The Virus Within (Original rough draft)

Chapter 102

The lock on my doorknob popped, and the chain lock on my door twanged as Nicky bumped her head on the suddenly stationary door. I snorted at her blank expression.

"Hey! When did you install a lock?!"

"This morning."

"Why?"

"Guess..."

"Oh! I bet it is to keep the cleaning staff out! Yeah, they bother me too since they always move my pillows. I don't care about the blankets, but I carefully rumple those pillows. The cleaning staff remind me far too much of the nurses in the psychiatric ward when I was in there for a few weeks. Can you unlock the door?"

With a heavy sigh I got up off the bed to unlock the chain. The cleaning staff had asked once if they wanted me to let them clean my room and I had told them no. They said to let them know if I changed my mind and had never inquired since. They had certainly never picked the lock on my door. Only one person ever did that.

Nicky bounded into my room and took her usual seat on the corner of my bed. She reached out and wiped some dust off of the corner of my dresser, "No wonder you have to lock the door to keep the cleaning staff out. Maybe you should consider doing a bit of dusting in here..."

I snorted, "Dust is what gives a home that warm and fuzzy feeling."

The smell of cleaning chemicals had been potent as a human and they were far worse as a zombie. A water dampened rag was about all I would ever use to dust, besides, dusting was at the very bottom of the fun chores list. If I couldn't write my name in it, then it was fine. A light brown dresser just let me put off that dreaded task that much longer.

Nicky chuckled and shook her head, "It is almost time for supper, so I thought I would come find you. Did you hear about Nina's breakthrough."

"No, I didn't. Did she turn Daniel into a frog?"

"I think the frog thing is more along the line of witches, not scientists... So no. He is still running around on two feet with black socks. I haven't forgotten about those shoes or socks either... Oh, if I kissed a frog, do you think it would turn into a prince?!"

Oh boy... What kind of sugar did she get into this time? "For all you know it was a frog prince and you would turn into a frog instead. Then the two of you could rule over the swampy pond together."

"Eww! I don't wanna kiss no frog lips!"

"If you kissed him to turn him into a human prince, then you would still have to kiss his lips while he was a frog the first time..."

"Well I changed my mind. I don't want to be known as the princess who was so desperate for a date that she kissed an amphibian."

"So why exactly are you in my room anyway?"

"Nina is amazed that you let me in here without killing me. Supposedly Nightstalkers are supposed to be quite territorial about their dens. The one that Daniel first met couldn't even stand him coming near the cave entrance. That is why neither of them have ever come to your door."

That explained why they had never bothered me in my room before. "There is a reason for the lock on the door. But that still does not answer my question."

I did wonder which cave that Nightstalker had stayed in. Daniel hadn't known about the one that Luke was currently residing in until I found it, so it must have been a different one. Possibly that really narrow one closer to the border. I could see a Nightstalker preferring to put more space between herself and Daniel if she was a bit on the wilder side.

"Oh yeah. Nina is grabbing me a plate and will meet us on the roof. She thinks she made a vaccine, it doesn't always work though."

I looked at Nicky in surprise, "Seriously?"