The Virus Within: The Unranked (Book 4)

Ch. 12: Zombies In The Dark

The truck's lights cut through the darkness as the Stronghold came into sight.

"The fence looks intact from here," Daniel said as he slowed down. "Want me to circle around?"

"Might as well," I replied. "I don't see the zombie we're looking for, but I can smell it, so it's still around. It's the same one we were trying to find earlier."

He drove alongside the fence. "The headlights aren't lighting up much to the side. What do you see?"

"At least twenty regular zombies inside the fence, although I can smell twice that many, and that odd one. The big gate ahead is open; it looks like it was opened when the vehicles left. Keep driving. I want a better idea of the layout before going in."

"Does this situation seem strange to you?" he asked as he drove alongside the fence. "Regular zombies usually aren't a challenge for Strongholds to lure away. They said the horses freaked out when the weird one screamed, but I can't figure out why they gave up. Evacuating an entire Stronghold isn't a quick or easy task. Luring the zombies out of the fence would have been way simpler."

I scanned the buildings and fence intently. "Definitely strange. To make it even stranger, there isn't a single horse, cow, pig, or larger animal in sight. At least eight people died though."

"Most of the blood is from humans. Perhaps the cattle and goats were out in a pasture?"

"Maybe. There's nowhere near enough blood to account for most of the animals. The next big gate is also open, but keep going. Something doesn't seem right."

My instincts roused even more as I suspiciously examined the Stronghold. The regular zombies were already chasing us from inside the fence, distracted from their meal by the prospect of something fresher.

When they reached the open gate, they went through it to get closer to us. It was as predictable as the sun rising and something the Stronghold should have been able to accomplish without too much difficulty.

There was only one unknown variable in the area, and I had a feeling it followed the rules about as well as Nicky did on a coffee high.

"This access gate is open," I said as I peered at it, trying to determine if it had been broken into by zombies or opened by people fleeing. A lurching figure caught my attention. "And there's the zombie we're looking for."

"I can't see it," Daniel grumbled, out of sorts with his sight hampered by the night.

"Speed is definitely not its forte. Its muscles don't seem to be moving quite right. How do we want to deal with this guy?"

"Let me find a place to turn the truck around so I can see it. It's not attacking the other zombies, is it?"

"No. If it helps, there's a flat area with no large rocks ahead and to the right. You'll have to slow down if you don't want to lose that zombie."

The truck slowed to a crawl as he turned in the indicated direction. The regular zombies soon caught up, and it was a struggle to not growl at them as they reached over the sides of the truck, too dense to realize I wasn't human. Daniel didn't stop, so they weren't able to try hoisting themselves in.

The weird zombie was gradually catching up, and I kept a close eye on him. There was nothing dangerous in his appearance; to the contrary, he moved like he had a serious injury, but I didn't see any scabs or dried blood on his clothing.

"Found some goats!" Daniel called, right as a dozen goats jumped out of the thicket they'd been sleeping in.

Most of the zombies ignored the goats and remained focused on the human afterscent and human-like figure so close to them. The weird zombie veered off in pursuit of the bleating critters.