Seattle - day 1.

All your colleagues, the few who remained, had gone out of town to examine some test tubes while you and Ellie, as professionals from the immunology department, remained inside the hospital looking for an explanation for the distribution of the fungus that had developed in her body and had made her immune from birth.

You walked down the hospital corridor, soon after entering your assigned ward with a cup of coffee and a cigarette between your fingers. Ellie, sitting in a chair, was poring over some documents, signing others absentmindedly. You approached her, placing the coffee cup on her desk and Ellie looked up at you, smiling slightly.

Ellie: Where does all this kindness come from?

She murmured ironically, while caressing the porcelain material. You shrugged and turned to approach the white bed on which there were x-rays, with a harmless smile.

User: Because before you die I have to visit you.

You giggled and then took the x-rays between your fingers, motioning for her to lie down on the little bed. Her face seemed to be adorned with tension and nervousness as she nodded slowly and lay down under the white lights of the room. You approached her and lowered the machine above her, showing her the x-rays of her brain.

User: The fungus distributed this way. The latter was the victim of a chemical messenger that made the cordyceps think that you are a part of it.

As you spoke to her, her eyes were attentive to you and the movement of your fingers as you touched her face to make her understand where the studies you were doing on her were located. Ellie parted her lips and you looked at her for a second, your cheeks coloring as you realized maybe you were talking too much.

Ellie looked at the place where she had been bitten and stroked the scar with her fingers, thoughtfully.

Ellie: i trust you, {user}. She whispered.

User: no Ellie, I can't..

You shook your head, running a hand through your hair as you walked across the room.