[She wrinkles her face up at that. She likes the idea about as much as he does. But it's true she'd do better with him than alone. Even if he isn't quite safe.]

Safer than them. You might burn me, leave me, you can still decide. They can't. Spreading. Species' success relies on spread. Reproduction. That's all they think about.

[When there's so many people thinking the same thing, it gets so much easier to ignore. Even if sometimes their goal sounds almost harmless, coming directly from them.

When he mentions the mask, she shrugs.] Haven't been able to find one. [So she just avoids the clouds of spores. Avoids breathing in the stench of the infected. It makes some areas inaccessible, but she's lucky the spores are so visible.]