The Virus Within: Secrets Unraveled (Book 5)

Ch 32: Triggers Slipping

Half an hour later, all of the zombies resided in the canal downstream, where they slowly drifted away to recover from their head wounds. A few pileups and blockages were already forming, but I wasn't particularly worried since live zombies would disturb the floating piles when trying to climb out.

"Do you mind watching things for a couple of hours?" I asked Daniel when Wren reported that the town didn't have as many zombies as usual, and none of them were faster than a Runner.

He nodded. "I'll collect some wood along the southern forest for the truck and run a few laps."

"Do you want a lift somewhere?" Wren offered hopefully, as if trying to make up for not helping with the zombies.

"Northern forest, if possible."

I really needed some time away from people. A nap wouldn't go amiss either. If another horde magically appeared out of the forest, Daniel could deal with it.

~

Trent examined a vial of liquid. "To confirm, it only takes a milliliter to work?"

"Yes, that's the minimum," Nina said. "We usually give sane zombies more, but that will be enough controlex to remove the majority of their bloodlust."

Wren looked longingly at the vial from beside the dune buggy. Jax stood near her, either keeping his distance from us or lending Wren his support. It was only mid-afternoon, so she was still troubled by her earlier reactions. I suspected her sense of smell had returned once or twice for a few fleeting seconds.

Trent gently put the vial back in the case alongside at least fifty others. "Thank you. I'll get my van started and head for those cities. I'm not sure how soon I'll run out, but I'll come back for more when I do."

"Thank you so much for doing this," Nina told him, passing the Runner a plastic bag of syringes and a larger bag that smelled like fresh bread and jerky.

While he investigated the contents, Wren asked, "Did the other serum work?"

"I was able to create the same type they used on you, but it needs to be tweaked since I tried it in eight of your blood samples and it created six different trigger variations."

Her shoulders slumped. "How long will that take?"

"I'm not sure. I'm just finishing the notes and starting to test things now. If you happen to locate regular zombies trapped in houses that have likely never been outside to prey on animals or humans, please note their locations."

Wren nodded slowly, scuffing her shoe in the dirt, looking anywhere but at us. Even Nina took the silent hint that she didn't want to talk at the moment.

Trent said his goodbyes and got a couple of clarifications from Nicky about her color-coded map. As he picked up the case of controlex and the other bags, Wren offered him a lift back to his van, which he gratefully accepted.

Jax let Trent have the passenger seat and hopped on the back without the faintest limp or favoring of his leg. The arrow wound was likely just a fading scar.

As they left, I asked Daniel, "Do you have any ideas for stopping future hordes? The Stronghold held its own once we removed the screamers, but it isn't exactly ideal. They just plowed through my lousy excuse of a fence."

He scratched his head. "You probably won't like my best suggestion."

I regarded him levelly. "Putting Nicky in the back of the truck and using her as bait as I drive through town a couple times a day?"

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Since when do you use me as bait?"

Daniel ignored her. "They only seem to be coming from the south. We could dig a waist-deep trench and put a small fence above it. That would funnel zombies into the canal. The screamers usually aren't the most coordinated bunch around."