The Virus Within: The Unranked (Book 4)

Ch. 13: Peek-a-boo. I See You.

I opened my eyes and scoured the buildings but didn't see any clues.

"Daniel, there's at least one person around. It might take me a while to track them down," I said while digging through the back of the truck for the emergency kit I'd borrowed from Jess.

"Once I finish securing the fence, I'll help check the buildings," he called over his shoulder.

"Are you sure? There's a lot of blood in some spots." I still wasn't entirely sure how much he noticed his instincts or the bloodlust, but the absolute last thing the world needed was another Terror going feral because they overestimated their control.

"As long as I don't enter an enclosed space where several people were killed, I'll be fine."

"If there are any places like that, I can check them," I said as I jogged in the direction of the scent, although it quickly dissipated.

My gaze shifted up, knowing the faint scent was coming through an open window or vent higher up. Despite many windows being left open, only two buildings had more than one level. The vinyl plastic siding wasn't something I could climb without the sheets ripping free, so I would have to do this the hard way.

With an annoyed huff, I headed for the main door, which was already open. Inside, several zombies fought over the remains of a body in the hallway.

I clapped my hands to gain their attention, then backed out the door. They readily followed, and once they were outside, I growled at them before slipping back inside and closing the door behind me.

No other zombies were inside the building, so I found a discarded jacket and used that as gloves to drag the body into a nearby room. I spread the jacket over the mangled remains. It wasn't the best, but it would have to do, and it would keep the survivor from seeing something that would give them nightmares.

I closed the door to the room and began checking behind other closed doors, after prudently knocking, of course. A survivor would have had time to find anything remotely weaponlike and would be more than ready to use it.

Most doors were open, which helped my search. The smell of blood clouded the air and made it impossible to simply sniff outside a door to determine if anyone was inside. By the time I checked all the rooms on the ground level, I was growing impatient.

As I climbed the stairs, I called out, "Hello! Is anyone up here?"

The delicate perfume of fresh human blood drifted down, so I already knew the answer. I just hoped they weren't unconscious, too terrified to raise their voice, or were pointing a gun in this direction.

"H-here!" a trembling voice replied.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I frowned at the long hallway with numerous closed doors.

"Since I don't know where 'here' is, you'll have to be more specific. There aren't any feral zombies inside this building. How badly are you injured?"

The only answer I got was sniffling and a few failed attempts to reply, but it was enough to guide me to the right door. After knocking softly, I turned the handle, although the door only opened a fraction before hitting what looked like a bed.

With a sigh, I asked, "If I push this open, will the bed hurt you?"

"N-no."

I leaned my shoulder against the door and slowly pushed it open. The bed's legs squeaked as they slid across the floor. With the door now open, I got a better look at the survivor.

The teenager was huddled in a corner with a blanket wrapped around her. A solar light sat nearby, casting a faint glow. She shivered as she watched me nervously.