“I am getting tired of hearing these rumors.”

“Don’t get me started. All this talk about monsters attacking people, it’s nonsense. Annoying nonsense, screwing up all my work. Did you know that there have been monster sightings here? And I have to follow up on them! Nuremberg is hundreds of kilometers away from Paris, for Christ’s sake!”

“It is insanity. Every day, I hear new rumors. It started out simple enough, some of them were almost believable. The symptoms they described were so similar to the plague that I assumed it was a resurgence. But now, I hear my patients telling stories about the dead roaming the streets of Paris as though a walking corpse is going to assault them on their way home.”

“I get why bored housewives would gossip about those types of things, but it disappoints me that the Empire has taken them seriously too. It doesn’t help that Paris decided to shut itself off from the rest of the world. No one in, no one out. Only makes people think something crazy is going on.”

“What do you mean, exactly?”

“It’s foolish for us to waste time and resources sending people to study something that doesn’t affect us! Any idiot could tell you that what’s going on doesn’t concern us, except maybe that trade with the French would slow.”

“The Empire is sending people to study the disease?”

“Yeah. Some genius got the idea to send doctors into France to help aid our soldiers. Something about not having enough medics in the field, or to study the disease? I don’t remember. I think the guy's name was Krüger, some general with lots of influence but not much brains. I’ve heard that he wants to improve our relations with the French, but if you ask me, we shouldn’t even consider helping them. God knows they’ll just take our aid and use it against us later, like they did in Italy three God damned times. Did I mention that I’m supposed to help find these doctors? Not like I have any important work to do.”

“It seems to me that he is just scared by the rumors.”

“Hey… I just had an idea. How would you like to earn some quick money?”

“I am listening…”

“Well, they’re offering a bonus to get doctors to head to France. A little more than what I make in a year, so it’s nothing to sneeze at. I could put in a good word for you, you get a few months paid vacation, I’d finally get those leeches to leave me alone, and we split the bonus.”

“I do not know… My practice has been remarkably busy recently thanks to the rumors. I would not mind a vacation, but I do not think I could let myself leave the practice in Leiner’s hands. That man is going to be the death of me, I swear on it.”

“Come on, Thomas, lend me a hand here. Is there anything I could do to convince you? Anything at all? Or are you just scared that a monster is going to gobble you up in the night?”

“Monsters are not real. But there may be one thing you can do to convince me.”

“I don’t like that look on your face.”

“Buy me my drinks after I get back…”

“That’s it? You have yourself a deal!”

“For the rest of my life.”