I listened as the others headed to various rooms not long after we came in. I tracked the sound of Daniel and Nina's footsteps to the other side of the building. The building fell silent as I lay there listening. I actually managed to doze off for half an hour or so.

I heard faint footsteps as the Terror left the hotel and quietly closed the door behind him. He had likely left to hunt. After my large kill last night, I didn't need to hunt tonight. I remained where I was listening to the nighttime noises. I heard an odd shuffling noise also leave that room. Why would Nina go outside at night?

Her friend had been gone for at least fifteen minutes and her scent had definitely been human. I got up and parted the blinds to look out the window. A low snarl escaped my throat as I saw someone forcibly dragging Nina away from the hotel.

I swiftly and silently left the room. I took off my sunglasses and put them in my pocket since it was the middle of the night. My Nightstalker abilities were perfect for swiftly catching up without getting spotted. The man had already dragged her into the trees. He smelled like sour cooking oil, which he must have used to cover his scent. This was the same man I had scented earlier.

I stifled a growl as I noticed that his hand was clamped over Nina's mouth as he continued to drag the small lady away. I saw his second hand drop to grope along the top of her jeans and tried to undo the button. I could smell the sharp scent of Nina's fear and blood on the air. Nina struggled wildly, but couldn't escape the filthy burly man. The red haze in my sight got more intense in my building anger.

He managed to undo the button. I charged forward with an enraged snarl. He jumped in fright and he spun around as he let go of Nina. He barely managed to turn in my direction before I had his throat in my hand. I pinned him against a tree with another vicious snarl.

Nina dropped to the ground and raised her hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath. Her voice shook from her ordeal, "Thanks goodness you arrived Daniel. I was worried for a moment that-"

Her voice cut off suddenly as she realized that my smaller shadowy form was not Daniel. The man in my grasp squirmed wildly as he stared in terror at my brightly glowing red eyes. I dug my nails lightly into his neck and felt them pierce his skin with ease. I growled at him, "Run. If I catch you anywhere near us again your life will be forfeit."

He gurgled for breath and I threw him off to the side. Even one handed I had enough strength to throw him quite some distance from us. He scrambled backward before getting to his feet and running away as he crashed through the underbrush.

I took a deep breath and exhaled as I tried to rein in my temper. He wouldn't be back for days. I straightened out of my crouch and gave Nina a sideways look. I didn't look at her full on as that could be taken as a threat or challenge with those familiar with zombies. She was still sitting motionless in the leaf litter as she watched me cautiously.

My voice was rough from how high my instincts were running, "How badly are you hurt?" I could smell her blood on the air. The scent of the man's blood on my nails didn't exactly help cool down the heat in my veins.

She shook her head, "I'm okay, thank you for helping me. Not even a scratch."

I snorted in disbelief, "I could smell your blood from the hotel. As faint as it is, it is probably only small scratches. Let's head back before that friend of yours picks up the scent of your blood on the air and attacks me."

She shakily stood up. I tested the air, but the Terror wasn't close enough for me to scent him. Hopefully he was far enough away that he wouldn't catch her scent until we got back to the hotel. She took two steps and promptly stumbled over a branch.

I caught her elbow before she could fall. She regained her balance, "Thanks." She seemed a bit uneasy with the contact, but didn't pull away.

I dug around in my pocket for the small led light I had put there for when I had to walk Liz to the bathroom. It only had three weak leds, but it was better than nothing. I pointed it at the ground and narrowed my eyes to mere slits before turning it on, "Here. Just stay behind me and don't point it at my head."

She took it and I led the way back. She must have known that Nightstalkers were light sensitive as she kept the dim light right in front of her feet. I listened hard, but the man must have stopped running and gone into hiding. I didn't hear any other footsteps either. I opened up a small baggie in my pocket that held a lemon scented wet hand wipe and carefully cleaned the blood off of my hand. Once we were inside the hotel she turned the light off, "Thank you."

I took the light back as she went into her room. I retreated to my room and lay down while listening carefully. Daniel was sure to catch the scent of her blood and fear as he approached the town. He would know that I had been with her by the way my scent mingled with hers. I hoped he would stop to check on her and get her story before breaking down the door and coming for my hide in a rage.

I stilled as I heard his swift footsteps entering the hotel. The growl that rumbled in his chest was audible even from the far side of the hotel. He wrenched open Nina's door and a few moments later I heard the faint murmur of their voices. They were too soft for me to make out. The door clicked closed and prevented my eavesdropping.

Minutes passed and I relaxed slightly. The night passed slowly and I knew that Daniel was likely as awake as I was. It was an uneasy situation. We were both aware of each other's presence, but we hadn't truly interacted yet to know where we stood with each other and what our limits were. It was worse for me since I knew that in any fight I would end up as the underdog. It did not sit well with my Nightstalker mentality.

Liz stirred and sat up. I whispered, "Do you have to use the washroom?"

She nodded, not bothered by my red eyes. I clicked the flashlight on and kept it pointed at her feet. I guided her across the hallway to the bathroom and back once she was done. I pulled the blinds away from the window and sat on the chair to watch the still night pass by.

The sky started to lighten and before long it became uncomfortable. I put my sunglasses on as I debated my options. It would be a few hours before the others rose. A zombie walked by on the street. My eyes followed it. I would have to lure it away before the others stumbled outside. I really didn't want the Terror following me outside though.

His footsteps had been louder than I had expected, much like a really soft footed human. I wondered if Terrors lacked the silent stalking footsteps that Nightstalkers had.

I rose and tried to walk silently down the hallway. My footsteps weren't even audible to myself. Hopefully he couldn't hear them. I quietly opened the door and carefully closed it. I slunk away from the hotel, taking care to ensure I didn't cross the line of sight of their window.

I picked up speed and the zombie set off after me even though I still ran silently. I locked it inside of a second house before exploring the tiny town. I broke into each garage, even if I had to kick down the door. All but one was empty, and the one only held a tiny car. I managed to locate the keys in the house and tried to start it. It didn't even attempt to turn over. I lifted the hood and growled in annoyance.

Half of the motor was pulled apart as if they had been attempting to repair it. I was no mechanic and I knew it. I slammed the hood down with more force than necessary. I paused at the sight of the jerrycans in the corner of the garage. I walked forward to nudge them with my foot. One was mostly full while the rest were empty. In curiosity I knelt down to peek under the car, but its gas tank had taken a walk to the repair shop. Can't siphon the gas from it if the gas tank isn't even in the garage...

One jerrycan would at least let any truck run for a couple of hours. We could cover more ground in those hours than we would in days on foot. Every other car was empty, so this was all we had. I narrowed my eyes as a sudden thought struck me. Wait a moment. I remembered that I had always stored gas for the lawn mower in my shed.

I grabbed the jerrycan and started searching various sheds. I found two nearly empty jerrycans, but that was it. I drained the dredges into the nearly full one. That was two more cups of gas than what I had before. This town had some bizarre obsession with electric lawnmowers.

With a faint growl I gave up my search and headed back. I left the jerrycan in the hallway by the front door and quietly headed for the roof. I started the fire and put the remaining soup near it to warm up. I also put water on the edge of the fire to heat and put a container of instant coffee nearby. I went back inside and returned to my room to sit against the wall. Liz and Nicky were still sleeping.