It was so hot... and yet still he shivered. The horrid smell failed to bother him as it had when he arrived. In fact, not much at all bothered him. Mostly, he drifted somewhere between waking and sleep, eyes often rolling back in their sockets. His skin was clammy, damp with sweat, and his breathing was shallow. The infection had set in within a day, and had coursed through his entire body over the course of the journey.<br/><br/>Now, as he lay there, shapes, colors, sounds, voices... all halucenations... danced around him. He knew this was it. These were his last moments. He would die, weak, sick, alone... After all of his fighting. All of his planning. He'd worked so hard. And it all came down... to this.<br/><br/>A new halucenation arrived and he dimly registered that it was a fully formed apparition. At least his subconscious had dredged up a pleasing image for him to watch as he died... He smiled and tried to reach a hand toward her, but found the motion too difficult. Keeping his eyes on her, he jerked and spasmed as another fit took him. She was gorgeous. Even through the pain, the confusion, the sickness, he knew that. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Maybe she was an angel...<br/><br/>The edges of his vision began to go black. The pain abated, fading into numbness. His fear melted away, along with every other emotion. He was left, staring blankly into her eyes, as the last of his energy faded. Blackness rolled over him, and he smiled, welcoming it.