The Virus Within: Secrets Unraveled (Book 5)

Ch 26: Unexpected Arrival

I dropped a roll of wire mesh outside the lab door as Nicky blinked sleepily at me from her bean bag nest.

She stretched, yawned, and bounced to her feet, shaking her head as she tried to wake up from her nap. "You missed it. I almost hit Daniel with an elastic. Did you happen to see where he hid my rubber ducky?"

"I'm sure it will appear once he's done with it."

"That's the part that worries me, but anyway, what brings you back inside before nightfall?"

"A bear with cubs just toasted two of Wren and Jax's live traps," I said as I pulled wire cutters and a bag of metal clips out of my backpack and set them on top of the wire. "I'll scare them off later tonight, but if Daniel gets bored, I'm sure he can build a few live traps."

The door on the shed beside the lab opened and Daniel came out. "The wire looks sturdy enough for rabbit traps. I'd need a frame for something capable of catching a fox though."

"There's more rabbits around than foxes," I replied with a shrug.

Nicky went inside the lab and came out with a dark grey hoodie, tossing it at me. "Here. Don't lose this one, 'cause I can't find any more like it."

"Tell the zombies that," I muttered as I pulled the hoodie on. "The number of unranked Nightstalkers showing up seems strange. Those ferals would have set up territories in the city years ago, but after being hit with that serum, they don't seem content to remain where they were."

"That's a good point," Daniel said. "Even the one that overran a Stronghold had left before the bodies were eaten."

"So these things will just keep traveling? Fantastic," Nicky muttered. She glanced at me. "How many Nightstalkers do you think might have been in the city when it was sprayed?"

I shrugged. "It's a city with tons of hiding places and skyscrapers in the middle of a scrubland with no caves. Any that found it would have moved in, so probably a handful."

Nina's voice floated out of the shed. "The serum will eventually wear off, but it will take months. I'll know more when some tests finish."

"Two unranked wandered into the town today, so I'll try to keep an eye on the southern forest tonight and hope they don't wander over while I patrol elsewhere."

My patrols could be interesting. Regan was currently trying to conceal his trail, so once the sun set, it would be my turn to find him between patrols. I was actually looking forward to seeing how much he had learned while tracking me and if he knew any tricks I didn't.

~

I crept through the underbrush downwind of Regan's trail in case he had left any traps. It had taken me a while to get this far and the moon was shedding enough light that I had to be careful where I went.

Regan had been practicing every technique I'd left clues for and seemed to be particularly fond of crossing over his previous trail a dozen times. Picking apart recent trails was a challenge, especially once he brought plants into the equation.

I went slowly, keeping a close eye on my surroundings since I knew Regan was somewhere out here, probably waiting to return the favor and ambush me. The scent seemed to shift in the air, as if coming from a different source, and I stopped, checking the trees around me.

Ahead, there was a dark shape about forty feet up a tree, barely noticeable against the trunk due to how his cloak concealed his silhouette. His hood was down as he scanned a different section of the forest. I debated throwing a rock at him but decided to prove I found him before he noticed me.