The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 96

I tilted my head and looked to the east as a pack of coyotes started howling close by. Supper was long over and the sun was already halfway set. I turned toward Luke. He was already watching me with hope in his eyes.

I bared my teeth in the parody of a grin, "I think that coyote pack was calling us to come over for a visit. Feel like accompanying me to meet a few of the locals?"

Luke eagerly rose to his feet, "I was hoping you would offer."

Luke had no chance of catching a coyote and he shamelessly, yet politely, accepted the invitation with anticipation. I chuckled and also got to my feet before heading toward the edge of the building, "Just don't let me forget that I need to dig up a rabbit before we return."

Luke bared his teeth in silent humor. Any type of blood would work to heal wounds, but this was just another way to mess with Daniel's head. Besides, if he went after rabbits, that left more coyotes for us. Luke seemed to have sided with me when it came to keeping Daniel off balance.

The Terror's presence often had my instincts on edge and it had to be much worse for Luke since he was a Runner. Luke followed me as I dropped off the roof and headed toward the trees. He took a deep breath of the air and winced since the smell of humans was still quite strong.

I flashed a canine at him and he refocused on me as his instincts were distracted by my presence. The light was rapidly fading as I kept to a pace he could keep up with. It was closer to a jog, but he would be able to manage it for half an hour or so. The coyotes were closer than that.

The sky was nearly dark and I took another sniff before growling faintly. Luke dropped his pace to a slow walk as he watched me disappear into the trees. We had done this before. He would follow my scent slowly to give me plenty of time to catch something off guard.

I picked up speed and went into stealth mode. Very few animals would linger in an area if they realized a zombie was near, so I had to manage to get two coyotes before the pack was aware that I was near. Otherwise I would be relegated to rabbits.

I came within sight of the pack. It was one of the larger packs I had encountered and I could see at least fifteen of the canines and smell more that were in trees nearby. Most were lounging or wrestling alongside the stream.

I swiftly circled to the other side of the clearing to see if I could sneak up on some of the hidden ones. There was no wind, so my scent would not spread easily and unless one walked across my trail, they would remain unaware until it was too late.

One was trying to dig a mouse out from under a tree root and was oblivious to its surroundings. That was its loss. I had to kill this one without a sound, otherwise the others could take off. I may have been a Nightstalker, but I didn't have a chance of keeping up with a running coyote. Those things were fast when they were spooked. Even Daniel wouldn't be able to catch one unless it tired and slowed down.

My stamina wasn't sufficient to run down prey and I wasn't entirely certain how long Daniel could maintain his top speed. His speed and stamina outstripped mine by far more than I cared to think about. I was a much better ambush predator though...

This coyote wouldn't even have time to realize it. I crouched down and tensed before silently leaping out at it. I managed to snap its neck before it realized the danger it was in. It didn't even have time to manage a bark of surprise or a yelp. That was how I liked it. I preferred to keep my kills clean and humane.

Now for the second one... My instincts wanted to stay and claim my kill, but I overruled them as I shifted back into the trees. My instincts easily went back into hunting mode with the strong smell of the numerous coyotes.