The Virus Within: The Road Ahead (Book 1 - SERIES COMPLETED!)

The world had long since fallen, replaced by the shuffling dead and the scattered remnants of humanity. Trinity, a Nightstalker, paused in the deep shadows of the trees, her red-tinted vision cutting through the night like a beacon. The road ahead was empty, save for abandoned cars and a couple of distant, aimless zombies.

She inhaled deeply, sorting through the myriad scents of the pine forest, her enhanced nose filtering out the mundane to focus on life. Elk, deer, rabbits, a dog in dire need of a breath mint—but no human scent. And, more importantly, no trace of her sister, Jess.

'Only fools and zombies travel at night,' she mused, a bitter echo of the old world. But she was neither, not truly. She was something else, something faster, stronger, and bound by an unyielding need for blood to keep the monster at bay.

Chloe, her faithful husky, trailed behind her, a wary shadow in the dim light. They kept to the trees, a silent agreement to avoid unnecessary encounters. Trinity pulled out her modified welding glasses as the pre-dawn light began to seep into the sky, already too bright for her sensitive eyes. She slid them on, a necessary disguise that made her seem more human, less monster.

Soon, the faint smell of concrete and stale humanity reached her. An abandoned town. And with it, the familiar, unsettling scent of dozens of zombies, aimlessly wandering the streets. She identified most as regulars, mindless and slow, but two stronger, more irritating scents pricked at her senses: Runners.

With a low growl that earned an uneasy glance from Chloe, Trinity gave in to the inevitable. She needed supplies, and this town, however infested, was her best bet.