...Sheesh. I don't need all this yelling when I'm trying to catch a nap.

Look, it's obvious that there's an experiment going on. Just deal with it. It'll be over with in a week.

If it really matters, it's also obvious that people are turning into things that they despise.


[action]

[In house 42, there's a teenager lying on the couch. Bored. And probably trying to take a nap again.]

June 27. Just in case anyone is paying attention to the calendar I put together.

Caesar, I will be out. The owl is coming with me whether I like it or not, apparently.

Professor Raine, are you ready to go?

Since I've just completed my project, I'd like to conduct a simple poll with the citizens of Luceti.

Would you use a calendar if one was standardized for the village?

I'm thinking of ways to distribute this list to those that showed early interested. From my research, I can say it's Monday, April 21. The most common names of weekdays and months are listed below -- those are what I used for standardizing the calendar for Luceti.

Days of the Week (7 to a week, 30/31/28 to a month, 365.25 to a year)
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday

Months of the Year (12 to a year)
January (31 days)
February (29 days this "leap" year, 28 for next three years)
March (31 days)
April (30 days)
May (31 days)
June (30 days)
July (31 days)
August (31 days)
September (30 days)
October (30 days)
November (30 days)
December (31 days)

...I don't believe this.

He hit me.

[Thick, rasping breaths can be heard over the sound of pages being turned. The voice heard sounds hollow and weary.]

...four...five...six...seven...eight...nine......ten...

[A few moments pass before the voice continues, flat and cold.]

In the process of...three days, we've lost 10% of the population to this sickness. Roughly 40% of those actively...using their journals have the sickness, and all-- all are affected by what's going on at some level.

The method of contagion is still unknown. Contact with those affected doesn't seem...to lead to infection in every case, but it's hard to tell without a full consensus of the Filial.

This is believed to be an experiment, and...the supporting evidence would be the Malnosso...not reanimating those that have died. A severe hypothesis would be that subjects are being systematically culled...but the Malnosso continue abductions and returning those that have been abducted.

We may...have to wait several days, when the experiments have traditionally ended, to see what...becomes of those killed... To see if this is in fact an experiment.

Four days... In which, based on current count, we potentially will have lost 25% of the population.

[A weak groan, followed by ragged coughs. There's the scraping of shoes and clothing against gravel, followed by another ragged cough.]

I-- it can't... Still dark...

[ooc: He's baaaack.]

There's an owl in my room. How did that happen?

...I can't exactly ask it, since it's sleeping at the moment.

...Someday, I hope we will be able to look back at all of this as an enduring nightmare.

If people must wander outdoors with this hunter around, take heed that it reacts with human senses and can be easily distracted, as per Stella's discovery. And as much as it helps to trap the hunter momentarily, it doesn't pay to do it just to die in the process. Martyrdom is a ridiculous notion.

That said, I wonder what kind of data the Malnosso gather from watching us die?

( Private to Caesar )

... I think I feel a headache coming on.

Somebody please tell me that this is temporary. And that it will be over soon.