"DING DONG"
On the morning of the fourth day after the meeting with the group of super friends, I heard the nostalgic and annoying sound of the doorbell.
["Is there more salt?"]
["On the shelf."]
["Hiaaaaa, Amelia's breakfasts are the best."]
[[GUUU.]]
While we were eating what was, objectively, the best breakfast in this house, the vixen decided to touch on a sensitive subject.
In fact, the women took turns cooking, but Amelia proved to be the undisputed goddess of food.
The rat kid? No one asked his opinion, but since it suited the rat kid, the rat kid keeps quiet.
"DING DONG — DING DONG"
["Come on, don't exaggerate, we all do our best…"]
[[Your pity hurts us…]]
Except for Louise, the genius girl, and the little sister, the others' food isn't that bad; even the three most disastrous ones are passable.
But the rat kid enjoyed their despair. The rat kid refused to offer comfort.
["I'm serious, you know? Until you all arrived, this guy only gave us canned food, snacks, and frozen stuff."]
[[Hey.]]
"DING DONG"
["Vixen, if you don't like it, why didn't you cook?"]
["I think stereotypes are a thing of a sexist past."]
["Then you go get the damn food and I'll cook."]
["I think providing food is a man's duty."]
["You son of a bitch…"]
"DING DONG — DING DONG — DING DONG — DING DONG"
As always, this vixen and I were irreconcilable.
"SSSS."
"TAKA, TAKA, TAKA."
"WOOF."
"Fine, have the vegetables, but don't tell anyone."
As the argument escalated, the little sister took the opportunity to secretly pass vegetables to the pets.
["Don't try to hide things when you're on the rat kid's lap."]
["Men shouldn't worry about the little details."]
["Alicia."]
["Hik."]
"DING DONG — DING DONG"
Since the incident of the unification of the piss sisterhood, the fear of my pets had vanished. And Alicia had become a kind of beast tamer queen.
The rat kid lost his new toy too quickly. The rat kid was sad.
"DING DONG — DING DONG — DING DONG — DING DONG — DING DONG — DING DONG — DING DONG — DING DONG"
["WE BELIEVE IN SATAN IN THIS HOUSE."]
["WE ARE NOT A RELIGIOUS GROUP."]
Irritated by the insistent guests, I decided to send them away.
But they weren't preachers.
So, what?
["WHATEVER YOU'RE SELLING, WE DON'T WANT IT. MAYBE THE NEIGHBORS WANT SOME… Sister, where's the bag of salt? Throw some at the door."]
[[…]]
When the little sister thought of a possibility the rat kid had overlooked and shooed them away, the rat kid felt full of pride-ism.
But for some reason, the girls were looking at us with a strange atmosphere.
["My poor little sister…"]
The older sister fell into despair for reasons I didn't understand. But the rat kid knows how to enjoy the good things that come on their own.
["WE ARE THE NEIGHBORS."]
["THEN USE THE DAMN KEY."]
["YOU TOOK IT FROM ME."]
["Ah…"]
......….
I feel like I'm living in a déjà vu: as if everyone is an idiot except me.
["Ouch, ouch, ouch"]
["Focus."]
I could only nod in pain as Louise pinched my side from behind. She had made a habit of that lately.
["Well? What do you want?"]
[[…]]
Just like last time, I looked at the group of super friends in front of me with a delicate atmosphere.
Again, me in the center, with the little sister on my lap and Zeus by my side.
Ratchel and Mya weren't there: the girls insisted that if they appeared, the guests would faint. And then we'd have to deal with that.
["You're not going?"]
["I'll leave in the afternoon."]
Since Milia asks directly, I decide to answer the same way. To begin with, I should be using this moment to annoy the girls.
The rat kid needs to get rid of this annoying group.
The little sister's nails were digging into me. The rat kid was suffering but can't complain: At least she's not crying anymore.
But when I realize she seems to have every intention of venting her dissatisfaction in the same way Louise does, a cold wind blows down the rat kid's back.
Louise is a bad influence, the rat kid concludes.
["Really?"]
Milia's eyes shone at my answer, although she repeated the question.
What language was the rat kid speaking? The rat kid would have to discuss it with Louise later: we need to get to the root of the problem.
["If that's all, get lost. The rat kid is busy."]
Busy annoying the girls.
"PLACK."
["I'll go with you."]
Milia stood up with an excited jump and asked to come with me.
["No. Now, get lost."]
Today would be my last lunch at home for a while. I hope there's meat.
["I'm definitely going."]
["Yeah, to your house. Goodbye."]
["I'm going with you to rescue my mom."]
Why did the rat kid have to face a language barrier in his own town?
["I'll go too."]
Franco, who had supposedly refused to go before, stood up and supported Milia decisively.
On the other hand, chicken wouldn't be bad either… or fish. The rat kid wants fish.
["It hurts. The rat kid is in pain."]
["Focus."]
The rat kid is focused. The rat kid is contemplating his lunch.
["Franco…"]
["Even if I'm not convinced… I can't let you go to a dangerous place alone."]
When Milia wonders why, Franco lets out a dialogue like a Disney protagonist while looking at Milia with burning eyes.
And still, he took the trouble to shoot me sideways glances. As if to check my reaction.
Why are you clenching your fist as if you want to hit me or are frustrated? Did the rat kid do something to you?
Well, I accept the good things that come on their own.
More importantly… even if I have fish, what should I have with it? Rice? Fries? Salad? …I want everything. Yes, it will be all of them. I deserve it.
["We wanted to make seafood rice, but there's none. Not even fish… Well, it makes sense: It spoils quickly and we didn't take any from the supermarket."]
Louise uses her incredible mind-reading ability and confirms the horrible truth.
Today I have lost more than I could have ever imagined….
["Still, there's beef, chicken, and potatoes. We'll have a barbecue."]
But this is no time for laments.
["Ahhh… what am I going to do with you all. I guess I can't leave you alone."]
["Hehe, I won't be left behind."]
["Count on me."]
["Guys…"]
The super friends joined in one by one, and Milia's eyes, which a second ago were shining for Franco, were now moved by the support.
You know: the same ones who had abandoned her a few days ago. When she came to beg me to take her to her aunt.
Anyway, since there would be a barbecue today, I got in a good mood and patted the little sister on my lap.
But there's a lot to do and it's time to start the preparations, so I put the loli aside and stood up.
["Well, have a safe trip home. Goodbye."]
I wasn't going to share my precious provisions.
["We're going with you to save my mother. I can't be at peace while she's facing such danger."]
["No. Out. I have important preparations to make."]
The barbecue wouldn't make itself. Although I wouldn't be the one making it, I had the important mission of annoying the girls while they worked. The rat kid was a hardworking rat kid.
"PLACK."
["We're going. No matter what."]
Milia slammed the floor and looked at me with unshakable determination.
Faced with those eyes that said she would come regardless of the danger, I…
["Well… since you put it that way, I guess you leave me no choice."]
Milia's eyes shone.
POCK.
["Kuaaaa…"]
For her eyes to light up just as she's about to receive a direct blow... What's up with that? Has she been a masochist this whole time?
"COUGH — COUGH."
Milia stumbled back, clutched her stomach, and fell to the floor coughing.
Now, if they could just get out of the rat den…
...................
JOURNAL ENTRY NO: 177
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Corpus Fusile
REGIONAL ALIASES:
Quarantine Zones (Latin America): La Cosecha Roja / El Moho de Carne (The Red Harvest / The Meat Mold)
The Network's Term: The Hive Fungus
Urban Folklore (Anglo): The Bloom
NICKNAME (ASTRAD): The Killer Broccoli
📊 THREAT ASSESSMENT
CLASSIFICATION: PARASITUS / TERRITORIALIS
Its nature is that of a fungal parasite that not only infects a host but turns it into a nest and a defense system. Its conduct is territorial, as a colony aggressively defends its "field" of host bodies, expanding its domain through the dispersal of spores.
DANGER LEVEL: ORANGE (2 to 4 stars)
The danger is exponential. a single infected body (2 stars) is a manageable biological risk. An established colony in a room (4 stars) is a nearly impenetrable death zone, where the air itself is a poison and the ground is a trap. You don't fight it hand-to-hand; you purge it with fire from a distance. (Its danger continues to increase with the size of the colony).
AGGRESSIVENESS LEVEL: REACTIVE
The colony itself is passive, but its defense systems are extremely reactive. They are activated by proximity, contact, or sudden changes in the environment (like a draft of air). Its aggressiveness is not that of a predator; it's that of a large-scale immune system reacting to an infection: you.
🧬 COMBAT FILE (TL;DR)
TYPE: Plant / Fungal / Aberration
AFFINITY: Earth / Toxic
🎯 PRIMARY WEAKNESSES (Theoretical):
Fire (sterilizes the area and burns the spores), Industrial-grade fungicides, Extreme cold (halts its growth).
📌 KEY STRENGTHS:
Area control via spores, Reanimation of corpses as defensive turrets, Exponential growth under suitable conditions, Immunity to conventional kinetic damage.
📚 ORIGINS AND COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY
Speculative Biology: It is theorized to be an evolution of the Cordyceps fungus, adapted to infect large mammals instead of insects. Its ability to create a hive mind from multiple hosts is what makes it a biological anomaly.
Gamer Culture: It's this world's version of "The Flood" (Halo) or the "Zerg Creep" (Starcraft). An organism that actively terraforms its environment into a hostile biological fortress.
Medieval Folklore: It could be the real explanation behind the legends of "cursed fields" or "unhallowed ground" where the dead could not be buried without "the earth spitting them back out," likely referring to bodies reanimated by the fungus.
Astrad's Analysis: Nature decided that zombies were too simple. So it took a fungus, gave it a PhD in military strategy, and crossed it with the real estate ambition of a speculator. The result: a plague that not only kills you but uses your corpse to redecorate.
📝 DETAILED ANALYSIS
PHYSICAL AND SENSORY DESCRIPTION:
The Corpus Fusile is a fungal colony of a dark red color and fleshy texture. It grows on and inside recent corpses, using them as a source of nutrients. In its initial stage, it looks like a simple mold. In a mature colony, the fungus creates complex structures: tendrils that connect the bodies, pulsating spore sacs, and most terrifyingly, the "Florets." These are bodies reanimated by the fungus's mycelium, which uses them as defensive turrets. From their mouths and thoracic cavities, the Florets can expel clouds of poisonous spores or projectiles of hardened fungal tissue. The air around a colony is heavy, humid, and smells of wet earth, decomposition, and a strangely sweet, almost floral scent.
BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY:
Its life cycle is that of a passive conqueror. The spores, carried by the air, infect a corpse. The fungus grows, consumes the body, and if other corpses are nearby, it extends its tendrils to create a network, a rudimentary hive mind. Once established, the colony enters a defensive mode, using its Florets to attack any living being that approaches, not to feed, but to protect the colony and create more corpses in which to expand.
☣️ PROTOCOLS
RECOMMENDED ENCOUNTER PROTOCOL (Theoretical):
DO:
Wear full biohazard protection gear (gas mask, sealed suit).
Attack from the maximum possible distance with incendiary weapons.
DON'T:
Enter an enclosed space with corpses covered in red mold.
Breathe the air near a colony.
Touch the bodies or the mycelium.
Assume that a corpse is just a corpse.
FIELD REPORT (Transcription from the black box of a cleanup team "Classified Information"):
"…it looks like some kind of red, fleshy carpet connecting all the bodies. Wait… one of them is moving. No, it's not moving, it's… inflating. Masks, now! It's about to snee— [The sound is cut off by a wet, explosive noise, followed by violent coughing and static]"
🎤 ASTRAD'S NOTES (THE ONLY SHIT THAT MATTERS):
Fuck, sometimes I miss the honest monsters. The ones that bite you, eat you, and that's it. But this… this is the gentrification of the apocalypse. A fungus that not only kills you but uses your body as a flowerpot for its fucking garden of death. You become a decoration, a piece of biological artillery for its flesh-and-blood fortress.
It's the perfect enemy for a coward. It doesn't have to move. It doesn't have to hunt. It just waits for you to die and then claims your property. And the worst part is its efficiency. It turns the biggest problem of the apocalypse (corpses) into its biggest advantage. It's a recycling genius. A disgusting, murderous genius.
So now you know. If you walk into a room and it looks like someone threw up a red fruit salad on a pile of dead people, don't call a coroner. Call someone with a flamethrower. And do it from the other side of the city.
..................
< Chat Channel: #Rat_Kid_Network >
RatKid9: [VIDEO attached: abandoned_hospital_Cúcuta.mp4]
RatKid9: Biohazard alert. Cúcuta hospital. The place looks… redecorated. With people.
RatKid8: LOL, redecorated? Did they put up new curtains?
RatKid7: I'm watching the video... Shit. Those aren't curtains, it's... a meat carpet? What the fuck is that red thing connecting the corpses?
RatKid2: Spores. Those things are spore sacs. And that sweet smell they describe…
RatKid1: It's definitely the killer broccoli. Welcome to the version of the apocalypse where zombies are defense turrets and the enemy is a fucking garden.
RatKid4: Fascinating. A fungal hive mind. It's the evolution of Cordyceps on a macro level. Analyzing the video, the "Florets" don't move from their spot. They're fixed artillery.
RatKid3: Negative. It's not fascinating; it's a tactical nightmare. It completely nullifies indoor combat. Every hallway is a biological minefield. You can't take cover behind a corpse if the corpse is going to shoot at you.
RatKid2: Why are you taking cover behind a damn corpse?...
RatKid3: In many cases, it's the most functional option.
RatKid8: So classic zombies unionized and now they have a mushroom for a boss. Got it.
RatKid2: The spore dispersal is massive. The people in the video didn't stand a chance. Approaching without proper gear equals certain death.
RatKid6: But the loot! Imagine the gear that must be in those hospitals! We can't just leave it there because some fungus took up gardening!
RatKid1: Rat Kid 6 wants to risk his lungs for a second-hand scalpel. A flawless plan.
RatKid3: The only viable protocol is purging with fire. From the outside. At a considerable distance.
RatKid4: Inefficient. You would destroy 90% of the uncontaminated resources. A surgical incursion with level 4 NBC suits is needed.
RatKid7: I can build the suits! I just need duct tape, trash bags, and your faith in me.
RatKid8: LOL, I'm afraid I have to decline your offer. I'll pass.
RatKid10: pass.
RatKid5: pass.
RatKid3: pass.
RatKid2: pass.
RatKid6: pass.
RatKid7: pass.
RatKid1-Astrad: I pass. The rat kid doesn't enter any place that smells of wet earth and broken promises. If you see a corpse with red acne, burn the whole building down. End of message.