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

Chapter 50

The person guarding the gate looked surprised to see me going out on foot, but after one glance at my expression, he opened the gate before I got there. I held myself to a fast walk as my temper bubbled like a hot pot on a stove. Something was going to die today.

I headed in the familiar direction of the rabbit traps since none of Ironwind's residents would be in that area. The only one who'd enter that part of the forest would be Daniel. As it was, he'd probably come check on me before too long, even if it was just to ensure my control wasn't at the point where people were in danger.

It was a bit of a walk, but I reached the edge of the forest within fifteen minutes. I struck out at the trees in my rage, leaving deep claw marks in the bark. Using my good leg, I kicked a dead tree down before proceeding to pummel it into several pieces.

Sniffing the air, I paused and growled faintly. I abandoned the partially dismembered tree and stalked deeper into the forest as I tracked the source of the heavy scent. The rabbit had likely died of a heart attack, but the small black bear was still trying to break into the live trap.

Killing a bear would do a lot more for my temper than shredding a tree. It was oblivious to my presence as I crept closer. I bared my teeth in a silent snarl before launching myself onto its back. It reared back in surprise and tried to run, but I had a good grip on its fur.

Grabbing its neck, I gave a hard twist, and a snap echoed dully around us as the bear beneath me collapsed into the leaf litter.

The hot blood was welcome. It had been a long time since I had hunted a bear, and it was a refreshing change. It was also a lot of blood, especially when I had been hunting daily. I drank as much as I could and doctored my leg with the bit I couldn't force down. Nina didn't seem inclined to check it again, but I still wanted it healed as soon as possible.

I left the carcass where it was. I wasn't going to haul that around, especially when the wound on my back still throbbed. The gentle breeze brought me traces of Daniel's scent. He was likely running a much wider perimeter to double-check if I was still inside this section of forest.

Even though shredding the tree and draining the bear had mostly appeased my temper, I still had zero desire to deal with the Terror. My instincts tried to prod me to go in a certain direction, and partly out of curiosity, I followed them since they sometimes picked up more than I consciously realized. I had just hunted, it was daytime, and I was in pain, so my instincts wanted to go to ground and hole up.

Once more, the perceptiveness of my instincts surprised me. As I got closer, I could smell the damp air that could only belong to a cave. A small trickle of water exited the cave that was well-hidden behind vines and plants on a rocky hillside. It was just tall enough for me to walk into. I didn't realize this was here. Considering how close it is to the rabbit traps, why didn't I stumble across it earlier?

I cautiously entered the opening. There was a single curving tunnel that went deeper into the hillside. I ran my hand along one wall as I examined the aged chisel marks left behind decades ago by the industrious person who had carved this place out.

I continued following the tunnel until it ended in a larger room. A creek barely as wide as my hand escaped from a crack in the wall and trickled down a carved channel that took it to the entrance. Most of the tunnel was pitch black, and the cave at the end was so dark only a Nightstalker could truly appreciate it.

In fact, it was perfect for a Nightstalker without any eye protection. With my welding glasses on, it was actually quite dim in here. A feral would have readily moved in if it had come across it.

I took a deep breath, but other than my own scent, I didn't pick up any hint of a zombie, although that didn't surprise me. Daniel ran such a large perimeter that feral Nightstalkers normally wouldn't get close enough to detect the scent of the humans. They would have avoided the resident Terror's territory and remained unaware of the potential food source hidden deep within. But if they had caught a whiff of the humans, nothing would have stopped them from coming.