There were less than three hours until sunset when we pulled up to a gas station with a flat roof.
"Most people keep driving for several hours and stop in a Stronghold to the east, but that place is somewhat scared of Daniel, so it's easier to camp here," Nina said as she got out. "We will reach Ironwind tomorrow, probably around midafternoon."
I subtly tested the air, but her words were truthful and not a polite cover story for Luke's limitations around people. Luke was intrigued about Ironwind, although understandably apprehensive. He'd never gone near a Stronghold before, and from his long discussion with Nina, he knew how many people were out and about during the day. She had happily answered every one of his questions, while sneaking in quite a few of her own.
Even I had learned a bunch of details I hadn't known about the Stronghold, such as that the rabbit forest was pretty much considered off-limits to the citizens of Ironwind, mostly because it gave me a place close to the Stronghold to relax without human scent trails. Nina was equally certain no one would have gone in there during our absence, which was an unforeseen perk for Luke.
I jumped to the ground and unhooked the ladder from the side of the truck. Luke helped me unlatch it before backing up as Nicky got to her feet. The oils were wearing off again, so he was being cautious. I was going to have to take him hunting later tonight or find some other way to ensure Luke had a successful kill.
I leaned the ladder against the store with a clang and extended it. I kept lengthening it until the modified handrails were above the roof. Once the first step was level with the edge, I set the locking clamps so it couldn't slide back down.
As I climbed up the ladder, I smirked at the lack of scabs on my arms. Even most of the lingering pink marks had faded. The bandage still hid the larger cut, but when Daniel had seen it at lunch, my rate of healing made him do a double-take.
I walked onto the roof as Nicky clambered up behind me. Daniel waited for me to look at him before tossing up the sleeping bags. Then the tent, which Nicky started dragging away for me. Nina began scaling the ladder to help.
Luke watched from below. "That's a handy trick."
"It sure beats carrying it all up the ladder," I replied, catching the box of carefully packed pots, pans, and dishes.
Minutes later, everything was on the roof, and Daniel began climbing the ladder. I grabbed the firepit and took a couple of steps before pausing and looking down at Luke, who was glancing between the ladder and the bustle of activity on the roof.
"Luke, do you mind gathering some wood so we can start a fire?" I called down. "That's one of the few things we don't pack with us."
"Certainly," he said, faint relief present in his voice.
Perhaps it was a good thing the ride had been calm and uneventful, otherwise the two of us could be competing for the same chores away from people. Me, due to my temper, and him because he was worried about his control slipping.
After putting the firepit upwind of where Nicky and Nina were unrolling the tent, I went to help them. To my surprise, Daniel joined the three of us. We had the perfume-laden shelter completely set up before Luke carried his first armful of wood onto the roof.
"One second, Luke," I said and went to dig in my backpack. I tossed him a couple short lengths of rope, which he caught. "You can use that to tie the branches into bundles and toss them onto the roof. We'll need enough wood to keep the fire burning all night. Daniel and I will help, so don't feel like you have to gather everything yourself."
Daniel might tolerate having no light source while he was indoors, but outside? Not a chance.
"Thanks. I don't mind gathering as much wood as we need," he replied, already on his way back to the ladder. "It's the least I can do." The fact that he was walking away while talking was a definite sign he needed a break from human proximity.
Daniel wandered over. "I'm going to go hunt while there's nothing pressing to do. I can bring back an armful of wood if you can supervise these two."
"Sure," I replied.
After one last glance around the rooftop, he jumped off the edge so Luke didn't feel pressured to rush down the ladder. Daniel headed in the opposite direction Luke had come from, which conveniently left me with the two humans. I meandered over to where they were setting up the chairs.
I grabbed my chair and placed it upwind. "On a side note, can you two reapply your perfumes before Luke returns? They're wearing off again."
"Oh, I didn't realize that." Nina promptly stopped and pulled out her perfume bottle.
Nicky set up her chair and began digging through her backpack for the small jar. She rubbed the oily liquid on her skin again while Nina copied her motions with her perfume. With that taken care of, I found some matches and paper to start the fire.
Once the campfire was burning, I walked a slow circle around the edge of the roof. Nina was in the tent, unrolling the sleeping mats and setting the sleeping bags on them. Nicky was putting some water on the fire to boil.
I could smell Luke somewhere in the forest. He had been gone a while, and I suspected he was trying to spook a rabbit into one of his snares. No hint of blood drifted through the air, so he wasn't having any success. I would have to come up with some sort of excuse to invite him on a hunt without making him feel like he was a bother.
While thinking, I started making dinner for the others. I put another pot on the fire and stuck a handful of spaghetti noodles in it. Luke may proclaim he wasn't a good cook, but I didn't exactly cook fancy either.
"I'm tossing up some wood. Is anyone by this corner?" Luke called out, his voice coming from beside the ladder.
"No one's in that area," I told him as I stood up.
A bundle of wood sailed into view before thudding onto the roof and rolling closer. A second bundle followed suit. Moments later, I heard Luke climbing up the ladder, and I went over to collect the wood so he didn't have to carry it closer.
"There's a regular zombie in the forest," he said, reaching the roof, "and it's chained to a tree."
A zombie in the forest shouldn't have been serious enough to warrant the intensity in his gaze, so I asked, "Is there something unusual about it, or should we just warn Nina and Nicky to avoid that area?"
"It isn't a threat, but when you have some spare time, I think you're going to want to see this for yourself."
I glanced back at the duo, who were still setting up the camp. "Let's wait until Daniel comes back, then we can go. We try not to leave these two alone."
He nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help while we wait?"
I tilted my head and thought for a moment, although it didn't escape my notice he chose to wait with me instead of going for more wood. "Feel like checking the store with me? The food will be long gone, but you never know what other things we might find."
"Sure."
I dropped off the roof, and after a brief hesitation, he followed suit. He huffed as he hit the ground, wincing slightly. Such a drop wasn't easy for him, which was why he'd used the ladder previously. Runners were quite sturdy – a trait that came with being a zombie – but each rank had its own limitations.
With my recently gained wariness of buckets of water or other booby traps, I carefully pushed the door open and scanned the area before entering. Luke followed behind me as we started snooping through the store.
"There are some collapsible camping chairs here," I commented, pointing down an aisle. "Feel free to pick one for yourself, as well as anything else you want. The bill is on me."
Luke chuckled. "Free is a good price. How kind of you to offer to pay."
I flashed my teeth in a grin and kept investigating the shelves. The store had been heavily looted by travelers, although some things were left, such as chairs, mug holders, and bumper stickers. All the zombie and survivor stickers had been taken.
Why would you want a bumper sticker after the apocalypse? As comical as it would be to plaster it on a zombie's forehead, I can't see anyone getting that close. Perhaps they were using them for something fun, like making sure that everyone knew which broken-down truck on the side of the road was theirs... I shook my head and kept searching for something I could at least pretend was useful.
The pickings were slim, and I didn't find anything, although Luke found a chair he liked and a small backpack.
"Daniel is back," I said, catching a glimpse of the man passing by a window. "Do you want to show me this zombie?"
"If you're ready, we can go. There's no rush – it isn't going anywhere." Luke stood near the door with the items he'd picked out.
"Let's go." Something niggled in the back of my mind and had me slightly on edge. What was so unusual about this zombie that he thought I needed to see it for myself?
He left the chair and backpack by the bottom of the ladder and jogged toward the forest. I kept pace with him, noting his odd silence. He slowed down as he approached the trees, and I could already hear a zombie groaning ahead.
"I don't know what to make of this," Luke murmured, leading the way down a deer trail.
Barely thirty feet inside the trees, he moved to the side, letting me see past his tall frame. The zombie's red eyes glared at us as it growled and struggled against the handcuffs and short chain that bound it to a small tree, mistaking us – or at least me – as human. Nothing looked unusual, apart from it being bound.
"He turned fairly recently," Luke said. "Perhaps two weeks ago, if I had to guess."
I walked closer, seeing the chain had left gashes in the bark that did, indeed, look recent. The blood on his pant leg hadn't been completely washed out by the rain yet.
"This is what caught my attention."
I looked over to see Luke crouched by some objects at the base of a tree. My eyes immediately narrowed at the sight of a syringe, several small vials, and a few other objects resting on a thick clump of moss. All out of reach of the zombie.
Warily, I went to investigate and crouched down across from Luke. I took a deep breath, trying to determine what story had played out in this clearing. Ignoring the scents left by Luke and the forest around us, I focused on everything else.
The faint chemical odors from the vials and syringe were the most noticeable. I didn't have time to concentrate on that because of the underlying miasma of chemicals.
A growl rattled through my chest as I immediately recognized Louise's scent. Luke eased back to sit in the leaves, moving slowly to avoid triggering my instincts while also ensuring he couldn't be mistaken for a possible threat.
I dug deeper through the scents, ruthlessly hunting for any and all details. Two human scents, one of which matched the zombie to the side. The other was Louise's. Two weeks was about the right timeline. The chemicals weren't ones I had smelled before, but they had a thick, resinous undertone that reminded me of the sanity serum.
At a guess, she had tried to give the man something, and her track record at picking the right vial hadn't improved any. Wait a second. Only one vial had been missing from the racks, and that had been the controlex. Where did these vials come from?
My eyes strayed over to the feral zombie in suspicion. I took another deep breath, but as best I could tell, there was nothing different about this regular zombie, although I wasn't sure I could trust my nose in this situation.
I dug around in my pockets but came up empty. "Do you have a bag or something we can use to take these things back? I want Nina to look at them."
Without getting up, Luke pulled a small bag out of a pocket, removed a handful of snares from it, and passed it to me. "Can I ask what you smelled?"
"Louise was here," I said shortly. "I have no clue who the man is, but I think she tried to use the cure or sanity serum on him and had another incorrect vial."
After opening the bag, I used a leaf to pick up each item on the ground and drop it inside. There was no way I was touching those things after my last brush with the potent chemicals. When I stood up, Luke also got to his feet and brushed himself off.
"I was kind of wondering if these had anything to do with Nina, her research, or the lab," Luke murmured. "I've never seen syringes or vials left close to a restrained zombie before."
"I'm betting she stole them from the lab, and that makes me wonder what else she might have taken." I glowered at the items in the bag and began walking back.
Luke trailed behind me, opting to learn more about his find instead of collecting wood in the forest's fresh air.