The Final Sunset
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You entered the quarantine area with a heavy sigh and a weight on your shoulders. You shrugged off your cloak and placed it upon the coat rack. You did the same with your lantern, blowing out the flame inside before you did.
Brushing off whatever snow made its way onto you, you walked deeper into the building, the warmth of the building familiar yet oh-so foreign. Walking deeper and deeper into the building, you were soon greeted by Chili Pepper Cookie, who was tossing one of her daggers up and down. She had a look of anger, maybe even resentment on her face as she gazed through the window.
"Chili Pepper Cookie?" You called out, voice soft.
"Reader Cookie!" She stumbled a bit before grabbing her dagger. She sighed and put it away. "C'mon, don't do that. Really scared me there."
"Sorry," you apologized with a gentle smile. You then walked next to her and peered into the window. "..you okay?"
Chili Pepper Cookie paused before she looked away. Her shoulders trembled. ".. it's my fault. I should have been watching him."
Your gaze softened as you walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We don't know if he's infected just yet."
"He could be."
".. I know," you relented with a frown. You gave her a quick hug to reassure her before pulling away and grabbing some gloves. You slipped them on before putting on a tight coat, followed by a mask.
"It's really snowing hard out there," Chili Pepper Cookie muttered as looked towards the entrance.
"It is." You nodded in agreement, approaching an iron door. "At least it wasn't snowing when this all started."
After a nod of both agreement and confirmation from Chili Pepper Cookie, you flicked the lever beside you, and you walked in.
The door hissed shut once closed, and you exhaled slowly. You approached the young Cookie on the bed first. "Hey, Pancake Cookie!" You smiled at him. "How're you feeling?"
"Hi!" He chirped, looking up at you with a wide smile. "I'm kinda hungry, do you have any Acorn Jellies?"
"None at the moment, but I'll try and get you some." You hope he can't sense the melancholy in your voice. "So, Pure Vanilla Cookie told me you were feeling a lot more cold than everyone else."
"Yeah, I dunno why." Pancake Cookie looked down as he kicked his feet. "All the snow was hitting me and I felt like I was an ice cube!"
Your expression softened. "How do you feel right now?"
"Still kinda cold, but not as cold as before!" He shook his head.
"Okay, that's good. I'll see if I can get you some blankets."
You gently patted his head before walking to the next door. You pushed it open and your expression fell, seeing Black Raisin Cookie pacing.
Her worried gazed fell upon you, and you could only look at her assuringly. "You did the right thing," you told her as the iron door behind you hissed shut.
"I know." Black Raisin Cookie looked down. She clenched her hand to a fist. "I just wish I had been faster. If I had been.."
"Black Raisin Cookie," you gently cut her off as you walked closer. You placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, and her tired eyes met yours. "The fact that you managed to bring Pancake Cookie here even with those Frost Cookies chasing you is more than enough." You smiled behind the mask. "Just focus on the now, okay?"
As the other Cookie nodded, you pulled your hand away. "Now, how are you feeling?"
"Tired," she admitted, rubbing her face. "It also feels like I may have gotten frostbite.."
You frowned from that and you held out a gloved hand. She placed her bandaged hand in yours, and you looked over her hand. She wasn't wrong, her fingertips were a bit red. Scars marked them as well, and you narrowed your eyes a bit.
"I'll mention this to Pure Vanilla Cookie," you told her, wrapping her hand back up. You looked her up and down before your eyes caught a scar on her cheek. You reached out and gently brushed a finger over it. "How did this..?"
"A branch scratched me." Black Raisin Cookie shook her head, doing her best to quell your worries. "The Frost Cookie didn't get me, and it's jam didn't get in me either."
You paused to consider her words before you relented. You moved away from her and gently cupped her cheek. "Do you remember what it looked like? The infected?"
"It.. didn't look like a Cookie." Black Raisin Cookie stepped away and began to pace again. "It had cake hound legs, but a snow lion tail.. it just.." She shook her head. "All I know is that.. it was an infected, and it was a terrifying hunter."
You nodded softly.
You learned nothing more, so you said goodbye to Black Raisin Cookie after informing her that her crows were doing fine. It was only her and Pancake Cookie that were showing signs of the Frost, after being ambushed by an infected.
Walking through the sterile halls, you thought back to when Black Raisin Cookie and Pancake Cookie returned. Chili Pepper Cookie had lost sight of the young Cookie, though it wasn't her fault. She was stressed, everyone was. The younger Cookie had thought he saw some acorn jellies off in the forest, and he had rushed off towards it.
It, of course, wasn't.
Black Raisin Cookie had luckily found him, just before an infected had found them. It still made you shudder, how Caramel Arrow Cookie and Pastry Cookie came rushing in, supporting Black Raisin Cookie as best they could.
Ah, you should probably check on them, now that you think of it..
As you stepped back out to the common area, you spotted Pure Vanilla Cookie discussing with Chili Pepper Cookie. His staff caught sight of you first, and soon the Ancient's head turned to look at you. "Oh, you are here, thank goodness.."
"What's wrong?" You asked as you took off the mask, setting it aside as you then slipped off your gloves.
"The acorn jellies, they're.. they're freezing over more and more," he informed you as he clutched his staff. "My spells are doing nothing, and no fire is able to melt them. It's like someone is.. deliberately freezing them over."
"We don't know that." You shook your head. "It's a fair chance that the cold is just freezing them over. I'll come with you."
As you followed him out of the building once slipping on your cloak and grabbing your lantern, you couldn't help but have a bad feeling brewing. You tried to push it away, merely saying that it was due to everything that had happened.
But still..
* This choice will affect your future. Decide what will help you gather more information on the Frost.
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mention - Infected!Arsenic Cookie (Arsenic Anon)
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