A/N: Translations are from Google Translate app. The Latin is used ambiguously, enjoy.

I walked down the street, hands in my pockets as people walked past me while giving me a wide berth. I growled at some, the lack of feeling in half of my face aggravating me. No, frustrating me even. That stupid forcefield, I saw fear in Krimson's eyes for the first time and the moment was ruined!

I noted a woman pulling out her phone as I passed and my gaze followed her a moment until I continued down the sidewalk.

I snorted in disdain as sirens came as if in response to that woman's call. Two officers stepped out of the car calling out to me. One in English and another in Spanish. Their voices being the only ones out in the night at this hour.

"Hey you!"

"¡Senõr!"

I answered, "¿Que?" *What?

"What's your name?"

"¿Cuál es tu nombre?"

"Interitus. Ferio. Trucido." **Latin

"What is he saying?" One officer said.

"I don't know," the other reasoned, "just cane the Infected cunt so he'll get his ugly mug in the ditch where he belongs. I don't feel like logging anymore Infected arrests."

"Alright time for you to-"

With a casual lift of my hand the current I put through him opened a hole in his side. He was dead before he hit the ground. His partner cursed as I walked towards him, stepping over the body. He reached for his taser and I stopped when the needle pierced my shoulder. I laughed as he tased me twice. Then thrice. Even five times.

"Estás tan muerto." I cooed. *You're SO dead.

Then he reached for his pistol and emptied it towards me. I tilted my head and smiled menacingly, the bullets halfway between me and him. My practice with electromagnetic currents has paid off. Then again, we always practiced with live ammunition in the Three-Hundred so this was nothing. The bullets clanked harmlessly into the ground and the man saw fear.

The man then reached for his radio and with a lunge, no, a pulse my fist was clear through him. I gently swatted the walkie talkie away with my free hand and shushed him like putting a child to sleep and relished in the life fading away from his eyes. Then I let him thunk unceremoniously onto the pavement as their blood flowed into the city draining system and I casually walked onward.

I woke up with a killing headache and numbly made my way into the restroom. My eyes were bloodshot and my skin was pale as I looked at the undead reflection of my face. I shaved, nicked myself a few times and slapped water on the scabs. I played Tap Titans 7 on my phone for a moment and slapped water on any remaining scabs to where the nicks were like they never happened before suiting up early.

The dreams are getting worse. I can't really sleep but I haven't coughed in a while. Besides that I feel weird and weak like there's some parasite inside me, gnawing at my life force or something. Well, instead of coughing I feel congested and the few times I spat it out blood was mixed with it.

A knock came on my door and I snailed over to open it. After clambering on the buttons I found the right one and let Andy in. He gave me a nervous look and stated the obvious,

"You don't look so good."

"Yeah," I swallowed some congestion and croaked, "I feel like piss."

"Man, you've only been here a week."

"I know and we haven't helped any cats down from trees yet."

Andy gave me a worried look.

"What?" I croaked.

"Crow told me that you have a test today. To make sure your gear is working correctly."

"But it's strenuous enough that I might get hurt?"

He nodded, "They might cancel it."

"And what happens after that?"

He pursed his lips.

"It only happened once and he was medically discharged."

I cussed and raked my hands through my hair. I sucked up some congestion, went into the bathroom and spat it out with an attitude. I had an idea what I needed to do.

"Let's go."

Andy readied his car via smart watch.

"Where to boss?"

"The pound."

"So... why are we going to the dog pound?"

I still have no idea why Spider was in the car before we were. There was no way getting him out once he knew we were going to town. This was the third time he asked the same question.

"Spider," I bit out, clearing my throat, "if you don't shut the hell up."

I spat a bloody loogie out the window and they both got quiet. I wiped my mouth and raked my fingers through my hair in this stress storm of a morning. This is going to be very suspicious, and both Andy and Spider will probably see my colors.

The car pulled into the pound and my feet landed on old pre-Infection graffiti on the sidewalk. The sky was gray and the weather was cool before I stepped into the check-in with my crew. The smell of animals wasn't as strong compared to the sound of barking from deeper inside the pound. An elderly overweight woman who retained red hair and thin framed glasses and greeted us with surprise,

"Oh, hi!"

"Hey," I said, as I approached and put me arm on the counter, "let me see the biggest, meanest, and oldest dog you have."

"Ugh," she gave me a look as I cleared my throat and swallowed my congestion, "are you sure?"

"Positive." I said in steel.

She puckered her lips and wearily muttered, "Okaaaay."

She got some keys and began opening the door as I felt my team's eyes boring into my back. Once open, the sound of barking was louder, the smells more diverse and more pungent. I followed the woman past several dogs of all kinds, caged, and held captive looking for home. No, waiting for freedom.

Or death.

Finally we came to the place where the larger dogs were in fenced up pens of their own. We stopped at the pen of a three legged golden retriever that was a dirty gray from age and abuse. The woman gave me one last worried look and I popped my neck.

The two men behind me exchanged looks nervously and dogs barked loudly. The woman opened the door quickly and I walked into the pen. The dog charged me the best it could with three legs.

The barking and howling around me paused when I sighed and the grass wilted under my feet. The dog stopped suddenly and I reached down and pet it. I let out another sigh as I slowly sat next to the dog and gave it one last hug goodbye. I felt like I related to this dog but held mixed emotions; I mean, I was the meanest, youngest and most zealous and talented of my peers. This felt like self suicide but at the same time it felt like putting away my old self so my new self could live. But doesn't this animal deserve a good life as well? I sighed and got up.

No, it deserved it more than me.

"Um," I said to the woman, "I think nature took it's course."

I came out from the pen and she tentatively closed the door as I walked out of the pound. Andy and Spider flanked me and got into the car without a word. I sighed, cleared my throat and spat a blood-free loogie with an attitude.

"You're..." Andy started, "looking better."

"Yeah."

I flipped down the visor and looked at the normal me in the mirror. I slapped it closed and shook my head, will my new self ever be free from the old?

"Stop the car."

He hit the breaks, and we all jerked forward. I groaned,

"Dude relax!"

"What now?"

I rolled my eyes, and pointed to a hot dog stand.

"Breakfast," then I turned around, "hungry Spider?"

He nodded and I noted his order and went to get a bunch of food.