"I have a list of things we're running low on. Do you need anything?" Daniel asked us when we arrived at the guest house and found the others carrying in their gear.

I shook my head since things like a transport vehicle big enough for several hundred people and all their animals and valuables belonged in a far-fetched science fiction novel.

Nicky wasn't as restrained by the fabric of reality as I was and happily requested, "A concrete fence strong enough to repel a Terror, a bazooka with unlimited rockets, and a dozen rutabagas and firecrackers. Oh, and an espresso for the grand finale!"

I wasn't sure I wanted to know what she had planned for a grand finale if it involved an espresso at the end of such a...unique wish list.

"Not happening," Daniel told her as she carried her backpack inside.

She shrugged. "Either that or a potato gun."

Nina looked up. "You don't have any potatoes or a proper accelerant for a launcher big enough to hold a potato."

"I know," Nicky groaned. "It's a tragedy. But I'm sure I can find some rocks of the appropriate size, and in theory, there's a way to distill flammable oils from a wood gas engine."

"Are you trying to build a potato gun or launch a meteorite into orbit?" I asked her, mildly concerned that she seemed to have carefully considered all of her realistic options.

She tilted her head in thought. "Can I do both?"

"No."

"Drat. I really wanted to make something go boom. There goes that plan." With a sigh, she scratched her head and looked down the hallway. "Which bedroom am I sleeping in?"

"Either one on the left side," Nina said absently, still sorting through a box.

It didn't take Nicky long to dump her backpack in a room and come skipping back. "So now what are we going to do?"

"I'm going back to the lab to start working on those samples," Nina said.

Logan had clean clothes and a towel draped over his arm. "The shower area looked empty, so I'm going to wash up."

"I can keep Nina company," Daniel said as he dug a book out of his duffel bag.

Nicky spun around to face me with a grin. "This means I get out of babysitting duty! What plans do we have for our new-found free time before it turns into utter boredom?"

I had somehow just been put in charge of someone who needed far more supervision than a preoccupied scientist. "Uh, I'm sure they'll let you clean out the chicken coop if you want?"

Her grin turned into a glare. "That's only fun when the chickens know me well enough to chase me. Next suggestion."

Daniel interjected, "The locals said the barn to the north—the one with the shingles, not the tin roof—is full of metal and wood scraps that we're welcome to use. You can help Trinity make a couple of ladders."

He must have overheard our previous conversation and was either trying to be helpful or perhaps he was trying to get Nicky out of the Stronghold before this place realized exactly what they had let inside.

"That would work," Nicky said, her eyes lighting up once more.

I nodded in agreement; it was a good solution that would keep Nicky preoccupied and help create a safety feature. It would also give me something to do outside the Stronghold. They probably hadn't realized I was a zombie yet, and that was bound to lead to some personal space issues before too long.

"Do you mind seeing if Jax and Wren are nearby and asking if they need food or anything?" Daniel asked.

"I guess," I said. "The shipping container isn't too far away from the barn, if it's the one I'm thinking of."

"Thanks."

Nicky darted back into her room and returned with her water gun. "Let's go!" Without waiting for me, she twirled out the door with the water gun held in her hands like a ballerina version of a SWAT team infiltration.

When I came outside, she said, "Let's find Jax and Wren first. Can you smell them?"

"Nothing fresh on the wind. We'll have to look around."

She slung the water gun strap over her shoulder, freeing up her hands. "But if we don't know where we are going, what happens if we wind up someplace else?"

I began walking to the nearest gate. "Then we'll have a solid excuse to stay out longer."

"You'd use any excuse to explore a forest and avoid a Stronghold full of strangers," she pointed out as she walked beside me.

"True. Although I don't think it'll be hard to find Jax and Wren. There are only a couple of larger forest sections around here, and the one downwind is where we last saw them."

Horseback riders made their rounds across the fields and pastures as they gathered zombies. Once they had a couple chasing them, they trotted over a narrow bridge spanning the water canal and turned either to the left or the right. The zombies always opted for the shortcut and the unintentional splash competition into the water below.

The riders cantered in and out of the smaller groves but avoided the larger forests to the north and southwest. There were only about ten miles of forest between the Stronghold and the old-world city to the southwest. If I recalled the map correctly, it was also where two major highways intersected, so that area would be crawling with zombies.

We walked toward the northern forest since the shipping container was there. The breeze had shifted and blew from the northwest, bringing hundreds of scents with it. The immediate area was well-hunted, but farther out, I could smell plenty of wildlife the hunters would have loved to find.

It was a good thing I had several hours to figure out if I wanted the bear, the moose, or the cougar. All three were something I hadn't hunted in months. I'd have to ask the locals for some live traps so Jax and Wren could have their fill of rabbits without having to constantly ask. If I got bored, I could try herding a few deer towards them, but chasing animals was more Daniel's prerogative.

By the time we reached the clearing with the shipping container and mobile home, Nicky was starting to grumble about not taking the truck. The dune buggy parked beside the home was a good indication that the two were inside or nearby.

"Jax? Wren? Are you here?" I called out.

"One second!" Wren's muffled reply came from somewhere inside the run-down mobile home. The door opened as Jax and Wren came out.

"No water damage inside, so it's still weather-tight," Wren said cheerfully. "We thought about staying in one of the abandoned houses, but figured it might be better if we remained near the shipping container in case something happened."

"The locals are probably avoiding this area," Jax added, "so we don't have to worry about startling them."

"That's a good plan," I replied. "Do you need anything out here? Food? Clothing?"

I didn't bother asking about blankets since zombies didn't really feel the cold, but having clean clothing was usually welcome on a long trip.

"Some food would be nice," Wren said. "Especially bread."

"Not clothing," Jax muttered. "The human smell clings to them terribly, and we're good at looting old houses for that sort of thing."

Wren shrugged. "We were checking some old houses around here, but it was making the locals nervous, so we'll wait until nightfall. Oh, could we get a bow and some arrows? I saw some partridge not far from here."

"Do you want me to catch them for you now?" I asked, wondering if unranked zombies needed to hunt more often than their counterparts. Usually a rabbit or two a day was plenty for a Runner unless they burned a lot of energy. Many could go two or three days without hunting, although it wasn't wise since it greatly strained their control.

She shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but we're fine right now."

"If you ever need help hunting, just let Daniel or me know," I told her. "We're happy to help with that sort of thing."

"Thanks. I lost my gun somewhere while driving—not that I had any ammo left—so a bow would give me a ranged weapon. Hunting will also help us pass the time."

Nicky rubbed her hands together. "If you're bored, we're about to head to the barn and scavenge pieces to make a bunch of ladders!"

"Ladders?" Jax asked, blinking in confusion.

"Climbing is a good way to avoid most zombies," Nicky said. "And there is an unfortunate lack of them in the Stronghold."

Wren took an intrigued step forward. "Sure, we can come help." She glanced at Jax. "Unless you want to finish setting up the house?"

"I'll be fine," he told her, confirming my suspicions about the question allowing him to easily back out if his bloodlust was acting up.

As we started walking, I radioed Daniel with the request for food, a bow, and some live traps. The first item would have to wait until dinnertime, but the other two might take longer since most places were reluctant to part with such valuable items. I made a mental note to check the city to the southwest at night and see if I could locate any traps.

A regular zombie trudged down the road ahead of us, speeding up with a groan. I growled at him and flashed my teeth. Jax and Wren sent me uneasy looks but also growled at the zombie.

Faced with such an unfriendly welcome, the zombie stopped and trudged back the way it came, not having caught Nicky's scent and not bright enough to consider the possibility of a human traveling among a group of zombies.

We slowed our pace so we didn't catch up to it, but before I could grow impatient, a squirrel scampered across the road, and the zombie gave chase, disappearing into the trees.

"The Nightstalker that showed up when we first arrived, who was he?" Wren tentatively asked. "Is he likely to return?"

At least I wasn't the only one who had questions about our visitor. "His name is Regan. We met about three years ago when chasing down some kidnappers. Other than that, I don't know anything about him. But from what I've seen, he keeps his word, so I expect he'll return at some point."

Nicky commented, "Like most Nightstalkers, he isn't exactly talkative or welcoming of questions. He seemed fairly mellow today, but last time he was more than a bit mercurial and waspish, which isn't exactly a rare trait among sane zombies."

"If you remain polite, I don't think you'll have any problems," I reassured Wren. "But keep an eye on his body language just in case. If I had to guess, he's more of a loner, so I doubt he'll hang around much." Or so I hoped. Perhaps we could keep asking him to check other cities and towns to see which ones had the most unranked zombies.

Wren looked dubious but didn't ask any other questions. Jax gazed ahead absently as he mulled over the little we knew. I had my own questions about the Nightstalker, who had apparently moved closer to a Stronghold and was concerned enough about them to help protect them.

Why had he asked about my sister? Nicky had intrigued him on that trip, but I didn't think Jess had spoken more than a few sentences while he was in the truck, and she definitely hadn't talked with him. This time, he hadn't addressed Nicky directly but had asked about the missing member of our party. My mind chewed on the old memories as I compared them to today's meeting without making any headway.

"Is that the right barn?" Nicky asked as we exited the forest, pointing to an old barn near the tree line.

"I think so," I replied. "Let's check inside. If it resembles my father's 'keep it just in case' pile, we'll know we're in the right place."

Nicky jogged over to the door, making a couple of zombies stop and crane their heads for a better look. I ignored them as Nicky pulled the door open and gawked at the piles of stuff.

"This is even more unorganized than my room!" she exclaimed before running inside like a kid at a free arcade.

On that dubious note, I followed her inside. The windows halfway up the walls let in plenty of light, so Jax closed the door behind us before looking around.

The random boxes and stacks of stuff reminded me of some hoarder shows or buildings where treasure hunters searched for long-lost artifacts. Wood, metal pieces, plumbing parts, old tools, frayed coils of rope, old coffee cans of rusty nails, and much more were shoved into any bit of open space possible, with some piles reaching the rafters.

The only thing missing was a ladder.