As was becoming normal for my routine with Plague, I was sipping my cup of tea. Plague was doing Sudoku while letting his tea cool. If I even tried to suggest something he would bring up my bad relationship with boredom. But this time it was different. George Hunder knew who I was. John Johnson.
Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I walked over to Plague and touched his shoulder. He looked up at me and his expression turned sour quickly.
"Matthias, we have to stay here." He told me firmly.
"But why?" I asked.
"I told you before, we don't have any leads."
"That's because you haven't helped me with looking." I said angrily.
"No, we haven't been given anything." Plague replied. "That means we haven't gotten any authorization."
I knew what would make him change his mind. Make him more of a rebel, in a sense. So I bent down and kissed him on the lips. Kissing had been difficult for me at first, but I had improved. When he pushed back I knew I had him. After a few minutes we pulled away.
Plague smiled and said, "You're growing up. You're using your attractiveness to open doors." He paused for a moment. "I must say it worked. I'll grant leeway if you get a good lead."
I kissed him again, but meant it. There was a difference in the second kiss. It felt natural.
Over the next few hours I surfed the web. Though it felt more like drowning in the web to me. There were no solid leads. Some people were noticing Gralg, but nothing that could be used.
Then, like the big bang, there was a lead. It was something out of nothing. But, that being said, Plague wouldn't buy it. The site was one formed by conspiracy theorists. They talked about something similar to Gralg, in some aspects, but completely different in others.
The biggest difference was that their Gralg was a bio-weapon made by the government. What was their Gralg supposed to do? To do what Gralg was doing: making 'rage zombies'. Or, in calmer terms, making people attack each other.
All in all, Plague wouldn't take any leads from this website. So I continued to search.
* * *
Searching had done nothing. Three months and I still hadn't gotten any leads that had pleased Plague. Especially any that he'd even look at. Sipping at my tea I turned to look at the TV. It was again giving another Gralg Update. I turned away when even the reporter couldn't keep the tears out of her eyes.
"You okay, Matthias?" Plague asked.
Turning to him I said, "Three months, Plague. In that time the whole USA has been nearly taken over."
"We couldn't have done anything to stop it."
I threw my cup against the wall. "Fucking bullshit!" I yelled. "Total fucking bullshit. The only reason we haven't been able to do shit is because of you!"
Plague sighed. It was amazing how calm he could remain in times of stress. Like it was just an average day.
"I don't like this happening anymore than you." He replied. "But I have rules I have to follow. You don't. You could've left anytime you wanted to."
I kept my attention at the tea crawling down the wall. I didn't want to admit that I had made a mistake.
"I could change that now." I replied. "I'm going now to stop it from spreading to Canada."
A slight smile formed over his mouth and I didn't know why. For a moment he was silent and then he said, "Let me see if I can come with you."
As he went over to the computer I realized that I didn't want to go without him. I didn't want to go without someone having my back. And who else than my lover? The one who had helped me greatly so far?
For a few hours I watched the Gralg Updates. I wanted to stop it from spreading any further. And I realized that I'd have to choose between stopping Gralg and being with Plague. Taking that decision any further wasn't something I wanted to do. Not ever.
"Good news." Plague finally said and I rushed over to him. "There's a hospital by the US/Canada Border. The hospital needs some help and then we can go stop the spread of Gralg."
I leaned over to better look at the screen and smiled. "Thank you." I said.
* * *
Plague turned the shower off and didn't seem happy. When he stepped out I didn't think he was mad either. I stepped out of the shower and looked down at my penis. Even though I loved Plague more than stopping Gralg, I had trouble getting hard for him. Plague's body was angelic and my penis couldn't muster the strength to worship him.
"I'm sorry." I told him and started to dry myself off. "I don't know why it wouldn't get up today."
Plague replied with a shrug. After we got dressed he finally said, "I don't mind. We'll find a solution one day."
I nodded but I didn't believe it. I knew, from the way the scientists had spoken about sex, that it was important in a relationship. And if I couldn't please Plague, would we last? I shook my head. First defeat Gralg and then there'll be time to think about my sex life.
After packing up, I took the wheel and Plague took shotgun. There was a long drive ahead of us and it was mostly quiet. Not because of what happened in the shower this morning, but because we were focused on what could happen. After two hours a small conversation started to form.
Finally I let my feelings out, "Do you think we'll last?"
Plague stared at me for a moment. "You understand that your...problem isn't unique, right?" He finally replied. "You just have more trouble than most people. I don't think you like me less because of something you can't control."
"But you aren't pleasured by me as you could be by another man."
"That's not the point. We can get you something if you want."
"That would be good." I said and the problem was washed away. Plague put a hand on my leg and smiled at me.
However, I couldn't get it out of my head that I wasn't into men. It was so hard to get hard. But I also felt love for Plague that made my body and mind at odds with one another.
Finally we arrived. The hospital was in Gold City, Montana. Luckily, Gold City wasn't hit by Gralg yet. Though there had been traces of Gralg spotted elsewhere in Montana.
As we walked towards the door, two interns were there to greet us.
* * *
One of the interns brought me some tea. I thanked her and took a sip. Not the best, but I didn't mind. I was out on a mission to stop Gralg. Plague looked at me and I replied with a smile. He then put a hand on my shoulder and I realized I had to be serious. Whatever the cause was for this mission, I had to be calm and controlled to everyone but Plague.
"So, Noir, you know why you were called here?" One of the interns asked.
"Yes," I replied. When the two interns looked confused, I realized my mistake. "We both know why we are here. There's an unusual case."
"Who are you?" The other intern asked.
"His name is Matthias." Plague replied. "I'm sorry that he replied for me. We've both been cooped up for months."
"So then you know about the woman who isn't affected by Gralg?" One of the interns asked. She had blonde hair and a tired look to her eyes. "We thought maybe you'd be able to tell us why she hasn't gone into rage zombie mode."
"From what I could find out from George Hunder, she should be affected." Plague replied.
"Do you have any experience?" The male intern asked suspiciously.
"A little. Matthias doesn't have any, though." Was Plague's reply. "But this is purely a scouting mission for now."
A short while later the two interns began to take us to the woman. The woman intern's name turned out to be Susan Helms. She was nervous. I made sure that my gun could be easily taken out. But why should I be worried? This woman wouldn't be a rage zombie and there'd be no danger to any of us.
Susan and the other intern stood outside the door. Plague opened the door and I followed him. The pregnant woman didn't respond at all.
"She's not breathing." I said after looking at her chest.
He nodded and went over to her. He bent down and looked at her crotch. His face quickly turned to a horrified expression. As he opened his mouth to speak, I saw a blur going towards him.
In one swift motion I took out my gun and shot at the blur. A baby's laughter followed the bang from my gun. I looked for Plague and saw him hit the blur and then get up. I ran to stand in front of him but then the blur went behind him and we were both pushed to the ground.
Plague got up and I shot at the blur. After I shot, Plague aimed at the blur. When he shot I aimed at the blur. Suddenly a tentacle, that reminded me of an artery, came towards me. It nearly knocked me off my feet while Plague finally shot the blur.
I ran over to the blur and stepped on the baby's head. Blood touched both Plague and I. His face turned green but mine stayed calm. A feeling of happiness came over me. We were both safe.
The two interns rushed in and the man screamed. I suddenly realized that babies meant something to people. So why didn't I feel sad at its death at all?
We all sat on the floor. We didn't yet have the strength to get up. Susan had shut the door to the now dead woman and her blur. The silence was uncomfortable. It made me more uneasy than seeing the blur. More uneasy than stepping on the blur's head.
"You can say it." I finally said.
"There had to have been another way." Susan replied. "But, really, you had to react to the situation as it happened. I can't be mad at you for that."
"You saved my life." Plague agreed with a smile. That simple smile made me feel better.
"But why did it happen?" Susan asked. "The woman was clean. She wasn't going to turn into a rage zombie anytime soon."
This caused more silence as we thought. What Susan had asked was the most important question. Finally there was sound.
"I hardly think that matters." The male intern said. His voice was devoid of hope. "It happened."
Susan shook her head. I assumed his reply was normal. Though I found it offensive.
"What about her eggs?" I asked and then paused. "When did she get pregnant?"
Susan thought for a moment. "There was time for her eggs to get infected."
"Still doesn't make sense, though." Plague replied.
"George Hunder did mention that some of the test subjects weren't infected." I remembered. "What if the people were infected, but just not like other people?"
Plague nodded and replied, "It wouldn't surprise me if he hid things from us." He turned to look at the two confused interns. "George Hunder is the reason there is a Gralg Outbreak. We were able to talk to him."
The interns nodded. After half an hour we went to sit in the lobby. After a few hours backup came.
An army officer spoke to just Plague and I. The interns, and others in the hospital, were being questioned by officials before being let free to go home.
"We think there might be a doctor who can help us understand Gralg." The officer said. "He isn't involved with it, that we know of, but he could have valuable information. You two are to find him and bring him to headquarters. Wherever that might be in the future."
"But you must think he has the information or else why seek him out? Why can't you call him up?" Plague asked.
"He's been off the grid for awhile." The officer replied. "Or, at least, has been living under a different name."
"So what's his name?"
"Henry Johnson."
"We'll find him as soon as possible." I said without a second thought. That name. The name of my possible father. If I was, as George had said, John Johnson. Henry's son.
"Hold on," Plague said and put a hand on my shoulder. "What field of science is Johnson known for."
"It's the kind that'll help us fight back against Gralg." The officer replied. "That's all the information that I was given."
Plague nodded and he tried to keep up with me as I rushed to our car. Once we got in the car he turned to me and said, "Just let it out." Though he said it with anger, I could hear amusement in his voice.
"George Hunder did call me John Johnson." I said eagerly. "He said Henry Johnson is my father."
"And what if he was telling the truth?" Plague questioned. "George didn't say you two had the best relationship. Hell, I'd be surprised if Henry would be happy to find out that you're alive."
I thought about Yuji Makija. He had wanted me to survive, though his method had been odd. I didn't understand it, but it did make sense. Would my own father, if Henry was him, give me a logical explanation as well?
That didn't matter. What mattered now was finding him. As the hospital faded into the background, I felt more hope than ever before.
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The Green Blog aka Gralg Contamination
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