It wasn’t a lie. The other Digitized were turning the city upside down, trying to find Eva and the Shadow Virus. Eva must have understood this, because despite her frequent complaints and demands, she never did attempt to venture beyond the boundaries of his hiding place.

The Shadow Virus lived in an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of the city, in one of the first areas of 75505 he had attacked. Ashen, red-tinged wasteland stretched for miles, and the air reeked of virus. Nobody dared to journey through this mess to reach him. Here, he was safe.

One morning, the Shadow Virus came downstairs to find Eva curled up in a little ball on the sofa, looking troubled. The Shadow Virus asked her what was wrong, and she tilted her head toward him and matter-of-factly inquired, “Who are you?”

The Shadow Virus sighed. “Now that is an interesting question. One I’m not obliged to answer.”

Indignant, Eva jumped to her feet, fiercely glaring at the Shadow Virus.

“Really?” she grumbled. “Don’t you understand how confused I am?! Don’t you know I’ve been trying to find you, ever since you just left me there outside the city?! Don’t you know how many questions I have for you?! And you won’t even tell me your name?!”

The Shadow Virus found himself squirming beneath her burning gaze. At least she wasn’t afraid of him. He sighed a long, disgusted sigh, then answered.

“Fine,” he growled. “My name used to be Nikolai Naren. I was digitized when I was sixteen. I signed up for the Cyber Initiative to explore the wonders of cyberspace, but something went wrong, and I was infected with a highly intelligent virus.”

Eva watched him curiously. “Ah... my full name. I never told you. It was Evaline Malece. That’s what everyone used to call me. When I was digitized, my life was ruined too, but… an intelligent virus sounds much worse than a small error.”

“It is much worse,” the Shadow Virus nodded.

“I’m sorry,” Eva sighed.

-

The following week passed excruciatingly slowly. Eva stopped asking to leave, and instead began bombarding the Shadow Virus with questions about his past. He avoided answering as much as he could. The virus clawed at him, whenever he attempted to tell Eva about City 75505 and its diverse array of inhabitants. It sent ferocious bursts of pain through his body, whenever he found himself smiling at Eva behind his mask. Eva relentlessly interrogated him about his childhood, about what the virus felt like, about the extent of his abilities, everything he wanted so desperately to avoid dwelling on. Soon, the air in the mansion felt stifling, and the virus stirred within, feeding off his agitation.

The incessant barrage of questions rose like a flood, threatening to drown him, until one evening he finally reached his breaking point. “I have to go,” the Shadow Virus gasped out, as he felt his control splintering, felt his nasty, uncontrollable pixelation beginning. He could feel the virus taking over his body and mind, like a pair of walls closing in, and knew he had to get away as quickly as he could. He didn’t want to risk destroying his borrowed home, or bringing harm to Eva. 

He fled from the room, ignoring Eva’s confusion, and pressed his hands against the surface of a metallic wall, to reveal a hidden set of doors. He rushed through one without looking back, as a sickening warmth flooded his core.

The Shadow Virus found himself stumbling into a heavily inhabited part of the city. He staggered through a crowd of pedestrians, drawing many whispers and gasps and stares. They all recognized his dark mask, his erratic behavior. 

Jagged pixels began to float around him. The virus was taking control. Someone screamed as lurid zigzags of ruined pixels began to lash outward, attacking the crowd. The Shadow Virus squeezed his eyes shut, suppressing a cry of protest. It was useless to fight the virus’s will. He murmured an apology, then raised his arms, letting red light snake out of him, spiraling in all directions. The light smashed through windows, sliced through buildings, caused a stampede in the crowd. People trampled one another to get away from his shuddering form. Their twisted, fear-crazed faces were bathed in red as they cried out for help. Vehicles slammed into one another in a cascade of screeches and metallic crunches, as their navigational systems went haywire. The terrible red light twined through electronic systems, infecting and crashing them, sending smoke and showers of sparks into the air. Miles of the expansive city went dark. Fires spread through innocent buildings full of innocent people. Finally satisfied, the virus retreated, and the Shadow Virus slipped away into the night, glitching and wavering and cringing with pain. It was hard for him to walk. The infection was burning in his veins.

When he returned home, he found Eva waiting in the living room with her hands on her hips. The moment he walked in, she fixed him with a sharp, probing stare. Her eyes seemed to dig deep into his soul, yanking out all the screams of pedestrians for him to hear a second time. A wave of fierce guilt struck him, nearly knocking him down. 

“It’s not my fault,” he grumbled, forcing the guilt away. “It takes over me. It makes me... I can’t...”

Eva seemed perplexed, but for once, she did not ask him any questions. She could tell that this was not a good time. 

The Shadow Virus stumbled past her with stiff, uncooperative muscles. He limped into the master bedroom and collapsed onto the bed with a ragged groan. For seven days he remained there, suffering, recuperating slowly, shutting out the world. Eva patiently waited for him to emerge, afraid to disturb him. He was tormented by flashbacks and episodes of panic, and she heard his cries at night, but she never came to his aid. 

Eventually, he wandered back into the living room. The virus had subsided enough for him to walk normally. He found Eva sitting on the sofa, vigilantly facing the bedroom door. Her soul-piercing gaze hit him with great force, and he found himself lost for words.

“Where did you go last week?” she asked quietly.

The Shadow Virus flinched. A single damaged pixel darted from his hand. He hadn’t realized so much time had passed since the incident. Was Eva able to prepare her own meals in his absence? He did not know whether an imprisoned test subject had been taught many basic life skills...

“I was just... out,” he muttered awkwardly. Eva stared him down, displeased with this answer, but decided not to pry. Instead, she chose to bring about an even more uncomfortable topic.

“Why do you wear a mask all the time?” she asked him.

The Shadow Virus visibly stiffened. “Because my face has been disfigured by the virus.”

Eva narrowed her eyes. “Do you ever take it off?”

“No,” the Shadow Virus shook his head. And that was all he would say on the matter.

-

Another, less eventful week passed, until one night, Eva mustered up the courage to demand, “Take it off.”

“What?” the Shadow Virus glitched.

“Take off the mask. It can’t be that bad,” she insisted.

“No, I won’t,” the Shadow Virus said darkly, fists clenching. He could feel the virus crackling in him, urging him to fight her, but he restrained himself.

“How will I trust you if I can’t look at your face?” Eva raised one eyebrow. The Shadow Virus flinched, then retreated from the room, too worn-down to argue.