We started packing in the dim pre-dawn light. My instincts hadn't even started subsiding yet, which meant it was far too freaking early to be preparing for another long ride. It also meant I wouldn't get my usual morning nap in.

"Why are we packing this early?" I muttered as I rearranged the supplies in the back of the truck to prevent anyone from sitting near my spot.

"Because it's a very long drive to the next Stronghold," Daniel replied. "If we want to arrive before sundown, we won't even be able to stop long for breaks."

"What's wrong with camping at a gas station or something?"

"According to our hosts, bandits burned down almost every building along this highway. There isn't any secure place to camp."

This was not how I wanted to spend the first day with four people in the back of the truck.

John stood nearby, not at all bothered by the early hour. "As soon as the sun rises, they're going to release a pigeon for the Stronghold we're going to, so they'll be expecting us."

"That should make things easier when we arrive," Nina said as she put her small backpack in the front seat. She glanced at the fence. "I kind of wish I knew how the people we treated are doing."

"I talked with one of the guards on my way over here," John said. "No one in the trailers by the fence turned, so they're all fine. A few people went to visit the ones down the road before nightfall. The ones who had both injections had a bit of a headache, although their sneezes were already slowing down."

"A headache? Now that I think about it, I administered both drugs to two people a couple of weeks ago, and they also mentioned they had a headache. It could be a side effect or an interaction. We'll be driving by those trailers, and if anyone is outside and awake, I wouldn't mind stopping for a few minutes to see how they're doing."

"Easy enough," Daniel replied.

"Is that everything?" Nina asked, glancing back at us as she held the truck door open with one hand, ready to get in. When no one said anything, she continued, "I think we're ready to go then. Sorry about the early departure."

"No worries," John immediately replied, climbing over the tailgate of the truck. "The early bird gets the worm."

Nicky made a face. "The early bird can have the worm because worms are gross, and mornings are the worst time of day. I think I'll take a nap instead."

Nicky promptly sprawled across the middle of the mattress like an imitation of the Great Barrier Reef, forcing John and Logan to sit against the tailgate. I sat in my usual corner with the buffering space of several bags of supplies.

The guards opened the gates as we approached, squinting at the super-bright headlights that lit up everything in front of us.

As we drove out, John commented to Logan, "I'm kind of surprised so many people are traveling as one group to hand out the cure. Wouldn't it make more sense to split into two groups?"

Logan shrugged. "Possibly, but I'm just catching a ride to Ironwind as well."

"May I ask which Stronghold you came from?"

"I spent most of my time at Drayton Stronghold until it got overrun. Then I spent the last week at Luxter Stronghold."

John nodded and turned his intrigued gaze to the redhead who was turning a spare sweater into a pillow. "Can I ask if you're from Ironwind or just traveling between places?"

"Oh, I came from Ironwind. They brought me along to bring color to their wardrobes and to keep them on their toes."

John blinked slowly, not entirely sure how to reply. Logan didn't look any wiser despite having an extra day to gain wisdom.

"I'm not sure I understand..." John tentatively said.

Yep. He's definitely Luke's brother. They look similar, act alike, and talk like one another. Marsha would have loved to adopt him just for his manners.

Nicky snickered at his comment. "That's what Logan said yesterday. Just stick around, and you'll both figure it out eventually."

I had a feeling it'd be sooner rather than later, but they would discover that for themselves. Although I seriously hope it turns out to be later.

John still looked confused as he asked me, "May I inquire which Stronghold you're from?"

He still hadn't figured out I was a zombie, although I didn't see that state of naivety lasting long.

"I'm from Ironwind as well, although I'm not along on this ride entirely willingly." On a whim, I added a few details, wondering how long it would take him to realize the truth. "I actually met Luke several months ago, and we traveled together for some time while he looked for you. It wasn't until the other week that he decided to stay at Ironwind, and that was only because we promised to check each Stronghold we visited."

He completely overlooked the small hint I'd dropped about me and focused on the details regarding his brother. "That sounds like Luke. That guy never gives up when it comes to family and friends."

"He searched for you almost the entire time," I replied quietly. "He located the rest of your family, but all he knew was that you survived whatever happened in your house, and you were nowhere in that town."

John gazed at his hands, apparently touched that his brother hadn't given up on him even though he was a zombie. He eventually said, "He was down east visiting our grandparents, so I headed in that direction trying to find him. I should have remained where I was..."

This conversation was delving into emotional realms I wasn't comfortable with, so I remained silent.

Nicky yawned and closed her eyes. "Well, look at the bright side. You'll get to see him again."

He looked down at her and nodded solemnly. "That's true, and I'm looking forward to seeing him. He is, and always will be, my brother."

John must be a bit more sentimental than Luke, although the zombie virus likely had a hand in Luke's current personality. I knew Luke was intensely loyal once you earned his trust, and it looked like his brother was much the same in that regard.

"The trailers should be right ahead," Nina said.

"So much for my nap," Nicky muttered, not opening her eyes or even bothering to sit up.

The truck slowed down as we got closer. Other than one or two zombies lingering outside the fence – now tottering in our direction – there was no movement inside.

"I'm not hearing any sneezing," Daniel commented, "although this truck could be covering a faint or muffled noise."

I took a deep breath and murmured so quietly only Daniel could hear, "No zombie around here has recently turned, and the smell of infection is probably just the afterscent since it doesn't seem as strong."

For the benefit of the others, Daniel added, "I don't smell a Runner or any recently turned zombies, so they survived the night."

"That means the cure worked even though some were so close to turning." Nina sighed in relief. "That's a weight off my shoulders."

"Let's make some miles and keep our eyes open for any others who might have been kicked out of their Strongholds," Daniel said as the truck picked up speed.

"Wake me when it's time for lunch," Nicky declared before falling silent.

The two men looked at her, then glanced at each other, possibly wondering if that was a subtle order to remain silent. I wasn't sure if Nicky was just resting her eyes or if she was finally mastering her napping abilities after so many road trips, but I didn't feel like inquiring. I pulled my hood over my head and settled back into my corner.

~

       The truck slowed down, but the series of unavoidable potholes still jostled everyone.

Nicky sat up and glared at the back of Daniel's head. "Did we just run over a colony of badgers?"

He didn't even glance at her in the rearview mirror, still navigating the pothole-infested road. "No, but it looks like an army of them were digging up the road."

Nicky grumbled under her breath, before saying, "When's lunch? I'm starving."

"Let's just get past this rough patch, and we can stop," Daniel said.

His decision was a wise one since a hungry Nicky wasn't something we wanted to deal with on a road trip. Nicky dug through our supplies for something she deemed edible.

"Do you want to stop before or after the car with a zombie in it?" Daniel asked.

Nicky frowned at the car ahead, where a zombie pounded against the windshield in its attempts to get out. "I guess I can wait five minutes."

I smirked, although it quickly disappeared. "Do you smell that?" I whispered to Daniel.

He leaned his head toward the open window beside him as he tested the air, then his jaw tensed slightly. "Yeah..." Louder, he told Nina, "I think that man recently turned."

She did a double-take at the man in the car. "How can you tell?"

"The human afterscent is still fairly strong, and there's no undamaged leaves or twigs behind the tires. Nor has any dust settled on the windows."

We all stared at the zombie as we drove by the car.

Our race against time had truly begun.

~

       Evening was rapidly approaching, and we still hadn't found the Stronghold we were searching for. John was getting more and more nervous as the sun dipped toward the horizon, although it didn't seem to bother Logan. He was just more watchful.

"I can see the Stronghold in the distance, so we'll be there before too long."

Considering this was coming from Daniel, he either delayed sharing his discovery or it'd take us twenty minutes to get to this place...

He must have waited until we were closer since we reached the gate a couple of minutes later. We didn't remain parked for long. As soon as Daniel mentioned our names, we were ushered inside by the leader, who looked like he'd been waiting for us.

"I just sent someone to heat up some food," the leader told us. "They'll just be leftovers, but it should be filling."

"A warm meal will be perfect," Nina said. "Is anyone here sneezing? I'd like to give them the cure as early as possible."

"Four started sneezing today, and they're just outside the fence. We aren't sure where the others went." His voice became quiet at the end. Like most Strongholds, anyone sneezing would have been forced outside the fence. Not only were they contagious, but they'd shortly be turning into something dangerous.

"We can definitely help the ones who are here," Nina reassured him. "They won't be sneezing by the time morning comes. It's probably best if Daniel tracks down anyone who's infected, just in case someone starts sneezing overnight."

"Thank you very much. You're a welcome presence in an otherwise very dark hour."

He led us to the infected group, who accepted the cure with open arms. After that, Daniel began the fun task of tracking down the eight infected people who were still around. I noticed his eyes lingered on the sun, and shortly after, I began giving him quiet directions.

"The last man isn't inside the fence, but he's close enough I can smell his scent on the breeze," I told Daniel. "Are you up for a quick trip outside the fence?"

"If it's quick." His gaze drifted once more toward the sun, which was only an hour from setting.

I continued subtly guiding him toward the one we were seeking. In the end, the man was rather easy to spot, even before we left the fence. He was beside the barn with a bucket of oats, trying to lure some horses to his side of the paddock. The horses weren't stupid and leaned against the far side of the fence. No one in our group had any difficulty figuring out the source of his problem.

The leader went forward to have a quiet word with him, then guided him over to Nina. John and Logan never seemed to tire of listening to her talk about the cure and sanity serum, regardless of how often they heard it.

I tuned her out and gazed at the fields and forest beyond the fence. I didn't quite ignore the small crowd trailing after us – not after having that teenager get so close without me noticing – but they kept their distance.

A young man met us on our way back. "The food is ready."

"Thank you, Dustin," the leader said. "We were just coming to see if it was warm."

He grinned at the praise, then puffed out his chest as he told us, "Our hospitality can't be beat. If you need anything, just ask."

By this time, we had reached him, and my instincts stirred as I narrowed my eyes. I bit back a growl, but that didn't stop me from giving him a dirty look.

He had been facing us, so he also noticed it. He raised an eyebrow at me. "What? You doubt our level of hospitality?"

"As long as you weren't the one responsible for it, then it'll likely be quite welcoming," I retorted, my old agitation renewing too quickly to control my tone or my glare.

The young man frowned, mostly in confusion since I was clearly referring to some sort of past event. "I have no clue what you're talking about. I've always been polite to guests."

Everyone else was giving me odd looks, which didn't help with my rising irritation.

I leveled a challenging stare at him. "Does putting a pail of water above a gas station door about two weeks ago ring a bell? Well, guess who got caught in that trap."

The young man's jaw dropped, and his face turned a striking shade of red. Embarrassment, disbelief, and guilt mingled on his face in equal proportions.

The leader narrowed his eyes at the lad's reaction. "Dustin... Please tell me that you didn't do such a thing."

Dustin ducked his head but obviously knew he'd been caught. "Err... Steven put me up to it. He was too short to reach that high... We didn't think anyone would figure out who did it."

The obvious attempt to shuffle blame onto someone else had the leader frowning in clear disappointment. In fact, the blame game was so obvious, no one thought to ask me how I knew it had been him. Nor was I about to enlighten them.

"You should have known better," the leader told him sternly. "You'll be scrubbing pots and mucking out the pig, cattle, and horse barns for a month. I'll also be having a word with Steven later."

"Yes, sir." Dustin ducked his head, although he didn't seem that terribly repentant. He must have been in trouble often since he knew he had to apologize to us. Sounding more guilty than sincere, he turned to us and said, "I'm very sorry. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

The lack of remorse in his voice only made my temper burn higher. Yet, the last thing I wanted to do was attract more attention to myself in this place, which would happen if I called him out about his attitude. It wasn't as if I could thrash him either.

It took far more effort than it should have to rein in my anger and vengeful instincts. With an annoyed huff, I grumbled, "If you're offering, our truck needs a wash." It was all I could think of on the spot. I preferred to mull over things like this for a while to determine the best punishment.

I half expected him to protest, but he nodded and said, "I can do that."

Considering how unimpressed the leader looked, I suspected Dustin knew he would've been forced into it if he didn't agree. There were only so many surviving humans out there, and it wouldn't be a good reflection on this place's reputation if someone offended potential allies or trading partners with childish pranks. Particularly ones who had just delivered the cure in the nick of time.

"I'm very sorry," the leader told me, with far more honesty than the no-longer-sheepish-looking prankster. "I wasn't aware he did such a thing. Please accept our hospitality and let us know if we can do anything for you."

Still clearly irritated, I nodded stiffly, although my instincts objected to letting this go so easily. They wanted to add a few bruises to the unrepentant twerp's hide for setting up such a trap and his current behavior.

Logan watched me closely, although he seemed surprised I hadn't reacted more severely or demanded some other punishment. If only he knew how tempting it was.

My instincts railed against my control as they demanded retribution, both to teach him a lesson and to prevent my actions from being mistaken as weakness. They weren't about to subside anytime soon, so I was going to be grouchy until I went for a good run, which wouldn't happen until I snuck outside the fence later tonight. Aren't my companions ever so fortunate...