The Virus Within: The Unranked (Book 4)

Ch. 48: Chaos To The South

The dry, sandy soil was lousy for tree growth, but several types of burrowing animals seemed to love it. I crouched beside a tunnel entrance. I wasn't sure what kind of critter had dug this hole, just that it was some sort of rodent. Possibly a mole or another lawn-destroying pest.

The faint snuffling by the entrance continued as I impatiently waited for it to stick its head out. Normally I never hunted anything this small, but I hadn't even crossed paths with a rabbit, and it would be something different.

Flickers of whiskers appeared in the opening, and I watched intently. The crackling of the radio made the whiskers disappear like a magician's trick.

"Trinity, are you there?" Daniel's voice came over the radio.

With an annoyed sigh, I stood up and answered the pesky black box. "Would you believe me if I said no?"

"Nicky said you'd say that. But I wanted to let you know that Graydon just got an emergency radio broadcast from a Stronghold southwest of here. Bryer Stronghold had a strange zombie break through their fence. There were a few injuries, but they managed to stop it. It had milky white eyes and was very triggered by movement, and they're urgently requesting our presence."

The news made me completely forget about the rodent I'd been hunting. I furrowed my eyebrows at the description. "Is this an unranked zombie or like the one in Ironwind's barn?"

"We don't know, but we're heading there in the morning. The Stronghold offered to let us stay there, and since all these zombies seem to be coming from the south, Nina is packing up all the lab equipment we brought back from the city. Graydon is giving her as much of their lab supplies as she wants as well."

It didn't surprise me that we were moving our "base" farther south. "Well, we'll know more as soon as we get a whiff of it. Did they kill it, knock it out, or trap it?"

"Headshot, so it'll be unconscious for a few days. They dragged it to a shipping container down the road and left signs for us. Do you mind telling Jax and Wren?"

"I guess I can ask if they want to tag along, although I'm pretty sure I know the answer."

"Thanks."

With a final glance at the empty burrow entrance, I wandered through the darkness. Perhaps the next place would have better hunting.

~

       The dune buggy zig-zagged around me in the dim pre-dawn light like an overexcited puppy. I sniffed the air and veered to the right. Jax quickly compensated for the change in direction while Wren stared blankly at the darkness around her, unable to see as well as her companion.

"Stop," I told Jax.

The dune buggy skidded to a halt as he watched me jog ahead with my bow in my hands. Twang! The bow sang as my arrow took flight, striking the head of a jackrabbit about to flee.

As soon as I said, "Go for it," Jax sped the dune buggy over to claim the kill. I checked the air again but didn't smell any other noteworthy prey nearby.

Our two-hour-long hunt had only located four rabbits and three quail. Even though my instincts chafed at the lack of a meal tonight, my two unranked companions should have had enough to keep their control in check.

Once Jax finished the rabbit, he expertly used his sharp nails to slice through the hide and remove the entrails. He tossed the cleaned carcass into the back with the rest of the night's catch. Wren had already called dibs on the quail since she wanted to roast them later, but the rest could go to the Stronghold.

"I'll let you two check the gates and see if the others are ready to leave. I'm going to head south along the main road and do a bit more hunting. If Nina is as prepared as she usually is, you'll catch up to me fairly quickly."