The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 37

I reluctantly approached the gate as the sky began to lighten. Earlier on, I had thrown the two bodies over the fence and climbed over to dispose of them, so the guards had no clue I had come back inside.

Mindful of the evening guard's request, I called out, "It's just me."

Even with my sunglasses on, I could easily see one of the two men was holding a rifle, but neither of them would be able to see me in the near-dark. Both tensed up at my voice and peered into the darkness.

The rifle must have made the sentry a bit too cocky since he mockingly replied, "And who is 'just me'?"

Did they really expect anyone else to be wandering outside the fence in the dark? He either has short-term memory loss or wasn't properly notified when the shift changed. That didn't cut him any slack.

I halfway growled and replied in a similar tone, "If you need an ID card, just ask. I'm sure a Nightstalker scream would easily prove my identity." Not to mention it would also provide one of the most motivating wake-up calls they've ever had. If that sound doesn't get their hearts pumping, nothing will.

"Ah, that won't be necessary," the man hastily said.

"Glad to hear it," I replied dryly as I walked closer.

The man gestured for his partner to go down the ladder and let me in, opting to avoid meeting me face-to-face. His friend scrunched up his nose at his cowardice, but went down and unbarred the gate. As soon as I was inside, he promptly closed it and went back up to his post.

If I had known the current shift was clueless, I would have just climbed over the fence and waited to see if anyone even noticed. Wouldn't it be something if one of those on the original shift asked who got the joy of letting me back in, and no one did? If I wasn't attempting to be a polite guest, I would be sorely tempted to do that.

However, I didn't need to upset them with such stunts when Daniel was going to be angry enough to make up for it. Considering I had crossed the trail of Nina's assailant a mere hour after hiding the bodies of his two friends, Daniel probably still wasn't aware of what had transpired.

There was a slim chance he knew and had just been too worried to leave the two humans unprotected, but I somehow doubted that. Either way, this wasn't going to be a fun morning.

Reluctantly, I reached for the doorknob to Nicky's room as I whispered, "It's just me."

Daniel was clearly smarter than the sentry. Not once had he ever asked who "me" was. Then again, it was an easy guess, particularly at night. If he heard my light footsteps, he'd recognize them. If he didn't hear my footsteps, then that was another giveaway. With his keen hearing, he probably identified people by their voices and footsteps as easily as I did by scent.

I opened the door and glanced around the unlit room. Nicky and Nina were still sleeping while Daniel kept a vigil in the padded chair. He gazed in my direction, but I knew he had no chance of seeing me.

I quietly closed the door behind me and made sure my footsteps were audible as I walked over to Nicky's bed. I slid onto an unclaimed corner and crossed my legs, leaning against the wall.

"Care to enlighten me as to what exactly happened last night?" Daniel quietly asked with a slight edge to his voice.

He seemed a bit miffed, so neither Nicky nor Nina must have given him any information. To the best of my knowledge, no one else had noticed the night's events, nor would they ever find the bodies. This meant the relative peace would only last as long as my silence did. Nor was I really in the mood to answer questions.