The Virus Within: Blood Moon (Book 3)

Chapter 15

"Did you know the words silent and listen are spelled with the same letters?" Jess asked Nicky, who was trying to fold thin paper sheets into origami animals.

"Is that a trick question?" Nicky asked, not looking away from careful folds she was making. "You know neither of those words usually apply to me."

"It's still cool." Jess circled another word in the word search book.

"Maybe, but an early lunch sounds cooler to me. Is anyone else getting hungry?"

Without waiting for a reply, Daniel slowed down. Nicky pulled out a couple of pill bottles with some powder inside them. Their contents had better be the spices she'd been talking about, or we'd be finding a new purpose for the coils of rope we'd brought with us.

"Your timing stinks," I told Nicky. "There aren't any partridges or chickens around here. Unless you want rabbit for lunch?"

"Nah. I guess we'll have to keep driving until you smell some birds. Then we can ring the dinner bell."

The truck resumed its previous speed, and I kept tabs on the air for a small flock of appropriately sized birds. A single chicken or partridge wasn't enough to feed four humans.

About five minutes later, the scent of a flock of grouse became noticeable. While not as large as chickens, grouse were bigger than quail, so this small flock would have to suffice.

Right as the scent started to weaken, which would be the closest point, I said, "Some birds are nearby."

Daniel promptly brought the truck to a halt. Now that we were stationary, I could pinpoint where they were.

"They're probably three-quarters of a mile in that direction." I pointed, then asked Daniel, "Do you feel like going after them, or should I?"

"Whoever stays here will have to deal with the zombie coming down the road." Daniel nodded at the half-jogging creature headed our way.

"Have fun with that," I said.

I snagged Logan's bow and jumped out of the truck. Logan passed me his quiver of arrows, which I carried in my other hand since my backpack prevented me from slinging it over my shoulder.

As I went by the back bumper, I paused and reached inside the hollow cavity. "Jess, Nicky. Catch."

They tore their eyes away from the approaching zombie to see packages of noodles flying their way.

"You can get a fire going and cook those while waiting for me to come back."

"And they come with seasoning! Awesome!" Nicky punched her fist into the air in celebration. "Now I just have to figure out this thing called measuring and following the directions. Hey, Nina, you're good at that sort of thing, right?"

"I can give it a try if you want to find a pot in our box of supplies."

"On it!"

I disappeared into the trees as they divvied up the tasks, such as gathering firewood and cooking. Following my nose, I entered the forest and picked a pace I should be able to maintain until I reached the birds.

About halfway there, the smell of flowing water became stronger. I slowed down as the air became rich in moisture. Frogs croaked from various locations while dragonflies zipped through the air.

As I expected, the creek crossed my path. The water drifted lazily downstream as ripples radiated wherever the surface passed over rocks or large branches. At roughly twenty feet wide, it wasn't exactly small, although it wasn't wide enough to dissuade me.