The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 10

When we emerged from the trees, I noticed Daniel had moved the firepit downwind of the tent, which also put the group at the far end of the building and unable to see us approaching from this angle.

My footsteps became louder as we got closer. The last thing I needed was for Daniel to get worked up if he thought a lone stranger was approaching. When I had first met Daniel, I had a hard enough time dealing with the Terror, so I wasn't sure how Luke was going to handle being around the much-higher-ranking zombie.

Ever the gentleman, Luke gestured for me to climb the ladder first. I went up the ladder and hopped onto the roof, keeping an eye on Daniel as I turned to watch Luke climb up. Luke's humanity helped his zombie coordination as he scaled the ladder with more grace than a feral could have managed.

Daniel would have caught Luke's scent as we approached the ladder, so even though he looked intrigued when he saw Luke's red eyes, he wasn't surprised. The two looked at each other for a moment. Daniel's eyes were camouflaged as they usually were, and he let them briefly turn a dull red color as a polite way of letting Luke know he was also a zombie.

Luke nodded slightly, although he didn't make any attempt to hide or dim the bright red in his eyes. He could change it if he chose, but it was a warning for humans to keep their distance. Nicky simply watched with a somewhat bored expression, somehow not seeming at all surprised by the new visitor. I could hear Nina in the tent, sounding like she was rummaging through a bag, unaware I had returned, nor that there was company.

When Luke looked at me, I nodded my head in the direction of the fire. "You can have the green chair. I don't mind sitting on the cooler."

I moved the large, hard plastic cooler between the empty chair and Nicky before sitting down. Nicky took the hint and slid her chair farther away, still not bothered by the appearance of a third zombie.

Luke sat in my usual chair, which someone had moved to the side when they moved the firepit. The chair wasn't quite directly upwind, but it was close enough that Luke wouldn't be bombarded by the fresh scents of the humans.

Most of Luke's attention was on the first Terror he had ever seen, and his curiosity was reciprocated by Daniel. Even though they were examining each other, there was no hostility or even any real noticeable tension between them, as if they were both trying their best to be polite.

The tent flap rustled as Nina came out. Having heard me talking to someone, she took the appearance of the blonde-haired man in stride. Luke glanced over his shoulder, and Nina blinked at the sight of his red eyes. Her gaze flickered over to me, then back to Luke as her expression turned to one of excitement.

A trace of unease entered Luke's scent as Nina continued approaching without any trace of fear. The scientist was – once again – letting her enthusiasm get ahead of her.

With a faint sigh, I bared my teeth slightly at Luke, who lifted his lip to flash a canine at me in acknowledgment. Neither action was serious; if he had been having any problems with control, my teeth would have distracted his instincts. His reaction was partly due to his instincts responding to my idle threat, but also doubled as a silent thanks while letting me know it wasn't really needed at this moment.

Daniel had tensed up when we bared our teeth at each other, but when our body language remained relaxed, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Had he been more in tune with his instincts, he'd have recognized the subtle way I was using my rank to keep Luke's instincts more focused on me than on the humans his bloodlust would be clamoring for.

Nina watched our interactions with avid curiosity from where she had stopped. Prudently, she altered her path to sit in her chair beside Daniel as opposed to going to greet the newcomer.