Rotwhite chapter 7

>Cold, that’s how you feel as you groggily wake up from what has to be one of the crappiest nights you have experienced
>Well, at least you had a little ball of warmth next to you, which you now have to admit feels really nice
>Honey Mug is still snoring lightly as you raise your head and look at the broken window
>a little bit of fog and some daylight, it must still be pretty early
>You lift your wing up to reveal the orange filly who’s curled up into a big lump of fluff against you
>Honey Mug stirs a bit in her sleep and nuzzles against you while pulling her hooves tighter against her body to preserve warmth
>Not feeling lie moving yet you look around the room a bit more, just to pass the time
>yup, it’s still the same old boring storage room
>You shake your head and then nudge Honey Mug with your hoof
>She slowly opens her eyes and gets up
“Mmh...morning...”
>And then she lets out a big yawn while her antennae quiver as she stretches them by making them stand as erect as possible
>You start getting off the bed but then pause and grimace as you set your hurt hoof down on the floor
“Are you ok?”
>Honey Mug is now looking at your hoof with worried eyes
>”Yeah”
>This will be problematic, you won’t be able to move very fast like this
>if only...
>You look at the rags you found last night and the stuff that’s around and an idea comes to your head
>You gather the needed items as Honey Mug climbs off the bed and hops down
>her tummy gives a loud growl
“I’m hungry...”
>You sit on the floor and stretch out your hoof painfully
>”I’m sure there’s something to eat at the library”
>You start making a makeshift splint while your stomach lets out a growl as well, which makes Honey Mug smile a little
“We’re both hungry”
>”I need you to help me tie this up”
“O-ok”
>You instruct Honey Mug and the two of you get your splint done
>it’s not pretty but it’ll hold
>You stand up and put some weight on your hoof to test it
>still hurts a little, but you can now move much faster
“Does it hurt?
>You shake your head
>”No, it works”
>You walk to the window and look around
>there’s some fog but other than that it seems like a calm day, thought it's not really sunny out, at least yet
>You turn your attention to the door and press your ear against it
>Honey Mug instantly puts her hooves in front of her mouth and stays quiet while you listen
>...nothing, it’s dead silent
>Cautiously you move the wooden trunk away from the door, trying to be as silent as possible, and afterwards you press your ear against the door once again
>still silent, here goes nothing
>Honey Mug gasps as you peak out of the storage room
>The whole house looks ransacked and there are small patches of the frosty looking rot growth on the floor and walls
>You glance back at Honey Mug and find her cradling her growling tummy
>”You feeling sick?”
>Honey Mug shakes her head
“I’m just so hungry it hurts a little...”
>Hmm, maybe you can grab something for her to snack on from downstairs
>You sign for her to follow you and the two of you walk out of the room
>You pause and listen, but hear nothing so you quickly hobble to the stairs
>but then you notice something white and freeze
>...but it’s just a rot-encased pony
>still does not make you feel any safer, no telling when a monster will burst out from it
>You can tell Honey Mug is unnerved as well as the two of you walk downstairs
>The double doors leading outside hang open and one of them barely stays connected to the frame
>You have to wonder how that happened, the one you saw at the farm house could not even break a window
>You are about to sneak out of the house when you notice Honey Mug staring at something
>it’s a small jar of honey, peaking from a cupboard behind the cocoon
>You squeeze past the cocoon next to the dining table as cold shivers run trough your spine as you have to brush against the waxy thing
>You seriously hope that this does not make the thing inside the cocoon wake up
>Honey Mug follows you and has no trouble going past it thanks to her small size
>Maybe you should have send her to go and get it herself
>You hand Honey Mug the jar of honey and she instantly starts to gulp it down like it was water
>”Slow down, you’re going to get a tummy ache if you eat it that fast”
>You have to admit, now you’re feeling very hungry too so you look trough the cupboard but find nothing else that’s edible right away, just some flour and spices
>Suddenly Honey Mug pokes you with her hoof
>You glance at her as she offers you the jar while wiping her mouth in her hoof
>There’s not much in it, but it tastes like the best damn honey you have ever eaten in your life
>As you finish the jar and you’re about to say your thanks you suddenly notice a monster wobbling near the open door
>Honey Mug turns her attention towards where you’re looking and gasps while clinging to your hoof
>As the monster slowly shambles in you and Honey Mug hide behind the table and stay silent
>You noticed something odd about this monster when you first saw it but now you finally see why
>on the monsters face you can make out parts of a filtration mask, almost like it was fused into the beings flesh
>Could it be Barnacle? H got cocooned when wearing the mask
>You keep looking as the monster slowly heads upstairs, but then you see another shocking thing
>just like the mask, some parts of a supply vest are visible
>This monster is Barnacle, or at least what came of him
>You and Honey Mug sit still as the monster shambles upstairs
>”Let’s go”
>the two of you waste no time in getting out of the ruined safe-house and waste no time in taking in the gray weather as you start walking towards the part of the village where you remember the library being, as fast as you can with your hurt hoof that is
>While walking and listening for more monsters you notice something else
>the rot has really spread during the night, now the white frost-like rot is found on walls, fences, there seems to be small patches of it growing on everything
>And there’s also peculiar white vein-like things growing on the ground, almost like veins tryign to spread the ro-
>You stop as you turn a corner
>Amnesia blossoms, it’s like a small field of them
>Must be because of the rot, this area seems like it’s almost completely taken over by it, it even ahs weird white fungal-like fauna you’ve never seen anywhere growing randomly all over the place
>Suddenly you spot movement and a monster that must have been lying on the ground rises to its hooves
“Snow!”
>As the monster starts moving you and Honey Mug quickly start running back towards where you came from
>But as you glance back you see that the thing is gaining on the two of you
>Shit, if only your leg was ok
>For some reason these monsters that look different with their more developed face and larger white sponges are much more agile and faster than the normal ones
>Honey Mug glances back as well and screams loudly before suddenly running much faster than she was before
>You glance back as well and see the spear-like tongue miss you by a mere inch
>”Shit!”
>You notice a small alleyway between two houses build very close together that has a junk filled broken cart in front of it
>You quickly grasp Honey Mug and slide under the cart in a swift motion
>You bite your teeth’s together as a pang of burning pain shoots trough your hurt hoof and hop up
>As you turn to look at the cart if the monster can get past it you almost loose you’re footing due to the pain in your hoof
>But, the monster does not follow
>you can hear it ramming itself against the cart but it does not budge
>”Let’s go!”
>You and Honey Mug hurry onwards, but at a much slower pace
>You are now limping slower than you were before and Honey Mug has to stop every now and then and wait for you to catch up
>Every step sends a shooting pain trough your hoof as pained sweat starts to form on your face
>There’s a groan behind you
>”Oh come on!”
>Three of the faster type of monster runs out from the fenced yard of a random house
>Honey Mug is already at your side, hurrying you in panic
“Hurry up! Please hurry! Please!”
>This is bad
>You fight against the pain and try to get away but they’re gaining on you and Honey Mug
>But then you notice something
>One of the houses has its door wide open
>”The house!”
>Honey Mug quickly rushes towards it as you limp behind her
>You can hear the tongues hitting the ground as you rush into the house and slam the door shut and lock it
>instantly there’s thuds on the door as the monsters try to fight their way in
>You back away from the door with a sobbing Honey Mug clinging to you
>Damn, you need to barricade the door with something, you need to check the house for monsters so you did not just walk from one death trap to another, you need t-
>you pause and listen
>The monsters have stopped banging on the door
>”Let’s go”
>Now you just need to make sure there’s no monsters in the house
>You start looking around with Honey Mug refusing to let go of you and then your blood runs cold
>there’s another door from this house to the outside
>you ignore a few rooms as you quickly limp to the door so you can close it befo-
>the door is not just open, it’s broken and lying on the ground
>but then you get knocked to the ground by a monster that was waiting just outside the door
>Honey Mug screams and you do too as you hold the white monstrosity away from you
>it’s antennae / tentacles are wiggling at you, inching closer and closer as you feel your strength draining and the creature inching closer and closer at you, it’s face mere inches from yours
>Honey Mug is now openly crying as she stares in horror while the monster opens its mouth
>as you see the tip of its tongue right in front of your face only one thought goes trough your head
>like hell you will die here
>you stop holding the monster back with one of your hoofs and grasp at something, anything
>You do not even know what you are holding as time seems to slow down and the tongue slowly shoots out from the monsters mouth
>but your hoof is faster
>you bash the monster right in the head with something and the tongue shoots past your head and hits the ground as the creature falls off of you and to the floor right next to you
>You roll up and bash the creature on the head again
>all you can hear is the pounding of your heart as you hit the creature on the head a third time, making it pop out something gooey with bits that look like organs in it
>You notice Honey Mug looking in horror at the door and turn your head to see another monster jumping at you
>But you manage to smash its head in as well
>as you stand there you drop the object from your hoof and just breathe hard as your hearing returns
>You feel like crap and your hooves are covered in something
>You look at Honey Mug who’s looking at you with horror now
>”Let’s go...”
>Honey Mug joins you in silence as you look out of the door, and finally you see some good news
>you are on the other side of the alleyway where the Amnesia Blossoms were blooming, and you can see a direct line to the library
>You move your hoof to usher Honey Mug forward but as your hoof makes contact with her she jumps away
>You feel some sort of an emotion run trough you as it happen, it's like someone’s twisting on your hurt hoof, but the pain is felt on the inside...
>No, this is no time for any emotional crap, you two need to get over there
>”Move”
>Honey Mug complies in silence and the two of you rush towards the library
>You feel tense and ready to fight every time the two of you pass anything from where the monsters could jump at you, but none do
>the library looks like a fortress, instead of just random crap piled in front of it it has been boarded up properly and solid
>”Hello!”
>You start shouting as you and Honey Mug approach the front door
>A lone pony peeks from one of the upper story windows and instantly opens it
>It’s the yellow mothpony mare
“Honey Mug!”
>Honey Mug wastes no time calling back to the pony
“Ms. Soothing!”
>and then Honey Mug just starts to cry while the yellow mare throws down a rope ladder
>Honey Mug wastes no time in rushing up and into the arms of the yellow mare as you struggle to get the ladders up yourself due to your hurt hoof, and the slippery blood on your hooves
>Finally you get in and you’re met with worried looking ponies, all staring at you
>”Alcohol. Now.”