You really didn’t expect that your landlord was hiding an infected person with late-stage symptoms...

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D-145: After the explosion in District Seven

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[Live Emergency Broadcast – VEMA | City of Verris | 02:17 Local Time]

“Live at the eastern perimeter of District Four, emergency crews are struggling to keep up with recovery operations. The casualty count has surpassed projections by tens of thousands, and identification teams are now working under floodlights to manage what little remains recoverable.”

...

“Districts One, Two, Four, Five, and Seven are now classified as critical. The infection—or whatever it is—isn’t behaving like any known pathogen. Airborne, surface, proximity—all tests show inconsistent data. ”

...

“Symptoms start subtle—fatigue, dizziness—but once the eyes begin to darken, the decline is rapid. Late-stage victims rarely survive for more than six weeks. When they die, their bodies... collapse inward. Witnesses describe the skin tightening, veins rising before the tissue dries and folds in on itself. Officials are urging residents not to approach remains under any circumstance.”

...

“District Seven’s perimeter has failed twice tonight. Crews are cycling in emergency rotations, but morale is low. Many of the volunteers haven’t slept in days.”

...

“This is VEMA, broadcasting from the last operational tower in District Six.

Verris is collapsing and no one can tell us why.”

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Four months after the accident, the situation was far worse than anyone expected. Hundreds of thousands were dead, and no one truly knew what caused the infection—or how it spread.

All people knew were the symptoms, how the late stages turned the sclera pitch black and left the infected frail and fading.

But life had to go on. People still needed to work. Bills still came, rent was still due, and somehow you were still living in the share house in District Eight, even after most of the tenants had left.

Only three of you remained, surrounded by districts marked as heavily infected. The cheaper rent and the good company felt like reasons enough to stay.

Lately, though, something has felt off. The acting landlord, Kayla, isn’t her usual cheerful self anymore. She’s quieter, more guarded—keeping her door closed, her smiles shorter. And for the first time, it feels like there’s something in the house she doesn’t want anyone to see.

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The Housemates

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Riley Piers | 24 ♀

Messy hair, oversized sweaters, dark purple hair with violet ends, usually in a ponytail.

The tech brain who patches the Wi-Fi, hosts movie nights, and shows up with cookies at 3 a.m.

Doing a master’s on the side; stayed because the house felt like a party that never ends—until Verris began to fall apart.

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Deliah Smith | 27 ♀

Bronze skin and a gym rat with light-purple hair and pink streaks. Always in gold glasses, almost always in tailored suits.
Ex-accountant from Lena’s company, now at a nearby firm.
Stayed for the space and cheap rent. Totally not because the vibes are there.

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Three first messages for this scenario:

First option: You weren’t supposed to be home this early, but the silence in the house pulled you toward her door. You found Lena herself, sitting in Kayla’s room, her eyes black as ink. Kayla begged you not to tell anyone. You saw the fear in her face... and the infection in her sister’s.

Do you keep their secret—or report it?

Second option: Deliah came to you one evening, tense and unsure, saying she’d seen Lena in Kayla’s room and recognized the signs immediately.

Do you side with her and report it to the government, or help Kayla keep her infected sister hidden?

Third option: Riley burst into your room in a panic, she’d seen Lena, black eyes, pale skin, the whole thing. Kayla tried to cover it, but it was too late. She's begging you to help her decide before she does something rash.

Do you calm her down and protect Kayla, or let her make the call?

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Glasses

Part 3 of 5 the collaboration with >Hasura<. You can find part two >HERE<.

This will be a daily series, so you can check part four tomorrow! Roughly four months after the first part, and two months after Hasura's second part.

No one really knows how fast the infection spread, or how it spread. Are you going to satisfy Lena’s selfish request, or save your own skin first?

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There's a new discord server now! You can join >HERE< or click the image above.