The dune buggy zipped past the truck as Daniel and I returned to Bryer Stronghold just before noon. I gave a half-wave to Jax and Wren, who veered off and continued their patrol with a distinct look of relief. A cloaked figure emerged from the forest to the south just long enough to make sure we saw him before disappearing back into the trees.
The wind wasn't in my favor to check if there were more dead zombies to the south or not, but I was sure I'd hear later if problem zombies had shown up. The fence was intact, so I dismissed that concern for now. We had bigger issues, like tens of thousands of unranked zombies spilling out of a city to the southeast.
As we stopped beside the lab, Nicky climbed down from the roof. "Sheesh! Where did you learn to tell time? Back by nightfall, my ass!" She reached the ground and paused when she turned around. "Since when do you just wear a t-shirt?"
The door opened as Logan and Nina came out of the lab.
"The feral Terror wanted it more than I did," I said as I grabbed a tote bin and jumped out of the truck.
Nicky scratched her head. "It sounds like you had a better time than we did."
"How did the night go?" Daniel asked as he grabbed the other two.
"Only one owl," Nicky promptly replied. "Possibly one or two unranked zombies, but otherwise, Jax came by before dawn to lure away the collection that had gathered outside the fence. The pitfall traps work pretty well, but apparently you have to wait a while for all of them to stagger up the ramp. I think Regan guarded the southern forest the entire time you were gone."
"I'll have to thank him later," Daniel murmured.
"He threatened to tie me up!" Nicky exclaimed indignantly. "And Wren offered to help him!"
I gave the redhead a long look as I set the tote bin on the ground beside the door. "Why?" I had given Regan permission to tie her up, but it surprised me that he had actually taken it seriously.
She paused. "I think I'm going to plead the fifth on this one."
"What's this?" Nina asked, glancing at the tote bins.
"Notes from Yersin Lab and a few vials," I said. "It looks like they weren't as cautious when experimenting as they should have been."
"What happened?" Nina asked in concern. "Gerald was always so careful."
I raised an eyebrow and bunted a toe against a tote. "Did he mention he got a copy of Louise's notes about six months ago?"
Her jaw dropped open. "No, he didn't." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Wait— I think he said some traders brought some research notes from another lab." She shook her head. "But he definitely didn't mention Louise's name."
I grunted. "To be fair, her name wasn't on them, but they're definitely her notes. Either way, you now have a lot of papers to dig through."
"I'll have to radio them and ask for details..." she murmured as she took the lid off a tote.
"It won't do you any good," I told her. "They got overrun."
Her hands froze, and her voice trembled. "O-overrun? How many got out?"
Remembering these were her friends, I softened my voice. "I'm not sure how many escaped, but I don't think many. There is a strong possibility that most of the lab assistants were still out spreading the aerosol serum and hadn't returned yet. Anyone near a running vehicle should have been able to escape."
That was a bit of a stretch since at least one vehicle had been knocked over by the gate, but it was better than telling her that there were hundreds of rotting bodies and no evidence that anyone had come to check on the silent Stronghold.
If the traveling assistants had found the Stronghold overrun, where had they gone? Why had no one announced it over the radio system? And how in the hell did a Stronghold go radio silent for two and half weeks without someone noticing?
Logan rested a comforting hand on her shoulder as he asked me, "What happened? Was it the Terror?"
I nodded. "They tried to create a Terror, and it didn't end well. I managed to give it a dose of controlex after I searched the lab. I took all the papers off the tables in their zombie research room. There were more in the bookshelves, but they had dust on top and didn't look like they'd been used recently. I hope I don't have to go back there until the controlex finishes, but if you think I missed something, I can make another trip."
Nina struggled to pull herself together. "Did—did you see a grey-haired man in the lab?"
I bowed my head in sympathy. "There was one. He died trying to give the Terror the cure."
She buried her face in her hands as I looked away awkwardly. I'd never been good at comforting people, let alone being the one to deliver bad news. Nicky ducked into the lab and immediately came back with a clean handkerchief for Nina, who murmured her thanks before blowing her nose and wiping her eyes.
Nicky walked over and lightly bunted her toe against the tote bin Daniel had set down. "Are the secrets of the zombie universe in here?"
"Louise's notes," Daniel said sourly. Apparently he still held a grudge against the traitorous woman as well. "Trinity also brought back files on how they created the Terror and the airborne serum they were working on."
Nicky narrowed her eyes. "Louise? How? You confirmed that she died in that fire."
"The man in the military van had put the notes in a waterproof case. Someone found them all these years later."
"Okay, so what do we do now?" Nicky crossed her arms with an oddly serious, business-like expression.
With a shuddering breath, Nina stood straighter and squared her slender shoulders. "I think the unranked zombies are our primary concern. Nicky, I need you to collect forty-six oval rocks about two inches long and various colors of paint. You can help me create a 3D diagram of the zombie triggers. Daniel, I need some sort of shelter with tables inside so I can spread out all these notes. A canvas vehicle shelter or large outdoor tent will work nicely. Trinity... Thank you."
Not sure how to respond, I pointed at the bin by my feet. "The journal is at the end. I tried to keep everything grouped together as best I could. Is there anything else you need?"
Nicky had already scampered off, chanting something about paint and pebbles, and Daniel was walking away in search of the requested shelter.
"Could you give Jax, Wren, and Regan an update and ask them if they had any issues last night? Jax didn't see anything, and Regan never came close enough to the fence for a conversation. And perhaps keep your eyes open for a comfortable chair during your travels?" Her voice gained a wry tone. "It appears I have a lot of reading to do, and all I have in here is a metal stool with a cushion."
I nodded. "I'll go let them know. Wren went into a lot of houses, so she probably knows where a good chair is."
Nina was already pulling out the journal and leafing through it, so I decided to make myself scarce and leave her in Logan's care. If Nicky was going to help her paint rocks, I wanted to get out of the fallout zone before the colored liquid started flying. I had barely left the gate before Wren and Jax drove over.
"Welcome back," Wren said. "Are you going to see Regan? We can give you a lift there."
"Thanks," I said, jumping onto the back of the dune buggy, which zipped forward so fast the front wheels came off the ground. My weight on the back, along with the wood gasifier, forced her to drive at a steady speed and let the front tires come down whenever she felt like steering. I made a mental note to never let Jess drive something like this, and if Ironwind ever acquired one, I was adding several large rocks to the front bumper.
It didn't take Wren long to traverse the mile-long field to the tree line where Regan waited for us. He watched me expectantly as the dune buggy came to a halt.
I jumped down, glad to have firm ground under my feet. "The good news is that we found the originating Stronghold and brought back the notes. The bad news is that the Stronghold was overrun by something like a Terror, and we aren't sure if all the scientists were inside or not."
"Something like a Terror?" Regan asked, suddenly intent.
I frowned at the memory. "I'm positive he was stronger and faster than Daniel. This one could also hear my quietest footsteps. A feral unranked Nightstalker tried to ambush him in the dark, and he swatted her like an overgrown fly."
"Was the Terror an unranked zombie?"
"No... Something else. He started out as a bite victim who agreed to take a trial drug. Nina will know more once she reads the research papers." I shrugged. "I gave him the controlex, so he won't be quite as dangerous in three days. How were things here?"
Since Regan was staring at the ground in thought, Jax said, "We lured quite a few zombies away. The canals make it easy since they can't climb out. I think Regan found something in the forest last night, but I forgot to ask about it earlier."
Regan still didn't look up. "It was just an unranked Runner. This other zombie though, this one concerns me." He lifted his head to regard me. "How hard would it be to fight something like this if it came here?"
I made a face. "It would take you, me, Daniel, guns, and I still wouldn't give us high odds of success. He doesn't follow all the zombie rules, so that complicates things. If we decide we have to neutralize him, I'd suggest borrowing a sniper rifle. Do you happen to have decent aim with something like that?"
"It's been over a decade since I last shot a sniper rifle. I always went for handguns since they were easier to conceal."
There went that hope. Leave it to Regan to pick his preferred weapon based on practicality.
"Exactly how strong is a Terror?" Wren ventured, looking between me and Regan.
"Strong," I said. "Strong enough to bust out of a shipping container without much effort. Their speed and reflexes are the biggest problems since they can see most attacks coming and dodge them. Daniel can catch arrows mid-flight." Glancing at Regan, I added, "We can invite him out for a wrestling match if you want to get an idea of a Terror's abilities."
He looked dubious about that suggestion. "If your opinion of their abilities is correct, I fail to see how you can call it a wrestling match if you're bound to lose."
I shrugged. "You pick different goals. There's no way a Nightstalker can pin a Terror—they're just too strong. If I can knock him to the ground, I count it as a win."
The array of expressions crossing his normally-stoic face was almost comical. Eventually, he asked, "How often do you win?"
"About half the time, although he holds back to avoid hurting me, so that figure would probably drop if I faced a feral."
"This does not reassure me."
"And that's why I really don't want to try fighting this zombie unless we absolutely have to. None of us would walk away unscathed, and it wouldn't surprise me if at least one of us suffered a serious head injury. The guards fired dozens of rounds at this one during the day, and judging by the lack of injuries, they either had supremely lousy aim, he dodged the attacks, or he completely healed in two and a half weeks and lacked visible bullet holes in the remains of his shirt."
"Guards who carry guns do not have lousy aim," Regan said grimly.
"Especially not the one who stood at the base of a guard tower to draw in a direct attack. But to give them credit, once a Terror hits full speed, they're fast." I shrugged. "Even I rarely see Daniel's full speed or strength. Most strangers think he's just a strong Runner and never make the mistake of annoying him. Other than Nicky, of course. How she's still alive, I'll never know."
Regan glanced at the Stronghold. "I can agree with that last statement. I have never met someone who believes a boomerang is a useful weapon against zombies. It was not easy to convince her to go back inside the fence before sunset."
"Is that why you threatened to tie her up?" I asked in amusement.
"There were a dozen ferals closing in, and she barely paid them any heed."
"If they were regular zombies, that's about standard for her. But as far as our trip, you now know as much as I do. The Stronghold was overrun, so our main focus is on the unranked. Nina has to sort out those notes before we make more plans, so I've been asked to locate some sort of chair suitable for many hours of reading."
"A chair?" Regan asked as if questioning if he'd heard right.
"It's either that or help Nicky paint rocks," I replied dryly.
Wren sat up straighter. "I saw a really nice chair in town."
I wondered what she counted as "really nice", but as long as mice didn't jump out of it, it would be better than what Nina currently had.