The Virus Within: Blood Moon (Book 3)

Chapter 10

Turn after turn, we still didn't find the armored van. We passed a handful of turnoffs, but they were clearly untraveled. At this point, no one even tried to ask Regan about the road ahead since every attempt to talk with him had been met with contemptuous silence or a faint growl.

As Daniel zig-zagged between a series of large potholes, Nicky said, "Sheesh. You can never complain about my driving again!"

Without glancing back in the rearview mirror, Daniel replied, "If you're ever chasing down a bunch of kidnappers, you can drive like this as long as you don't damage the vehicle or injure your passengers."

"Well, that takes all the fun out of it." She craned her neck around. "But how come we haven't caught up to these guys with your racetrack driving?"

"They haven't turned off, so they're somewhere ahead. They probably had a decent head start since we weren't exactly quick getting back to the highway."

Paper rustled inside, almost certainly Nina's map. "There's a small town with gas stations and a couple of hotels ahead, but that's it. There aren't many places for them to go in a national park."

"And they're almost out of fuel," Nicky piped up. "There wasn't time to siphon any out of the vehicle that broke down. They only had about a quarter of a tank left."

"Even better," I muttered. "They won't be able to run forever."

Our own fuel supplies were nearly depleted, but we had more than enough to get to a Stronghold and barter for more. If it was a place we sent the cure to, we might be able to use that goodwill offering to get us back to Ironwind.

~

       "Their vehicle is ahead," Daniel said as we came over a rise and saw a small town ahead.

"Where?" I demanded, trying to spot any moving objects, but not having any success.

"By the hotel. It's parked, and the two front doors are open."

A low growl came from Regan as he rose higher on his knees and gazed ahead, speaking for the first time since we reached the highway. "I get at least one of them."

"Be my guest," I replied absently. "Just make sure none of us get caught in the crossfire. Daniel, don't get too close in case it's a trap." As much as I wanted to see them dead and get my revenge, I really didn't want to get shot again. Even my instincts weren't that keen on racing in headfirst, especially if a grumpy irritant was willing to take the risk for me.

It was safer to assume they had a gun and were planning to ambush us. I knew Regan had his handgun because I could smell it. I hadn't seen any glimpse of it during our ride, so it was probably hidden under his cloak.

We slowed down as we drew closer, although we still didn't see the men. Regan jumped out of the truck and disappeared down a back alley to catch them from behind.

"Their scent is fresh. Jess, Nicky, you two better lay down in case bullets start flying. The sides of the truck should stop a handgun."

As they lay down, Logan moved over to the tailgate to give them room. He hunched over to stay low; a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. I jumped out of the truck and went to the other side of the street so there was no chance of Regan and I crossing paths. Daniel parked the truck between two cargo vans for added cover.

"There are zombies around, so stay with them," I told him as I continued running. "We'll flush them out."

With my bow and quiver in my hands, I darted behind a store. I kept close to the wall and crept ahead as I appraised the back alley. I took a deep breath. They were somewhere ahead, although with the way the wind blew between the buildings, I wasn't sure which side of the street they were on.