The Virus Within: Secrets Unraveled (Book 5)

Ch 27: The Runner Returns

His absence would also delay my trip to Yersin Stronghold, and I certainly wasn't about to complain about that.

"Do you need a couple of rabbit traps?" Daniel asked Trent. "I made a dozen last night, so we have extras."

"I've got two in the van, but I wouldn't mind another one, just in case." The way his eyes lingered on the traps hinted at a recent occasion where he hadn't been able to trap prey as frequently as he would have liked.

Wren must have noticed the same thing. "If you're hungry, we have a couple of traps set up, and one is bound to have caught something by now."

"Thanks, but I ate this morning."

"I'd offer you a room in the trailer we're staying in, but we're already using both beds," Wren said, shrugging apologetically.

He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the van. "This is actually set up to sleep in. Mind if I park it nearby? I can go inside Strongholds, but I'm...not quite used to having so many people around."

"Certainly! We're staying in a trailer to the north. If we can fit all those live traps in your van, we can show you the way and let Daniel check on those Strongholds."

It didn't take long to transfer to cages into the van and for Wren to speed off on the dune buggy as Trent tried to catch up.

"Those three seem to get along well," Daniel commented.

"They did last time too. Runners are fairly social, and after having Regan and me haunting the area, another Runner probably feels like a breath of fresh air. Where exactly are you going today?"

"I'm going to head east and check on all the remaining Strongholds between Kennewick and Graydon Stronghold. There's only a handful of inhabited places in this state, and we stopped at almost all of them during our earlier travels, so they'll recognize me. I'll be back before sunset."

Nicky rolled her eyes. "We've heard that before."

Daniel shrugged. "If I'm late, I'm late. This trip will let me check if any higher-ranked ferals have come north, and if so, I'll track them down. I'm also using these stops to check for the lab assistants, but so far, there's no sign of them, and none of the radio towers have had a similar group pass through."

I frowned at the reminder of the missing group who might have notes on how to make the serum. "When I go back to that Stronghold, I'll check to see if the flipped vehicles near the gate have any science stuff inside."

A briefcase of old notes had started this entire mess, and now that I knew more, I'd be searching that Stronghold far more thoroughly. Assuming Mr. Hair-Sniffer left me in peace. Perhaps I could drive a deer ahead of me into the Stronghold to keep him occupied.

Daniel glanced at the path the others had driven down. "I think those three will be distracted for a while. Mind keeping an eye on things?"

"I guess. Once Jax and Wren resume their patrols, I'll start building that cage."

~

"—a hundred ways to build a cage, to build a cage, to build a cage," Nicky sang, so off-key I couldn't even tell what the original song might have been.

"Here." I tossed a roll of duct tape to Nicky.

She blinked at it in confusion. "That's not strong enough to stop a Runner or a Nightstalker."

"Think outside the box," I advised her.

Nicky stuck the roll of tape over her wrist and regarded it contemplatively while she fastened another bolt. Trent and I were graced with silence for almost two entire minutes.