Diary Entry: The Virus speaks.

Edward's Perception

Edward remained frozen in the chair, his eyes fixed on the vacant mug in his hand. The house was too quiet. There was a density to the air, a feeling as though something supernatural was pressing in on all sides. He ought to be preparing for Kyle's return home, but his body would not move, fear paralyzing him to the chair.

It was the hallucinations again—damn hallucinations. They hadn't occurred for a while, but now they reappeared again, and it was worse than ever before.

The voice was there too, this time, only not just words.

It developed—a presence in the room. A lightening of the air, a thickness, the sensation that the room itself had clouded over. A shadow in the corner, faintly discernible, in and out of focus. An aura of something brooding just below the surface of things.

"You need to be careful, Edward," the voice rumbled from the corner, its tone low and insistent, full of an unnatural calm. "You're getting too close. You're risking everything by letting him come."

Edward's breath was a rasp. He had not spoken, but the presence knew exactly what he was thinking. The shadow capered again, and a shape formed slowly—a man shape, made of writhing darkness and yellowish white veins that pulsed beneath the surface. He felt the presence leaning over him, suffocating him.

Do you think you can keep running from this?" the figure's voice seemed to be engulfing him, as though the virus itself was speaking. "You think you can keep lying and saying you're still clean? You're not. You're infected, Edward. It's only a matter of time before Kyle finds out. You can't keep it a secret forever. I'm inside you. I'm not going away.".

Edward's chest tightened, his hands convulsing around the mug. His head spun, trying to comprehend what was happening, but the hallucination became more intense, more real.

"I said you wouldn't make it easy," the figure went on, the form leaning forward. "You belong to me now. I'm inside you. And if Kyle finds out, that's the end for us. You can't let him see what I've done to you. I'm not going to allow him. I won't. Not when we have an opportunity."

Edward's head was reeling, his horror growing. He could not be discovered. He could not let Kyle in on it. He was a step away from all being as it had to be. He was not prepared to face the truth, with the infection devouring him alive. 

Yet the fantasy—I—would not let him go. It churned around him, adhering, its voice ascending.

"Do you believe you're still in control? You aren't. I am control. You're just the vessel." My body, my mind—they're mine now. If Kyle has an inkling of what I'm doing to you, it's over. He'll turn on you. He'll ruin you. And I'll be ruined. You're going to help me, Edward. We'll be careful where we are. You and I. I'll do anything you desire."

I'll protect you. I'll keep it a secret.

Edward's heart pounded, his hands shaking against the chill of the ceramic mug. He sensed the shadow, the presence, closing in around him now. It was as if he could feel it trying to bully him, almost begging, but with violence waiting in the wings.

"you'll do it with me," it whispered, its voice now soft and deadly. "You'll keep it secret. You'll keep me safe. I'll give you time, Edward. I'll give you time to decide. We'll keep it secret from Kyle. We'll both go through with it. I'm giving you a choice. Don't mess it up."

The figure stepped closer once, its body twisting as it drew nearer, the veins under the blackened skin beat feebly. 

You and me, Edward. We are not adversaries. We are allies. We both must survive the living. We'll keep Kyle from ever laying eyes on me. You and me, we're in this together."

The weight of the words suffocated him, pressed down on Edward. He tried to rinse the sensation, shout, but the words paralyzed him. It had felt so real, so true.

He was stuck. Illusion had become reality—he had no choice.

"We'll survive," it whispered. "But only if you defend me. Only if you help me."

The ghost dissipated, its form blending into the shadows, for Edward to draw a breath of air in the stunned silence. The air was electric, as though something inside of him had stirred. He was afraid, and yet. resigned.

The vision was real. He had no choice. He could not make Kyle see. Not yet.

He would pretend, then. He would keep hiding.

Kyle's Perspective

Kyle's fingers on the steering wheel tightened as he drove along the familiar path, the storm outside. Clouds churned above, dark and foreboding, and wind slammed into the SUV chassis. There was something wrong with the air today—thicker and thicker, as if the world held its breath in anticipation.

His phone buzzed again, breaking the trance. He glanced at the screen—Jenna.

He answered at once.

"Kyle, we've got a situation," she said, her voice tense.

"What's going on?"

"We're seeing deaths now. Real ones. Not just the usual symptoms. People are dying, but it's not like anything we've seen before. The virus—it's mutating. People aren't just becoming aggressive or disoriented. They're… brain-dead, Kyle. Their bodies are still alive, but there's no one left inside. It's like their brains just… shut off."

Kyle had a chill run down his spine. "What does that mean?"

"We're dealing with a new strain. It's moving much more quickly than we expected. We're having cases of complete neurological failure. These patients aren't merely falling into comas. They're brain-dead, completely unresponsive. As if their bodies are on autopilot, but they've lost everything that made them human. It's as if they're… empty."

Kyle's stomach turned queasy. "How are we going to handle this?"

"We're trying. We do have a few possibilities, but the mutation is altering in unpredictable patterns. It's fighting off standard tests and seems to be impacting the brain at least a year sooner than previously. Keep a close eye on all of your people. We can't afford to overlook anything.".

Kyle was in a panic. Edward must have developed this new mutation. Was he already showing some of the signs of it? Kyle blocked it from his mind. He wasn't meant to speculate.

"I'll be careful," Kyle said, trying to sound calm. "I'm going out to Edward's now. I'll talk to you later."

"Good. Be careful, Kyle. More than we have here.".

As the line went dead, Kyle's fingers clenched on the steering wheel. He needed to call Edward before time ran out. Whatever had happened, they needed to know that before it went any further.

Return to Edward

Door knock was whispers of hallucination vanished into the night. Edward didn't stir for a moment, breathing shallow, mind cloudy. Kyle was here.

He tried to stand, slowly, painfully towards the door. His mind was a whirlpool of ideas, the impact of the words of the hallucination still echoing in his ears.

He wrenched the door open to face Kyle, every inch the calm, professional man.

"You alright?" Kyle asked, his voice laden with concern.

Edward nodded, trying to shake the shadows from his mind. "Yeah. Just. tired. Let's just get this over with."

When Kyle entered the house, Edward closed the door behind him, his chest still pounding with fright. He couldn't let Kyle see. He couldn't let anyone suspect what he'd become.

"We'll make it through this," he thought, but deep down, something told him he might have just made a deal with the devil.