The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 49

"I still say you should have stuck it in the bed with her to see what she would say," I murmured to Daniel, somehow keeping a straight face as I subtly tattled on him.

Nicky grumbled incoherently under her breath and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Nina glanced at Daniel in surprise, as if it hadn't occurred to her that he could have possibly been the guilty culprit, then she did a hilarious double-take when she saw his unbandaged arm. With the salve now gone, the scab had set, and there was almost no redness around it at this point.

"You figured it out?" she asked as her eyes went wide with shock and building excitement.

"Yes," he replied with a grin.

I resisted the urge to shake my head. He may have struggled with the riddle for almost an entire month, but there was no way he should be that proud about finally figuring it out. The fact that it had taken him that long was a disgrace to zombies, but he simply didn't realize it yet.

Like a magician's trick, the hairbrush and toothbrush in Nina's hands disappeared and were replaced with her notebook and pen. The speed with which she exchanged those items shouldn't have been possible for a human, let alone mere minutes after waking up.

"How is it done?"

I had never seen someone wake up so fast in my life. No trace of her earlier sleepiness remained in her bright-eyed and focused expression.

"I had to drip blood into the wound. That was why she kept removing the salve – it formed a waterproof barrier."

I shook my head as Nina asked more questions about the fine details. They were going over what should have been long-discovered knowledge like it was the latest and greatest discovery. To my amusement, he hadn't realized zombie saliva would also assist in the healing. Yep. He still has some learning to do.

Nicky came out of the bathroom and wandered to the front door. She opened it and stretched in the early morning sunlight. "It feels like a beautiful day is about to start. I think I'll sneak in some coffee and stir things up a little."

"We didn't bring coffee," I informed her, narrowing my eyes in suspicion. Did she find something else in the kitchen that I don't know about?

"I know, but Justin sent some! And it'd be a shame to let it go to waste!"

I growled at that idea, as did Daniel. That traitor. I knew I should have checked those bags. I bet it was in the one with the strong-smelling spices. On the way back, I'm leaving Nicky and that blasted bag of coffee at their Stronghold! They won't be so worried about Daniel after that.

"No coffee," Nina quickly interjected, shaking her head rapidly at the mere thought of such a disaster. "We're peaceful travelers trying to prevent the third wave, not attempting world domination."

Nicky glanced over her shoulder and grinned at Nina. "You know, if you think about it, between the four of us, our group probably has the best chance of taking over the world. The only problem is that I'm kind of handicapped without caffeine."

"Well, now is your chance to give her an espresso like you were thinking," I told Daniel.

Nina's head whipped toward Daniel with an incredulous expression. "You thought what?"

I wasn't aware Nina's voice could go so high. I could get him in deep shit at this rate. Excellent. I managed to keep my slightly annoyed poker face in place despite feeling something akin to mirth, although such a feeling certainly couldn't belong to me.

Daniel growled a sharp reprimand and flashed a canine at me, although I just smirked in response, hiding how the threat made my instincts back down.

He shook his head and clarified, "I asked Trinity if she would tell me about the soap and tomato juice. And she said Nicky would show me if I let Nicky color my jacket and then wore everything she colored before giving her three espressos."