V-42
📖 CHAPTER 1. THE RETURN He returned at night. It was cold on the plane, but not because of the air conditioners—the air felt distant, indifferent, almost devoid of oxygen. He sat by the window and stared into the darkness, seeing only his own reflection. Sometimes it seemed to him that it wasn't his face, but a mask—exhausted, with sunken cheeks and eyes that had sunk deeper than before. At passport control , he didn't say an unnecessary word. The stamp struck the passport, soullessly marking the moment when the line between the one who entered and the one who had left was erased forever. It all started two days later. First—a slight burning in his eyes. Then—a fever, night sweats, a dry cough. He knew this scenario well: hundreds of viruses had played it out across the world. He thought he was prepared for such a situation and didn't even go to the clinic. He just lay down at home, documenting each symptom like a scientist, not a patient. On the third day, he reali...