The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 11

No one spoke while Luke was so deep in thought, not even amongst themselves. I was somewhat surprised he hadn't asked more questions, but I had expected the Runner would take advantage of the miracle drugs. After the questions he'd asked, I had a pretty good idea which one he'd be picking.

A Runner might be a bit slower than their human selves, but they were stronger and had much more endurance. They also didn't have to worry about being infected if they helped fight off feral zombies. Their main downfall was their insatiable bloodlust.

He may have hated the virus for a long time, but if he could get rid of the bloodlust, or at least most of it, being a Runner would be an advantage if a Stronghold would accept him. So far, he had been forced to avoid humans, which was something that would have weighed heavily on a person as sociable as Luke.

And Nina had just offered him solutions to both of these things.

I had survived the controlex drug with no negative side effects, and the cure was about to be used on a different Runner, which would be the final test as to whether or not it would leave a sane zombie comatose as it had the ferals.

Luke exhaled slowly and lifted his head. His red eyes slowly scanned the small crowd watching him, finally resting on me. "If something goes wrong, can I assume you'll stop me from doing anything stupid or something that might cost me my sanity?"

"Yes. I'm sure I can tie you up and drop you in a jail cell with a bucket of blood to play with."

He made a face at that mental image and shook his head to dispel it. "Here I thought friends didn't let friends end up in jail."

I smirked. "If jail is the only answer, then you can sit in there for a week while you cool your heels and think about your behavior."

He snorted and began laughing while I chuckled at our joke. The way we got along so well had Nina and Daniel watching with perplexed expressions. Nicky grinned at our bantering, although she didn't join in, opting to stay on the sidelines for now.

"If possible," Luke finally said, "I'd like to come with you. I'm very interested in trying the controlex, but I'd prefer to wait for a while. At least until we learn how the child is doing and if the cure works properly."

"You're more than welcome to come with us," Nina said, "but please don't feel like you have to accept the cure or controlex. We'll be happy for your company regardless of your choices."

"There'll be plenty of time to think on the drive, in case I'm being overly hasty," Luke replied with a kind smile. "But the chance to get rid of the bloodlust... There aren't words for what this opportunity means to me."

Nina nodded slowly, accepting his eagerness although she didn't seem to understand it. "I'll leave the choice up to you. Just let me know when you're ready. There are a number of empty rooms in Ironwind Stronghold, and you're welcome to stay as long as you like."

I exhaled at Nina's shortsightedness and corrected her. "He won't do well inside the fence until his bloodlust is gone. It was bad enough for me. The forest where I originally hunted is a much better choice. Apart from Nicky, I've never seen a human wander through that particular piece of forest, and even then, she only went in when I was around. He can stay in the cave there, or we can set up a tent for him."

Realization crossed Nina's face. "Sorry about that," she told Luke. "Sometimes I'm just too accustomed to Daniel and Trinity. If I make a similar mistake in the future, please let me know."

"No worries," Luke said. "Trinity is correct though. Unless the bloodlust disappears, I don't plan to set foot inside any Stronghold or safe area."

"Living in a forest isn't always the easiest," Daniel commented. "What can we do to make your stay more comfortable?"