Mᴜᴛᴀɴᴛ Aᴘᴏᴄᴀʟʏᴘsᴇ 3: Sᴄᴀʀʀᴇᴅ ❪✓❫

09 || '𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐕𝐀𝐍 𝐆𝐎𝐆𝐇'

𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝗼𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

Faith took herself out of the fox body to stand on her two legs again, staring down at the infected panther with a dozen details of growth plates. She wipes away the blood from her mouth; which belonged to an animal body that carries a highly contagious virus.

"Oh, no." Her gentle eyes went into pure fear as she realizes the risks she'll face of the infection takes place. Faith scratches off the thick blood with her sleeves, rubbing, smearing, until Casey, Clem, and Regan rejoin with her. It looks like war paint all over her face.

"Are you okay?" Regan expected a fast answer from the hero of the day. Faith looks at the wildcat again on the ground, not knowing what to think or do after saving her friends' lives.

"I need to sit down." Faith breathes. She chooses to sit near the closest sidewalk to relax and gather herself. Her rear meets the curb to take the biggest break she needs. The girl didn't see how powerful she was or maybe she had forgotten how strong she is.

Clementine nudges the dead panther with her foot to confirm it is safe to be around. Any sudden twitches or movements from this thing will set her off in a good way. It doesn't move. "Wow." She says, pulling out one of the infected plates from the panther's chest. A powder-like material exits onto the earth and it gives off a slight glow from the tissues. Beautiful shades of orange, yellow, and white on such a dangerous monster-- this is the infection growing to a maximum level. "It's like a tooth if you think about it," Clem says.

Regan exchanges the infection piece from Clem. Her own description made sense by adding more to Clem's comparison. "She's right. The panther's body acts like the gums inside a mouth and these fungal growth plates are like a tooth-- take it out, it bleeds." Regan drops the plate on the ground.

"Guys?!" It was Leo running out from behind a different street with Raph and Mikey jogging behind. He sees no one is hurt but wants to affirm it. "What hap--" Seeing the nasty-looking cat on the ground. He didn't even wanna ask. "Come on... everyone home."

****

𝐎𝐬𝐚'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕

After having my episodes of seeing things, speaking to dead friends, and going on about my issues, the phone no longer exists to me. It seems like the horror has all been flushed out of me completely and gone down the drain. Still... there's an aftermath for all this.

Before I left the store, I tore the cord away from the phone, ripping it off the damaged wall and leaving it to blend in with the rest of the merchandise on the floor.

As a celebration of being free from my insane side, I released my bear appearance to the world after months. During my little walk, my claws scuffed the ground, and my nose caught a goss scent in the air.

Soon, the source of the smell was in my sight. It had puncture wounds to its neck, the fir was falling off-- it's like the Hellhounds. But this is a panther. The infection really infected more animals...

If my group took this thing down, geez, what a great job. Just to make sure they weren't far from me, I called out to them. "Leo?! Clem?!"

No answer after a moment.

I'm guessing they're all back at the store wondering where I am, and that's when my next objective takes place; to go home. The moment I stepped forward to make it back to my group, someone didn't want me to leave.

"So..." It was a female's voice. I slowly twist my head behind me to a silhouetted person. She has chocolate brown hair past her shoulders, a set of navy blue eyes, too. She held a bow in her right hand with an arrow loaded. This was NOT Patience. "You must be one lost little bear."