Reliving the time that six people were killed in front of me, while I sat by watching was rough. However, I couldn’t sit here forever. I questioned whether I could stay here with Nate, was it safe to be this far from a hospital. Could I leave even if I wanted to, I was bonded to Myc now, I wasn’t sure if leaving would even be safe.

I do not know. You are the second person that we bonded with so it could be dangerous. Or it could be completely harmless, my cells would go dormant and you could live your life away from here.

“I don’t know if I even want to.” It was scary to think about the possibility that I would be bonded to John and Myc for the rest of my life. Although if they were competent enough they would eventually spread across the world and then I wouldn’t have a choice.

I believe that you should give it time. Talk to your brother about me, talk to John about what you are thinking. The decision you make may be permanent, if we decided to break the bond I am not sure I would be willing to get it back. It will affect me and John in equal measures no matter your choice.

“I suppose I should talk to Nate.” The week I had spent sitting and sulking in my room was long enough to get over a near death incident. So when Nate came in to bring me food, I asked him to sit down so we could talk.

“Yeah sure. What’s up?” He looked nervous, whether it was because he thought we were staying or leaving, I wasn’t sure.

“We need to talk about what happened. And what we are going to do from here.” So we talked, we talked and we continued to talk. We discussed what had happened down by the lake. What it meant for us now that Matthew or his friends shouldn’t be after us anymore.

We even talked about Myc, about what it was and what it meant now that I was infected. Nate was trying to play it off as nothing, although you could see he was still confused and worried. I mean being infected with anything is usually a bad thing.

“So this Myc guy, he is an alien.”

“No Myc is a fungus, although it may be an alien we aren’t sure.” It was hard to explain something you didn’t have an answer for. It was even harder when most of the knowledge came from memories of John and Myc on their trip.

“Okay, but you and John are now connected. Does that mean you two are dating? I mean what does connected mean, should I be grossed out or just confused?”

“No, look, me and John are both connected to Myc. Myc is somehow capable of sharing memories with its hosts. It is confusing and we are not dating.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Oh okay. Is that why John’s been so depressed lately? I mean the guy barely ever leaves the pond and when he does it is to work. He barely talks and I haven’t seen him eating anything.” That part was true, John had been off since the incident. He was weird before but now, it was like there was something actually wrong with him.

I have barely attempted reorganizing neurons to change his brain chemistry. So rapidly healing the frontal lobe may have left some long term damage. I should be able to fix it but the previous connections are gone. Most of the gray matter was replaced with dissolved pieces of my moss, so we'll just have to wait and hope the consequences are not too severe.

“Okay.” I looked at the wall of my cabin, in the direction of the small pond John was sitting at. Through the connection it was easy to tell where he was by just looking into his thoughts. However, his thoughts were fuzzy and jumbled. Like a foggy window, I knew what was on the other side but I couldn’t get a clear picture.

“Okay, what? Is John gonna be alright? Is Myc going to infect me next?” It seems Nate was doing better, just talking to him seemed to lift his spirits. He seemed to want to understand the situation better, and he thought that being infected meant he would. I told him of the abilities of Myc’s and now he wanted the same ‘superpowers’ as us. I was reluctant to let him, I mean there didn’t seem to be any downsides to Myc. It made sure we were healthy and stronger than basically everyone else. It also meant that if an accident did occur Nate would be safe.

Yes, I can even apparently save him or you from a bullet to the brain. Although being put in that scenario obviously is a last resort.

“I don’t know Nate. It is a big decision and I am not even sure if we should stay here. Who knows how dangerous it could get with John and Myc.”

To be fair, it was Nate that dragged us into this whole mess with Matthew and his friends. We have had very few confrontations until you two came along.

“Shut up.”

“What, I didn’t say anything. Oh you are talking to Myc again. Ohhhhh is that why John talks to himself so much, he was talking to Myc the entire time.”

“Yes. So why don’t you give it some time and really think about it. This is a big decision. I mean do you really want to be stuck with me and John for the rest of your life.”

We should let him have some time to make the decision. It will take time for you and John to adjust and heal. Adding another person before we are acclimated to each other will only make it worse.

“Yes. I mean maybe, probably.” It was easy to see why it was an attractive offer when you looked at me and John. We had both survived grievous wounds, John could live off the land and work for 16 hours a day without breaking a sweat. Myc essentially made him into a better version of himself. Nate left muttering to himself about all the superpowers he wanted when he was eventually infected.

Unfortunately, being connected to an extraterrestrial being that expanded through your body and mind was extreme. Having memories that weren’t yours, constantly feeling everyone else's feelings. It was difficult to tell if your mind was even your own, I mean if John could feel all my feelings and had all my memories was I even my own person.

You do not disappear just because others share your memories and feelings. You are still your own person, your thoughts are just now opened to be heard.

“I suppose having any sort of privacy will be impossible now.” The little cabin that was supposed to allow me some peace and quiet. Seemed more like a glass house now, everyone could see in and tell exactly what I was doing.

It will take time but both John and I believe that in the long run it will be better for the world. Although it may just be very awkward until you two get used to the lack of isolation. So I would suggest getting any lingering thoughts and feelings sorted out before your brother insists on being infected.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I knew what Myc meant, it was the same thing that Nate wanted, sort of. Nate thought that John and I dating would allow me to relax, although Myc just wanted to see the effects of two hybrids having a child. “You are messed up, you know that Myc?”

John has mentioned that multiple times before.