Godead

LIV

As Blair drove south, a shiver suddenly ran down her spine. She shrugged it off, rain pelting the windshield as lightning crashed through the sky.

"You okay?" Amanda asked.

"Yeah. But this storm is getting worse. I can barely see a thing through all the rain," Blair replied, the windshield wipers feverishly swiping back and forth through the heavy downpour.

"Maybe we should stop and wait it out. It's no good if we crash the car," Amanda said.

"...Maybe you're right," Blair replied.

After several minutes, the two pulled off the road, stopping at a small, remote diner. They looked around from the car, spotting no other vehicles or signs of life.

"Should we go inside?" Amanda asked.

"Might as well," Blair replied. "To be honest, I can't remember the last time I ate anything. Maybe we can find something inside."

The two left the car, quickly hurrying beneath the diner's small canopy. They approached the glass door, peering inside at the dark restaurant.

"Looks like it's empty," Amanda said.

"Yeah," Blair replied, trying the door. "...Locked."

"Stand back," Amanda said, Blair stepping back as Amanda broke through the glass. Blair smiled.

"That's breaking and entering, ya know," the policewoman teased.

"Heh. Sorry, officer. Guess you'll have to arrest me, huh?" Amanda replied.

"I don't have my handcuffs with me. And besides, I'm sure you'd just break out of them," Blair replied jokingly.

The girls lightly smiled, carefully entering the diner moments later. Upon entry, they looked around, the room dark as chairs were stacked upside down on the tables.

"Hello?" Blair called out, receiving no reply.

"Looks like no one's around. The place doesn't seem like it's been used in a long time," Amanda said.

"I wonder if there's any food left anywhere," Blair replied.

The two went to the back room, entering the kitchen and having a look around. The stench of rotten food hung thick in the air, as most of it had already gone bad.

"Phew. What a stink. Looks like there's at least some canned stuff left, though," Blair said. Just then, Amanda noticed something in a nearby wastebasket.

"Blair. Look," she said, pointing out several empty sardine cans inside. As the two looked down, a boy suddenly appeared from a nearby corridor. Blair and Amanda turned to him, tensing up as Blair aimed her Tec-9 at him.

"Don't move!" she exclaimed, the boy nervously staring them down from a dark hallway.

"D—D—Don't shoot! Please...!" he replied, voice sounding as though he had a cold.

"Who are you?" Amanda asked.

"M—My name's Sam," the boy weakly replied. Blair frowned, lowering her gun.

"...Sam, huh? Sorry if we scared you. Are you alright?" she asked.

"I—I think so," Sam replied.

"What are you doing here? We thought the place was empty," Amanda said.

"I live in a house not far from here. Mom and dad went crazy, and sis turned into some weird bug and bit me," Sam said. Suddenly, Blair froze in place.

"She... bit you?" she asked warily.

"Yeah. We escaped from mom and dad together, and took shelter in a nearby farmhouse. After awhile, though, my sister Shirley started acting stranger and stranger. Then one night, she up and exploded, turning into some kinda spider or somethin'" Sam explained.

"Where did she bite you?" Amanda asked.

"Here," Sam replied, showing a nasty bite mark on his arm. "Sis changed about two days ago. After she turned, she bit me, and just kept spouting random gibberish. I ran away from her, and have been hiding in this place ever since."

Blair and Amanda listened with concern, noticing the pale pallor of the boy's face. As they noticed the thin black circles around his eyes, they turned to each other, realizing he had the Paleface Virus. They slowly turned back, Blair worriedly frowning at the boy.

"How old are you, Sam?" she asked.

"Eleven," he replied. Sam was an average looking eleven-year-old boy wearing typical children's clothes and a bright red baseball cap.

"And how old was your sister?" Amanda asked.

"Twelve," Sam said. "I'm worried about her! I've wanted to go look for her again, but figured she might kill me if I go alone."

"And... you say she turned into a... spider?" Blair asked in surprise.

"Yeah. And a big one, at that. Eight legs and all," Sam replied.

"Sounds like she went through a transformation not unlike mine," Amanda said.

"If that's the case, she must be extremely dangerous," Blair said. As Sam worriedly frowned, Blair gave a small sigh. "...Tell you what, kid. After we get something to eat, Amanda and I will come with you to look for your sister. Maybe she's still at that farmhouse, or back at your home." Sam's eyes suddenly grew wide.

"...Really? You'll come with me?!" he asked.

"Sure thing, kiddo. Assuming this storm let's up, that is," Amanda replied.

As Blair, Amanda, and Sam stood in the diner, Debra grinned at Claude and the others through Berkfield's library window. She then stepped back, suddenly jumping through the glass. As the survivors warily edged backward, Debra looked on at Claude and Abby.

"...Hey!" she said playfully. "I remember you! You were the ones back at Stacy's house!" As Claude stood in stunned silence, Abby cringed, angrily stepping forward.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing, brat?! You just got glass in my hair, breaking through the window like that!"

As Abby spoke, Claude looked the young girl Debra over. Her appearance had changed much since the last time they'd seen her. She was now totally nude, and had a pair of wings similar to Abby's. Her eyes were like a fly's, and she had two small antennae growing from her forehead. Though Debra's wings were similar, she somehow looked less human than Abby.

"I got all excited when I picked up your scents!" Debra said. "It means even more people to play around with!" Suddenly, Debra raised her wings, flying in the air before releasing a thick pollen.

"...What the?!" Elsa exclaimed, wavering before suddenly passing out.

"...Damn...!" Claude exclaimed, also fainting along with the others. As the thick yellow pollen permeated the air, Debra, Abby, and Reuben were the only ones left standing.