sleach

Acton, I know the rift is intense between your two sides, and making peace seems unimaginable, but this is a dire situation. None of you have any other choice.

I can only offer you temporary aid. After that, carrying on all comes down to you, and the only ones left who can join hands with you and push on are them. Fellow Infected of yours.

So, either you shelve your grudge for the time being, and together you survive, or you hold onto your hate, and together you die here.

Let me think... I need to ask the others.

Acton, I met a woman while I was looking for the transmitter... I wasn't able to save her daughter's life, but she still pointed me the right way.

The woman with the child? I know her. No wonder... She's the only one I've seen in the past few days.

*sigh* I can't imagine what she does now... her husband, father and sister, they all left her in that atrocity, and now... even her daughter's gone.

So give it a think, Acton. They're just a group of people that want to survive, same as you.

Hey, Chuck, d'you trust these people? I just feel like they'd have to have something in store for us down the line.

Don't know, nor do I want to. Haven't had a meal for days. Brain just says, eat something to keep the needle off empty.

It's some swindle, absolutely. I tell you, these army boys, they've got hell in mind for us.

So what? You keep talking, but here you are anyway.

Hmph... that Vouivre's holding onto Oripathy suppressants there. My bad parts have been feeling like murder in recent days.

There's simple water purifiers on the camp's east. To the south is the farmland we're about to clear. The sick have all agreed to be housed for nursing in the tent on the north end.

At noontime and evening each day, you can get a portion of food from the center of the camp.

Ahem... that's all. Janie, anything you'd like to add?

Can I just ask everyone, have you seen a woman around? She's very slim, and she's carrying a girl... but the child passed away not long ago.

Máire? You mean Máire?

Brown hair, small mole under her eyes?

Right, that's her. What do you want with her? What, has she offended you?

No, I just wanted to ask, is she doing okay?

Mystery, isn't it? Haven't seen her who knows how long. Could be dead herself in someplace.

But you... I thought you would've at least been aware of each other.

Here?!

Vouivre, no one's got the time to care for anyone else here.

What are you looking at me like that for? I'm just... telling the truth.

It's fine. Thank you all for coming out so far. Get some rest as soon as you can. We have a lot of things waiting for us tomorrow.

Janie, I don't understand. Where's the point in what you're doing? We've given them food to eat, and a place to stay.

I'm not crossing my fingers they'll be happy with us any day, but at the very least, we could just about live without bothering each other!

Take yesterday, I heard a brawl sprung up while work was happening, and someone's still lying on the couch today with stars around their head.

Ungh... this fruit's too high. I can't reach.

Janie, Janie! Are you listening to me?

Hm? Oh, that, I know. It was one of yours who decided to be rude first, Acton.

Says who?

I rushed over the moment the conflict sparked off, and it was me who helped the one with a knock on the head back to camp too.

The... Did you even sort out what happened, Janie?

I did. So, as a token of apology, I think you can present them this basket of fruit, in person.

This is killing me... Miss Saileach, am I going to die?

You'll be fine, I've already jabbed you with painkillers. Just hold on a little, and it'll kick in soon.

Thank you... *cough* *cough*

How are you now? Any better?

If you could just, keep talking to me... I'm scared.

What do you want to hear?

Anything, I just want... to have a voice by my side.

Alright. Will a song be okay?

Yeah...

'If only we were a pair of white feathers, roaming free on the breaks of the waves,'

'Time would farewell us to be forgotten, and never would either we sorrow again...'

Miss Saileach...

Shh, he's asleep.

(Thank you, Mr. Chuck, for being so willing to help me look after these people.)

(No problem. Want some wild fruit? I'll fetch you one.)

(Wild fruit? Did you pick it?)

(No, it's from an army boy. They taste alright. Don't know why they felt so kind all of a sudden.)

(I'm guessing, they wanted to apologize for what happened a few days ago.)

(That's a tall tale...)

Rgh... cold.

Though his face twists as he does it, the man tucks the patient gently back into his bed.

(Tch. Boy can't even sleep tight.)

Acton, quickly, wake up!

What is it, Janie?

There's a serious leak in the north side patients' tent! Fetch a few people to come with me, quickly!

What?! Hold on, I'll be right there.

Quickly, Acton!

I'm here. How are the sick inside? What's your plan? Dammit, the rain must have ruined these boys' conditions. What the hell do we do now?

The Tarans came over first thing. I suppose they've moved them to other tents by now.

What?

I said, the Tarans made it in time to move the patients out! They're all safe!

Including ours?

Yes, including the soldiers, but they weren't in time to shift the pharmaceuticals I brought. I'm afraid those are all soaked now.

That's fine, I'll think of something.

Thank you, Deaglán, for coming with me to find Acton.

Thank those drugs you've got, not me.

Actually, I ran out of my medicine. The stuff we've been handing out to everyone over the last few days, that was all stuff Acton found with a few others by braving the ruins...

Tch. Some shite.

Oi, Acton! The hell are you, you bleeding moron? Will you give us a shout already!

I'm... I'm over here, I got trapped.

Are you hurt?

No, it was just, the exit collapsed...

What got you inside this cellar, anyway?

Enough of that, give me a hand. There's an injured woman here who's out cold.

Alright, I'll pull her up.

It's Máire... She's still alive?

Hey, you want a scone?

A scone? Are you having a laugh? Where'd you get the stuff to make that?

It was Janie who whipped it up. I don't know what she went into the forest to pick yesterday, but whatever it was, it let her actually make these.

No joke? Pass me it, I'll try one.

Who knew I'd ever be sitting here having nibbles? We used to not even have a bite to eat.

That girl led us through cultivating, raising fowls and treating the sick just fine, and she can even knock together a wood house. We're sitting here now and she's even rustled up desserts.

Eat yours, chop-chop! Want another?

No, I'll save one for Máire.

How is she?

Looking a lot better, but she still doesn't talk. Too much of a shock to her, losing her child.

Bless Janie, really. She's been sitting by her side the whole time as of late.

Heh, speaking of. Here she comes.

Mr. Acton! I got a reply from my colleagues!

Janie! That's smashing news.

Phew... They were notifying us just now to say, the branch office south is making an urgent partial transfer of their supplies to us.

When will they arrive?

If all goes well, in about a week.