Daniel parked the truck in the small forest clearing and everyone got out. I nodded toward a narrow quad trail, "We will have to go on foot from here."

Nicky glanced at the trail, "You might as well lead since you know where you are going."

She had a point. I started walking toward the trees as they all followed. Luke and Nicky followed behind me while Nina and Logan took up the middle. Daniel took up the rear since he claimed his rank might bother the two visiting Nightstalkers and he didn't want to spook them. He had a valid argument, but I suspected that he was also acting as rear guard in case of an ambush.

His caution was wasted though. With so many strangers present, Kelly and Travis would be far too uneasy to mess with a Terror. I didn't bother announcing our approach since they would undoubtedly hear us coming. We were downwind and I could smell that they were waiting at the prearranged location.

We rounded another bend and came to a small clearing. Travis and Kelly were standing on the far side watching us approach. I could tell that they were testing the air, but I had made sure that the humans with us had their scents almost obscured. Although Logan may never forgive me after almost suffocating him in a cloud of Nina's perfume...

Between my herb mixture and the perfume, their human scent was quite faint. Neither Luke nor Daniel could detect it, but a Nightstalker could. Their scent was faint enough that it shouldn't cause Travis too many problems though. He would also be upwind, which would also help some.

Nina looked eager to meet them, but was remaining behind me as she let me set the pace. I stopped when I was halfway across the clearing as I began the introductions, "Kelly, Travis, this is Nina, Logan, Nicky, Luke and Daniel. This is Kelly and Travis."

Kelly and Travis nodded a wary greeting. They had not been this close to humans since they had turned, but they were curious to meet the humans who were supposedly not scared of zombies. Nina took a step forward and spoke softly, "It is very nice to meet you. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us."

Kelly examined the slender lady in curiosity before slowly coming closer. Travis came forward as well, although he lagged behind his sister. He was taking his time as he was likely keeping close tabs on his level of control. Kelly had always been more outgoing and her control didn't worry me as long as no one cut themselves.

Daniel kept a sharp eye on them, but remained relaxed and simply watched. At least he seems to be hiding his usual guard dog act. Which is a really good thing, otherwise these two would disappear like the wind. They wouldn't tangle with a Terror. Nicky and I were the only ones foolish enough to do that.

Kelly stopped well out of reach, but close enough that she wouldn't have to raise her voice to be easily heard, "We were curious to meet the people who Trinity had been traveling with. Most humans run the moment they find out that we are Nightstalkers."

Nina was courteous and welcoming, "I always liked meeting new people and zombies. I find it quite refreshing to learn about other people's perspectives."

Travis had stopped further back, but was watching and listening. I didn't really expect him to join in this conversation. He preferred to observe, although I knew that no detail of this meeting would be forgotten by him. His mind was like a steel trap, nothing that he wanted to remember was ever forgotten.

Kelly looked intrigued despite her caution, "We have heard a bit from other sane zombies about this place and I must admit that I have never seen a group quite like this in one spot before. A scientist, a Terror, a Nightstalker and a Runner?"

"And a cockatoo in a pear tree!" Nicky sang along in a singsong voice.

Nina sighed and explained in a patient voice, "Partridge, Nicky. It was a partridge in a pear tree."

Nicky turned to face the scientist, "No, it was a cockatoo! I had to climb almost all the way to the top of the giant Christmas tree in the city square, but the stuffed bird was definitely a cockatoo."

Nina had no response for that one. I didn't blame her. Travis and Kelly exchanged a glance before looking at me. I shrugged, "Don't look at me. Not my circus, not my monkeys."

Daniel growled mildly, "I object to being compared to a monkey."

Nicky perked up, "Oh! I want to be a monkey!"

I rolled my eyes, "I am putting Daniel in charge of the bananas..."

"Hey! That's no fair! Give them to Liz instead. She loves sharing."

I snorted and proceeded to ignore her as I glanced back at the Nightstalker siblings. Travis didn't seem to be entirely sure about what to make of Nicky. Kelly was watching Nicky with bright excited eyes. She was obviously enjoying the show.

Nina had been dubious about me letting Nicky come along, but Kelly had a better sense of humor than I did and I was pretty sure that she would get a kick out of Nicky as long as she wasn't the target.

Nicky noticed Kelly's expression and grinned at her, "I assume Trinity warned you about me?"

"She said that she failed to understand how you still lived and I think I already agree with her. You don't seem bothered by the Terror's presence either."

Nicky chuckled and rubbed her hands together, "Nah. He is fun to torment. I lost count of how many times he has snarled at me, although his temper is a bit touchier when it comes to other zombies so you may not get away with some of the stunts I pull."

Daniel sighed at Nicky's attempt at reassuring them before addressing the two Nightstalkers directly, "You two don't need to overly worry about me unless you try to attack a human. Even then I would only pin you until you calmed down."

Travis was watching the Terror closely as he tested the air. I knew that both siblings could detect no hint of a lie in Daniel's scent. Kelly tilted her head to one side as she examined his words.

Nicky clapped her hands together in excitement, "You three can now tag team Daniel! Awesome! I have been wanting to see him pinned for a long time!"

Kelly shifted uneasily, "I am not sure that such a wrestling match is wise. I am not sure what his control is like and a solid blow from a Terror can cause a lot of damage."

Daniel wasn't surprised by their unease, "I may not like getting pinned, but as I said, I wouldn't hurt you if you attempted it."

I knew that he was completely against losing a match, but I also knew that he was trying to put them at ease as much as he could, even if it meant losing a wrestling match. Kelly and Travis likely reminded him of the first flighty Nightstalker that he had encountered.

They were cautious and untrusting around the higher-ranking zombie, ready to run if he became aggressive. As most Nightstalkers would be. Our instincts knew what a Terror was and they wanted no part of a fight with one. It was the main reason I hadn't gotten into more fights with Daniel when I was angry, my instincts were completely against such a suicidal move even if I rationally knew he wouldn't intentionally hurt me.

Nicky piped up, "I brought the soap! That should even the odds a bit!"

Travis was always one to size up any potential foe and he glanced between Nicky and Daniel. He knew his sister was a terrible fighter and would figure that into his calculations as well.

Travis spoke contemplatively, "You wouldn't be able to get near us when we wrestle like that. Even without taking into consideration how your proximity would affect us, I am not entirely sure we can pin him long enough for you to get the soap in his mouth. Terrors are quite strong. I am not taking the blame for such a stunt either."

Daniel's eyes flashed slightly as he focused on the key hint that he had just overheard. Nicky saw it too and groaned. Travis looked at her in confusion. Luke smirked as he filled the Nightstalker in, "Nicky had been tormenting Daniel with the soap, but he wasn't sure how she planned to use it as a weapon."

Kelly surprised us by laughing. She plainly found the accidental slip hilarious. Travis realized that he had unintentionally spoiled the long-standing joke, "Oh, sorry. I wasn't aware that he didn't know."

Nicky shrugged, "No worries. He was bound to figure it out sooner or later. Besides, it is all shits and giggles until someone giggles too hard and shits – and I ain't cleaning it up!"

Daniel snorted, "Well, you already admitted that you were the one carrying the soap."

Nicky sent him a dumbfounded look. Nina tried to turn a laugh into a cough in an attempt to remain polite and professional. Kelly wasn't so inhibited and snickered freely. I chuckled as well, it was too priceless to see Nicky's upper hand backfire on her with her own words.

Nicky recovered and huffed as she stopped gaping at Daniel's comeback. He was definitely getting better at dealing with Nicky. She shrugged as she glanced at Kelly, "I can still taunt him with the tomato juice and rutabaga."

Kelly and Travis exchanged a confused look. Neither one knew what Nicky was talking about and they certainly were not about to admit to not being aware of a potential weakness. It looked like those two items were safe for now. Although chances were that Nicky would never even see another rutabaga in her lifetime unless the world recovered much faster than was feasibly possible since I had never seen them growing at any Stronghold we visited.

I intervened, "Let's leave that for another day." I glanced at Nina, "You brought the controlex, right?"

Nina nodded and dug into her pocket to produce the two vials. I held out my hand and she passed them to me. I lightly tossed them one at a time toward Kelly. She easily snagged them out of the air and put them in her pockets.

Kelly looked at Nina, "Trinity figured that any syringe would work. Is that correct?"

Nina nodded once more, "Yes. It doesn't have to be injected into a vein either."

"Easy enough." Kelly had told me that she used to help her grandma with her insulin needles, so she wasn't bothered with the thought of injecting either herself or her brother. They probably could have even drank it. Nina had never really tested the oral application though, so they were going to go with the more traditional injection method. Just in case of unforeseen side effects.

They wouldn't use it here, but they had already decided to take it once they had left this area. Predictably they were going to take turns so they weren't left vulnerable at the same time. I was pretty sure that they would hole up in some remote piece of forest where people and zombies didn't roam to wait out the aftereffects.

Travis was watching Nina in curiosity, "You seem to have accomplished a lot in the last few months here. I hear you developed a cure, a serum to prevent a human from becoming a regular zombie, the controlex, as well as that you are making progress on a vaccine. I am quite impressed."

Nina smiled kindly at the Nightstalker, "Thank you. Trinity has been a huge help. We really needed the blood samples from a Nightstalker to accomplish it. We are still trying to improve the vaccine, but even as it is, it is a huge discovery. If you ever want or need any of these drugs, always feel free to come visit. We also have guest houses available both inside the fence as well as outside of it for any visiting zombies."

Nina's hospitality was to be expected, but there was no chance of these two accepting it anytime soon. They really were the nomadic type, although I was positive that they would stop by several times a year.

Travis responded, "Thank you for the offer, although we will pass. We will probably head east in a few days to go visit some other acquaintances."

Nina nodded in slight disappointment, although I had told her that they wouldn't accept. "You are always welcome to visit for as long as you like."

Travis acknowledged it with a nod, before backtracking to the topic that interested him the most, "Trinity also mentioned that this last wave was shorter. We noticed that as well when talking with a couple of Runners up north. Have you heard anything else?"

Nina sighed, "I have had word from some other Strongholds that we never had enough time to visit, but this last wave was definitely shorter. I did a bunch of calculations and it looks like the airborne strain will continue to have shorter and shorter sneezing durations."

Kelly took another step forward as she watched the scientist with interest, "Does this mean that the sneezing strain may eventually disappear?'

"Yes. Probably within another three or four waves according to my current calculations."

Kelly blinked and seemed stunned by that revelation, "So there is a cure, a vaccine, and the waves themselves are going to disappear on their own accord. The virus has nothing really left to stand on. Does this mean that it is over?"

Nina blinked slowly, taken back by the question. Kelly's wording had made the revelation really hit home. The virus that had leveled most of the human civilization was on its last legs. It could still be spread through a bite or blood contact, but the new drugs could prevent the infection, stop it once it started, or even control the virus so the person could remain sane.

Nina responded slowly as if in a daze, "There is still work to be done, but, yes, the worst is over."

Nina looked around at all of us in surprised shock while softly murmuring, "It is over. It is really over."

We all looked at one another wordlessly as we all realized the significance of that accomplishment.