15strangers | WEE͠K ̸́4͝

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[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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, really big. Like, bigger than the buildings!

[He's not sure about amazing, but he certainly did something. And the six of them got out of there, and maybe the other nine are basically okay too...]

It's-- all the food tastes like sand. The water too. A-and there's pills, but the Hosts eat those and are all mind-controlled-y, but the food might have something to do with the brainwash stuff too...I don't wanna give IT any wiggle room.

[You murdered the Big Bad out of sequence, Arthur. Shut up and accept the compliment.]

What I remember from the carnival did, too, so I imagine it's the same... still, we don't have to eat anymore.

You do. I don't want to see you where we were.

[There is a part of her that wants to add on something about this "Caleb" having the right idea and to trust in him at least for that, but the words die in a spasm of static.

Anyway, maybe now is a good time for other people to jump in and poke at Emma? Not that she's letting Arthur go, mind, but. She's at least calming down enough she might be able to hold multiple conversations.]

[listen sequence-breaking isn't ic knowledge]

Carnival? You were at a carnival? [...] Fear couldn't break me. This won't either.

We've been through a couple of places, now, but yes, at one point. [Tick, sigh.] It was about as creepy as you'd expect a dead carnival to be. Almost got swallowed up by something, [well, more like Nothing, but that's really hard to word,] too, but managed to make it out of there before waking up where we were before coming here.

"Swallowed up by".....you don't mean a....howling darkness, do you?

[He swallows, suddenly very, very concerned and alarmed.]

...Something rather like that, yes.

[Sorry, Arthur?]

We got away from it, though.

I've seen IT too.

Good....that's not- it's really bad. Probably worse than ol' three-eyes.

I'm very glad we got away from it, then...

[Her mouth presses into a thin line. This definitely worries her. But what worries her more...]

What do you mean, "you've seen it?" In your visions?

Yeah. You remember how my visions work. The first day here, I tried to see, and the person I saw through noticed I was there. I've had contact with him a few more times, but IT noticed the link.

I'm uh. Not supposed to try and reach him again.

[...

Okay. Yes. That is Concerning. Concerning enough that he actually gets her breathing to stop for a second, desynchronizing from the ticking.]

"Not supposed to." That sounds suspiciously like you're still willing to try.

Don't you dare.

I saw that thing through my own eyes. I don't even want to think about what it could do to you if it got through to you like that.

[Her voice is trembling too much for her to actually sound angry.

Death isn't the scariest thing she could imagine at this point. At least she has a solid idea of where he'd wind up. But that?

She doesn't even want to think about it. It's a sinking, empty feeling – hopelessness, despair – and it's too much, especially amidst everything else.

So it's all she can do to try to sound stern, to try to hold on to some sort of ████ that if he doesn't use his power, IT might stay away, at least in that sense.]

I'm.....pretty sure it tried to destroy every version of me, past, present, and future.

[he

already risked it

that's fine right?]

[The idea is horrifying.

It's horrifying, and she can't stop the way that sinking, empty feeling from before starts wrapping itself around her heart.

Starts eXtinguishing any of the light it may have held, even the reason she feels this strongly about it to begin with...]

[Just...just this forever.]

Arthur, you are not doing any more visions on purpose without anyone. Ever.

[That is not a request. That is a statement.]

[Bless you, King.

She would appreciate you right now if she weren't currently busy being somewhat unable to experience positive emotions.]

[Hey, so, about poking Emma. Kurama understands reunions are very engrossing but he is getting Really Concerned.

Especially since he's not sure she's noticed she's in beat with the ticking.]

Emma, please be careful. You're breathing and moving with the ticks and that is IT's rhythm. It's not safe.

—Eh?

[Still in time.]

...I am? Ah... I'm sorry, I'll try not to...

[And she does make an attempt now to try to manually desynchronize herself, but it seems like despite her struggling, her body is working against her a little.

...That's probably not good.]

[That's definitely not good and Kurama reaches out to touch her hand.]

Try to breathe with me instead?

[Kurama has been literally practicing breathing against the rhythm of the tick for weeks. Ever since the TV.]

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