The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 49

I carefully shifted through the underbrush in complete silence. The deer was unaware that I was here. I was getting tired of rabbit and two of the traps hadn't caught anything today. Besides, this deer had a lot more blood than rabbits.

It walked closer as it grazed and I tensed up. It glanced over its shoulder as it looked at something in the other direction. I sprang and moments later the deer was dead. I had been careful, so even though my leg hurt, the scab didn't crack open.

The deer was a welcome change and once I had drank my fill, I sucked out the rest of the blood and spit it into a large canning jar. I dragged the deer carcass into a section of dense underbrush for the local predators to enjoy. I didn't want the humans to know that I was well enough to take down a deer. Even Daniel didn't understand how easy it was for me to sneak up on prey.

I stashed the jar in my backpack and headed back to find Nicky. I had drained the rabbit's blood into the smaller jar earlier. Nicky was kind enough to put it on my back again. She sat beside me as she slowly applied the blood, "I can't believe how much it has closed up since yesterday."

"The scab on the front of my shoulder is already loose. It will probably fall off by tomorrow. It had been minor compared to the others though. I will have to try to dodge Nina for a while."

"Have you seen that lady? She has a one track mind if she gets a thought in her head."

I shrugged, "We have been here for five days and I was shot four days before that. Even if she pulls the scab off that wound, it won't slow me much. The deeper parts of the injury are healing, it is mostly the part by the skin that isn't doing much. Besides, it is my leg that is holding me back. A shoulder injury won't affect my ability to run."

Nicky snorted, "Last I heard you had a bullet go straight through your lung and another one grazed your heart. I would be more worried about collapsing from those injuries."

I chuckled in dark humor, "The lung and heart itself are healed. It is just the collateral damage that is still healing."

"I fail to see how you can possibly know that."

I turned my head to watch her over my shoulder, "My appetite is dropping and I am not nearly as tired. That means that the serious damage has healed."

She blinked at me, "So that is why you didn't have lunch. I had gotten used to you eating three meals a day, so it kind of stood out."

I nodded. I had eaten less for breakfast than usual and I wasn't at all hungry for lunch. I had still gone to the mess hall to sit with Nicky in what was now my usual seat, but I hadn't taken any food. That meant that the worst of the damage had healed. It also meant that my healing rate was going to drop unless I applied blood to the wounds a couple of times a day.

Nicky finished and put the bandage back on. I put my shirt on. I would treat my other injuries later on. I knew that Nicky wasn't exactly comfortable with watching the blood being absorbed, so I wouldn't make her unnecessarily uncomfortable. Had I been human, I probably would have had a similar reaction.

I leaned against a tree, "It won't be long and we can try to escape. I can probably get out easier than you can at night. I can certainly travel easier since I can see in the dark and it will be easier to cover just my scent. It might be best if you can get transferred to a different Stronghold. I think I once heard that it isn't too hard to get transferred."

Nicky chuckled, "After what I have done here so far, it is surprising that they haven't threatened to exile me yet. Getting a transfer is easy, that is how I jumped between six different Strongholds."

I nodded, "Then the only real question is if you will be fine at that location or if you are off your rocker enough that you still want me to pick you up."