BLOODHOUND.

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My eyelids flashed open, my skin trembling from the shock. The revelation soon went off its course as I was blinded by the brightness of the white room. Slowly I managed to sit up and look around. I seemed to be on an examination table, surrounded by people in hazmat suits and masks. I could see the others towards the back, but their silhouettes were obscured by the blurred window in front of me.

The image was still clear in my head. My eyebrows furrowed. I was infected. Was that the cause of my amnesia? Why hadn't anyone killed me yet? The fact that I had no symptoms, let alone hadn't succumbed to the Disease at all, was some sort of miracle.

I shivered. Fuck, I was freezing. My eyes averted down and I saw why, my previous worries being washed out by my new concern - I was near naked.

I squeaked out a noise that my body's probably never made before, my face burning with embarrassment as I huddled into a ball, desperate to cover myself up. One of the hazmat people heard me, and seemed bewildered as he approached me from the door.

"Something wrong?"

I shot him a panicked expression. "Where are my clothes?!"

He jumped, stepping back a bit. "Calm down, we're just-"

"Can you just give them back? Please?!"

"Not now." He handed me a plastic cup of blue liquid. "This is a necessary decontamination procedure. Please pull through with it. Now, drink up, please."

Oh great, this was the same one from the hospital, wasn't it?

For the next minute, they put a spray in my eyes, in my ears, up my nose, and then they dragged me to a large machine that let out an enormous mist. The spray clung to my skin. I could feel it cleaning out my pores, and while it was refreshing, it felt unnatural and unsettling. I coughed as I left the machine, immediately grabbing my folded clothes when given and instantly changing back into them. I left the place in a rush, clumsily attempting to put my mask on, still beetroot red after having my privacy invaded. Thank fuck I wasn't butt na-

"You alright?"

Andrew's sudden appearance startled me. I wheezed. "Jesus Christ, man."

He held a laugh. "My beard isn't that thick."

I finally fixed my mask back onto my face. My newfound discovery had only made me more apprehensive about exposing myself to the outside world. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

His grin dropped from his face. "Hm? About what?"

"Oh, I don't know," I hissed. "This, maybe?!"

The moment I gestured to my neck, his skin went cold. He put a hand to his chin, unsure of how to respond. "Well, you're vaccinated, for a start-"

"Don't give me that shit! I have no memories, no idea who I am, and I just had a trippy ass dream about some shape-shifting motherfucker claiming to lead that damn terrorist group you brought up!"

His eyes went wide. "They talked to you?"

"Yes! Why would you let me hang around you guys, let alone fight? I could lose it and kill you at any moment-"

"Yes," said Zora.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her approach us, arms folded like a disgruntled parent. The clacking of her heels came to a sharp stop as she passed Andrew and looked up at me.

"You're right," she said. "You could kill us at any moment. You could flip the switch and we'd be forced to put you out of your misery. We could easily put you down right now before that even happens, but we won't."