Day 26: Contamination
The wind carried the sharp scent of rot as Eli, Cass, and Luke pressed on through the ruins. The silence weighed heavily between them, thick and suffocating after what had just transpired. The body of the infected man, now lifeless against the wall, remained in Eli's mind, but it was something more than his death that gnawed at him—the knowledge that he had wiped his knife on his sleeve.
The man's last words replayed in Eli's head: "It spreads… through the air." The spore was alive, infecting everything it touched. And Eli had touched it.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
As they continued through the cracked streets, Eli felt the sweat gathering beneath his clothes, his skin itching with a sensation that was more psychological than physical, though it grew more real by the second. His sleeve—it had touched the spore, or whatever remained on that man's decayed skin. He knew it wasn't safe. He knew it needed to go.
Cass and Luke were walking slightly ahead, their focus on navigating the ruins. They hadn't noticed the growing panic in Eli's eyes, but he could feel it now—the slow, creeping dread that the infection might already be spreading on his skin, in his blood.
His thoughts spun wildly. What if I'm infected? What if I become like him, stuck in a rotting shell, barely alive, waiting to spread the spore to Cass and Luke?
"Eli?" Cass's voice jolted him from his spiraling thoughts. She had stopped and was staring at him, her brow furrowed in concern. "You're lagging behind."
Eli swallowed hard, his throat dry. He had to act now.
"I need to get rid of my clothes," Eli said, his voice strained but resolute. His hands were already reaching for his shirt, fingers trembling slightly. "I wiped the knife on my sleeve. I can't risk the spore spreading."
Cass blinked in surprise, her eyes narrowing as she processed his words. Luke turned around, his expression shifting from confusion to realization.
"You think it got on you?" Luke asked, his voice tinged with concern. "The spore?"
Eli nodded, tugging at the fabric of his shirt. "The man was infected. His skin, his blood—it was all contaminated. I wiped the knife on my sleeve. I didn't think… I just did it. But now, I can't risk it."
Cass's gaze hardened as she considered the situation. "You're right," she said finally. "We can't take any chances with this. The spore spreads through contact, and if it's on your clothes…"
Eli didn't wait for her to finish. He quickly peeled off his shirt, the cool air hitting his sweat-soaked skin as he tossed the contaminated fabric aside. The shirt landed in a crumpled heap on the ground, a stark reminder of the invisible danger that clung to it.
Luke shifted uncomfortably, glancing around as if expecting the spore to leap from the shirt and infect them all. "Do you think it's safe now? I mean… are you sure it didn't get on your skin?"
Eli paused, his heart hammering in his chest. The thought had crossed his mind, but he had to stay calm. The panic wouldn't help him now.
"I don't know," Eli admitted, his voice low. "But I'm not taking any chances. I'll get rid of everything."
Without hesitation, Eli unbuckled his belt and began to remove the rest of his clothes. The grim reality of the situation made the act feel less absurd than it would have otherwise—here, in this infected world, shedding his contaminated clothes felt like the only logical choice.
Cass and Luke kept their distance, their faces tight with worry but understanding. They knew what the spore could do, and neither of them wanted to see what might happen if Eli kept wearing infected clothes.
Once Eli had stripped down to his underwear, he tossed his pants onto the growing pile of contaminated fabric. He stood there for a moment, breathing deeply, his body shivering slightly despite the warmth in the air. The sensation of being exposed to the world, to the dangers around them, gnawed at him, but it was better than the alternative.
Luke glanced at Cass, his voice tentative. "Do you think he's okay? I mean, do you think the spore actually got on him?"
Cass studied Eli for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she shook her head. "We can't be sure. But we did the right thing by getting rid of the clothes. If there was any chance the spore had infected them, it's gone now."
Eli nodded, though the relief was faint. The fear still clung to him, lingering in the back of his mind. But at least for now, he had done everything he could.
"Thanks," Eli said quietly, his voice hoarse. "I… I couldn't risk it. Not with everything we've seen."
Cass gave him a nod of understanding, her face softening slightly. "You made the right call. Let's keep moving. We'll find you some new clothes further ahead."
Luke gestured toward a collapsed building nearby. "There might be something in there. If we're lucky."
Eli wasn't feeling particularly lucky, but he knew they had to try. They couldn't stay exposed like this—not with the spore still out there, and the infected creatures wandering aimlessly through the ruins.
The three of them moved cautiously toward the building, Eli keeping low and using debris to cover himself as best he could. The collapsed structure seemed to have been a store or a small house once, its walls crumbling and roof partially caved in. The stench of decay hung in the air, but there were no immediate signs of infected creatures nearby.
"Keep an eye out for anything useful," Cass whispered as they entered the building, her knife in hand.
Eli and Luke began to search through the debris, carefully moving aside broken furniture and old crates. The building had been abandoned for a long time, but it wasn't entirely devoid of resources. After a few tense minutes of searching, Luke found a small closet buried beneath a pile of rubble.
"Hey, over here," Luke called, prying open the door. Inside were a few dusty, moth-eaten shirts and pants, along with some old, rusted tools.
Eli sifted through the clothes, his heart sinking at the state of them. They were dirty and torn, but they were better than nothing. He pulled out a shirt that looked relatively intact and slipped it over his head. It was stiff and uncomfortable, but at least it wasn't covered in spores.
"Found some pants too," Luke said, handing them over.
Eli took them, quickly slipping into the worn fabric. It was a relief to be clothed again, even if the garments were far from ideal.
Cass kept watch by the entrance, her eyes scanning the horizon. "We need to move soon. I don't like how quiet it's been."
Eli nodded, fastening the pants and adjusting the ill-fitting shirt. "Let's get out of here."
With fresh clothes and a renewed sense of caution, the three of them continued their journey through the ruins. The spore, the infected, and whatever else lay ahead weighed heavily on their minds, but they had survived another day. And in this broken world, that was enough—for now.