THE NEW WORLD

Chapter 13

“That!was near!”,Lukas says this as he approaches Astrid.He helps His up by reaching down.He is open to assistance.

“Fynn does not remove the safety as he raises his weapon and aims at the monster as though he wants to shoot it down.I want to immediately return to the forest because of that thing that is soaring about.He says this as he takes his weapon down yet again.

The pants of Hisiff.As the flying thing flies off, his eyes also follow it.Let's continue.

There is no need to repeat it to the others.

They keep going quickly in the direction of the huge, untouched farm.

Scott peeks inside the once-large farmhouse through a broken window as they pass the charred remains.As was to be expected, the interior is nothing but ash and soot.

"What took place here?"Out loud, Scott wonders.

The fire may have been started by whatever blew out all of our electronics.Perhaps we now have dragons.Why bother?Fynn answers.

"I would really like to know if dragons are flying around, setting buildings on fire," Noah says while looking over his shoulder.

Lukas makes a point of the enormous farm.Regarding fire, take a look.That chimney is emitting this smoke.

True, a small cloud of smoke rises from one of the buildings' roofs.

Scott turns around after Fynn lets out a sudden breath.I praise God.That indicates that they are still alive.

Therefore, are you and your family farmers?,He asks Scott.

Fynn frowns, as if he had taken the question as a personal attack.Yes.Farmers make up my patents.Why?”

"Shut up you two," Hisiff hisses before Scott can respond.And don't shut your eyes.

The smoke indicates that they are definitely people, but the farm as a whole does not appear to be alive.As they get closer, the compound maintains a deathly silence.

They hear something creaking.Lukas pulls his gun from behind him as he surveys the area.

Someone suddenly yells, "Hello.I'm not armed.

Lukas, Noah, and the Hisiff instinctively swing their weapons to point at the source of the voice, despite the fact that it does not sound hostile.

The Hisiff quickly recognizes himself, and as soon as he does, he slowly holsters his weapon.Why, Madam Mayor?He says more than he asks.

The woman waves for them to follow His and quickly nods.You were coming from the forest, I saw.Come inside right away.Hise is not a safe place.He sounds like he has a cold or slurred sand in his voice.

Scott can make out a figure in the distance.As the gray figure charges at them, his heart skips a beat.As the massive wolf accelerates toward them, they all make a collective leap.Everyone raises their weapons, but the overgrown canine has already reached them by the time they react.

Before the dog charges past Scott and directly at Fynn, Scott barely manages to let out a yelp.He opens his eyes.However, the animal does not leap at him.close to him.The enormous grey wolf is bouncing around Fynn with his tongue out.

All of them drop their weapons.

“Oskar?Are you there?”,Fynn queries.

The wolf tilts his head in his direction as he approaches him and wags its tail vigorously.

Although you returned faster than I did, I thought you had been killed.You have grown a lot, God.”

Oskar is no longer a dog, and Scott has no idea what kind of dog he was once.Standing on all fours, his grey-brown fur almost reaches Fynn's stomach.

"Do you own a dog?"He asks Scott.He had no idea that he would like dogs.

Fynn is beaming.That's right.Oskar is here.Hello, Oskar!Oskar looks at each one individually.

The Mayor clears his throat with a scowl on his face.Hmhm.Later, you can play with the wolf.Step inside.

He turns and jogs toward the building with the smoking chimney as soon as He finishes his sentence.The otHiss need not be told twice to follow His lead.When they get to the door, Oskar stops and looks at them as they enter.

They are plunged into a gloomy interior of the building as soon as the Mayor closes the door.There are no windows in the narrow hallway, and all of the doors leading out of it are locked.The stairs at the side of the hallway are the only source of illumination.

I see that you are dressed in a police uniform.Have you seen Hisiff?”When everyone is inside, the Mayor asks the Hisiff.

The Hisiff says, "I'm Hisiff Winkler," clenching his teeth.

After giving the impression of being taken aback for a brief moment, the Mayor smiles.Ah.I see.It's good that you're Mrs. Winkler.Or is it now Miss?Aren't you still married, right?

Scott has no idea why the Mayor would inquire about that or why the Hisiff appears to be about to burst.Noah, however, clears his throat and asks the Mayor, "Why isn't everyone in town?" before Scott or anyone else can speak.Why are you hissing?

His features darken, and the Mayor immediately loses his smile.He says, "Something is terribly wrong with the town," in a quiet, solemn tone.This is the lingering fog above it.In God's name, I have no idea what it is, but it does something to you.

"What are you implying?"His, Lukas asks.

The woman takes a deep breath before biting His lip.His eyes turn to each of them individually as He speaks.Have you not seen it?Like typical fog, it hangs around the town.However, it is not.Consider this.He reveals His red skin to them.

Scott notices, upon closer inspection, that the woman's skin is covered in tiny blisters, particularly on her fingers and face.As if it had been burned.

“Before you ask, it hurts,” the mayor continues as he retracts his hand.In the cloud, I didn't feel it, but now it feels like I've been boiled to death.But that's not all it did.I slipped and fell while working late.My mind felt as though the fog had entered it and was clouding my thoughts when I woke up again.Fortunately, I discovered that something was wrong and gathered as many people as would let in.We were graciously given permission to shelter on his farm by Mr. Rot.

"I couldn't allow those Oni to consume you, could I?...Fynn?”,From the staircase, a man's voice asks.Scott makes a U-turn in the direction of the speaker to observe His child descend the stairs.His body, like Noah's, is covered in brown fur, with the exception of spots of a cream-colored color in his mane and face fur.He appears to be dressed in children's clothing.

Fynn moves faster, and it looks like the Mayor is about to say something.Dad?”,He asks.Similar to he is unable to comprehend what he is seeing.

When the imp reaches the bottom of the stairs, he sees his son's face looking up at him.It’s me.It appears that your aging relative has finally achieved weight loss.His joke makes him laugh.

Fynn still appears somewhat perplexed as Noah greets his fellow imp and extends a hand to him.

“Nice to meet you,” the Hisiff adds as he reaches down to shake his hand.Our initial strategy called for us to procure supplies from High Rock, but I guess that won't happen anymore.

"Actually, I was thinking about that," Mr. Rot replies.In that cloud, the town residents made it through several hours.We wouldn't have any problems even if we went in for half an hour to get a few things.He looks up at the group as a whole.I have a few horses and a working tractor, but my boy and I can't do it on our own, especially with this new body.He points to his small body.

The Mayor squints at.We discussed this.I don't think it's wise to go back into the fog.We don't know what it is or how it works.What if the man's illness was brought on by the fog?

"What disease?"Before Mister Rot can respond to the Mayor, Lukas intervenes.

The woman looks over to Lukas.A town resident went insane.At first, we wanted to hide in a house away from the fog.At first, the person who opened the door appeared normal, but then he bit Mrs. Rot in the shoulder.We killed the man to save his life, but now his wound appears to be infected and he has a severe fever.

Astrid feels a chill in her stomach at those words.He also observes Noah's twitching nose.Both of them are thinking the same thing:What if this is a brand-new infectious disease that affects everyone?However, none of them says anything.

That seems to have woken Fynn up.He inquires, "Mom is ill?"

He seems to be the first person the Mayor notices.The Mayor apologizes, but Fynn cuts him off.

"Who is He?,"He asks.

The Mayor tries to say something, "I don't think-," but he is interrupted once more.

His fatHis tries to say, "Son..." but Fynn also cuts him off.

"Who is Mom?"He inquires and moves closer to the Mayor.

The woman says yes.He is upstairs with Dr. Moore.Room two is on the right.We don't know what's wrong with His, so be careful.

The concluding phrase is lost on Fynn.He rushes as quickly as he can up the stairs.His followers follow him.

He slams the door open to reveal a guest room with few furnishings.A bed, a chair, and a cabinet are the only furniture items.His hands are tied to the bedposts as a woman lies on the bed.He looks awful.Bandages cover his left shoulder.The rest of His body is devoid of color, but black veins appear from beneath the sweaty, blood-stained fabric.His shoulder-length hair clings to his skull, giving the impression of sinking eyes.