When the kids walked further into the forest, they began to realize that they had no idea what to do next. Originally – in the book – things just happened to come up at the right moments, and there was always something to keep them occupied.
Sue was starting to consider falling back on her knowledge of the book to make things happen, although it didn't seem like fair play to her. When the cold wind became increasingly uncomfortable, she gave a curious look to her little sister. Usually, Loo was the first one to complain in a situation like this.
“Do you think...” Loo now began...
“No, I don't think you can kill yourself with that,” Pete said without looking.
“No...” Loo gave Pete a strange look, and an untypically said smile crept onto her face. “No, I never considered that.”
Ed, who until now had been grumpily staring at the ground, gave his sister an amused look.
“Eh... you sure did, Loo. Just a few minutes ago, you tried to cut your arteries with a piece of bark.”
“You know...” Loo continued without any sign of a reaction, “When I... when I visited that clearing last time I was in Blarnia... I thought I was doing the right thing. I had been given these items, and I had to deal with them somehow, right? I was... I... I really just wanted to to the right thing.”
“Yeah, I always thought killing yourself was the right thing to do,” Ed chortled. Pete, who had an admirable although somewhat stupid protective instinct towards all of his siblings, tried to slap Ed at that, but he laughed and dodged it easily. Sue, meanwhile, was the only one who seemed to be concerned about her sister.
“But when I showed them to everyone, it was so... crushing to see how they reacted. Even... even some of my friends...”
“You don't have friends,” Ed commented, still without really listening to her.
“What are you even talking about, Loo?” Sue asked hesitantly. “You have never been to Blarnia before. You mean in the book?”
“I never went to that place again. I didn't... I didn't even go near it. I can't... put up with it anymore. And I... I never want to play again. Even if I'm not gambling, and wouldn't gain more of them, I don't... I can't...”
Now even Ed realized that something was wrong, although he still couldn't bring himself to care. Pete was busy looking for a branch that was thick enough to make a passable club, and hadn't heard anything.
“Ed?” Sue said, her eyes fixated on Loo, who had stopped walking and was now hyperventilating. “I think Loo needs help. You remember the book better than me. What can we do?”
“I never wanted it to be a big thing... I never wanted any attention.” Loo seemed to have lost all awareness of her surroundings. “I just... couldn't do it anymore. It was a pain. Why is that such a horrible thing? Why couldn't... couldn't they understand it? Am I really that bad of a person just for asking something? I didn't even... I didn't... I didn't mean to...” Now she was collapsing, caught only by Sue who was kneeling in the snow beside her. “And she doesn't talk to me anymore...”
Ed watched Loo with an annoyed expression, then he sighed. “Asthma could probably help. But I've no idea if we can reach him.”
“Asthma?” Sue called, her voice anxious and faint. “Asthma, are you out there?”
“She doesn't talk to me anymore.” Loo closed her eyes, and a single tear fell into the snow. “If I could just... just... everything else wouldn't be that bad. But she's gone...”
“Someone has asked for my help?”
Everyone turned their heads. A small tomcat was walking through the snow and towards them.
“Is that...” Sue began.
“A talking cat? Yeah.” Pete walked towards it, his club ready to strike. “Doesn't seem natural. Maybe we should kill it?”
Asthma yipped in annoyance. A second before Pete could reach him, he was lifted into the air and thrown to the next tree. Ropes appeared out of nowhere, and a second later he was captivated.
“Hey, cool.” Ed grinned, and went to utilize his brothers unfortunate situation.
“Something's not right with Loo.” Sue was still holding her sister, whose eyes and were now closed, her mouth moving without making a sound.
“Let me see her,” Asthma said calmly. Despite the horror of the situation, Sue briefly registered how weird it was to have a tomcat giving her orders.
When Asthma leaned over Loo's shaking body, she suddenly gasped and tried to move away from him.
“It's you! You did... you took...” but then she blinked, and her sudden outburst stopped as soon as it had begun. “No... it's not you...”
“You need to sleep,” Asthma ordered firmly, and pressed his paw on Loo's brow. “Shh...”
Loo's breathing slowed, and just a few seconds later she was breathing peacefully.
“She will be alright,” Asthma said. “But you... I can't help you anymore.”
“Me?” Sue blinked. “Why? I feel fine.”
“I'm sorry." Asthma lowered his gaze. "I don't understand how this works any more than you do. All I know is that you have been infected somehow. And it's too late for me to help.”
There was just enough time for the fear to reach Sue's face before the chocking started. When she collapsed from her kneeling position, the snow had already been painted red by the first drops of vomited blood.
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Topic: M57: Blarnia Mafia (Game Over, Mafia Wins!) (Read 42008 times)