The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 91

After far too much driving, we pulled up to a small store with a flat roof as late afternoon passed into early evening. I tested the air as I hopped out, "Couple of zombies in the area, nothing close by though."

Nicky nodded as she grabbed her backpack. I hefted the ladder and leaned it up against the building before climbing up to the roof. By the time I got up to the top, Daniel was waiting to toss stuff to me. The first thing was the large tent for Nina and Nicky. The other stuff was lighter.

I helped Nicky and Nina assemble the tent as Daniel set up a safe firepit on the roof that wouldn't burn the place down around our ears. We finished just as Daniel set up the camping chairs. He took his favorite one and gazed at the fire with a meditative expression.

He turned his measuring gaze to me. After a few seconds, I turned my head so I faced him, "What?" My voice clearly told him that I didn't appreciate him staring at me.

He blinked slowly, but didn't look away. He hummed lightly, "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, but seemed faintly amused despite my tone. He focused on me once more with his keen eyes, "How did you do it?"

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

Daniel wasn't letting himself be distracted and shook his head, "No, that tactic isn't going to work either. How did you get your wounds to heal so fast? What did you do?"

Nina blinked in surprise and glanced between the two of us as she caught on to 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.

I snorted dryly, "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 am not sure what you did, but I know that you must be doing something. Your previous wounds also spiked in healing at a certain point as well. Besides, you didn't react to me as I kept watching you in the mirror and that should have irritated you to no end, yet your scent was halfway amused, and not upset. You did this to me before with the wrestling thing and you found it amusing then too."

I sat motionlessly as I debated my options. He clearly knew that I had knowledge he lacked and he also had a point with his observations. With a gusty sigh I dug into my backpack as it sat by my feet. Daniel and Nina were watching me intently. Nicky seemed a bit surprised I was letting this secret go so easily.

He would have figured it out eventually, he was a zombie. I lobbed the small jar at him and he easily caught it with a look of confusion. A small jar of thick red liquid was not what he had been expecting to see. He gingerly opened it and took a small sniff.

His expression grew even more confused as he picked up the scent of rabbit blood and my saliva. In theory, any zombie's saliva was just as effective so my saliva would work as well as his. Nina leaned forward, "What is it?"

Daniel sent me a puzzled look, "It is rabbit blood."

Now it was Nina's turn to be confused, "Why was she carrying that in a jar? I thought zombies disliked drinking cold blood."

They both looked at me, waiting for an answer. I smirked at Daniel, "I just handed you a key clue, surely you can figure it out from here."

Daniel narrowed his eyes, although he didn't seem truly upset. Just a bit annoyed that I wouldn't come right out and give him the answer. Nicky started snickering at his slight frustration as I was being my usual annoying self.