The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 9

I watched as Ben headed toward the bathroom. I turned to Hank, "The longer we sit here, the more our scent is ingrained into the building. How about you let me out so I can go check for a car that runs?"

He shook his head without even considering the matter. He must be smart enough to know that chances of finding a working vehicle were slim to none. I sighed as my temper went downhill, "Okay, how about I undo that twist and you can do it up once I am outside?"

He narrowed his eyes at me and got up. For a moment I thought he was about to let me out, but he simply sat in front of the doors. Blocking any attempt I might make. I gritted my teeth to keep from snarling at him. My mood was already pretty bad from the growing bloodlust and I knew it was just going to get worse as the day wore on.

Ben came back and frowned at Hank, "Why are you sitting there?"

Hank glanced over at me as I fumed in my usual spot. "She was intending to leave. She seemed pretty certain that she could undo what I did to secure the door."

Ben looked at me in irritation, "What is with you? Just stay inside, we aren't that bad."

I turned my head to glare at him, "I would rather entertain a zombie than be stuck in here with you."

Ben gritted his teeth as he turned to me. He was obviously ready to take out his anger on me, but Hank gently kicked him in the ankle from where he sat, "Let her be. I know she is feeling cooped up and I suspect she has problems with claustrophobia."

That surprised me. I had never thought that Hank might attempt to defend me, especially when I was in such a rotten mood. Ben visibly fought with himself to prevent from lashing out verbally before he stormed off. I remained silent as I sat where I was.

Ben returned an hour later, although he didn't speak to me. If he thought giving me the cold shoulder was going to bother me, he was mistaken. I enjoyed his sullen silence. It was getting extremely hard to remain patient with Liz, who was innocently naive about the mood around us. Chloe wasn't fooled and gave me more space than she usually did.

I hope that someone drives by so we can get to a Stronghold today. Then I can leave. My hopes were unanswered though. I had been listening carefully for any hint of a motor with no success. No travelers were out and about today.

The sun started dipping below the horizon. This wasn't good. My control was getting shaky and once my Nightstalker instincts got stronger there was a good chance I would lose control with so many humans so close to me. The bloodlust and heat in my veins was a constant burning presence.

I had tried several times throughout the day to get them to let me go out, to no avail. At this point, I only had two choices left and I wasn't fond of either of them. I got to my feet and put my backpack on. Ben narrowed his eyes at me, "And just where do you think you are going?"

I didn't answer and Hank got to his feet as he stood in front of the door. Ben jumped over the display and stood beside Hank with his hand on his knife. I stopped in front of them, "Move. I am going out." My no-nonsense tone clearly said that I wasn't going to compromise. I was done playing politely by their human rules.

Hank frowned, "Go to sleep. Morning will come soon enough."

I gazed steadily at him, refusing to back down, "Not soon enough. I have to go out."

Ben shook his head, "It is getting dark out already. It is too dangerous." For humans, going out at night was a suicide mission. They just didn't know that I didn't fit into that category.

I gritted my teeth and my voice practically growled, "Move."

Hank examined me, "You would have to give us an extremely good reason considering that zombies could follow you back." He seemed to realize that something wasn't adding up. Normal humans never wanted to go outside at night.

My voice was cool and clipped, "I would rather kill a deer as opposed to one of you." A bit dramatic, but it was true.

Ben snorted, "There is canned meat over in that aisle. Get away from the door."

The others were watching in confusion, possibly wondering if I was losing my mind. They may hate me after this, but at least they would be alive. I reached up to pull off my sunglasses and opened up my eyes. My red-hazed vision was no longer hampered by the tint of the sunglasses and it was dark enough that I could open my eyes without too much pain. The two in front of me froze in complete shock. My eyes would be glowing red at this point with the bloodlust raging in my veins.

I blinked slowly at them. My voice was rough, "Move. I am not joking when I say that I need to go out."

I waited where I was. Oddly enough, my Nightstalker instincts had the ability to wait patiently in certain circumstances. Faced with two humans who had just realized that I wasn't human, my patience was endless as I watched their reaction from the viewpoint of a top predator about to go on a hunt. They took slow steps to the side. I walked forward and with three twists the metal bucket handle was undone.

The others hadn't been able to see my eyes from their angle. Nicky was confused, "Why are you letting her out now? She could get killed out there!" Neither of the men answered her, they were possibly still in shock. I tossed the piece of metal to Hank as I opened the door. I paused, "You can decide whether or not you want to let me back in later on. I will knock, if you open the door, fine. If not, I will remain outside."

I left and put my sunglasses back on. I glanced back and both men still wore shocked expressions as they watched me. The five zombies on the street headed toward me and I started jogging like a human as I lured them down the street and away from the humans. Once we were well away from town I picked up speed and entered the forest while testing the air.

I wanted blood. I was in no mood for a mere rabbit either. A sharp tang in the air guided me to a more substantial meal. It had been a long time since I had come across an elk. I attacked it so fast that it had no clue that it was actually in danger. I drained its blood and relished the warm taste. My mood noticeably improved even though my Nightstalker instincts were truly awake since the sun had set.

I raised my head to the moon and let out a Nightstalker shriek that echoed throughout the night. Much like a victory cry, it was an announcement to the world that a Nightstalker ruled this part of the forest. I rarely had engaged in such sound effects in the past, but the feral Nightstalkers often let loose such cries once or twice a night. The large feed after going thirsty for so long in combination with the full moon was triggering such instincts.

It was somewhat like a cougar's nighttime scream. It would make any animal within hearing a bit uneasy for a day or two, and probably scare any human who heard it. I doubted that those in the grocery store would have heard it. I was a long way away from the town.

I started running through the forest until I found the road. I followed it for several hours at a jogging pace before turning back. Lots of tracks and broken sticks showed that this road was frequently used, but I hadn't seen any sign of a Stronghold. My run had covered enough ground that it would take the humans all day to walk that far.

Chances of me getting them to attempt walking again were slim. I returned to the small town. I checked each vehicle for keys and I tried to start those that had keys with no luck. I tapped the gas tanks, but all had been drained and echoed back hollowly at me.

I headed for the residential section. I saw a large 4x4 jacked up truck in a driveway. A quick tap on the gas tank showed that this truck actually had gas in it. It almost surprised me since all the others had been empty. The keys weren't inside the truck, but were likely in the house.

I tried the door knob, but it was locked. A quick sniff told me that no humans or zombies hid inside. I took a step back before giving the door a powerful kick. The doorframe by the lock splintered as the wood gave way, allowing the badly damaged door to swing open.

With a huff I walked inside while glancing around. There was a key hanger with several sets of keys on the wall right in the hallway. I pressed the remotes until I heard the truck unlock. I took that set of keys and stuck them in my pocket. I remembered my ride in the back of the truck and headed down the hallway. The second bedroom had a bed of the proper size. I grabbed the mattress and blankets and hauled them out into the back of the truck.

I jumped into the driver's seat and twisted the key in the ignition. The truck gave a deafening roar as it came to life after its long hibernation. I backed out of the driveway and headed back to the store.