Austin looked up, seeing Alexander before shouting, "Stay where you are!" He looked pale, sweat beading on his forehead as he stubbornly pressed his wrist against Dominic's. Both wrists bore slashes, held tightly together.

"That's insane!" Alexander shouted, starting toward them.

"Stay back!" Austin yelled, his voice loud, desperate, trembling. Alexander halted.

"But if you do this..."

Austin caught his breath. "There's no other way. There isn't!"

Stunned, Alexander glanced at Dominic, horrified. Dominic's body was covered in large swellings, resembling small hills rising on a plain, stretching his usually wrinkled skin taut and shiny. His condition mirrored Austin's experience with the virus, yet differed. Austin, young and muscular, had experienced exponential muscle growth; Dominic, old and thin, seemed as if water had been injected beneath his skin, threatening to burst. "What's happening?" Alexander felt a chill.

"The symbiotes are acting up," Austin said, taking a deep breath. "I read about this. I can't let my granduncle endure this; he's too old and weak."

"So you're trying to..." Alexander frowned, uncertain.

"I'm trying to lure the symbiotes back into my body," Austin gasped. "If the mother is inside me, I should be able to. Uncle Don will be fine if I can draw them from him." He pressed his wrist against Dominic's, a sharp knife held in his other hand. Alexander grasped the crucial implication. "But you're not certain it'll work, right?"

After a moment, Austin admitted, "Yes, I'm unsure, but it's worth a try. If I don't do anything, he'll..."

Tears welled in his eyes, choking off the sentence. Two days—a short time, yet agonizing. The sight of his once-robust granduncle reduced to this withered state, a consequence of his actions, tormented him. Given the choice, he would rather die than endure this hell.

"But you..." Alexander trailed off, recognizing Austin's anguish but questioning the rashness of his actions. Even if successful, it wouldn't solve the underlying problem.