You're off to your family reunion with John in tow. The lucky fellow. I'm so glad you came by to see me before you left, though.

I̶̧̼̋͐̀͘ͅ'̵̢̻͖̜͔̬̤͙̰͎̗͖͎̬̙̃́̐̊̽͊̔̐̈̂̔̌̈́̒͐̄̓͒̔̎̕ḿ̴̡̢̛̛̛̺̟̩͇̤̹̥͕̳̼͓̥͉̪̳̺͕̙̮̱̋͐͒̊̀́͆͒͂̓̏͛͋̐̄́͑͘ͅ ̶̧̟̬̝͇̺̫̘̹͕̦̺̪͈̣̋́͒̓̾͗̈́̑̈́̿͊͌͐͒͘͝ͅh̸̛̻͈͉̖̻͎̓͑̔̓̓̑͑͋̀̔̓̋̅̑͂̅͆̀̈͘͝͝à̷̡͍̭̭̗͖͖͐̒͑̌̾͒̉̒͛͆̅̽̓͘̚͘͝v̴̢̙̪̲͖̗̞̰̆̄̇̈́̈́͌̓͌͌̀͊̑̓̆͜͝ͅḯ̶̢̨̺̦̭̮̝͙̳͇̖͖̞̱̲̽̊̈̈́͑͛̊̇̈́̊͂̆̂̋̚̚͝ͅͅń̸̨̢̻͕͚̩̣͖̣͓͍̱̠͈̹̜̤̈́͑̐͠͝͝ͅg̴̡͇̖̱̟̱͉̖̘̎͌̊́͛̂͐̏̈̍̑̈́̆̈́̒̊͊̇̏̾̕ ̵͉͒̊̓̂̀̀̐̃̒͝͠ͅͅţ̷̜͚̞̎̈́̆̐̾̓̽͆͐̊̀̎̽́̈́͝r̴͎̮̣̗͖̓̈́̿ŏ̵̥̰̳͖̱̺̱̥͓̲̬̜͎͔̳̗̻̙̟̞́̎͊̐̚͝u̵͉͔̥̭̯͒̅͋ḃ̵̟̞͍̼͉͕̳̭̤́̈̓̊̈́̿̇̊̉͑̊̌͗͊͗̂͆l̶̀̌͆̿͝ͅe̸̡͖̯̫̠͕̤̪̻͓̪̤̼̝̻̥̹͓̻̹͋̆͐́̊́͌͐̂̋́́͋̈̀͊̓̀̄́̐ͅͅ ̶͔̝̫̺̪̝̪̹̹̱͉̣̟̺̮͇̯̼͂̑̾̓͜h̴̨̡̨̟͖͎̘̺̣̘̼̪̤͎̥͒̽̋̉̍̉͋͊͒̌̃̕̕̕ͅȁ̴̠͙̗̣͖̎n̸̢̛̖̺̭̺̯̖͚͇͚̣̜̬̯̭̰͍͙͚̩͐̇͛̔͊̐̐̈́̎͛͌̔͘͜͝͠͝͠͠g̸̨̡͕̯̼̣̫̦͔̝͎̠͍̦̉̇̃͋̀̃̚͜ͅi̵̠̮͕̩̖̹̫̦̯͎̳̠͚̤̼͍̞̻͍̊͊̄͛̏̀̀̊͂̂͊͊̈́̓̽̓͌͑̈́̈́̚͠͝ͅn̴̢̢̧̧̜̭͎̤͚̘̦̼̑̂̀͋̀̀̍͋̐͜͝͝͝ġ̸̨̳̭̣̤̹̬̙͔͈̺͖͇̪̓̐͒͌ ̴̢̧̖̖̝̮̮͉͎̱̣̳̲̖̭͓̬͊̏̀̿̚ͅo̴̢̘͕͇̙̫͚̝̪͚͍̙̽̐̇́͋̚͜͠n̶̥͕̰͓͚̞͔̺̬͉̻͍̤͎̗̅ͅͅͅ.̵̼͎̞̟̲̪͕̭̯͇̽͊͂̇̊́̋̅̓̈́̍͒̓͗̈́̿́̈́͛́̚̕͝.̵̨̨̨̧̞̰̞͓̲̱͎̩̗͓̟͎͙̰̺̗̦̫̈͐̎͆̄̓̔̌̃̏͆̊́͋̋̓̂̏̉̇͠͠͝ͅ.̸͎̼̈̉̎͒̊̾̏̈́͆͑́̇̇̅̆͋̚̚.̸̩͕̥̔̾̈͗̅̉͋̈́̑͋͆͂̈́̾̕͝.̸̨̛̘̬̝̩̭̱̗͚͈̦̦̻̦͍͓͉͉̯̫͕̀̽̏̉̀̔́͊̋͗̆̌̒͌̌͗̓́̚͝ͅ

It means so much.

I'm the only one left of the original lot who isn't fully taken over. The others have been put into a medical coma to protect them, and it seems to be helping them a bit. We've gotten a few more since I was admitted to the Infirmary, though - since my dearest sergeant brought me here.

Col. Laramie is the most recent to be assailed by...whatever fell device this is.

T̵̗͛h̸̹̘̓͂͘e̷̊͗̏ͅ ̷̺̯͎̈́ͅŵ̴̡̬̗̀ͅȧ̸̙k̴̭͌i̴̺͉̞͌͌̈n̶̟̐g̸͙͂̊̅̃ ̵̨̦̊̚ņ̵̈ȋ̶͈̥̱̽g̸̛̺h̵̭͑͂t̷̗͝m̷̨͙̤͓̉̒̇a̸̡̾̿̓̈́r̵̛̰͊͘ȅ̵̠̟͍̩̾̕ ̴͖͔̥̃͘t̸͖̓̊͝͠ẖ̶̲̳̟́ȁ̷͈͔̹̀̅͋͜t̵̨͉̼͗̓̾̂ ̵̨̯̥̔s̵̤̻͆̌̃͝t̵̗̍ã̴̧̮̬͆̉͜ļ̶͕͙̔͊̚k̴̘͖̓̔̔̍s̵̖͒̏͘ ̶̡̾̋m̸̪̦̳̦̓̃̒̋ẽ̶̼͜͝ͅ ̶̲͛ͅr̸̬̯̩̆̈́ḝ̵͇̩̖͋l̵̨̨͋ę̵͈̻̈́͐ǹ̴̼̙̇ṯ̴̞̽̏̈͠l̶̤̘̭̀̑ͅë̸̜̩̱́͆̀̿s̷̼̓s̷̙̻͕͎̾̋l̵̮͍͎̀͌̅̕͜ŷ̵͕̲̉.̸̽̉̋̚͜

My dearest sergeant....

I keep running over that moment in my mind, when you....well, there's no other word for it - when you rescued me, at the Chaffee Gate. I think I almost succumbed entirely, then. I'd be like most of the others. Like the Colonel soon will be, I'm afraid.

Does this make you my knight in shining armor, Russell?

I don't want to get you in trouble. I've kept you out of it for years, but how can I resist such charms? That quirky smile of yours that just lights up a room?

The way you rested your hand over mine when you came to see me....

You're close to an answer, I know it. Some help for us. Deliverance from this. I just close my eyes and remember your arm around me as you helped me into the Jeep that day. The tender way you take care of me. It's been a long time since anyone looked at me the way you have the last few times you've come to tell me about your research. Is that a spark of affection I see twinkling in those gentle brown eyes?

It might be enough to hold t̴̨̏ẖ̷̽ȉ̸̪s̷̭̀ ̴̘͝t̷̙̀h̷̬̔i̵͍̽n̶̞͑ḡ̸̩ ̴̱͆ at bay.

Sometimes, the way you look at me reminds me of another sweet fellow I once knew, and to whom I owe so much. I wonder where you are now, Teo? I hope you're well......

Hurry home, dear Russell.

I hope you bring help.

I hope you miss me as much as I miss you.