WEE͠K ̸́4͝

[strangerpeople]

W҉͘E͜͠͝E̕K̡̛͡ ̡͟4̸

[The blight is all-consuming.

Within days dozens are confirmed infected, and you and your unexpected new scientist friend find yourselves trying to work on a cure. If not a cure, a stopgap of some kind. Anything to prevent this thing from destroying everything. It's hard work. It's not going very well. Really, it feels like with every step forward, you're taking ten steps back. Discouraging is an understatement, to say the least.

A week passes, and the death toll rises. It's really starting to look bleak. You constantly second-guess yourself, and even get into a fistfight with your new ally one night. It's getting to the point where you are working on fumes.

Then, unexpectedly, you get a phone call. It's been a long night, and the sun is beginning to rise above the mountains, when it happens.

You and the scientist are not the only ones looking for a cure. In fact, there are at least a dozen others-and they think they may be close to a breakthrough.

But-and you can't believe you're hearing this, after all of the failure you'd experienced throughout this blight-they need your help.]


---


[To say that the end of last week sucked would be an understatement. To say that no one knows what this week will bring is not even in question. Yet even as you wake, you feel a cloud lift from your mind, as one of the truths you've been living with since the beginning has suddenly changed.]




[But is it possible to abide by this new truth? The Hosts, and IT beyond, seem intent on making that impossible. And the rat...well. Obviously the rat's not an ally. Let's not kid ourselves.

There's only one way to find out if more deaths can truly be prevented-and that's to keep going, and hoping that the new floor that has opened up will offer something in the way of an opportunity.

In the meantime.


There are 11 strangers left in this place.]

Comments

[icanhearscreams]

[Jun tumbles out of the van and attempts to right himself. He blinks and looks around as he stands up, and brushes himself off.]

This is less of a 'City' and more of a 'neighborhood'...

['Sup nerds, it's a nerd.]

[unwittingking]

I was thinking suburbs myself.

[Hey shorty. It's your fellow shorty.]

Hey.

[icanhearscreams]

Oh hey, it's you.

... Guess you didn't get out, then.

[unwittingking]

Yup. Me again.

I did, actually. Then this started and now I'm stuck here.

…sorry I couldn't get the message to you...caretaker.

[He wants to say father, but if he remembers right, that's not how Jun saw it.]

[icanhearscreams]

That's... not your fault. This place just... won't let any of us go.

[unwittingking]

Still sorry for it. Can't really control that.

Anything we can do to help now? With...wherever you are?

[icanhearscreams]

... Try to not die more? I don't know if we can do this again, or if we can get out -

Ask Ambrosine. Maybe she can figure out something to bring us back for longer. If we can exchange information, maybe we can figure something out.

[unwittingking]

Got it. We'll...try.

[No guarantees.]

Right. Necromancy is...not always the best, but if it works I'm not one for complaining about it.

[He totally is, but he can hold back snark sometimes.]

Any chance we can take the easy way, though, and you can talk through a Ouija board?

[icanhearscreams]

Look, I wouldn't be suggesting magic if I didn't have a choice.

... As much as I want to say that stuff's fake I'm basically a ghost right now, so maybe? I have no idea, I was focused in marine biology not bullshit magic that was fake in my world.

[unwittingking]

Fair enough.

[He knows that feeling very well.]

It worked in my world, but Tarot's a psychic, so I'm not sure how well it'll do? But yeah, we should at least try, even if it is fake in some worlds.

[He'd probably think it was too if not for...so much stuff in his life.]

[icanhearscreams]

I... sure. Why not? At this point you might as well test every theory.

[unwittingking]

We're not doing blood rituals though. That'd be too much.

[Sorry, he just needs some lightness in the conversation.]

[icanhearscreams]

Let's not and say we didn't.

[unwittingking]

We won't. Promise.

[And that is a promise he knows he can keep.]

[necroyalty]

It's you.

[ ... ]

First of all, I apologize for being so quick to reanimate you that one time.

[icanhearscreams]

... Oh.

[Yeah that was still weird, but...]

At least you guys sort of figured it out? I heard there was a mess. I couldn't really give information I didn't have.

[necroyalty]

I was desperate, and... I didn't consider that you might not know much more than we did.

[ She buries her head in one hand. ]

Still. It's good to see you again.

[icanhearscreams]

No, it... made sense. I guess. Still weird, but. Whatever.

It's... I don't know, good to see you too? None of you should be in this damn thing again.

Eddie died in the afterlife by the way, and we haven't seen him since.