When we reached the next Stronghold, the truck in front of us spoke with the people coming out. It also gave the men in the truck behind us – whom I was studiously ignoring – a chance to gawk at me from a closer distance.
It only took the lead truck about fifteen seconds to be waved in, which was almost a record for how fast we'd been welcomed into any Stronghold so far.
Daniel parked beside the vehicle we were following, and we all got out. The guys from the truck behind us kept sneaking glances at me. The ones from the truck ahead stared at me in confusion, recognizing me as part of our group, but still unable to figure out how I had appeared so far away from the Stronghold.
The leader of this Stronghold came forward with an almost desperate expression. "They said you had a cure. Will it work if they are already sneezing or have turned into a zombie?"
"For those sneezing, if we get to them in time, yes," Nina replied. "If they turned, it really depends on what they became. If they're sane, it works, alth-"
He interrupted desperately, "What about regular zombies?" He wrung his hands together, clearly in distress.
"I'm sorry," Nina said softly. "I've never seen the cure work on a regular zombie. Their body just goes comatose since the human mind is gone. If one managed to remain in control, there's a good chance it would work, but I've never heard of a regular zombie managing that."
The man squeezed his eyes closed and took a deep breath. The two from the truck behind us also looked sad, probably thinking about the Runner back home. A woman put a comforting hand on the man's shoulder.
Another man said, "Sorry, it's been a rough week. We lost over fifty people, and all of them turned into regular zombies. Four are still sneezing though. Can you help them?"
"We'll try, but it's best if we get there as soon as possible. Where are they?"
He pointed to some holiday trailers outside the fence. "They're in the trailers."
"Let's go then," Nina replied as she began walking.
"Do you need anything?" the man asked, quickly walking alongside her.
"I have everything right here." Nina gestured to the supply bag hanging over her shoulder.
Since the rest of my group followed them, I tagged along as well. The leader remained behind, still trying to get his emotions under control.
To my annoyance, the two men from the rear truck also trailed behind us. The other half of our escort headed in a different direction, sending perplexed looks at their comrades. It still must not have occurred to them that I might be the Nightstalker.
As we approached the holiday trailers, I could hear at least two different people sneezing, so they were still human. No growls or snarls came from the other trailers, so I assumed we had arrived in time for them as well.
Other than Daniel, everyone began putting on their face masks. Just to mess with the minds of the far-too-curious men following, I also put mine on.
Our guide called the four people outside, all of whom emerged from their trailer with masks and confused gazes. Nina went forward to talk to them about the cure and serum, and Daniel went with her to see which ones might need both drugs.
From the corner of my eye, I watched as the man from the forest slowly edged closer to me. I wasn't the only one to notice though. Nicky yawned before taking a step to the side and pointedly stomping the heel of her shoe on his foot. We had been near the back of the crowd, so the locals and the majority of our group didn't notice.
The man grunted faintly in pain and surprise as he limped a step back and gave Nicky a disbelieving look. The redhead either didn't notice or didn't care. I bet it was the latter option. Daniel turned his head and eyed up the offending man with a faint frown. His eyes weren't camouflaged, and their glow increased momentarily in a mild warning.
That made the man quite uneasy. He swallowed hard and went pale. As I half expected, he took several steps back so as to not annoy the Terror he was so worried about. Nina didn't notice, and the four people she was talking to rapidly agreed to take the injections.
All four were close enough to turning that they got both drugs and returned to their trailers, where they would stay until nightfall.
We headed back into the Stronghold, where the leader had regained his composure and profusely thanked Nina and asked if he could provide any supplies for our trip.
Liz tugged my hand and pointed at some playground equipment. "Look! Can we go play?"
"I'd like to get a few cooking supplies," Nina told us, having overheard Liz's question, "so you have time to relax a bit. If they have some fuel to spare, the truck needs to be filled up."
"Of course," the leader quickly agreed. "We have plenty of spare fuel. I'll send someone to fill it up. The kitchens are this way."
If they were going into a building, I didn't plan on following.
"I guess we can go," I told Liz.
Liz cheered and released my hand to run ahead. The leader guided Nina and the rest of the group the other way, although a particular man lingered behind.
Nicky stretched and parted from the group. "I'll join you. The last time I was on a set of monkey bars, I was wearing a gorilla costume."
Some days I think Nicky could write a few very unusual novels that even fewer people would understand.
"Fine."
As long as she didn't attempt to repeat that stunt today, her presence might keep a certain stranger from the forest from being a pest.
Logan looked between the man and us, and also dropped out of the ranks to join our growing crowd. "I think I'll join you as well."
Judging by the look the stranger gave him, Logan's presence didn't sit well with him.
Daniel also noticed this and paused long enough to tell me, "If you need anything, give a holler. I should be able to hear you as long as you're outside."
I nodded stiffly in acknowledgment of his offer, although if things got so far out of hand that I needed his help, he might not want to come. The leader looked impressed at Daniel's claim, but I knew it was meant as a subtle warning to my stalker.
Nicky walked beside me as we followed Liz. I pretended to ignore the two men trailing behind us, who were appraising each other like unfriendly dogs. My instincts were keeping close tabs on both of them. This seemed to be a new side to Logan, and anything new tended to make me suspicious until I figured out the motive for the change.
As for the nameless guy from the previous Stronghold, he clearly wanted to catch me alone, and I wasn't about to lightly disregard someone who had no problems walking through a dark forest with a Nightstalker on the prowl.
I leaned against the side of a shed and watched Liz climb on the playground equipment. After another long look at the other guy, Logan went to play with her, which also surprised me. Considering his reluctance to join our previous game, I wouldn't have pegged him as someone who liked playing with kids.
Nicky attempted a cartwheel on the sand. "Attempted" being the key word. She somehow managed to combine a cartwheel with kickboxing while her shoes and hands threw sand in every conceivable direction. I made a mental note to never stand near her when she was attempting such antics.
The man from the forest also kept an eye on her dangerous feet and gave her unpredictable actions plenty of room. He glanced at the others as he slowly walked toward me. He also leaned against the shed, leaving plenty of space between us.
I still didn't look at him, and now that he was finally close enough for a quiet discussion, he finally became nervous. He hesitated, opened his mouth, then closed it again, wanting to speak, but not knowing where or how to start.
I exhaled in annoyance. "What do you want?"
My low, irritated voice should convey exactly how happy I was with him following me around.
He inclined his head respectfully in an attempt to mollify my temper. "Simply to ask questions."
"Questions annoy me," I replied shortly, unimpressed.
"You're the Nightstalker we saw last night, aren't you?"
"And if I was?" My voice was faintly challenging.
"I meant no offense. It just took us by surprise. We had no clue you were a zombie when you were in the Stronghold."
"I was human not that long ago," I replied in a dry tone. "There aren't many physical differences between zombies and humans."
If my words and tone irritated him, he gave no sign and remained steadfastly polite. "I would like to ask a question."
"You have already asked several questions, and my patience is as short as my stature."
He took a few moments to organize his words before tentatively asking, "If someone was bitten and turned into a Runner, but they never touched human flesh, is it possible for them to regain control?"
I had foreseen this particular question, but people digging for information always got my hackles up. In a curt tone, I replied, "If they never ate raw animal flesh, human flesh, or human blood, then yes. They should be able to regain control if they can override their bloodlust and instincts."
"If they haven't regained control since turning, how can we help them?"
The questions dug into my composure like thorns, and I shifted my weight in annoyance. "Animal blood."
"Thank you." His tone was grateful.
My voice was still flat. "Delete that recording of my call."
He didn't answer, which made his reluctance far too apparent.
I turned my head to look directly at him with narrowed eyes. "I'm serious. Delete it. Some Nightstalkers would kill you if they caught you recording their calls. We don't like people stealing from us, even if it's just our calls."
He didn't meet my glare, which was a wise move on his part. Trying to stare down a Nightstalker was a bad move even on a good day.
"Why did you make such a call?" he tentatively asked.
I growled lowly to warn him his questions were touching sensitive subjects.
"Answer this first. Why were you not scared of a Nightstalker in a dark forest? What backup plan did you have?"
My question didn't sit well with him either, but he answered it, albeit reluctantly. "We had special vests with a strong electrical current running over them. It would have affected any attacking zombie like a powerful taser."
I snorted in disdain. "Foolish. All it takes is a blow to the neck to take down a human, and you probably wouldn't have survived the tackle even if it made a feral back away for a few seconds."
"It has worked against Runners so far." He shrugged slightly, although my words and contempt had given him pause and doubt now lingered in his eyes.
He didn't press me with more questions, perhaps waiting to see if I would let more information come to light of my own accord. I had no intention of doing that, although he had answered my question, so it was only fair if I answered his.
"That call was just to see if any old friends were in the area."
Nicky tried to do a backflip, messed up, and somehow crazy-cartwheeled twenty feet to slide to a stop in front of us with her rump on the playground sand. She blinked as if finally noticing us, although I knew she had been aware of us the entire time. "You two look like a couple of lovers having a spat."
I growled as I crossed my arms. "If you were this annoying as a child, I'm amazed you survived to adulthood."
"It was a close call," Nicky replied cheerfully. "My mother took many work trips to the other side of the world to avoid the temptation of murdering me."
I shook my head before focusing back on the man. I still didn't know his name, but I didn't care. "Delete that recording."
He gritted his teeth, but still didn't reply or give any sign of agreement, even though my displeasure radiated off me. My instincts rose higher in response to his passive defiance and demanded his blood in exchange for copying my call.
Logan came over and eyed up the man unfavorably. "Is there a problem?"
He may have been trying to help, but his intervention was inadvertently pressing the wrong buttons. My instincts didn't like people intervening. Then again, they didn't like me resisting the urge to take a few good swipes at the nameless man from the forest.
Nicky twisted around to look at Logan from her seat on the sand. "We're having a tequila party, and we ran out of tequila. Do you happen to have another bottle? We need something to cheer us up before the hangover hits."
That comment had Logan staring at her in confusion, clearly nothing close to what he was expecting. "No, I don't have any tequila..."
Nicky sighed in disappointment. "Drat. How about a hammer?"
"A hammer?"
Nicky gave the nameless man a pointed look. "Yeah, a hammer. Apparently, there's something I have to smash into itty bitty pieces."
"No, I don't have a hammer..." Logan's serious outlook on life simply couldn't react quickly enough to someone like Nicky.
Nicky spun sideways on the sand so it was easier for her to bestow her expression of disbelief upon our hapless traveling companion. "Then what do you have in that backpack?"
"Survival supplies."
"If you're not carrying coffee, tequila, or a hammer, then you really need to do an inventory check. Are you at least packing soap and tomato juice?"
"Uh, no..."
Nicky groaned in exasperation. "What about a rutabaga?"
"What's a rutabaga?"
Nicky threw her arms in the air and flopped back into the sand. "You are clearly not equipped to survive a zombie attack." She frowned at Logan. "And a rutabaga is similar to a turnip." A glint appeared in her eyes as she added, "They're really fun to blow up."
Logan had no clue how to respond and just stared at Nicky, even more unsure of what to make of the redhead than before. The nameless man beside me looked just as confused, but listened with intent curiosity.
I glanced to the side, and for the first time ever, I was actually relieved to see Nina and Daniel approaching. Daniel carried a couple of bags, and I doubted all of it was food. More stuff to transport. Woohoo. Just what we needed.
The man beside me became stiff as the group drew near, and his eyes lingered on Daniel, although he didn't look directly at him, lest the Terror take it as a challenge.
"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" the leader asked, accompanying Nina and Daniel, although the question had partially been directed at us.
Nicky got up and dusted herself off. "I have an entire shopping list actually. Tequila, fireworks, and a rutabaga. Preferably in that order. A sledgehammer wouldn't go amiss either."
Nina shook her head and replied before the leader did. "How about none of the above, and you fetch Liz from the playground?" To the leader, she said, "Thank you very much, although I think we have everything we need. The fuel was particularly appreciated."
"You're welcome. I'll let the guards know to unbar the gate."
"You really know how to ruin a party," Nicky groaned as she went to get Liz.
Nina didn't dignify that with a response, and the rest of us returned to the truck. The man from the forest wandered over to the rest of his companions.
When we reached the truck, Daniel put the bags in the rear carrier and got into the driver's seat. Once Nicky and Liz caught up, he drove toward the gate to continue our journey.
Our escorts stood by their trucks and watched us leave. If the man was wise, he'd delete that recording. When he returned and discovered I had already helped the Runner, he might honor that demand. The entire group would probably insist on a word-by-word reiteration of our talk. My previous assistance also meant they didn't need to lure in another Nightstalker, so that might also weigh in on the decision.
If he didn't delete it, then their odds of luring in a feral Nightstalker were quite high if one was within hearing range. Now that I knew how their vests worked, I also knew such a deterrent would barely slow a Nightstalker. Their refusal to comply would likely mean their death.