Saturday, February 26, 2022

Quarantine

Looks like Fell had an unexpected visit from Malik. It seems like it helped, and I’m thankful for that. At least I know she’s okay (or as close as she can be) and has someone else to talk to if something happens to me.    

Fell wasn’t the only one to have somebody dumped at her door. Since Wolf’s rampage, I’ve been expecting some kind of retaliation, but not… this.

We found him while checking the place over. The mystery kid was in bad shape before, but this was much worse. He lay on the ground, shaking and laughing uncontrollably despite clearly not finding the situation funny.

Wolf started inhaling through her nose like she was trying to pick up the scent of something, which couldn’t have been pleasant since the kid reeked. At first, she seemed to be as confused as I was until her eyes suddenly went wide.

“Kuru” she said

I didn’t know what that meant, and I started to say as much when she hushed me. In a swift motion, she grabbed me and spun, just in time to put herself between me and a couple of darts.

Releasing me, she fired a tendril off in the direction from which the darts had come. I heard a thud as someone fell from their hiding spot in a tree. Before I had the chance to do anything, Wolf shoved me, ordering me to stay back. She stumbled away from me before sinking down to her knees. Her body had started twitching and shifting as if something was moving under her skin. Heaving forward on all fours, her stomach mouth opened and began vomiting.

Suddenly, like a fucking shark to blood in the water, our old boss appeared. I guess he thought he’d take advantage of whatever was happening to get rid of us.

After what she did to that community, it would probably have been the moral choice to leave her to her fate. Sure, I would have died as well, but it would have meant one less child killing monster in the world.

I guess that makes me a monster too since I raised my rifle and fired. I knew my bullets were useless against him, but I hoped it would at least create enough of a distraction for Wolf to get away.

Even after everything she did, she’s still my family.

My plan apparently worked since several tentacles were sent hurtling towards me. Just as they hit, they disintegrated. It was still enough to knock me on my ass, but at least I wasn’t stuck through. Looking up, I saw Wolf get to her feet, while our old boss backed off and disappeared

She glanced back at me to make sure I was okay before staggering over to where the shooter had fallen. I followed, though she made me stay a few feet back. It was clear that a body had landed in the snow, but all that remained was a splatter of blood. Making her way back towards the kid, she shot a tendril into his skull, killing him.

Another dead child. At least he isn’t suffering anymore.

Kuru is apparently some kind of cannibalism related disease that makes you convulse and burst into fits of laughter. That’s what Wolf explained to me as we scrubbed and scoured the place. The thing is, with what she had read about it, the symptoms were way further along than they should have been, given that it’s only been a couple of months since the kid’s… meal. On that note, Wolf seems to be okay, but she’s keeping some distance between us just in case. She suspects that the Plague Doctor and his followers are behind this and, while she’s pretty sure her body got rid of whatever they shot her with, she doesn’t want to take any chances if it’s contagious.

If she’s right, I guess it makes sense that our old boss’ enemies would eventually take an interest, but what was the point of all that? Some kind of shitty test?

I don’t know, but the thought of the Plague Doctor has my skin crawling. Just what we need. Between this and the stunt she pulled, we’re probably going to have to move soon and I am not looking forward to it.