Update

Sorry for leave you all hanging there. We're fine. Well, relatively.

The lockdown ended a few days after the last post. Surprisingly, there was only one casualty on our side: a runner named Sandra Kirkpatrick was killed by the Choir. Some of the other runners, the ones that participated in the pushback (recounted here) ended up with bruises, some cuts, but nothing major. They were also all given a full spread of anti-virals and anti-fungal medication, the best I could find, since I don't want any of them coming down with a severe case of greyskinness.

There is also good news and bad news.

Good news: Ruby Tuesday is dead. She was apparently controlling the Greyskins and when she died, they all collapsed. Her body (and all the other bodies) were taken into custody by some agents from the SMSC (they always come after, never during an attack, don't they?).

Bad news: the reason Ruby Tuesday is dead is because Sheryl absorbed her Red Cap-ness. That meant the surgery, the transfusion, it was all for nothing. I didn't see Sheryl in the aftermath. I think she realized what had happened, so she didn't want to be around other people. She just left.

A lot of other runners have left, too. Having two major Fears attack us at once (three if you count the dead Doll we found on our property) did not help us. And yet...I heard one group of runners, as they left, say that we were able to fend off the Fears, like we were valiant heroes or something.

The truth is, we didn't do anything. I locked us in to keep Them out, but I knew it was only a stopgap measure. And it didn't even work. If it hadn't been for Sheryl, there probably would have been a lot more casualties.

So wherever she is, I hope she finds peace.