The Horror of Blood III

We had just arrived at ARC's local headquarters. Caledon heard something growl from the bushes. Pretty quickly, we figured out something was wrong. Clara ran inside as soon as the thing showed itself. I suppose she realized that a fight between a teenager and a Dying Man shard wouldn't end well for the teenager. Eric shot a few times at the Carcass. It didn't do much.

Caledon, meanwhile, took out a long combat knife and made a swing at the Carcass's neck. It didn't do much, but it seemed to cause the Carcass pain.

I, meanwhile... well, I provided moral support. (I'm not much of a fighter.)

But seriously, I did help somewhat. The Carcass, as has been established by now, is rather stupid, and there was a rock by my feet. I threw it while the Carcass had its eyes closed for a moment, and it honest to God looked to see what made the sound. So Eric took the knife from Caledon and stabbed it into the Carcass's leg. The Carcass howled and swatted at Eric, scratching up his face.

That did it. I took out my own knife and stabbed the Carcass in the eye as it moved downwards to bite Eric. The Carcass, apparently acting on what was left of its human instincts since it had been possessed, ran back into the woods with a limp, bleeding from several spots.

After that, we followed Clara's lead and went into the headquarters. The situation is... being worked out right now, what with Caledon's being a former member of both ARC and of one of its most personal enemies, and Clara's being a teenager with a Puppet for a mother and a father who is, to my knowledge, absentee.

And... I feel really bad for suggesting the Carcass was David. I mean, I know what survivor's guilt feels like, I know what it's like to feel as though the people you once knew want vengeance from beyond the grave, and I know what it's like to be told you're right. That's not something I would wish on anyone.

I guess I was just projecting.

- Poe