"Are you insane?! You're touching him! What if you get infected?!"
The man's breath caught.
He shoved me away hard.
Pulled out a wet wipe and scrubbed frantically at every spot where he'd touched me.
I stumbled back a few steps. Steadied myself.
Looked at the circle of hostile eyes surrounding me.
And said, quietly:
"I'm not sick."
The report hit my chest and fell to the floor.
"You're still lying?! All those abnormal markers—are you blind?!"
"There should be a law to execute people like you! You filthy disease carriers! You get your fun, and then you expect the rest of us—people who actually keep ourselves clean—to share the risk?!"
I just looked at them. Calm.
"I said. I'm not sick."
"Irvin."
Cedric stepped forward.
"I know you didn't want us to find out. But this is your own fault."
"Your lifestyle was dirty. That's why you have all these diseases."
"You got your pleasure—now you deal with the consequences. You don't get to lie and deceive and drag innocent people down with you."
"The rest of us kept ourselves clean. We deserve a clean future."
I smiled and said nothing.
The guests, however, immediately piled on:
"Mr. Simmons is right! If you want to die, do it yourself!"
"Ugly inside and out—thank God Mr. Simmons exposed you today, or who knows what tricks you would've pulled!"
"The results are in!"
One of the guests had gotten their report.
One glance, and they collapsed to the floor:
"Abnormal markers... It's over. I've been infected?"
"What the hell! Mine's flagged red too!"
"No... this can't be happening. No!"
Cedric frowned and turned to me:
"Irvin! Look what you've done!!"
I picked up one of the reports. "I told you. I'm not the one who's sick."
"Still lying through your teeth!"
A guest charged at me, fist already swinging toward my face.
I shoved the report right into his face:
"You people only look at numbers—never at the name?"
He froze.
"Wait... the name on this report is..."
"Cedric Simmons?!"
