8 hours after the shooting - the (almost) whole group gathers around Angela's bed. Tifa trudging near the back "come on, give her some space" she raises her voice at the group - which was eager to speak to her. Tifa places herself near the footend of the bed, she watches Angela sit in an upright postion - Anxious to learn what's been going on, she holds herself back from hurrying Angela along. "H-Hello everyone, I'm sorry for worrying all of you." She says, her eyes darting around the room. Before resuming what she has to say, she pauses and glances at the rooms doors "what about Rita and Dustin? Why aren't they here?" She asks, directing it at Marand.
"Oh Haha, Dustin? I'm not sure, he's been feeling off lately." Marand answers, hiding her discomfort - but through her facade, a singular twitch of the eye shines through.
"They'll be here soon dont worry, if you're really ready to tell us then go ahead." Tifa tells Angela in a calm tone. "I..." Angela looks off into the distance, trying to compose herself. "The people with me - they were going to be offered to the Miasma... i wanted to help them.... but i only got them killed" she stutters her way through a train of thought - making pauses between each to hold herself together.
Tifa looks at her puzzled "Miasma? What are you saying, Angela?"
"I don't know exactly what it is myself but... its said its able to connect itself to the underworld- " before Angela could finish her sentence, a grizzling roar pierces into their ears. The nearby window encased in a radiant light. Closest to the window, Marand - peers through the window which was beginning to eminate heat through the glass. "That goddamn fool..." Marand expresses, completely encased in her own mental space she storms out the doors. Tifa and Jimmy follow along. Their eyes are met with a blazing flame in the centre of the farm - being commanded by none other than Dustin, weilding what seemed to be a flame thrower. All he had on was a makeshift welding helmet made from scraps of metal he ductaped together - the lingering heat scorching the hair on his left hand.
Tifa starts to walk up to him saying "what in the hell are you doing!" Dustin stops for a moment, letting his finger off the trigger. He looks on carefully at Betty's carcass post-incineration. Tifa takes another step forward and Dustin whips back 180° facing her, the flame thrower aimed at her chest - he keeps his finger off the trigger.
"If you dont want to be infected, you better stay away from that thing or the same thing will happen to you" his voice muffled, he warns Tifa. She walks an inch back, raising her hands slightly up "i just need some answers, what's the good in keeping me in the dark" She tells the man. "Trust me. This is to protect you - as much as it is to protect me, now get out of here."
He held his gaze at her for a few moments, gesturing with the tip of the flame thrower to get out of there. Tifa looks on at the man, her mouth wide open. She looked as though she was looking through the man, while making sure to take a slow step back. Dustin notices this and quickly snaped back facing the cow's body - his face is met with a long black curling goop-like substance. Extending itself toward Dustin's face at rapid pace - it was like a giant pitch black spear was heading straight for his face, but its mass was unlike that of an object he's ever seen before - it was unknown to him, almost extraterrastial.
What felt like hours goes by which was only a few seconds - Dustin feels a sudden force plummet into his side, he lets out a deep grunt - dropping to the ground, just before making contact with this 'miasma'. "Are you alright?" Rita asks, she was the one who leaped in to save him while everyone watched. Rita was on top of Dustin, her pelvis mounted on top of his.
From the cabins side, a visibly distraught Marand marches her way toward the two on the ground. "Ive had enough" Marand claims, walking past Tifa still standing in place. The black goop's pointy edge locks on to a new target; Marand. "Hey!" Tifa shouts while holding Marand back by the arms. Holding her back, Marand's arms begin flailing as Tifa restrains her. The sudden movement causes her to drop a previously concealed knife onto the grass.
"Aaaaaaaahhhh!! Get off him!" Marand screeches at the two laying down, not even acknowledging the dark mass approaching her. Dustin shifts his body weight, and pushes Rita to the side - proping the flame thrower on his knee. He holds the trigger down, his hands shaking from the force he is putting into it - the blast of straight inferno pushing him back. It makes contact with the mass. Burning it, it begins to crack endlessly - dark flakes seperate off from the main body. They glide through the air, making a swish noise. It extends again, mere inches before Marand's face - before taking the final dive, the darkness stops in place. Marand's eyes now locked onto it, the black mass sat hovering in front of her eyes. She was no longer resisting Tifa's hold - and so did Tifa's hold on her gradually decrease as the black mass stayed in place. Marand's mind goes numb, her emotional outburst had overwhelmed her senses. The black mass bluring into its surroundings, leaving her in a near state of shock.
It keeps cracking, a crack reaches all the way from the cow's corpse to the tip of the miasma - It's groove deep. The mass' extension begins to crumble from the thinest section onwards - the tip of it remaining still, almost levitating as it remains locked in on Marand's face. It keeps decaying, flakes of the black substance gently land onto the grass. Marand stays staring at the point, until the decay reaches near her. The flakes falling toward Marand, she takes a step back - bumping into Tifa. Tifa loses her balance and they both land on the dirt.
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The final fragment glinding through the air like a petal, tenderly landing on a strand of grass beside Marand's boot. Marand reflexively moves her leg back, bending it towards herself - while Tifa remains under her body applying pressure as to push her off.
Dustin rises from crouching, turning to face the farm. The dead cows corpse had turned into just that, a corpse - the black gunk had completely disappeared off the cows body, all that remained was a pool of blood beneath a fusion of flesh and cow organs. "Eugh" Dustin looks away at the ground, almost gagging at the sight. Marand and Tifa still on top of each other, Tifa looks at the knife beside her and snatches it - holding it away from Marand. "Are you insane?" Tifa says into her ear, holding her by the shoulder and preventing her from escaping. "I'm gonna kill that bitch" Marand shouts, barely resisting. Up to that point Rita had been laying on the ground since knocking into Dustin - she got up collectedly, on the surface she did not show an ounce of fright.
Dustin walks over, dropping the flame-thrower to the side and pulling his makeshift mask up. "Its fine Tifa, let her go." Dustin says, panting between every other word. "Let her go? Are you crazy? She was about to stab someone" Tifa replies. "No... Haha. Its going to be okay, you can put me in prison - i dont mind. She'll get whats coming to her eventually, it doesnt matter if im there to do it or not" Marand coldly declares, her eyes barren of soul. "We really don't need this psychotic bitch around, she has no use - she just eats up valuable resources while YOU act innocent." Tifa says, directing her vision at Dustin. "If it were upto me, she wouldn't be seen here at all." Tifa states, the whole group watching. 'If it were upto me....' those words inexplicably stayed within her mind while holding Marand down.
A few hours later... Marand is thrown in the cell, she falls back into the wall - sliding down it. "When's my meal" Marand asks, "i don't know, ask your boyfriend" Tifa replies, slamming the gate on Marand's face and locking it. Tifa returns to the cabin, a crowd once again surrounds the doctors room. Now carrying a gloomy atmosphere, Tifa could not sense much joy from the room. She kept walking on, her mind fearing the worst. Even Dustin was there, looking at Angela who was no longer responsive. "What's wrong with her...?" Tifa asks, asking Rita specifically. She was initially flustered with the question then answered, "her fever shot back up and she collapsed. Mike's not sure when she'll be up again." Tifa looks at Angela, her heart aching once again.
The group sat in silence, not sure on what to do. They had become completely overwhelmed and it was present on their faces. Mental exhaustion had begun to seap through their tough exteriors, even Dustin looked visibly shaken. Mike began to walk around the room, examining a few empty bottles of medicine. His expression did not bare a resemblance to the others present in the room, he wore the indifference on his face like a badge. Calmly gathering his supplies, checking medicines, measuring things, unaffected by the melancholy meandering through his room, like a solitary figure walking through a downpour without a single drop touching him.
In the midst of his several menial tasks, his peripheral vision noticed the room had become like a stone sculpture. He placed his utensils down, got up from his chair and looked to the people's faces from a distance. The worry on their faces did not connect to him, 'what was it that they truly wanted.. the well-being of said companion or the knowledge she withheld from them?' This question stayed in his mind as he examined the group's faces, one by one - altough carrying the same grief, each member's expression carried an underlying motive.
"And we were so close to finding out the truth..." Mike says, facing away from the group. "Truth... its an interesting thing. What really is truth, its entirely subjective - a social construct if you will" he says with an arrogant inflection. "the only real TRUTH that we can grasp is that of science, everything else is just..."
he carries on, shortly being interrupted by Dustin's voice "What're you on about old man, get to the point".
"I'm implying that - even if she remained concious, the truth she would have presented to us would have been far from what any of would deem 'truthful' ". Mike states to the group, back still facing them.
"But I'm sure a few of you already know that." He stops talking for a moment, analysing their reactions - anticipating the moment that 'underlying notive' shows itself.
"Seriously? That's what you have to say?" Tifa questions the man. "Who cares about truth when she's in such a state." She continues, her eyes drifting away from the man.
"You should be grateful I got her to stay awake for even that long" Mike replies under his breath, turning around again concealing his slight smile. 'There it is' Mike thought to himself, despite her words Tifa thought something completely different. Her body posture, eye contact, tone of voice all were saying the exact opposite of what her mouth muttered. Mike's smile grew larger after relishing in that fact, barely being able to hold back his laughter. His grin twisted and contorted, almost feline - his mouth curling outwards at the corners. He couldn't control this feeling, it was ready to overflow. Not just a feeling but a presence deep within, a weight that pressed into him, reshaping him. His entire being seemed to hum to this beat of domination. This feeling he could feel eat away at him, control him, he wanted more, he wanted to bathe in its suffocating aroma. The feeling of sovereignty - a blaze that ignited something deep inside him. And he craved it more than anything in this world.
