I cursed under my breath. We were cornered. Behind us, the mole stretched out only a hundred more feet and then disappeared into the ocean. And in front of us, about two dozen armed figures were making their way towards our position. The only way out was a ladder on the side of the Voyager.

"Go, now!" I shouted, urging Tova to continue. Roscoe skidded to a stop in front of us, almost slipping in the process. I looked Roscoe once over and saw that he held his old assault rifle in one hand, and his sword was hanging at his side. He saw the action and grinned.

"One of those damned savages thought he could take my property. I thought I'd ask for it back."

Seeing that Tova was already preparing herself, I turned to the rest.

"Everyone else, with me."

I led the trio of men to the side of the mole closest to the ship and took cover there behind the larger rocks. I looked back just in time to see Tova take a running leap across the ten-foot wide gap. Fortunately, the mole was high enough so that even if Tova's jump was weak, she would still reach the rungs. I winced as she slammed into the side of the side, making an audible thudding noise. But then I heaved a sigh of relief as she seemed to hang on. I whipped back to our pursuers, who were now at a brisk run. "Brandt, you're next." I said, patting the older man on the back. He grumbled an indiscernible remark and crawled back up to the top of the pier. Abruptly, shards of rock shot up all around us as bullets missed their mark. Felman, Roscoe, and I each fired off rounds of our own in return, covering Brandt's retreat. Felman and I with our pistols, and Roscoe with his rifle. Without any further hesitation, Brandt ran with surprising speed, taking a giant leap across. Even though the man was well over twice my age, he moved with astonishing ease and agility. Tova, who was already climbing over the gunwale of the ship, held out an arm to Brandt. Cautiously moving up the ladder one rung at a time, he took her hand and lifted himself up and over. Peeking over the rocks, I could see the large group of figures advancing at a steady pace. They shot at us now, but their aim was wild as bullets flew overhead, missing us by feet. Roscoe's aim, however, was precise and accurate. In the distance, I could see several of the figures fall like a bag of rocks. Roscoe was hitting headshot after headshot without hesitation.

"Let's fall back to the ship now." I said, backing off the side of the mole and up onto flatter ground. We withdrew, Roscoe covering us as Felman and I rushed to where Tova and Brandt had jumped.

"Go, Alvarsson. I'll follow." Felman said, slinging his shotgun so that it was more secure. I stepped back several paces, and judging that it would be enough, I sprinted forward with all the strength left in me. As I leaped off the mole, my foot slipped on the wet rock underneath and I was sent flying off balance. The slip up was at the last second, but thankfully, it didn't impede my speed or jump. My racing thoughts were instantly dispersed as I hit the side of the Voyager with a resounding clang, my right leg slamming into one of the rungs. I yelped in pain, gritting my teeth. The ladder was slippery from the crashing swells, and my feet found no purchase. Using only my arms, I made my way up to the gunwale, where Brandt and Tova waited. I was about three feet away from the top when I felt hands grip me by the jacket and haul me up. I hurled myself onto the deck, a sharp pain shooting up into my injured leg.

"Where's Felman?" Brandt asked. In a daze, I got to one knee.

"He should be coming up now."

Favoring my right leg, I peered down to where Roscoe and Felman were. My heart skipped a beat when I saw our pursuers. The ones who only carried melee weapons had broken off from the group and were now running at a full sprint. Roscoe continued his deadly rain of fire, but I noticed that his shots were becoming less and less frequent.

"You better hurry up now!" I called over the side of the ship.

"I know, I know." He called back, clearly annoyed. He took a good few steps back, rolling his shoulders loosely.

"I'm dry!" Roscoe yelled from below, lowering his rifle. Tossing the weapon to the ground, he drew his sword. The oncoming horde of attackers were alarmingly close now and didn't seem to be slowing down. Shouting as he did so, Felman flew off of the rocky pier and grasped hold of the ladder. Legs dangling, he struggled to find a foothold. The armed gray-clad figures were almost upon Roscoe now, but the short, blond-haired man rushed them, his sword a blur. I couldn't help but watch.

With incredible speed, Roscoe's fine sword cut and sliced mercilessly. This would be very different from his last stand at Spalding's Woods, I realized. Even if he was overpowered, he was already infected. They would have to burn his body to kill him. With devastating power, his sword bit deep into his opponents flesh. There were no cries of pain or agony from them, just the grunts of concentration and exasperation.

"Come on, damn it!" Brandt grunted, trying to extend his hand to reach Felman. Waves crashed with growing intensity as the storm picked up speed, and water was sent everywhere.

"Felman, lookout!" Hearing Tova's cry, I leaned over the gunwale. Even as Roscoe hindered the advance of the guards, a few had slipped past him and were making their way to us. One racing figure tripped suddenly on the rocky ground and was sent falling down the side of the mole, disappearing into the water below. But his comrades rest paid him no mind and continued, surging forth to jump the gap between the pier and the Voyager. There were three of them now, and they leaped one at a time, all with startling athleticism. Felman was almost to us, but was jolted backwards by the first assailant making contact with the ship. The second pursuer landed below the first, just barely grabbing hold of the ladder. The third was less fortunate, as his jump landed short of the rungs. Tumbling awkwardly, he ragdolled into the hull and fell down, vanishing from sight. Grabbing hold of my pistol, I stepped a few paces to one side and aimed at the attacker just behind Felman. I cursed myself as my first shot ricocheted off the side of the ladder, missing Felman's foot by inches.

"The hell are you doing? Shoot them, not me!" I grimaced at Felman's scolding remark and took aim again. This time, the bullet hit its mark, entering just above the man's ear. His head whipped to the side in reaction, and I saw him loosen his grip as a result. And then, I froze in horror as I saw what happened next. In what I could only assume was a last-ditch effort, the man I had just shot swiped desperately with one hand. Pushing off with one leg, he gave himself enough height and latched onto Felman's ankle. No, I thought, almost losing my grip on my weapon. Felman's eyes went wide and he shouted something I couldn't understand. They both fell. First the pale man, then Felman. And then, they were gone.

"Alvarsson, watch out!" I snapped back to the ladder at Brandt's warning. It was my instincts that saved me, as I ducked just in time to dodge a savage sweep from the remaining adversary's steel pipe. Losing my balance, I fell backwards and avoided another strike. Looking up, I saw that he was poised above me, the metal pipe raised above his head to deliver the final blow. Taking the opportunity, I aimed at my would-be killer's head and unleashed the remaining rounds in my pistol. He folded over instantly, and I rolled out of the way as his body hit the deck of the ship. I wanted to lay there and forget about everything that had just happened. But I was roused to action as I heard Brandt's next words.

"There are more coming!"

Brandt was right. I stood up and watched as another gray-clad figure successfully made his way onto the access ladder. Tova, meanwhile, was desperately trying the doors to the upper deck's main cabin. When Roscoe had split from the party, he had given the smaller pipe bomb to Brandt, who had kept it in his backpack. Now, Brandt had just passed his backpack to Tova.

"Blast your way in if you need to." he said, and she nodded, running off and around to the other side of the Voyager. The storm was at its full strength now, and I held onto the railings of the ship to keep myself from flying over and into the waves below. Brandt wasn't having much luck either, as he slipped to his knees every now and then. Abruptly, I was sent hurling to the deck, a biting pain in my side. The pale assailant who was on the ladder had finally climbed aboard, and he had just slashed at me with his bladed weapon. I could feel myself slipping away, not from the blow, but from pure exhaustion. Grabbing hold of my side, I felt the wet sensation of blood trickling down my hand. I cursed at my lack of awareness. The cut didn't feel deep, but still, I berated myself. And then, my stomach seethed with excruciating pain, and this time it was the worst I had ever felt. I turned to one side, failing to stop myself from throwing up. What was happening to me? It wasn't from the wound. The pain was coming from within. My gut was all knotted up, and I felt as if it was about to explode at any moment. I opened my mouth to scream in pain, but no sound came. Then I looked down, and the answer became clear to me. It was right in front of me, actually. I could barely see it, but it was definitely there, translucent and squirming around wildly. I had fallen on a bed of worms.

They were the ones leftover from my previous attacker's body, I realized. They must've scattered around all over the place when I blew his head to oblivion. And now, I was lying on top of them, with an open wound on my side. Again, I tried to cry out, but my dry throat wouldn't allow the action. Somewhere inside, a voice told me that I was going to be fine. Maybe I wasn't infected yet. Maybe there was a chance that the parasites hadn't already crawled inside. I sighed with despair, the action intensifying the pain in my side. Those were false hopes, I knew. It was almost certain that the worms were already making their way throughout my system. My memory went back to what James had said. Once the disease was caught, it could overtake the human body from anywhere between a few hours to a few days. Then a thought occurred to me. I wasn't turning just yet. I was still alive, for now at least. I sprang to one knee, renewed vigor filling me with determination. There was no way in hell I would come all this way just to die here. No, I wouldn't die, not here at least. I could figure that out later. Right now, we had to leave. Brandt. A loud, booming noise ripped through the sound of the storm, and I felt the deck beneath me lurch in reply. My hopes lifted at that. Tova must've found a way in. With every passing second, we were getting closer to evasion. I looked up at my attacker, who was currently set off balance from the swaying deck. I hurled my pistol at him and drew my long knife. I had just used up my last rounds on my previous opponent, so the pistol was no use to me now. Knife in hand, I pounced on the man, catching him off guard. I knew there was no way to kill him with just a piece of steel, so instead I drove him back, slashing and stabbing without giving him a chance to retaliate. It worked. I advanced while he retreated, and sure enough, he got nearer and nearer to the gunwale of the ship. I heaved a huge sigh of relief when Brandt finally stepped in to help. With short but powerful strokes, Brandt moved in, swinging his axe to deliver the final blows. Brandt's final strike sent the man reeling backwards, over the railings, and off into the watery abyss. The older man stuck out an arm to steady me, but I jerked away. If my body was compromised, and I was sure that it was, I couldn't let the others contract the disease.

"You good, Alvarsson?" Brandt looked at me with what I assumed was concern. From all my years training under him, that was the first time I ever saw him convey that emotion. I waved dismissively.

"I'm fine, thanks for saving me."

"Don't thank me just yet. We're still not safe here."

Just as Brandt said that, the Voyager roared to life under us and I felt my spirits lift even higher. Then I remembered Roscoe. Rushing to the side of the ship, I peered over to see where the sword-wielding man was. I saw him, and marveled at the sight of him. There must have been at least ten bodies that were strewn around him, with more falling at his sword strokes. He struck with the same energy as when he had started, his blows continually stopping enemies in their tracks. Dozens of figures were making their way down the mole to intercept us, but Roscoe stood his ground, blocking them from moving forward. He looked at us now, and I could see a smile on his face. I grinned as well, silently thanking him for all that he had done for us. And then the moment was over as he went back to intercept the enemy. The figure of Roscoe was growing smaller, and I realized that we were moving. The angry shouts of those on the mole and on the shore dissipated as we sailed away, and for the first time in days, I felt as if a heavy burden was lifted from my shoulders.

"Where's captain Knud?" Brandt asked. We had sailed for about two hours, and I took that time to bandage up both my side wound and my injured leg. I could still feel the pain in both my leg and my side, I realized. I was still myself, for now. Tova had told us the story of how she had used the explosives to blast her way into the ship, and how she found the blading old captain below decks, nearly scared to death. He had told her that he was surrounded by hundreds of pale figures at one time, and he didn't dare show himself. He had gone on to explain that he hid below decks for the rest of the time after putting the Voyager on lockdown. Tova had located Knud in his personal cabin, alone and wide awake.

"He's a bit high strung right now. He won't see any of us right now, but I'm sure he'll come around. He thought we were dead."

Brandt nodded in my direction.

"How about you, Alvarsson? How's that wound?"

"It's not that bad." I lied. If I was being honest with myself, I didn't really know the state of my situation. I hadn't felt any symptoms. Or at least, I hadn't felt any yet. Still, I had taken the extra care not to make any physical contact with anyone. I had some vague idea of what I was to do once I turned. If I turned. I would tell both Brandt and Tova, making sure to do it at the right place and at the right time, so as to not alarm them. And then... I stopped. That part, I didn't think through. But I was sure that the idea would come to me. As of now, we were all tired and fatigued. What I needed was rest and a lot of it. We all went our separate ways and I immediately headed for my room. It felt weird and almost unnatural to be back inside the Voyager. For the past several days, I had become used to the muted green colors of the forest and the depressing gray structures of the city. Now, I was back here, walking to my room in the safety of the ship. I shook away my thoughts as I entered the one-man cabin. Laying down on the simple twin-sized bed, I closed my eyes and drifted away into the welcoming darkness.

And then I awoke. It was as if I had only blinked. I propped myself up on one elbow. I certainly felt rested, my sore body indicating the fact. Looking out the small window in my room, I noticed that it was night. I sat up, rubbing my eyes as I did so. I must've slept for the whole day, I thought wryly. But something was off. There was something in the deepest part of me that had told me to wake up, and I didn't know whether it was out of danger or not. I shrugged it off. Water was the first thing on my mind right now. It was more of a craving, now that I thought about it. Spending your days without water really made you realize how much you took the liquid for granted. I shambled over to the small sink in the corner and turned the knob to the faucet. And then I froze. Looking down at my hands, I saw that they were pale. Deathly pale. For the first time in a while, my mind was paralyzed. I could barely think, let alone comprehend what I had just seen. Of course, I knew that this was going to happen sooner or later, but still, I was nonplussed by the sight of my skin. Somewhere in the back of my head, there was a small ray of hope that I wouldn't turn. But that hope was completely gone now, shattered. I looked up to observe my face in the mirror, and staring back at me stood a shocked young man, whose skin was as white as snow.

"No." I managed to say to no one in particular. Stepping away from my reflection, I slumped against the wall, my head hanging in defeat. Now that I thought about it, there was something that felt different inside of me. I felt dry on the inside, both literally and figuratively. That must've been the parasites at work. I took a deep, shuddering breath and recomposed myself. There was only one thing left that I could do.

The wind blew at a steady breeze, now that we were out on the open ocean, and I took an experimental breath of air. The familiar salty smell entered my nostrils, but it felt wrong. Somehow, it felt different, and I scowled at that. I was angry at the fact that I couldn't find the source of why I was feeling this way. How could these people live like this? How did Roscoe manage to stay sane? I was on the deck of the Voyager now, and I walked to the stern of the ship. It was peaceful out here, especially at night. The steady hum of the ship's engine, plus the sound of the gentle waves produced an air of nostalgia in me. I thought back to my days in Sailor School back in Toft, where I would spend days at a time training out on the open waters. Then I thought back to the time where I stood at this very spot, talking to Felman. Felman. I heaved a sigh. The thought of him was sickening. He was so close to freedom. But he was gone, along with Roscoe. The image of the short, mustached man fighting off enemy after enemy still amazed me. He had sacrificed himself twice in order for us to get away. He was truly a master swordsman and marksman, and in the end he paid the ultimate price for our escape.

"Can't sleep?" a soft voice said from behind me. Surprised, I turned and saw Tova standing there. She had changed into a set of more casual clothes, and her hair was once again tied up neatly in a bun behind her head. I took a step closer to the edge of the railing. I would have to get this over with soon, I thought ruefully.

"Oh, I slept. I just needed some air, that's all. How about you? What are you doing?"

"Well, I couldn't sleep. There's just too much to take in. And also I heard someone coming up here."

A thought entered my mind. Why hadn't she noticed my bizarre skin yet? It would already be a dead giveaway that I had been infected. But then I realized that the lights on the outside of the ship didn't illuminate me well enough. I tensed up, gripping the railing behind me.

"Are you okay? I know it's been hard. I can barely get some rest myself."

"I'm fine." I said, my voice catching a little. Mind racing, I attempted to shift the focus off of me. Another subject hit me and I grasped at it gratefully.

"So, how are the samples you took? Are they good?"

Tova gave a small smile.

"They could be better, but they'll do. The worm samples are in the research bay of the ship. Don't worry, they're safe there."

I forced a grin of my own. I couldn't waste any more time.

"Look, Tova. I'm going to give it to you straight. I have the disease."

Her smile vanished from her face, and she took a step back.

"What? How?" she said under her breath. I held out a hand to reassure her.

"Well, it wasn't because of the samples you took. It's not your fault, okay?"

I saw her relax, but only by a tiny bit. I continued.

"And don't worry, there was nothing I did that would potentially spread it to you, Brandt, or Knud. I caught it just before we escaped, when I got cut. The worms entered my body through there."

Tova's eyes widened as I recounted what had happened, and her face of fear turned to one of sadness. I forced another grin.

"I didn't know for certain until just a few minutes ago. I'm sorry, Tova."

She took a few steps forward.

"So what are you going to do? How are we possibly going to deal with this?"

"I already have that planned out. Look, we both know I can't continue. With every hour that passes, I'm putting the world at risk."

"What are you going to do?" she repeated, this time a bit more forcefully. I pulled myself up so that I was sitting on the railing behind me. Facing Tova, I smiled at her again, this time a genuine one.

"This is it for me. But at least you, Brandt, and Knud will have made it. You guys can go and live your lives. Hopefully, you can also convince the council not to send any more people here. Can you promise me that? There's no way that I'm going to let anyone else experience what we've experienced."

Tova nodded, her eyes shimmering in the light.

"And promise me that you'll at least find a cure for this disease? You promised James, remember?"

"I remember. Yes, I promise." I could see that Tova was on the brink of tearing up, but she controlled herself now.

"Roscoe and Felman are gone, and now you'll be gone too."

I gave a low chuckle.

"It's okay, Tova. Don't worry about me. We did it." Briefly, I spread both arms in a gesture. "Now enjoy it while I'm gone."

And with that, I let myself fall backwards. As I fell, I shut my eyes and tried desperately to ignore Tova's shout of surprise. Instead, I focused on the sound of the rushing wind and the crashing waves. I thought about my dad and focused on him as well. And then, Tova's shouts dissolved away and I could hear her no more.