Nina administered the cure to the infected person and glanced at Daniel, "Is that all of the infected?"

He nodded. She sighed in relief before turning to Logan, "Thank you for your help. Everyone inside is clear. I still advise wearing those masks I left with the nurse."

Logan nodded, "That is good to know."

The leader had a sour expression, probably upset that Logan had been the main focus of attention during this show. The leader was not taking this blow to his puffed up ego very well, but he simply grumbled on the sidelines.

Our audience still whispered and discussed the most recent excitement in their otherwise pretty boring daily lives. Boring, who am I to speak? I spent four months almost solely in the company of a dog while running around in a forest chasing animals.

The crowd started to break up now that it was over. Logan accompanied us to the gate, "I assume you are going to other Strongholds before returning to Ironwind?"

Nina nodded, "Yes. We are about half done, so our trip should be over in about a week."

He nodded thoughtfully, "May I join you? I have been planning to leave this place for several days and was just waiting for another traveler."

What?! Is my luck seriously this bad? Did Nicky write the words 'stray magnet' on the back of my shirt when I wasn't looking? This cannot be happening...

Nina smiled, "Certainly. We will be happy for the company."

Apparently it was happening... Yeah, let's find a total stranger and just invite him along for an entire week trip when we will mostly be packed into one truck... What a great plan! I felt like shrieking my annoyance to the sky. The lack of sleep must slowly be getting to me if I was getting this grouchy.

Nicky noticed my crabby expression and grinned at Logan, "This could be fun. Just give Trinity plenty of space until your presence grows on her like a bad fungus."

He gave her an odd look before climbing into the truck box. It was his saving grace that he chose the corner furthest from the one I usually took. He had seen us come in, so his decision was almost certainly intentional. He had a backpack that must contain everything he wanted since he didn't have to go collect anything.

I got in and resigned myself to having to tolerate another newcomer. This was reminding me more and more of our original trip to Ironwind Stronghold. Completely frustrating.

The gate opened and Daniel drove out before picking up speed as he went back to the highway. Logan looked too relaxed for someone who knew he was traveling with not just one, but two zombies.

Nina opened up the back window, "If you don't mind me asking, how do you know Trinity?"

Logan scratched the back of his neck self-consciously, "We met once for a short time."

Nina looked confused at his words and reluctance to answer her question. She glanced at me in confusion. I snorted lightly, "Remember the bear traps I brought in that one morning? Well, he was the one responsible for setting them up."

Nicky eyed up Logan speculatively as she came into the conversation, "I suppose he is also the one who made that big ass fire?"

Logan nodded slowly. Nina tentatively inquired, "Would you mind telling the entire story in more detail?"

Logan gave in and reluctantly gave a shortened version of our encounter from start to finish. Nicky looked perplexed by the end of it, "So, she snuck up behind you in the dark, insulted you after you accidentally insulted her, and then told you to clean up the mess you had made?"

That actually sounds remarkably closer than his original rendition. Not quite how I would have worded it though. Logan wasn't sure what to make of Nicky at this point, "I suppose that is one way of looking at it."

Nicky shrugged as she dismissed it, "Yeah, she tends to do that to me too." She suddenly tilted her head as she looked at Logan, "Trinity also said that you made me seem normal. I think we will have to have a competition just to see who gets stuck with that booby prize of a title."

Logan just looked confused, "I am normal."

Nicky sighed, "Sometimes I pretend to be normal, but then it gets boring and I have to spice things up a little."

How lucky for us... Logan was looking at Nicky with a perplexed expression, "What do you mean?"

Logan struck me as a fairly serious and down to earth person who didn't find humor in life unless someone whacked him over the head with it. I wondered how long it would take him to realize that Nicky was probably about to attempt to bury him alive with his current outlook on life.

Nicky grinned at him and tried to clarify her earlier comment, "It is only a matter of time before they add syndrome behind my last name."

Logan was now wearing a completely confused expression. Daniel muttered from inside the cab, "Let's be honest, we don't need to add the word 'syndrome' or even use your last name. The mere sound of your first name is sufficient explanation for those who have been around you a few too many times."

Nicky chuckled at Daniel, "True... True... Depending on how far we plan to travel, it will show how many places just happen to recognize that word of warning for what it is."

I exhaled gustily before muttering, "Is there any way for me to opt out of this trip and simply walk back?"

Nicky just grinned at me, "Nope."

That was exactly how my luck tended to run.

~

The ride was quiet until we reached the next Stronghold just before supper. The route we chose had us slowly spiraling outwards in a circle away from Ironwind. That meant that this place had word from a nearby Stronghold that we had previously visited. This new place let us in happily. It was a welcome change to having to practically batter the gates down just to help the idiots.

Logan tagged along quietly as he looked around. I was more interested in the older lady leading Nina. She must have been in her nineties and used a cane, but boy could she move with it. Her ability to keep up was certainly not in question. Helping her walk was not her cane's only purpose either.

It occasionally waved around in the air to emphasize some point as she chatted with Nina. The cane whipped out and whacked the back of the legs of the young man standing beside her, "Timmy! Where are your manners?! Open up the door for our guests so we can grab some supper."

The teenager jumped with the impact and swiftly corrected his oversight. I narrowed my eyes at the fairly busy supper hall. It wasn't as busy as it could be, but it was still going to be an unpleasant meal to endure considering how much my instincts detested crowds.

Whack!

"Timmy! You let the guests dish up food first, you overgrown monkey!" The amount of energy this old lady had was more than what most in their prime ever possessed.

I declined a plate and simply followed the group. The old lady looked around, "This place is much too crowded. We can eat in the upper hall. It will be quieter up there."

The old lady gestured with her cane toward a staircase. This time Timmy was on his toes and opened the door for us. The upper hallway was actually just a large room. A handful of other people ate up here in the relative quiet.

Whack! The cane swatted targeted Timmy's wrist this time.

"Timmy! You let the guests pick their seats first. I fail to see how you are my grandson when you behave like this."

I smirked in amusement and made a mental note to never let Nicky have a cane regardless of how much white hair she ever sported. Timmy rubbed his wrist and stepped back. It was a wonder that he wasn't black and blue if this was a common occurrence.

The lady mostly chattered with Nina while eating since the scientist was the most willing to talk with her.

"...and we have someone called Luke back home who is looking for his brother John. John McComfry. Have you ever heard of that name?"

The old lady chewed thoughtfully, "McComfry... McComfry... Name rings a bell, but that bell is a bit rusty. Hmmm... Oh! Yes, used to be a veterinarian clinic owned by a McComfry family not far from here. Nice couple with five kids. Three of the kids grew up and got their degrees and came back to work at the clinic. Town is in no man's land currently, so no one will be there now."

I was surprised, that matched what I knew about Luke's past. His parents had also been vets. I made a face as Timmy noisily slurped some noodles out of his soup.

Whack!

"Timmy! That is uncivilized! You don't make noises like that while eating! I really must have a word with your mother about your lack of manners."

The old lady had somehow managed to uncannily target Timmy's ankle while juggling her own spoon and a slice of bread. I could only imagine what she had been like as a teenager. I was amazed that her mother hadn't drowned her.

Between the less crowded area and the spirited grandmother, the meal was actually interesting. The old woman escorted us out of the hall and into the outside world. A pair of children ran past us shrieking with their game of tag. Daniel and I both winced at the loud piercing noise.

Whack! Whack!

The cane managed to somehow lightly tag each child right on the rear end, "Julie! Edward! You almost ran into our guests! Take your games into the playground, you two."

The children were surprised to see us, but not surprised by the reach that the cane had somehow acquired. They swiftly made themselves scarce.

"Now where were we... Oh, yes, a tour. That's right. This way please."

The old woman led us around the place. She talked almost constantly while not running out of breath. I was only picking up one scent trail, so I decided to see if Daniel could track it by himself. The old lady apparently knew everything about everything in this place and the details she managed to include on everything from the chickens to the garage proved it.

I huffed lightly in disappointment as I realized that Daniel was not going to have to work hard on this tour at all. The wind was blowing the scent right at us and our tour was headed in the correct direction without the old woman realizing it. Daniel glanced at me when I huffed, but when I didn't comment, he put it down to me just being me.

Logan looked around in curiosity at whatever the old woman pointed to or chattered about. Daniel interrupted the woman, "May we please check behind that shed? I believe that someone over there may be infected."

She looked over at him in surprise, as if she had forgotten about the original purpose for our visit. "Oh, of course. The fletchers are usually working over there at this time of day."

That explains the smell of feathers and glue. This wrinkled old woman may not be the leader here, but she probably knew far more about what actually occurred than he did. We rounded the corner to see four men fletching arrows. They looked up as we rounded the corner.

Daniel walked slowly over to them to avoid spooking them, "One of you is infected. I just need to get closer to see who it is. We have the cure with us."

Logan was watching Daniel closely as he walked into the open area around their loose circle. Daniel took a deep breath before turning and taking a step toward one man. He took another sniff before speaking, "You had best see Nina."

Nina was already opening up her kit, "Do you want the cure or something that will help you retain control if you turn into a zombie?"

The man stood up with one eye on Daniel and the other on the strange lady holding up a needle, "The cure please."

I gazed around in boredom at our surroundings as Nina finished. Our tour continued and the old lady looked over at Daniel, "We have a few here who are sneezing. We suspect it is just a cold that is going around, but would you be willing to check for us?"

Daniel nodded, "Certainly. We have seen that cold at quite a few locations we stopped at. Anyone we have found sneezing so far has just had a cold."

"I believe a few of them are over this way. Let's go take a look and I can show you the guest quarters at the same time."