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

Chapter 26

We stopped for lunch and got out of the truck. I welcomed the return of my personal space, and from how Daniel moved to the side, I suspected he did too. He didn't seem to mind Nina, but no one else had been immune to his scrutiny.

Tom started a fire so we could have a hot meal, presumably more soup. This would be a good chance to go hunting since I hadn't left the cottage last night. It might even help level out my mood, although that was doubtful.

I inhaled deeply, picking up the scent of a small flock of partridge. It wouldn't take long for them to roast, and the meat would tide the group over until dinner as it was more filling than just soup.

"There is a flock of partridges nearby. It shouldn't take me more than ten minutes to catch most of them if you want."

Tom looked up in surprise, then glanced at Marissa, who said, "If you could, that'd be great. It's been a while since we had any kind of poultry that didn't come from a can."

It was also a good excuse to get away from them for a while. Entering the trees, I easily traced the scent of the flock through the forest and snuck closer to them. It would have been much easier if it was night, so I would have to plan my attack carefully. Chasing down flighty birds wasn't something I was particularly fond of.

I came up behind the flock and drew my sickle. It would give me the edge I needed to take down so many birds. I waited motionlessly until most had their heads down to feed, then darted out at full speed, targeting the closest partridge first.

The surviving flock members burst into flight, scattering in all directions. I raced after them with my Nightstalker speed and caught a few more before they were flying higher than I could reach.

In the end, I managed to behead a dozen birds while eight escaped. It hadn't even taken me a full fifteen minutes to complete this hunt.

I quickly cleaned the carcasses and headed back. As I neared the group, I took a deep breath and took note of a few familiar scents drifting on the air.

When I reached the group, I passed the small birds to Marissa, who cut them into pieces and put them in a frying pan. My Nightstalker instincts shifted as the scents grew stronger.

I subtly scanned the tree line as the faint smell once more reached me on the barely noticeable breeze. They had to be nearby. Daniel looked relaxed, so he must not have picked up their scent yet.

I left my backpack by the truck and casually headed back toward the trees. A few people watched me go but made no comment. Once I entered the trees, I switched to my soundless Nightstalker crouch and crept through the shrubs beside the road. Farther ahead, I could see the familiar Nightstalker woman peering through the foliage as she examined the group having lunch up the road.

The wind was in my favor, and I bared my teeth in a silent grin as I slowly stalked up behind her. I was mere feet away before she took a sudden, deeper breath of air. She started to turn, and I launched myself at her with a snarl.

We rolled out of the shrubs and onto the grass as our snarls echoed around us. I heard the others shouting in alarm up the road. Chloe gave two barks and then fell silent, likely racing the other way to hide in the forest. Again.

I grabbed Kelly's shoulder and pulled her to the side, letting me roll over and put my back against the ground where I had more leverage and was less likely to be thrown off. I was careful to keep my nails from breaking her skin as we tussled, growled, and snarled at each other.

To the others, it would probably look like a fierce dogfight, but in reality, this was just a rough wrestling match between old friends. Neither of us was doing any damage to the other as we kept rolling around on the grass.