The Virus Within: The Road Ahead (Book 1 - SERIES COMPLETED!)

Chapter 1

Here is a line for those who like to note if they are First Time Readers (FTR) or Re-Readers (RR).

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I paused in the deep shadows of the trees and examined the road I had just found. Despite the darkness of night, my red-tinted vision allowed me to see every blade of grass and pothole as if it were noon.

Other than a handful of abandoned cars and two zombies in the distance, the road was empty, which was to be expected. Only fools and zombies traveled at night.

I inhaled deeply to check the air. The strong scent of the pine forest was almost overwhelming, although my enhanced sense of smell could identify most of the hundreds of lighter scents underneath it.

Ignoring the scents of the plants, I focused on the ones from living creatures. There wasn't much around here; a handful of regular zombies, a herd of elk, some deer, a couple of rabbits, and a dog in dire need of a breath mint.

No scent of humans lingered in the air, nor had any been on this road recently. No hint of my sister either.

Still, it was a road, and all roads went somewhere. Perhaps this one wouldn't end in the middle of a tourist resort overrun with zombies like the last one had. If my sister was still human, she'd be inside one of the remaining Strongholds. I just had to find all the blasted places in order to check them, and I refused to consider the worst-case scenario. She was probably the only person left who might call me by my name, Trinity, instead of yelling 'Zombie!' and running away or shooting at me.

Keeping within the shelter of the trees, I followed the road at a slow jog. Chloe trailed behind me warily, leaving plenty of space between us as she usually did.

It would have been easier for the husky to run on the road, but the zombies would immediately give chase. These were just regular ones, so they'd ignore me if I showed myself, but Chloe wouldn't be so fortunate.

It was less of a hassle to remain in the trees. There weren't any humans around for me to worry about, although if a human had – against all odds – caught a glimpse of my shadowy figure or glowing red eyes, they would have been shaking in their boots.

That was if they even saw me at all. Like the ninjas or assassins in old Hollywood films, it was nearly impossible to spot a Nightstalker at night unless we revealed ourselves. My dark grey hoodie and faded black jeans also blended in beautifully with the shadows.

The husky continued to follow me through the trees as the world around us slowly got lighter. The predawn light would have still been considered very dim by human standards, but it was already getting too bright for me. I pulled a protective case out of my backpack and opened it.

Inside, a pair of wrap-around sunglasses were nestled in the padding. They weren't ordinary sunglasses though. These welding glasses had a few modifications which prevented any traces of light from coming in around the edges. They were the only reason I could go outside during the day. Almost as if I were a vampire... At least I don't burst into flames or sparkle in the sunlight.

I slid them on and kept going. Every so often, I stopped so Chloe could have a brief rest, but it wasn't long before we were moving again. The sun slowly crept higher into the sky as the hours passed.

The faint smell of humans and concrete reached my nose, but it was just the afterscent of an abandoned town. I was running low on food though, so it would be a good idea to see if there was anything edible left.