Walking into the village, Blaine was met with destruction and disrepair. Unfortunately, the prospect of a large settlement of people living together and surviving in this new world had filled their mind with expectations that were far from met. They had to consciously remind themself that this was a community that had just been ravaged by monsters, on top of the fact that they were currently in a post-apocalyptic lifestyle. This more realistic description matched the landscape more accurately. Dante likely sensed Blaine’s slight disappointment, or maybe even the mask could not make their face unreadable.
“It’s not usually like this.” He reassured, “Before the attack it was actually a pretty welcoming place.” Dante was saying this both to comfort Blaine and himself. Though it was hard to believe even his own words whilst stepping over rubble and debris. There were a few puddles of the inky goo that made up the shadows’ forms. It sat like bits of freshly paved roads, covering up the cracks and imperfections of the damage that the monsters had made. “We are going to stop by and talk to Ishmael. He is our group doctor. And our mayor. And a lot of things to be honest.”
There was a strange feeling going through Blaine as they walked through this decimated college campus. It was a bittersweet nostalgia for a life never lived. Before the shadows had first made their appearance, Blaine was not quite old enough to be looking for colleges. It was more of an afterthought in their mind, a destination on the horizon but not quite in sight. They did not know where they would want to go, but they knew that they wanted to go far from home. Somewhere they could start a new life, where no one knew who they were or even their name. Though it was always easier to imagine it as a fantasy than to make plans. There were still people they cared about that they could not bring themself to leave.
Though Blaine had never been to college, or even visited a campus, the ideas they got from watching TV and movies had left a good impression. College was this place of community where you could be yourself and still be accepted, and there were bound to be others just like you. It was a place of self-discovery, blossoming friendships, and even the occasional bout of drama. Blaine wanted to experience it all, but now the chances of that were slim to none. This version of college was bleak and left much to be desired.
It was easy to tell when they got close to the doctor’s office. There was a line of people that seemed to span forever, with some who had clearly been waiting for a couple hours. There were many men who had greasy hair and were shaking from chills, their eyes sunken and tired. There were also women who cradled distended bellies, struggling to remain standing as the bundles of sorrow growing inside them sapped their energy and strength. Blaine was not entirely sure of the details, but the severity of the situation was not lost on them.
Dante and Blaine stepped past the line of future patients to speak to the community’s leader immediately; they were not quite expected in the office, but they were hoped for. Dante knocked on the door and paused until there was a verbal response that the two were allowed in. Stepping inside, Blaine saw Ishmael and realized that all his different titles came with their own set of bags for his eyes. His skin, while dark, still managed to look pale and wrinkled. His eyes were dark and heavy, not from illness but from sheer stress and fatigue. Black hair with grey streaks fell to his shoulders and framed his face, which held up a pair of chipped and smudged glasses. The doctor was examining a young woman with a rather large belly that was darker than the rest of her pale body, to the point where it was visible in the thin blue medical gown she was wearing.
“Ishmael, be honest. How bad is it?” The woman asked, her voice trembling with fear.
“Well, Dawn, the incubation time is usually fairly short anyways, but yours seems to be even shorter due to your age and overall good health. This one is rather large, I would not be surprised if you went into labor in the next 3 days.” Ishmael reported in a somber tone. “I am hoping it does not get much bigger in that time, but definitely come back if your symptoms get worse.”
“This thing is almost a third of my size, am I even going to survive the delivery?” Dawn had attempted and failed to choke back tears while speaking.
“As far as I can tell, these things don’t cause as painful of a delivery as a normal baby. Though there will certainly be discomfort and pain, I am quite confident you will be fine.” Though it was clear to Blaine from his expression that Ishmael was not a hundred percent sure of his words, he did not seem to be lying to spare Dawn of a harsh truth. “Go ahead and get changed, I need to speak with these guests.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Dawn nodded, not completely relieved, and grabbed her clothes from a chair while heading towards a door leading to a bathroom containing another exit. Ishmael turned towards Dante with alleviation, then his eyes moved towards Blaine and seemed to fill with more disappointment.
“I asked you to bring me a person willing to help, and you stand before me now with a child? Are you sure this kid has even seen a shadow before?” Ishmael did not hide his condescension from Blaine at all, yet Blaine did not feel as though they were being ignored.
“This is Blaine. They want to help in exchange for some supplies. I know they’re a little young, but I have confidence in them.” Dante seemed to be trying to convince everyone in the room, including himself. Ishmael remained unconvinced but was low on options, he sighed and came closer to Blaine.
“Blaine, do you honestly think you can kill a shadow?” The doctor asked with slight desperation.
“I already have before.” Blaine replied, their eyes not quite meeting Ishmael’s face and rather staring vacantly through him. Ishmael did not ask for more details, he knew Blaine was not lying.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to reveal your assigned sex at birth, but are you fully aware what would happen to you if one of those things overpowered you?” He took note of Blaine’s curly brown hair that reached their shoulders, along with the black cloth mask that covered their nose and mouth. Blaine’s outfit was loose enough to be breathable but not quite tight enough to accentuate any curves or expose the size of their chest. Ishmael remained curious from a medical standpoint, but also remained respectful.
“I am well aware.” Blaine answered, refusing to elaborate any further. Ishmael did not pry any further. “Dante said something about a group of shadows for me to get rid of, where can I find them?”
“Well, I am sure you have noticed the state of our village, we were attacked by some shadows a couple days ago. We fought them off the best we could, but they retreated before we could finish them off. Most of our men are infected and our women are now incubating little monsters.” Ishmael turned to a shelf with some pamphlets and pulled out a map of the university. “We did not see where they went but some people have reported strange sounds coming from the old science laboratory. That seems to be our only lead.” Blaine looked over the map and was a bit impressed by the size of the campus, though it seemed that not all of it was being used by the community. The health center was where Ishmael was caring for the sick, while the dorms were where most people were living. There was also a cafeteria that was being used, and a gym that had been repurposed as training grounds.
“What kind of weapons do you have?” Blaine asked curiously, knowing that the glow sticks in their pocket might not be enough.
“We don’t have much, but we can spare a flashlight if you need one.” He looked a bit shameful that he was willing to send someone with so little supplies. Blaine eyed something sitting on Ishmael’s desk.
“What about that?” They pointed at a small laser pointer that Ishmael sometimes used to point out specific details on his medical charts hanging on the walls. He seemed a bit surprised by the notion that Blaine wanted something so small to defend themself but allowed them to pocket it. They showed off the pack of glow sticks that rested safely in their pocket, showing they did not come empty handed. Dante handed them a flashlight and Blaine sighed, feeling prepared despite their overall lack of preparation. “I think I’m ready.”
Ishmael nodded and spoke something softly to himself in what seemed to be another language. Though they couldn’t understand the words, Dante and Blaine both recognized it as a kind of prayer. He showed the two to the door and they could hear him calling in his next patient as they walked out. Dante looked at the map given to Blaine and marked what he believed to be the quickest and saftest path to the lab. He looked down at Blaine and sighed.
“Look kid, I know we are both desperate, but there is still no shame in backing out.” Seeing Blaine shake their head made Dante feel both relieved that someone was helping the community but also fearful that the gravity of the mission had yet to fall onto them completely. Dante saw a lot of himself in Blaine, which both comforted and scared him. Without really thinking, he reached down and embraced Blaine in an attempt to comfort the both of them. Within less than a second after his hands touched Blaine’s back, a fist flew into Dante’s nose, and he stumbled to the ground.
Blaine stood speechless, their eyes showing a mixture of surprise, fear, guilt, and a bit in between. Dante could see tears in the corner of Blaine’s eyes, which they desperately attempted to blink away and hide with a stern expression. The force of the impact has caused Blaine’s long sleeves to roll up their arms, which they quickly fixed. Not quite quick enough for Dante to avoid seeing deep purple scars around Blaine’s wrists and up and down their arms. He realized his mistake in assuming the gesture would be seen as comforting. Dante wiped a bead of blood that came from his nose and smiled up at Blaine.
“Maybe you’re tougher than you look, sorry for treating you like a child.” Dante got up from his knees and Blaine offered a hand. “Now go out there and kick some ass.”