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The Pathogen had never felt so exhilarated before, if adrenaline could course through its cell body it would. The feel of the chase was the best thing it had ever felt, it knew that it didn’t belong in the body, that it was being hunted, it also knew that being caught was inevitable. Still it wore its antigens proudly, releasing its toxic chemicals into the body.
Once the pathogen noticed the neutrophils in the distance determinedly hurling towards it, the pathogen decided to make a quick escape. It knew being caught was inevitable but that didn’t mean it was ready to be destroyed without a fight, it couldn’t make it too easy for the immune system.
The neutrophils could sense the chemicals the pathogen released, foreign and toxic, and like an obvious, flashing red light. The antigens were like none they had seen before so they had to work harder to fight it. The neutrophils gained speed and were not too far behind the pathogen, and with the lymphocytes joining them they could easily corner it.
The pathogen was fast, but the antibodies were faster. The lymphocytes had released them to slow down the pathogen and make it easier to destroy it. Excitement and an emerging fear was overriding the pathogen as it realized escape may not be as easy as it thought. It maintained its speed desperate to get away, when it felt a claw like antibody bind to one of its antigens. The pain slowed down the pathogen as it felt like a parasite was burying into its plasma membrane. It’s momentum slowed even further as more antibodies bound to its antigens, biting and analyzing, marking it for destruction.
By this point the pathogen felt weaker, but it still had its will to escape. The neutrophils and lymphocytes were closer and spreading out, herding the pathogen in one direction, attempting to surround it. They had annoyed yet determined looks, they scared pathogen into action. In its weakened state it didn’t have much ability to move very fast, weighed down by the antibodies clinging to its antigens, but it began its escape from the semicircle of neutrophils and lymphocytes. Its blurred vision didn’t allow it to notice the macrophage in front of it until it was too late.
The large white blood cell emitted disgust at the toxic chemicals the pathogen released, the pathogen had attracted the phagocyte by its scent alone, its toxic chemicals out of place in the body. The domineering macrophage came closer towards the pathogen, and in the pathogens weaken state it had no more fight, allowing it to read its antigens finalizing its destruction once it recognized them as non-self.
Easily, the phagocyte bound to the pathogen keeping it in place. The pathogen tried to flail out of the cells hold but it was so weak and submission was so much easier. The pathogen felt itself sink into the macrophage as it was engulfed, panic settling itself within the pathogen at the claustrophobia. As the pathogen was almost completely consumed, together forming a phagosome. With the phagocyte enclosing around the pathogen with only a small gap to see out of. Although the pathogen couldn’t see well with the tears of fear and panicked movement as it still fought for survival.
Within the macrophage, the two lysosomes began moving towards the phagosome, forming a phagolysosome. With the added space the pathogen felt slightly calmer, the space inside the macrophage was still tight and now completely enclosed. The macrophage could feel the pathogen moving inside it, it prepared the lysosomes to break down the pathogen inside. The pathogens short relief soon vanished as the pain of the enzymes attack began.
Relentlessly, the enzymes of the lysosomes seemed to crawl over the pathogen, freezing it in place with apprehension. At first it was only a tingling sensation as the enzymes searched the pathogen for their respective substrates. But then it turned to harsh biting, and the pathogen felt as though it was being delicately cracked like fine china. The enzymes, on their vicious onslaught spared no sympathy as they formed their enzyme-substrate complexes, tearing chunks off the pathogen in the process. The bites of the enzymes compared to the antibodies was so much worse, it felt less like parasites and more like carnivores sinking their teeth into their prey and ripping parts of flesh out, consuming it.
For as long as it could, the pathogen tried to fight the enzymes but it was like trying to grasp deadly flees, it felt completely helpless and trapped. Eventually, the pathogen seemed to give in loosing hope, without the energy or enough of a cell membrane left to move, it let the enzymes continue their feed until the pathogen was completely consumed, digested by the macrophage. The only thing that was left behind was its antigens.
Its antigens which it had displayed proudly were combined with the MHC in the cytoplasm of the macrophage, which allowed it to display the antigens upon its membrane. Becoming an antigen presenting cell, informing other white blood cells of the antigens the pathogens invading the body wore. The pathogen had doomed the others, its antigens proudly worn once again but as a message this time, a death sentence to all other pathogens wielding the same ones; then and in the future, as the macrophage formed T memory cells that took in the knowledge like little students that would become deadly killers if the same pathogens ever invaded again.
With the information of the antigens these pathogens wore, the immune system sent out more white blood cells to find and destroy the remaining pathogens successfully destroying them all with minimal damage to the body. The new T memory cells would come in handy the next time the immune system came face to face with the same pathogens.