He already felt steadier. He could sort of think again, though the exhaustion was still making things hazy.

He swallowed the last bite, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

“The antibodies…” He glanced from Maisie to Dr. Lopez. “The antibodies that people get, they’re not, uh, what’s the word? Protective. They don’t protect people from getting the virus again. Or from, uh…”

“Reactivating,” Dr. Lopez finished for him.

“Right. Reactivating.” The scariest part of the TARV virus was the fact that it didn’t leave the body once someone recovered from it. It lay dormant, only to reactivate when the immune system was weakened by another illness. A simple cold—or even stress—could bring the virus back. It was why no one inside the quarantine zone could leave.

“It’s true that for most people, the antibodies they produce do not protect them from getting the virus again.”

Lennon’s eyebrows shot up. “For most people?”

Dr. Lopez just smiled, and then stood, clapping his hands together. “All right. My guys are sweeping the area, and once they’re done, we’ll head over to the comms tower to call my contacts at the CDC.”

Lennon glanced around. Were there no phones here?

“You need a satellite phone to call outside the Q, and they’re only in the comms tower,” Maisie explained, clearly noticing his confusion.

“Right.”

“Do you want to shower while we wait?” Dr. Lopez asked.

“God, I really do.”

He pointed at the hallway behind Lennon. “Down there, to the right. There should be towels in there already. Beto, grab him some clothes, would you? Go next door, they should have something that fits him.”

Beto nodded and strode out of the room. Lennon got slowly to his feet. He felt much better with food in his stomach.

“How long does this work for?” Lennon asked, putting a hand on his arm.

“We’ve gotten up to four days, but the CDC will probably want to play it safe and get you out right away.”

He tried not to look too relieved. Maybe he wouldn’t even have to spend a full day in the quarantine zone. He’d definitely have to spend some time in isolation once he got out, but he could probably arrange some remote interviews. A story about how nice and welcoming everyone was inside would do wonders for the senator’s campaign.

He’d leave out the part about the cannibals.

“Five minutes max in the shower,” Dr. Lopez said. “Our water supply isn’t what you’re used to.”

“Got it,” he said. Even a five-minute shower sounded amazing at this point. He smelled like hot garbage. Probably looked it, too.

He paused at the edge of the hallway. “Thank you. For all of this.”

Dr. Lopez glanced up at him with one raised eyebrow. “I’m not doing this out of the kindness of my heart, son.”

Lennon hesitated, but couldn’t help but ask. “What do you want in return?”

Dr. Lopez just chuckled.

—

Beto brought him pants that were a little too baggy and a soft gray shirt. He even brought him a pair of boxer briefs, which looked clean and Lennon sincerely hoped were brand-new. They were better than the ones he’d been wearing the past two days, anyway.