Hours later, someone rang the supper bell below, but I ignored it. I didn't feel like being in a big room with two hundred humans. Besides, I wasn't hungry after that deer.

I heard footsteps outside my door before someone popped the twist lock on the door. I officially have a serious grudge against whoever invented the twist-to-lock door knob that can be so easily opened from the other side. I sighed, I was really going to have to install a lock that was more dependable. "Either come in or go away Nicky."

The door knob twisted and she skipped into the room as she closed the door behind her. I was still sitting on the bed with my back against the wall as my leg was stretched out in front of me. She sat on the foot of the bed while she grinned at me, "You won't believe it, they are going to let me drive the side by side as long as you're the passenger and I try to drive like Hank."

That was very surprising, I was amazed that they were going to let her drive anything other than a bicycle at this point. "How did you manage to pull that off?"

She grinned at me, "Daniel did it actually. I get to take you north to a place where there are lots of rabbits when you want to hunt. Nina doesn't want you walking that far on your leg for a while."

I regarded her, "That vehicle is loud enough to scare anything away. What are you going to do while I have to leave to hunt?" I didn't trust her to behave herself for even two minutes, let alone for the amount of time it would take me to sneak up on a rabbit in the daylight.

She chuckled, "Daniel is currently out there setting up three large live traps for rabbits. You won't even have to hunt. We are being asked to clean the rabbit and bring back the meat though."

"And just why are you up here when supper is being served downstairs?"

She made a face, "Whatever they made looks like porridge and smells like my gym socks. I know you have food in that bag of yours and I am hoping that you will share instead of subjecting me to food poisoning."

My instincts didn't like sharing, but my humanity could overrule those compulsions. Besides, Nicky might tell me about how things worked in a place like this if I bribed her. This was the longest I had ever been in a Stronghold after all. I reached over to snag my backpack and dug through it. There was no way I was sharing my can of pineapple. I lightly tossed her half a dozen trail bars, some jerky, and a thing of dried fruit. "Thanks!"

I watched her shove food in her mouth, "So, what do you think of this place?"

She swallowed her mouthful and frowned. I blinked at the sight of her frown, I thought she would have been ecstatic to have new people to torment. "It's... weird..."

I tilted my head, "How so?"

She took a slow bite of her trail bar and chewed in thought, "I have been in six Strongholds already and this one looks like the rest on the surface, but when you start looking, things just don't line up."

I waited silently. I had no basis for a comparison since I could count the total hours I had been in a Stronghold on both hands. She looked at me with a serious expression, "The day you decide to leave, take me with you."

That shocked me, "Why?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Something isn't right here. I have walked into rooms to have conversations suddenly change over a dozen times today. That is very odd, even if I am an untrusted newcomer. Some common questions seem to either confuse the locals or make them a bit defensive, which makes no sense."

I slowly blinked as I regarded Nicky. This was the very observant side of her and if she said that things weren't normal, then I was inclined to believe her. I sighed heavily, "It isn't as if I am here willingly. I won't be going anywhere for some time though. Daniel could outrun me previously, and as things sit currently, even you would be held back by the pace I could manage. I am equally sure that Daniel would drag me back here if I tried to leave."

Nicky snorted, "Make no mistake of it, he would. Nina encourages it too, she was quite concerned about you when you ran off. I am surprised that Daniel agrees with most of Nina's ideas so easily. I thought you zombies were more stubborn than that."

I shrugged, "Daniel doesn't act like most sane zombies I have encountered. He seems much more humanized."

Nicky took another bite of her trail bar, "I heard you injured yourself worse in that run. How bad is it?"

I made a face, "With the exception of my head, every other scab opened up some. The one on my leg completely tore off."

She shuddered lightly, "Remind me to not ask that question the next time I am eating."

I actually chuckled before I shook my head, "I heard that they exiled those three men. Do you know if that is true?"

Nicky nodded with another frown, "Over a dozen fighters actually chased them out with weapons. The people here don't take murder attempts lightly. They were also upset that those three dared to threaten you. They consider you as Nina's guest by the way. She seems to hold a lot of clout here. I tried carefully inquiring, but anytime I came anywhere close to that topic the person changed the subject with lightning speed."

I frowned lightly in thought. Now that she mentioned it, I had noticed that they had been happy to see her return. I had originally put it down to her being welcomed back into a small and tight knit community, but Nicky was correct. It looked as if Nina was highly regarded.

I turned my head to look at Nicky and she looked back at me in silence. Neither of us had an answer and there was nothing that we could do at the moment.

~

I ignored the weight of the gazes of almost fifty people as I dished up food in the mess hall. My presence was new and exciting if the hushed whispers were anything to go by. I was glad that I had come early to eat instead of waiting until later when more people would be in this room. I hadn't anticipated that so many would have already been awake this early for breakfast.

I took a seat at an empty table along the far wall. I put my back against the wall so I could keep an eye on the room. Yeah, I was suspicious and didn't trust them. Now that I was facing them, most didn't stare at me either. Many glanced at me, but it wasn't the open gawking that they had been doing earlier.

Breakfast was eggs, toast, some veggies, and fried chicken. I had almost finished my breakfast when Nina and Daniel arrived. Once they filled their plates they headed straight for my table. Nina sat across from me, "Good morning. I hope you slept well."

I resolved to at least try to be polite while I was here, "Good morning. I did, thank you." I wondered if Nina had half expected to wake up and discover that I had attempted to leave during the night. I had juggled more scenarios around in my head last night, but if I could barely walk then I wasn't going to get far.

I hesitated, unsure of how to ask my next question, "What are the plans for today? I know this place isn't a hotel where someone can stay without doing anything..." I trailed off, not wanting to admit that I was the next thing to useless with my current set of injuries.

I may be a zombie, but I still had some manners. On the road I had pulled my own weight even if I simply rode in the back of a truck most of the time. I had cleared buildings, gone scavenging, and acted as a night guard. The last two days on the road had been quite different, although if anything had paid a visit at night I could have given them warning and Daniel could have used his flashlight if he had to fight.

Nina took a bite of her toast and chewed thoughtfully, "Hmmm... Normally everyone works a good chunk of the day here. Your injuries rule out most of the normal chores. Something that involves sitting and not too many people around..." She trailed off as she thought.

Daniel glanced toward the kitchen, "If you don't mind washing and peeling vegetables, there is a small side room attached to the side of a kitchen. It usually takes until lunch for one person to do it. You are injured, so you don't have to do as much as the others. You can have the rest of the day off."

Why did they have to keep rubbing it in that I was injured? I was well aware of my wounds, especially with the way my leg was painfully throbbing from the walk down here. I tried to keep my irritation off my expression and out of my scent. I slowly nodded my acceptance.

Nina perked up, "Excellent. We can introduce you to the kitchen staff once we finish."

~

I sat at a table in the far corner of the kitchen while peeling carrots. Several big baskets of veggies sat to one side waiting to be peeled. The main part of the kitchen was a bustle of activity as around twenty people were working on both the lunch and supper meals.

They knew I was here and they also knew what I was. I was pretty sure that everyone in this place knew that the new woman with the sunglasses was a Nightstalker. Some of them were a bit nervous, but most ignored me as they worked on their various tasks. It wasn't as if I was right in the main kitchen since this table was off to the side a bit in an alcove.

My keen hearing allowed me to eavesdrop with ease, although this group must be familiar enough with Daniel to know that my hearing was better than average. I kept half an ear on the various conversations as I worked. None of them brought up any of the topics that had confused Nicky and me.

There were some odd silent breaks in the conversation that entailed a glance at me and I knew that my distant presence was stopping or limiting some conversations. My Nightstalker instincts shifted in suspicion and I agreed with them.

The humans thought that they were being subtle. Indeed, they were subtle enough that most humans would not have noticed, but I wasn't human. The virus that contaminated every drop of blood in my body had changed me somewhat. It had affected both my body and my mind.

So, what exactly are they taking such pains to avoid talking about? I continued peeling as I contemplated various possibilities. It could be as simple as anything to do with zombies and they didn't want to offend me. That was the likeliest reason and I was the latest gossip.

They weren't fearful of me, so I doubted that anyone else would try to ambush me after the last group was booted out. I watched them subtly from behind my sunglasses as I finished peeling the last of the various vegetables. I relaxed a bit as the hours went by.

There was no real fear or aggression directed at me, they were just avoiding talking about something while I was present. A handful were intrigued by my presence and had even paused to talk with me a bit. I had remained polite during those brief exchanges. The most baffling part was that most of them were actually glad that I was staying here.

A woman in her early twenties was rinsing the peeled vegetables right beside me. I watched her in mild curiosity before commenting, "You don't seem that bothered by my presence. Most people can't get away from me fast enough once they discover what I am."

She glanced over at me with a friendly grin, "If Daniel thought that you meant anyone here any harm, he wouldn't have let you in. Having two zombies in residence gives us an edge in case other mindless zombies show up. Regular zombies are easily lured off, but Runners, Nightstalkers, and Terrors are dangerous if they attack. You two can fight them without having to worry about being infected."

Blood splatter from zombies was a nightmare for a human. If it got into any scratch, the eyes, or mouth, they were practically guaranteed to be infected. The vast majority of the self-claimed zombie killers from the early days now numbered among the mindless horde.

I nodded, "I never considered it from that angle before. Have any other sane zombies stopped by here?"

I hadn't scented another zombie, but some might just be a regular visitor if they didn't handle crowds well. The woman shook her head, "Unfortunately not. I hear that one Nightstalker did pass by in the early days, but she couldn't handle the daylight and had some pretty bad control problems. She left a few days later and we never heard from her again. Everyone is hoping that you will stay. You would make an awesome night guard."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that. I had never met a group of humans who actually wanted a zombie to hang around. "I doubt that I will stay here for more than a few weeks. Nightstalkers are loners and we don't do well with crowds."

No one here would doubt that statement as it was fairly common knowledge, but it wasn't exactly the truth. Feral Nightstalkers were strict loners, but I wasn't feral. The human side of me enjoyed a bit of company. That often put my instincts and my human mind at war with one another. Truth be told, when I had been human I didn't like crowds either and preferred small groups of people that I knew well.

I had avoided humans in the past because either they wanted nothing to do with me or they were trying to kill me. The last month had seriously shaken up my boring life. When did life become so complicated?

The woman pursed her lips nervously as she glanced at me. She tentatively spoke, "If you don't mind me asking, I heard that you got shot while protecting Nina from some bandits. Is that true?"

She looked worried, as if she halfway expected me to take offense to her question. It didn't escape my notice that most in the kitchen had paused to listen to our discussion. There was a good chance that this was one of the topics they had been avoiding. I sighed lightly while reining in my annoyance, "Yes. Nina managed to persuade me to stay here until the wounds mostly healed up."

She looked as if she was thinking hard, although I couldn't imagine what she was thinking so hard about. She looked up in excitement, "If it is only the constant press of people that bothers you, we could build you a small cabin in the forest and you could come and go as you pleased."

That had never occurred to me, but that thought didn't tempt me as much as the lady might think. If I was close enough to stop by daily, then I would be close enough for Daniel and Nina to swing by on a whim. That put an immediate damper on that suggestion. My little cabin up north sounded better.

If I got bored or lonely, then I could travel along the coast until I crossed Travis and Kelly's trail. I had a rough idea where they were heading, so it wouldn't be too hard to locate them. It was much easier to be around them than around Daniel.

I shrugged, "I am not sure. I will have to see how the next few weeks go."

Several looked sad that I hadn't jumped at that idea. I decided to change the subject, "Have you heard how the others who arrived with us are doing? I noticed that the dog went with Ben when we parted ways."

The lady perked back up and started giving me the rundown on the schedule that newcomers usually went through. It turned out that Chloe was accompanying those who went out foraging for wild edibles. She would look straight at any zombie, but wouldn't bark unless they got too close. This was ideal for the groups who went outside frequently.

We both finished our tasks about the time the talkative lady ran out of things to say. There weren't any small tasks left, so I exited the kitchen. It was time for lunch anyway.