I jogged to the gate and saw Wren and Jax zipping in circles around a zombie that moved like a Runner. Whenever it started to head toward the humans running to the gates, they distracted it again, but it refused to remain focused on them for long. Regan jumped onto his dirt bike and sped away.
"Why did I even bother coming?" I muttered as I slowed to a walk. It didn't take two Nightstalkers to handle a Runner, but at least it got me out of the Stronghold. Nor did I want to deprive Nina or Daniel of Nicky's presence and take her with me just yet.
The feral chased after Regan, then turned back to the distant humans. Jax jumped out of the dune buggy and half-jogged away with an overexaggerated limp that ironically matched his injured leg.
The feral must have been some sort of unranked variety that targeted the slowest prey, and it promptly chased after Jax. When it had almost caught up, Wren zipped by to let Jax jump onto the back of the dune buggy. The zombie chased it a bit farther before losing interest.
I was halfway across the field by the time Jax finally lured it into a canal. Regan disappeared into the forest to the south, likely on a patrol, leaving the dune buggy duo to zoom over to me.
"Good job," I said. "At least none of the Runners have been smart enough to jump over the canals so far. Most don't pay attention, but some are clever enough."
Wren replied, "One of those showed up yesterday evening. Regan killed it with some sort of half-circle knife thing."
"I was wondering how long it would take him to try out that sickle. Ready to go for a bear hunt?"
"We'd love that," Wren said, her eyes glowing a bit brighter in excitement. "I think I even know what area the bear is in."
As I jumped onto the back, I asked, "Do you have cups?"
Jax held them up as Wren sped toward the northern forest with excitement practically radiating off her. I smirked when I noticed a coil of rope by Jax's feet. I hadn't been inside the Stronghold for long, so they must have immediately gone to find the required items.
When we reached an area with lots of scraggly bushes and fewer trees, Wren gestured at the forest. "It's been hanging around these berry bushes lately."
There were plenty of trails and more than a few piles of berry seeds left behind, but the bear had vacated the area.
"Let's keep going and see if we can find a recent trail."
Wren didn't need any other encouragement as she sped down a trail left by trucks or vans, likely carrying hunters or foragers. If this had been Ironwind, we would have passed at least a few people picking berries by now, but no one had been out here for several days.
I frowned as I realized the locals were being forced to stay close to their protective walls instead of cautiously roaming the forests in search of food. This situation would have to change—and soon—or their food stocks would begin to dwindle. If the unranked couldn't be stopped or diverted, the Stronghold would have no choice but to move. Time was ticking, and there were no clear answers or easy solutions.
We passed plenty of edible plants, mushrooms, and berries in our search for the bear. After going down various trails and even making our own paths in some areas, I lifted my head.
"Stop. It's not far."
Wren hit the brakes so hard the tires skidded in the leaf litter.
I jumped down. "Can you pass me the rope?" When Jax got out of the dune buggy and handed it to me, I said, "Wait here until I call, then come find me."
Even as they nodded, I darted into the undergrowth and followed my nose. I tracked the scent on the drifting air and frowned when I realized it was a female. I kept going, hoping she didn't have young cubs hidden somewhere around here.
Most bears kept their young with them, but sometimes they sent them up a tree and left for hours on end. Just because I couldn't smell any cubs, that didn't mean she didn't have any. I'd have to get closer to tell if she'd been in contact with them lately or if she had lost them earlier in the season.
I crept through the underbrush as I heard rustling ahead and a quiet ursine grunt. Taking care to remain downwind, I peered through the foliage. The bear's dull black fur was mangled in several places, accompanied by a couple of half-healed bites, one of which affected her hind leg and made her limp.
She had definitely been in a hard fight, possibly against a male that had killed her cubs. The wounds were several weeks old, and a quick check of the air confirmed that she hadn't been in contact with any other bears or cubs since then. I narrowed my eyes at the broken shaft of an arrow sticking out above her shoulder, lodged into a spot the bear couldn't quite reach.
I slipped closer as the bear tore a rotting log apart in search of insects and grubs. She was so preoccupied she didn't even notice when I lunged for the back of her neck. A crack was followed by the sound of her body slumping on top of the grass and log fragments.
"Jax! Wren! Over here," I shouted, hoping my words were loud enough for them to hear. My proximity call would probably confuse them and might make Regan think I was calling him.
While waiting, I dragged the bear over to a large tree and hoisted it into the air. I was securing the end of the rope when I heard the dune buggy pushing its way through the undergrowth.
"Over here," I called, helping Wren pinpoint my exact location.
Soon enough, the dune buggy stopped nearby, and Jax and Wren came over with a pail and three cups.
"Oh, it's bigger than I realized," Wren said, coming forward eagerly.
I took the bucket from her and set it on the ground, steadying the swaying carcass as I slit its throat.
When Jax handed the third cup to me, I shook my head. "Thanks, but the sun is in the sky."
"We're going to have to start postponing these hunts until night," he muttered as Wren put her cup under the red liquid trickling into the bucket.
I smirked. "There are more bears around, and I'll probably go after one tonight since I didn't hunt yesterday."
He frowned. "Are you sure you don't want any? We can share. Nicky also gave us a bunch of food this morning if you want some. You probably haven't had time to eat since you came back."
"The controlex might remove the desire for human blood, but it also makes regular food unappealing," I said, hoping a bit of education might stifle his concern about me starving to death. "It makes zombies hunt a bit more, but I'm quite capable of hunting for myself, and if I do run short, I know where your traps are."
The last part was an empty promise. If wildlife was so scarce that I had to raid their live traps, there would be no animals around to get caught. The only other scenario would be if I got too injured to hunt, and if that happened, I was quite certain Daniel would make sure I was well supplied until he found me a few live traps of my own.
Jax didn't seem entirely convinced, but after checking my scent, he let the subject drop. Wren's cup was half-full, so she moved away to let Jax have a turn.
"This is good," Wren murmured, savoring the taste.
"I'll be back in a bit," I said as I wandered into the underbrush. Disappearing for fifteen minutes or so would give them time to finish their meal in peace.
~
If I thought the guards gave me strange looks when I carried the cougar in, I set a whole new standard when I packed the large bear carcass through the gates.
"Uh, you can set it over there." One of the guards pointed to a spot beside the guard tower.
After the zombie fight, they were aware I was a zombie, but it was still entertaining to see their reactions when that fact was pretty much shoved in their faces. Apparently the short woman in the hoodie didn't look nearly so harmless when she was carrying a dead bear around.
As I set it down, footsteps skipped down the street and came to a stop beside me. "That didn't take you very long," Nicky observed. "Nice catch, although a bit smaller than what you normally drag back."
I pretended not to see the guards' jaws drop or Nicky's impish grin as her gaze flickered over to them. With a shrug, I replied, "It was being a pest. I hope you're not about to repeat its mistake."
"What kind of question is that? Of course, I am! Daniel kicked me out of Nina's chair, so I have to go somewhere. Let's go torment Jax and Wren!" Nicky promptly jogged out the gate as the guards stared at her.
With a sigh of resignation, I followed the hyper redhead. "I think you need some exercise."
"You can make me run around all you want, but you can't burn off crazy!" She laughed and did a cartwheel as Wren and Jax drove over.
I raised an eyebrow that she was too busy frolicking to notice. "Perhaps, but it can help keep it in check, and we can always throw you in the lake."
"Good thing I haven't seen any lakes lately," Nicky replied. "Hey, Wren. Have you seen a lake around here?"
The zombie blinked at her in perplexity as she stopped the dune buggy beside us, having missed the earlier part of the conversation. "No. Just the canals and a couple of forest ponds."
"Don't tell Trinity about them," Nicky replied as if I wasn't standing right beside her. "But since you're here, what are your plans for the afternoon?"
"I don't think I have any plans. Just a few patrols," Wren replied, just as confused as before.
"Great! Let's go somewhere with fewer people, and we can have some fun! If you thought the potato gun was great, just wait until you try a boomerang!" The redhead held up the polished piece of wood triumphantly.
Wren regarded it dubiously. "Why don't you jump on the back, and we can drive closer to the trees? There are fewer people over there."
The locals had figured out that the dangerous zombies were coming from the south, so not many were on that side of the Stronghold, and none ventured more than halfway to the trees. That left a large safe area. Any zombies that staggered across it were swiftly lured away by horseback riders.
I jogged alongside the dune buggy as Wren drove in a remarkably sedate fashion. Nicky hung onto the roll bars like a monkey, grinning like she had just received a bushel of bananas.
When Wren came to a stop, Jax got out and took a few steps away from the dune buggy. Now that their speed no longer whisked Nicky's scent away, he seemed to want more space. Only the barest trace of a limp was present, and I suspected the narrow wound was rapidly knitting itself back together.
I crossed my arms and watched as Nicky pulled Wren to the side and eagerly showed her how to throw the boomerang. After the well-used piece of wood returned to the redhead, she handed it to Wren, giving her pointers as she threw it.
I kept my eye on the boomerang since I knew exactly how unpredictable the wind stick could be at times. Wren threw it ahead, and it crash-landed, merrily skipping away as the two jogged after it.
Regan appeared along the edge of the trees as Nicky gave another demonstration. Wren and Nicky seemed to be having a blast as they kept running after, although Jax looked even more bored than I was.
Regan wandered over. "Who let her have a boomerang?"
"It was safer than letting her have firecrackers," I replied, still not taking my eyes off the boomerang as Nicky scooped it up.
"Are we safer in front or behind them?"
Nicky spun around to face us. "I heard that! And nowhere is safe!"
As if to prove her point, she whipped the boomerang into the air, and it whizzed in a half-circle. It swooped behind a feral zombie that had been following Regan and bopped it on the head. The zombie toppled forward as the boomerang deflected and bounced into the grass.
I inclined my head toward the ambush scene as I asked Regan, "Do you wish to take care of the zombie or try your hand at mastering a boomerang? Jax and I can do a patrol if you want to keep an eye on her." I smirked and added, "I'll even leave you a coil of rope in case she beats you too badly."
A corner of his lips quirked up. "This could be interesting."
"I'll come back in an hour and see who I have to rescue."