Shmee closed his book, finishing it off in slight amusement but realized he had yet to take a peek at the map of direction. Knowing that Dboy pissed off somewhere, he went through his pack and found the map.
Eff and Reverend peered over to see the lines drawn onto the inked roads and trails combined. Shmee saw the last circle that wasn't crossed off yet was their next stop.
"Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The last stop before we officially arrive and cross a bridge to Maine. I gotta say it would've been quicker if you all went through the cities instead of taking long detours." Shmee's fingers trailed along the map and saw question marks written next to the word "Maine."
Eff leaned onto a tree scoffing and crossing his arms, "He swore up and down I would have caused a scene everywhere we went. He didn't want to risk getting in any encounters with humans and their messy jurisdictions. Although it didn't stop us totally."
"Reverend," Shmee said turning towards him, "You and Sickness too, right?"
Reverend sighed and stretched, "Eh, just those people at that cabin in the woods. Before meeting these two. Not much any alive to infect, except, those transients at the riverbed. Although I wouldn't worry about them too much. Most of those people had too weak of a mindset."
Realizing what Reverend just said, he paused, "Ohhh wait a minute, that would amuse you, right Shmee? You're a sponge. I'm a glutton but the way we consume is much different."
Eff perked up smiling, not being able to help himself to the telepathic connections going on, "If enough prolonged infection like you did with Todd, it's possible to manifest as real since your qualities of consumption allow you to? Say, even though I'm the most manic here, I'd still have the same chance to as well correct?"
Shmee and Reverend thought about it for a while, however, the silence was deafening. Shmee knew for a fact he and Reverend would become real off of their shared principles. But the chances of Eff, Sickness, and even Dboy for example couldn't go down the same way they could to become real.
Shmee then had a detour theory at hand, "Well, maybe, I wouldn't know because I think it's something for you to figure out wielding your own properties to manifest yourself. I know I'm the best example but I'm not exactly human I mean I am real but I am just like the rest of you here. I'm still a part of that thing that created us. But, surely this form could slip away too if I do my own experimenting with more humans."
Right as Eff was about to voice his rage at this explanation, Sickness came staggering into the group campsite. Disheveled, slightly cut, and bruised everywhere, but not seriously hurt.
"Fucking cocksucker should die I can't believe this shit!" Sickness shrilled as Reverend got up to help Sickness from falling down. She had been running away as blood swelled out the bottom of her feet.
"Lemme guess, you had a spat with our prince of darkness?" Eff grumbled.
Dusting off her clothes off her lanky body as the small woman tried to catch her breath, Sickness hated the way her body made her feel sometimes.
"I was minding my own fucking business...Dboy started to get mad at me for something... didn't tell me. I felt he was about to tear me apart until his eyes started to glow blue and suddenly let me go and fell on his side and started...I dunno, convulsing?"
The three other men looked at each other confused before Sickness continued.
"It wasn't like his usual spaztic tremors this one looked like it was hurting him badly." Sickness finished while pressing a rag on her foot.
Gleeful, Eff grew hopeful his counterpart could be dead and wanted to see for himself, "Where is the miserable shit at, darling?"
Flashes of images violated Dboys vision. Things familiar but couldn't get out of, like what dreams are made of except Dboy knew he wasn't dreaming. Whatever was happening to him, reality began to get pulled by the seams. Nothing but the unpleasantness of the stark unknown. Feeling too much of everything all at once, Dboy knew his body couldn't move and that he was literally trapped in this hellscape. He saw the woman's green eyes again as they shot blood red seemingly intensifying the experience before he heard her speak again.
"Not her, not them, not yet. Cross the bridge I lie in wait."
Dboy suddenly felt like he was being thrown back on planet Earth again as he immediately and suddenly came to. Bewildered in agitation and confusion noticed he was grabbing Eff by the throat as his counterpart tried to pry him off him. Dboys eyes adjusted to the darkness and saw Shmee Sickness and Reverend standing at a distance confused and alarmed by what they were seeing. At that moment Dboy let go of Eff's throat and quickly stood up looking around.
"How long was I out for?!" He yelled in fury.
"Not that long you asshole!" Eff exclaimed back as he got himself to stand again rubbing his hand over his scar tissue neck. The pain only reminded him of being pinned to Nny's wall again.
Sickness shoved and push Dboy as her own anger bubbled up again from their earlier encounter, "Serves you fucking right you dick head! Try and rip me apart while I'm alone! Type of shit I'd expect from Eff, not you! At least let me be human first before you kill me!"
Seething now, Dboy towered over Sickness bellowing back, "What fucking makes you think you'll ever be a mortal sack of shit?! Your own existence is weakness, in of itself Sickness."
Shmee decided to step in, he knew nobody's wishes would ever come to fruition if they all fell apart and stopped working together. More than anything, Shmee needed them to be around for a little while longer so he can figure their goals out.
"It's done and it's over with!" Shmee shouted with energy that permeated even the stratosphere above them. Birds flew out of their nesting branches, and larger animals below scurried off in the opposite direction.
Taking a deep sigh, everyone else took a step back from each other as Shmee continued in a more calm tone, "Let's continue our trek now. The sun will be up quicker than we know it. We are closer now than ever, and I want to see this all the way through. Dboy, whatever this thing that keeps fucking with you is for a reason. and I intend to see that reason because I want to cut ties with our Dear Creator so I can forget all about this stupid shit."
Shrugging in annoyance at Shmee, Dboy scowled in his response, "Fine. Let's get the fuck out of this forest."