"Watch where you're walking!" an angry voice from below exclaimed.
"Hey, you ran into me, not the other way around. But I have things to do and places to be, so if you and your lackeys would kindly move, I need to get going."
"It can't be that important that you run visitors over."
"Well, it's important enough to me. Besides, if I'd been going faster than a walk, I would have rebounded off someone as big as you. Now, if you and your friends would kindly move your derrieres so I can get by, I'll get out of your way."
I sighed at Nicky's gracious and insulting demeanor. And, of course, she had to bump into a few of the traders. Life would be too simple otherwise.
"You talk to traders like that?" the angry man demanded. "I'm amazed no one has taught you manners yet. A shrimp like you should know better."
Now focused on the argument, I turned my head. Unfortunately, the plywood siding on the railing blocked my sight. The voice plucked at my memories, sounding almost familiar. Have I met this man before? A couple of the archers beside the railing leaned over to look at whoever was below us.
"I am not a shrimp! I'm short! There's a huge difference between the two. For starters, I don't live in water."
"What kind of comeback was that? Pathetic. Please tell me you aren't one of the people they're trying to send back with us. The last thing we need is a village idiot in our Stronghold."
I growled lowly as I stood up. I didn't care if someone annoyed Nicky, but insulting her was crossing a line. Especially if this man was who I thought he was.
Faintly alarmed by my scowl, several of the archers also got to their feet, glancing between me and the group below. It only took me four steps to reach the railing and jump onto the wide top beam. As I scrutinized the group below, I sat down with my legs hanging over the side. Falling wasn't a concern with my Nightstalker balance, and even if I did miscalculate, it wasn't high enough to harm me.
Nicky and a larger man were apparently having a standoff while half a dozen others were scattered in a loose semi-circle behind their ringleader. Well, if the guards ever needed a reason to avoid having me take a shift in the guard towers, I'm about to show them why it isn't wise to involve me in civilian peacekeeping.
Holding out a hand, I quietly asked one of the archers, "Can I borrow your water bottle for a moment?"
My request baffled him, but he tossed it over. I unscrewed the lid as I leaned forward for a better view of the man below. Yep. That's definitely him. His demeanor sure hasn't improved any.
In an almost casual fashion, I tipped the bottle so the long stream of water cascaded down onto the brown-haired irritant below. It splattered as it hit his head, and the resulting spray also hit most of his friends, with enough to spare to give Nicky a reprimand as well.
The man staggered back, wiping water off his head and out of his eyes, demanding, "What the hell!"
His followers also backed up, spotting me before their ringleader cleared his vision.
The man's furious eyes swiftly found the source of the water. "Who the bloody hell do you think you are? You think you're pretty brave up there, huh? I dare you to come down here and try that again!"
This was the first time I had seen someone – a visitor yet – throw insults so readily. Especially in a place known to have at least one sane zombie. Daniel's presence wasn't exactly a secret, and it didn't usually take much to set a zombie off.
I snorted in disdain, unimpressed with his tough-guy act. "Try actually using your brain for once, Justin. It hasn't been that many years since I beat the crap out of you when you pretended to be the school's toughest football jock. Don't tell me you forgot that lesson about bullying my friends?"
His pissed-off expression turned into one of confusion as he tried to place me. From the concentration on his face, I half expected smoke to come out his ears with how hard the gears up there were grinding, if only there had been anything up there besides empty air to start with.
How did he not recognize me? Even if we had only seen each other occasionally on the street over the last ten years, my appearance hadn't changed that much, nor had my casual way of pissing him off. Perhaps he just didn't recognize his old high school adversary after so many years of peace. Or perhaps he simply wasn't expecting to see someone from our hometown so far away.
"Trinity?" His jaw dropped open as the lackwit belatedly made the connection. "Shit. I didn't know anyone else from our town had survived."
The expressions on his face revolved faster than the two lonely neurons in his brain, having gone from furious, to stunned disbelief, and now to overjoyed in the matter of a minute.
"Why don't you come down and give an old friend a hug?" He held out his arms, too caught up in the moment to remember we had never been on the same side in a fight.
All the bystanders were watching us; his fellow traders with confusion, and the locals with distrust and uncertainty, given how his most recent words contradicted everything else they'd heard and seen.
"I think the sun must have baked your brains to cause such memory loss," I informed him tartly.
He winced and dropped his arms. "Yeah, I guess we really didn't get along in school. Any chance of starting off with a clean slate?"
I raised an eyebrow as I gazed down at him from my perch. "Considering you were just hassling my best friend, I fail to see how you consider that as a clean slate."
"Aww... Come on, don't be like that. It's been years since we were kids. I thought everyone I knew was dead or undead." He paused with a look of confusion. "Wait. I thought Dustin told me the flu shot was mandatory in that building since so many had serious health concerns?"
Maybe he had more than two working brain cells after all.
Just then, a stranger rounded the corner behind the group and paused when he saw the people ahead. "Crap. I didn't think Nicky was still alive."
Nicky's eyes widened as she recognized the man, whoever he was. From how she involuntarily stepped back, I already had a sinking opinion of the newcomer.
Without noticing me above, the man continued talking. "Justin, whatever you do, don't let that redhead come back with us, regardless of what this place bribes you with. It isn't worth it. She's off her medication and nothing but a burden."
That last comment crossed a line, making my temper flare. Nicky clenched her jaw in anger, but her uncharacteristic silence spoke more loudly than her usual smartass comments.
I bristled at the man's attitude as my opinion of this trader group continued to drop like an overripe apple from a tree. All that remained to be seen was how big of a splat it was going to make upon impact...
I growled as I dropped off the railing I was perched on, landing lightly on my feet between Justin and Nicky. Sharply drawn breaths from the traders marked the moment they realized I wasn't human. They backed away uneasily, too nervous to remain so close, but too scared to run in case it lured the prowling lioness into a chase.
I took several slow, smooth steps forward with a grace not possessed by humans while my glare remained locked onto the last man. My lips pulled back slightly from my teeth, another hint that he had made a serious blunder.
The man took a few shaky steps back while his companions edged farther away, making sure they weren't between us.
"It's one thing to annoy my friends, but when you insult them, you play a dangerous game." My voice was low and dangerous, practically a growl, as I took another ominous step forward, still focused on him.
The man trembled as the sour smell of his fear spoiled the air. He held up his hands placatingly as he slowly backed away, possibly too scared to talk. Or, perhaps, wise enough to know almost anything he said was only going to make his already-perilous situation worse.
Vindictively deciding to let him sweat and worry for a while longer, I turned my attention to the other source of irritation, although my voice was closer to what it had been earlier.
"I did get the flu shot," I told Justin mildly, "although I was out of town when I turned."
"Ah... I see," he mumbled, not quite sure what to say now.
The archers from above rappelled down the rope and swiftly converged around the group, prudently giving me plenty of room. In the distance, I could see several guards also approaching, likely having seen the commotion from their vantage point in the towers.
An archer approached the man who had insulted Nicky. "You will not come in here and insult our people. You can wait outside the fence until your friends are done. Move it."
For a moment, he looked like he was going to protest, but apparently, half a dozen angry locals and a vengeful zombie were enough for him to change his mind. With gritted teeth, the man turned tail and started walking to the gate without any complaint.
Three of the archers followed him to ensure he didn't slip out of his pseudo-punishment. The guards were already altering their path to intercept them and find out what was going on.
The other three archers lingered with us, although they still bestowed frowns and scowls upon the retreating man. They may not be overly fond of Nicky and her mood swings, but they had accepted her as a resident here and would defend her, especially after she had stopped the two arsonists, which had proved she was willing to defend this place.
I crossed my arms and watched as the man was ushered around the corner and out of my sight. I commented to Nicky, "It's a good thing I like those archers. They are clearly not aware of how dangerous it is to intervene in a zombie's quarrel. Perhaps it's for the best. I would have a hard time explaining to Daniel why I thrashed a visitor."
Intervening wasn't a wise move on their part; most zombies would have taken almost as much offense to that as they would over a stolen kill. Between my level of control, the way they had stuck up for Nicky, and the fact that I didn't really want human blood on my hands granted them a temporary pass, but it was a cautionary word for the future. Most zombies would have reacted quite poorly, so it would be prudent for them to remember that.
Nicky gave me a shaky smile, still trying to regain her usual confidence. "Don't mind them. They were only trying to help. Besides, Daniel would probably object if it came to bloodshed, and if you want to pick a fight with that Terror, I can think of better ways to aggravate him."
Allowing myself to be distracted, I chuckled darkly. "Oh, so can I. It's pretty easy to annoy him if you do it right."
The smell of fear rolled off Justin and his five companions. They glanced at one another, unsure of what to make of us at this point, although a couple were very gingerly shuffling away.
Most humans went far out of their way to simply avoid a zombie, and here we were, idly considering how to intentionally irritate a Terror. Life had taught people one thing since the zombies had first appeared: zombies were dangerous.
And, as they had just recently realized, I was also a zombie.
I turned to face Justin, who paled as my gaze once more rested upon him. "I don't know who that was, but he would be well advised to keep his distance. My patience when I was human was slim, and it's worse now. My ire is not an easy thing to bear, as you should well recall."
"Uh... I'll have a word with him later."
I snorted, halfway amused at the irony of the situation, but still annoyed. "As if you have any room to talk. Time and survival have clearly not done your disrespectful manner any favors."
That had the sweat beading up on his forehead. Nor did he reply, likely unable to come up with anything that wouldn't land him in more hot water. From the anxiety in his scent, he didn't expect to walk away from this unharmed.
And with our past history, he had plenty of reasons to expect that. He had been a jerk in highschool, and there had been several occasions where he punched some of my friends for no reason.
The first time, I had walked away with bruises, a split lip, and a black eye. His parents ended up taking him to the hospital, which put him on bed rest for a week. He had been a slow learner back then as well, so it wasn't the last time we had fought. If his friends didn't intervene, he never came out on top. Just because I was short didn't mean I couldn't clash with a wannabe football jock.
Justin apparently decided an apology and a bit of groveling might be the best way to appease a zombie's wrath. He looked down and grudgingly mumbled, "I apologize for what I said to your friend."
"Telling me that you're sorry when she is standing right here is not helping your case any."
Throughout all of our high school years, I had never managed to get him to apologize to any of my friends directly, regardless of how many fights it caused. The air stunk of anxiety and worry, so intense it bordered on panic, not just from Justin, but from all who were present, including the remaining archers, who didn't have any idea how this conversation was going to end, but they didn't dare interrupt after my earlier words.
With a gulp, Justin visibly swallowed his pride and told Nicky, "I'm sorry for what I said. My temper sometimes gets the best of me."
Nicky tilted her head as she considered the apology, and her delay made Justin pale even more, if that was even possible at this point.
She finally nodded. "I'll buy that lame excuse this time. I suggest taking up yoga or meditation though. Zombies are a lot like fairies. You often don't realize what they are until they decide if they like you or not. If they like you, great. If not, you're up shit creek without a paddle."
This has to be the first time I have ever heard someone compare a zombie to Tinkerbell...
"I'll keep that in mind," Justin carefully replied, with an uneasy glance in my direction.
"And keep Kane away from me," Nicky added with a frown. "If he even comes near me, I'm sending Trinity after him."
The seriousness in her voice was one I rarely heard, making me wonder just what kind of past those two had. If it was enough to have Nicky acting so out of character, then he would be wise not to show his face around me. Especially if she ever told me what had happened.
"We won't bring him here again," Justin promised, still sweating bullets.
Considering Kane's life may very well hang in the balance, that was a wise plan on their part. Two more men I didn't recognize rounded the corner and stopped in their tracks, surprised to see a standoff. I was tired of dealing with this nonsense and exhaled gustily.
"I'll ignore our past disputes, but keep a civil tongue in your head," I told Justin firmly, sending a slight frown in his direction. "I'm not the only sane zombie kicking around in this world, and quite a few would have trounced you for such comments."
"Thank you." For the first time ever, there was a hint of real gratitude in his voice.
He better be happy; it wasn't often I gave annoying people such a lucky break. I snorted lightly and shook myself as I began walking toward the rope dangling from the balcony.
Then I paused and took a deeper breath of air, turning back to the group.
Inhaling again, I eyed up the new arrivals. With a slight tilt of my head, I approached them with intent focus. The original group quickly scattered out of my way, which had the two men looking around nervously.
It wasn't a scent I had smelled before, but I knew exactly what it was. When I was close enough to determine which was the source, I stopped.
"Go talk to Nina," I told him. "Tell her Trinity sent you to discuss the three things she's been working on."
The guy stared at me in complete confusion, probably wondering why some random woman was sniffing him from ten feet away. The archers' eyes widened, knowing what I meant, or at least thinking they did. Nicky was already climbing up the rope, so I couldn't see her expression, but everyone else appeared clueless, evidence that Nina's name wasn't ringing any bells for them.
"Uh, okay... Why?"
"She'll tell you." With that, I turned around and continued to the rope, easily scaling it to the deck.
If he left without finding Nina, there was still time for her or someone to send word to the traders and let them know the man was infected with the sneezing strain of the zombie virus. Others would learn of his condition, but at that point, it would be the guy's fault for not listening to me.
The faint scent was subtle, not quite the same as a direct infection, such as what Mack and Mike had, but still undeniably zombie in nature. I now had solid proof I could smell the sneezing version weeks in advance, which gave me plenty to think about.
Even Daniel would be able to smell it once he got close enough. Considering neither of us had detected it in this place so far, it was basically an unspoken reassurance that Ironwind Stronghold would be spared the effects of the third wave. Nina might think he was infected normally, but her tests should detect the difference. I wonder how long it will take before she realizes the implications of me being able to smell it?
Meh, who was I kidding? This was exactly what the scientist was studying. If nightfall came before she had that brainwave, I was tempted to tell someone that she made a massive breakthrough, then disappear into the forest for a long patrol when they went to ask her questions.
I climbed up the rope, and by the time I got settled in my seat, the crowd below had scattered. Justin and his group had continued on to wherever they were going, or if the deck had been their original goal, anywhere else but here.
The archers also scaled the rope, using the loops like they had plenty of practice, which made sense since the safest place outside the fence was usually off the ground.
Nicky sat in the chair beside me. "Thanks."
"I didn't do much. You knew that other guy from before?"
She stared into the distance, unusually somber. "He was at a Stronghold in Utah. Third place I stayed at." She paused for a few seconds before quietly continuing, "He tried drowning me during one of my coffee highs and almost succeeded. Someone else pulled me out of the water. I left that place before he could try again, which he kept threatening."
"And they didn't do anything about him?" I growled as my muscles tensed, wondering what the consequences would be if I rectified their oversight.
"It was the first time he was caught doing anything wrong, although after that, they suspected he was responsible for the past four deaths in that place. He was a relative of someone important there, so they just locked him up. I didn't stick around long enough to see what came of it. Considering he's up here, he was probably kicked out."
My growl echoed the air around us as my gaze strayed in the direction he'd gone, although I couldn't see him from here.
"I wonder if anyone would notice if he went missing..."
Nicky snorted faintly. "After what just happened below? He'll have a hard time even taking a leak without half a dozen people watching his every move."
In that case, even my Nightstalker skills wouldn't be sufficient until darkness fell, and he'd be long gone by then. With a huff, I leaned back in my chair, ignoring the chess game I was no longer in the mood for. I gazed across the archery field, wishing a few of the regular zombies I could see would go after Kane.
Nicky slid her chair forward and studied the chess set for a few seconds. "Which color were you?"
"Black."
She promptly moved one of the black pawns, which her opponent took using a knight.
"Wait, how did that move like that?" Nicky asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"The knights move in an 'L' shape, two and three squares in any direction."
"Oh, right. And this guy goes diagonally." She slid the bishop between two pawns, where it was safe for now.
They continued playing as the archer helped refresh Nicky's memory of the game. Not that it prevented Nicky from soundly getting her ass kicked as her pieces disappeared one by one, mostly because she kept putting them in the worst spots possible.
No one disturbed me or tried to start a discussion. They probably realized I wasn't in the mood for idle chitchat. So much for their attempts to keep me out of the way of the traders. They were lucky I had only growled at the offenders. I was still tempted to track down that Kane guy and solve one of the world's problems.