The Red Death

Thank Heaven! the crisis—
The danger is past,
And the lingering illness
Is over at last—
And the fever called “Living”
Is conquered at last.

It was a small town by the name of Port Austin. I had Run there. I was just getting started; otherwise, I probably would’ve already written this down. But I think my memory will be good enough this time around.

The Convocation, the thing inside the Faceless Bastard, is only one of the things out there. There is also the Plague Doctor. The Plague Doctor is a... person... in a bird mask that spreads sickness wherever he goes.

You see, the Convocation is the fear of nature embodied. The Plague Doctor is the fear of disease.

The Plague Doctor killed almost everyone in Port Austin. Not me, obviously, but most. He clearly wasn’t concerned about subtlety. I almost wondered if he was trying to warn me off, although I don't know why he'd do that instead of just killing me.

I saw him at one point. I ran, of course. The point is, though, that's how I know it was his work.

The Plague Doctor used hemophilia, except it was highly contagious, and fatal within half an hour. Hemophilia, for anyone who might be unaware, is a disease that causes bleeding, dizziness, and pain. If you ever had to read "The Masque of the Red Death" for a high school English class, that probably sounds pretty familiar.

Now, my understanding is that ordinarily, hemophilia doesn’t act quite the same way as it did back in Port Austin. I’m no pathologist, but I do read the news, and the news said that the outbreak was highly irregular. The hemophilia was contagious and fatal, and sufferers experienced pains and dizziness—mind you, both of these exist in hemophiliacs, but rarely as frequently and sharply as at Port Austin.

What I’m getting at is that I don’t think that was hemophilia.

I don't feel too great about this whole thing. I was young and naïve, and it was a few years ago at this point, but hundreds of people are dead because of me, and I can't bring myself to think of that as okay.

- Poe