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Dirk sighed and dropped the split wood into the pile, noticing the small crowd of infected shuffling towards their cabin. "Ugh. Jake, get your gun." Jake's ears pricked up and he put his axe down, leaving the half-cut log for later as he retrieved his gun from his strife specibus."Ladies! Can you lend us a little hand!" Jake yelled, the three girls rushing out with weapons."You called us out for this!?" Roxy groaned angrily, almost disappointed. "There's only like twelve marshmallow-heads!""It'll be quicker if there's more of us." Jake shrugged, shooting with Calliope and Roxy as Dirk swung his sword into them, Jane enthusiastically stabbing one with her fork."Well, I'm going back inside if you need me." Jane said, sliding the infected off her fork and wandering back into the cabin."Remember to wash your haaaands!" Roxy called, receiving a distant 'I know'.As soon as they were sure there were no infected left roaming, Jake, Roxy, Dirk and Calliope solemnly began dragging the corpses into a pile across the river to be burned that night. While they piled the bodies up, they were silent. No casual small talk. No bad jokes. Only quiet."Dinner's in fiiive!" Jane called, opening the door to the cabin to look at her melancholy friends, who quickly cheered up at the promise of food and began to finish up on the pile, Calliope doing most of the work with her 8 foot frame. It wasn't long before her friends began filtering in to wash their hands and eat."Is that blood?" Jane asked Dirk, both surprised and angry as she looked at the red that streaked down his arm, grabbing his wrist to pull him close and inspect the small wound. Dirk flinched at her touch, a trickle of blood from his arm dripping down the drain."Oh? I guess I caught a scab or something. No big deal." Dirk shrugged, shrugging off Jane's concern."Not a big deal?" Jane snapped, Dirk cringing at her unwittingly clutching his arm tighter. "You don't clean the cut, some of the spores from the marshmallow-heads get in, you DON'T TELL ME and mushrooms start growing and-and they take you over and you can't control yourself and in the midDLE OF THE NIGHT AND YOU-""...Woah." Dirk muttered."Hey...Jane." Roxy said quietly, sliding her hand over Jane's and lifting it off Dirk's arm, holding it in her hand for a second before Jane pulled away."Oh-I-uh...sorry, Dirk." She said, starting to wipe the blood off with a damp towel and stick on a band-aid "I just...after what happened to my dad I've kinda been-" Dirk pulled Jane close, tightly hugging her and pressing Jane against his chest, resting his chin on her head."It's ok, Jane. I'm glad you care. Seriously, the amount of times you've saved my ass..." Jane chuckled before coughing and ripping away."Shit!" She began fanning her hands at the grill. "FUCK, THE FISH!""Who's fucking fish-oh shit!" Roxy asked, looking up and suddenly noticing the smoke and beginning to rapidly fan, Jake doing the same. Calliope rushed to the sink and grabbed a cup, quickly filling with water and emptying it onto the fire until it smouldered into dying embers. There was a sigh of relief as the five noticed that the fish wasn't too badly burnt, a little charred on the bottom but that being about it.*************The evening air was frigid and clean, the fragrant pine trees that were contained in the forest clearing their lungs of the smoke from the fire. They all sat against a log, a plate of fish, corn and other miscellaneous foods in their laps as they watched the burning pile far way from them, across the river.It's kinda cold, isn't it?" Roxy said, breaking the silence with the first thing that she noticed, without resorting to the topic of 'burning corpse pile'."I noticed that too. Do you think that seasons progress in dream bubbles as normal?" Calliope pondered."I jolly well hope not!" Jake began "I have no clue how we'll survive the winter without the game or crops.""If push comes to shove, I can use the pounds of instant cake mix I have stored, and when that runs out we can always scavenge in the dream bubbles." Jane suggested."Jane, you know that we can't leave here, we'll probably just have to ration a bit, maybe smoke or dry out some fish." Dirk said, trying to brighten the mood, but failing."Oh my god! Maybe we could hibernate, like bears!" Roxy said, trying and succeeding to lighten the mood. They jumped in alarm as the burning pile began cracking and sparking, white and black powder rising in the smoke."Everybody inside, now!" Dirk commanded, everyone grabbing their plates and rushing inside the cabin to preform their nightly rituals. Jane and Roxy did quick work in blocking the windows as Dirk, Jake and Calliope blocking up the door."Why does that part always take the most out of me?" Jake groaned, going from leaning against the door to walking into the bedroom, slowly slipping off his shirt. "Welp! I'm going to hit the ol' hay, if anyone wants to join me?"There was a pause before everyone began hastily stripping down to their underwear, leaving a trail of shirts and pants leading to the bedroom. It was a small room with black wallpaper that lined every inch of the walls, only stopping around the very stereotypical brick fireplace. At first it took a while for everyone to be comfortable enough with each other to sleep in the same bed, but with little other choice, they soon had to learn to sleep together.They climbed onto the bed, wrapping the many blankets around themselves as they huddled up to each other, forming a pile with Jake and Calliope at the bottom, and Roxy, Dirk and Jane on top, weaved together on the large bed as they steadily drifted to sleep. ****************"Psst, Roxy." Dirk whispered, patting Roxy on the face, getting a groan on response. "Roxy!""Whaaaaat?!""There's someone knocking at the door." He whispered, Roxy listening and hearing a faint tapping."I'll get my gun." She groaned, gently climbing off the pile and sneaking out of the bedroom."Thanks, babes~." Dirk whispered sarcastically"Your welcome babessss~" Roxy replied. She headed to the door and began removing the blockade, a deep sigh escaping her as she raised her gun to head height."Who's there?""Roxy!" A familiar voice chirped. Roxy swung the door open."John!?" Her desperate eyes scanned him. He was gaunt, his bones looking as if they would slice though his filthy skin and ragged clothes. His legs were trembling and his eyes were bloodshot and deeply shadowed...and he was covered in cuts.She stepped aside to let him in, John running up to her and clinging to her. Before Roxy could return the hug, she gagged and reeled back."Jesus ChrIST!" She yelled, trying to lower her voice but failing. "John I'm so happy to see you but-I'm going to block up the door while you take a shower."********John quietly snuck through the dark bedroom, trying not to wake anyone as he shut the bathroom door. The lights automatically flickered on as he stepped in and began to undress, almost in awe of the the pristine white tiles and behemoth of a bathe,8 shower heads protruding on top of the massive tile bath. Shakily, he climbed in the bath and turned the knob, a stream of warm water pouring over him as he picked up a bottle of soap and squirted some into his hand, rubbing it in his hair and on his skin, the water and foam that washed off him stained brown and tinged with red. It had been so long since he last had the opportunity to bathe, John not noticing the click of the door in his moment of bliss."Jake?" Dirk asked groggily, trudging over, John not hearing him over the water. Dirk wrapped his arms around the frozen boy, not caring about the water that was soaking his hair and dripping down his back."Why are you even showering? It's like 2 in the morning" John didn't answer, frozen in confusion and fear. "Jake? Are you ok?" Dirk turned off the shower."Strider, get your hands off the kid." Roxy said sternly, leaning on the door frame."Kid?" Dirk stepped back and looked at the emaciated boy, the multitude of cuts and bruises suddenly becoming apparent. Dirk grabbed his shoulders and pulled him around to look at his face."Wait a minute, you're not Jake." Dirk finally said, very confused."Well you've got me there!" John said awkwardly, trying to cover himself up in a way that wasn't obvious, resorting to crossing his legs over each other and nonchalantly dangling his arm over his groin."What's goi-John!" Jane yelled, alerted by the ruckus and running over and hugging him, not caring about herself being shirtless and John being wet and naked."Oh god, what's happened? You look like a skeleton- and you're sliced to pieces!" She she ran her hands over his his bony skin, John."You get some sleep and in the morning I'll fix you up and cook you some food!" She said, John smiling widely at the suggestion of a meal.********John sat outside, leaning on a log and and watching his fishing line dance in the water. He flinched at hearing a distant gasp, and looking up, he saw a small collection of the infected, not coming towards him, but instead ascending the mountain."Uh, guys?!" He yelled, all Jane taking a few moments to leave the cabin before coming to him and Calliope walking over from the small farm. "Is this normal?" He pointed at the distant infected."No...I wonder what they could be doing?" Calliope said."It doesn't matter what they're doing, they aren't bothering us." Jane replied "Oh by the way John, after dinner I'm going to put bandages on you.""Aw what? How come?""If any of that powder from the marshmallow heads gets into open wounds then you'll turn into one too.""I know but, why bother, the infected are doing their own thing up on that mountain. Also, marshmallow heads?""John," Jane began "If you're going to stay here than you're going to need to follow our rules, it's for your own good anyway.""Fine. But after dinner, bandages itch." Jane nodded and walked back inside, Calliope getting back to work on tending to the small farm they had, John returning to gazing at his fishing line, the infected fading out to his peripherals.**********"Oh my god look, they got to the top!" John exclaimed, watching the infected like a spectator sports, his almost overflowing plate resting in his lap."What are they gonna do now?" Jake thought out-loud."I don't like this, we should go inside." Dirk picked up his plate and tried to urge the others to get up."I'm sure it'll be fine, I just want to see what they do.""Yeah, I know, that's what I'm scared of." After he said that, the infected began to open their mouths in a silent scream, their arms back as they pointed their chests towards the sky. They collapsed onto the ground, a thick, mist-like dust beginning to roll off the mountain like, quickly heading towards them. "Holy shit! Can we go inside now?!""OK YEP." Jake yelled, springing up "Everyone inside!" As the group began to rise, the mist hit them, engulfing their bodies. All of them rushed into the cabin, slamming the door behind them and rapidly blocking the door and window."I think I really need those bandages now!" John gasped fearfully, noticing the white powder that began to settle in his numerous wounds. Everyone was still, John curling over and vomiting, gasping and wheezing as white fungi rose from all of his cuts with a horrific tearing noise, wrapping around him and entwining his neck and limbs."Help!" John finally cried, his eyes fading white before he shambled towards them.Roxy pulled her gun, screaming and crying as she tore dozens of holes into his body, blood and spores spraying onto the walls and floor. As he fell limp to the floor, she began panting, then sobbed loudly, lowering her arms and leaning into Calliope, who took her in her shaking arms.