"Have you been to this place before?" I asked Nina as we approached the next stop in our delightful journey.
"No, and it's been almost four months since the traders last stopped here. We usually never have to send our people so far away."
"That doesn't sound very promising. Do you have any good news to go with that?"
"Well," Nicky piped up, "it isn't overrun yet. Maybe they'll even offer us some lunch!"
I wasn't sure whether Nicky's optimism was due to her cheerful personality, her unique outlook on life, or if it simply existed to bask in the questioning looks I kept throwing her way.
Nicky sat up as Daniel slowed down. This place boasted two tall chain-link fences, with the outer one having strips of plastic stuck between the links as a sight barrier. The guard towers on either side of the gate looked like they had been built from wooden shipping pallets and plywood.
No horn sounded, although from the glimpses I could see through the fence, a dozen people were waiting, likely with weapons. The gate opened just enough for three people to emerge.
Daniel slowed down even more and came to a stop a polite distance away.
"What brings you to Riverbend Stronghold?" one of the men asked, not entirely welcoming.
"We're from Ironwind Stronghold," Nina said, "and we have reason to believe the third wave is coming early." She continued telling him about the virus, sneezing waves, cure, and other drugs.
I had a feeling I'd be hearing this well-rehearsed speech so many times during our trip that I'd hear it in my sleep for weeks to come.
The man's greeting may have been stilted before, but his growing frown and closed expression were an indication he wasn't nearly as trusting as the other places we had stopped at. A healthy caution, in my opinion, but it was going to make our task harder.
He looked at Daniel with narrowed eyes for some time before turning his attention back to Nina's spiel. When Nina finished with a tentative request for a tour to find the infected people and some lunch, he crossed his arms.
"Never heard of a cure before. And with that zombie beside you, I'm not sure I believe it," he replied stubbornly.
"If you prefer, we can leave the cure here for those who start sneezing," Nina suggested. "They can wait until it's clear that they're infected."
"I guess." From his tone, I doubted the vials would be used. He still didn't move or invite us into the Stronghold.
Since Nina was getting nowhere, I decided to ask the question she usually did at every stop. "Does there happen to be a man here by the name of John McComfry? He'd be in his mid-twenties. His brother Luke is trying to locate him."
His frown only deepened as he glanced at me and curtly replied, "None here by that name."
I took a discrete sniff, but he spoke the truth, at least as far as he knew.
"Thanks." I pretended disinterest and turned my head to the forest while still watching him and his friends from behind my sunglasses.
Nina dug in a bag by her feet and held out a package of fabric. "Here are some masks to help in the coming wave."
The leader accepted them unenthusiastically and passed them to the woman behind him. This guy is practically as grumpy as a Nightstalker. He just lacks the virus.
Daniel spoke, possibly hoping a different angle might work. "I've never considered the cure, but that's partially because my sense of smell lets me determine who's infected before they turn, as well as help keep ferals away from Ironwind. Even if you have no plans on letting others use the cure, would it not be helpful if we could point out the people who are infected? As most Strongholds learned in the last wave, even one sneeze can infect many."
After a long glare, the man grumbled, "Fine. We'll give you a short tour and some food. But the truck stays out here."
I wasn't sure if I should be relieved he had finally given in or dismayed that we were about to enter a place that wasn't very welcoming. As we got out of the truck, the gate was cracked open just enough for us to walk through in single file.
Daniel carried Nina's bag of supplies in one hand, possibly so the guards assumed he was less of a threat than if his hands were empty. Considering their lack of recognition when Ironwind was mentioned, I bet they assume Daniel is a Runner. For all their caution, all it took was one assumption for them to wildly underestimate how big of a potential threat we really are. They must not be this uptight normally, or they wouldn't make such mistakes.
As we walked through the gate, I could clearly see the majority of the people waiting on the other side did, indeed, have guns. With a hand signal from the leader, six of them came closer while the rest dispersed. Each of those six people had swords, although two also carried guns.
Had Daniel been a Runner – or even a Nightstalker – this would have been a sufficient precaution for a place uneasy about sane zombies. Against a Nightstalker and a Terror at such close range, not so much. Perhaps it's best if they don't realize exactly what they just invited inside.
"We can go this way." The leader promptly turned and began walking, leaving us to trail behind with the six guards.
I crossed my arms and glowered at the fence, wishing I'd had the good sense to remain in the truck. Enough people were infected in this place that I didn't bother trying to count them. If they were as friendly as the leader in front of us, then I was ready to send Daniel inside to sniff the bedsheets.
The man didn't say anything and barely even glanced back at us, making no effort at a conversation. I didn't care if he wanted to be silent, but the blatant, unwelcoming cold shoulder was beginning to feel like an insult. My instincts didn't like insults, even insinuated ones.
Daniel sniffed the air and pointed. "I can smell someone infected nearby, if you wish to go in that direction."
Without a word, the man altered his path. The sounds of children playing grew louder, and as we rounded a building, we found almost thirty young kids playing on playground equipment. Several adults were in attendance, looking after the daycare.
When Daniel continued toward them, the leader stopped and growled, "Where do you think you're going?"
Daniel paused and looked back, ignoring how the two guards pointed their guns at his feet in warning. "At least two of the children are infected. If you want me to point them out, I'd have to get closer, but that's completely up to you."
I suspected he added the last part due to how touchy the man was, although his reaction wasn't surprising. Children were fiercely protected in this day and age, especially when a stranger – a zombie yet – made a beeline for them.
With tense shoulders and a rigid stance, the man stared at him for a long time. The guards waited, also on edge and ready to act on whatever the leader decided. The tension rose, and this reminded me far too much of when I had been ambushed in the first Stronghold I had visited.
I subtly eyed up the two gun-holders as the gears in my mind whirled, although I had no idea how Daniel and I could get Nina and Nicky out safely. We were too deep inside the Stronghold. The guards by the gates also had rifles and almost certainly knew how to use them.
With gritted teeth, the man said, "You may walk up to the edge of the sand, but no closer. If you harm any of them, you're dead."
"I'd never harm a child," Daniel said with a frown, insulted by the insinuation, which didn't appease the leader much.
"No farther than the edge of the sand," the man repeated firmly, clearly wishing Daniel wanted to approach anyone other than the children. The need to know which kids were possibly infected was probably the only reason he hadn't immediately ordered us away or kicked us out.
Daniel passed the bag of supplies to Nina and took slow steps closer to the playground. The man matched his pace, as did the guards. Nina, Nicky, and I trailed behind more slowly, leaving some distance between us and Daniel.
Daniel sniffed the air and examined the dozens of kids running around or digging in the sand. Frustration built on his face and in his scent. This time, I couldn't blame him; the children had been playing together all morning, and even I'd need to separate them to figure out which girl and boy were infected.
"One boy and one girl are infected, but I can't tell which ones from here," Daniel finally said.
He glanced at me with a questioning look. The leader saw it and sharply focused on me. With my cover partially blown, I decided I might as well see if we could speed this trip up – and I didn't really care if we handed him the cure and walked out. Something I had seen at our last stop gave me an idea though.
My arms remained crossed and my posture bored as I turned my head to look directly at the leader. "Even if we pointed out a child, I suspect you wouldn't believe us anyway. What if we offered a different type of proof? One you'd be more likely to believe?"
The leader scrutinized me, possibly trying to determine where I fit into this group and why Daniel had looked at me when he couldn't figure out which two children were infected.
The leader judged my faintly irritable expression before grumbling, "What do you have in mind?"
I told one of the guards with a sword, "Go find us a cat. Any cat will do. I advise picking up a pair of gloves at the same time. Bring it back here, but go to the far edge of the playground and don't come close to Daniel. Cats aren't exactly fond of zombies."
When the leader nodded, the guard went in search of an unsuspecting feline.
"While we wait for him to return, we can have the adults walk the children past Daniel one at a time. Then we'll see if the cat agrees with us."
The leader exhaled in an irritated huff and told the listening babysitters, "Let's try it."
One by one, the adults walked the kids past Daniel. Separated like this, even his nose should be sufficient, but I still planned to assist. I wasn't close to him, but the wind was in my favor.
"Not him, it'll be his brother that's infected," I murmured way too quietly for any of the humans to have a chance of overhearing.
Several children later, the specified brother approached Daniel, who said, "He's infected."
The leader immediately bristled at the quiet declaration. "And?"
His loaded question made me growl faintly and flash a canine tooth at him, which had him looking at me with widening eyes, belatedly realizing I was also a zombie.
In a flat voice, I informed him, "We've been polite so far, so I'd prefer it if you'd show some manners and quit acting like we're criminals. I really don't give a shit if we turn around and leave. You know where Ironwind is, and if someone is desperate enough, they'll make the drive for the cure."
I stared at the man, who was turning red in anger at being challenged and insulted like this, especially in front of an audience. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't about to back down. More often than not, you needed politeness and courtesy when dealing with a grouchy person, but sometimes you needed someone with a bull-headed personality to butt heads with them. Today just so happened to be his lucky day.
Silence reigned as neither of us looked away.
"Well?" I asked pointedly, still halfway glaring at him. "Are we going to help you find every infected person in this place, or shall we walk back to the gate?"
A vein in his forehead pulsed as I waited for him to make his decision.
"I found a cat," the returning guard called out as he rounded the corner with a cat in his arms, not realizing there was a standoff underway, let alone one of this magnitude.
I snorted and gestured with my head toward the man while I told the leader. "Have the children line up on the far side of the playground, spread them out, and then get that guy to walk in front of them. There's two infected children, and we only located one of them, so it's a crapshoot as to which one he'll walk past first."
After several seconds, the leader decided to go along with my test. He grudgingly nodded at the babysitters, who quickly ushered the children to the far side of the playground and followed my instructions.
As the guard carrying the grey cat got closer to the lineup, the leader told him, "Walk in front of the children. We will see if the cat predicts the same thing the zombie did."
I hadn't told him exactly what I predicted would happen, but I watched the guard intently, waiting to see if my hunch was right. He continued petting the grey female in his arms, who was purring happily with all the attention she was getting.
Without question or complaint, the man walked past the children, some of whom were sulking at having been pulled from their games. The cat seemed oblivious to their presence and rubbed her cheek against the man's chin. About a quarter way down the row, they approached the infected boy.
For a split second, the cat paused, suddenly alert, then whipped around in the man's arms and hissed fiercely at the boy before immediately clawing her way out of the man's grip.
The guard yelled in surprised pain as his arms were shredded by eighteen fully extended claws as the cat tried to escape as fast as possible. The feline hit the ground and turned into a grey streak that raced behind the garage and out of sight.
In theory, I'd known cats didn't like zombies since I wasn't able to get close to them, and I'd seen the one under the car react to the passing infected woman, but this one's reaction was more extreme than I had anticipated.
The guard winced as he inspected the deep claw marks. Nina pulled a handful of first aid supplies out of her carry bag and handed them to a nearby guard, who took them over to the bleeding man and helped him wrap up his arms.
The leader closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. When he finally opened them, there was a slightly broken and desperate look in them now that he had undeniable proof. His face was that of a leader when a child under his protection was dying. To lose one was a tragedy.
His gaze drifted to me, and he slowly walked over. Not surprisingly, I didn't even come up to his shoulders, which had my instincts shifting, wanting to prove my small size didn't mean I was an easy target.
My still-slightly-irritated expression didn't change as he approached. When he started to enter my personal space, I growled a faint warning, and he stopped.
"What can we do?" he asked in a quiet voice.
His walls had finally come down, but that didn't ease my irritation much. And why the hell was he asking me? Nina was clearly the talkative one who also had all the medical supplies.
I forced myself to respond in a level tone. "Nina already went over the options. We can offer the cure or the sanity serum. I personally suggest the cure since any zombie children I've encountered were feral or out of control, and even though I'm a zombie, they were hell on wheels to deal with."
He nodded slowly. "We'll go with the cure then."
"Nina has the cure." I gestured to her. His new attitude might have been easier to deal with, but I still didn't feel like talking when Nina had already gone over most of this. Apparently, it was my turn to be in a prickly mood.
She lifted the bag slightly. "I have a number of vials. We can either leave it with your nurses to administer whenever you see fit, or I can do it while I'm here."
His eyes never left me. "Which is the best option?"
"That's up to you," I replied somewhat curtly. "But I advise you to make your decision today, because he'll start sneezing tomorrow. The wave variant shouldn't be airborne until he starts sneezing, but if anyone is exposed, they'll be making a trip to Ironwind Stronghold before the fourth wave hits."
"Should he be isolated for the six hours it takes the cure to work?"
"I wouldn't bother. Just don't let him kiss anyone."
After a brief hesitation, he nodded and asked Nina, "Can you give him the cure?"
"I can. Do you want to do it here?"
The leader told one of the daycare workers, "Bring him over. We might as well do it now."
Nina got her needle ready as the boy was brought over. The child seemed fascinated by Daniel's red eyes, and in his distraction, Nina gave him the cure without him even noticing.
"Thank you," the leader told her, still somewhat stiffly, but nothing like his earlier hostility.
"So, are we going to locate the other thirty or forty infected individuals or have we worn out our welcome?" I asked, slightly bored with the proceedings and letting it show in my tone.
He blinked in surprise. "Are there really that many?"
"We can always have a cat double-check," I replied dryly.
To my surprise, the leader started chuckling. "I think we can skip that step."
The injured guard sent him a rueful look, and the leader shrugged in response. "Sorry, Jacob. I wasn't aware the cat was going to react like that. She said gloves, not full body armor."
Even though his arms were still being bandaged up, the guard grinned. As if that had been another turning point, the atmosphere relaxed even more.
The leader gave me a half bow and gestured to the row of children. "Of your courtesy, please show us which other child is infected so we can have that problem corrected."
Considering Daniel had been the one originally tracking them, I wasn't sure why he was asking me now. Perhaps he figured I was the better tracker since Daniel had glanced at me when he couldn't identify the infected children. Or maybe he figured all zombies could track by scent, and the cat trick had earned me some respect. Or perhaps it was because I clearly didn't care if we left, and thus, had no ulterior motive.
Without replying, I walked forward. I kept half an eye on the guards, although they didn't look concerned at this point.