Once a horseback rider brought us a sheet of tin, Daniel got the honor of dragging the two unconscious zombies to the mobile home. Nicky and I accompanied him to make sure the zombies didn't get loose again.
"Well, there's your problem!" Nicky said, gesturing at the open trailer and the hole in the side of the house.
"That's not our only problem," I said, sniffing the air and walking through some nearby shrubs. "This guy wasn't fast enough to escape."
"Huh?" Nicky said, coming over. "I thought they did a headcount and everyone was accounted for—ew. Okay, I did not have to see that many innards."
"He's not a local," I said grimly. "He hasn't bathed in at least a week, and no one in this place wears clothing like that."
"A bandit?" Nicky guessed. "Some locals were complaining that another goat went missing last week, and they didn't think a zombie got it."
"That's a possibility," Daniel said, picking up a damaged lock and bolt cutters that were laying right in front of the trailer door. "No one in this Stronghold would have opened this trailer. We made sure to warn those nearby, and we even put a note on the door and a lock on the trailer."
After peeking past Daniel, Nicky jumped into the trailer and picked up several sections of chain, dangling them between her fingers as she asked, "Were these all in one piece when you left?"
"Yes, but we weren't sure it would hold her," Daniel said, "which is why we left her in the trailer and put a note on the door."
I traced the scent trails as I pieced together the crime scene. "After our mystery man opened the door, our friend got loose and caught him." I walked over to the hole in the wall. "The city zombie decided to pay the screamer a visit for some reason, then came back to feed. It must not have let the screamer join the meal, so that one wandered off and found the humans."
"I think both zombies can go in the trailer," Daniel said. "It's more secure, and we're already going to have to apologize for what happened."
"Make sure you tie proper knots this time," Nicky told him, exiting the trailer.
He sighed. "You know you have the right to remain silent, right?"
"Yep. But I rarely acknowledge it."
I raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you're volunteering to tie them up?"
"Actually, I've changed my mind. I'll be quiet now."
Shaking his head, Daniel went into the building beside us. As I dragged the zombies inside the U-Haul trailer, the squealing of metal came from his direction. He soon returned with bands of metal and heavier chains. Since he clearly planned to secure the zombies in his fashion, I got out of the way.
"What are we going to do with our dead troublemaker?" I asked, glancing at the bushes Nicky was avoiding.
From inside the trailer, Daniel said, "I'll check with the people in charge. I'm sure they're going to be asking questions as soon as we get back, so that will be a good opening."
If I didn't have to deal with a mutilated body, that was perfectly fine with me. I circled the immediate area and checked for scents in case this guy hadn't been traveling alone but came up empty-handed.
When I returned, Daniel had rolled a large rock in front of the door and was twisting a piece of metal through the latch to lock it in place. His precautions were probably for the best, because at this rate, the next fool might even pretend they were Prince Charming and try to awaken them with a kiss.
Nicky wandered over to me. "Well, that's one way to start the day."
I snorted. "I've had to rescue people from zombies twice in three days. This is not what I signed up for."
Nicky tilted her head. "Actually, I think we kind of dragged you along without specifying your role. But speaking of that, we should head back and check on Nina. Daniel is convinced she will disappear if one of us isn't watching her."
"Logan is there," I reminded her. "He's not exactly helpless in a fight."
"That guy caught my elastics midair and fired them right back at me," Nicky muttered. "I had to duck!"
Daniel said, "We should check on them and let them know what happened."
"Let's stop by the shed on our way back," I said. "I want to see something."
Nicky sighed but started walking. "Fine, but that zombie better not have mysteriously woken up."
"You can run ahead if you want," I told Daniel.
He shook his head. "I don't think it's necessary, and I'm pretty sure people would panic if they saw me running toward them."
"It's actually pretty fun," Nicky piped up, "especially if you chase them around."
"No chasing the locals," I reminded her.
"Normally I'd say that you take all the fun out of everything, but I've already had my fill of running for today. You should be more worried about them letting Daniel back in." She gave him a quizzical look. "Were you at least outside their fence before pretending you were a jet trying to take off?"
"Yes, I was jogging until I saw the zombie come out of the trees and go after you. But the guards had binoculars, so they might have seen me. I'm hoping they're not too rattled."
"I guess we'll find out," Nicky said. "The binoculars might have made them misjudge your speed, or maybe they were watching the people out there and didn't notice you right away."
Daniel didn't look particularly optimistic but nodded. His gaze strayed to the Stronghold and people still in the fields and pastures. There were remarkably few people on this side of the Stronghold, although some brave souls were still in the area, casting frequent, worried glances at the trees surrounding the trailer and its prisoners.
As we approached the shed, I took a deep breath and sorted through the scents, searching for a particular one.
"These zombies all have a metallic undertone," I told Daniel. "It's faint, but it's present. The zombie in Ironwind's barn doesn't have it. Perhaps because these three received a different chemical than it did?"
He took a deep breath, half closing his eyes in concentration. "It makes sense. I'll check the other zombies when Nina goes for a blood sample, but I think I can smell the scent you're talking about. That'll make it easier to identify zombies if only a few triggers changed."
I nodded and kept walking. When we approached the gate, the guards stared at Daniel but opened the doors as we got closer, albeit reluctantly.
Daniel pretended he saw nothing amiss. "If you see Fred or Wyatt, can you please ask them to come find me? We're assuming the man who let the zombies out was a bandit, but I'd like to check if they recognize him."
"Ah, sure," one man said as he closed the gate behind us.
If gossip spread as quickly here as it did in Ironwind, half the population would know about the bandit within an hour. Hopefully it would keep any drama at bay, but with our current streak of luck, it would be some long-lost relative they'd been searching for.
"Where's my bow?" I asked Nicky.
"I moved it to the lab in case I needed it. Why?"
"Because I'm tired of relying on rocks," I replied, deciding not to comment about her aim with a bow, which had gotten better over the years, but still wasn't reliable against a moving target.
"Feel free to take it. Logan carries his bow with him, and there are several flammable sprays I can use at close range."
"No setting things on fire," I told her, knowing her inner pyromaniac sometimes got the better of her.
"I'm beginning to think you and Daniel are trying to make my vacation here as boring as possible."
"We didn't bring you here to have fun."
She sighed heavily. "I know. It's torture, but it's going to be worth it when I get to watch Daniel wear those shoes and shirt."
Daniel gave her a long look then shook his head without comment, ignoring the people we were passing by. Almost everyone in sight stared at us and whispered to those near them, which put my instincts on edge. Thankfully, it wasn't long until we entered the building and were out of sight of the locals.
We found Nina in the lab taking apart a piece of lab equipment with small tools while Logan sat nearby and watched.
Nicky skipped into the room. "Did you miss us?"
Nina regarded her for a moment. "You seem a bit too cavalier considering a little bird told us that a fast zombie almost attacked you and several others."
"You're talking to birds, and you call me weird?"
"I said cavalier. It means lack of proper concern. I don't think I've ever called you weird."
"Well, I do," Nicky said with a shrug. "Normal is so overrated. But I'm going to let someone else volunteer to be zombie bait the next time that zombie gets loose."
Nina turned in her chair to talk to us more easily. "Fred came by and said everyone was okay, but they are worried the zombies might be loose again. What happened?"
I collected my bow and quiver from the corner while Daniel told her about the dead bandit and Nicky's close call.
"I'm glad you're okay," Nina told Nicky. "Please be more careful in the future."
"You're not going to get rid of me that easily," she said, flashing Nina a grin, already back to her normal self.
Daniel examined the machine in front of Nina and asked, "Is there something wrong with the centrifuge?"
"I think the motor died. It was making a bit more noise than usual yesterday, but it stopped halfway through the last batch. I was hoping a wire just came loose, but I don't see anything obvious."
"Let me take a look," Nicky said, sitting down beside her.
Nina hesitated then pushed it over to her. We normally didn't let the redhead touch delicate machinery, but she did have a knack for wiring. If she started adding paper clips, I'd be leaving the room before something exploded.
Nicky played with a few wires, got a few sparks, and tested the switch before pushing it back to Nina. "You need a new brushless inverter motor. That one is toast."
"That's what I figured. These motors aren't that common, and I didn't see any spare ones in the bottom cupboards. Daniel? Could you check those top cabinets for me?"
Nicky sat very attentively and watched Daniel with bright eyes.