The person guarding the gate looked surprised to see me going out on foot, but after one glance at my expression, he opened up the gate even before I got there. I held myself to a fast walk as my temper bubbled like a hot pot on a stove. Something was going to die today.

I headed in the familiar direction of the rabbit traps. I knew that the guard would run to find Daniel if I went in a different direction. I had kept my pace to a walk to also prevent any observers from racing off to locate Daniel. As it was, he would probably come track me down before too long.

It was a bit of a walk, but I got there within fifteen minutes. I occasionally struck out at random trees in my rage, leaving deep claw marks in the bark. I sniffed the air and growled faintly before leaving the path to stalk through the trees. I stalked in closer to the source of the smell. The rabbit had likely died of a heart attack, but the small black bear was still trying to break into the live trap.

It was oblivious to my presence as I crept closer. I bared my teeth in a silent snarl before launching myself onto its back. It tried to run from the sudden attack, but I had a good grip on its fur. I grabbed its neck and gave a hard twist. The snap was loud as the bear collapsed into the leaf litter.

I still didn't have any weapons and had to rely on my nails to shave some of the fur away. The hot blood was welcome. It had been a long time since I had hunted a bear and it was a welcome change. I made sure to doctor my leg wound as well. If Nina was going to insist on checking my remaining injuries every three days, then I wanted to be gone before the next time rolled around.

I left the bear where it was. I wasn't going to try hauling that around, especially considering how much my shoulder hurt. The wind shifted and I could faintly pick up Daniel's scent. He was likely running a much wider perimeter to double check that I was still inside this piece of forest.

I had zero desire to have to deal with the Terror. My instincts tried to prod me to go in a certain direction and I followed them, partly out of curiosity. Sometimes my instincts picked up more than I did consciously. I had just hunted, it was daytime, and I was in pain so my instincts wanted to go to ground and hole up.

Once more the perceptiveness of my instincts surprised me. As I got closer, I could smell the damp air that could only be a cave. A small trickle of water exited the cave that was barely visible in the side of a rocky hillside. It was large enough for me to walk right into. I didn't realize that this was here. Why didn't I stumble across it earlier considering how close it was to the rabbit traps?

I cautiously entered the cave and followed it. It was a single curving tunnel that went back to a slightly larger room. A creek as wide as my hand escaped from a crack in the wall before it flowed toward the entrance. Most of the tunnel was pitch black and the room at the end was so dark that only a Nightstalker could truly appreciate it.

I looked around, it was perfect for a Nightstalker without any eye protection. It was actually dim with my welding glasses on. A feral would have readily moved in if it had come across it. I took a deep breath, but I didn't pick up any hint of zombie other than my own scent.

Daniel's scent was quite sharp due to him being a Terror and he ran such a large perimeter that any Nightstalker wouldn't get close enough to scent the humans. They would avoid the area due to the resident Terror, never realizing the potential food source hidden deep within his 'territory'. Had they realized it, Daniel's scent would not have stopped them from coming.

"Trinity? Are you in there?"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear... I narrowed my eyes in displeasure. It was a pity that there was no second exit out of this place. I crossed my arms and leaned against the cave wall to wait. The cool wall actually felt good on my shoulder. I didn't bother answering him. Perhaps he would leave.

A deep sigh and approaching footsteps told me that my wish had not been granted. A sudden brightness around the corner proved that Daniel packed that flashlight everywhere. I regretted picking it up for him. The light got brighter before rounding the corner.

I growled lowly as the light hit my already narrowed eyes. Daniel pointed the light toward the floor now that he had found me. His voice was confused, "Why didn't you answer me?"

Now that the light wasn't pointed at me, I could see that he actually had to duck a bit due to the height of the cave roof. I didn't even come up to his collarbone so the roof had been plenty high enough for me. I remained silent, wishing he would just leave me in peace.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at my silence. I saw his nostrils flare slightly as he tested the air. My own scent was sharp from my pain and was also tainted with the slowly drying blood under the bandage. I knew he would have no problem detecting it.

He tried again, "Are you okay?"

I snorted, "I just had someone rip off a scab on a large healing wound. I doubted that you would have fared any better if a stranger came up behind you and ripped some of your skin off with a pair of pliers."

It was a huge exaggeration and we both knew it, but I was in a bad mood. His eyes flashed red at my tone and I bared my teeth at him silently. I was in no mood for his crap, although I knew that I wouldn't win if it came to a fight.

He seemed to realize it as he clenched his teeth in an effort to rein in his own temper. Although if he did attack me, it would give me a very good reason to leave if I claimed that it was proof that we simply couldn't get along long term.

It took him some time before he spoke again, "Just why are you in a cave?"

I sighed heavily in irritation, "You wouldn't understand."

He glanced around the room before leaning on the wall across from me, "Try me."

I huffed in disbelief, "Turn off the flashlight."

His muscles tensed as he growled faintly at the very thought of it. His eyes were now a dull red as either he no longer bothered to camouflage them or he was too worked up to control his eye color. He narrowed his eyes as he watched me closely.

To my great surprise, he turned the flashlight off. From his stance, he obviously expected me to try to attack him. The fact that I was still unarmed was probably the only reason he even considered the idea. I reached up to remove my sunglasses.

His eyes focused on my red ones. My eyes were glowing more strongly than his were, partly from the pain and partly from how worked up I was. At the very least, I could make him uncomfortable and give him something else to think about. I was quite certain that Nina would be asking for a word by word breakdown of our conversation after the way I had left the examination room.

I tilted my head as I lowered my voice to something more suited for a late night creepy campfire story, "Do you feel that prickle along your skin and in your veins while you are in this cave? Even though the sun shines above the ground, this darkness reminds you of the night time. You feel like this because it isn't your element. Could you imagine feeling this all day? I am perfectly aware of exactly when the sun is above the horizon. Sometimes I simply want nothing to do with the daylight."

It was a bit of a stretch, but true enough. My humanity allowed me to enjoy the day if my irritation and instincts didn't get in the way. I doubted that he was aware of that though, since he completely detested the dark as it went against both his human and Terror preferences. Daniel was watching me as he likely committed my long speech to memory. I could tell that the darkness was grating on him.

He glanced around before refocusing on my glowing eyes, "How did you find this cave anyway? I have traveled through this forest for months and never knew it was here."

He must have followed my scent here. "I only found it today. When my instincts are high enough, they are very good at finding shelter from the sun."

He sighed heavily, "Why don't we head back? Nicky was worried when you took off like that."

It seemed to be a constant tactic of his to bring up acquaintances in a conversation when he was trying to calm me down or trying to convince me to come back. I narrowed my eyes, "I doubt she is overly worried. She is quite easily distracted. Besides, my leg will heal enough for travel in a couple more weeks and I will head back home."

That comment jolted him out of whatever he had been planning on saying next. His body tensed up slightly, "Why? Everyone I have spoken to wants you to stay."

If he took my comment seriously, they would shift their plans with a new deadline occurring in roughly two weeks. I planned to be gone within the next five days. They had already been quite worried that I would disappear, hopefully this would keep them from jumping the gun on any plans.

I gazed up at the ceiling, "It just isn't working well for me. The people are definitely much nicer than anyone I have ever met, even before I turned, but the constant presence of so many people is driving me crazy. Nightstalker instincts and crowds simply do not mix."

He shook his head, "The entire place wants you to stay. No other place is going to accept a zombie. Honest, I have been to quite a few in the past, so I speak from experience. You surpassed everyone's expectations so far. If the sunlight and crowds bother you, you could always act as a night guard. That position would suit you perfectly and few people are up at night."

I blinked slowly, it was odd knowing that I could see him perfectly although he could only see my eyes because they were glowing. "I miss the cool crisp mountain air from back home. It was always so peaceful and quiet. I set my own schedule and did what I wanted whenever I felt like it."

I growled faintly as my irritation built, "It is difficult to constantly watch my actions so I don't scare someone too badly. The stares I get now are bad enough and I haven't even snarled directly at anyone yet. I can only imagine what they would think if I feinted a slash at someone who pushed me too far. They would probably kick me out, so I will just save them the trouble of doing so."

Daniel watched me intently as he sensed pent up emotions underneath, "They won't kick you out for that. What has you so worked up? Why is it so bad to stay here? Just stay longer, give it three or four months and see how it goes. You will get accustomed to things before you know it. Besides, it will be hard to find food once the stores are picked clean."

His constant arguments aggravated me, although that wasn't hard to accomplish in my current mindframe. This entire situation ticked me off and I was tired of being pushed around against my will. It also fired up my rather short temper.

My growl deepened with my worsening mood, "I had never planned on even stepping foot inside this place, let alone staying. Why do you want me here so badly? Having me around must rub your instincts the wrong way. I can feel it too, you know." My temper had flared and I was starting a good rant, "My instincts are suspicious and people don't stare at you the same way they stare at me. It is almost as if they are hiding something and I don't like it."

I gritted my teeth, I hadn't meant to have such an outburst. It was the penalty of being a Nightstalker. If something was bothering or irritating me, I tended to wear my emotions for all to see. Nightstalkers, and presumably all zombies, were not good at bottling things up. If we tried, things ended to explode like an over-pressurized steam cooker

He bared his teeth and growled lowly at my display of temper. His eyes brightened as his own instincts were rising, "They are curious, everyone heard rumors about how temperamental Nightstalkers are and you have turned every rumor on its head. They are familiar with me and know what to expect. Everyone wants you here because they know that I am not that dependable once it gets dark outside. As you mentioned, you are perfectly adapted for the night."

I felt somewhat cornered in this room with him by the only exit and it riled my temper up something fierce. Daniel was getting similarly worked up by the small dark space that he couldn't even stand straight up in. He was obviously determined to overturn any argument I could come up with.

Both of our tempers were rapidly worsening. I couldn't really afford a fight since it would re-open my injuries and delay my escape even more. I knew I wouldn't win either. I tried to control my own raging temper before I did something that I would regret later. Either way, we both really had to calm down.

I shrugged petulantly, although he wouldn't see the motion. My voice was peeved, "I am still stuck here for at least two weeks to allow my leg to heal enough for such a long journey. The humans have plenty of time to get tired of my presence or decide that I am too dangerous to have around."

I growled in frustration and shook my head in annoyance as I put my sunglasses back on, "Let's get out of here before this place lets my instincts have a freer run with my temper."

Daniel wasted no time in turning on the flashlight while keeping it aimed at the floor. He was beside the exit and I waited for him to move. I didn't want to pass by him with this much tension in the air. He motioned me to exit first. I narrowed my eyes, but went first.

My muscles were tense as I passed by him, but he didn't do anything. The hair on the back of my neck was raised. I really didn't like having him following me even if he gave me a lot of room. He likely didn't want me behind him in a dark place either.

Some of the tension left Daniel once he was outside. The sunlight put a damper on my instincts, although I was still in a foul mood. I watched him warily as he focused on me. He must have decided that I was a bit too unpredictable to return to the Stronghold at the moment, "I assume you plan on staying out here for a bit before returning?"

I nodded, "It is probably better for everyone if I stay out here until supper."

He didn't seem happy, but accepted it, "Fine, do you want me to send Nicky out here to keep you company?"

I snorted and shook my head, "Unless you are actually trying to get her killed, I advise against it."

He narrowed his eyes, but nodded. He slowly and reluctantly left the clearing as he headed back to the Stronghold. I suspected that he wanted me to return with him. It did surprise me that he was willing to leave me out here to have some space.

Although he might have just wanted to avoid a potential casualty back in the Stronghold. If I didn't show up by supper I knew that he would be showing up again just to ensure that I didn't decide to take off. I went further into the trees and decided to explore this section of forest.

It took a couple of hours, but I knew the rough layout of it now. It was a fairly large section of untouched forest surrounded by fields, no wonder Daniel could check the 'perimeter' so easily.

This also left my scent all over. It may pose problems for him when he tried to track me in the future. No road was within sight of this forest, so I was still no closer to finding a potential getaway vehicle. I planned to return before supper just to keep them from getting suspicious.

Being alone at long last in the forest was slowly cooling my temper.