After my quick meal and the couple of blue flames that merged with Andalon, I decided it was finally time to share the good news with my colleagues, face-to-face.

I’d start with Heggy.

Pulling out my console, I dialed Dr. Marteneiss’ number and started up a videophone call.

The strain was clear on her face, but she was still almost as feisty as ever.

“Angel’s tears, Genneth,” she said, “you’re still wearin’ that cumbersome thing? It must be like a sweat lodge in there!”

I rolled my eyes.

“Well, did you just call me to get fashion advice,” she continued, “or is there somethin’ I can do for you?”

“The mycophage is working!” I said, putting on my brightest smile.

She nodded. “Yeah, so I’ve heard.”

“Wait,” I said, “really? I wanted to be the one to break the good news.”

“Genneth, I don’t know where you’ve been, but the whole damn ward cheered when we took Mr. Broliguez off his ventilator.”

“It must have been while I was talking with Mr. Himichi,” I said.

Heggy’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, isn’t that that cartoon guy you like?”

“He’s a mangaka,” I clarified.

“Small world,” Heggu muttered. She sighed. “Anyhow, I’m glad you’ve found something to be happy about,” she said. “I just wish I could say the same.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Something happened with the Broliguez girl, Nina,” she said. “Her father got up out of bed and wanted to see his son—the one you’re overseein’ in 268. Soldiers told him to back down, he didn’t, and then…” Heggy shook her head. “I’m not sure what happened, exactly, but she used some kind of transformee abilities, but that doesn’t make any sense. She’s a Type One case.”

Fudge.

I hoped Heggy hadn’t seen my eyes widen in shock.

Instead, Dr. Marteneiss’ expression fell. “Somehow, she killed a soldier. Boiled him alive, it looks like.”

“No…” I muttered.

Heggy shook her head. “There’s nothing we can do. Vernon’s men took her, and unless you want to go up against some very angry, very desperate soldiers, I recommend you let the issue be. I’ll try to figure out more, if I can.”

I sighed. “And to think, I wanted this call to be uplifting for both of us.”

Beside me, Andalon looked almost as downtrodden as I felt.

“Well,” Heggy said, “there is something you can help me with, if that will make you feel any better.”

“You know me so well,” I replied, drolly. “How can I help?”

Heggy’s expression darkened. “Even with the matter printers backin’ us up on the essentials, our medication supplies are runnin’ on empty, and now that the mycophage seems to be workin’, teams are at work settin’ as many of the damn things to producing’ mycophage ASAP, so the pressure on our supplies is skyrocketin’. I’ve been workin’ with some nurses to help set-up rationin’ plans, and, well… we’ve checked the pharmacy records twice over, and it looks like we’re nearly out of barbicane.”

“Darn it,” I muttered.

“You can say that again,” Heggy said. “It’s no cure, but it lets them die with a little more dignity, you know?”

Barbicane was one of the workhorses of the barbiturate family. We’d been using it to ease the passing of many of the Type One patients. Yes, it was a sedative, but—at least when I used it—I asked my patients first. It helped prevent some of the loss of motor control that occurred in the later stages of the disease.

“But, what little we have left has been going away. I know it’s a minor thing, but no one’s got time for that stuff anymore,” Heggy said. “You’re good with people. I’m sure you can figure it out.” She clicked her tongue. “Angel, what has this world come to…?” Heggy sighed. “Keep an eye out in case you see anyone overprescribing it.”

I didn’t bother asking about when we could expect to be resupplied.

Heggy stared at me. “Everythin’s precious now, Genneth. Supply lines are crumblin’, and not just for barbicane. Vernon has his men loadin’ up the dead into dump trucks, you know?”

I did. I’d seen it.

“But we can’t give up,” she said. “We can’t let the system fall. We’re not animals, and I’ll be damned if I let people throw common decency out the fuckin’ window.”

Dr. Marteneiss let out a long sigh. Tears glinted in the corners of her eyes. “Sorry for gettin’ uppity,” she said. “I’ve been talkin’ with Vernon too much. There are widespread riots out by Angel’s Rest. You can’t tell who’s still human from who’s a zombie… or worse. It’s like a bad dream that just won’t end.” Her head hung low. “I’ve given up on the big battles, Gen. I gotta focus on the little ones, or… or else…” Her voice cracked. She coughed. “If ever there was a time not to be a beasteaten bastard, now’s the time. But, some people…”

“Heggy…” My voice trailed off.

She sniffled.

“I’ll see if I can figure out where the missing barbicane’s been going,” I said.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She stared at me for a silent while.

“So many are people dyin’, Genneth,” Heggy added, in a whisper. “Even if the mycophage lives up to its promise, I’m afraid it won’t be enough.”

“We…” I gulped. “We’ll get through this. We’ll get to see our families again. Somehow. We just have to… endure.”

There was a moment’s pause, during which we stared at one another. What I’d said was a lie, and we both knew it, and we both knew that we knew it. But Heggy nodded all the same. “Bless your heart, Dr. Howle.” She smiled as she wept. “Don’t you ever change, except for the better.”

Then the call ended.

I slumped forward, letting out all the tension I’d been holding in my body.

“Darn it…” I muttered.

What should have been a spirit-raiser turned out to be anything but.

I wanted to hope that Nina was okay, but, in my gut, I knew she probably wasn’t.

More fodder for my guilt, I suppose.

“So, whatcha gonna do, Mr. Genneth?” Andalon asked, looking up at me with a curious eye.

“I’m going to do what I said I was going to do.” I shook my head slightly. “I’d rather not break any more promises than I already have,”I said.

I crossed my arms in thought.

So… barbicane.

The word rang a bell. Sifting through my memories, I immediately found the source. Granted, I’d seen barbicane elsewhere, but one instance of it stuck out over the rest.

Jonan had pocketed a bottle of barbicane pills when I accompanied him to the pharmaceutical dispensary three days ago.

Was there a chance that it was just a coincidence?

Of course.

Was I going to let it slide?

No fudging way.

I tapped on my console screen, texting a message to Dr. Lokanok.

Are you available? I think there might be a problem with Jonan.

I glanced down at my console as Ani texted back:

Yeah, I’m by the reception area. I feel a need to slap him. Meet you there?

I quickly inputted my reply:

Sure.

Something told me things were about to get interesting.

Andalon clasped her hands together, staring up at me in a plaintive gesture.

“Mr. Genneth,” she asked, looking up at me. “Why was Dr. Eggy so sad? That’s… that’s not how she’s s’posed ta be.”

I swallowed hard. “No, it isn’t.”

I think Heggy’s dour mood had affected Andalon more than I’d thought it had.

I knew it had affected me more than I’d thought it had.

Also, I could sense that Andalon was still torn over the heartrending interactions Storn and I had had with Merritt.

So, for good measure, instead of leaving Andalon’s distress as an open wound, I decided to nip it in the bud. Recentering my consciousness, I transported the two of us to an identical copy of the hospital’s hallway—with me in my day clothes, of course—while I had a doppelgenneth walk my body to the rendezvous point Ani had specified.

I got down in a squat, bringing myself down to Andalon’s eye-level.

One of the many benefits of existing as a figment of my own imagination was that I no longer had any problems with my lower back or knees.

I thought about Heggy. Over the past few days, I’d been slowly coming to grips with the reality that the world was ending. Too many people were dead; there was no coming back from this. But, Heggy…?

I looked into Andalon’s eyes.

“You know how you feel lost, Andalon?”

She nodded. “Yeah?”

“You feel like nothing makes sense,” I said. “There’s so much you can’t remember, and there’s so much that’s still uncertain.”

Puzzled, Andalon tilted her head. “Uncertain?”

“It means you don’t know what is going to happen next,” I said.

She nodded bigly at that.

“Andalon is very, very, very uncertain,” she said.

That she was.

“Is Dr. Eggy uncertain?” she asked.

“Well…” I smacked my lips. “Right now, she is, but that’s not what’s upsetting her.”

“Then what is?” Andalon asked.

I pointed at myself, and then her. “Some people, like us, are used to feeling uncertain about things. But, Heggy…? To my knowledge, she’s never really felt that way. She’s always had faith that there was a place for her to be. That feeling gave her confidence.”

“Does Dr. Eggy not have conflidence anymore?” Andalon asked.

“Yeah,” I said, nodding a sad, gentle smile, “pretty much.” I sighed. “I’m worried about her.”

“Can you give Dr. Eggy her faith back?”

“Well, uh…” Twiddling my thumbs, I briefly glanced down. “I wish it was that easy.”

Since my consciousness was still coupled with the doppelganger in my body, I saw the exact moment when Ani emerged from Ward E’s reception area. I recentered my consciousness back to my body right then and there. The short-lived mind-world of the hospital hallway melted away as it gave way to the reception area.

Ani thrusted her arms down at her sides. “I can’t believe him!” she yelled. She was in a hazmat suit, but that wasn’t the only reason her face was flushed a sweaty, beet red.

She was furious. The two of us walked away, down a hallway, keeping as close to one another as social distancing measures allowed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“See for yourself.” Ani held out her console, which currently displayed a text message thread between her and Jonan.

His latest text read:

I heard about what happened to your parents. I’m so sorry. My thoughts and prayers are with you, always. I know you’ll be able to give them all the care they need. I love you.

Ani stuffed her console in her hazmat suit’s waist pocket. She shook her head in dismay. “Can you believe it?”

“Actually… no,” I said, “that sounds almost selfless of him.”

Ani chuckled, but her expression quickly turned sullen. Her supple cheeks were wet with tears.

“The Green Death killed my Aunt Hinata. Her whole family’s dead. My mother went over to help—and, of course, my dad went with her—and in the process, they got infected themselves.”

I gasped. “I’m so sorry, Ani. I can’t imagine what that’s like.” I cleared my throat. “All I can say is, if Dr. Skorbinka’s mycophage treatment makes good on its promise, your parents will be one of the many that we’ll use it to help.”

She smiled sadly. “So, you heard the ‘good news’?”

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Ani sniffled as she shook her head, sucking snot up her nose. She alternated between coughing and clearing his throat.

“Oh, just everything. I feel like crap. I can’t stop worrying that the mycophage’s early successes aren’t going to last. Oh,” she chuckled joylessly, “and, if you haven’t heard,” she added, “my parents aren’t just infected, they’re here, at WeElMed. Like, right now.” She looked me in the eyes. “They arrived on one of the buses this morning.” Her voice cracked. “I’ve set them up to receive the mycophage treatment once the next batch is ready.”

“Ani, that’s great!” I said, with probably more enthusiasm that I should have.

I immediately felt guilty for that, and it didn’t help that even Andalon cringed at the way I’d said it.

Ani nodded sarcastically. “Oh yeah, it should be,” she said, “but, you know my Dad, he always finds the thorns.” She lowered her head in shame. “Or just makes them himself.”

How cruel it was, unrequited love between parent and child?

“So…” Ani continued, “he’s being an ass, as usual.”

“And your mother?” I asked.

Ani bit her lip. “She thinks these are the Last Days.” She looked me in the eyes. “You remember what I said this morning?”

“Of course.” I nodded. “You think otherwise.”

Ani placed her gloved hand on her chest. “In my heart of hearts, I know the Angel would not do this. The Godhead would stop it if They could. But, everyone else…” She sniffled. “People like my mom think all of this was predestined. And if everything is predestined, then there’s nothing you can do except look for signs that you can use to tell yourself that what you think is right really is right and that other people think really is wrong. Oh look at him, he’s miserable and dying, so he must deserve that and there’s nothing we can do to change it.” Ani clenched her fist. “I hate that. I hate that so much. I hate seeing people just give up and let go.” Her voice broke. “I hate seeing that in my Mom.” But then she took a deep breath. “Fuck…”