Winner!
Third Place Sci-Fi Winner on The Dream Awards July 2020.
What would happen if one day you were infected with a virus that ate at your brain, your skin, and all your internal organ all while you were self-aware?
Would you still feel? Want to...
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Walking towards his desk, Marc opened the top, left drawer, and pulled out a cell phone.
Teal was impressed. "You've got everything don't you?!"
The right corner of his lip lifted in a smile, and he gave her a nod. Punching in the numbers, he pressed the speaker button so she could listen in.
"The number you've dialed is no longer in service. Please hang up and try again later or-"
Marc hung-up, looking at Teal's disappointed stare.
"Do you have another number? An address maybe?"
"Yes. She walked over to stand next to him and bent down flipping through the pages of the tattered book. "Here!" She pointed with her index finger, looking hopeful.
A knock disrupted them and Marc looked towards the door.
"Yes?" He asked curtly.
A doe-eyed Kaya walked in. Her shorts seemed somewhat shorter than before and her breast bigger. Teal rolled her eyes in distaste, for no particular reason.
"Art's lookin' for ya." She said, eyes only on Marc.
"I'll be down in a minute."
His attention went back to the address book, but Kaya stood staring at him for a few seconds. Then, slowly she turned her eyes to look at Teal in discontent. Marc looked up at her again, she was twirling a ponytail with her index finger.
"Anything else?"
"No."
"Then, I'll see you shortly."
Kaya turned abruptly and slammed the door. Marc seemed not to notice, but Teal did. There was something odd about Kaya, she didn't much care for.
Marc pulled out a tablet from the locked closet behind them. She couldn't see much but there were all sorts of goodies inside. Things she didn't even know the names of. Teal wanted to ask him about them, but he quickly shut the doors, focusing on the task at hand.
After punching in a few keys, he glanced back at the paper and typed, then looked at the screen massaging his jaw.
Sighing he spoke. "It looks like someone, probably your aunt, is living in that home but the phone number you gave me does not match her name." He shook his head rubbing his forehead. "I'm gonna need more time."
"Yes of course." She nodded. "You have been incredibly accommodating and generous. You haven't said anything about the payment. I can get you an assortment of brains, or-"
He put his hand up stopping her mid-sentence. "None needed. I'll do it as a favor. For Jax. He's like my brother."
"If you owe Jax a favor in any way, please don't consider this payment. He has no idea what I am doing. I don't want to involve him. At least not yet. My parents know, kind of but..." She trailed off, they didn't know anything either. No one did and she didn't want to lie to him.
