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

Vast Formless Things

Mere puppets they, who come and go
At bidding of vast formless things
That shift the scenery to and fro
There are a number of Fears out there, beings that embody different anxieties shared by the human race.

Fears often have servants, willing or otherwise; some of these servants have powers or visible alterations to their appearance, while others do not. Fears also tend to have domains, otherworldly locations that seem to work on a different form of logic to our own reality.

There are too many Fears to list. Suffice it to say that if you see things that don't make sense, don't second-guess yourself. Run.

- Poe

Their Condor Wings

Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”
There are bad people out there. There are people out there who would be dismissed as Snidely Whiplash ripoffs if they were written into works of fiction. As it happens, I've met some of these people.

The first time I saw true evil was around four years ago. I had a girlfriend, Addie, and she was ripped apart by birds. There was nothing I could have done.

I was driving with her, taking her to a movie, and we saw a man by the side of the road, his face covered by a mask. This was around the time two convicts escaped from MCC Chicago, so we were both feeling pretty on-edge. Besides, hitchhikers in weird masks aren't a good sign under the best of circumstances. We sped up.

He lifted his mask, and birds came out. I was so horrified and confused, the car crashed into a tree while I was staring at the masked man. The car was wrecked so badly that the birds were able to get in on Addie's side. They tore her to pieces.

The masked man started to walk forward. I slammed the car into reverse, and somehow, it was still working. It slammed into the masked man with a surprising amount of force.

He survived. I drove. I tried to forget what had happened.

I failed.

Did that day mean anything to the Faceless Bastard? I don't think so, and it stings so much worse this way.

- Poe