The Virus Within: Secrets Unraveled (Book 5)

Ch 14: Ambush

He meticulously cleaned his dagger. "It was silent. A sword may seem more effective, but the sort of swing required to sever the neck also creates a wind whistle, which makes it impractical against a Nightstalker." He frowned at the dead zombie. "Or anything faster."

I slid my sickle and belt knife back into their sheathes. "I'll check if there are any spare sickles in the Stronghold. If the blacksmith doesn't have one, they'll probably make one, especially once they hear of Daniel's tentative plans to ask you, Jax, and Wren to guard this place while we go to the Stronghold those survivors mentioned."

He frowned slightly. "Both of you would leave while your friends are here?"

"Only if you agreed to protect the Stronghold in our absence. Jax and Wren can run patrols, but they wouldn't be able to fight something like that." I jerked my chin at the fallen zombie.

"And if I declined?"

I shrugged. "That's your choice. I would remain behind, and Daniel would either invite you along or go alone. It wouldn't be the first time. We just have different specialties on those sorts of trips."

"I will consider it," he eventually said.

Changing the topic, I said, "I think I better check the area in case more unranked have come closer to the Stronghold."

"I can assist with that." A corner of his lip quirked up. "Perhaps we can have another game of hide and seek after."

I bared my teeth in a grin. "That can be arranged."

Regan probably knew a few tricks I didn't, and now that he understood the game, things could get more interesting.

~

The dune buggy sped up, reaching Regan and me shortly before Daniel and Nicky reached us. Daniel must have figured Nicky needed a walk since they hadn't brought the truck. Wren and Jax stopped to the side, sending uneasy glances at the Nightstalker standing near me.

"Were you two chasing a flock of owls around all night?" Nicky asked. "The guards are currently quite convinced the forest is haunted."

"I didn't see any owls, but we did have a run-in with an unranked Nightstalker," I replied.

"We heard that too." Walking toward Regan, she said, "Here's a grain sickle. The locals don't like it because it's the heaviest one in the barn, but that shouldn't be an issue for you." She held out the dark grey blade that was at least twice as thick as mine, ironically ideal for its new purpose.

His head turned in my direction. "I do not recall your trails returning to the Stronghold."

"Radio," I replied serenely. "I figured Daniel needed an update after hearing the fight."

Regan accepted the weapon and spun it in his hands a few times. "Thank you."

Nicky grinned cheerfully at him. "Considering Trinity and Daniel might both be leaving, I'm sure you'll need as much help as you can get. Although if Trinity's bad luck follows her, we'll have a quiet day, and those two will have a trip through hell."

I leveled a glare at the redhead as Jax and Wren exchanged a look.

"Did Trinity mention our possible plans?" Daniel asked.

Regan nodded. "You are going to visit the Stronghold that the survivors mentioned?"

"Yes. I could go alone, but Trinity sometimes notices things I don't. And two pairs of eyes are better than one on a trip like this. If you are willing to keep an eye on things here, she can accompany me."

After a few moments, Regan said, "Since you seem to feel her presence is important, I can guard this place if the other two wish to do frequent patrols."

Jax cautiously nodded his agreement, and Daniel ignored the subtle request for more details. Regan must not have been aware that a Nightstalker's sense of smell trumped a Terror's. Even after all these years, only a handful of people were aware of that fact.

Although I had expected Regan's answer, I sighed. "Another road trip. Just grand."

Nicky patted my shoulder in commiseration, the action at complete odds with her wide grin. "If you get bored, just tell Daniel to hit the horn a few times to see if any zombies decide to follow you."

"I'm not doing that again," Daniel informed her.

"Oh, you mean I missed it? Drat." With a theatrical sigh, she told me, "Well, just try your best to keep him out of trouble."

"Daniel is the least of my worries," I muttered. "And just so you know, your job got harder. The unranked feral we took down last night climbed a tree more easily than most Runners, so simply climbing a ladder might not be enough."

"In that case, I'll grab a few weapons out of the truck before you leave, but if those zombies decide to start flying around, we're really going to need a new backup plan."

I didn't bother replying. The way this trip was going, flying zombies were a feasible possibility, especially if Regan tackled them as hard as the zombie that showed up just before dawn.

"We should be back by nightfall," Daniel said.

"Translation: be vigilant around high noon," Nicky said. "Although if things get too boring, I can always keep everyone entertained."

"I'm going to box your ears at this rate," I told her. "Did you come all the way out here just to cause mischief?"

"No. Um, yes? Maybe?" She shrugged. "One of those answers."

I sighed and turned to Regan. "You have my full permission to tie her up if she gets too rowdy."

"Hey!" Nicky exclaimed. "That's not fair! He probably knows how to tie a proper knot!"

Regan regarded her with an unreadable expression.

"Stay out of trouble," I said. "I hid a comic book under your bean bag chair to keep you entertained."

"Thanks! That might buy them three or four hours of quiet time."

That didn't reassure me. Many people claimed silence was golden, but when Nicky was around, it meant she was either happily preoccupied or getting into more mischief than an entire preschool class left unsupervised with permanent felt markers.

Nicky held up a baseball-sized ball of paperclips. "Did you see what he did to my rubber duck?"

"Are you sure it's in there?" I asked. "He might have hidden it elsewhere."

She threw the ball at her feet, and it squeaked when it hit the ground. "Quite sure. And the paperclips are so tightly interlocked, I'll probably have to cut some to get it out."

Daniel shrugged unrepentantly. "It gave me something to do, and getting it out will help you pass the time. If you get bored, you can build another trap for when I return. Besides, you haven't worked on that rainbow shirt in two days. I checked it this morning. Also remember that you're supposed to be keeping an eye on Nina while we're gone." Ignoring Nicky's slow, disbelieving blink, he told the others, "Thank you for your help. Is there anything you need or do you have any questions before we go?"

"I want to grab a shower before we leave," I told Daniel. Bits of leaf litter were undoubtedly still stuck in my hair after four wrestling matches, two of which I had lost. A change of clothes wouldn't go amiss either.

"Have a safe trip," Wren quietly said.

"Thanks. I don't think we'll have too many problems," Daniel said.

As he began walking back to the Stronghold, I followed and sarcastically muttered, "We're about to drive for hours on end to interrogate a Stronghold about mad scientists they might have seen over a month ago. What could possibly go wrong?"

Nicky snickered as she skipped along, tossing the paperclip ball from hand to hand.