Nicky had halfway finished her lunch before Daniel and Nina made their appearance. Judging from how Daniel narrowed his eyes at Nicky the moment he entered the room, I was pretty sure I knew what was on his mind.

Daniel grabbed a bottle of water, but didn't take any food as he kept Nina company on their way over to our table. Daniel slid into his seat, still focused on Nicky, "How did you manage to find colored permanent felt markers in the lab? Even Nina wasn't aware that there were any down there."

Nicky chuckled, "Oh, I didn't find them. Trinity gave them to me while you were out landscaping the forest."

Daniel's irritated focus shifted to me. I smirked, "It kept her busy and out of the room Nina was in. She had been plotting revenge on that shoe for a long time."

Nina chuckled which earned her a sour look from Daniel. She apparently found it pretty funny, "I have to admit that I wasn't aware that Nicky was capable of that level of detail."

I shrugged, "I never did see the finished product so I couldn't say. It definitely kept her busy for a long time."

Nicky grinned, "I plotted for hours on exactly what I was going to do to it. It was all planned out."

Nina smiled at me, "Well, you will have to come to the lab after lunch and see it. I also wouldn't mind another blood sample."

I suspected that the second half was closer to her real motive and it put a dampener on any humor I had felt from Nicky finally getting her hands on Daniel's shoe. Why he had left that pair there was beyond my understanding. "Okay."

Nina shook her head at my lack of enthusiasm, "That feral Nightstalker no longer has muscle tremors and has no interest in me at all as long as I don't approach the bars. Otherwise it is still extremely aggressive and tends to strike out at anything that approaches it, regardless if it is a stick, a remote controlled car, or Daniel."

"I assume the lights were on?"

Nina made a face, "We have no other way to observe it-" Nina cut off as she blinked at me in realization. Daniel glanced at her before comprehension also dawned on his face.

Nina started to get excited, "But you can see in the dark! You would also have a better idea if it was behaving normally compared to other feral Nightstalkers because you have encountered them before!"

How do I get dragged into these situations? I sighed, "It will probably act differently in a cage than out in the open, so I am not sure how valid the results will be."

Nina waved that concern away, "It will be better than what we have. I would also be curious to see how it reacts to a human entering the barn in the dark as well."

Daniel growled, "You aren't going into that barn at night with no lights. I wouldn't be able to see it or hear it if it got loose somehow."

Nina frowned, but realized that this argument wasn't one she was going to win with Daniel. Her eyes tracked over to Nicky speculatively. Daniel also tilted his head in consideration as he regarded the redhead.

Nicky noticed and looked at them like they had lost their minds, "You want me to go into a dark barn in the middle of the night when there are two Nightstalkers inside? Are you nuts? Even I have some sense of self-preservation."

Nina clearly considered this matter as being debatable, "That Nightstalker hasn't managed to get out yet and I am sure that Trinity could protect you if it did."

"That is completely beside the point. You want me to go into a barn with not one, but two Nightstalkers. In the dark. You might want to make an appointment with a counselor or a therapist. I can recommend a couple of decent ones if you like. Not sure if they are human or zombie at this point in time though."

Daniel growled lightly, but Nina gently waved him off, unconcerned by the mild insult, "It would really assist us Nicky, is there anything we can do to make you consider it?"

Nicky crossed her arms stubbornly, "I highly doubt it." Nicky did not look like she was going to agree to anything.

Daniel snorted, "I will let you color my other shoe."

She gave him a look that plainly questioned his bartering ability, "That is only because you would refuse to wear the colored shoes."

Daniel huffed and looked away, refusing to admit that she was correct. Nina was thinking hard, "What if I get you a week off the work schedule?"

Nicky rolled her eyes, "The reason I work is so that I don't get bored. I am pretty sure that Trinity may cause some bodily harm if I hung around her all day for a couple of days in a row."

Nina tried a different tactic, "How about I get the cooks to make your favorite foods for a few days?"

"Not worth going into a creepy barn in the dark with zombies hidden inside somewhere."

Nicky really didn't like the thought of that barn in the dark. Then again, she hadn't been that fond of it in the daylight the one time she had gone inside. Nina was trying to pick things that would tempt Nicky, but she wasn't quite hitting the right buttons. Perhaps I simply knew Nicky too well.

I tilted my head, "What if you got to handpick the next turkey they butchered? We can also throw in letting you color Daniel's other shoe and he has to wear both shoes for a day."

Nicky squirmed in her chair, clearly tempted and undecided. Daniel glared at me and I grinned, this could be worth it just to see him wearing those shoes... Nina was watching Nicky with bright eager eyes, hoping that Nicky would agree.

I threw in one more tidbit, "I will also take you fruit or berry picking for three afternoons and you can decide what kind of fruit we will go after."

That did it. Nicky sighed as she reluctantly agreed, "You are just evil. I had planned to say no to anything I was offered. How can you tempt me like that? Fine, I agree. I had better not die doing this either."

Nina grinned triumphantly, "Excellent. We can try tonight after the sun sets. Daniel and I can remain outside and Trinity can go in first to see how it reacts to her. Afterwards we can send Nicky in and see what it does."

I rolled my eyes, "Let me go out there at least ten minutes ahead of you so it doesn't hear or scent you."

I wasn't looking forward to this. My instincts would be well awake once the sun set and this Nightstalker would also likely have its instincts hyperactive with the drug's aftereffects. I had a hard enough time with it out cold in the back of a truck as we drove at night, I wasn't sure how my enhanced instincts would react to a feral Nightstalker snarling at me now.

Nina nodded as she accepted my tweaking of her plans, "Certainly. Please take careful observations though."

I nodded, "Might want to warn those here that they could hear a few Nightstalker screams. Feral Nightstalkers detest company and it will not be happy to see me after sundown."

Nina finished off the last of her lunch, "We can certainly do that." She turned to Nicky who had also finished her food, "Feel like heading to the lab and coloring Daniel's other shoe?"

Nicky sent a big grin toward Daniel, "Yep." She was clearly enjoying his discomfort and knew that Daniel wouldn't retaliate since it helped Nina. Daniel exhaled slowly, not looking forward to what we had roped him into doing. I hoped that Nicky made those shoes stand out.

All four of us headed to the lab. Nicky retrieved the felts from wherever she had hidden them and set to work on Daniel's right shoe. I walked over to inspect the left one that sat on the counter. One thing was clear. Nicky had talent.

"She even colored the bottoms and insides." I glanced over my shoulder at a rather amused looking Nina. I picked the shoe up to examine it better. She was correct. Tiny intricate flowing swirls of dozens of colors whirled and waved on every visible surface of the shoe like a kaleidoscope of color.

I couldn't figure out how Nicky had managed such thin lines with those thick markers. Yet she had done everything freehand. I walked over to see how Nicky had managed the thin lines. Nicky ignored me as I watched her. She had found an exacto knife somewhere and had trimmed the tip until it was as thin as a pen tip. No wonder it had taken her an entire hour to color a shoe.

"Pretty impressive."

Nicky grinned at my comment, "Thanks. The one counselor thought I should become a painter, but such work takes inspiration, planning, and emotion. I have lots of that when I hang around you and Daniel, but otherwise I just tend to blank out."

I watched for a few moments as Nicky's fingers easily traced out lines that only she could see in her mind. She somehow left the perfect amount of room to allow for a 3D loop as the ribbon of color twirled around itself. I shook my head, "I would never be able to manage something like that."

Nicky was lost in her world of color and didn't respond. A glance over my shoulder showed that Nina was still waiting for me. With a faint sigh I went to donate yet more blood.

~

I regarded the barn door in distaste. The sun had set a few hours ago and my instincts were not impressed with this Nightstalker on my turf. How my instincts had decided that this Stronghold and area was my territory was beyond me. Either way, I didn't like this Nightstalker here.

For some odd reason, Daniel's scent didn't affect me this way. Perhaps it was because he had been here first or maybe because he wasn't a feral Nightstalker. I didn't know, and unless another sane Nightstalker showed up, chances were I would never figure it out.

I had delayed the inevitable long enough. The barn door opened with just the faintest creak. A snarl marked the moment the Nightstalker picked up my scent. I slowly entered the room in a half crouch. The Nightstalker's red eyes were locked onto me.

The instant she saw my red eyes she let loose a high pitched challenging scream as she protested my approach and presence. The scream sounded slightly off for some reason I couldn't pinpoint. I retaliated with a scream of my own, more fierce with my instincts having laid claim to this land for weeks.

I exhaled with a rattling breath as I realized that my own scream also sounded somewhat off.

Both of our screams had sounded slightly different. I had a sneaking suspicion that the drug was to blame somehow. The Nightstalker backed up a step with a snarl as she turned sideways. She wanted no part of a First Strike challenge, knowing that she was on my territory. I tilted my head and silently regarded the faintly growling zombie. It had backed down much faster than I had expected.

Its low growls were from its dislike of my presence as opposed to a challenge or warning. Had it not been caged, she would have left the area swiftly. I pretended to ignore it while walking around the lab. It watched me, but did nothing since I was not focused on it.

I straightened out of my crouch to walk like a human and it snarled viciously as it charged the bars. I rounded on it with a snarl of my own as my eyes glowed a brighter red as my instincts surged even higher at its threat.

It once more turned sideways, although it continued growling lightly at my human body language. I narrowed my eyes, it should have realized from my scent that I was a Nightstalker regardless of how I moved. I was pretty sure its actions were due to how it was trapped in here though. Like a chained dog, it made more noise and acted more unpredictably.

I resumed my slightly bent-kneed zombie stance and it fell silent. It understood zombie body language and it wanted to stay out of my way since it didn't want to challenge me. It was using the zombie rules to its advantage. If it didn't challenge me, I wouldn't attack it.

I moved to the far side of the room and took a seat on a chair. It watched me, but didn't move. I waited for the next stage of our test.