The Virus Within: The Road Ahead (Book 1 - SERIES COMPLETED!)

Chapter 3

As much as I enjoyed the warmth of the sun, I loved the cool air during the nighttime. That was also when I could finally take off my sunglasses. Nightstalkers were built for the night, and our night vision was unparalleled. My sight always had a red tint, although it became more noticeable if I got irritated or mad, which wasn't exactly a rare occurrence. Volatile might be a better term.

I stood in the shadow of a large tree and simply enjoyed the scenery. This was the closest I could come to truly relaxing with the zombie virus running through my veins and putting a short fuse on my temper.

I took a deep breath of the cool air as scents assaulted my nose. My sense of smell was keener than any bloodhound's; I could identify at least thirty different kinds of plants on the breeze. The creek had a cool aroma that dampened the air and allowed scents to travel even farther.

I could both hear and smell the mice hidden in the long grass, but they didn't have enough blood to be worth the effort of hunting. The scents of other warm-blooded creatures drifted on the air, such as the grassy tang of rabbits, the heavy musk of a fox, the pungent odor of a weasel, and the light redolence of game birds.

The woodsy scent of a deer brought my deliberation of the menu to a close. A deer would tide me over for three or four days before I would have to hunt again. Chloe would appreciate a new bone as well.

I turned and disappeared into the underbrush, becoming just another shadow in the night as I tracked its scent. I eased around numerous low-hanging branches, ensuring I moved in such a way that my backpack and braided waist-long hair didn't catch on any twigs or brush against the leaves. My passage barely made even the slightest whisper of noise.

I stealthily approached the sleeping deer and regarded it. My instincts rang with bloodlust and the desire to attack, but my human heart didn't like to see creatures suffer. I always made my kills as quick and painless as possible.

With one last sniff to ensure nothing unusual was in the immediate area, I crouched down and sprang at the sleeping doe. With a solid blow and a quick twist of its neck, I shattered the spinal cord, instantly killing it. The virus had altered my body, making it a honed and deadly weapon.

My belt knife shaved some fur off its neck before cutting through the hide and meat to finally slice into the huge artery. I knelt on the ground as I drank the blood that flowed out of the wound. I resisted the instincts that called for me to bite into the raw meat and enjoy the flavor, rich with the animal's own body heat. Raw meat was just as dangerous as human blood.

Ironically enough, animal blood allowed me to remain in control and keep my Nightstalker instincts in check, whereas raw meat, human blood, and human flesh would reduce me to an out-of-control zombie. If I lost control, I would become just another feral with no hope of recovery.

Far too many other zombies gave into their cravings when they first turned, either not realizing the danger or during a lapse in control. By then, it was too late, and they numbered among the mindless horde. The regular zombies never had a chance at sanity, but all the other ranks did. Most Runners had serious problems with control and went feral within days or weeks.

I had only met four other Nightstalkers. Two had been sane and had been traveling together. Two had lost their minds to bloodlust; one of which I had ended up killing when he kept trying to attack me. The odds didn't reassure me, so I was always careful to hunt as often as I needed to.

Part of my mind disliked the thought of drinking blood, but after doing this for six months, I was mostly over it. The virus itself also had a hand in altering my thoughts, making it far too easy to accept this fact. It tasted delicious.

When I finished, I used my knife to carve the best slabs of meat off the deer. There was no way I could eat all of it. I didn't eat much in the way of solid food to start with, but I would cook, dry, or smoke the best stuff if I could find a decent place to camp.