Kelly's glowing red eyes gazed up at the stars thoughtfully as I finished speaking. Travis was also silent as he contemplated everything I told them – which had taken several hours.
The only thing I hadn't told them about was Daniel's inability to see at night. I counted that as his secret, although it made my story-telling difficult since that had been the main reason for some of my decisions.
"That was... quite an adventure you had," Kelly finally said.
I snorted. "That is an understatement."
She smirked at my response. "In fact, I'm not sure I'd be able to locate another sane zombie who had that much happen to them in the last three months."
"I'm amazed you even believed half of what I told you."
"Oh, I was checking your scent in a few spots to make sure you weren't stretching the truth or making it up." She shook her head in amazement and disbelief. "No offense, but I'm glad it wasn't me who went through all that."
I muttered, "I've had enough adventure for one lifetime. It's your turn now."
"The traveling and excitement sound great, but I'll have to pass on that business with guns and getting into life and death fights. Not my style."
"The research that scientist is doing is interesting," Travis murmured, deep in thought, his mind apparently on an entirely different topic.
The sane Runner they met had talked about the three drugs in general, but I knew a lot more details and had been able to answer almost every question they asked.
Kelly once more gazed at the small stars twinkling through gaps in the tree canopy and slowly said, "I don't think I want to be human again."
"That's why I'm still a Nightstalker," I commented quietly. "I really like the extra strength and speed. The quick healing has come in handy more often than I care to admit."
Travis turned his head to watch his sister. "I agree with you, Kelly. I don't want to be human again, although I think things might be easier if I could go near humans without having to run away in fear of losing control."
His comment didn't surprise Kelly. "You're thinking of getting the controlex?"
"It's very tempting, especially after what Trinity was able to confirm. What are your thoughts?"
I waited in silence for her to reply, although I had expected his interest in that particular drug. For some reason, his bloodlust was unusually strong for a Nightstalker, and that sensitivity caused him no end of grief and frustration.
Kelly considered it for some time. "Well, it didn't really have any negative effects. And it removed the bloodlust for Trinity, not to mention it greatly reduced it for the Runners. It'd also be nice to not have to worry about finding food again."
Like most sane Nightstalkers, these two traveled with the bare minimum of supplies and relied on raiding houses that were getting emptier and emptier. Not having to worry about their next meal would be a relief for them. Hunting was easy for a Nightstalker, and it was rare to find an area with no animals.
These two really weren't the farming type, so even though I'd told them about Luke's rabbit shed, it wasn't the sort of thing that interested them.
Travis shrugged as he dismissed the matter. "We have plenty of time to think about it. But I smell quite a few rabbits in the area, and I doubt anyone would miss several of them."
"Help yourself to as many rabbits as you want," I replied dryly. "There's no shortage."
With the amount of land Daniel and I patrolled to protect Ironwind, the local predators often moved out of the zombie-infested area of their own accord or risked becoming a meal if we grew tired of the overgrown rodents whose population flourished with abandon.
Travis smirked at my tone and ducked under a tree branch as he disappeared from sight.
"Hunting sounds good to me. Regroup in a bit?" Kelly asked me, watching the greenery her brother had disappeared into.
"Sure."
Kelly took off in a different direction, and I took my hunt elsewhere to avoid any potential conflict.
It didn't take me long to track down a rabbit and make my kill. By the time I finished, I knew they were either done or just finishing up. I slipped through the undergrowth and circled the area to determine where they were. If they weren't already tracking me, then they would be shortly. It was a game of sorts. Like cat and mouse, only you could be either depending on your level of skill.
The controlex boosted my nighttime instincts beyond their normal strength, so I had a bit of an edge over them. Even with that advantage, this was going to come down to our personal skills and capabilities. I wasn't too worried about Kelly, but Travis was a wicked tracker. As long as I could keep him from getting behind me, I should do fairly well.
Right. As if I ever managed to lose Travis once he located my trail and was determined to track me. Undiscouraged, I used plants and other tricks to break my trail, just like I had with Daniel.
My eyes were camouflaged to hide their glow. I remained alert; both of them were in the immediate area, and they'd be trying to sneak up behind each other and me. So not only did I have to evade them, but I also had to get close enough to ambush them. In other words, it was a challenge – and one my instincts were interested in.
I bared my teeth when I crossed Kelly's trail. I eased between the shrubs, keeping low since she'd be watching behind her. My instincts allowed me to spot the Nightstalker before she noticed me. She was well hidden, but not hidden well enough to avoid my keen senses.
But it wasn't safe to go closer just yet. I carefully scanned the area for her brother since he had a habit of waiting nearby in hopes of catching me by surprise when I went after Kelly.
The faintest orange glimmer of Travis's eyes allowed me to spot the nearly motionless man in the distance.
Even with my nightsight, he was almost impossible to see in the dense undergrowth. Now that I had finally located him, I began to circle around so I could sneak in from the side, making sure to remain downwind. There was no sense in letting him catch my scent and ruin all of our fun.
I moved each foot carefully, watching for anything that might possibly give me away. Kelly kept moving, searching for me or her brother, who was still in the same spot. Just a bit closer...
As I lunged at Travis's back, I snarled playfully. He jumped in surprise and started to whirl around, but I hit his side before he could dodge out of the way. His instinctive snarl split the night as it became his turn to end up in the leaf litter in a wrestling match.
Travis was the average size for a man, which meant he was larger and marginally stronger than me. The element of surprise was on my side, but Travis was quick to recover. I tried to pin him several times, but he managed to break free using various tricks. He used his arm to shove me to the side, then attempted to pin me, although I blocked his attempt.
A second snarl informed me Kelly had no qualms about making this a two-against-one game. I'm so screwed... My reflexes were no match against two Nightstalkers, and I had known they would join forces during the first round or two.
It took the two of them mere seconds to pin me. I growled faintly as I stilled. They let go with victorious grins plastered across their faces.
"That's cheating." I stood up and shook myself off.
"No, that's survival of the fittest," Kelly told me smugly.
"You wouldn't fare so well one-on-one."
If I caught her by surprise, I could usually win those matches, assuming her brother wasn't waiting in the wings. Kelly snorted and took a deep breath before releasing a true Nightstalker cry into the night to proclaim her victory.
Travis wasn't about to let her be the only one to brag, and he let out his own call ring out. The loud, shrill noises hurt my ears, but I pushed that discomfort aside. My already-elevated instincts surged at their cries. Not only was this my territory, but they had cheated.
My own cry pierced the night as I refused to admit defeat. It's a good thing I warned the Stronghold there would be some noise. The sentries certainly won't doze off at any rate.
Travis gave me an odd look. "You said the controlex had changed your call, but I kind of forgot about that detail until now. I've never heard a cry with that sort of inflection before."
"I noticed that too," Kelly said as she took a step closer and peered at me. "That was kind of creepy. My instincts were all triumphant, and the instant you screamed, they kind of backed off. It was almost like they recognized this was your turf. I've never felt them do that before."
"I think it's because my instincts are much higher than they used to be, although it could be something the controlex altered." I didn't have much to compare it to since I had never called much during my travels. For starters, there was no point in trying to claim a territory when I planned to continue on, nor any real reason to proclaim I'd made a kill. All those actions did was draw attention, and I didn't like giving my location away in such a fashion.
"That might be it," Kelly said.
"If nothing else, this proves no feral Nightstalkers are around, or they would have answered," Travis commented.
I raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You think a feral Nightstalker would come this far into a Terror's territory? That isn't counting the fact that my scent is scattered quite heavily. Most ferals would assume I'd laid claim to this area and go around."
"If the wind was right, and they scented the humans, nothing would stop a feral except for a direct attack."
I conceded that point to him. "True enough."
Travis shook himself off lightly to dismiss the matter. "Will the locals mind if we stick around for a bit? I'm interested in the controlex, but I want some time to think about it. I can't see us staying more than a couple of days since we like traveling, and we won't go near the Stronghold."
"They won't mind. They like having sane zombies around, and they're even building some cabins outside the fence for those who don't want to go in. Do you plan on staying in the cave to the north?"
I hadn't gone into the cave since Luke had moved out, so I wasn't sure how much he'd done, or what furniture was left inside. He would have left it spotless, of course, but with as much time as he had spent in there, he probably expanded it more than I expected.
Travis shook his head. "I'd like to see that really small one near the border first. The one you told us about. I don't feel comfortable trying to sleep with the Terror around unless I know he can't get in easily. If the entrance is as narrow as you say, it won't be quick to crawl through."
"He won't even attempt it since he doesn't like tight spaces or small caves."
"That reassures me even more."
I tilted my head as I examined the two taller Nightstalkers. "I'm not even sure you'll fit into that tunnel."
When I had glanced into the entrance, the tunnel had looked pretty narrow. I had no idea how big it might be farther in, and I'd never bothered to wedge myself inside to check.
Travis bared his teeth at my slight challenge. "For all your traveling, you should know Nightstalkers can get into some very tight spots."
I snorted in amusement. "As if Chloe could have been coaxed into a cave with me. Besides, the houses were drier."
I had only noted the cave's location in case something happened to my sunglasses, but it wasn't as if I was trying to sleep out here. My room was small and cozy, and it also happened to be a mere two doors down from a maniac who wielded dish soap and tomato juice cans on a regular basis, which tended to keep any other potentially annoying people at bay.
"Let's go check it out!" Kelly exclaimed, running ahead even though she only had the vaguest idea where she was going.
Travis and I followed her, moving through the forest like the deadly predators we were. She eventually slowed down to let me lead. Even at a fairly fast pace, it took us over half an hour to reach the remote cave.
Kelly had to crouch down to peer into the tunnel. Satisfied with whatever she saw, she dropped to her knees and crawled inside. She was smaller than her brother, but still taller than me, although not by too much. I scanned the shadowy forest in boredom while waiting for Kelly to reappear or admit she got stuck.
Rustling and gravel grating could be heard long before she reappeared, coming out headfirst, which meant there had been enough room in there for her to turn around. She looked far too comfortable squirming out of the small entrance.
She brushed herself off as she stood up. "Once you go around the first bend, it gets much bigger. There are three larger caves farther in. One is so big I can't touch the ceiling without jumping."
"That's good," Travis said. "We can sleep in there." He glanced to the east. "We still have half the night to do as we please. What do you usually do when you're out here?"
"Normally, I wander around and keep an eye out for any feral zombies capable of scaling the fence. Although, since you probably don't want Daniel to know where you're staying, we can leave a few false scent trails near the other cave."
Travis narrowed his eyes. "If we can arrange it so he can't figure out where we might be sleeping, I'd prefer that."
These two were leery of the Terror's power and rank. This was the only zombie they'd ever encountered that outranked them, and their instincts wanted nothing to do with a higher-ranking zombie. Most Nightstalkers would react the same way, although my instincts had clearly short-circuited somewhere along the way.
I bared my teeth. "In that case, I have a few ideas. Let's go."
Turning, I darted deeper into the forest as the other two swiftly followed me.