Chapter 53

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Once Nina finished administering the cure and serum, we headed back to the Stronghold. The van followed us most of the way, then deviated to the newly placed trailers where some people were setting up temporary fencing. A small group was already waiting outside the gate for us.

"How did it go?" A man asked Daniel as he stopped beside them.

"We gave them the cure. About half remained behind so they wouldn't be too crowded."

He sighed in relief. "Thank you very much. Please come in."

He waved us through the open gate and walked alongside the truck. Other than the guards, no one near the gate was carrying a weapon. Their hospitality was a welcome change from having to practically batter down the gates just to help the idiots. This stop might not be so bad after all.

"You said you could smell if someone was infected even before they sneeze?" an old lady asked, using a cane as she walked beside the slowly moving truck.

"Yes," Daniel replied, inclining his head respectfully at her.

"That'll make things much easier. If you want to park there," using her cane, she pointed to an open spot beside another truck, "we can talk about what needs to be done."

Daniel parked the truck in the indicated location and got out, carrying Nina's supply bag for her. "It doesn't smell like too many are infected. Maybe a dozen or so. If you don't mind giving us a tour, we'll probably find most of them without searching too hard."

One of the men addressed the older woman. "Marsha, could you guide them? I'd like to check on the group in the trailers and see if they need anything."

"Certainly," the old lady with a cane replied. "Also check if those trailers have water. The tanks were emptied after we cleaned them, and the boys probably didn't remember to fill them."

"I'll check," the man promised as he left.

Most of the group went with him, eager to see the friends and relatives they had likely thought were gone forever. Some lingered behind to accompany the guests and discover who else was infected.

The old lady, Marsha, said, "We can walk past the guest quarters, then continue along the perimeter which will give you a good look at most of the Stronghold. By the time we finish searching, I'm sure we'll be ready for some food."

"That should work," Daniel said amiably as he walked beside her.

If Daniel thought this elderly lady with snow-white hair was slow because she had a cane, he was sadly mistaken. Within a few seconds, he had to quicken his steps to a normal pace so he wasn't left behind by the energetic ninety-some-year-old woman.

As Marsha chattered with Nina about our drive here, she kept waving her cane in the air to emphasize her words or point out various people and buildings. The poor cane spent more time in the air than it did helping her walk.

"...and someone called Luke in Ironwind Stronghold is looking for his brother. John McComfry. Have you heard of that name?"

The old lady tapped her cane in the dirt thoughtfully. "McComfry... McComfry... Name rings a bell, but that bell is a bit rusty. Hmmm... Oh! Yes, used to be a veterinarian clinic owned by a McComfry family in a town not far from here. Nice couple with five kids. Three went off to college, got their degrees, and set up their own clinics in other states. The town is currently in no man's land, so no one's there now. I don't think we have any Johns here."

That matched what I knew about Luke's family, although he said he had already checked out his parent's home. This was the first time someone had recognized the name, which was one step ahead of every other stop so far.

"Can we go in here?" Daniel asked, nodding to a garage.

"Of course. Timmy, please be a dear and get the door for them."

Timmy opened the door and began going inside when the cane whipped out and lightly whacked his calf.

"Timmy, where are your manners? You're supposed to hold the door open for guests, not barge in first."

The teenager hastily corrected his oversight and held the door open while we went in. Most of the group following us remained outside, although a few came in to watch. Daniel didn't even need my help to locate the infected man, who promptly chose the cure without waiting for Nina to finish her explanation.

As we went back outside, a pair of children ran past us, shrieking as they played a game of tag. Daniel and I both winced at the loud, piercing noise.

Whack! Whack!

Marsha had pretty impressive reach with that cane – she somehow managed to tap each child right on the rear end. "Julie! Edward! You almost ran into our guests!" she gently scolded them. "Take your games to the playground, you two."

The children didn't even pause their game as they continued running in the direction of the playground. Their exuberance hadn't been dimmed by the cane, although their shrieking had thankfully stopped.

"Now where were we... Oh, yes. We were heading to the guest quarters. That's right. This way, please."

The old woman led us down the street and talked almost constantly without running out of breath. From all the details she included, she knew everything about this place, right down to how many eggs the chickens had laid today.

Nina and Logan listened intently, while Nicky and Daniel absently gazed at our surroundings. My eyes kept drifting to the chain-link fence; I planned to sneak over it tonight if they let us stay, which was practically a given at this point. I juggled a few ideas around, but I'd have to wait and see how well this place was guarded after sundown.

Most of the infected people happened to be close to our path, so I wasn't even giving Daniel any help. It took us almost half an hour to finally reach the guest quarters, which were actually three holiday trailers parked close to the fence. Perfect. It'll be child's play to get over the fence since it's hidden behind the trailers.

"These are empty, so take your pick. You can use all three if you want."

"Thank you very much for your hospitality," Nina said. "If we could use all three, that'd be great."

I still wasn't sure about Logan, so I was glad he'd be getting his own trailer. It was like a bad game of mix and match where you couldn't really put two individuals from our group together without problems arising in some form or other.

Marsha waved away her thanks. "'Tis the least we could do for you, with you bringing the cure and all."

My nostrils flared as I picked up a scent that stood out. I looked around, searching for it, and blinked as a familiar-looking man with a hopeful expression walked through the group trailing behind us.

Nicky followed my stare, and her jaw dropped. "Shit. That guy almost looks like Luke."

I'm glad I'm not the only one to think that. Nicky's comment caught Daniel's attention, and he turned to get a better look at the man who was walking right up to us. The other two women finally noticed our visitor.

The old woman looked confused about why he was coming over, but she greeted him anyway. "Hello, Ron. How are you doing this lovely evening?"

"I heard this group knew someone called Luke who was looking for a John McComfry?"

"Yes," Nina replied, taking a step forward. "Luke is at our Stronghold and is looking for his brother. Do you happen to know where he might be?"

I was a step ahead of Nina since my nose had already caught his scent. Even with Luke being a zombie, I could tell this man was related to him, and Luke had managed to discover the fate of all his immediate family members with one exception...

The man nodded slowly, as if he could barely believe this was happening. "That would be me."

Against all odds, we found Luke's brother, and he was still alive. Luke is going to be ecstatic.

"I thought they were looking for someone called John?" Marsha asked, scratching her head.

He smiled gently at her. "No offense, Ma'am, but I tried to correct you a few times. My name is John, not Ron."

"Ah. I ain't no spring chicken," Marsha replied with a shrug. "My hearing isn't as good as it used to be."

John focused on us as his eyes lit up with excitement. "How is Luke? I hopped between a few Strongholds, but I never found any trace of him. I can't wait to see him again!"

I decided to remain silent and let someone else tiptoe across this minefield. As far as the humans were aware, I hadn't spoken so far, so none of them would expect that to change now.

"He's currently at Ironwind Stronghold," Nina said. "He's okay, but there's one detail that might make you change your mind about seeing him."

"He's my brother," John said resolutely. "As long as he's alive, that isn't about to change."

When Nina hesitated, Daniel mildly asked, "Even if he was a sane zombie?"

John blinked at Daniel's dull red eyes, possibly wondering what had prompted such a question, especially coming from someone who was a zombie. To his credit, he immediately replied, "It still won't change the fact he's my brother." John paused and tilted his head. "Is he really a zombie?" He sounded like he just wanted to confirm that detail, not that it was off-putting or he was changing his mind.

Daniel inclined his head. "Yes, and he is sane. So, his eyes are red, and he might be easier to irritate, but otherwise, he'll still be the same person you knew."

A relieved smile appeared on his face. "I'll still be able to see him and talk with him, right?"

"Yes." Daniel relaxed marginally now that he knew John wasn't going to react negatively. "You'll have to give him some space, but it won't be too bad."

John nodded, too excited about learning his brother was alive to be discouraged by the bit of bad news that came with it. "Where is Ironwind Stronghold? I've heard of it once or twice, but I don't know where it is."

"It's to the north," Nina said. "It would take two or three days to drive there. We'll return there in a couple of weeks, so we can tell him you're here. He'll certainly come to find you. Or, if you don't mind traveling with us until the wave is over, we'll be happy to give you a lift."

"Thanks so much!" John exclaimed. "I'll definitely accept the ride, even if it takes a couple of weeks to get there. It would take me longer than that to Stronghold hop, and that's not exactly a smart thing to do until the wave is over. It'll only take me a few minutes to pack. When do you plan on leaving?"

The thought of another traveling companion immediately dampened the excitement I had been feeling about finding Luke's brother. I closed my eyes and wondered if I could start walking back to Ironwind instead of being crammed into the truck box. But he was Luke's long-lost brother, so I reined in my irritation and resolved to be at least halfway polite to him, regardless of how crowded the back of the truck got.

Luke was going to owe me big time for this...

"We're staying the night and leaving early in the morning, if that works for you," Nina said.

"That'll be perfect. I'll be ready to leave at whatever hour you choose." John was apparently just as polite as his brother and just as determined to locate his sibling.

With a bemused expression, Marsha said, "Talk about a last-second vacation. I wish you luck, dear."

"Thank you," John said with a smile.

Nicky chuckled under her breath and muttered, "Oh, he's going to need more than luck to survive this trip..."

John didn't hear her comment, but Logan did, and he gave her a perplexed look. At this rate, Logan was going to remain in one of the Strongholds we stopped at just for his sanity's sake.

"If you want to go pack and let Arthur know you're leaving," Marsha suggested, "that should give us enough time to find all the infected people. I expect we'll be done in about half an hour if you want to meet us in the food court."

"Of course," John agreed easily.

Our tour continued as the lanky man quickly strode away in his haste to prepare for his departure.

~

       "That's it," I whispered, having guided Daniel to the last few who were infected.

Daniel took a deep breath as if checking the air. "I think we've found all the infected people."

"That's the best thing I've heard all day," the old woman said cheerfully. "Let's go have some dinner and celebrate!"

When we reached the food court, I narrowed my eyes at the number of people milling around. It wasn't as busy as it could be, and the tables were spread out with plenty of room between them, but it was still going to be an unpleasant meal to endure considering how much my instincts detested crowds and strangers.

Whack!

"Timmy! You let guests dish up food first, you overgrown monkey!"

A few people smirked but didn't seem surprised Marsha was insisting on manners. The amount of energy this old lady had was more than what most in their prime ever possessed.

I lined up with the rest but only refilled my water bottle while listening to the mild roar of voices. The atmosphere was pretty boisterous since everyone had heard about the cure.

The old lady looked around the room, although no large tables were open. "This place is much too crowded. We can eat in the upper hall. It'll be quieter up there too."

The old lady gestured with her cane toward a closed door. This time, Timmy was on his toes and held the door open for us. Either he was a quick learner, or this particular lesson had finally sunk in.

"Go ahead of me," Marsha told us kindly. "My knees aren't as young as the rest of me."

"We couldn't do that," Nina said, "Please go ahead, and don't feel rushed. Here, let me carry your plate for you."

With a few half-hearted protests, Marsha let Nina take her plate, which freed up her hands. Between the railing and her cane, she wasn't as slow as she made herself out to be, but we could now see the real reason she carried it. And it wasn't just to remind delinquents to use their manners.

Still, it took us a while to reach the upper hall, which was one massive room with tables scattered throughout it.

"Over here!" John waved from where he was saving us a table, although there were only a few people up here so far.

I picked a corner seat, and Nicky predictably sat beside me. John sat across from Nina and – very politely – peppered her and Daniel with questions about his brother and Ironwind Stronghold while also including Marsha in the discussion. He thoughtfully alternated between them so as not to let their answers intervene with eating.

I made a face as Timmy noisily slurped some noodles out of his soup.

Whack!

"Timmy! That is uncivilized! You don't make noises like that while eating! I really must have a word with your mother about your lack of manners."

Without any apparent difficulty, the old lady had managed to uncannily target Timmy's ankle without spilling the spoonful of soup in her other hand. I smirked – that kind of skill took lots of practice.

When Nicky eyed up the cane with a gleam in her eyes, I made a mental note to never let her have one, regardless of how much white hair she sported. I highly doubted the redhead would ever reach an age where something that resembled a stick wouldn't be considered multi-functional in her eyes.

Between the less crowded area, John's enthusiasm, and the spirited grandmother, the meal was actually one of the most interesting I'd experienced in a very long time.


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