The first chapter, titled "Something in the Forest", begins by introducing Charles Monet, a Frenchman with an innate likeness for animals and birds, but very little concern for that of humanity in general. A person of few companions, of which consisted mostly of the female gender and his pet crow, Monet spent most of his time alone in his small home, and as a result, very little was known about his history or reason for …showed first 75 words of 6095 total…

…showed last 75 words of 6095 total…that "the earth is attempting to rid itself of a human parasite," is made, allowing the reader to somewhat view a "bigger" picture of the parasitic relationship concerning a host (Earth) and an infection (mankind). The chapter ends with the narrator visiting the site of the monkey house, recognizing important areas (such as the gray zone), making observations of the facility's condition and its new inhabitants, and stating, with certainty, the event of Ebola's recurrence.