Chapter Text
Vita was a disease that transformed mammals into monstrous flesh-eaters. The affected ones were in a state of constant hunger. Vita forever changed how modern society operated, replacing the currency of the modern era with canned goods, medications, and bottled water. The age of Vita Monstrum society shared similarities to the feudal era of medieval times. 2029 was the first monster attacks, resulted in an immense death toll.
The survivors’ sanity? questionable; detached, others more akin to monsters. Neo-feudal society valued food and safety over freedom; a small number chose freedom over guaranteed security. The worst fate by far was getting infected by a Vita Monstrum, which survivors called “monsters”—a shorter, easier word to alert others.
Groups formed within society, hoarding resources and recruiting people as they adapted as best one could. Everyone had a use, be it cannon fodder or a role of more significant. Every role proved a sense of self-worth; everyone belonged. They considered death the means of weeding out the weak and the aging; society favored the cunning and the strong. Survivors who possessed both traits had a less challenging time than others.
Doomed to a brutal transformation, the bitten left to a fate of agony and despair as they morphed into a bloodthirsty beast; only death offered release. A sad yet horrific reality that the survivors endured as apathy and indifference grew. Emotional connections were uncommon for survivors. People avoided them to the best of their ability, for it is much easier to kill a person they had no emotional attachment.
Two youths who would become Quidam established a homestead; its location, at least to outsiders, was peculiar. Quidam settled within the territory of the Bugs, the most powerful of the groups formed. Mist shrouded the day; Quidam, Viktor and Clarabell, continued using their old names amongst a few. They entered the Bugs’ territory, where their symbol, a beetle, was ubiquitous, spray-painted and carved onto every visible surface. The two youths approached a man named Maggot, the second in command.
“What do you want?” asked Maggot in a rumbling voice.
Viktor smiled, it was a smile that did not fit his look. “Clarabell and I meet want to meet Madam Moth.”
Maggot eyed the weapons the travellers had. “Only if you turn over the weapons.”
“here!” Clarabell handed her weapons over and Viktor followed suit.
Madam Moth was a tall, stern, long nose. She stared at the two survivors. The youthful appearance suggested an age of at least sixteen. She did not know what they wanted, but their boldness impressed. Requesting an audience showed a lack of hesitation or fear.
“I’m Madam Moth, but I am sure you know that,” she said.
“I’m Clarabell,” the girl said.
“Viktor,” the boy said.
Viktor grinned, “We want the pink bird inn.” Seeing Madam Moth raised an eyebrow, Viktor turned to Clarabell for help.
“it’s a flamingo and Samson Motel, not an inn,” Clarabell corrected with a fond smile
Viktor turned to Clarabell, “the same thing.”
“You two want the rundown place?” Maggot asked.
“Yes, is there something wrong?” Clarabell voiced.
Madam Moth watched in curiosity, “Interesting. Do you have any plans besides living there?”
Clarabell grinned, “We can run a motel for the weary traveler!”
The older woman’s smile reflected consideration of the situation. The youths exchanged glances every few seconds—was this a good sign? They had no clue. Maggot, who stood in the back, grinned. He knew what was going. She was figuring how this could work in the Bugs’ favour. The Bugs’ leader nodded and turned to the outsiders.
“We will accept this idea of yours. There will be conditions you must follow for your plan to remain an interest. I’m sure you understand,” Madam Moth stated.
“What do you need?” Clarabell questioned.
“It’s very simple,” Madam Moth grinned. It was wide and toothy smile, similar a cat on the prowl.
Days passed after Viktor and Clarabell accepted every condition without hesitation. Workers built a makeshift wall scrape of metal and wood, and a watchtower outside the motel sign. Quidam was spray painted across the logo and got settled. Weeks transformed into months, with occasional guests and work assignments to compete. Along the way, Quidam picked up random items and decorated the place. Rows of solar garden lights adorned the weed-filled plant pots.
Quidam became well amongst the living for being odd. Quidam was not officially a subgroup, although they lived in Bug territory, not that any survivors dared to voice those thoughts. No one wanted to anger people who are associated with the Bugs. The Bugs were the most powerful group. Most choose to stay on their less violent side. Most preferred being the armless traveller who needed a motel stay. However, there were people who lacked common sense and only harboured arrogance and ego. Such survivors were delt with, becoming lifeless corpses for the Vita Mors created monsters to feed upon.
Quidam was in their personal living area. Their living area was once the building you went to rent a room. The simple room décor included an old coffee table and couch to one side and a makeshift dining table with two chairs on the other. Clarabell and Viktor were curled up against each other as Clarabell played with Viktor’s shaggy dark hair. The night was loud as crickets chirped and the wind rustled the leaves of the nearby trees. The pained groans of the creatures that fallen into the wooden spikes that littered ground they filled the air, echoing in the wind as the two youths drifted off to sleep.
Years later, the motel’s reputation became widespread. A neutral place that welcomed those who paid and followed the rules; no violence, no weapons, and you must pay in full. The payment process was straightforward and budget-friendly.
The canned goods got you one to seven nights. Two military rations were enough for four days. Genuine medications received a week’s stay, while spices and cured meats secured a few nights’ stay. This payment method was less straightforward. salt got three days, as did other spices and preserved meats.
Fog covered the ground, and the sky was grey. The scent of fresh rain and decay hung in the air as birds chirped, making it a typical day at the motel. Viktor stood there in homemade amour held tother with rope. He decapitated any monsters impaled on spikes. Clarabell, in the watchtower, shot at the creatures wandering nearby, unfazed by their fallen comrades. These creatures had twisted limbs, and a curved claw on each arm. Viktor watched as blood seeped from their hollowed eyes and the blue veins that protruded from their bony limbs stopped glowing with a final raspy breath before going silent. The monsters in the Quidam’s home were delt. A group walked up, Madam Moth and her boys.
“My boys and I need medical attention, food, and a place to sleep,” Madam Moth ordered.
“Clara,” Viktor said, turning to Madam Moth, “could you get the med kit, food, and five-room keys.”
“Med kit, food, water, and the room keys!” Clarabell chirped, hopping from the watchtower to fetch the supplies.
“Clarabell, I want to eat my food in my room. But before that,” Madam Moth stated.
Madam Moth turned to her three followers. “Messenger told me that one has the marking of an infected. Does anyone want to confession? It will be far more merciful if you confess.”
“infected!”
“What?”
Similar words echoed through the room. The three men eyed each other. Someone’s future transformation almost went unnoticed. Nervousness gripped the bitten man; sweat slide off his face as he felt Madam Moth and her second in command, Maggot, drill holes into his soul. Silence fell as the two uninfected men processed the statement.
One of them spoke, “Tom, Nate, who’s infected?”
“are you serious James, do you think it was me?” Tom stated.
“It wasn’t me!” Nate argued.
James said, “I don’t know. I know is that isn’t me.”
Nate hissed, “It’s probably Tom! do you see how much he’s sweating.”
“Me?” Tom glared, “It was you.”
They argued defensively. James and Nate suspected that whose weak enough to allow themselves to be bitten. Tom’s was sickly pale and his hands were twitching as his eye gained a wild look to them. Madam Moth grinned. Nate and James were observant, more than she thought. Madam Moth filed that away.
“What you need me to do?” he said, a questioning tone in his voice.
“dispose of him, Toms infected” Madam Moth ordered.
“dispose? of course boss,” Maggot said and dragged Tom out.
Quidam’s eyes widened, “Wait!”
“Huh?” Maggot paused.
“Can you kill it outside the motel grounds?” Viktor asked.
“blood attracts monsters,” Clarabell said.
“I wasn’t planning on doing that,” he shrugged.
“Thanks,” Viktor grinned.
Viktor went to open the gate, it was a medieval drawbridge without a moat. The infected man begged as Maggot pushed him to the ground and slammed his back against a wooden stake. Tom felt the muzzle of a gun. They used guns, but this was one of the few occasions they used a gun. Bullets were rare and far too valuable to trade. Tom’s breath quickened as the trigger clicked. Bang! three bullet shells landed on the ground, Maggot unsheathed his machete and beheaded the body to prevent the corpse from becoming a monster.
it would will take a days trip for any survivor to see this sight. a heavy, thick metal door creaked open. any survivors that were to witness this, they would be confusion and concern. People. children who could not be older than thirteen, and they were walking out in a line. It was straight and robotic.
“the next batch needs to be tested,” a voice ordered .
A group of survivors entered the Bugs’ territory. the four ventured further, they felt the eyes of unseen things watching. The group shared a similar line of thought: were they being paranoid, or were they being watched? The Mopes eyed their surroundings, but they continued. their superior ordered them to investigate this land to see if it was taken. They pressed on, and it became more evident that someone else had claimed this territory. The symbol that everyone knew. they could not remember who it belonged too. A motel came into view, the words Quidam spray painted on the sign.
the door squeak opened, the Mopes entered their rented room, the door clicked shut and settled in, the two oldest Mopes chose the bed closet to door. Ron and Tina took the other bed, and the smallest one, Jack got the couch, while Viktor and Clarabell, in the dead of night, needed to lock the gate just as a Bug member, a person assigned to be a delivery boy, handed Viktor a bag, and told them the contents of that the bag was important and that he needed a room for the night. Clarabell handed them a key. Quidam rushed to their room, the old reception room building, and locked it. Closing the curtains, and opening the bag, they discovered a file with information. a letter fell out.
Madam Moth said, interrupting the argument, “I see the future monster doesn’t want to come forward, Maggot!”
“Yes?” he said, a questioning tone in his voice.
“Get rid of Tom; he’s infected,” Madam Moth directed.
“got it boss,” Maggot said and dragged Tom out.
With widened eyes, Quidam exclaimed, “Wait!””
“Huh?” Maggot paused.
“Can you take it outside the motel premises to dispose of it?” Viktor asked.
“blood attracts monsters,” Clarabell said.
Viktor went to open the gate. It looked like a medieval drawbridge. The infected man begged as Maggot pushed him to the ground and slammed his back against a wooden stake. This was one of the few occasions they used a gun. Bullets were rare and far too valuable to trade. Tom’s breath quickened as the trigger clicked. Bang! three bullet shells landed on the ground. Maggot unsheathed his machete and beheaded the body to prevent the corpse from becoming a monster.
A heavy, thick metal door creaked open. If any survivors were to witness, this they would be confusion and concern. People. children who could not be older than thirteen, and they were walking out in a line. It was straight and robotic.
“the next batch needs to be tested,” a voice ordered.
A group of survivors entered the Bugs’ territory. The five ventured further. It felt like eyes were watching them. The group shared a look: were they being paranoid, or were they being watched? The Mopes eyed their surroundings, but they continued. Their superior ordered them to investigate the land to see if it was unclaimed. They pressed on. All the signs that this territory was not free to take became clear. The symbol that everyone knew. They could not remember who it belonged to. A motel came into view, the words Quidam spray painted on the sign.
A door squeak opened, the Mopes entered their rented room. The door clicked shut and settled in. The two oldest Mopes chose the bed closet to the door. Ron and Tina took the other bed, and the youngest, Jack got the couch, while Viktor and Clarabell, in the dead of night, needed to lock the gate just as a Bug member, a person assigned to be a delivery boy, handed Viktor a bag, and told them the contents of that the bag was important and that he needed a room for the night. Clarabell handed them a key. Quidam rushed to their room, the old reception room building, and locked it. Viktor yanked the curtains closed. They opened the bag with the files of information. A letter fell out.
Dear Quidam,
Important to read is the information I sent you. Read it as soon as possible and be on the lookout.
from Madam Moth.
On crisp, white paper, a true rarity, the duo found information that caught their attention. The duo stared-eyed at the information provided. Along with the paper, there was a chunky piece of metal with a badly painted red button on it. The button laid at the bottom of the bag. They left that item along for now, as they had a file from Madam herself.
an unknown monster:
subject: ????
danger level: ????
notes:
A researcher who recently joined the Bug’s observation of monsters team spotted a new creature. It was large, comparable to an eight story building. It was shockingly stealthy and moved silently. Its size would cause anyone to assume that it was loud, that you could hear its thundering footsteps, but no, that is not the case. This new creature showed the potential powerful. We know for sure that is a genuine danger to any survivors, alone or in a team. The researchers, medics, and the fighters that were sent to investigate this unfortunately lost their lives to this monster. We heard a loud roar from the Bugs’ head quarter. We are not sure if it came from the monster, but that is the safe thing to assume until we find out more information regarding this new monster. All this is based on the information we have. This is a creature that is a danger, and would be safe to assume that is extremely dangerous. Avoided at all costs. Now onto its appearance, from what can assume, it is blind with great hearing, and its bony body makes it look weak, but like all creatures, is most likely strong, inhumanly strong.
The picture that showed a monster—looming—hunched over, skin stretched over bone. Bulging eyes that had no pupils and bat like ears adorned its face as its tongue hung out. Its were empty, they appeared to possess no thought, no intelligence, it possessed the classic look of a mindless monster, a slave to its instinct.
Meanwhile, the mysterious door opened again and more kids walked in a line, robotic as always. Inside the door was a dimly lit hall that led to a set of stairs that seemed to stretch into the darkness. Past the darkness, at the top of those stairs, was a dimly lit light, covered by a pill shaped caged. The button suddenly lit up and illuminated the steep staircase and out walked more kids, they had a dazed look in their eyes as an armed woman led them before returning to door at the bottom of the staircase and closing it with a slam, a lock clicked and the light dimmed to nothing as the door that led to the outside, slammed shut on its own. The woman walked down a bright white hall that led to a with chairs that were placed in similar fashion to a theater, otherwise it was empty. Three of the four walls had three locked doors behind cages. only allowing approved workers to open some doors. Above the cage-like structure, there were large, bold letters that read. Workers, breeders, and the cast. She stood in front of the workers’ door, pressing a button on the wall.