Infected

The Host

"I hate this part," Dark growls as he enters the room.

"So do I, but we have to try it," Anti says. He swallows his drink quickly and winces. "We've never tried this plan before, so it's worth a shot."

"Or--it'll explode in our faces," Dark retorts. "There's a reason we haven't used this tactic before."

"That may be, but everything else has failed." Anti shifts a little. "I'm not letting them take us down again."
  
  

You carefully wander through the halls of wherever it is you are. Finding a room with an open door isn't as hard as you thought. There was one to your right. You check to see if the coast is clear, which it is, then peek into the room. No one's there either.

Entering the room, you see a computer with a snowy screen to your left. In front of you, is a set of filing cabinets. You know you probably shouldn't look in them, but curiosity gets the better of you, so you look anyway. You open a drawer and pull out a file. Sean's picture is on the first paper. You begin to read more into it.

"You know, there's more updated files on the computer," a voice behind you says.

You gasp and whirl around. A man is standing behind you, staring ahead...at least, that's what you assume. You frown in confusion, and take a few steps forward. The man has a blood-soaked blindfold over his eyes. Blood stains his cheeks, almost like tears. He has a single gold streak in his gelled hair, and he wears a long beige trench coat.

You continue walking until you are right in front of him. Hesitantly, you wave your hand in front of his face. He doesn't move. Then, realization hits you like a train.

"Wait a minute," you say. "I know you. You're--"

"The Host," he finished for you. "Though some call me the Author, due to my tendency to narrate current events."

"But, you're not narrating now," you say, slightly suspicious.

"That's because I chose not to," the Host replies. You notice that he speaks quite matter-of-factly.

Once again hesitant, you decide to ask, "Can you see me?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out," he answers. "What are you doing in here (y/n)?"

You stare and cross your arms. "How do you know my name?"

"I know many things. Answer the question," the Host fires back.

Something tells you it would be wisest not to lie. You shuffle your feet. "Natemare left the door unlocked, so I decided to look around."

"And was that a smart decision?"

You shift your eyes to the ground, despite the fact that you can't really make eye contact with him. "I don't know."

The Host takes a step towards you. He reaches forward and touches your hair. You wonder if he's trying to figure out what you look like. You're still not sure if he's blind or not.

"(Y/n). Are you afraid of me?" He says quietly, almost in a whisper.

"That depends," you answer. "Should I be afraid?"

The Host pauses for moment, as if contemplating how to answer. "You don't need to fear me, the way you do with Dark or Antisepticeye. Just keep in mind that I can see much more than you would think."

"I understand," you reply after a minute.

The two of you briefly stand in silence. Then, the Host speaks up again, "If you're looking for more updated files, you won't find them here." He begins to speak a bit faster, as if reading off of a script. "There is a computer in the central mainframe. You may find it a little odd, given that we are in a computer, but you'll find that..."

You begin to tune out as you realize what he's saying. An idea begins to form inside your mind. Your mind is racing, until you hear, "You've stopped listening to me."

You look up at the Host again. His head is turned towards you now. He continues, "I know that you have an idea. Before acting on it, be sure that you know what you're doing. People around here can be very dangerous."

Before you can react, he turns and leaves the room. You turn back to the filing cabinet, then hurry out of the room. Once again, your mind is going very quickly. So quickly that you forget the Host's warning. You turn a corner and bump into someone. You lose your balance and fall backwards.

"My, my." A hand extends toward you. "What a lovely creature we have here. Where do you think you're going, Miss (l/n)?"