Chapter Three
Misgivings

I. Day Seven

The stench, the smell, was overpowering, filling his whole apartment. The smell gripped his throat with a nauseating grasp, causing him to dry heave. He put his hand on the side of the wall, wiping at his eyes with his free hand. The smell was so bad that it caused his eyes to water. He straightened his spine, reminding himself that this wouldn't last. He would find a cure.

He turned the knob to the bedroom Alicia rested in. He paused a moment, as the smell came at him stronger, burning his nose. He stood at the door for a moment, letting the smell numb his nose until he could smell nothing at all. Then, he slowly entered the room. He always hoped that one day she would be okay again.

Maybe today would be that day. Hope springs eternal.

Alicia was sitting up in the bed, looking out the window. Or at least he thought she was looking out the window. He walked around the bed so he could look at her. She looked tired, as if this wasn't a fight worth fighting for. Her skin had lost all it's pigment, and he knew that if he didn't do something soon her body would continue with the death process.

Her eyes focused in on him, and he saw the first flickers of something. That was the first time since what happened at the island that she made any indication that she was aware of what was happening to her. She looked almost horrified, in fact. But as quickly as the emotion passed her face, it was gone again. Had he really seen it at all?

Maybe I should just put her out of her misery, Rudy thought to himself. Then, he quickly shook his head. He would never forgive himself if he didn't at least try to save her. He'd been doing some experiments, and he thought he was close to something. He just needed a little more time… just a little more time.

He couldn't bring back their friends, but he could save her.

II. Slipped Sanity

Ana heard Rudy talking to himself in the lab. He hadn't heard her come in, and she didn't say anything as she stood there observing him. He ran his hair through his already mussed hair, and she noticed that he looked a little thinner. She didn't believe he ate much since his incident, and he was starting to look a little worn around the edges.

He worked harder then ever at the hospital, but things just weren't the same. Something was making him work hard, to the point of near exhaustion. She warned him that he would be no good to anyone if he wore himself out, especially not his girlfriend. That only made him work harder.

She tried to talk to him about what happened to him, but he would always brush him off when things wandered to the island or his girlfriend's sickness. Maybe he just wasn't ready to talk about those things just yet; maybe they were too painful to talk about.

She knew whatever was happening in his life was driving him to near madness. Every time she saw him, another piece of his sanity seemed to slip. He muttered to himself repeatedly about getting something "just right" and then "she'd" be better. He rattled off theories about blood and its properties as he continued his work.

"Ana, have you ever wondered if it were possible to bring the dead back to life?" he asked suddenly, turning to face her. So, he had heard her come into the lab.

She almost laughed until she saw how serious he was. "Rudy, don't be ridiculous," she said before quickly leaving the lab.

She leaned against a wall outside of the lab, taking a deep breath, trying to forget the seriousness she'd seen in Rudy's face. Whatever Rudy was up to would end in no good. She could feel it in her gut.

III. The Clincher

G and Rogan waited until the twilight hours to enter the hospital. They didn't want Curien to be around while they "inquired about his well-being." Curien proved to be a hard person to keep up with. They knew that he was intentionally making himself scarce because of them. They hadn't talk to him since that day at his apartment, and the superiors still thought that neither he nor the girl was a threat.

G thought the superiors were idiots, underestimating the situation. He tried to warn them that he believed the girl was infected, but the superiors believed there were more important conspiracy theories to quell. G believed they were playing with fire in this situation. If the girl were to spread infection…

They talked to a nurse who seemed friendly enough, Ana. She informed them that Curien was still acting strange, but he hadn't discussed anything with her or anyone else at the hospital. He was more dedicated to his studies now than he'd ever been before the accident.

G and Rogan exchanged relieved glances. Curien was doing better than they'd hope. He understood how important it was for him to continue going about his business. Now, if only they could find out about the girl.

"Does he talk about his girlfriend?" G asked.

"You know she was in the accident with him, as well." Rogan said.

Ana nodded her head. "He doesn't talk about her much. He just said his girlfriend had some kind of blood disorder…"

- - -

Author's Notes: Sorry that I haven't updated this in a while. This is one my stories that I update only on whim. I may try to finish it soon, as I never planned for this to be really long, just an experimentations of sorts. Next chapter will probably be the last chapter. If not, the chapter after next will be the absolute last chapter.Next chapter: Beginning of the End