The Virus Within: Secrets Unraveled (Book 5)

Ch 24: Tired Of Being Outranked

Camouflaging my eyes, I darted into the undergrowth soundlessly, quickly replicating a few trail-breaking tricks I'd been torturing Regan with earlier. I didn't have much time, so they were very sloppy, but considering the zombie hadn't caught up yet, they must have been effective enough against a feral.

I circled around to locate my sickle. It had some blood on it and was easy enough to locate in a shrub. With my favorite weapon in hand, I began stalking the zombie. The growls were easy to track to the spot where I had doubled back and jumped into the branches above. This zombie might not mind jumping up, but he didn't seem to realize his prey might have left the ground.

A shift in the shadows beyond the zombie alerted me to Regan's presence. Since the zombie's back was turned to me, I let my eyes glow momentarily to flag my location. His head turned in my direction briefly in acknowledgment before turning back to the zombie circling the same spot over and over.

With backup now present, but not entirely aware of the situation, I crept closer to the zombie while staying downwind. He was oblivious to my presence as I waited for him to pass by.

I tensed as he circled closer, and as he went by, I launched out of the shrub as silently as I could, swinging the sickle in front of his neck before I collided with his back. The impact sent him stumbling forward as I sliced the blade through the flesh until metal grated on bone.

He twisted and threw me off before I could find a gap between the vertebrae. Even as he turned to pounce on me, a shadow slammed into him, giving me time to regain my feet and slip into the foliage. Regan slammed his dagger hilt into the zombie's head with about as much success as I'd had.

The shock made Regan pause for a second, and that was one second too long with something as fast as this zombie. I had already expected that outcome and was careening toward the zombie's legs. Nightstalkers might not mind rolling around on the ground, but Terrors preferred to have their feet under them, and this zombie seemed to be following that inclination.

When I slammed into the zombie's legs, he released Regan as he fell, already twisting around to deal with me. Regan used the distraction to jump into the branches above, not realizing that tactic wouldn't stop this particular foe.

"This one will jump up and climb!" I warned him.

I rolled behind a shrub and got to my knees, unsure if the zombie had seen where I went. As I peeked through the leaves, I threw myself to the side to avoid his lunge. The zombie plowed through the branches and hit the spot I had just vacated.

His blood drenched his shirt and splattered the nearby leaves and ground. The metallic tang saturated the air. His strength and speed would ebb as he bled out. I just had to stay out of his reach until then.

I could already see the difference as he struggled to his feet. A dagger flew out of the canopy like a javelin as it slammed into the zombie's back. He cast about trying to reach the new "attacker", his motions only serving to twist the dagger and delay him. The blood trickling out of his neck flowed in time with his heartbeat.

I slipped into the greenery and watched from hiding as the zombie's movements grew slower and slower. Even Regan waited patiently on the branches above, perhaps making sure he didn't underestimate our foe again.

After flashing my eyes to catch Regan's attention, I tossed my belt knife to him and picked up a fist-sized rock. I walked out of the shrubs, and as the zombie's head turned toward me, I whipped the rock at him. It struck just above his eyes with a crack and made the zombie stumble and blink in dazed confusion.

Regan dropped out of the branches above and knocked him to the ground as easily as if he were a Runner. He immediately pressed the belt knife against the back of the neck and stomped on it before twisting it the rest of the way through.

The body went limp as Regan kicked the head away. He stepped away from the body, fastidiously avoiding the smears of blood on the ground. I'd have to collect some of the blood for Nina once Regan left.

"That zombie was faster than I expected," he commented as his gaze moved to my shoulder.

"Tell me about it. I'm getting very tired of being outranked," I grumbled as I twisted my head to examine the four long slashes on my hoodie. When I lifted the material on the outer edge of my shoulder, it was sticky with blood.

With a sigh, I removed my backpack and pulled my hoodie off to get a better look at the damage. I rolled the t-shirt sleeve up to reveal four shallow gashes about as long as my finger. Regan took a few steps closer; his not-quite-familiar presence wasn't entirely welcome after such a fight.

"It almost looks like I lost a First Strike match." I shrugged and dismissed the minor scratches. "Nothing some doctoring won't fix in a couple of days."

"I still proclaim we won the battle," Regan said, pointedly glancing at the dead zombie. He handed back my belt knife. "If you wish to hunt, I can check the area and return to tracking your trail."

I smirked slightly. "Did you take a wrong turn on one of those double-back spots?"

His cloak flared slightly as he turned and began walking through the shrubs. "I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, or you would have still been in the western part of the forest."

That would have been where I joined my new trail to an older trail and used herbs to amplify my scent there so he couldn't tell which was fresher.

"I recommend checking the spot I crossed six times," I said helpfully, keeping a straight face despite my amusement.

"Thank you. And if it helps, there was a bear not far from the dried-up watering hole."

"I think I shall have to pay it a visit," I murmured as I collected my hoodie.

After that, I'd have to track down Regan and see how vigilant he was while he tried to decipher my trail and what I had done to it.