Nina and Nicky enjoyed a simple dinner of fresh bread, fried slices of sausage, and a handful of wild greens. Daniel declined a plate, and they didn't bother offering me any, which suited me just fine. It smelled good, but I had no appetite for it.

A relaxing evening breeze picked up and brought smells from the forest behind us. I turned my head and took a deeper breath. This world is getting smaller and smaller all the time. Or else I'm traveling too much.

I silently got to my feet and walked toward the edge of the roof, gazing in the direction the wind was coming from, although he was much too far away for me to see him, especially with the forest. The others noticed my preoccupation.

"Is something wrong?" Daniel asked.

"No, I'll be back shortly."

I jumped off the roof before anyone had a chance to reply or ask more questions. I made my way to the forest at a leisurely walk, but as soon as I entered the trees, I sped up, still tracking his scent.

He had to know I was here. In fact, my presence was probably the only reason he was approaching. As always, he was polite enough to approach from upwind where I could pick up his scent well in advance.

In his previous life, he had probably been quite the chivalrous gentleman. Even though the virus had curtailed his actions and rational thoughts, he still tried to practice such manners. With the distance between us, his scent was weak, but that was a good thing since Daniel probably wouldn't notice it, even if he was trying to read the wind.

It took me almost fifteen minutes to get close. I let my footsteps crackle in the fallen leaves, and as I got closer, I slowed down so I didn't trigger the Runner's instincts too badly.

A low growl greeted me just before I stepped out of the trees. I growled a welcome in reply, the lower tone having no force behind it. The blonde-haired man waiting for me looked like a track runner with his tall and thin build. My instincts stirred a bit at the sight of the Runner, but since he wasn't challenging me, they subsided.

His red eyes flashed as he grinned. "I thought it was your scent I picked up. Good to see you again."

"This is a pleasant surprise," I said, also baring my teeth in a grin. "I didn't expect to see you around here. What have you been up to?"

He looked pleased to see me, although my sudden appearance would have set his instincts on edge. Even though he tried not to let it show, I could still see his muscles relax as his instincts slowly subsided with the lack of a direct challenge.

The rank tension was present, although the more sociable Runners were less affected by my presence than how my solitary and prideful Nightstalker instincts chafed against Daniel's rank. As far as Luke's instincts were concerned, as long as he didn't challenge me, I wouldn't threaten or harm him. It was one of the very few times zombie rules made things easier for sane zombies.

"I've been traveling pretty much nonstop and met a few sane zombies along the way," he said. "About a month ago, I encountered another sane Runner who was raising small animals. It was a really interesting setup. He had been a farmer before and figured out a way to raise rabbits and chickens without his daily work stressing them out. He even had goats and sheep."

This didn't overly surprise me. Runners weren't fast enough to catch rabbits with their hands, so a farm setting would be easier for them if they didn't mind the labor involved. Most sane Runners usually relied on live traps, which was something the traveling ones often lacked.

The way he unconsciously focused on the animals while talking was a subtle warning. I took a deep breath but didn't detect any hint of blood on his breath, so he likely hadn't had a successful hunt for several days. That was a concern I wanted to rectify as soon as possible.

"Feel like catching up over a deer?" I offered, smelling some nearby.

His eyes brightened as he grinned ferally at me. "That sounds like a fabulous idea."

I bared my teeth in response. "Follow my scent."

I turned and swiftly disappeared into the trees as my footsteps fell silent, purposely racing ahead of him. It took me less than a minute to follow my nose to the nearest deer. It was grazing on the clover growing among the trees, unaware of the hunter stalking it.

The undergrowth and shrubs easily concealed me as I crept closer. My muscles tensed, and I launched myself at it with silently bared teeth. It saw me at the last second, and its eyes widened as my fist slammed into its neck with all my strength.

The deer didn't even have time to rear back before its neck was shattered, instantly killing it. I flexed my hand; my Nightstalker strength was sufficient to allow such a killing blow, but barely. A Runner didn't have a chance of managing such a strike.

I shook myself off and stood straighter, whistling softly. The high-pitched noise would carry, and Luke was close enough to hear it. His footsteps closed the distance between us, although he slowed down, cautious in case my instincts reared up and wanted to defend the kill.

Unbeknownst to him, my instincts wanted nothing to do with the deer on the ground since the sun hadn't set. I moved away from the deer and sat on a fallen tree about thirty feet away.

He entered the clearing and paused, glancing between the deer and me. I could see his bloodlust fighting against his caution and manners.

"Go ahead," I told him. "I hunted earlier."

He didn't need a second invitation and promptly went over to the deer.

His instincts tried to claim the kill with low growls, which, in turn, roused my instincts. They may not have wanted the deer, but a Runner trying to pull rank on a Nightstalker was taboo. Exhaling slowly, I clamped down on my instincts and resisted the urge to uphold my position in the zombie hierarchy.

I knew the growls weren't intentional, and he was so focused on the deer he probably didn't even realize they had slipped out. When it came to feeding, Runners always had shaky control, and Luke was probably quite thirsty if he'd gone several days without a successful hunt.

In truth, he was in quite a dangerous situation since his bloodlust and instincts would be pushing his control close to the breaking point. It was the main reason I remained instead of leaving; my presence would partially distract his instincts and give Luke an easier time with his control.

Several minutes later, Luke sat up with a sated sigh. "Thank you for that."

"No problem. Always feel free to ask. Sanity is too valuable to risk."

Luke nodded and came closer, taking a seat farther down the log. "I already told you my boring story. What have you been up to? I can smell you've been around humans a lot. Where's Chloe?"

"Quite a bit has happened since we parted ways. I found my sister, and she's not bothered by the fact I'm a zombie-"

"Oh! That's great! I'm happy for you."

I didn't ask if he had found his brother. Since he hadn't mentioned anything, I doubted it. It was probably why he was still wandering along the highways.

"Thanks. She's in Ironwind Stronghold now, and I'm out here with a Terror, a scientist, and a friend since we heard about a Nightstalker attack. We're just on our way back."

"You're staying in a Stronghold?" he asked in surprise.

We had traveled together for two weeks before parting ways, and he knew my distrust of humans after being shot. This wasn't a detail he expected to hear.

"Yes. I have my own room in one of the least populated buildings. They go out of their way to make things easier for me, and I help guard the place at night."

"And not many would be up and about at night, so that would work out well," Luke murmured, quite perceptive for a Runner. "What's this about a scientist?"

"Her name's Nina, and she's been studying the zombie virus ever since the first cases appeared. Made a fair bit of progress too. She recently invented a cure that turns a zombie into a human, another drug that prevents an infected person from turning into a regular zombie, as well as something else that reduces the bloodlust around humans."

Luke sat up straighter, asking, "There's a cure?"

I'd figured such a thing would catch his interest. Runners usually had trouble focusing and felt like their thought processes were fogged most of the time.

"Yes. They've used the cure several times on infected humans and quite a few times on feral zombies. It works on the ferals, but since their mind is gone, they're braindead."

"Interesting... And what about the bloodlust one?"

"The controlex greatly reduces the bloodlust around humans. Even if a human was standing next to the cage, the feral Runners preferred to go after rabbits."

He tilted his head in consideration. "Do you think they might offer one of these to me?"

"Very likely, but you'd be the first sane Runner to try any of them, so there's no guarantee how it'll turn out." I paused for a second. "Actually, there's a child Runner locked up in the Stronghold that's likely going to try the cure once Nina returns."

"If they have a cure, why would they let a child turn?" he asked, puzzled.

"He was infected and too injured to survive as a human. They gave him the controlex right before we left. By the time we return, his injuries should be completely healed, so he'll probably want the cure."

Luke silently considered that for some time. I felt kind of bad for bringing it up so quickly, but this was something that would interest any Runner. It used to be difficult enough for me to remain in control around humans, and I knew it was much harder for a Runner. The drugs Nina had were as tempting to a Runner as chemotherapy was to a cancer patient.

"Do you trust this scientist?"

His question made me pause. Trust was a rare thing for a Nightstalker – and Luke knew it. Nor could I consider Nina by herself without also remembering her ever-present companion. Did I trust Nina and Daniel? And if so, how much?

Ever since they had found out I planned on staying, they had come completely clean and been honest with me. I still had a grudge against the former secrets, but lies were fairly easy to scent, and they hadn't lied to me since.

I exhaled slowly, belatedly realizing my instincts had been slowly mollified by Nina's constant truthfulness, her help when I had been shot, and her concern when I was suffering the aftereffects of the controlex drug. My distrust had gradually faded to the point where my instincts were less concerned about Nina than the other residents in Ironwind.

As for Daniel, well, when he acted like a zombie, my instincts fully expected him to uphold his rank. His level of control was still beyond my comprehension; I had given him plenty of reasons to thrash me, although he never did, even when I attacked him. His rank would always grate against my instincts' desire to be at the top of the pecking order. Yet, I trusted him enough to know he wouldn't hurt me intentionally.

Over the last month, both of them had proven numerous times they meant no harm and would always help me if I'd allow it. I wasn't sure when these changes had occurred, but they had. I was currently having a very hard time coming to terms with the fact that my instincts – and myself – did, indeed, trust those two. Not quite like I trusted Nicky, or even Luke, but even those were two different types of trust.

Still, I trusted them. And that completely baffled me because my instincts were one of the most suspicious, untrusting, and downright stubborn things in existence.

Being a Nightstalker made me testy and suspicious, but it didn't necessarily make me an ass. That was my own actions. As much as I could be a jerk at times, I actually did have morals and a heart hidden somewhere beneath my prickly exterior.

My instincts were a lot like subconscious emotions; it wasn't easy to change them if I didn't like them. In some ways, they were more logical and perceptive than I was, which was probably why they often alerted me to things I didn't notice.

Still, I had to keep in mind these instincts were the very same ones that accepted Nicky long before I realized that I somewhat trusted her. Nicky. The very lady who put the 'C' in crazy. Perhaps my instincts aren't that great of a judge of character...

"Yes," I finally said. "I trust her." As well as the other two. Although I left that thought unspoken.

He didn't seem to notice my almost-meditative mood. "Would you be able to introduce me to Nina? I'd like to talk with her." Despite the polite words, I could tell he was fixated on the drugs, and once a Runner set their minds on something, it was hard to distract them from that thought.

"Yes, I can introduce you to her. She'll be more than delighted to speak with you. That lady has more questions than any human has a right to voice."

He chuckled at my tone as he got to his feet, knowing how fond I was of questions. I also got up and shook myself off lightly, trying to refocus on the here and now. I was more relaxed around Luke than I ever had been with Daniel.

For one, he was a lower rank. The other major point was that his body language was easy for me to read – it was mostly zombie with just enough human to show his sanity. I knew exactly how he would react by watching his body language.

"How's your control?" I asked, although I wasn't too concerned after the deer.

"About as good as it ever gets. I plan to keep some distance between myself and any human. Standard precautions."

In other words, he would try his best and was relying on me to keep him from making a fatal mistake. I didn't bother mentioning that the Terror had only ever dealt with feral Runners and would probably overreact before there was a real need.

I nodded amiably and started walking toward the distant camp. Luke remained silent as he followed me down the deer trail, still mulling things over. Despite our easy conversation, I knew the virus wreaked havoc with Luke's mind and made it hard for him to think clearly. It made simple decisions difficult, nevermind something as life-altering as what he was contemplating.