As patient as ever, Chris answered my question in detail as he chewed his burger. "Carrying a healthy, native population of TGVx essentially inoculates against TGVy, just like it does against the original TGV," he said. "It's not the same for all those positives we injected; their relatively small amount of TGVx becomes too weakened by the TGV, and the TGVy wipes both strains out every time. But if you already have a TGVx, the trillions of parasites in your system are able to eradicate the TGVy really easily. I'm sure of it. I've ran like ten tests on your leftover blood." Chris gave me what resembled an apologetic shrug. "Ashley, you're immune," he said. "You and no one else in the world. Now that your dad's gone, you're the only living person with a native TGVx infection."
My head was spinning. I thought I was going to throw up again. I thought I was going to pass out. I couldn't even begin to imagine what it would mean to be the last living human on earth, so I locked the idea into a little mental box and buried it deep beneath my consciousness.
Now Chris turned to Ian.
"Look, Ian, I'm real sorry. But you and I are going down with the ship on this one. We're screwed, dude. We are screwed."
For a long time, Ian said nothing.
Finally, he shook his head. "I don't buy it," he said. "Just because you saw some image on a screen doesn't prove with certainty that this thing could have spread to every last corner of the globe."
"Ian, listen." Chris put his head back in his hands and rubbed his eyes. "You don't understand. That's not all. The map also showed the cities whose populations have already been wiped out. New York is gone. Atlanta. Miami. Even London, and that's across a pretty big goddamn ocean from the North American epicenter. I swear to you, man, I'm not kidding you. You go find Ruben, the most isolated dude in the world, and he'll have it too. Mark my words."
"Fine," Ian said. "Here's what we're going to do then. First, we're going to get the hell out of this park before these bodies start to decay and release any of the eggs. And, then," he stood, "we're going to Ruben's. We'll find him alive and well. And I'll prove you wrong. I'm not giving up hope. If there are any pockets of life left at all, that's where we're going."
"Ian . . ." Chris said weakly. He swallowed the last of his Hamburger.
He smiled at us.
"What?" Ian said. "What is it? Why are you smiling?"
"Did I ever tell you two how much I love you guys?" Chris's eyes fluttered closed. "I mean it," he whispered.
His head nodded forward.
Then Chris fell off the bench.
Ian rushed to his side and turned him over.
"Chris!" he shouted, shaking his shoulders. "Chris!"
Quickly, Ian took his pulse.
Ian held his finger to Chris's wrist for long time.
A full minuted passed.
"Ashley," he said finally. The look on Ian's face was terrifying. "Chris is..." his words were cut off by a sad, quiet sob. "Chris is dead."
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