The Virus Within: The Unranked (Book 4)

Ch. 16: A Nightstalker That's Bored, Shall Not Be Ignored

I circled the Stronghold in the predawn light, but the guards were rather twitchy, and their gaze jerked between the zombies outside the fence and the large tent whenever someone exited it.

Their arrows never left their bows, and the guns were held tightly, which made me reluctant to approach the fence while the darkness hid me so well. They had let me inside the fence when I brought the truck back, but I might be mistaken for a feral if I approached on foot while they were so wound up.

If it had just been the guards, I would have been tempted to release an owl-like proximity call just to make their shift interesting, but the refugees in the tent would undoubtedly hear it and panic. Freaking out zombie-traumatized survivors wasn't my idea of fun.

The guards kept leaning over the edge of the wooden tower to check on the zombies below, and I regarded their actions speculatively as I remembered this place was unfamiliar with sane zombies. It wasn't wise to alarm them, but nothing said I couldn't confuse them.

I circled around the Stronghold again as I checked the position of the lights, which were only above three gates. The zombies had gathered directly below those spots.

Regular zombies weren't the brightest things around, but they did see a bit better in the dark than humans did. Getting them to turn around when they were staring at a human would be the biggest challenge, especially if I didn't want the guards to notice me.

Letting my instincts rise, I let them show me where the zombies could see me, but invisible to the humans in the towers above. It was rare for my nighttime aversion of being seen to come in handy, but it was very good at determining who'd be able to spot me by simply looking at a spot.

My dark gray hoodie was an asset as I approached the fence. While keeping a close eye on the guards, I grabbed a couple of rocks and chucked them at the zombies' backs.

The two zombies staggered as they turned around with growls. I raised my arms to let the movement catch their attention, then lowered them while stepping to the side. With renewed growls, they gave chase, which caught the attention of their companions, who quickly followed.

I jogged to the side, purposefully making my steps like a human's. More zombies noticed and left the fence to give chase, which also took them out of the guards' sight. The guards watched them go with puzzled expressions, looking at each other for any plausible explanation.

"Hello?" one called out.

I bared my teeth in a grin, but since I didn't want to alarm the refugees, I didn't reply with words or my signature call. My silence was my answer, one which Daniel or Ironwind's guards would recognize but not many others.

The first zombies were starting to catch up, so I sped up to a light run to keep them from realizing what I was. It took a few more thrown rocks to collect all the zombies as I circled the Stronghold, but once all of them were following me like rabid, growling monsters from a horror film, I veered away from the Stronghold.

I glanced over my shoulder, but the guards were still peering into the night with clueless expressions. Shaking my head, I led the zombies toward the trench I'd found earlier. It was some distance away, and I was growing impatient by the time I reached it.

My footsteps sped up as I jumped over it, then slowed to a stop and watched the zombies chasing after me. One by one, they tumbled into the shoulder-deep trench. They didn't even try to jump.

I walked to the side to prevent them from piling up and climbing out. It wasn't long before the final stragglers were jostling for space while still trying to reach me. I lowered my sunglasses and growled at them. When they saw my glowing eyes, the slow pause was almost comical. Seconds later, they lost interest in me and milled around in the narrow channel.