It is Just a Virus

Chapter fifteen

“Take me to my parents,” I blurted out as soon as my eyes opened. "You have a car."

“I need to escort Mercy to the dorm room,” Dion replied, still standing by the window, and not turning to me.

"Mercy?"

"The girl who called me at the gym. She studies here and invited me to dance."

Girl with red hair. For some reason, it became unpleasant at the thought that Dion has a girlfriend. So what if we kissed. Just the adrenaline in his blood hit him. 

"Do you urgently need to see your parents? I could take you tomorrow," Dion turned and looked straight into my eyes. In them, one emotion was replaced by another, then a third. Hurricane inside, breeze outside. It seems to me that we are now similar. But emotion is not always appropriate to demonstrate. We are taught to keep our hurricane in check.

“Okay, tomorrow,” I replied, trying to hide the alarm deeper. I would like to visit them now, but the taxi does not work at night, and walking is far away. Their house is located on the outskirts of the city. So tomorrow. 

Dion nodded. The rattling of the drops stopped abruptly.

"It is time! We will run," he said quietly, peering into my face. "Are you ready?"

I nodded. Deep breath. Dion shone a flashlight at the door. Little creatures crawled out of all the cracks. I shuddered. Suddenly he grabbed my arm and we ran. Through the clouds of insects. Beetles strove to climb under a sweater. Under the skirt. In the shoes. Stairs with cobwebs. Spiders ready to attack. I wanted to close my eyes and not see this horror. A little bit more. Someone still climbed into my sweater. I screamed. We ran faster. Exit in just a few steps. I could not resist. Slipped on something. I let go of Dion's hand. I landed with my back on something sticky and viscous. Something was creeping up my neck. Dion stopped and ran to me. He grabbed my hand and pulled, helping me to get up. We ran out into the street, but stopped under the canopy of an abandoned building.

"Shine a light on me,” I yelled, “and take all the creatures off me."

I twitched as if I was under electrical stress. Dion shone a flashlight at me, came up to me, and began to examine me from head to toe.

"Don't twitch," he told me in an orderly tone.

But something was obviously crawling down my back. I couldn't stand it. One movement took off the sweater.

"There is something creeping, take it off me," I said almost crying, turning my back to the guy.

He ran his hand along the back, shaking something off my back.

"That's all?"

Dion was silent.

"There's something terrible?"

No answer.

"Dion," I cried, "there is something terrible that you can not remove?"

"It's all right," Dion said quietly, and walked away from me. "You fell into mold. Go home and take a shower. And I would advise to throw out clothes."

"I can not throw out my sweater," I said, and looked at the sweater in my hand. The shock had already passed a little, and only now it dawned on me that I was standing in front of a stranger in my underwear. I abruptly pulled the sweater to my chest. Heat burst into my cheeks. I have to go home. In spite of Dion, I went in the direction of the path that leads to the house. There were footsteps behind me. 

We went out onto the road. I stopped to wait for Dion. He approached me and stood a few paces from me.  I felt the coolness of the night. The cold hands of the wind crawled over the skin, as if freezing the insides. I shivered. I am hiding behind a sweater, dirty, tired, with a million new phobias. He is collected, cheerful, confident, neat, despite the dirty sleeves of his jacket. Strange evening.

"I will go," I mumbled with chattering teeth.

"Good," answered the guy. He seemed to be about to say something else, but he just looked at me and walked away in the direction of the gym. They were waiting for him there.

I do not remember how I got to my room. It was like I fell into a fog. The head buzzed like that swarm of insects. I shuddered at the memory. I got into the shower. The water warmed and washed away all the horror of today. I changed into warm pajamas and crawled under the covers. I didn't want to go to virtual. The exams were ahead, and I had to catch up with all the missed classes. I took my tablet and opened the textbook. But it didn't work at all to concentrate. Thoughts spun a carousel: parents, Patricia, a kiss. Changing the order, again the carousel. I dropped the tablet on the edge of the bed. Sleep. I need to sleep! But as soon as I closed my eyes, Dion appeared in front of me. Spring was coming in his eyes and greenery was blooming. And in his strong hands, you can forget yourself with calmness and pacification. Heck! I don’t want to think about him! I jumped out of bed and began to dress. Resolved, I'll go to my parents, on foot. 

I don't want to see him tomorrow and go with him in his car. Let it take a long time to go to the parental home, but it's better than lying in bed dreaming about a thief! Or maybe not only a thief, but also a murderer! I was terribly annoyed by obsessive thoughts about Dion. I pulled on jeans, a T-shirt, a yellow windbreaker. I got into my sneakers. I removed the mask from my finger. I took hold of the doorknob and froze. What am I doing?! I shouldn't walk through a creepy foggy city at night! But I can’t be at home either. Loneliness began to depress. I opened the door. Dion. Stands at the door with a raised hand.

"Where are you going?" Dion said. His eyebrows made one surprised sweep.

"What are you doing here?” I snapped, angry more at my thoughts than at him.

"You, as usual, answer the question with a question," the guy said in a disgruntled tone of the parent. And instead of letting me out, he closed the entire passage.

I came close, put my hands on his chest and tried to push him away.

"Go away! While I'm asking nice!" getting even more excited, I growled.

Dion smiled. An impudent smile peeped through the transparent mask. I couldn't move the guy an inch. 

"Let's go,” he said, and walked down the corridor towards the stairs.