Monsters Outside

Sorry everyone, my drawing tablet's cable has finally died after years of service. I'll get a replacement soon and then I'll continue. Figured I should let everyone know.

It's fine! I will press f for your cable tho

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SpoilerThanks, fortunately for me a replacement was just an hour away.

>Maybe you coud wrap some sheets over our shoulders and arm. Later when whatsherface comes, you can ask her if sshe can get those two out and get the couch back.

>Also the virus is contagious by direc touch but what aboutobject touhed by monters ? does the virus stay ? doee it need/can it be washed up ? if yo don't know you can chat to the millitary base lady about it.

>If they don't respond to your voice, maybe they are lucid? open the door and peek out, to see what they do. If they look like they're taking hostile action, close and barricade the door, putting clothing underneath the crack.

You peek through the door. They remain still.

Knife in hand, you approach the two monsters. They still don't move.



Then you realize something. They're not breathing. Even monsters have to breathe.

They're dead.

Did they just... come to die on your couch?

Someone appears at the door.



Seeing the suit, you shout “WHAT'S THE PASSWORD?”

The figure responds.

“Two. Three. Zero. Six. Eight. Seven.”

That's the password, all right. You ask her.

“Alyssa Gnu?”

She nods her head.

“Yeah. I am. Used to be captain but they discharged me on account of my, uh, condition. I'm here to protect your ass until the rest of the team gets brave enough to mount a real rescue.”

You point to the two dead monsters on your couch and ask.

“Are you the one who killed these two?”

She shakes her head.

“No. I was actually looking for them a while earlier. They must have sneaked past me. Sorry.”

You hold yourself back from shouting, and instead you just say:

“Sorry's not gonna cut it. I could have been infected!”

She sighs, and says:

“Look, I only have one pair of eyes. Well. Ones that can see out of this suit, anyway. I already took out fifty monsters while you were asleep. If you don't believe me, you can ask Dr. Cobra. She was watching everything through my camera.”

You relent. She does have a point; she's only one person and it's possible a couple of monsters managed to get past her without her noticing. The apartment building you live in has three different entrances, after all. Not to mention windows. Even the hallway connected to your room is fairly large, big enough for a whole crowd to get through.

“Sorry. Uh. Look. I just woke up, and seeing these two just gave me one hell of a fright.”

She looks at the two corpses on your couch.

“Yeah. Understandable. You're lucky these two died after entering your room. Hm. Okay. I'm going to, uh, remove these two. Oh, and don't touch the couch for the next 24 hours.”

You have to ask.

“Wait, what?”

She turns back to you.

“Dr. Cobra never told you? The virus dies without a host. After 20-24 hours, it just breaks down into protein. We looked at the limbs the monsters dropped. After a while it just decomposes. Bad news is, monsters can grow their limbs back long as they can eat something, so they'll just keep trying.”

Well, good to know you won't have to worry about forever being unable to touch anything ever.

One by one, Alyssa removes the corpses on your couch. She puts them down in the hallway, then looks back into your apartment and talks to you again.

“Hey. I'll be guarding your door. Reckon I should keep a closer watch after what's happened. If I see or hear anything, you'll hear me through your cellphone. I paired up my phone with yours through the Commsound app. Feel free to chat if you're bored, God knows I am. I'm going to keep sending requests for backup. After what's happened, they gotta be incompetent if they're not sending any more people to help protect you. Like I said, I only got one pair of eyes.”

With that, she leaves the hallway and closes your door.

Didn't you leave it locked before you fell asleep? You check the doorknob. It looks like the lock's been broken. The two 'visitors' you had must have just pushed your door open. Wonderful. Somehow, despite having been assigned a bodyguard, you feel even less safe.

You leave the door closed anyway, but now you're going have to be more alert than ever before.

You're going to have stay off the couch until tomorrow. Stupid epidemic.

You hear a sound coming from the bathroom. It's an aluminium cylinder with Government markings. Must be the rations!

You open it and proceed to have the best meal in what feels like an eternity.



BREAD! CHICKEN MEAT! CARROTS! GRAVY!

A while after you finish eating, you hear another ding on your laptop. You read the email.

“From: Dr. Belinda Cobra
To: You (Costovo Elmada)

Subject: More bodyguards

Been watching the live feed from Alyssa's suit-cam. Sorry about the two intruders. The Prime Minister just approved our request for more infected personnel to help you out. Two more incoming, both wearing Government hazmat suits. One is Grogo Malkid. The other is Yassa Hart. Grogo's password is '220756'. Yassa's is '151186'. Ask their names when they contact you, and ask for the password. Commit the passwords to memory. We got reports of monsters wearing hazmat suits in a bid to evade our troops.

Do keep in mind that neither Yassa nor Grogo is trained. They're civilians, which was why we didn't let them out earlier. However, considering the circumstances, we can let them carry weapons.

Oh, and sorry about the couch. We just can't take the risk of you getting infected from a damn skin flake or something like that, so wait for 24 hours for the virus to decompose. Good thing it's unable to survive in the open air, eh?

We'll keep sending you food every morning so don't worry about running out. Oh, and I'm going to stop sending you emails and just talk to you via Commsound. Much easier for us to talk back and forth. You can chat right now, if you feel the need.”

More bodyguards. You're starting to feel like a real VIP.

You grab your phone and look at Commsound. Two new 'Friends' added. Dr. Cobra and Alyssa. You contact Cobra.

COMMSOUND AUDIOTALK
Ver. 1.1.4
(all conversations monitored by Government under Emergency Act)
(You are speaking with Friend Cobra-Doc)

You: Hey

Cobra-Doc: Good to hear from you again, Costovo. Anything you'd like to ask?

You: What is status of my rescue?

Cobra-Doc: We're halfway done to clearing out the city. We should get you out in a couple of days.

You: Wow, that's fast

Cobra-Doc: Yeah, well, the military isn't pulling any punches. They're bombing anything that doesn't have a white flag waving out a window. We put out a message to every building: If you are friendly, find a white piece of fabric to wave out of a window. If you don't have that, raise your arms and walk outside. We've found 102 infected people who are still coherent... out of, uh, a hundred thousand.

You: What determines mental state? I mean, people who don't lose their minds, what's the factor here?

Cobra-Doc: Dunno.

You: What.

Cobra-Doc: We only found out about this outbreak a week ago. We don't exactly know all the details here. Science takes time.

You: No theories?

Cobra-Doc: No. I don't like to speculate.

You: Ok. Well. Can you send me something other than rations? Like weapons?

Cobra-Doc: Ok. I am going to send you a steel club. A hazmat suit too. But I will need time for clearance. Sorry. Government demands I follow protocol. You know how it is.

You: So once I get the suit and the club... Can I just... leave?

Cobra-Doc: I'd recommend against it. Wearing that suit doesn't make you invincible. We lost thirty soldiers despite them wearing hazmats.

You: What happened?

Cobra-Doc: Remember, some of the monsters aren't stupid. A few of them figured out how to make bows and arrows out of junk. Cut right through the suit. Others built spears. Sharp weapons, all drenched with monster blood. They just straight-up shot people with virus-arrows, stabbed them with infected blades. They know we're hunting them and they're hunting us back. We got reports of squads getting ambushed by monster gangs wielding bows and knives. They even managed to kidnap three of our troops.

You: Damn. Ok. I'll stay put until the coast is clear then.

Cobra-Doc: Yeah. Just stay in your home. Don't take any unnecessary risks, ok?

You: Ok

Cobra-Doc: By the way, we know about Trollmaster Hades. He's a hacker who used to spend a lot of time ruining websites dedicated to medical research.

You: The hell? What's he got against finding cures?

Cobra-Doc: He's a real piece of work. Thinks everyone who dies from illness 'deserves it for having weak genes'. After he got infected, he became convinced that being able to retain his intelligence means he's 'superior'. He's still obsessed with spreading the disease, but he hasn't lost his creativity, unfortunately, and he's made you his priority target. Remember the monster-gangs I just mentioned? The ones with bows and arrows? He's been co-ordinating them.

You: Holy crap.

Cobra-Doc: Yeah. You any good with self-defense?

You: Not really? I mean, I've never practiced boxing or anything like that. I'm just an electrician.

Cobra-Doc: Okay well, I am definitely going to send you more bodyguards as soon as we can clear the others for outside duty. Who knows, at the end of this crisis you might actually wind up with a small army of monsters yourself, fighting against Hades and his roving band of plague-monsters.

You: That sounds kind of cool actually.

Cobra-Doc: Yeah, well, here's hoping you don't end up needing a monster army to help you.

(Alyssa has joined conversation)

Alyssa: Heads up, we got a group of hostiles coming our way!

You: H-how many?

Alyssa: Twenty! They're all armed! Get your ass in the bathroom and lock the door. That way if you get stuck in there, they can use the sewer to send you more weapons or something.

You: WAIT! Why don't you fall back into my room? There's only one way in and you won't get swarmed. You're already wearing a suit, so I won't have to worry about accidentally touching you.

Alyssa: Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to keep them as far away from you as possible.

(You hear gunshots)

Alyssa: One down! COSTOVO GET TO THE BATHROOM!

Your mind races at top speed. Running into the bathroom sounds like the smartest idea, but you could help Alyssa out by giving her your grenade. You could also keep your eye on the front door and get ready to attack anything that tries to get in. With your knife, you can stab an intruder through your flimsy door.

You could also try to set up a trap by making the floor wet and electify it by cutting the microwave's power cable and then using water from the bathroom to dampen the floor. Actually, you could even grab the cable yourself and use it like a taser.

What are you going to do?

>_

Nah just get into the bathroom. She doesn't seem like the best bodyguard to help out to be honest.

>At some point ask how the monsters that were on your couch died, if Alyssa didn't do it.

I dont think it would be real smart to take the risk, dude. Jus stay in the bathroom and brace yourself

>Trust that she knows what she's doing and go into the bathroom

>Stick the chair in the door so there's at least a line of defense.
>Pick up your laptop and bring it to the bathroom, time to search about tips of survival in the internet or, of course, watch home alone 1 and 2 while Alyssa does the hard work.

>You probaly could hand her your grenade, she's a soldier, she's trained to use those things without blowing herself in the process while, le's face it, you're not

>The water trapscould be a good idea but better to usesome minorelectrcal cnvicience you'd use less tan you microwav. And prepare a bucket of water. But don't se anything yzt.

>Just hunker in your bathoom, block the door with a broom and wait.

Set a trap!

> The hand grenade is a last resort for you to use if Alyssa fails. Putting yourself at risk just to give her something she could possibly die before using, giving the monsters a grenade while you're defenseless is a bad idea.

Set a trap!

You spend a minute setting it up.



There. If any monster tries to get to the bathroom, they'll be electrocuted. The power's enough to kill a giraffe.

>Stick the chair in the door so there's at least a line of defense.
>Pick up your laptop and bring it to the bathroom, time to search about tips of survival in the internet or, of course, watch home alone 1 and 2 while Alyssa does the hard work.

You decide to play it safe and hide in your still-disgusting bathroom, with your cellphone safely in your pocket and your laptop playing a weird comedy about a kid being left alone. You also have your knife and grenade... just in case. You've even brought the chair from the living room with you, and you put it against the door.



You lock the door and keep your ears alert for any intruders.

A few minutes pass, and you've already heard enough gunshots for a lifetime. How much ammo did they give her?

Hours pass. Gunfire sometimes erupts outside. Sleep doesn't come until you've completely given in to exhaustion.

In your dreams, all you see is red.

DAY 3

You wake up in the bathroom without signs of infection. What a relief.

God help you, you've become used to the smell of raw sewage. You suppose that's a good thing, though.

You check on Alyssa on your cellphone.

COMMSOUND AUDIOTALK
Ver. 1.1.4
(all conversations monitored by Government under Emergency Act)
(You are speaking with Friend Alyssa)

You: Hey, you okay out there?

Alyssa: Yeah. Tired as hell, but I'm still in one piece. They're airlifting ammo to me, so don't worry.

You: Wow. How many bullets do you think you've used in one night?

Alyssa: Probably reached 600, I already took care of the twenty monsters that were coming for you, but I also had to shoot at some that were wandering too close.

You: Did you get any sleep?

Alyssa: I wish. Don't worry though, been through worse. I had to stay up for two days watching a boring mountain so this is bearable.

You: You watched a mountain for two days?

Alyssa: Rebels were hiding in the mountains, so I had to stare at them to make sure they wouldn't try anything.

You: So... how did you get infected?

Alyssa: Short story. My sister hugged me.

You: Damn.

Alyssa: I was convinced that we were both going to turn. Then a week passed and she was reduced to a monster while I just looked like one. Wouldn't stop shouting about meeting new people. Kept trying to grab anyone healthy she saw. Completely obsessed. She's in quarantine, at my request, but I don't think I'll ever get her back.

You: That sucks. I'm sorry. I don't know what to say.

Alyssa: That's all right. Don't worry about me, worry about yourself. You're the one with a bull's eye on his face.

You: Hey, about the two dead monsters in my room yesterday.

Alyssa: You're wondering how they got there and died? I was talking to the doc earlier and she said they must have died from dehydration, judging by the footage.

You: Dehydration?

Alyssa: Yeah. I guess we should feel a bit comforted by the fact they still need to eat food and drink water.

(Cobra-Doc has joined conversation)

Cobra-Doc: Good morning.

You: Please tell me you have good news.

Cobra-Doc: As a matter of fact, I do. Your two extra bodyguards are on the way, Yassa and Grogo. They should be there in 3 hours. The hazmat suit and the club should reach you any minute now.

You: That IS good news.

Cobra-Doc: I also have bad news. Trollmaster Hades, or Hades for short, has been organizing the other monsters. He's been teaching the smart ones how to hide, how to ambush, even how to make simple armor.

You: How many of them can there be?

Cobra-Doc: The army's killing them by the hundreds every day but there's still tens of thousands of monsters out there in this city, possibly a few hundred smart ones still at large. We'll win, eventually, but they're not making this easy. Making this whole thing even harder is that there's signs that Hades and his followers know we're trying to help you. He's using you as bait.

You: What do you mean, bait?

Cobra-Doc: He's been trying to get us to send personnel, knowing that he can infect our soldiers and add more to his ranks. He doesn't seem to know we're sending out only infected personnel. Not yet, at least.

You: So what's the plan?

Cobra-Doc: We're going to keep sending you more and more support while the army clears out the city. Just hang in there, okay?

You: Okay, thanks.

Alyssa: Hey Doc. Do you think this monster-virus is artificial?

Cobra-Doc: After what I've seen? I have no doubt that it's not natural. We're dealing with a bioweapon here. The way this virus is structured, I firmly believe they were engineered.

Alyssa: Think this is the Rebels' doing?

Cobra-Doc: I doubt it's them. They'd need a lot of resources to make something like this. The most likely suspect is Tagonia, our neighbor. The city you're in, Goldriver, is right on the border.

You: Oh my God. Are we going to war with Tagonia?

Cobra-Doc: I can't say for sure. This might have been an accident. Some Tagonians might have accidentally contracted the disease and brought monsters here unknowingly. Right now Prime Minister Colston is busy talking to the Tagonian President, trying to figure out what's going on. The rest of our country is on high alert, checking for signs of infection.

You: I really hope I don't survive this epidemic just to be thrust into a war right after it.

Cobra-Doc: The feeling is mutual. We're already going through a crisis here. I need to go now. Costovo, make sure you retrieve the suit and club when they get there.

You: Will do!

(Audiotalk ended)

You hear a noise coming from the toilet and find two cylinders. You open them both and find the promised hazmat suit (curled up to conserve as much space as possible) and steel club. You put on the suit and place the knife in your (surprisingly spacious) pocket as you hold the club in your right hand.



You feel a bit safer with this on, but according to the label written on it, you only have 2 hours of air before having to take it off. You remove the suit and decide to put it on only when there's a close threat.

You hear a knock, coming from the front door. A feminine voice calls out.

“Mr.Costovo? Pizza delivery.”

What?

You call up Alyssa.

COMMSOUND AUDIOTALK
Ver. 1.1.4
(all conversations monitored by Government under Emergency Act)
(You are speaking with Friend Alyssa)

You: Alyssa, there's someone at the door. She says she's delivering pizza.

Alyssa: That's impossible.

You: I know, there's no way anyone is delivering pizza-

Alyssa: No I mean I'm looking at the door to your apartment right now. THERE IS NO ONE THERE.

You: You're joking.

(You hear the voice again.)

“Mr. Costovo? Your pizza's going to get cold.”

You: There it goes again!

Alyssa: Costovo, I didn't hear anything.

(Cobra-Doc has joined conversation)

Cobra-Doc: Costovo? What's happening? Are you having a hallucination?

You: I... I don't know, Doc. I'm hearing someone claiming to be delivering pizza. It sounds like it's coming from my front door.

Alyssa: And I'm telling you, there's nobody there.

Cobra-Doc: Alyssa, can you open the door?

Alyssa: One sec... What the hell? It won't budge! Something's pulling it from the other side!

(You hear the voice again and this time it's just in front of the bathroom door)

“Mr. Costovo? I can't leave until you get your pizza and pay. I'm sorry but I need to do this. If you don't open the door I'll have to go in there myself.”

In a state of sheer terror, you quickly put on the hazmat suit. Is this another monster? What are you going to do?

You try talking.

“Who are you?”

The entity responds.

“Please, I need to deliver this pizza.”

You ask another question.

“What's your name? I won't take the pizza if you won't tell me your name!”

She answers again.

“Please Mr. Costovo, it's been four days. I need to deliver this to you. Please.”

Four days?

Wait.

You ordered a pizza four days ago. It never arrived.

This still makes no sense.

You hear your door rattling. The entity speaks.

“Please, I have to deliver this pizza.”

What are you going to do?

Open the door and see what's there? Ask Alyssa to bash the front door open? Stab your knife through the bathroom door? Ask Alyssa to shoot through your front door?

>_

(Play this for mood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JdeuzZpenI )

(Life update: I'm going for an ultrasound appointment on Saturday. My strained abdominal muscle is swollen and I'm going to have it looked at. It still hurts every once in a while after a couple of weeks, so I reckon I should get it checked.)

>That monster wishes to give you pizza so then be it. Just use the Hazmat suit and take care of the trap you did.
>Open the door, pick your money and pay for the pizza. Don't open the pizza yet.

This is of course a trap that can kill us, but whatever whatever, there's like, 10% of chance that's a monster that actually want us to get some pizza.

Try to remember the exact toppings and ask whoever to recall them.

If it states wrong, that's not pizza. If it states correctly, Pizza time!

I mean.. its pizza right?

>Tell it to set the pizza down on the floor somewhere and you'll slip the money for it under the door, then do so.

Sounds like you're going to have to take the pizza delivery.

DO NOT EAT THE PIZZA. It could be infected.

Try to remember the exact toppings and ask whoever to recall them.

If it states wrong, that's not pizza. If it states correctly, Pizza time!

You ask the entity one more time.

“What are the toppings on it?”

With the same level of desperation as before, it answers.

“Pepperoni and tuna with onions. Please take it.”

That's... exactly what you ordered.

As Alyssa and Dr. Cobra shout at you to keep the door closed, you open the door.



What in the world?

The slug-like blue creature is definitely holding a slice of pizza. It's... filthy.

You can see an enormous brain inside its gelatinous form.

You can also see some weird blue gunk covering your front door. The stuff must have stuck the door in place.

You notice a hole in the floor. Did this creature just break through it? It looks like it melted away.

The blue entity speaks again.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. All I remember is this pizza, your name, your address, and- and... I can't remember anything else. Please take your pizza. I'm sorry this is all I could save.”

You take the slice of pizza. She hesitates for a moment, and she talks again.

“20 dollars please.”

You roll with it and give her 20 dollars from your pockets. She takes the money and puts it inside her body. You only have 10 dollars left now. Never in your wildest dreams would you ever think money would still have any use here.

She talks to you with the friendliest tone you've heard from her.

“Thank you. I hope you enjoy your pizza.”

You nod slowly, and decide to carry the conversation.

“So. You really did just want to deliver pizza.”

She doesn't move as she continues speaking.

“I'm sorry. It's all I remember so it must be important. I don't remember anything else.”

You try to find more answers.

“Are you sure? I mean, um... Okay, don't get angry but you're not a human anymore.”

Her voice sounds like she's about to cry.

“I know! I know! I don't know what happened to me. All I can remember... is just... I woke up with a box of pizza in my hand, then something ate everything but one slice. I just. I thought. I know it's stupid but I thought... I thought if I sent it I'd be... I'd remember.”

You hear Alyssa shouting from behind the front door.

“Costovo! Are you okay? I can hear you talking! Who are you talking to?”

You walk towards your front door and remove the gunk.

“Alyssa, you can come in. Don't, uh, don't shoot.”

Alyssa gets inside, and screams as she sees the former pizza delivery-girl.



“WHAT THE HELL IS THAT???”

You take some time to explain. After everything's been made clear, or at least as clear as you could possibly make it, she contacts the doctor.

COMMSOUND AUDIOTALK
Ver. 1.1.4
(all conversations monitored by Government under Emergency Act)
(You are speaking with Friend Alyssa and Friend Cobra-Doc)

Alyssa: Doctor, are you seeing this?

Cobra-Doc: I am, and it's fascinating. I've never seen anything like it.

You: So neither of you can hear her?

Cobra-Doc: We couldn't hear anything but your voice for a while. Can you ask her to speak to us?

You: I'll try.

(You talk to the slug-girl)

You: Hey, um, can you try saying 'hello' to my friend here?

Alyssa: Holy crap.

You: You can hear her?

Alyssa: Yeah! She said hello!

Cobra-Doc: Incredible. I didn't hear anything. The audio feed didn't register anything.

Alyssa: This is wild. What is she? Some kind of, er, mutant strain? Did the virus mutate and turn her into a telepathic slug?

Cobra-Doc: I don't know, and I cannot say for sure without examining her. Hm. I have an idea. I can try to find clues to her identity. I'll search the records for anyone employed with the pizza services here. Which restaurant did you order from, Costovo?

You: Wingnut's Pizzeria.

Cobra-Doc: Give me a moment. I'll contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

(Ten minutes pass)

Cobra-Doc: Fascinating. It appears the creature in your room is Malia Anders. She was the only pizza delivery staff they had. Nineteen years old, no known living relatives.

Alyssa: Any clues as to why she's like this?

Cobra-Doc: None that I can see, but I'll ask for security footage for the roads between Wingnut's and Costovo's apartment. We might be able to see the moment she got infected by whatever this is.

You: Okay doc, we'll wait for you to find more clues.

Alyssa: This is surreal, man. I mean, even more so than before. We got a huge telepathic slug-girl.

You: At least she's not dangerous.

Alyssa: Yeah, for now. I'm going to keep a close eye on her. Hey, you.

(Malia wriggles. You can't hear anything she's saying)

Alyssa: Yeah, you. I just had a chat with my friend, Doctor Belinda Cobra. She says your name is Malia. Does it ring any bells?

(Malia crawls towards Alyssa)

Alyssa: Okay, at least we're on the right track. Doctor, what in the hell are we supposed to do about this?

Cobra-Doc: I'm going to ask the military to send a team to pick her up tomorrow. We need to study her. Her coloration, her abilities, she might have been infected by a completely different bioweapon.

Alyssa: You got more infected people to send?

Cobra-Doc: No. I'm going to send a team.

Alyssa: Are you serious? You're gonna risk more people out here?

You: Hang on, why are you sending a team to pick her up and not me?

Cobra-Doc: You are still uninfected. The ONLY uninfected civilian in the damn city. She is already contaminated. I already made a promise to keep you safe, so I won't take any chances. Malia is a different case. We need to know what transformed her!

(You hear Malia speaking to you)

“Costovo I don't want to go. I don't want them to take me. If they try to take me I will run.”

You: Doctor, she doesn't want to be picked up.

Cobra-Doc: What?

You: She says if you try to take her, she'll run away.

Cobra-Doc: Fine. Then I'll have the team set up a lab in your apartment. We got military personnel who can run tests.

Alyssa: That is such a monumentally bad idea. We don't know how many monsters are hiding out there.

Cobra-Doc: The risk is worth it. We need to know what caused Malia to transform like this.

You: Don't I get a say in this? This is my apartment.

Cobra-Doc: An apartment for which you pay rent.

You: Whatever! Look, why don't we wait for the two infected people to get here before we decide on anything?

(You hear a notification on your cellphone. An email!)

You: What the hell? I just got an email from... Hades!

“From: Trollmaster Hades
To: You (Costovo Elmada)

Subject: Your friends? GOT EM! THEIR GUNS TOO! AHAHAHHA

We caught them. Your two friends. The traitors in hazmat suits. Yes. Yesyesyes You know the ones I'm talking about!

Sorry buddy boy but you're going to have to make do with no more backup.

And wow you got a bodyguard! MISTER BIG V.I.P. EH

Not fair, you guys get guns! GUNS! I don't even have one! Oh wait we just got two nevermind

We gonna eat them now. Kinda ew but we not picky. BYE”

You: Oh no. DOC! Trollmaster Hades! His monsters caught the two infected people you were sending me!

Cobra-Doc: Damn it.

You: How the hell did this happen?

Cobra-Doc: I don't know. I'm going to have to ask mission control in the military section. They were the ones monitoring them.

Alyssa: See! I told you! It's not safe!

Cobra-Doc: Fine. I'll request a goddamn APC.

Alyssa: They'll still need to get out of the vehicle! They'll be vulnerable!\

You: Um. Why don't we just wait until the city's clear?

Cobra-Doc: And what if there's another bioweapon on the loose out there? We need to know what this is! Rrrrggghhh... I'm going to make a request to the military. This discovery shouldn't be ignored.

(It sounds like the doctor's determined to send someone out to study Malia. You could just give up, or you could try to convince her to be patient and wait until it's safer out there. You could also tell Malia to run and hide, so Dr. Cobra won't have a reason to send more people out.)

What are you going to do?

>_

>Ask the doctor if he could send you just the lab equipment, and you and Alyssa do the tests on Malia yourselves. Also, ask Malia if and how she's interacted with the other monsters, and how they responded.

>Just say to send scientific tools, we can make a improvised lab for now.
>Tell Cobra about the single fact that if they send a whole team and the monster get them, hades is going to have more equipment. The fewer people that get here to study, the less dangerous, take no risks.
>Check the blue goo, just take care what it is. Maybe it can infect you.

Ask the doctor if he could send you just the lab equipment, and you and Alyssa do the tests on Malia yourselves. Also, ask Malia if and how she's interacted with the other monsters, and how they responded.

>Just say to send scientific tools, we can make a improvised lab for now.

Nothing so far indicates our character to be even remotely qualified or even competent to handle scietitfic tests. Nor are the cndition in our apartements even remotely apropriate enough. And last but not least most lab equipement for any serious stries will /NOT fit in a toilet.

That said I suppose we /could have Alyssa take samplewith simple equipement but we'd need a way to send them back to the HQ lab. The sewer route is likely one way.

We could take sample then send the APC, then Alyssa deliver them to the APC but given just how determined the monsters are, that's taking a lotsa risks. I wouldnt pt i past themto steal any vehicles sent in or mashift explosives to destroy them or whatever.

I find it weird that they're dedicating so many resources to a single uninfected person.

I think we can do basic lab stuff in the apartment with someone guiding us through it. Easier if we have a camera on us or something so they can see what we're doing as they coach us.

We should attempt to remind her more of her past life; maybe it'll jog her memory.

>Ask the doctor if he could send you just the lab equipment, and you and Alyssa do the tests on Malia yourselves. Also, ask Malia if and how she's interacted with the other monsters, and how they responded.

Cobra-Doc: ABSOLUTELY NOT. We need a sterile environment and frankly I don't know how capable you are at running tests to identify microbes.

That said I suppose we /could have Alyssa take samplewith simple equipement but we'd need a way to send them back to the HQ lab. The sewer route is likely one way.

You: Then what if I sent you samples?

Cobra-Doc: How?

You: I mean, maybe I can just put some samples in one of the cylinders you sent me and then I flush my toilet?

Cobra-Doc: As ludicrous as it sounds, that's actually feasible.

Alyssa: What, you got people in the sewers just waiting to collect stuff?

Cobra-Doc: Well, the sewers are actually monster-free. Despite their transformation, they are still repelled by the awful stench down there. As for staff, we do have a team down there to both make sure they're safe and transport objects into Costovo's apartment. Hm. Okay. Let's start with something easy. There should still be some material near your front door, right Costovo? The 'gunk'?

You: Yeah?

Cobra-Doc: Okay, just put some of it into one of the cylinders I sent you and flush your toilet.

(You spend a few minutes doing just that. As you do so, you ask Malia about the monsters outside)

You: Malia, when you saw the monsters outside, did they try to attack you?

You hear her silent voice.

“I had to run. They're scary. They've grabbed me lots of times before. I had to make slime to escape. Can make it slippery or sticky to protect myself.”

You suppose there are some perks to being a big slug. Making slime sounds useful in a city full of monsters that want to touch you. You flush the sample down the toilet.

You: You know, I never would have thought my freakin' toilet would be my connection to the outside world.

Cobra-Doc: Well, I never would have thought I'd be analyzing samples delivered via flushing, so I'm right there with you. All right. I'm going to have every scientist in the Ministry of Health testing this sample. With luck, we'll be able to figure out what infected Malia. I'll also send a request to the military to parachute in some weapons to your apartment building for Alyssa to use. I don't know when they'll be able to get that for us, could be days thanks to bureaucracy, but you're going to need all the help you can get.

You: Okay, we'll be waiting.

(Audiotalk ended)

Just as you're ready to take a break, you hear knocking at the front door. Malia coils herself into a circle, while Alyssa raises her gun. The ex-soldier shouts.

“Who's there?!”

The voice that answers back sounds like a very angry old man.

“You are never safe.”

Whatever's behind the door slides a letter under the door's gap.



The letter is squirming. Alyssa aims at it.

Hang on, more letters?

Wait.

Uh oh.



Alyssa opens fire at the letter-monsters. Malia extends several tentacles and tears them apart. However, there are just too many of them and three of them are coming for you.

You trick them into stepping into your makeshift trap. They're electrocuted and turn black. Good thing you did this earlier!

One of the letter-monsters manages to open the door.

Oh God.

A wall of flesh completely blocks the doorway.



The monster extends its arms and grabs Alyssa's rifle, clicking as it confirms that it has run out of ammo. One arm grabs hold of Malia, squeezing her brain. It cackles and talks to you.

“Do you think you are special, Costovo? Everyone else has joined, but you remain. What makes you think you deserve their protection? I was just a mailman. I lost everything, Costovo. I used to send you bills. All I want to do now is make you like me. Nothing else can make me happy, COSTOVO!”

As you stare at the monstrosity before you, you remember your hand grenade. If you can throw it into his mouth, you can kill him. IF you can throw it into his mouth. You risk killing Alyssa or Malia. You don't want to lose the only two friends you have in this goddamn building.

You could retreat into the bathroom. Or you could try attacking him with your knife or club. All of his arms are busy. If he moves to stop you, your friends could act. Malia's already making lots of slime and given the chance she'll get out of his grasp. Alyssa's also looks like she has a good chance of breaking free.

You could also try poisoning the monster. Throw sewage into his mouth like a monkey. Maybe he'll back off if he swallows a fistful of crap.

>_

One does what one must.
>Fling sewage like an angry monkey.
Hopefully it provides enough of an opening for our buddies to get away from the door.
...Then, we can throw the grenade afterwards.

>Monkey option, distract the men with sewage.
>THEN beat his crap out with a metal bat.