The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 52

The staff in the kitchen had grown accustomed to my presence in the far corner. The odd breaks in conversation had almost entirely disappeared as they got better at avoiding anything leading to the subject of zombies.

I joined Nicky at the corner table for lunch. I didn't bother grabbing a plate since I wasn't hungry. The sight of Nina and Daniel entering the room had me restraining a growl. I should have known that avoiding them in this small place would be next to impossible. Nina grabbed a plate while Daniel skipped this meal and simply walked beside her.

The crowd gave him about as much room as they gave me. The general unwritten rule for the humans here seemed to be to allow at least an arm's length of room between themselves and zombies. I still couldn't figure out why he followed her like a close friend or a bodyguard.

Nicky had no luck in discovering anything about what these two did or even where they were during the day. The secrecy did not alleviate my suspicious nature any.

Predictably, Nina and Daniel sat at our table. I tried to shove my instincts lower to appear normal. Nina glanced at the empty table in front of me, "Not hungry?"

I shrugged, "I had a large breakfast and I tend to snack on berries when Nicky takes me out in the afternoon."

Her eyes moved to my head, "I see the scab on your head fell off."

I exhaled slowly, "My hairbrush caught it the other morning. Thankfully it didn't bleed."

She nodded, "That is good. I think I should check the others after lunch."

I wasn't sure whether to compare Nina to a mother hen or a nurse at this point in time. I shook my head, "No need. They are healing normally. Nothing looks out of place and this isn't the first time I have been shot."

Like any experienced nurse, she wanted to see the injury with her own eyes. Nina's voice was still kind, "There is no harm in me checking. Particularly that one on your back since you can't see it."

I was already known to be a stubborn patient, so they wouldn't think anything of my aversion of having people examine my wounds. My irritation was becoming more noticeable. "Thanks, but I will pass."

Daniel focused his eyes on me as they took on a redder hue. His warning growl rumbled loudly enough that I saw Nicky glance at him. My muscles tensed automatically as I focused on the Terror.

This was reminding me of our trip in the truck far too much for my liking. Only this time my escape wasn't as simple as jumping out of the back of a moving truck. His voice had a growl in the undertone, "She is only trying to help. She pulled the bullets out in the first place. The only other doctor in this place is a man, and I know you wouldn't even consider letting him check your injuries."

I growled faintly in frustration, but looked away as I conceded defeat. I was no match for a Terror even before I had been injured. Once more, I didn't have a choice. I could either give in gracefully or be forced into it. If I resisted too much, they would get suspicious. I had always tried to get out of letting anyone near my injuries in the past, so right now they were just blaming my reactions on my usual stubborn Nightstalker nature.

I reluctantly followed Nina to the small room. Daniel remained in the waiting room once more, possibly in case I gave Nina more difficulty. Nina raised her eyebrow and with a huff of irritation I slowly removed my shirt. There were no bandages on my chest, just the square ones on my leg and back.

Her eyes widened the second she got a look at my chest. The small injury by my collar bone was a pink scar and the skin around my other two scabs wasn't even red. She had obviously not expected this rate of healing. Truth be told, I hadn't healed this fast last time either.