The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 116

The next place was indeed a piece of cake with Damien's greeting. We were in and out within an hour. Nina was still hoping to hit two more places today. I was tired of this trip already, but I had allowed myself to be dragged along for the ride, so I figured as I might as well keep going along with it.

Nicky sat up, "When's lunch? I'm starving."

Daniel slowed and pulled over to the side of the road. Smart man. A hungry Nicky was not something that we wanted to deal with on a road trip. Nicky started to dig through our supplies and pulled out some spices. She looked at me, "Any chance of you catching a pheasant or two? I have a hankering for KFC and I even have a whack of spices."

I sighed before testing the air, "Would chicken work instead? Some farmer's flock must have gotten loose some time ago. It will still take me a few minutes to get there and back."

Nicky grinned at me, "How much trouble would I be in if I pointed imperiously and ordered 'fetch'?"

I growled lowly in warning, "Heaps. And I wouldn't be bringing back a chicken either. Perhaps a big stick to beat you with though."

She chuckled and shook her head, "Good thing I am not that dumb then. Can you bring me a chicken? Pretty please?!" She attempted to give me big puppydog eyes as she begged.

I sighed and got to my feet, "Just to get away from you for five minutes, I will go track down a chicken."

If I didn't go, she wouldn't stop asking and would probably be a right pain in my butt for the rest of the day. If I got her a chicken, she would stuff herself full of food and probably nap most of the afternoon. The choice was logical. I approached the trees and Nicky called out, "Please clean it too!"

I snorted as I disappeared into the trees. I picked up speed as I tracked the birds. The quiet of the forest was far preferable to hanging around the campfire while a hungry Nicky waited impatiently for food to cook.

This flock had been wild for some time and the birds were smart enough to remain on alert while avoiding hanging close to the trees. Too bad for them that chickens don't really fly that far without tiring, and perching in a tree wasn't going to stop me.

I picked a chicken that was the closest to the forest and waited as it pecked at the long grass in the clearing. The moment it turned its back toward me I charged forward with silent footsteps. A couple of the other birds saw me coming and started to take off in a flurry of wings. The bird I was targeting started looking around to see which direction the danger was coming from.

The two seconds that the bird hesitated was two seconds too long on the ground with me targeting it. I ensured it was dead and shook myself off lightly. I preferred to hunt at night. I drew my belt knife before skinning and cleaning the chicken. The smell of the blood did nothing to me since the sun was above the horizon.

I headed back to where Nicky was waiting. I grabbed a stick to roast it on and passed both to Nicky. Daniel turned his head and narrowed his eyes as he looked down the road. I glanced over, but didn't see anything since there was a bend in the road. I didn't hear anything either.

I kept half an eye on him since I knew his hearing was better than mine. His eyes never left the road as he maintained his vigil. Nina and Nicky were amiably coating the bird with a thick layer of spices and did not notice Daniel's preoccupation of the empty road.

I subtly tested the air, but came up empty. I didn't hear anything unusual either. Just birds, insects and the usual small sounds. I scanned the tree line in boredom as I ensured that no zombies were around.

Daniel shifted his stance slightly and my instincts stirred as he was no longer so relaxed. The faint sound of a distant dirt bike finally reached my ears. Two wheeled methods of transportation were not exactly common nowadays. The odds of Nina's attacker showing up were slim to none and I knew that others also traveled along this road, but this was just uncanny.