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

Chapter 69

I tilted my head as I considered it. "A road trip is probably a good idea. Just promise you won't pick up every stray human we come across."

Nina relaxed when I agreed so easily. "No, it wouldn't be wise for us to pick up any travelers, at least not until we're on our way back. I don't recall ever seeing people on foot before, so our last trip was really unusual."

That just went to show how bad my luck was. In all of her travels, Nina had never seen people stuck on foot. Ever since meeting Nicky, Ben, and Hank, my trip had been littered with strays.

"Which direction are we going?" I asked, halfway wondering if there was a chance of us meeting my sister if she was ahead of schedule.

"I was thinking of heading north on the gravel road since there aren't any Strongholds along it, which also means we'll be less likely to meet anyone. While we travel, would you mind checking for the scent of a Nightstalker? I really hope we can find a feral for blood tests."

"I can keep tabs on the air." I always did anyway, so it wasn't like I was taking on an extra task.

"How long will it take you to pack?"

"About five minutes, although we better pack food if you want something besides meat. I doubt we'll find many unlooted stores."

Nicky yawned. "You're leaving me in this place without supervision? This could be fun."

"No, you're coming with us," Nina told her.

Nicky blinked at her in surprise. "Huh? Why?" She clearly wasn't awake, and her language skills were reflecting it. Or perhaps it was the dredges of coffee lingering in her system.

Nina shrugged as she pulled a small duffle bag out of a drawer and started stuffing science supplies and a rather large stack of notebooks into it. "Several reasons. If we leave you here unattended, you might not be alive by the time we get back. You are also the person Trinity trusts the most, and if she starts having problems, you might be the only person who can get close to her."

"I guess this means I better go pack before you drag me out of the gate by my ankles." She tromped out of the room and up the stairs.

Nina stared after her in confusion, unsure what she might have said to be snapped at like that.

"She got into the coffee," I informed her. "Don't expect to get much out of her today."

She glanced between me and the doorway a few times before shaking her head and continuing to pack.

~

       I watched the trees go by as I sat in the back of the truck and used the tailgate as a backrest which, coincidentally, allowed me to see where we were going. Nicky was sprawled across the mattress in front of me as she gazed at the clouds. Daniel was driving, and Nina sat in the passenger seat. This arrangement was much better than our previous road trip.

Several jerrycans of fuel and several bags of supplies were piled against the cab to give Nicky and I as much room as possible. Those in Ironwind Stronghold were under the impression we were going to look for a feral Nightstalker. They were still unaware I had become an unwitting guinea pig with an untested drug.

I kept checking the air, but no scent of a Nightstalker reached my nose. Nor was I picking up any recent human scents, just the occasional faint odor of past travelers that most highways had.

We had chosen this road because there were no known Strongholds along it, partly in case I lost control, but also because we were looking for a feral Nightstalker, and it would have attacked any nearby Strongholds by now. No such incidents had been reported, so it was safe to say no feral Nightstalkers were around the places Ironwind traded with.