[Backdated to October -- Diary of the Dead Pt.2]

[ghoulserrand]

[It was a hard decision. It was an even harder talk with Faust. But after the last slip, he couldn't justify himself anymore. He told himself from the very start that he would only allow himself to live for as long as he could control himself and, clearly, he can't.

He's afraid of what happens next. He's afraid of what might happen to Faust when he won't just let them kill him. He doesn't want to hurt Faust in that or in any other way. But he has to do something. He can't let more people be hurt for his sake.]

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Hello, everyone. This is Teo. I have something important to tell you all.

I need everyone to stay away from me. If you see me, even if there's an apparition, don't help me. Don't get close.

I thought I could handle this, but I was wrong. I'm sorry. I've put all of you at risk.

My world is sick. The people in it are sick. There's no cure and it is fatal. It wipes out everything you are and it just leaves you hungry. You'll attack any living creature you can find. It's only here, recently, that I've learned that people could be immune, but that's only if they survive to find out.

I'm not a survivor. I'm one of the dead. I don't know why I'm awake, just that I am. I've been trying to make myself safe, but with these apparitions I

It's too easy for me to lose myself. It takes too much time for me to wake back up. I'm a danger to you and to this world. I won't ask you to forgive me. I just ask that you please keep yourselves safe. If it comes down to a moment, do what you need to do. Don't hesitate.

I'm so

so sorry

Comments

[tempusfinis]

[ not him being a total shit about this-- ]

staying away from others is the responsible thing. good for you.

[ghoulserrand]

[Well this isn't the worst reaction he could've gotten.]

It does come a bit late. Don't know if that still makes it good.

[tempusfinis]

better late than never. i wouldn't want someone else to hesitate with me, either, if it came down to it.

[ghoulserrand]

I didn't hurt you too, did I? It's so hard to remember what happens when I'm caught. You're not infected, right?

[tempusfinis]

No.

I'm more interested in how you apparently are still "awake". You're really saying there's no one else like you in your world?

Text

[21kingpuddings]

dead but awake?? like a zombie??? what the heck happened while I was gone

[ghoulserrand]

Uh.
Yeah.
Less like and more actually a zombie, I guess.
But I was already like this when I got here.

[21kingpuddings]

the whole time?!
thats uh
hmm

is it
just you? there arent others that I didnt notice right?

[ghoulserrand]

Yeah. Sorry.
I guess I've been like this for a year or two, maybe three...


I don't know of any other zombies here. It's pretty Z free as far as I know. So just me.

[But if there are more in hiding, like there was in Finland, he's not going to out them.]

[21kingpuddings]

thats just
a lot

just you for that long huh? so uh
whats it like...?

[wakemelater]

I'm going to ignore all that.

Are you okay? [Dumb question?]

[ghoulserrand]

[What does one say to someone ignoring a giant safety warning on purpose?

And worse, why does a question like that make him want to cry? He's not allowed to cry. That would be disgusting.]

No. I'm not.

I told myself I wouldn't let this happen.

[wakemelater]

[Nothing. If Nico paid attention to safety warnings nothing would ever get done (though he might be less traumatized). Anyway, Teo is dead and the dead can't hurt him. It's fine.]

Let what happen? Did you hurt someone?

[ghoulserrand]

[It takes him a long time to figure out what to say here, but there's really only one thing. He braces himself.]

Yes.

Faust was first, but he didn't turn and he convinced me to stick through this so long as I was more careful. But I attacked someone else. I don't know if they want me to say. We're trying to handle things.

[wakemelater]

[So the warning is warranted then.]

I see. That's regrettable. I'm sorry, but it's good of you to warn everyone. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision to make.

[necromanswers]

Did somebody force you to out yourself as undead? Tell me we don't have to re-learn this lesson.

[She's! So tired!]

[ghoulserrand]

What?
No. No, this isn't like that, I'm doing this myself. You all deserve to know. If someone hid an infection in my world they'd be a liability and a terrible person for putting their whole group at risk. It's the same thing.

[necromanswers]

You've gone this long without eating anybody, unless it happened while I was under a rock or something.

[ghoulserrand]

I bit Faust. And another person.

I've always tried to keep myself under control. But getting caught by those ghosts, I forget who I am. It only lasts a few minutes but in that time, I'm still doing damage.

[necromanswers]

And your solution is to tell everyone to stay away from you? Just leave you like that?

Dumbass. I don't even know you and I think that's shitty. How do your friends feel?

barges in 5 years late, forgive me...

[daikonrose]

There's a lot of things I kinda don't think I get about this, but can I ask just one question for now? How does your disease spread, exactly?

It's just that you've been here this long already, and it doesn't seem like anyone else is sick, you know? I'm sorry if that's prying too much.

Embraces heartily

[ghoulserrand]

No. It's okay. It's better if I make things clear.

I don't know everything for sure. I always tried to just not touch without being covered up. But I figure it's like bodily fluid? Blood and stuff.

Mostly that's getting bit by someone already infected. Usually, when that happens, there's a fever and then they die and

I know it sounds crazy or magical but the bodies just keep going, only hungry now. There's not usually any person left.

I taught myself to hunt when I woke up. And the replicators here do a good job. No one was infected here because I was careful until I couldn't be.

Two have been bit. They haven't turned. I don't know why. But I felt you all deserved to know.

[daikonrose]

[ Okay, the more he explains this, the more it is clear that this is definitely a Zombie Situation, which...huh. Huh?? She never considered that it would be possible to talk normally to a zombie, let alone be served tea by one, or trade recipes, or skip stones.

Is. is he like. totally sure about all this? ]

I don't mean to judge anyone here, but it seems like not getting bitten by you is a pretty low hurdle to clear? Do you have some kind of hidden super speed powers? Pheromones to lure people in?? Or is it just an element-of-surprise kind of thing?

[ghoulserrand]

[It's okay. She can use the Z word. He would use the Z word.]

Um
No pheromones. Or superspeed, though, I am pretty fast? I guess my world and the last world it was sort of a problem in how fast infections spread, you know, one becoming ten becoming a hundred. But there's also

Well it's kind of hard to stop the dead. They just keep going because pain's not as important as the hunger and they are already dead.

If it's just me, I guess it's surprise? No one was really expecting me to be like that. I didn't know the apparitions would make me forget. And since people got close my body just sort reacted.

Sorry. I know this isn't a very straight answer.

[daikonrose]

Right, right, I can see how having a whole ton of infected folks would be a different scenario. But since it's still just you, and most of the population here is actually made of metal, that's not really the case right now.

Okay, then! If I happen to see you act funny, I'll just quickly run away, and then message you later. Game plan: check!