Lore Item: Letter - Dr. Evelyn Carter, NYBRI

I can feel it creeping through me. The burn in my veins, the pounding in my skull, the hunger starting to gnaw at the edges of my thoughts. My hands tremble as I write this, but I have to keep going. I can’t let it take all of me, not yet. There are so many things I want to say, but none of them seem enough. What words could ever be enough when the world itself is unraveling?

We thought we could fix it. God help us, we tried. But every breakthrough came too late, every answer brought more questions. And now… now it’s here, inside me. I’ve become what we feared most, a living reminder of our failure. I wonder if the others will find a way to keep going, or if this is the end. The virus doesn’t just kill—it steals. It takes everything we were, everything we loved, and turns it into something twisted, hollow.

I’m scared. Not just for me—for everyone. What happens if the darkness wins? If the world forgets what it meant to be human? All the laughter, the music, the stupid, wonderful little moments that made life more than just surviving. I want to believe someone out there will remember, will hold onto those things no matter how bad it gets. Please, if you’re reading this, promise me you’ll remember.

The pain is worse now. It’s harder to think. I think I’ll close my eyes for a while. Just a little while. The shadow is getting closer, and I don’t want to see it when it finally reaches me.

May the future be kinder than the present ever was.
—Dr. Evelyn Carter