The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 67

I froze, barely even breathing as the zombie turned his head side to side in the same fashion as someone with poor eyesight searching for their glasses. He took a few steps back the way he came, trying to find where all these things were coming from.

Instead of chasing one or two, he wanted to locate the rock herd before they raced past him. I mentally berated myself for not keeping to the trees, although I was to the side and not close to where he was currently headed.

It hadn't occurred to me that this zombie would get tired of chasing something that moved. Feral Runners never did, although Runners wouldn't chase rocks. I didn't like this thing's ability to learn.

"I have an idea," Daniel called down.

Now I wasn't sure whether to be worried or curious. Nor did I dare turn my head to see what he was doing since our motion-detector friend would spot me.

The sound of clothing hitting leaves matched Daniel's suddenly rapid footsteps, along with the crackling and clunking of loose rocks rolling down the side of the ravine.

Our cloudy-eyed friend had been facing that direction, and of course, immediately noticed Daniel. With an ear-piercing shriek, the zombie gave chase. I rubbed one of my ears and stared after it, taken aback by the completely foreign sound that was clearly some sort of hunting cry.

With a quick shake of my head, I ran after the two. Now that I didn't have to worry about our quarry turning around or slowing down, I could tell he wasn't quite as fast as me. Daniel slowly pulled ahead, although the soft dirt and loose rocks kept giving way under his feet and sliding down the embankment.

Suddenly, a large section of dirt gave way in a miniature landslide. Instead of sliding with it or grabbing onto a tree, Daniel jumped farther out, landing near the creek. Rocks rolled under his shoes, although he kept his balance with no apparent effort.

The zombie ahead tried to run faster as his target suffered a setback. Daniel spared him a glance, flashed his eyes a bright, glowing red – which had no effect – and then continued leading him down the ravine.

In the distance, I could now see the regular zombie we wanted to introduce our friend to. I slowed down and slipped into the trees growing on the side of the ravine. The regular zombie began its shuffling jog toward us, not sure what was going on, but eager for a meal since some sort of hunt was underway.

Daniel put on an impressive burst of speed, passed the regular zombie, then ducked behind a tree and stopped. The regular zombie was now the only thing moving.

The cloudy-eyed zombie crashed into it with an aggressive tackle, sending both of them to the ground. The regular zombie's growls immediately morphed into snarls as his attacker bit into his arms and shoulders, tearing away chunks of flesh that it chewed once, then spit out, before going for another bite.

I stared in disbelief at the gruesome – and very, very wrong – scene unfolding in front of me. Zombies didn't attack other zombies like this. Not only did the rules prevent it, but even if a zombie bit another, which was very rare, the attack always stopped since the taste of zombie blood was off-putting, being neither animal nor human.

This thing was practically rabid.

"Is there a chance this thing has some sort of disease?" I asked Daniel, who was looking out from behind the tree with an appalled expression.

"I didn't smell any sort of illness or disease."

"I can't pick anything up either. Just that it's not a normal rank. And I've never seen a feral do this before."

"In that case, I think it's time we put this guy to sleep. I feel bad for the zombie he's attacking."

I stepped out of the trees and threw my crowbar with a decent amount of force. With a sharp crack, it slammed into the insane zombie's head, and he collapsed on top of the other zombie. I walked over and rolled him off, allowing the normal zombie to free himself.