The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 8

After far too much driving, we pulled up to a small gas station with a flat roof.

I tested the air as I hopped out. "There's a couple of zombies in the area, although none are close by."

Nicky nodded and grabbed her backpack as she got out. I hefted the ladder and leaned it against the building before climbing up to the roof.

By the time I got to the top, Daniel was waiting to toss our stuff up to me. The first object was the large tent for Nina and Nicky, followed by the sleeping bags. Most of our supplies could stay in the truck, so it didn't take long before we had the essentials.

I helped Nicky and Nina unroll the tent while Daniel set up the small firepit and arranged the chairs around it.

"I'll grab some firewood," he said, heading to the edge of the roof and jumping down.

That was usually my excuse to avoid having to help set up this tent. It took a bit of communication, particularly with Nicky, but soon we had all the supporting poles unfolded and in their proper places.

Daniel returned just as we convinced the tent to stand under its own power. He started the fire while we finished up and stashed the sleeping bags inside.

Nina sat by the fire and sorted through the remaining food while the rest of us sat in our usual chairs. With a meditative expression, Daniel gazed at the fire, eventually looking at me.

When he didn't look away, I turned my head to face him. "What?" My voice clearly told him that I didn't appreciate him staring at me.

He blinked slowly, calm and contemplative, but still didn't look away. "I think you know the answer to that."

I rolled my eyes and responded in a dry voice, "If I had, I wouldn't have asked."

He snorted lightly, although he seemed faintly amused despite my tone. "How did you do it?"

"Setting up the tent or sitting in the chair?"

"How did you get your wounds to heal so fast?" he clarified. "What did you do?"

Nina blinked in surprise and glanced between the two of us as she caught onto Daniel's deduction. I guess he isn't as dense as I thought he was. He knows that I know something. He just doesn't know how I did it.

"What makes you think I did anything? You saw me sitting in the back of the truck all day."

His eyes never left me. "I'm not sure what you did, but I know you're doing something. Your previous wounds also spiked in healing at a certain point as well. Besides, you didn't react when I kept watching you in the mirror while driving, and that should have irritated you to no end. Yet, your scent was halfway amused. You did this to me with the wrestling thing, and you found it amusing then as well."

I sat motionlessly as I debated my options. He clearly knew I was doing something, and all of his observations were valid. With a sigh, I dug into my backpack while Daniel and Nina watched me intently. Nicky gave me a strange look, surprised I was letting this secret go so easily.

In the end, he was a zombie, so he would have figured it out eventually. I lobbed a small jar at him, which he easily caught. He turned it over as he examined the red liquid inside. He gingerly opened it and took a small sniff. His expression grew even more confused at the scent of rabbit blood and my saliva. Blood that should have been clotted by now, hadn't, likely due to something in my saliva and how I had spit it into the jar.

Nina leaned forward. "What is it?"

"It's rabbit blood." Daniel sent me a puzzled look.

"Why is she carrying that in a jar? I thought zombies disliked drinking cold blood."