Page 39 of Grave Matter

So I take the leap, and I tell them what happened yesterday, starting with Clayton and ending with the undead wolf slinking away into the forest.

“Why did Professor Kincaid lie to us, then?” Rav asks. “He just said you hit your head. I knew you didn’t though. You sounded as if you were being attacked.”

“I don’t know. I guess he didn’t want you to panic if there was a rabid wolf around, especially since we were a small group isolated from the rest.”

“It really does sound like it was rabid to me,” Lauren says. “It’s possible that it was so rabid that the disease was basically keeping it alive.”

“Also,” Rav says slowly. “Well, aren’t you thinking what we’re all thinking?”

“I have no idea,” I tell him. “What are you thinking?”

“Just me? Okay, well,Amanita excandesco. The mushrooms. Is it possible that the famous fungus has been ingested by the wildlife here? We all know by now thatOphiocordyceps unilateralisaffects certain ants. What if it’s in the wolves? What if this strain of fungi can create zombie wolves instead of zombie ants.”

“That’s not what I was thinking,” says Lauren, curling her lip in disgust.

“Yeah, me neither,” I say. Fungi can’t survive in high temperatures found in warm-blooded mammals, like wolves or ourselves. There are theories that humans actually evolved to have our specific high body temperature on purpose. Plus, that’s not how that particular fungus spreads.

“I think you’ve seen too many episodes ofThe Last of Us,” Munawar tells him.

“The video game?” I ask. “They made a TV show of it?”

“You haven’t seen it?” Munawar asks in disbelief. “Every single mycology student is hooked on the show. Pedro Pascal? Hello?”

“Munawar,” Lauren snaps while Rav kicks him in the leg. “Stay on task, okay?”

His face falls, chagrined. “Sorry.”

“It’s just an idea,” Rav says quickly. “We have to have theories, don’t we?”

I sigh, putting my head in my hands. Even though it’s morning, I could easily crawl back into bed. “I don’t know. Maybe I was stressed out and hallucinating. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Everyone goes silent. I glance at them, their eyes filled with pity.

“Do you hallucinate often?” Lauren asks quietly.

“No,” I say, unsure if I’m lying or not. “Only yesterday, when I thought I heard someone calling my name.”

“You’re not sleeping well, I can tell,” she says, giving my knee a pat. “At least you’re eating more. Maybe you need a day off to relax. Tell them you need a mental health break. They’ll understand.”

“It’s barely been a week,” I scoff. “I have fifteen more weeks to go.”

“Then it’s a great time to get yourself right. We have a long summer ahead of us here.”

For the first time since I arrived, I feel the weight of our tenure here.

It’s starting to feel suffocating.

CHAPTER 12

Wake up,Sydney.

My eyes snap open to a dark room.

Who just said that? Was that in my dream?

My heart is already racing, the blood thumping in my ears, and I take in a shaky breath as I hold the covers to my chest, trying to bring my brain back online.

The room is freezing. I can see my breath when I exhale. The nights have been comfortable so far, but tonight, I have to wonder if the heat is even on. Perhaps they shut down the heat pump at night sometimes to conserve power, and this is the first time I’ve noticed. That said, the day had been warm and sunny, finally feeling like summer is on the way.

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