After far too much driving, we pulled up to a small store with a flat roof as late afternoon passed into early evening. I tested the air as I hopped out, "Couple of zombies in the area, nothing close by though."

Nicky nodded as she grabbed her backpack. I hefted the ladder and leaned it up against the building before climbing up to the roof. By the time I got up to the top, Daniel was waiting to toss stuff to me. The first thing was the large tent for Nina and Nicky. The other stuff was lighter.

I helped Nicky and Nina assemble the tent as Daniel set up a safe firepit on the roof that wouldn't burn the place down around our ears. We finished just as Daniel set up the camping chairs. He took his favorite one and gazed at the fire with a meditative expression.

He turned his measuring gaze to me. After a few seconds, I turned my head so I faced him, "What?" My voice clearly told him that I didn't appreciate him staring at me.

He blinked slowly, but didn't look away. He hummed lightly, "I think you know the answer to that."

I rolled my eyes and responded in a dry voice, "If I had, I wouldn't have asked."

He snorted lightly, but seemed faintly amused despite my tone. He focused on me once more with his keen eyes, "How did you do it?"

"Setting up the tent or sitting in the chair?"

Daniel wasn't letting himself be distracted and shook his head, "No, that tactic isn't going to work either. How did you get your wounds to heal so fast? What did you do?"

Nina blinked in surprise and glanced between the two of us as she caught on to Daniel's deduction. I guess he isn't as dense as I thought he was. He knows that I know something, he just doesn't know how I did it.

I snorted dryly, "What makes you think I did anything? You saw me sitting in the back of the truck all day."

His eyes never left me, "I am not sure what you did, but I know that you must be doing something. Your previous wounds also spiked in healing at a certain point as well. Besides, you didn't react to me as I kept watching you in the mirror and that should have irritated you to no end, yet your scent was halfway amused, and not upset. You did this to me before with the wrestling thing and you found it amusing then too."

I sat motionlessly as I debated my options. He clearly knew that I had knowledge he lacked and he also had a point with his observations. With a gusty sigh I dug into my backpack as it sat by my feet. Daniel and Nina were watching me intently. Nicky seemed a bit surprised I was letting this secret go so easily.

He would have figured it out eventually, he was a zombie. I lobbed the small jar at him and he easily caught it with a look of confusion. A small jar of thick red liquid was not what he had been expecting to see. He gingerly opened it and took a small sniff.

His expression grew even more confused as he picked up the scent of rabbit blood and my saliva. In theory, any zombie's saliva was just as effective so my saliva would work as well as his. Nina leaned forward, "What is it?"

Daniel sent me a puzzled look, "It is rabbit blood."

Now it was Nina's turn to be confused, "Why was she carrying that in a jar? I thought zombies disliked drinking cold blood."

They both looked at me, waiting for an answer. I smirked at Daniel, "I just handed you a key clue, surely you can figure it out from here."

Daniel narrowed his eyes, although he didn't seem truly upset. Just a bit annoyed that I wouldn't come right out and give him the answer. Nicky started snickering at his slight frustration as I was being my usual annoying self.

Daniel turned his focus to her, "You don't seem particularly surprised..."

Nicky chuckled, "Nope. I know the secret."

Nina was surprised, "Really?"

Nicky rubbed her hands together, "Zombie secrets are the best. Blood, tomato juice, soap, rutabagas... The list goes on and on."

Rutabagas? I am not even going to ask... Nina pulled out her notepad, "How do you know about them?"

Nicky shrugged, "Trinity dropped some hints and I put them together. Took a few tries to get the correct answer, but I managed it. Take my advice and don't stick a mini firecracker inside a rutabaga. You get the wrong answer."

Nina and Daniel glanced at me and I simply smirked as a response. Nicky had a wild imagination, but for all I knew, she might have blown up a rutabaga at some point in her somewhat daunting past. Nina still dutifully started scribbling down the facts, warning, and her own speculations. Daniel looked at me with an appraising expression, "Care to expand on Nicky's comments?"

I bared my teeth in a feral grin, "The answers lie within your own instincts. I have already given you far more hints than I originally intended."

He sat up straighter in sudden realization, "You knew that I would notice that you were healing faster than me."

Okay, maybe he isn't the sharpest crayon in the box... I gave him a look that plainly told him that I thought he was an idiot, "I thought that was kind of obvious..."

He narrowed his eyes and growled faintly at the mild insult. I ignored the faint growl. Nicky started chuckling, "You didn't honestly think that she had worked so hard to get those wounds to disappear and it didn't cross her mind that you or Nina wouldn't notice the difference?"

Daniel gritted his teeth and growled lowly at Nicky. Nicky just grinned at him before leaning over and digging through her backpack. She put a bottle of dish soap near her feet with a flourish. I chuckled. She is just evil... There is no way he would consider soap harmless after she lumped it together with her knowledge of my enhanced healing. It must make him wonder every time he washes his hands...

I shook my head, "Why don't you go hunting and see if you can figure things out?"

Daniel gave me a long look, but eventually sighed and nodded. He knew that I wanted him to figure it out for himself. I watched him as he got to his feet and walked to the edge of the roof.

"Oh, Daniel?"

He paused as he glanced back at me, "Yes?"

I grinned evilly, "This trick is a two-edged sword, don't hurt yourself too badly. Consider that as my final hint."

He looked surprised and even more frustrated that he was basically flying blind. I wasn't sure if he wanted to thank me for that warning or strangle me for being such an ambiguous pain in the ass. He settled for responding gruffly, "Thanks." I sensed more than just a bit of sarcasm in his reply.

I chuckled as he dropped off the edge of the building and out of sight. The warning was valid though, the heat that focused on a wound while it was being doctored could actually reach insanely painful levels if too much blood was applied at once. The heat took quite a bit of time to fade as well. He would be careful now and should avoid that error. It would also drive him to distraction wondering if any attempt was going to help or hurt...

I leaned back in my chair and regarded the fire through my sunglasses. I loved seeing the yellow in the flames. Not being able to see it for so long had made me really appreciate the bright color. Nicky still looked amused but was digging through her backpack in search of something to pass the time. Nina was scribbling down notes on a notepad.

My mind went back to Daniel. I wondered how long it would take him to realize that he actually had to put blood on the wound. It really wasn't that obvious considering that we normally drank the blood, but the second he saw the blood sink into the wound so swiftly, he would know he had found something noteworthy.

I watched as Nina started cooking supper. Her meticulousness in the lab transferred over to her cooking. I had never seen someone manage to make bread dough without getting a single spot of flour on themselves. Admittedly it also took her much, much longer.

The bread and meat were almost done cooking by the time I finally heard Daniel's footsteps approaching the building. About time, I was beginning to wonder if he had gotten lost... I glanced at him and did a double take. My head tilted as I regarded him in faint disbelief.

He hadn't figured it out.

His scratches had not been doctored despite the fact that he had been gone for almost an hour. How is this even possible? I know his instincts are alive and kicking because I am constantly triggering them, how could he have not figured it out?

He was in a sour mood and my disbelieving expression was not helping. Nina looked up expectantly, but frowned slightly when she saw his expression, "No luck?"

He growled his frustration, "None. I am so full I couldn't even manage another drop. It did nothing and I made sure to target rabbits too." He turned to frown at me, "I am obviously missing something." He was clearly expecting me to explain everything to him.

He also needed his head examined with thoughts like that. I had NEVER met a zombie so out of tune with his or her instincts before. Even after being around him for over a month, I still had a hard time wrapping my head around it. I was sorely tempted to make him walk back with rules in place that he had to act like a zombie whenever he encountered another zombie.

I shook my head, "It took you a few weeks to figure out the wrestling thing, so you will manage it eventually. This time you just have incentive." My tone showed that I wasn't going to budge in my decision.

He shook his head in frustration as a growl sounded through his voice, "I think you may have written the manual on how to be stubborn."

I chuckled, but didn't contradict him. As a Nightstalker, I was as stubborn as a stick in the mud and I knew it. He exhaled gustily, "Why are you refusing to tell me?"

I slowly tilted my head in a more serious mood. I studied the higher-ranking zombie who had never resorted to violence to tear a strip out of my miserable hide regardless of how much I provoked him. "I think that even you unconsciously understand the necessity of figuring this out on your own. There are reasons, rather good ones in fact."

Daniel frowned in confusion and frustration, but didn't reply. Nina looked disappointed, but didn't ask any questions either. That was good, he had to learn, and the sooner the better. Especially if I was going to continue staying at Ironwind Stronghold.

The tension that had disappeared after our wrestling match had not reappeared, so he was making progress. He still had a lot to learn though and considering that he was an original, he was so far behind that he could mistake himself for being ahead.

Nicky yawned, "He may have to figure it out by himself, but if we are going to attempt any explosions, then I call the lighter."

I made a face, "What is it with you and explosions lately? They never interested you before."

She grinned at me, "But that guy this morning made a huge fire and I have to beat that. Nothing beats a huge explosion! Well, except a bigger explosion."

I was faintly alarmed by her new obsession. Simply giving Nicky coffee was dangerous. Explosives were to be avoided at all costs. I shook my head, "I do not like where your thoughts are going. I am beginning to think that your sole purpose in life is to simply serve as a warning to others."

Nicky cackled, "No, that is what they invented warning labels for! No label can ever properly communicate my potential."

Nina whispered to Daniel, "If you see anything like an explosive or firework in her hands, you need to act fast." Daniel nodded seriously.

Nicky caught the whisper and grinned, "Ah, but I know what a few of those chemicals in the lab can do if they are mixed in the proper proportions."

Nina fixed her with a stern glare, "You are not using my lab supplies for explosions."

Nicky grinned, "That kind of sounds like a challenge to me."

Both Daniel and I growled at her at the same time. Nicky gave us an odd look, "For being so different, sometimes you two are far too much alike."

I snorted, "That comes with being zombies. If you try to make anything explode, then I will tie you up."

Nicky eyed me up warily, "Why is it that I take your threats far more seriously than Daniel's at times like this?"

"Because you know that I won't make the mistake of leaving you unsupervised."

She shrugged, "That is probably it." She perked up and looked at me in excitement, "Can I blow up another rutabaga?!"

I hadn't even seen a rutabaga since the zombies appeared, so I felt pretty safe in this one. "As long as everyone has 24 hours' notice, you use miniature firecrackers, and you do not do it inside of a Stronghold or near anyone."

Nicky whooped, "Awesome! Do you have another rutabaga?"

"Nope."

She groaned, "You take all the fun out of everything. Can I blow something else up?"

Daniel suddenly replied, "How about that package of markers?"

Nicky shook her head fiercely, "Not a chance. I ain't ever giving those up. Trinity gave me those and they are the first present she ever gave me. Besides, I haven't had a present in over five years if it wasn't my birthday. The person who steals my markers had better hide because I will be in hot pursuit."

Sometimes loyalty met crazy and their combined momentum took things to another level. Nina and Daniel didn't know how to respond to that fierce declaration about a simple package of markers. I made a mental note to take care if I gave her anything in the future, even if it wasn't meant as an actual gift.

I tilted my head in sudden suspicion, "Nicky, do you actually have more firecrackers?"

She sighed dejectedly, "No..."

I sighed in relief, although I was pretty sure that I would have smelled any explosives if she had been carrying them. "Good."

She lifted her head in shock, "Hey!"

I grinned darkly at her, "That means that Daniel can't steal them and use them to blow up your felts."

Nicky relaxed, "Oh, I guess that is a good thing. Speaking of the felts, don't forget that you did promise to wear those socks for one day."

I smirked, "I am ahead of you there."

All three sent me an astonished look, before glancing at my black socks in confusion. Nicky scratched her head, "Unless I have suddenly become color blind, you might need to clean your sunglasses."

I reached down and rolled down the black sock to reveal the tormented rainbow sock beneath it. "You said I had to wear it. You said nothing about it being visible."

Daniel looked shocked. He had never considered thinking outside of the box, although, now that I thought about it, he never had agreed to wear the socks in the first place. I had stumbled into the bucket of water booby trap at that moment and the matter had been forgotten.

To my surprise Nicky started laughing wildly. I sent her a weird look, I had expected her to protest, not find it so hilarious that she was close to falling out of her chair.

She eventually managed to get herself under control and wiped away a laughter tear, "Oh... You can always tell who your friends are. I know that Daniel has no intention of wearing those socks and thinks I simply forgot about him. It didn't even cross my mind that you would wear them since Daniel never agreed to it."

Daniel actually looked somewhat chagrined at being caught. Nina glanced at him with an 'I-told-you-so-look'.

I rolled my eyes, "I always keep my promises, even if I don't like doing it."

Nicky took a deep breath as she was still recovering from laughing so hard and looked at me, "You can take them off now, if you like. I know you don't like things that stand out."

That was a startling concession from Nicky. However, my mind was one step ahead of her. I gazed at her intently, "How about I wear them like this for another couple of days and you promise to check with me before doing anything with explosives or fireworks? For safety's sake, of course."

She grinned enthusiastically at me, "Deal."

In my mind, the trade was well worth it. It would take us two days to get back. No one could see the colorful socks anyway and my feet didn't sweat since I was a zombie, so wearing two layers of socks wasn't that much of an inconvenience.