Distanced voices muttering around me, my vision blurry. “ Yeah might be a concussion” A voice said, the other voice agreed with it, I can't couldn't keep my balance because of how fast we were moving. Leaving everything behind, Petar, Nie and…..

“ How are you sure it's not infected?” A voice further from the rest said, drawing the attention of everyone. I can't see him because of my blurry sight. The closest person to me replied to them. “ If the infection was here even if it was the slightest we might have seen the manifestation of it right now.” The rest muttered complaints but didn't protest, while giving some distance between me and them. I wanted to fight back and stop them so I could go look for Nie. But I couldn't move my body. Maybe I did have a concussion. I didn't pay attention to my body the whole time, without knowing what state I was in I fell asleep.

I don't know how many hours I was out, but it's already evening. I was sleeping in a bag next to the vehicle. My head hurts, everyone was gathered around a big tree. Me waking up caught their attention, I tried to move closer to them and someone screeched, gesturing me back. They were giving me this hostile look. What did I do? I sat there for hours before the person who seemed to be the head of the gang came to view. He was someone I knew, someone that Nie knew very well….

“ Oh Ari, you're awake.” He was smiling only to bring some ease to me because of the hostility everyone brought. “Emia…” I moved closer to him, but he brought his hand to halt me.

“ You might want to stay there for now.”

“ What's wrong?” He smiled, a tired one.

“Just turn around and see for yourself.” I did as he instructed, my reflection on the window. My veins stretching from my eyes to my cheekbones were green, it was so vibrant. My iris had a tilt of green too, I don't understand what's happening, returning my attention to Emia. “ Looks like you got infected Ari.” He looks sad, Emia had been a good friend and companion to our group help us when we got caught when distributing shrooms. And provided us with Intel, with free routes and consumers he didn't even take a cut from the profits. Maybe it was because he knew Shaun that's why he was helping us. But he seems closer to Nie another of her relationship I don't get.

“ Emia If I was actually infected I won't be having this conversation with you right now.” He smiled again sadly. I don't know if he hates this or he's trying to make me feel that way, either way he wasn't happy.

“ I know, but it seems like yours is spreading slowly, that's the conclusion we've drawn out.”

I don't feel strange, just a slight headache other than that I feel ok. “ What if you're wrong.” I said moving closer to him, one of them snapped. “ Hey!, You dumb bitch stay back, do you think we were just gathering around this tree because it was fun? Do you know how dangerous it is?. We could've killed you when you fell asleep just thank you stars because of him.” They were angry, and paranoid. It's dangerous here, staying here is like suicide. “ What he said is sadly right Ari,” Emia said in a sympathetic voice.

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“ So what are you going to do?, Kill me now?”

“ That was the plan if it wasn't for Emia.” A voice from the back said. The rest muttered in agreement.

“ So what are you going to do now? Emia” I said while looking him in the eyes, trying so hard to conceal my emotions. But I can't tell how my face looks right now.

“ Christ sake Ari, what were you doing in that field?” He said as his facial expression broke into a sympathetic one while running his hand through his hair. “ I went to look for Nie, she was in the field with someone you know, Shaun, he might have done something to her. I still need to look for her.” I don't know what may come after this but— “Nie might be dead, but Ari— we don't have time so I'll just cut the chase, by the law you're supposed to be dead right now. But I'm letting you go.” He said while taking his gaze away from me. Oh that's how it is.

“ What do you mean let me go?” I said with my stare burning into his skin which made him uncomfortable. “ Ari —” Those words stuck in his throat, he forced them in. “Why is it so hard for you to say it? You don't want to kill me right?, but leaving me right literally means I'm fucking dead!” One of the men behind him stepped and cockedhis gun facing me. “ If you don't want to do it, I'll help you do it. Just look the other way.” Emia grabbed the man's collar. “ What are you doing?” The man freed himself for Emia's grip, venom in his eyes and his tongue wet with curses. “ We don't have time for your lovers quarrel, people are dying every minute. And this place will become a dead zone before sunset.” He went back to the truck and the others followed him. “If you are so indecisive towards this, we are going to leave you behind.” Emia, who seems to be antagonizing something, was unbothered with the buzzing sounds the truck made, which at any moment is about to zoom out of here. I grabbed his hand swiftly which snapped him back to his senses. “ Go, I'll find Nie myself.” He nod, and head back without saying anything. I don't know if he genuinely cared about me or it was just for Nie. The sound of the monster engine slowly fades leaving a trail of displaced dust and black smoke. The sky above Petar turned greenish blue, it's already a dead zone and soon this place will slowly change. I have to move, I'm cold, no sense of direction. I have never left Petar before, everything here feels alien to me. I guess I'll just head towards the place that doesn't have green gas. Nie might be dead, something my very being rejects. My eyes ache, whatever is taking shelter there is digging its roots deep inside me I can feel it, everything. The green tendrils and roots deep inside Petar, the gas in the air, it's like they're a part of me and I'm a part of them. The sky was beautiful with its sun slowly sinking into it, then I realized it's already sunset. What have I been doing all this time?. The ground rumbled, things with heavy weight behind their feet, I could feel them in my bones and they could sense me. It was useless to run, I await my undoing in a court filled with ominous objects which were empty shell of the logic set by humans. The judge staring at me with his head ten feet above the ground.