The Virus Within- Changing

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I sighed. A day and Seth was still avoiding me. I didn't blame him, but it still stung. We were in the forest, heading towards Crater Lake.

After a few hours, I got on the roof and stared at the lake. I had heard it was very blue since there was little to no sediment, but it still shocked me. It was considered the cleanest lake in the world. I was startled when we pulled over.

I poked my head down.

"What are we doing?"

"Sightseeing!" Harry grinned. I smiled back and took my head out. Then I jumped off the trailer, flexing my legs and arms to absorb the impact. I ran out. We were only about 25 feet from the lake. I made my way to the rocky shore and plunged my hand in. It was shockingly cold.

We marveled at the blue water for a bit before heading back to the trailer. I entered through the trailer and got onto the roof, where I found Harry. I started to head down, but he stopped me.

"Come on, sit right here." He motioned to a spot beside him. I reluctantly sat next to him. He started talking as the trailer's engine started.

"I can't thank you enough for saving Seth. On both occasions, with Mark, and at Redding," He said. "I can't imagine what would have happened without you being there."

I brushed off his remarks awkwardly. "It's okay. I was just in the right place at the right time."

"Okay. But just ask and I'll be there for you. K'ay?" He asked.

"Sure." And we fell silent.

I was enjoying the silence and beauty of the lake. I took a deep breath, taking in the scents of the clear lake, the fresh pine trees, the-

Wait.

I took in another deep breath. I could pick out the slightly metallic scent of blood. And it was barely noticeable, which meant that it was from far away. I pinpointed the direction and tried to focus.

I picked through the blend. I smelt a bear, a few regular zombies, a lot of squirrels, and fire!

I searched for smoke, and sure enough, I found it. A few miles away.

"Harry, there's a survivor out there." I nudged him and pointed.

He squinted. "You're right. I'll go down and tell-"

All of a sudden, I could sense the blood a lot easier. I had to get there!

"No time. Come as quickly as you can, but the survivor is in trouble."

I dropped down the ladder and sprinted into my bedroom. I took my katana in the sheath and my loaded Glock. I hid the Glock in my shirt and was out of the room and up the ladder again before anyone questioned me. I took a moment to get bearings and jumped off the trailer.

I hit the ground running and ran until I got closer. Then I stopped, took bearings and ran off again. After a few minutes, I could smell another zombie. A Nightstalker and a Terror.

I slowed down a little, still moving faster than a top sprint for normal humans, to make less noise. I slowed down to a walking pace as I moved less than twenty-five feet from the commotion. I undid the safety mechanism on my Glock.

There was a small clearing, maybe twenty feet in diameter. A campfire lay in the middle, but something else held my view. There was a bleeding girl on the ground, about my age. A few feet away, a Nightstalker was fighting a Terror. My eyesight was sharp enough to see that the Nightstalker was armed with a knife and the Terror was not. The Terror suddenly slammed her head into the Nightstalker, sending him flying.

The Terror turned towards the human, a murderous glint in her eye, and I knew I had to stop her. I unsheathed my sword and threw the sheath at her.

Though I used to be terrible at sports, my strength helped, and I hit the woman in the ear, a very painful place. She whirled at me, instantly knowing where I was. I had my katana in my hands and as she charged, I dodged to the side. She managed to slash at me, but I hit her hands out of the way.

She ran at me, and I backed away. I didn't know how to use a sword! But she was on me in an instant, and I reflexively swung just when she was out of reach. The blade grazed her ribs and she lunged. I dropped as she flew over me, but she grabbed my shoulder and sent me tumbling to the ground. She slammed onto the ground and I landed right next to her. She rolled out of the way of the sword as I brought it down.

"What do we have here?" she asked in a threatening voice.

I didn't reply.

I sprung up and started to swing, but she dove at my legs, knocking me over. She had me pinned in an instant. I squirmed as she raised her hand, but as she brought it down, the Nightstalker cannonballed into her, sending us flying. I did a cartwheel and landed on my feet, but the other two weren't so lucky. The Terror went down flat on her back, and the Nightstalker crashed into a tree. The Terror started chasing the Nightstalker and had him pinned before I realized what had happened.

I grabbed my sword and made adjustments. The pommel was heavy enough to counter the blade, but I had to get the angle right. I threw my sword into a slight spin. It made a full rotation before slicing across the Terror's back. She growled in pain and ran at me. I took out my Glock and aimed. I saw her eyes widen, her feet skidding, her arms coming up, time slowing down-

I pulled the trigger.

She slid under the bullet. Her face went millimeters above it. Then time sped back up as she smashed into me. Dropping the gun, I clapped my hands to create a sonic boom. She stumbled, and then the Nightstalker pinned her down. I ran and grabbed both my gun and sword and pointed it at her neck.

"Stop struggling."

She lunged. I swung. I kicked the head away.

The Nightstalker got off and turned to me.

"Thanks. I'm Nathan." He offered his hand and I shook it. I took my sword and wiped it on some underbrush.

"So, you're an Assassin," he said.

"Yes. I am." I replied vaguely.

"My sister needs help." He motioned at the bleeding girl.

"The humans I was traveling with are coming."

"Okay." He sat down next to her and inspected her wound. There was a scratch running down her leg. The Terror must have injured her pretty badly. As I watched, Nathan took a first aid kit and started treating the wound.

We only had to wait a few minutes before the trailer came. And it wasn't alone.