After Kodji's words, everyone was in shock, Michael included, as was the person concerned.
"Huh, what do you mean?! Have you lost your mind or something?"
He looked at Elie with a confident expression.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm talking about."
Michael was captivated by Kodji's words, and so were those behind the curtains of the booth; they were all eager to discover what prompted him to make such a statement.
"Very well, I'll give you the time you need, explain everything to me."
With great arrogance, he made himself comfortable as if he had made the discovery of the century.
"Very well! I'll proceed step by step. First, you should know that biters have very evocative characteristics; who can list them for me?"
Someone on the other side raised their hand
"Their skin is completely decrepit... Their blood is darker, probably because they can no longer oxygenate their blood."
He shook his head like a genius but seemed not satisfied with the answers
It was at this moment that Michael responded in turn
"Their eyes! More precisely, they whiten their irises"
He enthusiastically pointed his finger in Michael's direction.
"BINGO!!"
"That's all well and good, but where's the connection? Get to the point and explain."
He got out of bed and went towards Elie
"Look at the color of her eyes, it's unusual, isn't it?"
They all approached, were amazed, and began to talk.
"It's true ! "
"These aren't lentils?!..."
"No, I have the feeling that it's real..."
Elie was a little embarrassed by the situation; you could see she was glaring at Kodji.
"Get out of the way, let me see"
Michael approached to see for himself
"Yes, it would seem that it's the color of the iris, but that doesn't prove anything, even if it's rare. There have been cases of black people with blue eyes, so it's..."
"Yes, it's normal if it's congenital, but that's not the case for her."
"What are you trying to say?"
For several long minutes he explained what had happened in the store and the restaurant. Throughout his explanation, the medical staff were in shock, even Elie, Those who had already received explanations were still in shock from the news.
After receiving all his explanations, he quickly understood his reasoning.
"I see it in a way, it makes sense, but what strikes me most is his partial memory loss, and I have a theory about that."
"I'm listening to you"
"My theory is that she was infected during her entire period of amnesia, which caused her to have a memory lapse."
"Except that I checked thoroughly and there was no bite mark!"
He sighed at Kodji's stupidity.
"Did you check all parts of his body?"
He looked away, embarrassed, because as a matter of principle he hadn't done it; it was normal in a way.
Michael stood up and began to stretch as if starting a long and difficult project, then walked over to Elie who was standing in the center of the room still overwhelmed by the amount of information That she had just received
"I agree to examine it if she agrees; it's quite possible that thanks to her, humanity could find a way out of this."
After a long period of reflection, Elie accepted because she too wanted to feel useful.
"Okay, I accept, but it depends on what you do to me."
She held her chin for a second before asking
"What exactly are you going to do to me?"
Michael, with a proud look, smiled cheerfully and crossed his arms.
"Nothing special, just blood and skin samples and a few observations, nothing that's going to kill you"
Hearing this, she was relieved; perhaps she was expecting to be dismembered? What would be the point?
While everyone in the clinic was celebrating the new research topic, someone rushed in to look for Dr. Michael.
"Doc, we need you at the council meeting, it's urgent!"
He turned angrily at the entrance, ready to attack whoever was preventing him from starting his search.
"What's more important than my research? You don't need me on the council."
"I'm sorry, but this is very important! Carmel requests that all council members be present; it concerns the biters."
Michael immediately took the matter seriously and removed his blouse to follow the young man who had come looking for him.
"Very well, let's hurry."
Before leaving, he asked Kodji to follow them as well.
"Kodji! Your sister is asking you too"
"Huh?! I'm not a member of the council, what would I be doing there?"
However, the young man's attitude and even the atmosphere he projected showed that this was something serious.
So Kodji got up in turn and gave his bag to one of the caregivers before following them
"Would you mind dropping my bag off at the caretaker's, please? I'll owe you one."
After their departure, they left a feeling of unease in the medical ward.
Nevertheless, Elijah asked the question of
"What is the council ?"
A young woman stepped forward to answer
"If you want to know everything, the council is made up of the people who created this camp. They make decisions to solve problems, but for important ones, they ask everyone's opinion."
"I understand better now! But why did Kodji go there?"
"We don't know much about it, but apparently it's thanks to him that the camp was formed, or at least he came up with the idea for the location."
"He must be someone important indeed"
In the corridor leading to the administration room where the council was meeting, three figures walked briskly as if pressed for time; from a distance, one could easily distinguish the age of each.Young people and one in their fifties
On the way, no one said a word; they simply kept moving forward, surely to avoid leaking any premature information.
Upon arrival, a small iron gate stood before them, flanked by two guards who watched the surroundings, looking out for eavesdroppers.
He had arrived in the council chamber