I held onto the back of the dune buggy while Regan drove beside us on his dirt bike. Wren zipped down a street and around a corner, the tires kept on the ground by the log I'd put on the front bumper.
Wren slowed down as she examined a house. "It was either in this one or the one next door."
I jumped off the back. "Lead the way."
As soon as Wren opened the front door, she shook her head. "Not this one."
Regan left his dirt bike by the dune buggy and followed us into the other house. I wasn't sure why he had come to help us pick out a chair for Nina, but I didn't comment on his presence. Wren jogged down a hallway and into a large sitting room that could have been classified as a miniature library.
The leather-covered chair looked like a comfortable recliner had collided with a practical computer chair. The original owner had probably paid a small fortune for it and the adjustable footstool sitting in front. It seemed perfect for Nina's needs. To make it even better, no mice had built nests inside.
My radio came to life, and for the first time ever, Nina's voice came through. "Trinity?"
I forgot she had a radio, but the tremor in her voice had me pulling it off my belt and replying, "Yes? Is something wrong?"
"No, but— These notes—" She broke off again. I'd never heard her so frazzled, and I stared at the radio in perplexity. "That feral Terror— Did it act normal?"
"Not quite. I thought it was a Terror that became unranked before I got close. Why?"
This conversation wasn't typical for Nina, and I was beginning to wonder if I had to turn my radio to Daniel's private frequency and ask him what had her so rattled.
"The triggers in their trial blood tests... Each time they hit every single speed and strength trigger and combination that I've ever located. Most of the other triggers are only found in Terrors, a couple are from the Nightstalker rank, and some combinations are ones I've never seen before."
Her voice was way too concerned for my peace of mind. This was the scientist who'd put up with me, Daniel, Nicky, and Jess for almost four years. Even the unranked zombies hadn't fazed her this much.
I pressed the transmit button again. "What are you getting at? I knew it was stronger and faster than a Terror. I told Daniel that. What has you so concerned?"
The radio was silent for so long that I was about to call Daniel and ask him to check on her when Nina finally replied, "Yersin Stronghold tried to create a Terror, but this one is probably two or three times stronger and faster. It may not seem like much, but think of it like the tornado classification system. It makes a huge difference. This one is also missing several of the common base zombie triggers, and I'm not sure if the controlex or any of the existing zombie drugs will work on it. At least not correctly."
Now I was beginning to see the light. "Wait. Doesn't the controlex enhance certain key traits of that particular rank? Like letting Runners think easier, and enhancing the sneaking skills of Nightstalkers?"
"That's my other worry. I'm not sure what the controlex is going to do. It might make it more like a normal Terror, but I doubt it."
I had one rather urgent question. "Will the controlex remove its bloodlust towards humans?"
"I'm not sure. This zombie's triggers might be too different for the drug to work correctly."
Her answer did not reassure me. Unfortunately, the most obvious solution was the one I liked the least. With a sigh, I said, "I can go back in three days. Make sure it's still there and test its reaction to a vial of human blood. I can also destroy the setup in the lab in case anyone else mistakenly thinks it creates one of the regular drugs. Is someone warning the other Strongholds to avoid that place?"
"Yes, Logan just left to make sure the warning is relayed to the neighboring locations and ask them to put up road warning signs so all travelers know to avoid that place and the zombie in it."
"Good. We found your chair, and you can tell me more about what you learned when we bring it over."
"Thanks, Trinity."
As I attached the radio to my belt, Regan commented, "That did not sound promising."
"I've never heard her that rattled," I muttered. "When I go back to check on that zombie, I'll have to carry bear spray, firecrackers, and all sorts of distractions in case I have to make a break for it."
Going at night would be a rule, as well as having several flashlights, since the illumination had kept him from following me the last time.
"How do you plan to bring the chair back?" Jax asked, scratching his head as he focused on our immediate problem. "It won't fit on the dune buggy."
Regan and I exchanged a glance. The unranked Runner clearly hadn't realized that a determined Nightstalker could usually accomplish anything we put our minds to. With two of us at hand, the chair was coming with us whether it liked it or not.
"Let me check the garage," I said. "Do you mind seeing if there are any science-related books in here? Even a couple of novels for Daniel would be a nice bonus."
Regan followed me into the garage, which was just as tidy and organized as the house had been. "What are you searching for?"
"A way to prop the chair above the hood," I murmured as I shuffled through a stack of wood and plywood scraps. "The only spot for it is just above the hood. A solid base would be best, but we'll need to prop it up so it doesn't damage the hood."
"There's a folding table over here to use as a base," he said as he checked other areas. "I don't see any rope though."
"That'll work. There were tie wraps in a garage just down the street. I'll go grab those."
By the time I got back to the truck, Wren and Jax were watching Regan carry the oversized chair out the front door. The log in front of the bumper formed a perfect foundation for one end of the folded table, and we used some straps to hang the other end of the table from the roll bars to prevent any part of the table from touching the hood.
With our platform built, it took only a couple minutes to set the chair on and strap it down. The footstool was placed on top of the roll bars, and I used a hand to steady it as Wren drove back at a much slower pace.
As we passed by a house, I pointed to it. "Next time you come through town, look inside the kid's playhouse. I hid some more live traps in there for you."
"Oh, thank you," Wren replied. "A bear damaged one of our traps last night, so that's welcome news."
"I think I know the perfect form of revenge. Have you ever tasted bear blood before?"
Bears had more in common with tanks, and even a Nightstalker had to carefully choose the right spot if we want to damage the spine enough to kill it in one blow. These two hadn't been "awake" for long, and I doubted they had many opportunities to try larger animals. If they were like most Runners, it would be a tempting treat.
"No, but I'm not strong enough to bring down a bear," Wren said in a wistful tone.
"I'm no help there either," Jax added somewhat sourly, which was probably due to his comment about his strength decreasing the other day.
"That wasn't the question. If you want to go hunting later this afternoon, let me know. There's no point in me scrounging around for live traps if that oversized takeout dinner keeps breaking them. I've never met two sane zombies who could share a kill, but we can hang it and bleed it into cups."
"Cups and sharing sounds good," Wren murmured. "I don't think I could drink that much blood."
"I'll come find you this afternoon then." As we drove out of the trees separating the town and the Stronghold, I asked, "Are you comfortable driving close to the gate? I can carry it inside from there."
When Wren glanced at Jax, he said, "Go upwind. I should be okay if we don't go inside or stay long."
Wren circled around and slowed down as she neared the gate. She barely came to a stop before I jumped off and swiftly undid the straps and removed the chair and folding table base.
"We'll see you later," Wren said as she set the footrest on the ground.
"Thanks, and don't toss out the damaged trap," I said. "Daniel likes tinkering with stuff like that, and he can probably fix it."
With a wave that made me suspect she was too shy to ask the Terror to fix the trap, she drove off. When Regan didn't follow them, I tilted my head in a silent inquiry. His foot came off the ground as he drove forward and parked his dirt bike beside the gate.
He stuck the keys in a pocket and picked up the chair. "I can carry this if you want to take the footrest."
I stared at him in shock. It had never occurred to me that he'd step foot inside the Stronghold. I quickly collected my thoughts and grabbed the footrest before I looked like a fool. The guards were already holding the gates open and staring at the chair in confusion.
Regan walked beside me with the bulky chair in his arms. The slightest turn of his head as we went past the guards betrayed just how closely he was watching them. On the surface, he looked calm, but the tension in his muscles wasn't entirely due to the considerable weight of the chair.
I took a side road to avoid the busier main street, figuring it would be easier for Regan. If I detested people staring at me despite visiting so many Strongholds, Regan probably hated it more.
Ahead, Daniel was placing some sort of clear, rigid plastic sheets on top of a new building beside the lab. It vaguely resembled a huge wooden shed, but was large enough we could have parked the truck inside. The walls had several holes and damaged sections, and a roll of clear plastic lay on the ground beside it.
"Where did you find that thing?" I asked as we got closer.
Daniel lifted another clear polycarbonate sheet onto the roof and secured it beside the previous one. "The shed might be in rough shape, but it will work. The roof had caved in, which is why it wasn't in use. These sheets were from an old greenhouse down the highway, and Logan will staple the plastic over the holes once he finishes in the radio room. It should let lots of light in during the day."
The lab door opened as Nicky jumped out and groaned. "Ever put something in a 'safe place' so you don't lose it? Then it turns out that the place was too safe and you can't find it? I got a new hoodie for you, but now I can't find it! Oh— Hi, Regan!"
Still on the roof, Daniel said, "You hung it to dry on the back of the stool just before I put a box of books in front of it." As Nicky whirled around and bounced back inside, Daniel continued, "Regan, feel free to set the chair anywhere. I can move it later."
As Regan set the chair beside the door, Nicky reappeared with a dark grey hoodie in her hands. She shook it out and held it in the air. "What do you think?"
It was almost the exact color and style of my old one, which I appreciated. "Let's hope I don't lose this one when I go check on that feral in three days."
"Perfect. I knew you'd love it." She tossed it at me as Regan watched with faint puzzlement.
"Thanks." The hoodie smelled faintly of soap, leaves, and a bit of Nicky's scent as I pulled it over my head. It would take a day or so for it to become engrained with my scent like my old one.
"Can I hang out with you and the others this afternoon?" Nicky asked. "Nina wants things orderly, and we all know that word doesn't apply to me."
"Maybe after I take Jax and Wren for a bear hu—" My words were cut off by the south gate issuing a medium-concern zombie warning. I scowled in that direction. "Are we not allowed two hours of peace? Apparently I have to take care of a feral."
"Aren't zombie apocalypses great?" The redhead asked happily as she jumped into the big leather chair, not at all concerned. "I'll test out Nina's new chair until you return."