(backstory chapter, approximately one week prior to 'Survive')
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When Halo woke up with a fever, it seemed ironic to him that he was thinking clearer than he had in a long time.
There was already a backpack hidden under his bed, full of clothes, preservable foods, and tools. He already had a plan of how to get out without getting caught.
The trick was to pretend nothing was wrong, except he had to make an effort not to touch too much, not to get too close to anyone.
Wouldn't want them getting sick too.
When Halo said goodbye to his parents, claiming to be leaving for school, he almost gave it away. Luckily no one noticed his eyes threatening to spill tears, or the hitch in his breath as he walked out the door.
Halo knew the paths that no one took this time in the morning. It was a small town anyway, there wasn't so far to go to get out. By midday, Halo could feel his fever fully kicking in, but struggled to get as far from town as possible.
With a degree of sadness, Halo wondered how many people would actually miss him. Halo's personality often left him overlooked and underestimated where in reality he was sharp as anything and quick witted. Only a select few people noticed this side of him, but that didn't matter.
He was not going to be the one that killed his town by giving them the virus.
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Just as the moon began to rise, Halo noticed a strange thing; his fever seemed to break quite suddenly, leaving him awkwardly leaning against a tree.
In a moment of white hot shame, Halo wondered if he'd taken a bit of an extreme measure, what was he going to do now?
With curious confusion, Halo noticed that white hot feeling was not going away, nor did it feel like a wave of shame any more. It felt like fire blossoming across his chest and spreading from there.
Halo gasped in pain and fell to his knees. Through blurred vision he saw his hands. But were they his hands?
These hands were black as void, and the fingers were pointed like claws.
Thoughts like harsh whispers scribbled themselves across Halo's brain until he couldn't tell them apart anymore. So instead he screamed. He screamed at them to go away, he screamed at himself, and he screamed at whatever cursed thing was happening to him.
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How long had it been?
Was his throat still sore from the screaming or was that just his imagination?
Halo walked (or was it more like stumbling?) through the forest in an approximation of the way he'd come. Somehow, he came upon the lights of town, shining in the dimming light.
He kept to the shadows: a feeling deep inside told him to stay hidden from prying eyes. It was late enough that the usual hussle and bussle of the streets was thinned to the occasional group of people passing by.
Halo barley noticed the signs of quarantine borders being prepared to set up. He barley registered the thought that his actions only delayed the inevitable. He hadn't really saved anyone.
It hurt Halo to see them all, milling about in their day-to-day routine. It hurt to know (or was he just mistaken?) that he was right about being overlooked and forgettable.
Halo continued his wander, eventually finding himself near George's house. At realising this, Halo's mood brightened a little. Maybe he'd be able to see his friend, and know it was going to be okay after all.
What really happened made his heart break. Sapnap and George, his two best friends, leaving town.
W̸̢͍͓̱͎̳̹̺͍̿̌h̷̟̼̞͚̀̀̄̊̍̍͛͂͠ĕ̷̛͈͙͛̿̊͂̕͘̕r̷̰̭̀͗̾͗e̴͖̖̩͉̣̬͓̎͑̒̂̕̕͜͝͝ͅ ̴͙̜̖̍͗̇̑̾̈́ȁ̴̱̮̖̰͜͜r̶͔̅̄̉̿̆̕̚͠ȩ̴̫͎̜͙͍͆͒ ̸̮͔̟̋̏́̓̅t̴̻̱̉̍̌̊̌̋͝h̵̢̞̥̝̠̹̫̩̘̓̃́e̵̫͇̯̺͊͒̏͒̍͌̓͘y̸͍̝̫͙̲͕͓̽͗̅̓͜ͅ ̷̧̫͚̯͉̗̿͑̎́͐͑̕͜g̵̯̰̝̿̍̇̐͗o̸̡̡̹̱̬͔̻̚͠i̶̱̙̭͚̹̿̈̈̆͋n̶̼̺̬͙̪̄̋̒̎͛̇ģ̸̧͉͚̟̬̰̥̳̚?̷̢̺̫̥͈̈́̈́̿̏̅̚
Ǎ̷̙͖́͋͗r̵͚͙̓̊̏̌͠e̷̬̝͇̔̐̎ͅ ̸̘̖̌t̴̙͠h̴̨̬̠͌͐͗̕͜͝e̴̢̛͕̘̙͐̓͠ͅý̶̳͉̹̟͐͊̇ ̴̧̻̫̲̋ḽ̷̰̆̓͌e̴̱̹͈̊̇͆a̸̤̜̭͌͝v̶̦̹̳̓̌ḯ̶͇̝̹͙̍ṋ̸̯̰̦̫̎̏̑̈́̕g̶͍̹̎̾̇͘?̸̭̘̺̉͊̒͠ͅͅ ̴͎̰́̊͊Ẅ̷̺͇́̅̐̃h̵̡͖̞͊ͅy̴̛͙̝̺̜̦̌͂͂?̴̧̬̼̩̱͌
Ť̵̡̤̎̔̇ḧ̸͉̥̹̙é̴̖͓͚ÿ̶̦̱̣̳͆̽͑ ̴̤̻̹͖̇̕m̴͎͍̐u̴̼̓̽͒ś̷̠͔̀̄ͅt̷̨͍̐͆ͅ ̶̡̧͖͙̊̿h̶͚̳̤̿͠a̴̤̦̾̀v̷̞̯̺̒e̵̹͐͝͝ ̵̢̦̣͛̋͠ǩ̶͔̘̽͜͜n̸͖̲̎̋̀͘ǫ̸̤͔̜́̊̓w̶̙̩̞̙͑̌͝ń̶̢̛̺̩͠ͅ.̷̠̘̠̟̈
̸̢͈͙͒̇̋̾͜T̷̙̗̔ḧ̴͉̘́̋̌̏e̷͇͇̕y̷̛̘̾ ̸̭́l̷̲̈́͐̏e̵̩͖͈͕̾̈́̽f̸̲̐̽̋ͅt̴̤̀́͑͠ ̵̳͒̓͜ȯ̸̖n̸̦̭̓͘͠ ̴̞̑̌̐p̴̠͔̃̈̑ǔ̷̡̻ŗ̸̾̕͠p̵̲͖͌̇̈́o̵͖͇̖͚̿̾s̴̥̈͑̉̕e̸̼͙̻̘͋̃
Ṫ̵̮̫̬͔͉̳͑̾̒̿̔h̷̹̬̳̞͔̓̍́̾͊̈́ę̴̱̪̽̆̓̈y̷͇̼͎̜͊̍̿͐̓̄͜'̸̼̬̿̾l̶̬͓̩̪͑͊̈́̆ͅl̴̹̯̦̙͙̉͆̀ ̵̢̙̝̻̐͂̎̐͜͝p̶̧̦̙̝̥̉̃͘͝͝a̵̢̡͈̤͗́̑͊̽͘y̶̧̗̻̯͎̓͐͠ ̸̺͛f̶̤̱̫̑̾̈́͑̊o̴̼͍͕͂̓͌̄͘ͅr̴̘̎̑́̏͘ ̵̼̖͍̿̍̎l̸̦̈́͆͘ȩ̴̨̣̘̮͎̂̒͝á̸̺͚̺͚̑̓̈́̚v̴̹̬͓̝͕̣̾̃̈́̒͘i̸̲̐͂̈́̍n̸̮̺͉͓̤̎͂͌̅g̸̠̹̪͊͆
̴̝͕̩̙̿͑̄
̵̨̳̇͂͊̽̀͋F̸͖̹͕͖͖̾͜o̴͇͈̯͆̍͊͝ŕ̴̛̼̇ ̶̱͐̽̊̍̎̓ļ̸̼̯̆̀͠e̷̖̘͖̪̪̯͌̆̐a̵̢̪̳̮̎́̀͗̇͜͠v̷̳͍̬̥͕̒i̴̢̩̪͍͓̰̒͗̎̈n̷͙̝̳͎̝͌̔͠͠͝g̵̹̽̈͘ a̶̼̫̺͘l̸̡̡̡̡̛̟̝̙̖̥̳͉͙̒̉̔̉̃l̴̢̼̻̜̘̻̈́̏̄ ̶̜͓̞̞͉̯̞̏̑͆͂̏̒̇́̐̌͑̈́́͘͜o̶͔͙͙̺̤̹̭̻̮̥͕̳̦̻͙̅̆̎̽̆̊̔̎͑̈̎̃̔̚f̸̧̛̩̱͈̫͈̮̠̣̄̒̿͌̈ ̴̨̛̛͖̭͍̮̲̤͎̝̙̺̭̂̊̆͌͑̿͜͝͝u̷̢̧̦̲̙̼͎̼̻̹̠̣͕̣̙̲̇̓͘͝s̸̡͙̮͕̪͖̤̠̖̠͎̰͔͍̹̖̃̌̓͑̾̇́̎̾͛̔̆̍ ̶̨̼͈̙͕͍͙̭̼̘̾̋̈̒͆̉̓̋̊̋͘͠ṫ̵̺̠̫̪̓̋̇́̅͒̆̂̿͗́͂̚̕o̵̡̤͎̫̯̙̻̜͉͈͙͇͚̥͍̓̈́̐͒̀̂̅͗̋̏̀͌̕̕͝ ̶͍͔̘̻̗̂̅͂̀̀͌̆͆̊̄͊̚͝ͅţ̸̡̳͚̯͇͔̗̟̬͕̫̜̟͂̿̉͛̂̓̚͘̕h̸̭̬̞̟̙̼͍͐͂̓͒̔̀̊i̴̻͙̠͚̗̘̗̅̈́͌̀̏̑͊̂̀͠͝s̴̡̛͖͙̼̖̟̝͎̜͎̙̅̀̏̎̅̕̕͜͝͠
For leaving all of them to die
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BadBoyHalo I'm sorry!!!!
Sincerely, a muffin head