“I was kind of thinking of a pin,” Astrid said. But she took a knife from Howard. “Don’t worry, Hunter,” she said. She poked very gently with the point of the knife just beside the largest mouth. “Did you feel that?”

Hunter shook his head.

Astrid poked again, farther from the first spot. And again on Hunter’s upper arm.

“I guess I don’t feel stuff much.” Hunter seemed baffled.

“Something’s anesthetizing him,” Astrid said. A spasm, a look of nausea, quickly suppressed, twisted her lips.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Hunter said.

Plague, Chapter 6