"How can this happen?!" Austin exclaimed, sweating profusely, as he stood by the bed.

Alexander was silent. He bent down, pulled one of the older man's arms from under the blanket, and examined it closely. The red marks and raised lines he'd seen earlier were gone. The thin arm was cold to the touch, devoid of any trace of the previous imprint. It was as if everything had been an illusion. Austin watched, puzzled.

"What are you looking for?" Austin asked curiously, leaning closer.

Alexander, startled by the question, glanced at Austin, shook his head, and remained silent.

His silence unnerved Austin. "Hey, what does that mean? You checked my arm like that, and now you're doing the same to Uncle Dom. What are you looking for? Is there something I can't know? Is it related to the virus? Or..." He paused, then asked, "What did Lily tell you?"

Alexander's solemn expression, despite his lack of medical knowledge, suggested he was searching for something specific.

"No," Alexander said, lifting the blanket to examine Dominic's other arm. He was certain of what he saw; it wasn't a mistake. Dominic had shown him the terrifying mark only three hours earlier, identifying it as a symbiote, then saying nothing more. Now, there was no trace of it. Was the symbiote dormant? Had Austin fully recovered, or was the symbiote dormant in him as well? Yet, Austin seemed perfectly comfortable, even better than before.

Alexander frowned, staring thoughtfully at Austin.

"Yo, what are you looking at? Say something!" Austin's impatience grew. He was becoming increasingly agitated. For days, he'd been consumed by self-blame and anxiety, unable to find any answers. Now, everything seemed to point to him as the cause. Alexander's silent search only amplified his helplessness and frustration.

"What the hell are you looking for? Do you know something?! Why aren't you telling me?!" Austin grabbed Alexander's collar, anxiety boiling over. "Why can't you tell me? Why?! Are you suspecting I did this on purpose?! Well, I didn't!" He yelled, releasing his pent-up anxiety and frustration.

Alexander punched him in the stomach, saying sullenly, "Calm down!"