Defensive Instinct (Survival Instinct Book 4) by Kristal Stittle Page A

street.
    The alligator had made its way into the intersection and seemed to be deciding on which way to go next. A small handful of animals acted strangely when infected, their behaviours changing but not in typical ways. Alligators, for instance, suddenly shunned the waterways, and instead took to walking about in search of prey. They weren’t any more aggressive than normal, but then they didn’t need to be to threaten the humans.
    “I hate alligators,” Shaidi mumbled as they watched it make a decision and lumber off down another street. Danny didn’t really hate them, but he had a healthy fear of the reptiles.
    As the sun continued to plunge farther and farther into the west, the day became so much darker. Gone were the human-made lights to keep the darkness at bay, to reveal the monsters lurking within it; monsters like infected alligators, who loved to hunt in the inky black of night.
    “Have a good time out there?” Shaidi whispered, relaxing now that the alligator was out of sight.
    “Probably a better time than you, spending all day up on this roof,” Danny whispered back.
    Shaidi gently elbowed him in the ribs. “I have a great time up here. Get to watch all the animals who usually run away from you stinking lot. I spotted a twelve-point buck this morning.”
    “And you didn’t shoot it?” Danny pouted. Everyone had grown to enjoy the taste of venison, as it had become a common meat source. They had even captured a few deer and were trying to create a sustainable herd on Animal Island.
    “I didn’t know how long you boys would be out, and I didn’t have anything to pack the meat in. Not to mention that Lenny and I don’t have a good place for a fire of that sort. Oh, and that alligator is not the first I’ve seen in the area. There’s a bigger one lurking about.”
    “Okay, I get it.” Danny grinned and put up his hands in surrender.
    “I also thought he was too beautiful to shoot,” Shaidi added as an afterthought.
    Danny nodded, understanding. There were just certain animals on which you couldn’t pull the trigger when they were in your crosshairs. He wondered why that was.
    “We should probably go inside while we know the streets are clear,” Shaidi recommended, pulling away from the edge of the roof.
    “Sounds like a good idea to me.”
    Before he followed Shaidi back to the ladder, Danny looked up at the sky. It was a moonless night, but the stars were coming out in ever increasing multiples. Back at the container yard, where Danny knew he was safe, he would spend hours watching the twinkling points of light so very far overhead. Now was not a good time or place however, so he quickly looked away and scrambled down the ladder after Shaidi. Once at the bottom, she closed the gate back over the lower rungs and hung the broken lock from it. It would discourage other things from climbing, but a human could easily figure out the lock was broken.
    Back inside, the other four were gathered around a tiny cook fire, putting together a late dinner. Its smoke gathered against the high ceiling, while the group of battery-powered electric lights threw a cheery glow about the garage. Even the horses, whose movements were limited by their tethers, clustered as close as they could to the solar lanterns. Danny quickly located his pack where he had left it, and unstrapped the bedroll from the top, rolling it out on the floor near the others.
    “What’s on the menu for tonight?” Shaidi asked Lenny who seemed to be the boss of their makeshift kitchen.
    “Stew,” he answered simply as he stirred a large pot. It felt like they were always having stew.
    Danny sat quietly on the floor, leaning against a thick square post, and waited for dinner to be ready. He pulled off his boots and rubbed his feet while waiting. Even after years of spending days on his feet, they still got sore, as did his hips and knees. Despite knowing this, he still went out scavenging every time there was a call for it. He