Andre's coughing woke him up, and nearly cracked his ribs. He looked to the bed on his right, and saw the sheet over Emil's head. A hand was exposed and cut at the wrist, the blood draining into a bowl on the floor. Andre was happy for him.
Andre's nurse, wearing a face mask, arrived to attend him. She gave him a snow-white cloth to cough in, while she took his temperature. The sputum was black, shiny as a carapace. "Can you sit up?" she asked.
Andre nodded, and began the slow ascent.
The nurse returned with the captains, bearing street clothes; they also wore face masks and gloves. "Put these on," the short captain ordered. Andre stood up and accepted the clothes; he was stoic and slow as they watched him dress. At one point, bending to put on the paints, he audibly groaned. The nurse motioned to assist, but the tall captain held out his palm, keeping the nurse in her place.
Finally, Andre finished dressing. He straightened himself up and offered a salute. The tall captain put some papers and a bus pass in his hand. "Go, and bring the judgement of God to his people."
Andre shuffled out of the room. He left the building and began shuffling down the sidewalk, to join the others at the bus stop...
inspired by Discover Magazine article, "Hunting a Killer Virus"
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