Shmee closed his book, finishing it with slight amusement, but realized he had yet to check the map for their direction. Knowing that Dboy had pissed off in anger, Shmee rummaged through his pack and found the map.
Eff and Reverend peered over as Shmee traced the lines drawn over the inked roads and trails. The last circle, which hadn't been crossed off yet, was their next destination.
"Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The last stop before we cross the bridge into Maine. I gotta say, it would've been quicker if you all just went through the cities instead of taking all these long detours," Shmee said, his fingers trailing over the map, noting the question marks next to the word Maine.
Eff leaned against a tree, scoffing as he crossed his arms. "Dboy swore up and down I'd cause a scene everywhere we went. He didn't want to risk any encounters with humans and their messy jurisdictions. Although, it didn't stop us entirely."
"Reverend," Shmee said, turning toward him, "you and Sickness, too, right?"
Reverend sighed and stretched. "Eh, just some people at that cabin in the woods before I met these two. Not many left alive to infect—except those transients at the riverbed. But I wouldn't worry about them too much. Most of those people had too weak a mindset."
Realizing what he'd just said, Reverend paused. "Ohhh, wait a minute. That would amuse you, wouldn't it, Shmee? You're a sponge. I'm a glutton, but the way we consume is much different."
Eff perked up, grinning as he picked up on the telepathic connection. "If prolonged infection like what you did with Todd is possible, can you manifest fully as real because of your consumption qualities? I mean, even though I'm the most manic here, I'd have the same chance, right?"
Shmee and Reverend were silent for a moment, both thinking it over. Shmee knew that he and Reverend could become real based on their shared principles. But as for Eff, Sickness, and even Dboy, the path to becoming real wasn't as clear.
Shmee then entertained a theory. "Well, maybe. I wouldn't know for sure—it's something you'd have to figure out by wielding your own properties. I know I'm a good example, but I'm not exactly human. I mean, I am real, but I'm still just like the rest of you. We're all part of that thing that created us. But this form could slip away, too, if I experimented more with humans."
Eff was about to voice his rage when Sickness staggered into the campsite, disheveled, cut, and bruised, but not seriously hurt.
"Fucking cocksucker should die! I can't believe this shit!" Sickness shrieked, as Reverend rushed to help her before she collapsed. Blood oozed from the bottom of her feet, where she'd been running barefoot.
"Lemme guess, you had a spat with our prince of darkness?" Eff grumbled.
Dusting off her clothes, Sickness tried to catch her breath. She hated the way her body felt sometimes—so fragile, so human.
"I was minding my own fucking business... Dboy started getting mad at me for no reason... didn't say a word. I felt like he was about to tear me apart, but then his eyes started glowing blue, and suddenly, he let me go and collapsed, started... I dunno, convulsing?"
The three men exchanged confused glances before Sickness continued.
"It wasn't like his usual tremors—this one looked like it was hurting him badly," she finished, pressing a rag against her bleeding foot.
Gleeful, Eff grew hopeful. "Where's the miserable shit at, darling? Maybe he's dead."
Meanwhile, flashes of images overwhelmed Dboy's vision. Familiar, yet dreamlike, the reality around him seemed to unravel at the seams. He felt trapped in a hellscape, too much happening all at once. His body was frozen, unable to move. The woman with the green eyes appeared again, her eyes turning blood-red, intensifying the experience. Then he heard her voice.
"Not her, not them, not yet. Cross the bridge, I lie in wait."
Suddenly, Dboy felt like he was being thrown back on planet Earth again. He snapped awake, only to find his hands gripping Eff's throat. Eff was struggling, trying to pry Dboy's hands off. As Dboy's vision adjusted to the darkness, he saw Shmee, Sickness, and Reverend standing at a distance, confused and alarmed.
Realizing what was happening, Dboy released Eff and stood up abruptly, looking around wildly.
"How long was I out?!" he yelled, fury in his voice.
"Not that long, you asshole!" Eff rasped, rubbing his scarred neck, the pain reminding him of when he'd been pinned to Nny's wall.
Sickness, her anger bubbling up from their earlier encounter, shoved Dboy. "Serves you fucking right, you dickhead! Try to rip me apart while I'm alone? That's something I'd expect from Eff, not you! At least let me be human first before you kill me!"
Seething, Dboy towered over her, his voice booming. "What makes you think you'll ever be a mortal sack of shit? Your very existence is weakness, Sickness!"
Shmee stepped in, sensing that if the group fell apart now, none of their goals would be realized. More than anyone, Shmee needed them together a little while longer so he could figure out their purpose.
"It's done! It's over!" Shmee shouted with a force that seemed to shake the very atmosphere above them. Birds flew from their nests, and larger animals scattered away.
With a deep sigh, Shmee continued in a calmer tone. "Let's keep moving. The sun will be up sooner than you think. We're closer now than ever, and I want to see this through to the end. Dboy, whatever keeps messing with you, it's for a reason. And I intend to see that reason through because I want to cut ties with our Dear Creator and forget this whole mess."
Dboy scowled, annoyed but resigned. "Fine. Let's get the fuck out of this forest."
