The Virus Within: The Unranked (Book 4)

Ch. 5: Get In The Truck

I grabbed my backpack as I raised the blackout blinds, letting the morning sunshine flood into my room. There hadn't been much time this morning for a nap, but I had taken advantage of it since I didn't know when I'd get another chance, and it wasn't like I could sleep at night.

After looking around my room one last time, I went in search of my companions. As I exited the building, Nicky was already in the back of the truck.

When she saw me, she held up a white shirt with modest ruffles. "Did you leave this here?"

"Yes."

She looked it up and down. "This is too big for you, and if you're trying to convince me that you'd wear ruffles and bright colors, I suggest asking Nina for a medical checkup."

"If you were really that observant, you would have noticed it's Jess's size."

"Oh, so it is. Cool!"

"Where are Daniel and Nina?" I asked, noticing all their gear was in the storage bin. Logan's backpack was present, so he wouldn't be far away.

"Around," she replied vaguely. "They'll show up soon. The truck is packed and ready to go. All the ash hoppers in the gasifier were cleaned out, we have new hay in the filter, and now that you're here, I can light the fire!"

Dropping the shirt, she jumped out of the back and scampered over to the wood gas setup on the bumper. I shook my head at our enthusiastic pyromaniac who loved any excuse to start fires.

While Nicky fiddled with the tinder in the firebox, I set my backpack in the back. Normally it took about twenty minutes for the canisters to heat up enough to run, but that was reduced to about ten if Nicky got her hands on it.

"Where's Jess?" I asked Nicky. "I should say goodbye before we leave."

"Her workshop."

"Thanks." I set off in search of my sister, who was probably already worrying.

As I approached the door to her workshop, I sniffed the air and angled my path toward the garden behind the building. I found her trimming some herbs in a raised plant bed.

"Make sure you don't get into trouble while I'm gone."

She immediately left the scissors and clippings on the soil. "Trin! You'll be careful, right?"

"I didn't spend a quarter of the night packing for no reason. By the way, I borrowed one of your emergency kits."

"They're there to use, although I hope you won't need it," she said as she came over.

"I'm more worried about Nicky getting into the coffee or tea at this Stronghold than needing the medical supplies."

"Please promise to be careful. I know you're a zombie but having these two zombies appear like this is really strange."

With a sigh, I said, "I'll be careful. Now quit worrying about me."

"You know that's not possible. The worrying part, I mean."

I smirked at her. "Oh, believe me, I know."

She laughed and opened her arms. "Just give me my hug already."

"Fine." I gave her a quick hug, then stepped back. "Stay out of trouble. I hope we won't be gone too long."

"I'll try to pretend you're just going on another vacation."

"Remember, I've always come back intact," I said firmly, knowing her sisterly paranoia would surface within hours of me leaving. "While I'm gone, I want you to map out your escape routes in case zombies break in. Yes, I know Luke and Davina would eventually knock all of them out or trap them, but you have to avoid the ferals until then. It'll give you something to do."