We pulled up at the Stronghold gate behind the truck in front of us. This also allowed the truck following us a closer look at the back of my head since I refused to turn around to face them. It only took the lead truck a few words before we were all waved in. Most people within sight were either wearing masks or had them tucked in a pocket somewhere just in case.

Daniel parked and we all got out of the truck. The guys from the truck behind us kept sneaking glances at me. The ones from the truck ahead looked at me in confusion, recognizing me as the person who had come into the Stronghold with our group, but they had no clue why I had been so far from the Stronghold.

The leader of this Stronghold came forward, "They said you had a cure. Will it work if they have already turned into a zombie?"

Nina came forward, "If they are still in control, then yes. What did they turn into?"

"The two men turned into regular zombies. They act like the other zombies do."

Nina sighed, "Sorry, the cure won't work if they aren't sane. I have never heard any rumor of a regular zombie managing to remain in control either."

The leader looked disappointed. The two from the truck behind us also looked a bit disappointed. They were probably thinking about the Runner back home. The leader sighed, "It was worth asking. We do have someone who is still sneezing though. She is staying at a place outside the fence."

Nina nodded, "Take us there. If we are in time, then we can help."

The leader led us off on foot. Right back out the way we came. I trailed along as per usual, along with the rest of our group. The men from the truck that had been following us also tagged along. The ones from the other truck gave them a confused look, but remained behind. They must not have suspected that I was actually a zombie, let alone the elusive Nightstalker from last night.

It took five minutes of walking to get to the small house. I could hear the person sneezing, so they were still human. Nina put on her face mask as we got closer. Just to mess with the minds of those following and the leader, I also put on a face mask.

Nina knocked on the door and the woman opened it. She was also wearing a face mask, but sneezed twice before she could even manage a hello. Nina quickly explained that she wanted to give her both the cure as well as the serum to prevent her from turning into a regular zombie since she was already sneezing and the lady immediately agreed. Even if she turned, the cure would still work and she would become human again.

I watched as Nina finally used the very first vial of serum. We still had not used a single vial of the controlex. From the corner of my eye, I watched as the man from the forest slowly edged his way closer to me.

I wasn't the only one to notice though. Nicky yawned before taking one step to the side and pointedly stomping on his foot with the heel of her shoe. We had been near the back of the crowd, so the locals didn't notice a thing.

The man grunted faintly in pain as he gave Nicky a disbelieving look. The redhead either didn't notice, or didn't care. I bet the latter option. Daniel turned his head to eye up the offending man with a faint frown. His eyes weren't camouflaged and the glow increased momentarily as a mild warning. That made the man quite uneasy. He had been the one who had been scared of Terrors.

Nina finished up and put her backpack on once more. It was odd to see her wearing a facemask, but it was even stranger to be wearing one. The only person without a mask was Daniel. The woman would stay here for another three days just to be on the safe side, but it was a small price to pay for living.

We headed back to the Stronghold for the leader to give us the tour. Liz was holding my hand and pointed at some playground equipment, "Look! Can we go play?"

Nicky stretched, "I can join you two. The last time I was on a set of monkey bars I was wearing a gorilla costume."

Some days I think Nicky could write a few very unusual novels that even fewer people would understand. I reluctantly nodded, "Sure."

Liz cheered and released my hand to run ahead of us. The man from the forest lingered behind silently as the group continued with the tour. Logan surprised me by volunteering as well, "I think I will join you as well."

He dropped out of the ranks to join our growing crowd. His presence didn't sit well with the man from the forest. Daniel looked back at Nicky and me, "If you need anything, give a holler. I should be able to hear you from anywhere inside this place."

I nodded as I acknowledged his offer of assistance if something got out of hand. The leader looked impressed at Daniel's claim, but I knew that if Daniel was outside and trying to listen that he would probably even hear our voices if we barely raised them above normal level. It was also a subtle warning for the man.

I walked toward the park as I pretended to mostly ignore the two men. My instincts were up and keeping close tabs on both of them. Logan was still mostly an unknown entity. The man from the forest also had me on edge. Someone who had no problems walking through a dark forest with no fear was not to be disregarded lightly.

I leaned against the side of a shed as I watched Liz climb up the playground equipment. Logan went to join her, which also surprised me. I would not have pegged him as a person to play around with kids. Nicky attempted a cartwheel on the sand. Attempted being the keyword. She somehow managed to combine a cartwheel with kickboxing. I made a mental note to never stand anywhere near her when she did stuff like that.

The man from the forest was watching her dangerous feet and gave her plenty of room for her unpredictable actions. He kept glancing between me and Nicky as he slowly walked toward me. He gave me plenty of space as he also leaned against the shed.

It did not surprise me in the least that he was trying to get me alone to speak with me. What did surprise me was that he finally seemed uneasy or nervous.

I exhaled in annoyance before glancing sideways at him, "What do you want?"

My low irritated voice should convey that I was not happy that he was following me around. He inclined his head respectfully as he tried to mollify my temper, "Simply to ask questions."

I snorted and was unimpressed, "Questions annoy me."

"You are the Nightstalker we saw last night, aren't you?"

"And if I was?" My voice was faintly challenging.

"I meant no offense. It just took us by surprise. We had no clue you were a zombie before nightfall."

My tone was dry, "I was human not that long ago. There aren't many physical differences between zombies and humans."

If my words and tone irritated him, he didn't show it as he remained steadfastly polite, "I would like to ask a question."

I rolled my eyes, "You have already asked several questions and my patience is as short as my stature."

He took a few moments to organize his question before tentatively asking, "If someone was bitten and turned into a Runner, but they never touched human flesh, is it possible for them to regain control?"

I had foreseen this, but people digging for information always got my hackles up, "If they never ate raw animal flesh, human flesh, or human blood, then yes. They should be able to regain control if they can override their bloodlust and instincts."

"If they have not regained control since turning, how can we help them?"

I shifted my weight in annoyance as the questions dug into my composure like thorns, "Animal blood."

"Thank you." His tone was grateful.

My tone was still flat, "Delete that recording of my call."

I sensed his reluctance when he didn't immediately answer. I turned my head to look at him with narrowed eyes, "I am serious. Delete it. Some Nightstalkers would kill you if they caught you recording their calls. We do not like people stealing from us, even if it is just our calls."

He didn't meet my stare, which was a wise move on his part. Trying to stare down a Nightstalker was a bad move even on a good day.

He carefully inquired, "Why did you make such a call?"

I growled a low warning that he was touching dangerous ground with his questions, "Answer this first, why were you not scared of a Nightstalker in a dark forest? What backup plan did you have?"

My question didn't sit well with him either, but he answered slowly, "We had been wearing a special vest that had an electrical current running over it. It would have affected any attacking zombie like a taser."

I snorted in disdain, "Foolish. All it takes is a blow to the neck to take down a human and you probably wouldn't have survived the tackle even if it did make a feral back away for a bit."

He shrugged, "It has worked so far against Runners."

He didn't press me, perhaps waiting to see if I would let more information come to light on my own accord. I had no intention of doing that. "That call was just to see if any old friends were in the area."

Nicky came over and flopped down on the playground sand in front of us, "You two look like a couple of lovers having a spat."

I growled as I crossed my arms, "If you were this annoying as a child, then I am amazed that you survived to adulthood."

Nicky grinned, "It was a close call. My mother ended up moving to the other side of the world to avoid ending up in jail for murder."

I shook my head before looking back at the man. I still didn't know his name, but I didn't care. "Delete that recording."

He gritted his teeth, but still didn't reply. My displeasure was practically visible as it came off me in waves. My instincts rose higher as they demanded his blood in exchange for the act of copying our call, not to mention his passive defiance. Logan came over and eyed up the man unfavorably, "Is there a problem?"

Logan may have been trying to help me, but he was inadvertently pressing the wrong buttons as he intervened. My instincts didn't like people intervening. Then again, they didn't like me resisting the urge to take a few good swipes at the nameless man from the forest.

Nicky rolled her eyes from her seat on the sand, "We were having a tequila party and we ran out of tequila. Do you happen to have another bottle? We need something to cheer us up before the hangover hits."

Logan was confused as ever by Nicky, "No, I don't have any tequila..."

Nicky sighed in disappointment, "Drat. How about a hammer?"

"A hammer?"

Nicky sat up and looked pointedly at the nameless man, "Yeah, a hammer. Apparently there is something I have to smash into itty bitty pieces."

"No, I don't have a hammer either..." Logan's serious outlook on life simply couldn't react quickly enough to someone like Nicky.

Nicky turned to look at Logan, "Then what do you have in that backpack?"

"Survival supplies."

"If you are not carrying coffee, tequila, or a hammer, then you really need to do an inventory check. Are you at least packing soap and tomato juice?"

"Uh... No..."

Nicky groaned in exasperation, "What about a rutabaga?!"

"What's a rutabaga?"

Nicky flopped backward into the sand with a groan, "You are clearly not equipped to survive a zombie attack. Oh, and a rutabaga is a gigantic turnip the size of a baseball. They are really fun to blow up."

Logan had no clue how to respond and just stared at Nicky as words failed to come to him. The nameless man on the other side of me looked confused, but intrigued and curious. I glanced to the side, and for the first time ever, I was actually glad to see Nina and Daniel approaching.

Nina came over, "This place is clear, so we are good to go unless you need anything."

Nicky got up and dusted herself, "I have an entire shopping list actually. Tequila, fireworks, and a rutabaga. Preferably in that order. A sledgehammer wouldn't go amiss either."

Nina shook her head, "How about none of the above and you go fetch Liz from the playground?"

Nicky groaned as she went to go get the child, "You really know how to ruin a party."

Nina didn't dignify that with a response as we waited for Nicky and Liz. Once they returned we started heading toward the truck. The strange man remained where he was as he watched us leave.

If he was wise, he would delete that recording. When he returned and found out I had already helped the Runner, that knowledge may prompt it. That entire group would probably demand a word by word relay of our talk and that would work just fine as repayment. They also had no more need to try to lure in another Nightstalker.

If he didn't delete it, then their odds of luring in a feral Nightstalker were quite high if one was within hearing. Now that I knew how their vests worked, I also knew that such a deterrent would barely slow a Nightstalker. Their refusal to comply would likely mean their death.