Mary Hastings gave the security guard a strange look as he stared at her while walking past. She hurried past and
couldn't tell for sure, but she thought she glanced large, black pupils staring at her. She held her security pass to
the scanner at the gate and hurried past.
She took the elevator to the upper floors of the building and when she stepped out, she swore she could smell hay.
Mary sneezed immediately. Whatever was causing the smell had triggered her hay fever allergy. She sneezed
again and her small, petite frame shook violently. Someone said a courtesy but her head was beginning to throb
and the voice sounded muffled. Mary hurried down a hallway past cubicles until she reached her office and shut the
door. As a Business Management Advisor, she had her own office for work and a small research staff outside. Her
job was to provide financial and management analysis of a client's business and advice on how to improve the
overall efficiency of a company. Mary was in her late twenties and it had taken years to work up to this position
after college.
Mary walked into her office and slammed the door closed. Her nose was getting stuffy and she felt lethargic. She
took a couple aspirin from a drawer in her desk to help her headache, then sat down. She rested her head in her
hands and closed her eyes when they began to feel dry. Mary began to feel uncomfortable and her stomach
rumbled. She started to sweat as the rumbling turned to heaving and Mary stood and gagged. Her skin began to
itch. Mary clutched her stomach and doubled over as she started to dry heave. She forced her eyes open and saw .
. . .