The Prime Beneath the Skin

The old television flickers across the abandoned-looking living room, washing dusty chairs, scattered toys, and heaps of clothing in gray light. Toby and Bo sit close together on the couch.

Behind the couch, Dr. Marcus Thorne moves quietly in his white lab coat, blue shirt, and brown trousers. His military ID hangs against his chest; his broad bare feet make no sound on the floor.

A sharp pressure touches the back of Toby's neck, then Bo's. The television continues murmuring while Marcus withdraws the syringe and watches them with clinical concentration.

The injection sites sting beneath their hair. On the television, a laugh track crackles and dies into static. Marcus reaches for a notebook on the table, waiting for the virus to announce itself.