The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 125

I wrinkled my nose. Even if we hadn't been told that this group was here, we would have known well before we reached the town. I hadn't realized how well the smell of the zombie infection carried if a larger group of infected people congregated together.

Movement drew my eyes up to the top of a three story apartment building. A man sat up there watching us. Glimpses here and there showed that others were also present and had seen or heard us coming. It looked like none of them even bothered to think that we would stop here.

I was kind of surprised that there were no zombies here despite the lack of a fence. The smell of their infection was not enough to stop a zombie from trying to turn them into lunch. They must have been luring them away somehow.

Daniel rolled to a stop near the middle of the small town. He had probably seen more people than I had. He got out of the truck before calling out in a loud voice, "We heard that there were infected people here. We are from Ironwind Stronghold and we have a cure with us."

Daniel's eyes were once more red to let others see what he truly was. I planned to just sit here like a lump on a log for as long as possible to avoid all of the upcoming drama. A few people cautiously emerged from the surrounding buildings. I could see others peeking out of windows in case it was a trap.

Nina got out of the truck and lowered the truck tailgate to form an impromptu table. I had been leaning on it so I shifted sideways so I could lean against the side of the truck instead.

"How do we know you can be trusted?"

Daniel looked at the man who had spoken, "I can't offer much hard evidence, but we have been to several places distributing the drugs as we prepare for the third wave. You can see by my eyes what I am. We have two different drugs here. One is a true cure and the other is a serum that will allow you to turn into a sane zombie."

One woman approached hesitantly, "I do recall hearing about a zombie in Ironwind and those eyes can't be faked. I would like the cure, but I have nothing to pay with."

Nina shook her head, "There is no cost. We are doing this to simply help people."

The infected woman nodded and came closer to Nina. Daniel remained near the front of the truck. Mere feet separated the human from me and I began to wonder if Nina's choice of table was deliberate. Against unarmed or poorly armed humans, my strength and speed were sufficient to stop any trouble before it got too carried away. They would also be watching Daniel or the men beside me instead of considering me as a larger threat.

Nina injected the cure, "This will take about six hours to fully work and after that you should be fine. You can try approaching a cat later on. Just wash up and change your clothing beforehand."

"Thank you." The woman backed away, but didn't go far as she watched others coming for the cure.

This group was more willing to allow the injection than many others had been. They knew that they were infected and had nothing to lose. One man with a face mask was sneezing while waiting in the growing line. I pretended to yawn to hide my mouth as I spoke quietly to Daniel, "That man just has the cold. Is there any point in wasting the cure?"

Daniel came closer to the man before taking a sniff, "Did you know that you actually aren't infected? You just have that cold that is going around."

The man had grown nervous with Daniel's approach, but just stared at him in disbelief now. He snapped out of his daze as he shook his head, "Are you sure?"

Daniel nodded, "Quite sure. You can get the cure if you want, but it won't stop your current sneezing since that is from the cold."

"I would still like to get it if possible..."