The Project

Chapter Forty-Seven: Mors Argentum

"So.. Marvin, Schneep." They both looked up at me, Marvin smiled while I couldn't tell what Henrik's expression was because he never took off his cloaking hood. "How did you two meet? Are you brothers or.." They both looked at each other, Marvin's expression turning grim.

Marvin scratched the back of his head, his green hair falling onto his cat mask. "Well.. You could say that. We share the same..-" The rest of his sentence was cut off as his voice lowered in volume. "So yeah, we're brothers.. I guess."

I looked down at my bowl of half eaten soup, shifting on the log I was sitting on. "R-Right.. sorry if I asked a difficult question. I just.. Wanted to make everything less," I stopped searching for the right word when Henrik spoke up. "Awkvard?"

I nodded slowly at his choice of word. "Yeah.. That. You've just.. given me a lot. Food, company.. I just wanted to make every less.. as Henrik put it, awkward for you guys. -And myself." I stopped as I realized I was rambling and chuckled quietly.

"Sorry about that." I looked between the two men and noticed Marvin's uncomfortable glances. "Listen, I know I'm not the best company for two people I've just met but you could at least stop being so damned sensit-" Henrik cut me off, clearing his throat.

"It's not you. It's zhis whole situation. He hasn't been as lively because ve lost our group a vhile back. Zhe man in zhe cloak you vere talking about, zhat vas one of our.. brozhers." I gaped at him. "One of your brothers..? How many of you are there?"

"In total? Five. Zhere's me, Marvin, Chase, Jameson and Jackie. Ve.. lost quite a few if you haven't noticed." He motioned around the camp before resting his hand on Marvin's shoulder in a comforting manner while Marvin silently cried.

"We don't know vhich vay zhey vent.. but Chase did drop zhis out of his bag vhen ve got separated.." He held up a syringe filled with.. a silvery substance. I held out my hand, entranced by the goo inside the glass. He handed it over hesitantly.

"Do you know vhat it is?" I shook my head slightly at the scientists question. "Okay.. Vell zhen, do you know vhat it does?" I tsked, handing it back to him. "It.. Wait, why are you asking so many questions about that shit?"

"I'm a scientist, It's my JOB to ask questions. Vell.. research."  He shrugged, taking his hand off of Marvin's shoulder. "You've got a point.." I trailed off, running a hand through my lime green hair for the fiftieth time today. "It.. changes you."

"Changes you? Changes you how?" He leaned forward, thoroughly intrigued. "It.. sort of.." I tsked, pursing my lips in an attempt to word it correctly. "It kind of.. reverses your personality. So what you were.. you aren't. Get it? It's like.. You're another person entirely."

"-And how vould you know zhis?" He narrowed his eyes at me, confusion shining in his eyes. I stammered, but eventually I sighed, giving up on lying. "Well.. I.. had the pleasure of being injected with it. But I guess it's out of my system because I'm no longer a jerk."

"-And zhe side effects?"

"There are a lot of them.. none of which I ever went through. It'd take a while to name them. I watched Marzia, one of the scientists, die because of it. I injected her with it and watched as her eyes melted from her skull and her blood boiled on the-" Henrik cut me off.

"Ah.. I zhink ve get it." He looked over to Marvin who looked like he was about to puke. Henrik wrapped his arm around Marvin, comforting him again. Marvin looked up at me, his lips turned into a frown. "You're pretty descriptive.. You know that?"

I smiled sheepishly, my face flushing. "Y-Yeah.. I'm sorry about that. I'm just used to being around a lot of negativity. Mostly because Marzia was supposed to be Felix's girlfriend and I killed her before he ever got the chance to ask her out."

"So he kind of figured out because Dar-" I looked up, shaking my head. "U-Uh.. Mark. Mark told him that I kind of killed her. So he stayed mad at me for a while.. but Marzia didn't die straight away. She's sort of a zombie now. Still.." I shivered. "Crawling around.."

Henrik nodded his head, letting go of Marvin, although he still looked as if he might puke his guts out. "Sorry if I'm rambling.. it just feels like I haven't been able to speak for a long time now.. It feels like it's been days.. maybe even weeks.."

"But.." I looked down at my hands, the warm glow of the fire casting shadows onto them. "I've been in control this entire time. Walking, talking.. this whole time. But whenever I did think about what I've done, I sort of.. shut down."

"I feel.. numb." Looking up again, I noticed their faraway stares. I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. "You probably have no idea what I'm talking about. I'm sorry for the inconveni-" Henrik cut me off again, shushing me.

"What's going on. Why are you-" He shushed me again, motioning for me to come over to his side. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, but got up anyway. I walked over to him, sitting down beside him and Marvin. "Now can you tell me what's-"

A rustling sound caught all of our attention and I froze, straining to hear the sound again. Marvin was shivering, pulling his cape around himself. "D-Don't move.. Maybe it w-will go away.." He hissed quietly, scooting nearer to Henrik.

A twig snapped, startling us all. Marvin started to breath heavily while Henrik stayed silent, watching our surroundings like a hawk. "Uoy thguoht ouy dluoc teg yawa!" The the laughed, the sound echoing around the forest.

Marvin started to cry silently as the things shadow swept over us. "Uoy nac nur.. Tub uoy tonnac edih, neaS! Ton reverof."