The Fifteen Strangers Mods (
strangerpeople) wrote in
15strangers2020-02-09 12:08 pm
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W̧E̷E̡̕K ͡3̴
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.]
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He's still, on the ground. Arthur feels the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and runs to his side.] It's not- not yet--!
[He reaches for the pulse in Kurama's throat. Not breathing. No pulse. No, no no--] C-Come on, please- [He has some Medic training. Maybe it's not too late, to re-start breathing if he starts chest compressions. He's no doctor, but he has to try--]
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Stop freaking out, Arthur. He's not dead. [ A pause. ] At least not in the way you're thinking he is.
[ He's not going to say Kurama's completely okay but he's at least trying to get Arthur to calm down a little. ]
He's just passed out. If he were in any real danger, I'd know.
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[He looks up, hopeful. He knows Kurama died. Better than most, he knows it. But....but he's lying here, with no heartbeat, no breathing...]
How would you know?
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[ He points at Kurama's prone form with a soft chuckle. ]
Let's just say that if he was truly in any danger, his entire form would be turning staticky.
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[He looks down at Kurama, and retreats slowly.]
If you say so. He's okay?
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'Okay' is maybe a strong word given the expression of pain that crosses his face briefly before he realizes they're there.
He opens his mouth but his lips only form the first syllable before he realizes there's no sound coming out.
Right. Breathing. Take a breath, try again.]
...I've still probably had worse ideas.
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See what I mean? He's alright. It wasn't anything life threatening.
[ He then pauses and kneels down next to him, smile a little sharp now. ]
I really don't doubt that in the slightest, though I am curious to what you did that made you pass out to start with.
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There's still concern in his voice.]
Okay... If he's alright then he's alright. [...] What happened, anyway?
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He points towards the boundary line of the cold wall.]
I tried to Scan beyond the wall.
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You shouldn't have done that. What if it killed you?
[ Oh look. Here's that reprimanding. He's only doing it because he cares about you as his friend, damn it. ]
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[Arthur gets it, though. After all, it's not like he's not going to take risks for answers. He already has - as they both know. Besides, he's a librarian. He wasn't raised to let knowledge hide in corners.]
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[Does he know what Karma actually means? Of course he does. Is he going to admit it? Outlook Hazy, Ask Again Later.]
And yes, that's part of why I did it, though who is to say it means these walls? I won't be trying again, though. It was like everything I've been finding in here, multiplied above and beyond merely overwhelming.
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[ An almost irritated sigh sounded from him at Kurama's comment and he had to resist rolling his eyes. No wonder him and Akira had managed to get into a relationship with each other and Goro. It kinda made sense, the more he thought about it. ]
As long as you're not trying that again, that's good enough for me.
[ Karma stopped to think about what the other said, and almost regretting what he was about to say next. ]
I guess you learned something useful from that. If just trying to scan beyond here does that to you, it makes me wonder if it's because it's just that much worse out there or if it's because of IT's influence past those walls that caused that to happen.
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[You don't know until you try. Once you know, you don't need to push it.]
So, this area's shielded from the worst of it, or something? Why would that be?