FRIABLE
adjective.
easily broken into pieces or reduced to nothing
Previously:
"That's it for this meeting. All scheduled meetings and projects are postponed until this "Y" is caught."
Present:
The days to follow went slowly, fear hanging over them all. Nothing new came up.
Nothing at all.
Springy was still mourning the loss of her puppies, and so was Sylvia, but they wanted to remain a support for their friend. The could do that for them after everything they had been through together. With no sight of this new threat, life started to return back to normal. There was a definite rise of tension between everyone. A constant unease and fear.
Geko started to sperate himself from everyone. With the constant accusing and fear of being judged, he hid away, which didn't help his already flaky image.
About a week after the incident, Springy was on her was to collect some wood when she spotted a note. As she approached it, her throat closed up, tears springing to her eyes. She didn't see what the note said,
Except for the cursive Y marked at the end.
She returned home on the verge of tears, refusing to look at the note. She was in such a daze she ran directly into her friend, Sylvia.
"Springy? What's up? I thought you-" They paused when they were handed a scrunched up note.
"I found it on the way to the forest. I didn't want to read it alone." She muttered. Sylvia nodded before opening the note.
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I see the first loss wasn't enough for you to reconsider your choices.
Maybe you need a bit more convincing...
-Y
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Sylvia sighed before checking outside and inside the house for anything new. In that time, Springy read the note also.
"We should call a meeting-" Springy started.
"No, they expect us to do that. You stay here, I'll go talk to the others one by one." Sylvia suggested.
"But what if they get you?" Springy said quietly. Sylvia pulled her into a hug.
"I know you're scared, but the others need to know about this so they can prepare." That didn't seem to calm Springy as she just held onto Sylvia tighter.
"Look, if I'm not back within the hour, then go to Charlie. Stay with them, okay?" Sylvia said quietly, stroking her hair comfortingly. Springy hesitated.
"Okay, just please stay safe." She begged.
"I will, don't worry. They said, grabbing their sword from their back as they pulled away.
And with that, Sylvia left.
The sun had started to set, so the oncoming monsters began to become a pain as they went from house to house, explaining the note from Y and that they just needed to stay calm and protected. They finished at Moe's house before walking back. They broke into a sprint, however, as spiders began chasing them. They shut the gate as they got through, blocking the fangs of the massive creatures before heading back inside. They knocked on the door, expecting it to be locked.
Their heart pounded as it just swung open.
They cautiously stepped inside.
"Springy?" No repliy.
"Wifey?" Still no reply. That's when they began to worry. They ran through the house, checking every room...
But no Springy.
They began hyperventilating as they thought of the possibilities, and gasped in horror when they saw the note on the bed.
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Maybe this will be enough for you, Sylvia
-Y
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They rushed back up the ladder, tears filling their sight. They bolted for Charlie's house, aware that Geko had recently left. As they got there, Charlie opened the door, a concerned look on their face.
"Sylvia? What happened."
"S-Springy- I left and she- I got back and I-" Sylvia rambled and stuttered, unable to speak through their tears.
"Sylvia, you need to calm down-"
"Springy's gone! I can't be- Oh my god..." They sighed out, covering her face.
"Springy's gone?!" Charlie gasped. Sylvia just nodded and sobs shook her small frame. Charlie immediately pulled her in to console her.
The whole night was spent planning how to find her the next day.
As the sun began to rise, the remaining group met in the hall once again.
"So, you're telling me that she found a note in the forest, brought it to you, you left to find us and tell us, you get back and she's gone and Y has apparently been there." Moe recounted it, looking at Sylvia. They nodded, holding back the tears that threatened to fall. He sighed.
"Y is becoming a big threat. I say we all move into one place and agree that no one person goes out alone." Moe suggested. Everyone agreed.
"Let's go as a group house to house. Do you guys wanna stay at mine? I've got plenty of space."
"Yeah, you have the most space out of all of us. Let's do it"
They all spent the day going to each person's house to grab essentials before making their way back to Moe's house. They set up everything before fortifying the base with more resources to protect them a bit better, like boarding up widows, covering wood with stone, simple things like that.
Once night hit, everyone agreed to take shifts through the night for protection. Sylvia offered to take most of the night.
"I won't be sleeping much anyway"
