The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 30

The yeast had obviously expired and Marissa's attempt at bread had more in common with a brick. It wasn't too bad if dipped into the soup. We all ate slowly by the light of the campfire as the stars slowly brightened overhead.

A piercing cry in the distance had everyone's head turning. I growled lowly at the sound as my instincts stirred. Nicky looked back at me, "If you are here, then I somehow doubt that you made that noise."

Nina frowned in the direction of the Nightstalker's cry, "That is the same way we came. It must have caught our scent on the road and is following it back here."

I gazed in the direction of the cry as I finished the last bit of my soup. It was far enough out that I hadn't caught its scent yet, but it would undoubtedly show up within the hour. Nicky raised an eyebrow at me, "You don't seem overly concerned."

I glanced at her, "Those cries really carry, so it is further away than you likely realize. I see no point in me running for at least fifteen minutes to meet it halfway if I can let it run most of the distance and tire itself out a bit."

I pulled out my grain sickle and my sharpening stone. It was still extremely sharp, but the extra bit of sharpening wouldn't hurt if I was going up against a feral Nightstalker. I wasn't overly worried about the fight. Feral Nightstalkers were always loners and never used weapons.

After a few minutes, I sheathed my weapon in its special holder on my back. I noticed that Daniel already had that flashlight in his lap, although he was watching me intently. I decided to mess with his head just for the hell of it.

I looked over at Nicky, "Still have that bar of soap in your backpack?"

"Yep."

"Mind if I borrow it?"

She fished it and lobbed it at me. I easily caught it and tucked it into my coat pocket, "Thanks."

Nicky gave Daniel an odd look, "Aren't you going with her?" Other than Nina and myself, no one else here knew about Daniel's poor sight at night.

Daniel shook his head, "After what happened last time, no. I don't feel like chasing her halfway across the country again to convince her to come back."

She nodded and looked at me, "Need any backup? Although I have to confess that I would feel more like bait if you did accept my offer."

I chuckled and shook my head, "No, I will manage against a feral. They are unarmed and have no strategy."

I stood up and headed for the edge of the roof. Nina called out behind me, "How do you plan on finding that Nightstalker?"

I bared my teeth in dark humor as I looked back over my shoulder, "I don't have to find it. It will come to me."

She blinked in surprise and I turned to jump off the house. I was glad that every place we camped was only one story tall. I wasn't sure if I could drop down two stories without sustaining damage. I took off down the road.

After five minutes of jogging I paused to throw my head to the sky and loose my own Nightstalker scream. Mere seconds later the feral responded with its own enraged cry. It was still some distance away and clearly did not appreciate me contending its hunting ground. Well, I didn't appreciate its approaching presence either. I kept heading down the road.

Several minutes later, I let my voice pierce the night again, only for the Nightstalker to answer me immediately. It wasn't that far away. I picked up a fist-sized rock and waited on the road for it to make its appearance. I felt the heat in my blood shift in preparation for the upcoming fight.

A Runner or Terror would have run down the middle of the road, but that was not the way of Nightstalkers. We were a hidden assassin in our hunt and travels. I spotted it as it moved stealthily through the trees. It knew I was here and it was eyeing me up.