Chapter Five: Infecting
Apologies for the pace slowing down, something is gonna happen next chapter. Thanks for reviews! Seriously!
***
Ari stared at the sky, so cloudy it almost looked like night, then back down the forest path. He walked around uneasily, glancing left and right.
It was the morning after Linda's capture, and so far Epros refused to speak until Rosalyn and Stan could be located. That meant he had no choice but to try and find them. So far, Big Bull said he had tracked them to the Stone Circle, and they could be anywhere once they relocated to Wap Wap Island. The others had gone off to check frantically, and Ari had been told to stay behind in the hope they might return.
Turns out Epros's hunch that they would come back to Tenel was correct.
The Stone Circle whooshed right when Ari passed it on his second patrol around the forest, and he quickly backtracked, eyes widening in surprise as he watched Rosalyn emerge first, looking around, somehow vaguely different, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
That didn't matter, he decided. He ran forward to greet them.
"Rosalyn, Stan!"
"What did you call me, Slave?" Stan demanded.
"Stan, we don't have time!" Ari tried to fight down the panic.
"What's wrong?" Rosalyn asked, her eyes flicking to Stan.
"It's pretty bad. Linda's been kidnapped."
Stan swore violently, and Rosalyn paled. "What? Why?"
"We don't know. Someone named Melas Kardia came, he said something to Epros about the key being found and how they needed a lock…We have to find the others."
"Where are they?"
Ari racked his brain, trying to remember.
"Epros went to Triste, I think, that is…if he finished with Rashelo. Big Bull went to Madril and got Kisling…"
Ari continued to explain, and Stan said he'd go get them. He left quickly, and Rosalyn stared after him suspiciously.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
She put her hand on her elbow, resting her chin on her hand. "I don't think Stanley is the type to leave to help others…"
Ari nodded, searching his memories of Stan. True. But that probably wasn't important.
They headed back to the house, Ari filling Rosalyn in of every little detail he could until they reached the manor. Marlene came out; looking worried, followed closely by Annie.
"Oh, Rosalyn." Marlene said unhappily. "You heard?"
She nodded and Ari pushed his hair back with a sigh. "Spill it, where did you go?"
Rosalyn explained to them about someone called the Oblivion Emperor, and how he was going to destroy the worlds or something like that.
Ari stared, his mind working quickly. "I'm suspicious." He admitted. He winced at Rosalyn's facial expression. "Not about you, but about Stan. I don't want to think that, but he may-"
"Then don't think it, Slave!" Stan's voice called, storming through the trees with Epros, Big Bull, and Kisling close behind. Annie ran back into the house, yelling about something to her parents.
"That was fast." Rosalyn observed, talking about both Annie and Stan.
The Evil King didn't say anything, just walked over to Ari.
"We have to get everyone Infected, before those clouds start to rain."
Something like thunder, but longer and more ground shaking tore through the air.
Stan pulled out an odd, silver bug and turned to everyone. "Kisling, get over here, you pathetic excuse for a scholar."
"I would like to be acquainted with the greater minutiae of the internal mechanism of this insect previous to-"
Stan dropped the bug onto Kisling's outstretched arms and watched it crawl.
"I'll explain later, but know Rosalyn did it and she's fine."
Kisling let the bug bite him, and Ari grimaced watching the scholar stumble a bit. Suddenly, Epros spoke, and Ari hadn't even known the Phantom was there.
"What exactly did you do? Okay or not, I ask this of you."
Stan smirked. "We have to corrupt them, or this Oblivion Emperor is going to do what his name says, wipe out Light."
Ari watched Kisling on the ground, feeling helpless, when suddenly is occurred to him…
"What about me, and Marlene?"
Rosalyn grimaced. "You don't have to, but Marlene does."
Marlene…oh no. And watching Kisling proved it wasn't pain free. Finally Rosalyn bent down and removed the bug; there was no blood but two small, round, deep holes. The bug whirred, its stained glass wings flashing, eyes bulging like tiny rubies.
Big Bull asked, "Do I need to-"
"No, you muscle bound ghost, nor does Epros, or anyone else, just Marlene now." Stan grinned evilly. "And the rest of the family."
"W-what? Why don't I need to?"
"I'm very confident your deviant status protects you."
Ari watched in horror as Marlene stepped forward, eyeing the bug nervously. He took her hand, smiling worriedly.
"It'll be okay." He promised.
She flashed him a weary smile in return before sticking her arm out and closing her eyes. The bug was placed there, and he watched it bury its little fangs in her arm. No blood, but its eyes flashed like tiny lanterns.
"How long?" He asked in a tight voice, hanging onto Marlene as she collapsed. Kisling was still knocked out.
"Depends on how much Light the guy has." Stan answered. "Or so Kisling guessed, in the World Library. I'll tell you when."
Rosalyn asked suddenly, "Where's the bug from?"
Stan scratched his head, looking confused. "K.T. just…gave it to me; she was outside the World Library."
Marlene's eyes were rolling in her head, and Ari was gripping her hand so tightly his own hurt.
Finally, during a time period that seemed like forever, Stan removed the bug.
"How long 'till the Don wakes up?" Big Bull asked. "And the Doc?"
"Beats me. Depends on the Light. Rosalyn took about an hour." Stan smirked, and the Hero glared, turning her head.
When she turned her head, hair swishing, everyone saw it.
"I have just now seen your ears. What has happened, they're as pointed as shears." Epros sounded tired, that rhyme was pretty bad too.
"What? Um…it's Stan's fault." She grumbled.
***
Ari sat with Marlene in her room, holding on to her hand, and waiting for her to wake up. She looked different already, as the venom from that bug took effect…
"Come on. It's been almost an hour." He whispered. As if his voice brought her back, Marlene opened her ruby eyes, staring around.
"What's going on?" She asked groggily, her hand tightening on his own. Ari breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm so happy you're awake. How do you feel?"
She didn't answer, just sat up, rubbing her head. The bed creaked slightly with every movement.
Ari smiled, sitting next to her. "Kisling woke up a little while ago."
"That is good, I suppose."
He tipped his head to the side, since that answer wasn't something Marlene would have come up with. Or…not the real one at least…the real one would have said, "That's very good", or something like that.
"Can I get you anything?" He asked, at a loss for what to say.
"Get me some tea, I don't feel very well…"
Ari stood up, raising an eyebrow. "Get you some tea…?" He waited for the word that Marlene usually ended up giggling, since she sometimes forgot about it. Then he decided it wasn't necessary for her to say "please" right now. He quickly rushed down the stairs, setting some tea on to boil. He found Rosalyn there too, but she didn't say anything so neither did he.
Oh man. Something just occurred to him.
Was it possible…that…
The Infectus turned her back to the old Marlene, the Marlene he knew, like the doll?