Scavenger

Why does the sun always have to be so bright? It's the middle of [[November]], can't there be some clouds for once? How is there even snow? You haven't seen a single cloud for [[days.]] The worst part is that the sun isn't even making anything warmer. It's colder than a witch's tit, even with your layers of clothing, in your sleeping bag, in your tent which really should block out the sun more than it does. [[You're hungry.]] [[But it doesn't matter.]]

That's right, November. A dead month for scavengers like yourself. No one wants to explore the cities when they're cold. It just makes the job that much worse.

It takes you around six days to walk from your home to the city by following the highways. Each trip is different, depending on the time of year. In the warmer seasons, the roads are chocked with all the other scavengers, everyone trying to find their fortune or die trying. During the colder seasons, there are far less people willing to leave their homes for this job. That doesn't mean the streets are sure to be empty though. The [[Things]] in the city like to move about during the winter. Luckily, you haven't encountered any creatures so far.

Beef jerky. Thank God for beef jerky. It's filling, it's long lasting, and it wakes you up in the morning. It's not cheap, but that's why you save it for these trips to the city. Hopefully if you find something good, you can make up all that money you spent getting jerky...and of course, pay your [[rent]], that's the real reason you're here. It's time to [[get out]] of the tent.

You just want to go into the city, find something [[valuable]] and go back home. It's time to [[get out]] of the tent.

You pay rent to live where you do now, and it's pricey. It's a terrible apartment; everything leaks, it gets too cold, there are holes in the walls, crime is big in the area, so on and so on. That's all you can afford though. Anything better is way out of your price range right now, and anything lower would be living on the streets. Scavenging is the only way you can make it by.

You put on your backpack, grab you your rifle, get out of your tent, and shield your eyes from the sunlight until they can adjust. Only a short walk from here is the city; the very city you used to live in before the Things came, before you and everyone else had to be evacuated, and before efforts to quarantine the city were more or less abandoned. You have a few ideas on where you should go scavenging. You've heard rumors of a [[skyscraper]] that a group of scavengers tried to loot, but weren't able to check all the floors. Then again, a place like that probably lost anything valuable it might have had a long time ago. The [[subway system]] might also have some artifacts hidden deep below there. Then again, it's also home to a lot of strange Things. It may not be the safest place to check out. Maybe you should investigate the [[urban park]]. Yes, its a place in the open, so it wouldn't be the first place anyone would look for a hidden artifact, but who knows? Most people want to avoid being in the open during the summer seasons, as things can get pretty violent if different groups of scavengers find something they both want, so there still could be something worth picking up there now.

That's what every scavenger wants; to find something valuable, sell it, and then be rich for the rest of their lives. That's not what usually happens though. Most scavengers, like yourself, make a living by finding what normal people might want (Movies, video games, books, jewelry, MP3 players, ect) and selling it on the open market. Those are valuable, but not the valuable they want. A scavenger wants to find an [[artifact]].

When those [[Things]] came to the cities, so too did the artifacts. Just like the Things, artifacts come in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes they're gems, other times they're boxes or staffs, or maybe something completely unrecognizable. Some say artifacts can even have super powers, but that might just be a myth. It's not like you've ever found one. Whatever they are, people pay big bucks to anyone who can get their hands on one.

The Things just came to the world one day. Aliens; or maybe monsters. They come in all shapes and sizes, but they all share some similar traits. 1. Cities are where they thrive. 2. They hibernate during the warmer seasons. 3. They are active during the colder seasons.

You pause. You know it's best to think things through. Are you sure the skyscraper is where you want to scavenge? [[Sure. Pack up and get walking.]] [[Maybe not.->get out]]

You pause. You know it's best to think things through. Are you sure the subway system is where you want to scavenge? [[Let's do this. Pack your things and get going.]] [[Maybe not.->get out]]

You pause. You know it's best to think things through. Are you sure the park is where you want to scavenge? [[Sure, get everything put away and get moving.]] [[Maybe not.->get out]]

~~~ You walk down the roads of the city, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow behind you. Your rifle is trembling in your hands from a combination of the frigid cold and the strange, far off moans of God knows what. If only you could find your [[fortune]], you wouldn't need to go to this place ever again! [[But it doesn't matter.->Get to tower]]

Damn the Things, damn the other scavengers, and damn where you live now! You want to live like the wealthy! You want to live in a nice gated community, guarded by soldiers who would keep bandits and migrating Things away! It's been years since you became a scavenger, and what has that gotten you? Nothing but hardship! If only you could find an artifact! That's all you need, just one little artifact! You see something [[shiny]] in the distance. [[But it doesn't matter.->Get to tower]]

~~~ You finally reach the skyscraper. While it may not be the most impressive tower in the city, it's certainly noteworthy, seemingly made out of nothing but shimmering glass. You still can't believe that this building hasn't been fully scavenged by now. When you enter it it seems like the idea of finding anything worth scavenging was too good to be true. The place is entirely barren. Not even tables or chairs have been left behind. It is entirely scavenged. You travel deeper into the gray halls of the lobby, past the front desk, and come across a staircase that appears to be blocked by mounds of debris. Besides that is an elevator which to your surprise still seems to be receiving power. You enter the elevator, and find that most of the buttons appear to be unlit and nonfunctioning when pushed. However, some glow dimly, and on these dimly lit buttons are drawn [[symbols]]. Of the total 40 floors, it seems you will only be able to go to six of them, not including the lobby. [[Floor 11 (X symbol)]] [[Floor 23 (X symbol)]] [[Floor 27 (✓ symbol)]] [[Floor 30 (☺ symbol)]] [[Floor 33 (☹ symbol)]] [[Floor 40 (? symbol)]]

What is that? It's glowing softly, just around the block, near an empty convenience store covered in a dark blue moss. The light is hanging in mid-air, almost like a ghost. It feels like the light is calling you. Could this be an artifact? No, no it couldn't be. An artifact couldn't just be out in the open like this, could it? Maybe if you run into that convenience store you can get a closer look at the light while also playing things safe. [[Follow the light.]] [[Run into the convenience store, hide, and watch the light.]] [[Just keep walking->Get to tower]]

You march towards the light and the closer you get the more you feel your worries fade away. Whatever this light is, it will make you rich. It will make you happy. Your eyes grow heavy as you start to notice the light is connected to some sort of stalk. On the other end of the stalk is a massive, scaly head, forming out of nothing. You fall to the ground, and before you fall unconscious, you understand that the light was merely some sort of bait being used by a Thing. It's bulging black eyes look deep into your soul. You do not wake up. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You rush past the convenience store's broken doors and get behind the counter. This strange blue moss didn't just grow on the outside of the building, it has flourished all throughout the inside. It's warm and soft under your feet. You peak your head over the counter and watch the light through the window. The more you stare at it the heavier your eyes seem to get. It feels like all your worries are melting away. You fall into a deep sleep. ~~~ You wake up to the the sound of crunching. You pull yourself up from the soft, warm, moss covered ground to find a fish-man Thing's limp body hanging by the entrance of the store. The light you were once bewitched by is connected to the corpse's head by a stalk. The Thing's corpse is attached to the entrance by clumps of moss, which shake and pulsate as a neon blue liquid leaks from under them. The moss is alive. [[Run out of the building!]] [[Shoot at the moss clumps!]]

''SCAVENGER'' A game by Alexander Eden [[wake up->The Highway]]

You leap over the counter and rush to the exit, shutting your eyes as you slam into the corpse blocking the way. You feel a sharp pain in you arms and legs and open you eyes to see that not only has the Thing's corpse not budged but your limbs are now been latched onto by the moss clumps. You struggle to break free. When that fails, you attempt to move your rifle and use it to pry yourself free. Unfortunately, you drop the rifle in the attempt. The moss didn't seem interested in you before; it only wanted to eat that fish-man Thing. If only it didn't seem to have a taste for human blood now. In time, the moss covers you completely, along with the corpse of the Thing. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You ready your rifle, take a deep breath, and fire at the moss clumps attached to the left arm of the Thing. The bullet lodges into one of the clumps, but besides that, it seems to have little effect...until the moss clumps begin to slide away from the arm and into the rest of the moss that covers the walls. The Thing's corpse falls over to the other side of the doorframe, hanging from the remaining moss clumps holding up its other arm. This creates a gap large enough for you to slide through and escape. You breath a sigh of relief as you squirm past the Thing's corpse and out of the building. Years of scavenging and you still forget one of the most important facts of life; nothing is the same as it used to be. [[Continue to the skyscraper->Get to tower]]

Often, scavengers will leave messages for each other in places that they're looting, especially when working in large groups. Of course no two groups of scavengers will use the same symbols to communicate, but you have a good feeling you can easily figure out what the group that last came here drew onto the buttons.

You push the button to go to the eleventh floor. The elevator doors slide shut. ~~~ You peak out of the doors to find that, much like the lobby, this floor has been picked clean of anything valuable. You do see a flimsy paper note held onto one of the walls by a push pin, but besides that this floor seems completely empty. [[Read the note.]] [[Go to another floor.]]

You push the button to go to the 23rd floor. The elevator doors slide shut. ~~~ This floor seems pretty cleaned out. Anything valuable looks like its been taken away a long time ago. In the distance, you can see a paper note held onto the wall by a pushpin. There appear to be bright red mushrooms growing in the far left corner of the floor closest to the elevator. There is a strong smell of cinnamon in the air. [[Look at the note.]] [[Look at the mushrooms]] [[Go to another floor.]]

You push the button to go to the 27th floor. The elevator doors slide shut. ~~~ There are bright red mushrooms everywhere, ranging from the size of your palm to the size of a small child! The larger mushrooms seem to surround a large crates of canned foods. There appear to be five crates of food, each one with the word ''RATIONS'' printed on the side of them. There is a paper note held onto one of the walls by a pushpin. You can hear wheezing. The smell of cinnamom is almost overwhelming. Are those larger mushrooms...moving? [[Investigate the note.]] [[Approach the large mushrooms.]] [[Go to another floor.]]

You push the button to go to the 30th floor. The elevator doors slide shut. ~~~ This floor is completely cleaned out, except for a note on the ground. There appear to be roots hanging from the ceiling. [[Approach the note.]] [[Go to another floor.]]

You push the button to go to the 33rd floor. The elevator doors slide shut. ~~~ The elevator door opens, and the stench of cinnamon and rot is so strong that you are immediately brought to your knees. You want to vomit. You look up, and see nothing short of a monstrosity. A nightmarishly massive mushroom Thing fills the entire room. Its long arms are as thick as tree trunks. It could grab you with its clawed hands like you were a toy. Three human corpses surround the Thing's stem-body, and around them are other mushroom Things the size of small children. [[Shoot the Giant Mushroom Thing.]] [[Go to another floor.]]

You push the button to go to the 40th floor. The elevator doors slide shut. ~~~ This floor seems completely empty, save for two things; a note on the ground, and a staircase leading to the roof. [[Grab the note.]] [[Go to the roof.]] [[Go to another floor.]]

You walk over to the note and read it. //Sorry guys, there's nothing good here. Someone cleaned out this floor a long time ago. Remember, there's nothing worth finding on any floor I put an X on. I'm going to check as many floors as I can, but this place isn't leaving me a lot of options. The elevator doesn't go to all the floors anymore, and the staircase has collapsed in on itself. Don't get your hopes up.// //-J// //P.S.// //7294//

Which floor should you go to next? [[Floor 11 (X symbol)]] [[Floor 23 (X symbol)]] [[Floor 27 (✓ symbol)]] [[Floor 30 (☺ symbol)]] [[Floor 33 (☹ symbol)]] [[Floor 40 (? symbol)]]

You walk over to the note on the wall and read it. //Sorry guys, another empty floor. Unless you know how to navigate a destroyed staircase we don't have a lot of places to explore. I really don't think we're going to find anything good here. I don't want to be all doom and gloom but we should probably start thinking about a new place to go once our rent runs out.// //-J//

You approach the red mushrooms in the corner. Judging by the way they sway back and forth, and the odd smell of cinnamon they're emitting, you think these mushrooms aren't natural. [[Eat a mushroom.]] [[Go to another floor.]]

You pluck one of the mushrooms from the floor, dust off the dirt, and take a bite into it. Your mouth fills with a thick, tangy liquid. It feels incredibly sticky on your teeth, and the cinnamon smell hitting your nose is too strong. You hear wheezing noise coming out of the mushroom. There appear to be no strange effects from eating these.

You walk over to the note and read it. //Wow, I actually found something! There are boxes of food here, canned food! I mean, it's not an artifact or something, but it's still a really nice find! My guess is that these things were left behind by whoever came here last, so I still don't think we should keep our hopes too high about finding other stuff, but at the very least we can drag these bad boys back home and sell some cans for some quick cash. Thank God we came when it was so cold out. Trying to get these home would be a nightmare during the summer. // //-J//

You slowly walk over to the larger mushroom, gripping your rifle. Something about these mushrooms doesn't seem right. The closer you get the louder the wheezing becomes and the more sickening the scent of cinnamon gets. Then one of the mushrooms turns around and wheezes at you. Three pitch black holes on the mushroom's stem create what appear to be two eyes and a mouth. Upon closer inspection this mushroom has two stubs on its side that must act as arms. These mushrooms are Things. The mushroom shuffles forward, wheezing and shaking its stubs at you. This triggers other mushrooms to turn towards you and they begin to swarm. The wheezing of all these mushrooms is deafening and you can't stand this smell anymore. You need to get out of here. [[Go to another floor.]]

You pick up the note on the ground. There appear to be dried wet spots on it. //Please forgive me. I'm so sorry for what I did. I wasn't myself. To anyone who is reading this, please don't go to floor 33. There is something terrible up there. I did something terrible up there. I'm so sorry.// //-J//

You pull yourself up from the ground, aim your rifle, and fire at the giant mushroom Thing. The bullet lodges itself into the stem of the Thing, and a thick, dark red liquid leaks from the wound. The Thing, and all of its mushroom children, now notice you. You are grabbed by the giant mushroom Thing with one hand. With one squeeze, your body is crushed by its intense strength. You are thrown to the ground. The last thing you see are the mushroom children surrounding your body. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You walk over to the note, and grab it. The writing on it is messy, and there appear to be dried wet spots. //I took the artifact to the roof. I'm going to try throwing it to the ground. Eddy, Carol, Niko, I'm so sorry. I thought you were going to take it from me. I wasn't myself. Forgive me, please.// //-J//

You climb the staircase to the roof. ~~~ The sun burns your eyes while the frigid winds sting your body as you open the door and exit out onto the roof. It's difficult to breath up here. Ahead of you is a small black cube covered in gold symbols. Your eyes widen at its sight. You are filled with a great sense of discovery. The otherworldly glow that surrounds it is enough to confirm your suspicions. This is, without a doubt, an artifact. [[Grab the artifact.]] [[Leave: You can't. You refuse to leave. Not when fortune is standing right before you.]]

You clasp the artifact in your hand and can feel a surge of [[joy]] flow throughout your body. Finally, after all these [[years]] you can finally be [[rich.]] You can finally live easily because you have the artifact and [[no one]] is going to take it from you. It is yours and yours [[alone.]] But wait...what is that [[noise?]] They're getting closer. Is someone else here? Someone who might want ''your'' artifact? ''They can't have it!'' [[Run from them, save the artifact!]] [[Shoot them, protect the artifact!]]

This is the greatest joy you have ever felt in your life.

Every year of your life as a scavenger has led to this moment.

You'll be the richest person in all the countryside and no one will have this fortune but you.

You deserve this artifact more than anyone else.

You'll make sure that you, and you alone, are the one who holds this artifact.

They're getting closer. Someone else who wants this artifact. They don't deserve it, only you do. You'll ''kill'' them before you let them touch this artifact. You'd ''die'' before you let them touch this artifact.

You run. You run as fast as you possibly can away from the thief who is after your artifact. But they're gaining on you. You need to lose them some other way. You leap off of the roof. During your fall you cradle the artifact to your chest and try your hardest to position yourself mid-air so that when you land, you'll fall on your back. Maybe that way you can protect the artifact and make sure it isn't hurt. You hit the concrete below, saving your precious artifact. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You place the artifact on the ground and ready your rifle. You fire a shot towards the thief who is after your artifact...but no one is there. Your head feels so much clearer now. There weren't any noises, there was no thief. Why did you think there was? You look down at the artifact. Something isn't right about this. But you can't just leave the artifact here. [[Carefully slide the artifact into your backpack and go home.]] [[Destroy the artifact.]]

You take off your backpack, unzip it, and carefully nudge the artifact inside. Holding that artifact did things to your head but it couldn't mess with you if you're not touching it, right? You zip up your backpack, put it back on, and head back down the stairs. You did it. You finally found an artifact. Now you will be able to sell it and live happily. You begin your trek back home, trying your hardest to ignore the whispers. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You ready your rifle and fire another shot into the artifact. It shatters into countless sharp, black shards. You stomp on the pieces. You kick whatever dust remains towards the edge of the roof. You do whatever you can to ensure that this artifact is no more. You begin your trek back home, no longer wishing to be a scavenger. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

~~~ You've enter the city and after a long walk across the icy streets you find stairs leading underground into the subway system. To some scavengers it would be insane to ever consider going down into a place that most people say should be full of Things, especially if you're alone and especially during the winter. You really shouldn't even be considering this. But maybe this danger is what draws you here. Maybe you want to see what's //really// down in the underground. Maybe you just love the [[unknown.]] [[But it doesn't matter.->AMBUSH]] You're smarter than this. You're going to just walk away from this.

Is it really a love for the unknown? It's more of a desire to get rid of the unknown, to find the truth hidden by it. You would think that being a scavenger, being so close to Things every time you come to the city, that you would learn about what exactly the Things are or where they came from. But no; you never have. No one ever has. Sometimes you wonder if you're the only one who really cares anymore...no, that's not true. People who want artifacts from the lucky scavengers who find them, they care, and that's why they pay so much to get them. You take off your backpack, put it on the ground, and search through it. Pulling out your trusty flashlight, you turn it on, zip up and put your backpack back on, and enter the subway. ~ You find yourself with a lot of options, and no idea which one to take. There are so many tracks, so many lines, and if you travel down them blindly, you'll be hopelessly lost. That is when you see something interesting; a map of the subway system lines, but with some sort of strange poem written on it. Looking past the poem, you see just how many lines there are. Red, blue, green, white, and black. [[Read the poem.]] [[Follow the red line.]] [[Follow the blue line.]] [[Follow the green line.->Green Correct.]] [[Follow the white line.]] [[Follow the black line.]]

You turn away from the stairs. You're not going to walk into a Thing filled trap just to feed your own damn obsession with understanding. You follow your footprints in the snow back the way you came until you can see the route back to the highway. You'll figure out a different place to scavenge, you're sure of it. Then you hear something that sends a chill down your spine, one almost as cold as these winds. The crunch of running feet on snow coming right behind you. You feel something slam against the back of your head before you fall unconscious. ~~~ You wake up colder than you've ever been before. You are completely naked, and handcuffed around street lamp. You can see three people searching through your belongings. A man wearing orange ski goggles and a scratchy looking scarf around his face is putting your clothing in a shopping cart. A woman wearing a winter hat is inspecting your rifle. Finally, another woman wearing a ski mask searches through your backpack with one hand, and points a revolver at you with her other. This woman notices you're awake. "Who are you?" the woman says. [[Tell her you're a scavenger.]] [[Tell her you're a desperate person trying to pay rent.]] [[Tell her you're going to kill all of them unless they let you go.]]

You're going to tell these bandits what they want to know. You're just a scavenger and that's all. The woman in the ski mask doesn't like your answer. "Of course you're a scavenger. We're all scavengers. But why are you here in November?" [[You were going to scavenge for anything valuable.]] [[You'd be happy to tell them if they gave you your clothes back.]] [[You need to pay your rent badly->Tell her you're a desperate person trying to pay rent.]]

Something about what you just said seems to have caught the attention of the the woman in the winter hat and the man in the scarf. "I know how that feels," the man in the scarf says. "We all do," says the woman in the winter hat. The woman in the ski mask turns to her companions. Does she understand what they mean? Could whatever you said lead the bandits to [[free]] you?

You yell and curse, you threaten and thrash about. You think of all the most violent things you can in order to scare these bandits. Unfortunately, your captors won't have any of that. The woman in the ski mask fires a bullet into your head. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

"Anything valuable?" the man in the scarf asks you. He turns to his companions. "Do you think he knows about our stuff?" "Shut up about that!" yells back the woman in the winter hat. The woman in the ski mask shakes her head. "Where were you going?" she asks you. [[To a skyscraper.->Bullet to the head.]] [[To the subway system.->free]] [[To the park.->free]]

All three of the bandits laugh. Maybe your comedy skills can get you out of this mess. "Nice try," says the woman in the ski mask, "but we're going to go now." The woman slams you across the face with her pistol until you fall unconscious again. ~~~ It was nice of the bandits to at least free you from the handcuffs when they left. Unfortunately, those blows to the head kept you out cold, and out in the cold, longer than you should have been. You don't wake up. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

Without a word the woman in the ski mask pushes her revolver to your forehead. "We can't let you take our food." She fires. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

With a groan, the woman in the ski mask orders her two companions to free and redress you. ~~~ You are still being held at gunpoint but at least you're warmer than you were before. "Sorry about all of this," says the woman in the winter hat, "but we can't be too careful." "Yeah," the man in the scarf says, "we're not like you, scavenger. We don't live in the countryside. We live out here in the city." "Would you two be quiet?" says the woman in the ski mask, "let me handle the scavenger." The woman, her gun still pointed towards you, clears her throat. "We're not ordinary scavengers. We're criminals, all three of us. Not your average slum thugs, but real bad ones. If we were caught in the countryside...let's just say that we live in the city for a reason. No one survives in a city for long, especially during the winter. But us three, we got lucky. We found an abandoned military outpost or something, full of ration boxes. We took them up to this place we were hiding out at, but...well, it turned out some Things were living there with us. We didn't think we'd be able to get those rations back until at least March, but now...you help us get our rations out of there, and we'll reward you nicely." The woman in the winter hat and the man in the scarf seem a little confused by what their leader just said. Maybe she's planning something that they haven't caught onto yet. Either way, it doesn't look like you actually have that much of a choice in this matter. You walk for a long time with this group of bandits. The woman in the ski mask leads the way, still holding the revolver in her hand. The man in the scarf stands by her side. The woman in the winter hat is behind you, pointing your rifle to your back. You would complain about not having a choice in helping them but you don't want to end up full of bullets. You think you know the destination that you're heading towards, a shining skyscraper...but what's that [[sound?]]

It's a heavy rumbling, something like an earthquake. The man in the scarf is getting nervous. "Oh man, we gotta get inside the building now!" he yells. His fear seems to have crept over to the woman in the winter hat. "We gotta get moving," she shouts out from behind you. The woman in the winter coat pokes you in the back with your rifle and you begin to jog along with the rest of the group. "Just stay calm everyone," says the woman in the ski mask, "we'll just hide in the lobby until this all passes." But you all can't seem to outrun the rumbling. Coming from down the road you see the source of this noise. Green, golem like Things, each one at least seven feet tall, tumbling and slamming down the road and into each other with their cracked, stone-like bodies. Ten of these faceless, ancient looking Things are heading your way, and you are sure that their intention is nothing short of trampling you in their stampede. You're all desperately sprinting at this point to escape. The woman in the ski mask fires the revolver towards one of the golem Things. The bullet shatters against its head, but does not halt it. She fires again, the bullet this time lodging itself into the loose joints of a golem Thing's neck. This somehow incapacitates the Thing and it collapses with a thud. The nine remaining golems pay their fallen friend no mind. The golems then split into three groups. Three golems surround the woman with the ski mask and throw her to the ground. She fires the revolver as they begin to pound her into the surrounding concrete. Another three attack the man with the scarf, who is defenseless against their blows. Finally, the remaining three golem Things rush towards you and the woman in the winter hat. As you run she stops and attempts to fight back, aiming your rifle only to have it knocked out of her hands and she is slammed down. The rifle slides across the ground to your feet. [[Grab your rifle and run for it.]] [[Grab your rifle and fight the Things.]] [[Grab your rifle and kill the bandits.]]

You're not going to risk your life for these assholes! You grab your rifle and run as fast as you can away from the golem Things. They ignore you, preferring to crush the more defenseless prey in front of them. You run as fast as you can, turning around every corner in a desperate attempt to escape the golem Things. You run until you want to faint. ~~~ Time has past. The golem things are long gone by now. You return to the sight where you abandoned the bandits, and find only their mangled remains. They are all dead. You remember what the woman in the ski mask said, about her and her friends being high profile criminals. You wonder how you might be able to drag their bodies back to the countryside. Maybe they had a bounty on their heads. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

Why are you doing this? This is the stupidest thing you could ever possibly do. These bandits stripped you naked, threatened your life, and now you're picking up your rifle to try helping them? This goes against everything sane! [[But it doesn't matter.->save the bandits]]

Those bastards actually thought they could hold you against your will and get away with it!? You'll show them. You pick up the rifle and aim it towards the man in the scarf. He looks up at you, believing that you're going to save him. You fire a shot into his face, while the golem Things continue to crush his body. The woman in the winter hate cries out in agony, though you suspect its because of the beating she is receiving, and not the lose of her friend. You execute her as well. Finally, you look the woman in the ski mask right in her eyes. She attempts to shoot you with the revolver, only to have it crushed by one of the golem Things. Before she can react, you kill her off as well. That will teach them...but now that all three of the bandits are dead, the golem Things have no one else to target but you. You are immediately trampled to death. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

The next few moments are almost a complete blur. You fire shot after shot. The golem Things around the woman in the ski mask fall to the ground, one by one. The woman in the ski mask, battered and bruised, forces herself onto her two feet, and joins you in the battle. In minutes, by some miracle, you and her have brought all the golems to their knees. The man in the scarf and the woman in the winter hat are alive. Just barely alive, but alive all the same. ~~~ You march forward to the skyscraper as the bandits limp behind. "Thank you, scavenger..." says the woman in the ski mask, her voice strained and hoarse. "I...I have something to confess." The man in the scarf and the woman in the winter hat, though too pained to speak, seem concerned. "We aren't just criminals," the woman in the ski mask says, "that was a lie. We...we were researching artifacts...trying to find out who was buying them, and for what reasons. We were...discovering things...hearing rumors...clues that suggested...that the artifacts do much more than most people know...we were getting too close to something...they threatened our lives, and we had to flee to the city...but we heard...I'll admit...I was planning on using you as a distraction for the Things so we could get our rations...but we could use someone like you...what do you say?" Anyone with a brain would leave these half dead goons to their business and go back home. But it doesn't matter. You think you're going to stay with these three for awhile. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You shine your light on the poem. It appears to be written in something sticky and black. //there once was a girl, from the country she flew// //across empty skies that could not hide the Blue.// //and into a city of cold and of dead// //she followed the trail of a dark crimson Red.// //at the end of this line, she got lost in the night// //and needed to follow a bright calming White.// //but the creatures did see her; they pounce, they attack// //the girl shut her eyes, consumed by the Black.// //the girl was then gone, never again seen// //in this beautiful world of life and of Green.// //if only she knew that to find her way// //she had to come visit on OPPOSITE DAY.//

You follow the line. It is dark and empty. [[Follow the blue line.]] [[Follow the green line.->Green Correct.]] [[Follow the white line.]] [[Follow the black line.]]

You follow the line. It is dark and empty. [[Follow the red line.]] [[Follow the green line.->Green Correct.]] [[Follow the white line.]] [[Follow the black line.]]

You follow the line. It is dark and empty. [[Follow the red line.]] [[Follow the blue line.]] [[Follow the white line.]] [[Follow the black line.->black correct.]]

You follow the line. It is dark and empty. [[Follow the red line.]] [[Follow the blue line.]] [[Follow the green line.->Green Correct.]] [[Follow the black line.]]

You follow the line. It is dark and empty. [[Follow the red line.]] [[Follow the blue line.]] [[Follow the green line.->Green Correct.]] [[Follow the white line.]]

You follow the line. It is dark and empty. [[Follow the red line.]] [[Follow the blue line.]] [[Follow the green line.->Green Correct.]] [[Follow the white line.->white correct]]

You follow the line. It is dark and empty. [[Follow the red line.->red correct.]] [[Follow the blue line.]] [[Follow the green line.->Green Correct.]] [[Follow the black line.]]

You follow the line. It is dark and empty. [[Follow the blue line.->blue correct.]] [[Follow the green line.->Green Correct.]] [[Follow the white line.]] [[Follow the black line.]]

You have been wandering for ages. How long could these tracks possibly be? Did you take a wrong turn somewhere? Your flashlight begins to flicker on and off. You keep marching forward, however. Trying to find your way back now would just get you even more lost. You start to notice the tunnel below you slowly sloping downward. The minor slope only gets steeper and steeper. This doesn't seem right. It's like you're walking down a hill at this point. No one would build a subway tunnel like this. Is this real? Should you keep walking down this underground hill? Maybe you should just rest for a second. [[Pinch yourself to make sure this isn't a dream.]] [[Keep walking.]] [[Stop and rest.]]

You pinch your cheek to make sure this isn't a dream. Judging by the sting against your face, this is all too real.

~~~ You're no longer on the sloping hill, but the subway is nowhere near normal. Random sharp turns left and right litter the path, seemingly impossible to be of any use for a train. Dark blue moss seems to line the walls. Your flashlight has stopped working, but your eyes have now adjusted to the dark. You still think there's a very high chance that this is all a dream. You keep making strange and nonsensical turns until you find the tunnel has now straightened out. In the far off distance, you see a small white light. The light is slowly but surly getting closer to you, and with it comes a sound that you haven't heard in a long, long time. It's the screech of a speeding train. [[Run away!]] [[Walk forward.]] [[Stay still.]]

You move away from the track, which at this point is going down at a 45 degree angle, and lay down by one of the walls. The ground is hard, but oddly enough you feel pretty comfortable. You were just going to sit down for a little bit, maybe eat some beef jerky and drink some bottled water, but a nap would feel really good right now. You close your eyes. ~~~ You feel something tickling your face. You open your eyes, and scream out in terror. In front of you stands a man with what looks like plant roots flowing out where their eyes should be. You back away, and aim your rifle at the intruder. [[Shoot them!]] [[Watch them.]] [[Run!]]

You fire a shot right into the head of the root eyed man. Bright neon pink blood splatters out onto your face. The blood tingles on your skin. The root eyed man falls backwards, and slides slightly down the hill. His skin bubbles and steams, and soon melts away into a pile of pink mush. This was no man. It was just some strange Thing. [[Keep walking.]]

You stand still, just watching the root eyed man. He slowly stumbles towards you, his walk stilted and inhuman. The roots sway back and forth, slapping against his face. You look at his clothing. It was well kept, slicked back. He looks like a plastic doll. His clothing, a dirty hoodie and jeans, don't move like they should. The clothes should be baggy, should be moving along with the root eyed man's body, but they don't. The clothes just hold there. You are frozen still. The roots lift upward, and wrap themselves around your face. You see a vision. You see a train speeding towards you. You see yourself walk into the train. The roots fall off your face. The root eyed man falls onto his back, sliding down the hill. His body melts into a bright, neon pink goo. [[Keep walking.]]

Forget this! You're not getting eaten by some horrible monster today! You've got to get out of here! You turn away from the root eyed man as fast as possible. As you turn your head away from it the creature throws out an arm, as if pleading you not to leave. You won't comply though, this subway will not be your grave! You try to follow the path you took before but it seems totally different now! You close your eyes and just run as hard as you can. Your heart pounds. You hear a loud screech behind you and a burning sensation on your back. You cannot help but open your eyes and turn to see a hot, white light behind you. And then you are no more. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You turn around, and try your hardest to escape from the on-coming train. You run as fast as you possibly can, but the screech is only getting louder, and the light behind you is getting closer, burning you. You do not escape. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

Despite everything in your body telling you that this is the wrong thing to do, you march forward. The noise is so vile that it feels like your ears are going to bleed. The light is so hot and blinding that you fear you may never see another thing again, but you refuse to give up. You enter the light. ~~~ You find yourself on what can only be described as a small island made of moss. You look around. It seems like you're in a flooded part of the subway, if this place really is the subway at all. Murky water surrounds this island in all directions. Ahead of you is a great blue orb, seemingly projected from a blue gem that is atop an otherworldly pillar. You see Things emerge from the water. Neon pink blobs pull themselves up onto the water and surround the pillar. Right before your eyes, you see the Things stretch and churn, transforming into smooth, featureless human bodies, with roots hanging from where their eyes should be. You can hear [[whispers]] in the back of your head. You know that this gem is an artifact. You know that the orb it is projecting is some kind of portal, perhaps a gateway to where the Things came from, perhaps //the// single source for all the Things in this city. [[Enter the orb.]] [[Take the gem.]] [[Destroy the gem.]]

You close your eyes, and hold perfectly still. The noise is piercing your ears, and your skin burns the closer the light gets to you, but you feel in your heart that this is the right thing to do. Your heart is wrong. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

They tell you how proud they are. They tell you that you are the most deserving to be here. They tell you that you deserve to enter the orb, and receive true understanding of **everything.** Or even better, take the gem and **share what you have learned.**

You know what you must do. You must understand everything you can. The only way to learn the truth of everything is to enter this gateway. You step forward, and the Things seem to bow to you. You enter the orb. You never return to the countryside. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You approach the gemstone, and gently take hold of it. The blue orb fades away, entering the gem. It seems as if the Things are bowing to you, accepting you as someone worthy to take their artifact. The voices fill your head with visions of great truths to soon be shown to the rest of the world. You place the gem into your backpack, and begin your long trek back home. The whispers tell you how to escape the subway, and where it would be best to bring the artifact. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

**NO!** This isn't right! You lift your rifle up and fire a shot right into the artifact, shattering it into countless pieces. The orb fades away, and the Things that were once bowing to you now scream out in pain. They fall to the ground, melting into a pink, bubbling mess. You may want to know where the Things came from, but not like this. You pick up whatever remains of the artifact and throw the pieces into the water around you. Now all that is left to do is get out of this subway...somehow. You begin the long trek home. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

~~~ You walk down the snow covered roads for sometime, searching for the park. Though you've explored the city many times before you can't recall actually going to the park at any point. You were too busy exploring easy to reach buildings that were luckily unnoticed by other scavengers. You keep your eyes out, searching for any noticeable trees or statues. What you find instead, however, is far from what you expected. A good walk away from you, you see what can only be described as a forest of alien plants. The trees are tall and white, with what appear to be shining blue veins that emit a glow that can be seen from afar. As you run down the road to get a closer look you can make out distinct purple leaves. Each tree top seems to intertwine with the others, creating a sea of purple above, what you assume to be, the newly [[transformed]] park. You approach a rusted gate outside of this strange forest and go through it. You hear caws from unknown creatures deep past the trees as you walk down what's left of a dirt path. You come across a wooden bench. [[Sit on the bench.]] [[Stay walking on the path.]]

When the Things came, so too did their flora. It alters the land, changing it, making it look like something from another planet. Maybe its just because most people have given up on taking back the cities, so the plants just had time to grow. Maybe the Things are intentionally changing everything. Who knows?

You sit down on the bench, and decide to relax for a little bit. You let Your eyes wander this strange landscape, and take in all the otherworldly sights and sounds. Looking down at the grass below you, you can see what look like tiny bug Things moving about, ignorant of your presence. Caterpillars with what look like moose antlers, and ladybugs with spots that seem to shift and move around their backs. Looking up in the trees, you see a family of weird white bat Things, with strange cones that surround their heads that open and shut like beaks. The bat Things huddle with each other for warmth in the trees. A little while later, you see a furry Thing scuttle across the dirt path in front of the bench. You can't make out any sort of face with the giant brown fluff of a Thing, but it seems to have noticed you, as it makes weird purring noises in your general direction before wandering off. It surprises you just how non-hostile these Things are. You've tried your best to avoid Things at all costs, but the ones you have encountered on previous trips to the city have not been friendly. You wonder what makes the Things in this park different. You hear footsteps coming from where you entered the park. You look down the path to see a woman holding a double barrel shotgun. All by instinct, you quickly get up from the bench, and lift your rifle, telling the woman to drop her weapon. She does so. "Hey buddy," the woman says, "no need to shoot, I'm not violent. The shotgun's just for protection." You slowly approach the woman, your rifle still aimed at her. She wears a hoodie and has a bandana around her mouth. "Look, you're no killer, right? Let me guess. You're a scavenger who thought it would be a good idea to come to the city in November, thinking that you wouldn't need to deal with other scavengers. You thought to give the park a search, got tired, and decided to take a rest." She's not exactly wrong. "My name's Marlie. I'm basically the same as you. Except I //know// there's an artifact here. There's this big campsite a distance from here, you know. It belonged to a bunch of people who were looking for it, but couldn't get to it. I think I know where it is though. Wanna tag along and help me find it?" [[Team up with her.]] [[Just walk away.]] [[Shoot her.]]

You don't have time to rest, especially in a place like this. You have to keep searching for something valuable. You keep marching down the dirt road which soon dissipates into the rest of the woods. You are now marching past the trees, their strange blue veins lighting your way when the sun, blocked out by the leaves above, doesn't. You see many strange Things as you travel deeper into the park. You see giant eyeballs covered in a thin, baby blue skin, flying from tree to tree with wide batwings. You see snails the size of your foot that leave behind a yellow slime that smells like paint, munching away on grass. You see almost invisible, shimmering geometric shapes with strange black dots for eyes, huddling together and sleeping in the shade. And none of them are hostile. ~~~ You come across a series of white tents surrounding a statue of some historical figure on a horse that you can't remember the name of. With your rifle at the ready you search through these tents. They all appear to have been emptied out a long time ago. When you reach the last, and largest tent, you look inside to find two things of note. A half empty crate of food with the word **RATIONS** written on it, and a laptop computer on a table, connected to a charger attached to what seems to an old generator. [[Go onto the computer.]] [[Leave the tent.]]

You go to the computer and attempt to use it. It appears to be locked by a numerical password screen. [[1]] [[2]] [[3]] [[4]] [[5]] [[6]] [[7]] [[8]] [[9]] [[Leave the tent.]]

You open up the tent flap to leave only to find a double barrel shotgun pointed right at your face. In a panic, you freeze up and drop your rifle. "Oh crap," says the woman pointing the shotgun at you, "I thought you were a wild Abnormal! Don't scare me like that!" The woman lowers her shotgun. Without that weapon blocking your view, you can see she is wearing a hoodie and a bandana around her mouth. "Christ, I'm sorry about that. The name's Marlie." She extends her hand to you. She points a gun to your head and she wants to shake your hand? [[Shake her hand.]] [[Don't shake her hand.]]

You click the number. [[1]] [[2]] [[3]] [[4]] [[5]] [[6]] [[7]] [[8]] [[9]] [[Leave the tent.]]

You click the number. [[1]] [[2->2 right]] [[3]] [[4]] [[5]] [[6]] [[7]] [[8]] [[9]] [[Leave the tent.]]

You click the number. [[1]] [[2]] [[3]] [[4]] [[5]] [[6]] [[7]] [[8]] [[9]] [[Leave the tent.]]

You click the number. [[1]] [[2]] [[3]] [[4]] [[5]] [[6]] [[7]] [[8]] [[9->9 right]] [[Leave the tent.]]

You click the number. [[1]] [[2]] [[3]] [[4->4 right]] [[5]] [[6]] [[7]] [[8]] [[9]] [[Leave the tent.]]

Amazingly enough, you somehow typed in the correct password! Was it luck? Did you somehow, deep down, know the password? Was it process of elimination? No matter. You check the desktop of the laptop. The only icon you see is a word document labeled **IMPORTANT**, and the trash can, which appears to be empty. [[Read the word document file.]] [[Leave the tent.]]

You click open the document and give it a read. //If you're the person who was supposed to find this laptop, then good for you. I know I was vague about a lot of things, but I'm ready to share what little I know. To anyone else, I can only assume that you either hacked your way into this computer or guessed passwords until you got it right. You're welcome to know this anyway.// //I snuck in on this operation so I could get a closer look into the artifacts. I can't tell you who this group is or what their goals are other than that they desire to find artifacts. If I said anything more than that, I would be in much greater danger than I already am now.// //There is an artifact in this park. The group and I were not able to find it, however. I think I know why.// //I believe that the artifacts, whatever they are, are intelligent. They somehow know when people are looking for them, and react different depending on their abilities. I do not know if they are sentient and living things, or just very complex devices, but I do know that they can have powers to alter one's perception, and may have some influence over the creatures commonly referred to as "Things."// //I don't know what this suggests. Could artifacts be just advanced versions of Things? Could the Things somehow have made them? Could a third party be involved in all of this? I don't know for sure. Whatever the case is, I think the artifacts have goals. I don't know if these goals are shared, or if each one has their own personal mission, but whatever the case, it worries me, and it should worry you too.// //I know this isn't much, but I hope that somehow what little I have said can help you.// //-J// [[Leave the tent.]]

You shake Marlie's hand. Her grip is incredibly strong and if you didn't know any better you'd say she was trying to break your fingers. She lets go and laughs. "Man, you're already whole lot friendlier than any other scavenger I've met. Let me guess. You're a scavenger who thought it would be a good idea to come to the city in November thinking that you wouldn't need to deal with other scavengers. You thought to give the park a search then got lost in the trees and winded up at this campsite place." She's not exactly wrong. Marlie smiles. "I'm basically the same. Except I //know// there's an artifact here. You see this campsite here? It belonged to a bunch of people who were looking for it but couldn't get to it. I think I know where it is though. Wanna tag along and help me find it?" Okay, so this woman puts a gun to your face one minute and now wants you to help her find an artifact? [[Team up with her.]] [[Just walk away.]]

You do not shake her hand. Marlie seems offended by this. "Jeez, I said I was sorry." The woman pulls her hand away from you. "Let me guess. You're a scavenger who thought it would be a good idea to come to the city in November thinking that you wouldn't need to deal with other scavengers. You thought to give the park a search, then got lost in the trees, and winded up at this campsite place." She's not exactly wrong. Marlie smiles. "I'm basically the same. Except I //know// there's an artifact here. You see this campsite here? It belonged to a bunch of people who were looking for it, but couldn't get to it. I think I know where it is though. Wanna tag along and help me find it?" Okay, so this woman puts a gun to your face one minute, and now wants you to help her find an artifact? [[Team up with her.]] [[Just walk away.]]

Marlie's grin is big and wide. "Great! Come on, follow me! These woods can get pretty confusing so stay close." You follow Marlie into the trees. ~~~ "Woah. Buddy, stand perfectly still. Do. Not. Move." You freeze up, your hands gripping around your rifle. You ask her what's going on. She points at a nearby lake. "Look. At. Those. Abnormals." You turn your head to the lake, and see strange blue beetle Things the size of small dogs scuttling across the water, nibbling on lily pads. You see fish Things that look like trouts with spider legs coming in and out of the water, taking berries out from a nearby bush. "Aren't these [[Abnormals]] so cool?" You really don't understand why she's so fascinated with the Things. You're interested in knowing what the Things actually are too, but it's not like you're stopping every minute to study them. Things are dangerous to people, everyone knows that. Except Marlie, apparently. The water suddenly begins to ripple. The beetle Things scuttle away. The fish Things outside of the water drop the berries out of their mouths and run back into the lake. You hear crunching leaves. You and Marlie lift your guns and prepare yourselves for what is coming. You aren't prepared for what you see. A towering Thing stomps its way towards you. It stands like a human being but looks like some sort of ghoul. Its skin is a fleshy, wrinkled pink. Its chest, knees, and shoulders are covered in a hard, shimmering purple shell. Its teeth are crooked and jagged, and the creature hisses at you with noticeable venom. In its hand is a sharp blade made out of the same purple substance that covers its body. You do not move. Marlie doesn't move. The Thing doesn't move. For some time, all three of you are completely still. When Marlie attempts to step forward, the Thing hisses again and raises its weapon. She raises her shotgun and aims it at the Thing, but that only prompts the creature to march towards you both. She lowers the gun and backs away. "Buddy," says Marlie, "I think I know what we need to do here, but you need to trust me on this. I think we should drop our weapons." Is this woman serious? [[Drop your gun.]] [[Shoot the Thing.]]

You politely decline the offer. You used to work with a partner but that was a long time ago and you don't want to do it again. Besides, you trust yourself way more than you do a stranger. She probably doesn't even know what she's talking about, saying she knows where an artifact is. If that were true she would have snatched it up a long time ago. If anything this might all just be one huge trap. "Aw well, I tried. Good luck on your travels, buddy." Marlie wanders off, and so do you. ~~~ The sun has set. You have been exploring these woods all day. You find nothing. And the day after that you find nothing. And the day after that you still don't find anything. And soon enough you realize that you need to return home, with nothing of value. All in all this journey to the city has been one huge bust. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

Now just hold on a minute. Are you really going to shoot someone in cold blood? I mean I know it's important to be carful, but...really? [[Yes, really. Shoot her.]]

...seriously? [[Yes. Shoot her.]]

You're not going to take any risks. You pull the trigger...and it doesn't fire. The gun is jammed! Marlie acts right away. She rushes at you, pushing you over on the ground. You get up just in time for her to grab her shotgun and point it at you. She doesn't hesitate to fire, and her gun doesn't jam. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You asked Marlie why she called the Things "Abnormals" instead of Things sometime before coming to this lake. She said that she thinks the term "Things" makes them out to be nothing more than monsters. She believes that the creatures are just odd little animals trying to live like everybody else.

You don't know why you're doing this but you drop your rifle on the ground. Marlie drops her gun as well. The Thing drops its blade too. It hisses at you both quietly, before pointing its boney fingers to a direction deeper into the woods. Without questioning anything, Marlie heads down the path that the Thing is pointing towards. You have little other choice other than to follow, leaving your weapons behind. ~~~ "Can you believe it!? I mean that Abnormal was clearly intelligent! It knew we had weapons, it knew we posed a threat to...something, and it just allowed us to keep traveling as long as we gave the guns up! Isn't that amazing, buddy?" She has been going on about this for hours. The sun is already starting to set. A park should not be this large, not by a long shot, but this forest has been stretching on for what seems like eternity. And Marlie will not pipe down about that Thing that didn't kill you two. "Do you know what this means? What if we could find a way to communicate with the Abnormals!? Me and you might be the first people to figure out where they actually came from!" The two of you keep walking until you come across something very unexpected. In front of you is a perfectly circular hole in the ground at least 20 feet wide. Looking down into it you cannot see any bottom. It appears to be a black abyss. "I know you're going to call me crazy," says Marlie, "but I think we should jump into that hole." You tell her that jumping into that hole would be suicide. "No, listen, trust me here. I'm telling you, I just //know// that...well...I just think this is what we should do. You need to trust me." Marlie leaps into the hole, and disappears into the darkness. You wait and you wait...but you never hear her land. [[Jump into the hole.]] [[Leave.]]

Fuck that! You're not going to let this Thing kill you! You fire your rifle into its exposed flesh. Panicking, Marlie fires her shotgun at the Thing. Black blood leaks from the Thing's wounds, but it is still standing. With nightmarish speed it rushes over to Marlie and skewers her on its weapon. Marlie is killed in an instant and the Thing pulls its blade out of her. You fire again at the Thing but it has little effect. You run for it. The Thing is faster. [[THE END->]]

Well you don't have anything else to lose. You leap into the abyss. The fall is long and dark. Time is lost. You pass out mid-fall. ~~~ When you awaken, you are by the base of an ancient tree. It is the largest tree you have ever seen in your life; it feels larger than the Earth itself. Blue veins pulse all throughout this tree and act as the only light you have in this place. The purple leaves above block out any light from the moon above. Its roots surround you, and following them you can see that they connect to the dirt walls of the hole that you are now at the bottom of. "Buddy! You made it!" You turn around, and right behind you stands Marlie, covered in dirt and with the widest grin you've seen her with yet. "We found it! We found an artifact!" You did? This tree is amazing, sure, but if this tree's the artifact, you're going to have a really hard time taking it back to the countryside. "Come on, follow me!" Marlie grabs you by the hand and pulls you over to the other side of the tree. In the tree's trunk, you see a faint pink glow. It appears that some sort of seed is lodged within the wood. This is an artifact, the otherworldly glow is more than enough to confirm it. Marlie carefully uses her fingers to pry the seed out of the wood. When she does the glow brightens even more. "Do you hear it?" Marlie whispers to you. You don't hear anything. "This artifact...it's a seed." Well that's obvious. "This seed could very well be the origin of everything in the park...a seed from another world." Marlie is acting stranger than usual. "You and me...we could take this seed, and plant it somewhere else! We could bring a new habitat to the world for the Abnormals!" Marlie is acting crazier than usual. "Think about it! We can show the world that the Abnormals aren't all just monsters, that they are intelligent and that we can live with them, study them, and understand them! No more slaughtering them in the search for artifacts and profit." A shifting ladder of roots descends from above. Climbing it seems to be the only way to escape this hole. "What do you say, buddy?" [[Join Marlie.]] [[Take the seed from Marlie. She's acting crazy.]] [[Destroy the seed.]]

No. No, you are not going to jump into a hole and die. You are just going to leave right now. You are going to go out of the city and start the long trek home, because you're not going to die just for the chance of finding an artifact. It's time to walk away. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You know what? Marlie is right. She's been right all this time about every decision that needed to be made and she's right about this too. The Things...no, the Abnormals, don't need to be feared. Everyone has been so terrified of the Abnormals that they've refused to give understanding them a chance. Using the seed will be a first step to setting things right. "You're a good person, buddy. I knew you'd make the right choice." Marlie, the seed still in her hands, heads over to the vine ladder and begins to climb up. "Come on, buddy, we've got to get moving." You follow behind Marlie, and look back on the ancient tree as you climb upward. Never before have you been filled with such determination. You think you have finally found your true mission in life. You only wish you could be the one to hold the seed instead of Marlie. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You can't just let her keep holding onto that seed. It's doing something to her head. You tell her to let go of the seed **now.** "No! I see how you're looking at it...you want it all to yourself!" You demand that she gives you it **now** or you will do something drastic. You're just trying to help her. At least that's why you think you're doing this. **The voices are getting louder.** "I know you hear it too! You can't have the seed! It's mine!" You approach her. That seed should be yours. You need it more than she does. She's just going to waste it, but you're going to put it to good use. "I will kill you!" she shouts. You pounce at her, and everything goes black. ~~~ When you wake up, the seed is in your hands. Marlie is not breathing, but that's okay. You have the artifact now and the whispers are telling you exactly where it needs to go. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

This isn't right. Something is wrong about this artifact, and you need to get rid of it **now.** You tell Marlie to let go of the seed. "What?! No! This is important! Are you going to help me or not?" You tell Marlie to let go of the seed **now.** "No! I won't let you take it!" You lunge at her and both of you slam to the ground. You fight her for the seed. She claws at your face. You tug at her hands. The rest of the battle is a blur, until you find yourself with the seed in your grasp. The voices are flooding your head. What are you doing? This is [[wrong.]] You're making a [[mistake.]] Marlie's eyes grow wide. She slaps the seed out of your hand, and stomps it over and over again until it is nothing more than little pieces. You hear a terrible, rumbling, sorrowful moan from the ancient tree. You and Marlie both know that you need to leave this place now. You climb the vine ladder with Marlie close behind you. [[THE END->Title Screen]]

You should be spreading life, not ending it.

You still have a chance. Take the seed somewhere safe.