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As Diva and I rounded the corner, the house was only a few steps away. When I got to the back door, I glanced inside. Bram was sitting beside Jeffy, talking with him, and showing him something in a book. Both were smiling.

I knocked gently. Diva began barking. I glanced down at her, wondering about her strange reaction. Bram stood up and saw me.

He rushed to the door and unlocked it. I saw a smile across his face when he saw us. When he was about to take my hand, he recoiled when he saw the saliva on me.

"Hurry up and get inside. You'll need to shower and clean those clothes."

I rushed in with the dog. Bram had set down plastic on the floor for me to strip out of my gear on top of. I dropped the suit, gloves, boots, and goggles. Jeffy was staring at me, and Bram gave a half nervous laugh standing in front of me to block the view. I set everything down and then dashed into the shower.

I turned the hot water on and stayed under it for a minute straight. Bram came in.

"You need to limit it to five minutes, max. But don't come out until you're completely clean."

"Got it," I said softly. He lingered. I could see him through the puckered sliding glass of the shower.

"The injections … where are they?"

"In my suit. The arm pocket."

He stepped out and I continued my scrubbing session. Once I was sure that I had every trace of biological material off me, I shut the water off. The bathroom was completely steamed up.

When I stepped off the bathmat to the regular tiled floor, I slipped a little bit, banging my hand into the wall. Diva barked. I could hear her nails clicking all over the floors. Maybe she needed something to eat and a rest. I was a little tired and thirsty myself.

Bram was coming in as I was putting on my robe. He handed me a T-shirt and shorts. I put them on and came out to get some food.

"When did she last eat?" I asked Bram. I watched him as he was crouched down with goggles, a facemask, and gloves wiping the dog off.

"I'm about to give her some of our leftover rib bones and meat."

"Wow, Diva. You're living up to your name." Diva stared up at me, her tongue lolling out. She was so happy to have Bram near her. He was using rags and putting them into a plastic bag. To her, it was no different than getting some nice scratches.

"Did you get the injections out of the suit?"

"Yes," he said, glancing up at me.

"And … Jeffy?" I whispered. Bram nodded.

"I gave him one. Now we just have to wait. He should have already turned by now. Either he has an amazing immune system, or we caught it just in time."

I walked over to see Jeffy sleeping on the couch. The black on his neck appeared to be clearing up. Relief washed over me.

After double-checking that all the locks were secure, I made sure every window shade was tightly pulled. I could see that my suit and accessories were wrapped up in the plastic that Bram had set down for me.

Once I got some food into me, I walked over to him. The dog was calmer now and resting in the living room.

"Is it safe to sleep for a little while?"

"I think so," he said.

We walked up to the bed in the loft. I hadn't been away that long, but I already missed it. Both of us removed all our clothes except our unmentionables and slipped under the sheet. We couldn't use the air conditioner, so light cover was all we wanted.

I laid flat on my back which wasn't my usual starting position. I was worried that if I turned on my side, I'd be forced to look into his eyes. If he was losing hope, I didn't want to see it. I wasn't ready.

When I finally dared to sneak a peek at him, his eyes were closed. I sighed in relief and closed mine. As tired as I was, however, I could not stop thinking about what I had just witnessed. My mind was racing.

At least for now, I was safe. Bram would protect me, which felt reassuring, but all I could do was stare at the ceiling replaying what happened. What was going on with that giant Noir?

Interrupting my rumination, Bram asked, "Can't sleep?" I turned to face him and shook my head. "It's strangely quiet right now. It makes me nervous," he whispered.

"Yeah, I can see why. I'm not sure how you've done this in the past."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Being at war."

"Oh, right," he said.

"That's a valid comparison, right?"

"I think so."

We were silent again. When I looked back at him, he met my gaze again.

"What's on your mind?" I whispered.

"I'm just proud of what you did today. I know I don't say those kinds of things enough. Actually, I don't say them at all. But I want you to know."

"Thank you," I said. "I was taught well."

"That wasn't just me. Take credit for your bravery. It was all you. The way you just decided and committed to it. You may have saved Jeffy's life. I'm impressed," he said softly. I smiled at him.

"It means a lot to hear that."

"It means a lot to say it. You deserve it."

"So," I began. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still sick. But we'll find a way out of this." I watched him lay on his back. "Did you see … anyone?"

"I saw Noirs," I whispered.

"Yeah, I expected that."

"Do you really think we've been quarantined?"

"Yes, I do. We had protocols in place for this type of situation."

"So, Nimble is only here, you suppose?"

"With all the preparation we put into, it should be contained."

"I really hope it isn't anywhere else," I said as I glanced at him. His sweating had returned. I watched it roll in beads, down his neck. "If Jeffy can be cured, then you can too."

"I can't. I know what will happen. So do you."

"No, I don't. I don't believe that you'll turn Noir."

He rested on his side again to look at me.

"You don't?"

I shook my head. Bram smiled broadly. I wasn't sure why I hadn't ever noticed before, but I could see that his canines were a tiny bit pointed. They were white on the edges and kinda cute.

Had he never smiled like that at me? Perhaps the night of our honeymoon, but it was dark, and when we were kissing in our room, there wasn't much reason to note the structure of his teeth. His lips did all the work for him, and he changed me into someone else during that perfect encounter. I couldn't believe he wasn't already snatched up and worshiped by an ideal woman … or three.

"Something happened just now. What was it?" he asked. I sat up, pressing my back against the headboard.

"Seeing you smile--"

Out of nowhere, Diva came running up the stairs, so fast she tripped. She raced back and forth around Bram whining.

"What's the matter, Orange Angel?" I asked. Diva anxiously guarded Bram.

"Orange Angel?" Bram questioned.

"I like nicknames," I said with a shrug. "She certainly earned it." I watched his grin but also noted his continuous sweat, suddenly worse than a second ago. Then his eyelids fluttered, and he began to convulse. I scrambled across the bed and held him down so he wouldn't hurt himself on the mahogany headboard.

When Diva jumped on the bed, I was nervous at first, worried that she'd accidentally step on him in her frantic, high-energy state. She began to lick his face repeatedly, and with force. She whined and then she nipped his earlobe.

All her efforts seemed worth it because soon the seizure was over. He was relaxed and coherent within a few seconds. Once he was back in a state of normalcy, I asked him what happened.

"Diva helped me, didn't she?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said as tears welled in my eyes. Diva was still checking on Bram and began licking him even more once she knew he was okay. He laughed as she continued but then he told her to get off the bed and she did. "Is this something she has helped you with before?"

"Yes, a little. It doesn't happen often. But usually whenever I'm about to pass out she can bring me back."

"This was more than passing out," I said with concern. He stared up at me.

"Really?"

"It was a seizure."

"Fuck," he whispered, sitting up against the baseboard pulling his knees to his chest. I sat beside him. "It's progressing."

"Yeah, it's getting--"

"Uh, hello?"

A voice was calling from downstairs, cutting us off. Jeffy. I speedily threw some shorts and T-shirt on and ran down the stairs. Jeffy was sitting up, perched over the back of the couch.

"Hi, Jeffy," I said with a smile.

"Do you have any juice? I don't mind what kind. I'm just a little thirsty. And water is fine too but--"

"We have juice!" I said excitedly. He smiled, his eyes slightly puffy-looking and tired but otherwise his face had a nice pink tinge to it. It was wonderful to see the brightness in his eyes again. I brought him some orange juice and sat beside him.

I heard Diva and Bram come down the stairs, slowly. Jeffy drank the juice so quickly he was making sucking sounds on the cup.

"Oh, that's so good!" he exclaimed with a giggle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

I glanced at Bram as he wearily shuffled over. His hair was everywhere, and his eyes appeared dull. There were dark circles under them and his face was pale. When Bram saw Jeffy, he flashed a bright smile.

"How do you feel?" Bram asked.

"I feel awesome!" Jeffy was so excited. Bram glanced at me and then back at Jeffy. I got up and found a few granola bars for Jeffy and more juice.

"Jeffy, where are your parents?" I asked.

"They're just down a few houses."

"You mean, they're still at your house?" I looked at Bram, nervously biting my lower lip.

"Mm-hmm," Jeffy said while eating the granola bar and drinking more juice.

"So, what happened? Why were you outside alone?"

"It's my dad. He sent me out to play."

"At night?" Bram asked, furrowing his brow.

"Well, not exactly. He told me to go outside and play in the afternoon. Then I came back in and asked him if I could sleep at my friend David's house. My dad said yes, but after a little while, I got in a fight with David, so I hopped out his window, but then I passed by the lab and I heard something really scary, and a bunch of those guys that looked like they chewed that joke gum came after me."

"Joke gum?" Bram asked.

"Yeah, the kind you eat, and it makes your teeth black. My grandpa has a whole bunch of it."

I shrugged. I wasn't sure about the gum, but I thought I had seen it before. Jeffy continued to eat the granola bar and drink his juice.

"Do you think your parents have a working dome like us?" Bram asked. Jeffy nodded.

"I bet it's still up. I think they like to prepare. It's the same with our shed in the woods. It's packed with cool weapons in there!"

Bram and I exchanged another glance.

"What shed in the woods?"