I lingered in the shadows beside a garage and watched the guards ready themselves for the night. There were two guards by each gate, which was typical of most Strongholds we'd visited on this trip. They seemed more relaxed than most I'd seen, as if their roller defenses had repelled every foe so far.

This place has clearly never been visited by a Nightstalker. It was a good thing light or fire kept the deadly creatures at bay, assuming they could turn enough lights on in time.

Another ripple through my instincts announced the second the sun completely left the horizon. Darkness would fall much faster now, stealing the last glimmers of light from the sky. I waited and bided my time, although my eyes never ceased to scan the fence and its defenses from behind my sunglasses.

Nearby voices caught my attention.

"I'm going to grab a shower before heading back," John said, yawning.

"Fine by me," Logan replied. "I had one this morning."

"I'll meet you back at the house." John's footsteps headed the other way.

Well, well, well... I tilted my head as my instincts geared themselves up for some sort of ambush. It wasn't dark enough to easily stalk him, but when Logan's footsteps headed in this general direction, my lips pulled back from my teeth in a silent grin.

The garage was right beside the path that led to the house, so he was just following the dirt track. There was no possible way he could have known I was here, so I slipped around to the other side of the garage, keeping to the shadows.

Now that I was facing the path he was on, I casually leaned against the wall and crossed my arms as I waited. Sometimes simply appearing where people didn't expect to see you was more effective than an actual ambush. Especially in the dark.

Logan casually strolled down the path, absently gazing around as he enjoyed the cool evening air. His eyes skimmed over my location without seeing me in the deeper shadows. This is too priceless...

Once he was directly in front of me, I commented in a faintly bored tone, "Enjoying the evening, I presume?"

He jumped and inhaled in surprise as he spun to face the direction of my voice. At the same time, his hand dropped to his belt knife in an automatic reflex. I didn't let my amusement show on my face, although his reaction was exactly what I'd been hoping for.

Even though I had given away my location, it still took him a few seconds to spot me in the growing shadows. The scent wave of surprised fear and adrenaline was normal when startling someone, although Logan already realized who had spoken, and he exhaled in relief.

"Must you attempt to scare the living daylights out of anyone who crosses your path?" he asked, half-amused with only a hint of irritation, but still getting over his shock.

I chuckled faintly. "In theory, no, but in reality, I find it interesting to see how people react." This was the second time I'd startled him in such a fashion, so he likely assumed it was a habit of mine.

He shook his head, then glanced at the fence. "I suppose you're waiting for it to get darker before heading out?"

My posture and tone remained relaxed, concealing my true level of focus. "Yes, but since you're here, I have several questions for you."

He blinked in confusion. "What kind of questions?"

"Why exactly are you traveling with us? What is your angle?" There was an edge to my words.

My unexpected question had him shifting his weight uneasily. "I want to go to Ironwind. If they accept zombies, then they can't be as bad as the place you found me at."

"You could have traveled with several other groups, yet you continued with us. Why?"

He shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with the topic I had picked, but he still replied, "They might have stopped at another Stronghold along the way. Between you and Daniel, I know feral zombies aren't much of a risk on this trip, so it's safer to travel with your group."

I snorted in clear disbelief. "If you're claiming those details truly concern you, then I call bullshit. That group wasn't going to stop anywhere else in case the cure didn't work, and we both know it. You were alone for weeks in the middle of nowhere, so I know feral zombies don't scare you, especially if there are slower people around."

His scent shifted as I spoke. Now I could definitely tell he was trying to hide something. He was uncomfortable but didn't reply after I finished shredding his argument seven ways from Sunday.

I growled a low warning to let him know he shouldn't try such a lame excuse again. My eyes flashed, although he wouldn't be able to see them behind my sunglasses.

In the face of his silence and growing anxiety, I continued beating his explanation into the dust. "Most people wouldn't even consider traveling with zombies. That guy with Liz bailed faster than he planned. After your encounter with those three Nightstalkers, I find it very strange you're willing to travel with one."

Logan cleared his throat uncomfortably. "If you wanted me dead, I would have been dead that first night, and I wouldn't have even known what happened. In an odd way, I know I can trust you. Most of the time, I can't even tell Daniel is a zombie."

That wasn't the answer I had expected, although no lies tainted the air. So even though Daniel and I made him nervous, he didn't feel like his life was in danger around us. But that still left more questions than it answered...

When others asked me questions, it usually annoyed the hell out of me, but interrogating someone else was a different sport that my suspicious instincts latched onto in their search for answers.

My keen nighttime instincts observed him closely as I asked, "Why Ironwind?"

His discomfort grew noticeably and sweat even beaded up on his forehead. My instincts were swift to point out he had no problems talking about zombies in general, or even Daniel and me specifically, but he became reluctant as soon as the topic turned to our group and our destination.

He sidestepped my question. "A Stronghold that welcomes zombies must be quite different, and I'd like to see what it's like there. I normally don't like Strongholds, so the differences might make it a place I wouldn't mind staying."

My nostrils flared as I scoured his scent. The majority of his words were the truth, although some skimmed around it. Something else was clearly on his mind. Something he didn't want to talk about.

He fidgeted as my skeptical silence dragged on. I tilted my head slightly when I noticed the back of his neck was going red. His scent was also shifting slightly, now bearing traces of embarrassment, as well as a few other odd elements.

My instincts caught those small signs and various other ones, although they didn't understand them. But my human mind did. I swiftly thought back on his behavior over the last few days, and now that I knew what I was looking for, it clicked.

Logan had a crush on Nina.

Now I knew why he always seemed intrigued with what she was doing and why he only wanted to travel with our group. It was because of Nina.

I relaxed and started chuckling faintly. "I see."

"Ah... You see what?" The red on Logan's face became more prominent.

"That you're attracted to Nina."

He winced. "I didn't think anyone noticed. How badly is Daniel going to react? That guy is never far from her..."

"Zombies can't feel love in that fashion, so you're safe in that regard." I shrugged dismissively. "He's more her bodyguard than anything else, so if you remain courteous and Nina doesn't object, I doubt he'll care."

"You don't mind?"

"I have zero interest in people's love lives."

He sighed in relief. "Thank you. Any advice?"

If he thought I was going to play the matchmaker, then he was sorely mistaken. I snorted and bluntly said, "Talk to her. She loves long discussions, particularly about science."

He nodded almost eagerly. "Anything else?"

Now that he didn't have anything to hide, this conversation interested him. It was one thing for me to interrogate someone, but a discussion on how to impress a woman wasn't something I was going to entertain.

"I'll leave that up to your imagination." I decided to reroute this talk to another topic. "On a side note, on that first night by the pit, what were you using to tone down your scent?"

I didn't mention it had been completely hidden. I'd located him when he was using it, so he would have assumed I could smell him.

He blinked at the sudden change of topic. "It was some sort of scent masker my grandpa had."

"What brand was it?"

Logan shrugged. "I don't know. He worked with a hunting company, and it was an experimental scent-masking spray he was testing for them. He turned in the first wave, and there was only one bottle of it."

I tested the air, although he spoke the truth. In a way, this news was both a relief and a disappointment. A relief since the chances of someone sneaking up on me were now slim to none, but it was also disappointing since I could think of a few situations where I might want to cloak my own scent. Admittedly, half of those plans involved infuriating Daniel and then running off.

"Do you have any left?" I asked. Nina might be able to figure out how to make it if she had a sample.

He shook his head. "No, I ran out shortly after you left. That's another reason why I don't particularly want to travel alone. It's different when zombies can easily smell you."

There was only truth in his scent, so I nodded in agreement with his reply, although I wasn't sure he could see the motion.

Logan sensed that my questions had run out. "Well, I better get to the house while I can still see. I didn't bring a flashlight with me."

The night would be quite dark for a human, and only a couple of solar lights were scattered along the path. Despite his words, he lingered, waiting to see if I was fine with him departing or if I might have more questions.

I decided to go easy on him. "See you later."

"Have a good night."

I remained where I was while he walked down the path. The outcome of our discussion hadn't been quite what I expected, but it was a relief to know he had no plans to attack us later. A smirk grew on my lips as I wondered how long it would take Nina or Daniel to realize what I had just uncovered.

As intelligent as Nina was, her knowledge was mostly in the realm of science. It could take her some time to figure out the reason for Logan's interest. Knowing her, she'd assume he was just as passionate about science and discoveries as she was.

It was finally dark enough for me to sneak over the fence, and I did a careful scan of the area before approaching. I'd already had one brush with an infrared camera, and I wasn't about to repeat it if I could avoid it.

Other than the bored guards, no one else was visible, and most rooms were dark since people went to bed early to conserve electricity and candlewax.

I silently climbed up the fence and tested if the vertical post supporting the rollers was sturdy. Satisfied it would hold my weight, I shimmied up and scaled over the top without touching the white pipes. It wasn't easy – in fact, it was the hardest fence to physically cross that I'd ever encountered – but I slipped over the top and disappeared into the surrounding fields within seconds.

Keeping my distance, I circled the Stronghold. The smell of a Runner emanated from the trailer, but there was no growling or banging, so she must have remained in control or had already turned back into a human.

A couple of quads had led the regular zombies away before nightfall, and no zombies were currently in the area. Some of them would stagger back before dawn, but that was what the fence and guards were for. It wasn't as if Daniel was defenseless at night; he was just a bit handicapped unless a flashlight or other lights came into play.

With no foreseeable trouble in the area, I ventured farther from the Stronghold. The sharp smell of mint had me detouring to see how big the plant was. It was a decent size, although we'd need more than this to freshen up the unconscious zombie's bed. I made a mental note of its location and continued searching for more.

The scents of several strong herbs led me to an abandoned house. Mint, thyme, dill, and other strong-smelling plants still survived in the overgrown garden. More than enough to completely bury the unconscious zombie in an herbal bath.

The door to the house was already open, so I wandered in, half wondering if I could find anything to keep Liz and Nicky amused in the back of the truck. Liz had been shockingly well behaved, but she was a child, and I wasn't counting on it to last. Nicky was another ticking time bomb in need of a distraction.

I half-heartedly opened a few drawers in a kid's room, although I didn't see anything worthwhile. I would be tempted to take the skipping rope, but knowing Nicky, she'd try to tie someone up with it...

A toy chest in the corner yielded a wooden stick and ball toy. I was certain Nicky would obsessively try to get the ball into the cup or on the stick for at least several hours. The ball was tethered to the stick so she couldn't lose it. Or throw it, which was far more likely.

A shoebox containing tiny toy horses, a few small containers of playdough, a miniature kaleidoscope binocular lens, and some other odds and ends also went in my backpack. I debated over the coloring book and wax crayons, then decided crayons were probably a safer alternative than any other coloring implement I might find.

I went to another room with a kid's bed and kept searching. There had to be more toys around here, and I didn't mind carrying some back if it meant a peaceful ride. I highly suspected we wouldn't find any more infected people, so we'd be driving straight back to Ironwind without many stops. It was going to be a long and very boring drive.

The next room must have belonged to an older child since the shelves were lined with jigsaw puzzles, board games, and other intellectual pursuits. Most weren't suitable for a road trip, but I took a container of magnetic building beads and rods, along with a small box of metal IQ puzzles.

The IQ toys would probably drive Nicky nuts, although I hoped she wouldn't turn them into miniature missiles. You could just never tell with Nicky some days.

I poked around the room a bit more and took a few books, but saw nothing else to amuse Liz or Nicky. If they got bored with what I had found, then they could take a nap.

With my backpack full, I went back outside. The plants in the garden didn't have to be picked until closer to dawn, which would give them more time until they wilted. Exactly how I was going to get large bundles of plants over the fence was a challenge for later. The key to the lock securing the gun cabinet was in the glove compartment, so I could easily stuff the plants in before it got light enough for people to see what I was doing.

I tested the air, but only scented a couple of mindless zombies and a myriad of wildlife. My mind turned to the hunt, and I disappeared into the darkness.