Chapter 1: A Desperate Situation

Bobby stood frozen, paralyzed by fear as he looked at Kyra.

Kyra lay on her back in the parking lot of the convenience store, her body covered in bubble-like blisters that were devouring her flesh and seeping through her clothing. She turned to her side, retching a writhing mass onto the pavement, gasping as her stomach convulsed painfully. Bobby couldn’t fathom how she was still alive.

“Make it stop!” she groaned, clenching her teeth in agony. “Please.” Her eyes shut tightly in distress.

Realizing he had been merely staring at her horrific state, Bobby’s paralysis shattered. He hurried to his car, reached through the rear window, and yanked a blanket from the back seat.

As he unfolded the blanket and knelt beside Kyra, he gently rubbed it over her stomach, first softly, then more vigorously when she didn’t protest. Suddenly, she lay still. Her eyes snapped open, locking onto his with a look of sheer pain.

“Bobby?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Lifting the blanket, he hoped to see som