The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 10

Nicky yawned as the fire popped and cracked but still remained silent. In fact, no one had spoken yet. Guess I had better do the introductions...

"Luke, the redhead is Nicky. Keep out of her way in the morning, and run if she gets her hands on coffee. That's Daniel – he's never met a sane Runner before. The lady beside him is Nina. She's the one to talk to about the cure and other drugs. For everyone else, this is Luke. He's a Runner I met several months ago."

Nina wasted no time in welcoming the new sane zombie. "It's very nice to meet you, Luke."

"Likewise." Luke inclined his head politely. I failed to understand how he managed to keep his charming tone and mannerisms despite rarely interacting with humans.

"There's some bread and sausages left, if you'd like some," Nina offered.

He shook his head. "Thank you, but I'll pass. I ate recently."

I smirked at his polite wording. Of course, a gentleman like him would use "I ate recently" instead of "I just drained a deer".

"What brings you in this direction?" I inquired. We were nowhere near the area where we had parted ways.

"My parents' house isn't far from here, and I went back to pick up a few small mementos a couple of weeks ago. At this point, I don't really have another destination since it isn't easy for me to get within speaking distance of a human and it's nearly impossible to go near a Stronghold."

"Is that because of the bloodlust?" Nina tentatively asked.

"It's mostly the bloodlust," Luke replied, not offended by the question, "but as a Runner, the virus also clouds my mind and makes control much more difficult."

"If you don't mind me asking, how bad is the bloodlust right now?" Nina looked thrilled that a sane zombie was willing to talk with her, but she was also watching for any sign that Luke might not like this subject.

Luke stilled, but replied honestly, "Even with you downwind, it's bad enough that the back of my throat is burning. It wouldn't be wise for any human to get within arm's reach of me."

The calmness in his voice was almost at odds with the warning, but his voice was too serious for anyone to think he was just joking.

The news had Daniel sitting up straighter as he examined the Runner more closely. "Has your control ever come close to slipping?"

"Twice," Luke said, wincing at the admission. "The first time when someone entered the house I was sleeping in, roughly a week after I turned. The second time, someone from my hometown was helping me test how close I could get to a human, and let's just say it was a good thing there was a chain-link fence between us because she scratched a small scab open without thinking about what she was doing."

Daniel's alert posture didn't change. "How is your control now?"

His concern about safety was starting to cause tension in the previously laid-back atmosphere.

I rolled my eyes. "Daniel, relax. Both of those events happened within weeks of him turning. Besides, he hunted before we came here." I told Luke, "Sorry about that. He's humanized and has only encountered feral Runners."

I knew my tone would stir up Daniel's instincts, but it was better if the Terror focused on me rather than on Luke. Considering how Daniel was now glowering at me, it had worked very well. My instincts stirred in response to the Terror's unwanted attention, but I hid it and put on a bored look.

Understanding crossed Luke's face as he glanced at Daniel. Daniel saw it and realized my last comment meant a lot more to Luke and me than it did to him, although he wasn't sure what it was implying. It partially distracted from his irritation, and he gave me a questioning look, which I completely ignored.