Chapter XIII: Patient Zero

It began with laughter.

That was what everyone would remember.

The carnival was packed that evening. Autumn had settled beautifully over Boron, and thousands of golden lights burned against the darkening sky. Music drifted between the tents. The Big Top shook with applause. The smell of fried dough, caramel, roasted nuts, and warm cider hung heavily in the cool night air.

Nothing felt wrong.

The Carney stood near the gates welcoming another wave of townsfolk. The Beard Master prepared his performers for another packed show. The Organ Grinder's melodies wandered through the midway while children ran beneath strings of glowing bulbs, dragging balloons behind them.

Boron was exactly as it had always been during carnival season.

Happy.

Safe.

Alive.

Somewhere among them was a man who didn't feel well.

No one knew his name. Later, everyone would have a different story about who he was. Some remembered seeing him at the games. Others swore he'd been sitting beneath the Big Top earlier that evening. One woman remembered him buying cider near the Ferris wheel.

There was only one detail several people agreed upon.

Earlier that afternoon, they had seen him carrying a candy apple.

By sunset, something had changed.

At first, it was easy to ignore. Sweat despite the cold air. Shaking hands. A strange paleness beneath his skin. He stumbled once near the midway and laughed it off when someone offered to help.

The carnival continued around him.

Minutes later, he collapsed.

A small crowd gathered, expecting exhaustion or perhaps too much cider. Someone called for help. Another person knelt beside him.

Then his eyes opened.

Whatever looked back through them wasn't the man who had fallen.

He attacked the first person who came close.

The scream cut through the midway.

For a moment, everyone froze.

Then came another scream.

And another.

The music continued playing.

The Ferris wheel continued turning.

The carnival lights continued glowing.

But the laughter was gone.

Panic moved faster than anyone could understand. Families rushed toward the gates. Tables overturned. Games were abandoned. Children cried for parents lost somewhere in the crowd. Performers emerged from their tents trying to understand why hundreds of people were suddenly running in every direction.

Then someone else collapsed.

This time, everyone saw what happened when they stood back up.

The sickness was spreading.

Whatever The Stranger had carried into Boron had finally revealed itself.

The treats had done their work.

People who had spent the afternoon laughing together were suddenly terrified of one another. Friends backed away from friends. Families searched one another's faces for the slightest sign that something was wrong.

Nobody knew who had eaten what.

Nobody knew who had already been exposed.

Nobody knew how far it had traveled.

And nobody knew where The Stranger had gone.

His little apple cart still stood beside the road.

The lanterns were burning.

The crates were empty.

The stool behind the counter was vacant.

The Stranger had disappeared.

Back inside the carnival, the first infected staggered beneath the glowing lights as terrified crowds scattered around them. The beautiful midway that The Carney had spent weeks preparing became a maze of overturned tables, abandoned prizes, torn banners, and forgotten treats.

One crimson balloon slipped from a child's hand and floated silently above the chaos.

The Big Top doors slammed shut.

The Beard Master finally understood that tonight's greatest danger wasn't waiting on his stage.

The Carney stared across the midway in disbelief. This was Boron. These were his people. This was the place that had reminded him there was still goodness left in the world.

And now it was coming apart in front of him.

Far beyond the carnival, bells began ringing throughout Boron.

One after another.

A warning.

Then another sound rose from the midway.

Not laughter.

Not music.

Not applause.

Screaming.

The carnival season everyone had hoped would go off without a hitch was over.

Something else had begun.

By midnight, no one would call the first victim by his name.

They would give him another.

Patient Zero.

And before the sun rose over Boron again, everyone would understand the horrifying truth:

There was nowhere left to run.

The carnival wasn't safe.

Boron wasn't safe.

And somewhere beyond the lights, The Stranger's plan was only beginning.