merged with another group when they built their current place," Nina replied, also looking at the mismatched collection of mobile homes and rickety sheds that had been dragged in or built from whatever leftover wood they could find.

"Have I finished my two hours of adulting?" Nicky asked plaintively.

"I guess," Daniel reluctantly replied, "but don't get too carried away."

"Oh good. Remind me to never adult again. It stinks."

After Daniel drove through the gate, I closed it in case any zombies decided to pay us a visit, although I didn't see any around.

"Which building do you want to stay in?" Daniel asked the two women.

After a brief discussion and peeking inside a few buildings, they settled on a large cabin with a wood stove. I carried an armful of bags inside and glanced around the fairly open space.

Two small beds were pushed against one wall with no privacy to speak of. In one corner, there was a small kitchen with an equally tiny table and two uncomfortable-looking wooden chairs. From what I could see of the bathroom, I decided the forest was preferable to the small plastic toilet that had likely come from a holiday trailer.

Once we finished packing things inside, Daniel said, "I'm going to look around. Let me know if you need me."

He went into a nearby house that was leaning a bit too much for my liking. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but as long as the floorboards didn't break in such a way that forced me to rescue him, I didn't particularly care.

I unfolded the tarp and draped it over the back of the truck in case it rained tonight. Sitting on a mattress in the back of a truck for most of the day was bad enough, but sitting on a wet mattress would be even worse.

"I wonder if this water pump works..." Nicky said as she wandered over to it.

"I hope so," Nina replied, watching. "Water is the most essential element of life."

"Duh. Without water, you can't make coffee." Water started flowing out on the third pump of the handle.

"I don't care how much water we have," I told the redhead, "you aren't getting any coffee."

"In that case, we're stuck with boring water." She let go of the handle and the water ceased to flow.

The door on the house banged against the siding with an inelegant thud, and I looked up to see Daniel carrying a large reclining chair out. Apparently, he had also seen the kitchen chairs and decided he needed an upgrade.

Nina saw him coming and opened the cabin door for him. I wasn't sure if the large chair was going to fit, so I paused to watch. He carried the bulky seat like a paperweight as he angled it through the doorway and somehow squeezed it inside on the first attempt.

Nicky came over. "If you want to find some firewood, I'll see if I can pump enough water to fill the reservoir on top. That should get the toilet and shower working, and heaven knows we could all use a shower."

"After a day like today, I think I can agree with that."

I headed for the gate while Nicky went to test the hand pump beside the cabin. As I left, I heard it faintly squeaking as water was forced through it for the first time in who knew how long. Outside the fence, I entered the coniferous forest and scanned the area to get a sense of the lay of the land.

Once I got past the tree line, the spruce trees were scraggly and choked out the light that would have otherwise let the handful of grasses and plants below flourish. If nothing else, fallen branches were plentiful.

The scant undergrowth also meant there wasn't much wildlife around. I sniffed the air, then I took a deeper breath, hoping the numerous spruce trees were obscuring the scents of any animals that might be living here.

There was almost nothing. A few squirrels, one or two rabbits, a bear, a fox, and a couple of regular zombies. No deer, no elk, no coyotes, and no partridge. There weren't even many birds, and the ones flittering around were all small songbirds.

Is it the forest and the terrain, or did the former residents practically hunt this area clean? I walked across the spruce-needle-strewn ground and collected more dead branches, eventually deciding this area just wasn't the kind that could support a lot of wildlife and having a Stronghold trying to feed a few hundred people probably hadn't helped.

I took my first load of firewood back to the cabin, still mulling over the unsatisfactory menu.

"We found their stockpile of wood," Nicky said as she leaned out the doorway, "so you don't need to collect any more." She disappeared back inside.

I put my bundles down by the door and untied the rope as a whiff of bacon frying came from inside.

"Couldn't resist the bacon?" I asked Nicky as I entered, only to see that Nina was the one cooking.

"There wasn't enough room in our cooler for everything," Nina replied, "So I'm cooking half of the bacon now, as well as baking bread and pancakes to use the milk. Things that are cooked don't usually spoil as fast."

"I'll take your word for it." Turning to Daniel, I told him, "If you plan on hunting, I advise you to head out now, 'cause it's going to take you a while."

"I hunted yesterday, so I'm still good. I wouldn't mind going for a shower if you can keep an eye on things."

"As long as these two don't go outside the fence, there's nothing to worry about. And even if they do go out there, they're more likely to trip over a root and twist an ankle as opposed to encountering anything other than mosquitoes and midges."

"Perhaps, but I'd still prefer it if you remained vigilant. After how the last few days have gone, I don't trust things to remain quiet."

Well, when he puts it that way... I nodded and went back outside. For a lack of anything else to do, I piled some wood by the doorway to kill time.

Daniel finished his shower without anything noteworthy happening. Nina had remained in the kitchen, contentedly turning raw ingredients into something more sophisticated in the same meticulous fashion with which she mixed chemicals in her lab. Nicky had wandered into a nearby building and was quietly occupied. Not even a zombie had shown up at the fence yet.

Daniel came outside as he toweled his hair dry. "I can pump more water into the cistern if you want a shower."

"There aren't any rivers or creeks nearby, so I should wash up."

"Where's Nicky?"

"In that big building somewhere. After the earlier banging of pots and pans, my guess is the kitchen. Otherwise, she's been quiet so far, so she either needs someone to check on her or she's setting up a trap."

As he gazed dubiously in the direction of the kitchen, I went inside to collect my backpack and have a quick shower.

Once I finished and got dressed in clean clothes, I went to sit in the sun and brush out my long hair. I got all the knots out and braided my hair before Nina appeared in the doorway.

"The bacon is almost done, and Daniel and Nicky mentioned they'd like some. Do you know where they are?"

I shrugged and twisted a hair elastic around the end of my braid. "No clue."

Nina cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "The bacon's ready!"

"How about you do that when I'm not right beside you?" I suggested peevishly. I may not have Daniel's keen hearing, but that didn't mean much when the person was so close.

Daniel came out of the building across from us. "I'm not sure where Nicky is. Her scent trail goes through the building and loops back on itself so many times I can't tell where it ends. I don't think she left the building, but I've been looking the entire time and haven't found her."

I sighed and said, "Plug your ears." I took a deep breath and hollered, "Nicky, if you don't come get your bacon, I'm giving it to Daniel."

Daniel removed his fingers from his ears and gave me a wry look for that stunt, although he had covered them in time. Within twenty seconds, the sound of running footsteps became audible.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" She burst through the kitchen door Daniel had just come out of.

"Where were you?" Daniel asked Nicky as she slowed down with a jar of something red grasped in her hands like a treasure.

"In the walk-in fridge, of course. I found a jar of pickled beets hidden behind some stuff! And they're still good! Can't say the same for whatever the leathery things are on the shelves."

"Now that everyone is accounted for," I stated, "I'm heading into the forest. Don't expect to see me until dawn."

"Have fun!" Nicky said, already scampering through the doorway to claim her bacon as if she hadn't eaten a couple of hours ago.

I grabbed my backpack and headed for the gate. I really needed a nap, and there were a couple of hours until the sun set.

~

       My instincts woke me when the sun neared the horizon. I put my backpack on and began walking deeper into the forest as I waited for the sun to completely set. I spotted a snare that had been left behind by the Stronghold; there were so few animals around here that nothing had even stumbled into it yet.

I collected the wire and stuck it in my backpack. There was no telling when I might need a bit of strong wire. Especially if Nicky got any more hyper.

The forest slowly got darker, although I still hadn't seen anything bigger than a mouse. I followed the trail of a lone rabbit for quite some time. When the trail ended at a burrow entrance by my feet, I growled faintly in annoyance. Digging a furball out of root-filled dirt wasn't a relaxing pastime, and I wasn't about to bother trying. Sniffing the air, I went in search of one of the other two rabbits I could smell.

Half an hour later, I stood by the third rabbit burrow I'd found so far. I grumbled and kicked at a root, although the occupant deep within had no intentions of stirring.

It was rare for me to have this much trouble on a nighttime hunt. Before the controlex had altered the virus in my blood, going a night or two without hunting wasn't a concern, and I'd been able to eat human food to keep hunger at bay. I hadn't tried going a night without hunting since then, and a road trip that hopscotched between Strongholds wasn't the time to try.

I started jogging while checking the air. There had to be some sort of unfortunate animal within a five-mile radius that wasn't able to hide in places out of my reach. Crickets chirped in the silence as I weaved between the trees and expanded my search area. Occasionally, mice rustled through the sparse sprigs of grass, but I'd have to get a lot hungrier before I considered mice to be worth my time.

I caught the distant hint of the bear I had smelled earlier. Considering I hadn't seen anything else so far and didn't feel like going hungry, this was probably my best option. Turning to face the gentle breeze, I began the long trek to find the bear.

~

       After having my fill of bear blood, I slowly meandered in the general direction of my companions. I gazed at the trees and plants around me, although there were only a handful of different types. Between that and the lack of animals, this was the most boring forest I had ever been in. Even the grasslands near my home had tons of mice, weasels, and such.

I began slowly circling the group of houses within the fence, although there was nothing interesting to be seen. No zombies had even found the fence yet, which was unusual. I kept my eyes open for anything suspicious, but the remains of this Stronghold were down a seldom used road.

Overhead, a squirrel scurried along a branch and dislodged a pinecone, which I had to sidestep to avoid. If I hadn't known the squirrel was unaware of my presence, I would have thought the act was deliberate. I was sorely tempted to growl at it and give it a good scare for making me dodge the falling object. My eyes narrowed in thought as I watched it climb higher into the tree and disappear into a hole.

A dark grin slowly peeled my lips back from my teeth. Spinning around, I darted through the forest with a new purpose. I swiftly returned to the compound and entered a vacant mobile trailer. I scanned the rooms as I looked for an object with certain criteria.

The small, dried out aquarium didn't have a secure lid. Nor was the small display case quite what I was looking for. Ah ha. This is perfect.

I grabbed the hamster cage and returned to where I had seen the squirrel. It was almost too easy to find the correct tree. Not only did my scent trail lead right to it, but it wasn't easy for a higher-ranking zombie to get lost. Even if I were to return five years from now, I would recognize this tree as the one the squirrel had hidden in.

Stupid instincts and their selective memory. They could have helped me remember people's names at Ironwind and make my life easier, but nooo.... they have to memorize a freaking tree in the middle of nowhere that I'll never see again.

I climbed the tree and opened the small door on the cage. I held the opening over the hole and blew through the bars so my breath went into the tree. With hectic chattering, the squirrel predictably freaked out and bolted for safety.

It practically flew out of the hole and hit the far side of the bars with a thunk. I shut the cage door and regarded the furry inmate, who was busy scolding me to the moon and back. I chuckled at the squirrel's act of bravado and dropped to the ground.

With the cage in my hands, I headed back to the Stronghold. I carefully schooled my smirk into something closer to my usual look of bored irritation. It was harder than I expected, but it would likely be worth it, even if only for how much it would confuse Daniel.

I let my footsteps fall louder as I reached the cabin and opened the door. Daniel looked in my direction, probably only able to see my faint silhouette in the doorway.

"Is something wrong?" he quietly asked, keeping his voice low to avoid waking the women on the other side of the room. "I've never seen you return so early."

He turned a dial on his flashlight, letting it slowly brighten until he could see me.

"No, I figured I would bring you this." I put the cage down on the end table beside him, although the now-silent squirrel just clung to the bars motionlessly.

Daniel peered at the small inmate in confusion. "Thanks for the thought, but this wound won't affect my hunting ability."

I snorted. "It wasn't supposed to be a snack. I doubt you'll sleep much tonight, so I figured this would give you something to watch. I gave Nicky a Rubik's Cube, so you might as well have this."

"Okay... Thank you." He could have sounded more appreciative, although that was most likely due to his confusion. I could only imagine the thoughts rolling through his head right now.

I shook my head and left the room silently, closing the door behind me, before heading for the forest once more. He was going to need some time to ponder about what had just happened. I had brought him a squirrel, of all things, when he could likely smell the bear still on my breath. Back when I'd been seriously injured, he'd been kind enough to bring back several rabbits. I brought him a mere squirrel.

Perhaps he would figure it out.

I wasn't holding my breath.