W̧E̷E̡̕K ͡3̴

[strangerpeople]

W̛E̷͞E̶̵K͏͘͠ 3̸̡

[You got a phone call that morning. It wasn't the realtor for the vineyard, like you had thought. Instead, it was a scientist.

She offered you something you hadn't ever expected: hope.

"I think I've pinpointed where this blight has come from, and how it became so virulent. You were among the first whose crop was infected-I wish to speak to you personally about it."

You meet in a car, and drive to an isolated road. She will not take any chance to speak publicly about it-not yet. She doesn't want to release the information until she is certain. But she felt honor-bound to explain to you, given your own importance in her research. You hadn't known she had sampled your dead and dying grapes, but she did.

"This blight..." She opens a folder, showing you the photos. "Started with a gopher, several years ago. I know, it sounds insane. This disease should only affect certain animal species. But one day, it jumped into vines...the original gopher died a long time ago. But not before it had eaten an entire cluster of grapes in one swallow. It ended up scratching itself on the trellis of the grapevine as it choked to death. Its blood, its body decayed, and helped to water and fertilize that strain of grapes the next year or so, and...well, the seeds from those buds that resulted were sent out to every farm in the area. Then, to every farm in the country, different regions..."

That sounded insane. This woman's theory sounded utterly bonkers. But you can't dismiss it out of hand-you have no better answer.

Before you can say anything more, the woman's phone rings. She answers, and you see her face turn white. You don't have to guess why.

Before, the theoretical gopher had infected the grapes with the blight.

Now, the blight had claimed its first human victim.


-


[The morning hurts. It hurts to know that, even dead, there was that final, terrible moment for the Embarrassing and the Nagging. It must hurt more to know that this will continue, and that there is something out there that is invested in ensuring each and every last one of the Strangers are, if not dead, than broken.

And then, there is IT. IT is the enemy, it seems. But...what is IT? Is IT the one truly responsible? How?

As you try to think on it, you remember your truths, and suddenly, you realize, another has changed:




[That you would. Can you? You know that, whatever your answer, you must find a way to the truth. The alternative is too horrible to even contemplate-if it is even possible to be comprehended. After all-if what you saw is what happens to the dead and condemned, what will become of the living at the hands of the terrible, unknown IT who is your jailer?

Hope that you do not have to find out. Hope there is an answer in the new floor that has opened up in the Building. Otherwise...otherwise you really are doomed.


There are 13 strangers in this place.]

Comments

[katzenpfote]

[Well shit. What is it?]

[strangerpeople]

[A square of static, flickering wildly.

>Examine?]

[katzenpfote]

[Sure, why not. Let's see if touching it does anything.]

[strangerpeople]

[The static starts to flicker more violently, as if trying to fight Caleb's touch. But it does start to recede, the longer he keeps it up.]

[katzenpfote]

[Well now he's just determined. He grips it more tightly and complains at it in Zemnian.]

Fuck off with your bullshit.

[strangerpeople]

[Slowly, and finally, the book with the white cover appears in full, static-free.

It looks to be about a little mermaid.]

[katzenpfote]

[A little... mermaid...]

Well, at least it's not a sea witch or whatever that was.

[Into his jacket pocket it goes! Back to finding a bag. Are there any with dumb sayings on them?]

[strangerpeople]

[...Guessing he wants one with dumb sayings?]

[katzenpfote]

[Yes, because he can throw it in the incinerator with the rest of the shit he collects and not feel bad about it.]

[strangerpeople]

[Well, how about one that is literally inspired by trash bags?]

[katzenpfote]

[Excellent, he'll feel less bad. Now back to the potion room to grab all the dangerous shit.]

[byanyother_name]

[Hey, Caleb, there's a redhead in there now, too. Though he's got a look that seems like he's not quite looking at the room the same way Caleb is?]

[katzenpfote]

[... Hm.]

What are you looking at?

[byanyother_name]

[Breathe and talk. It seems like this isn't just an immediate aftermath thing, Caleb.]

The Noise. Something... isn't quite right.

[katzenpfote]

... What are they doing? And can anyone learn to see them?

[byanyother_name]

It's not what they're doing. It's... Most of them are Taboo Noise, which is bad enough, but even for what they are, they don't look right.

[Kurama rubs briefly at the bridge of his nose before answering the second question.]

No. All of us in the mall were chosen for our ability to use the psionically-based Pins. It's one of those that grants the ability. So you need both the Pin and the capacity to use it.

[katzenpfote]

How do they differ from what you would expect to see?

And ah. I understand.

[Probably best to keep him away from psychic skills, anyway.]

[byanyother_name]

They're...stronger. Something about the darkness to them has greater force. A more primal nature.

It's concerning.