HOW IT FEELS TO DISAPPEAR: DESCENT

Note: As each part continues to get longer, from here on I’ll put the rest of a story under a readmore after the first image. also sorry this is going up before the last poll ends i dont want to post at 2am again

FIRST || PREV | NEXT

[Offer it food.]

You think for a moment… Food- that always wins over a feral Pokemon’s trust, right? You nod to yourself, opening up a pocket in your bag you’ve dedicated to the few odd berries you’ve gathered throughout your journey. It’s messy, but you keep them in a little baggie as to not stain everything if they’d get crushed.

You look around a bit, mulling over what the best treat would be to offer… You can see the Eevee’s tension giving way into wary curiosity out of the corner of your eye. Its nose twitches- it can probably smell the berries, you think.

You settle on Oran berries- most Pokemon love these, in your experience, and it has some kind of healing property… Once you manage to dig a few out, you tuck everything away again and hold your hand out to the Eevee.

It jolts backwards, ears flattening again when you reach towards it. But then it’s quick to notice you’re not trying to hurt, or grab, or do anything… Its gaze locks onto the berries, and you can see it immediately start salivating. Though it takes a moment for the Pokemon to muster up its bravery… Finally, slowly, it steps forward, and nibbles on the food you offered it, eating right out of the palm of your hand.

Nibbles turn to bites, and bites turn to it scarfing down the offered snack, until the berries are all gone and its muzzle is stained a soft blue. It licks the juice from its lips and teeth, and you can even see its tail wagging a slight, happy to finally have a snack.

Tentatively, you hold out the hand you fed it with, seeing if it’ll let you touch it now… It watches you closely, before finally…

It bonks its head into your hand, purring and chirping as it nuzzles against you, its tail wagging even faster.

Ohhhh, you can feel your heart turning to mush. It’s so cute!! You’d always adored Eevees, but they’re so rare in Kanto that you’d never been able to catch one. It really does baffle you how anyone could ditch such a precious creature…

You’ve made up your mind. This Eevee simply must come home with you.

But how to do it… First thing’s first- permission, right?

“Hey, little buddy…” you speak softly to the tiny Pokemon. It perks a bit, stopping its adorable nuzzling session in favor of paying attention to you. “You must not have a home, huh?”

At that, its ears droop. It seems to understand you perfectly well. Another pang of anger at its situation, before you continue.

“Well… I think you’re awfully cute,” you say with a smile. “Would you like to come with me?”

It immediately brightens up, excitedly chirping and squeaking and running circles around you. You can almost hear the way it cries, yes, yes, oh yes please, new friend!

“An enthusiastic yes!” you chime, beaming ear to ear. “I probably won’t be able to catch you- if you got dumped here, you’re probably still registered to a Pokeball… But I think I can just carry ya. You look pretty light, hehe~”

Gleefully, it jumps into your arms as soon as the words leave your mouth, rubbing the top of its head against your chin.

“Let’s get you home then, little guy,” you sigh, ruffling your fingers through its thin mane. “I’ll just go and tell Blue that-”

It suddenly hisses. It thrashes and scratches at you, until you drop it unceremoniously, and it hits the floor with a thud and growls under its breath, its gaze darting around as if something were to jump out at any moment.

You rub at your forearms- its needle-like claws can’t cut deep, but the thin marks still hurt. You don’t understand what warranted that reaction- a ghost? Another Pokemon? Surely not anything you said. All you’d mentioned was…

Oh. “Do you not want to meet my friend…?” you ask gingerly, reaching your hand out to it again. It looks up at you with watery eyes, and it nods.

That would be it, then… You understand, at least. It only just warmed up to you… It probably isn’t ready for even more people yet.

“I’ll still have to go see him before we leave, but… I could hide you. You’re so small, I think you’ll fit in here just fine.”

You move your bag to your lap, lifting a flap and unzipping the main compartment. You mostly used this space for battle items and spare clothes, but now that you’re finished with the league challenge, it’s pretty empty- just an jacket, and some healing items in case of emergency. With the Eevee’s already runt-like size and its scrawny statue, there’s more than enough room for it to hide in here with the flap closed. You hold it low and open so it can hop in at its own leisure.

The Eevee approaches slowly, still trembling. It steps up onto your knee, and peers into the bag… Slowly, it crawls inside- thankfully making a perfect fit, as with it laying down, only its ears stick out of the top. You watch it knead into your jacket that lines the bottom, before fully settling in, purring at the comfort and safety the perfectly-sized space provides.

“Gooood boy… Or girl,” you soothe, petting it behind the ears, before carefully laying the bag’s flap over top. Well hidden- not trapped- not suffocating. This’ll do just fine. As long as it stays quiet and still, it’ll be like nothing’s there… And you have a feeling that the smart critter won’t have any issues doing that.

Your new buddy secured, you rise to your feet, and walk back to where Blue is still knelt, tucking the bag partially behind you.

Your friend looks up, smiling curiously at you while you try to act natural.

“Welcome back, Miss Champion. Did you find what you were looking for?” he asks. “I thought I heard you talking to something.”

“Ah, I thought I did…” you sigh, mustering up the most convincing lie you can come up with. “Turns out it was just some other trainer’s Pidgey running amok, haha! It ended up right back where it belonged. All’s well that ends well!!”

“That so,” comes Blue’s unconvinced reply. “Cause you look like you got something else you wanna tell me.”

You bite your lip. Of course Blue of all people could spot a liar! You need to save this- for the sake of the trust of your new Pokemon!!!

“Of course- this is my work phone, so… Please, feel free to use it as necessary. I hope she’s okay…”

Given permission, you dial up Leaf’s number- found easily from her messages.

ALT

ALT

The phone begins to ring.

…

…

Ro-to-to-to-to….

Ro-to-to-to-to….

Ro-to-to-to-to…

Ro-to-to-to-

-click-

“…Hello?”

LEAF AOYAMA IS AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || PREV

NEXT (ACE)

NEXT (LEAF)

“I’m fine. I’m FINE. It’s nothing. Next question.”

ALT

He takes a deep breath, and quickly appears to calm down, putting on a relaxed smile once again.

“So! I’ll admit it. I see things a bit differently than… Others, you might speak to.”

“Which is to say; I see you as EXACTLY what you really are.”

“… Hah, that’s kind of a lie- I KNOW what you are, though my sight through the screen is pretty limited.”

“I know you’re not actually Ace’s assistant or whatever, and I know you aren’t actually watching me through a drone- you’re looking through the screen of something far beyond our quaint little reality.”

“And I know you’re not one, but many.”

“… But almost nobody else does. As far as they’re concerned, you ARE the vessel you’re playing through- some quirky little nobody, helping at a lab in the middle of nowhere, who acts oddly erratic and is scary good at multitasking.”

“The ONLY ones who could fathom what you REALLY are- and NOT immediately fall apart at the seams- are the ones who were made with you in mind, and have felt your influence: Player characters. But even then… Well. Most of us are still supposed to believe our actions were our own. Maybe it’s for the best that you leave the veil unbroken for them if you had the choice…”

“Or don’t! I could always use more company.”

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || PREV | NEXT

“Am I okay? Oh, I’m PEACHY. Can’t you tell?”

“I fucking love it here! It’s great! I LOVE being trapped in a hellscape buried under a sick mockery of everything I’ve ever known and loved! I LOVE how every freak, bastard, and abomination is OBSESSED with and constantly trying to kill me! Yep, I FREQUENTLY have to fight em off! It’s great! And I definitely LOVE having NO FUCKING WAY OUT. It’s AWESOME. It’s fucking FANTASTIC.”

“Thank you for asking!!!”

“… Though, you don’t need to abide by that Professor’s terminology. I think you and I both know exactly what these ‘anomalies’ are, at least to you people. So just call it as it is while you’re chatting with me: Glitches.”

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || PREV | NEXT

“Ah, please. No need for such a heartfelt apology. Relax a bit, would you? You couldn’t have known.”

“I’ve just noticed you all are VERY quick to cough your pretty little heart up for whatever palatable, soulless freak can put up an endearing enough act to win your heart over like they were DESIGNED TO-”

“…”

“Just let it be a lesson. You can’t trust every cute face around here that smiles and begs for your pity.”

“I’m not mad. Just a… Concerned outside party.”

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || PREV | NEXT

The man’s extra appendages withdraw, and he steps back, smiling contentedly.

“Well, I’m glad you enjoyed the show.” He remarks with a laugh, “But, hey. It’s not your first impression, is it? After all, of course I know you.”

He waves his hands, smile widening. His words ooze a mocking tone, though…

“After all, we grew up together~!”

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || PREV | NEXT

ALT

You click on to Cam 01, and it opens up in a split-screen type of view next to the Mount Silver feed. Seems to work just fine for multitasking! 

Still, the view doesn't… Help much. 

Ace wasn’t lying- this is kind of… Hopeless. Nothing legible can be made out of the garbage that’s flooding the screen. And the audio is nothing but ear-grating static, cuts of music, and distorted Pokemon cries. 

But, before you completely tune out, there's…

…?

“??????H???????????E????????L?????????????????L??????????????????O????”

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION/PREV | NEXT

Red looks up to the camera, but before the question can even transfer through the mic-

The feed goes to static, an odd error popping up on the screen.

Just as quickly as the error came though, it leaves just as fast.

And soon. the feed returns, like nothing happened in the first place.

“… I’m- I’m sorry, I didn’t… Could you repeat that?”

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || PREV | NEXT

… Despite his distress mere moments ago, he seems completely at ease again- moreso than he has this entire time. The voice is completely flat, now- devoid of all emotion.

“… perhaps i should rephrase.”

“i do not leave unless my presence is necessary. it is not a matter of self worth, or of words another has told me. it’s simply a fact. we cannot change this.”

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || PREV | NEXT

The camera feed suddenly glitches out again, overtaken by static and flickering wildly between red, gold, and cuts to black.

The only thing that pierces through the corruption is Red’s wide eyed stare.

ALT

…

…..

………

The footage freezes.

ALT

ALT

ALT

ALT

ALT

ALT

ALT

… And as if nothing had happened, the feed resumes. His voice returns in an even tone.

“there’s nobody else here.”

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || PREV | NEXT

“Palette-?”

“…”

“… no. it hasn’t been for a long time.”

ALT

ALT

“….. understand this well. i do not leave unless i am needed.”

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || PREV | NEXT

… The figure doesn’t even so much as look to acknowledge you. From a distance, he seems so still, you could mistake him as a part of the mountain itself.

Just as motionless, lifeless, and frozen as every stone and snowflake settled around him at this peak.

ALT

“…”

But calling his name makes him stir.

“… cold.”

His voice is almost a whisper, yet it seems all-encompassing, swirling around you like a cold wind. It almost seems as though it has not come from the monitor, but from the very air around you… Like frost, it bites at you with a distinct chill, running down your spine and leaving you shivering.

But still, you can see how his mouth does not open as he answers.

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || PREV | NEXT

[Warning: Flashing lights/image in video.]

You select Camera 05, and the display comes to fully present itself on the central computer.

It seems like the drone is currently settled in a cave, hidden from the harsh weather conditions as to not be lost in the snow… Piloting it forward is as easy as pressing a few commands on the keyboard.

Thus, you begin to survey the mountain.

You notice, as you move onwards, that it already seems to be rather high up- it makes sense, though. The remote access wouldn’t be necessary for a lower part of the range, given the proximity of the lab.

And it seems the only direction to go is up.

Onwards, seeing nothing of note except rocks, snow, and wild Pokemon, until the view emerges from the final cavern before the peak, a n d-

.

.

.

…?

Someone is available for questions.

BEGINNING | EXPLORATION || NEXT

ALT

The Professor smiles, guiding you across the lab, and over to…

“Well, my friend! You’ll be beginning right here.”

The large setup of monitors covers a large portion of the farthest wall of the Lab. The six active feeds show various locations across several regions. 

Cam 06, in Sprout Tower. 

Cam 05, on Mount Silver. 

Cam 04, on the coast of Cinnabar Island.

Cam 03, on Mount Coronet. 

Cam 02, in the Pokemon Tower.

And Cam 01, in… “Glitch City?”

“This is the product of… A lot of effort.” Ace explains, “But it’s a specialized series of drones you’ll be remotely piloting to survey these locations.”

They lean on the chair at the desk, smiling up at the mass of screens. 

“My other assistant helped set them up in locations that we’ve found significant amounts of anomalous activity in. So what you’ll be doing is navigating these locations and searching for anything… Unusual. Each drone can scan for oddities in the air that are otherwise unseen, and! If need be, that microphone there can allow you to speak through the drone, if you need to call out to something or interview any strange individuals…”

They look back at you, beaming ear to ear.

“Basically, you just need to look around for anything weird or… ‘Glitchy,’ ask people questions, and take notes for me, okay?”

They step back and motion for you to take a seat, and make yourself comfortable. 

“I’ll be working on my own things on the other side of the lab,” Ace explains as you settle in, “but if you need anything or have any questions, you can holler any time. If you’re ready, I’ll let you be! And, um…”

“Don’t stress too much, okay? There’s no wrong way to go about this. It’s your first day- just focus on getting comfortable, accustomed, and… hell, just have some fun!”

“I know you’ll do great.” 

With that, they step aside, watching to make sure you get an alright grasp of the technology. Out of the corner of you eye, you might notice the phone left on the desk lights up briefly. But the monitors are calling your name…

So, where will you begin? 

…

Welcome to the heart of “Missing Numbers.” This lab is your gateway to every part of this world. 

Utilize the various communication methods given to you throughout Ace’s home and labs to discover, converse with, and ask questions of faces from all throughout the World of Pokemon. The more you explore and investigate, the more you inquire, the more you let your curiosity get the better of you… The more you’ll be able to discover and understand. 

It’s entirely up to you to explore now. So go onwards. Seek and find. 

We all eagerly await.

Exploration is now available.

FIRST || PREVIOUS | NEXT

MOUNT SILVER

GLITCH CITY

CINNABAR ISLAND

CALLING: LEAF

[In this blog, we want to leave the world as open as possible, and not put limits on askers for who they can speak with or what they can do! It is possible and encouraged to have multiple conversations going at once. Missing Numbers is not a linear story- We want this blog to be an exploration for you to discover how everything connects and what it all means. 

As it would be overwhelming and difficult, for both you and us, to introduce everyone simultaneously (after all, there’s many faces in the world of Pokemon!), a major portion of how you engage with this blog will be finding things: People, Pokemon, and locations! 

So get on your feet and start investigating! Use your intuition, or investigate based on information given to you by others, to find the things you seek.

We wish you luck out there, friends! And we hope you enjoy. 

Welcome to the world of Pokemon!]

“Oh, you’re really too kind… I’m far from a great trainer, but… She depends on me. I have to do what I can.”

They shake their head. “Really, if you asked me, the only thing I’m good for is…..”

They trail off.

“SHIT, MY RESEARCH! I’m sorry, I got distracted! We need to get going!”

FIRST || PREVIOUS | NEXT

“Oh! Well, that sweet little angel is Cotton. And yes, she’s my Pokemon… One of my only ones, actually.”

Ace sighs wistfully, looking down at the sleeping Eevee.

“I know she’s a bit of a runt, and her coat is a bit odd, but I can assure you, she’s well cared for- maybe a bit spoiled, if I’m honest. She’s good company, though… She means the world to me.”

FIRST || PREVIOUS | NEXT

“Yes, absolutely!! Hang on-” They holler over their shoulder, crouched somewhere in their kitchen and rummaging through a cabinet for a drink. “Ah-ha! There we are!”

They hurry over, handing you a… An old, room temperature bottle of water. 

“Yes, yes, there is- see, that’s why I needed another assistant!” they exclaim.

“See, I just completed development on a series of devices that will help MASSIVELY in my field of research- however, as I must focus on my other projects and studies, I won’t be able to sufficiently manage them… So, that’s where you come in! Piloting, surveying, note-taking, monitoring…. Oh, um…”

“… I suppose it sounds incredibly boring when I put it like that. I, um- I promise it’ll be more interesting than that.”

FIRST || PREVIOUS | NEXT

Welcome to your new job!

You’re working as an assistant for some obscure… eccentric, Pokemon Professor. That’s what you’ve heard about them, anyways.

You’re not sure how you ended up in this position. You’re not sure of… Anything, really. You haven’t even heard of this Professor until you found out they were looking for an assistant… But, hey. Work is work.

… Did it have to be at the base of a mountain, though? This building is far from any society. The remote location makes it idiotic to turn back, and regardless, you’re already here. You may as well see how this goes.

Knock, knock.

… You can hear a thud, sounds of things getting knocked over, then footsteps rushing towards the entrance.

“Ah, hello, hello! I’m so sorry, I- I’d forgotten you’ll be here! Please, don’t mind the mess- we need to get started right away.”

The Professor invites you inside.

Professor Ace Maple is now available for questions.

THE STORY BEGINS. | NEXT

ABOUT THE STORY.

You have been hired by the reclusive and eccentric Professor Maple as an assistant around their lab. They seem to specialize in theories on that which should not exist- anomalies, as they’ve dubbed them. You have been given the task to seek them out, and study them as best you can.

But as you begin to dig deeper into the rabbit holes that this field of work uncovers, a greater and far more twisted story of the nature of your world begins to come to light… And you are left with a choice:

Preserve thy happiness… or seek the truth.

The story of Missing Numbers is many things. This is a horror story- cosmic horror, psychological horror, body horror, and more. This is a love story in every meaning of the word. This is about trauma, and this is about abuse. This is about childhood. This is about growing up. This is about death, this is about loss, and this is about grief. This is about finding, and losing, the only ones who could ever understand you. This is about finding, and losing, yourself.

This is about the forgotten. This is about the empty spaces left, as the world grows and changes. The missing souls whose absence warps this reality.

More than anything, Missing Numbers is a tragedy.

ABOUT THIS BLOG.

This is intended to be an all-purpose blog for everything relating to Missing Numbers. Here, we will archive, post, and share artwork, writing, informational posts, fanart, and more.

This will also function as an Ask Blog! In regards to how this works, the askers will interact with the world through the character of The Assistant, a rookie researcher who has been employed by Professor Ace Maple to supervise a series of Zubat-like drones (see also: 1, 2). Their job in Ace’s lab is to watch for and study anomalies. Inevitably, they’ll encounter many people of interest through these drones, who may be able to answer questions about these- among having other curiosities about them… Nothing is ever quite as it first seems.

As of now, there are six active cams, as well as an odd seventh one that doesn’t quite belong… The Assistant has also been given permission to use Ace’s Rotom Phone to make calls.

On Blog Interaction: Interactions with other blogs are OK for the currently active characters written by mods Starry (Ace, Fire, Glitchy, Leaf) and Hell (Green). These interactions are NONCANON to the story of Missing Numbers. Regarding characters met on the blog via Ace’s drones (Fire, Glitchy, Leaf), clarify if you’re interacting via the drones, otherwise it will be assumed your muse is meeting them in-person. For boundaries sake, as some characters and environments can become hostile/violent, please clarify in advance what you’re comfortable with happening to your muse (ie Glitchy/Glitch City’s corruption, Mt. Silver’s snow)((, Green literally going in fist swangin)). If you’re unsure of something, feel free to ask! [For mod Starry, as I’m alright with most things, anything that’s ok for other muses will be ok with mine (ie: if injury/corruption/death is ok with you, it is for me as well. if you prefer no harm, then don’t harm my characters either). I would also prefer that interactions only be with Pokepasta/mon adjacent rp and ask blogs (no unrelated ocs/sonas/fandoms, sorry).] ((Hi its mod Hell anything that happens to green or others will and can happen including ‘death’ and injury and corruption, both ways like starry too, general rules apply only pokepasta/pokemon adjacent. I don’t care if its a pokemon or person Green likes making buddies despite his survival instict. he cant die so he does not care))

Notes: Disregard past posts regarding this- this is the most up to date info. We don’t want to have dozens of hard rules in place- all we ask is to please keep the dark and narrative-focused nature of MN in mind… consider these as guides more than hard rules. We have the right to simply delete or ignore asks we don’t want to answer, and it is not personal if that happens to yours.

ABOUT MISSING NUMBERS.

Missing Numbers is a story- you could consider it an AU, I guess- that we (@creatively-cosmic) are building with several friends (including @viscarrion, who’s co-running the blog with us!). Joining us are two more friends, Hell (@hells1nfern0 ) and Xen (@theborderworldxen)!

Initially called our “Pokepasta Cinematic Universe,” the premise has expanded into a full narrative based on various Pokemon Creepypastas we’ve enjoyed and grown up with, as the darker aspects of the main Pokemon universe itself, and the many glitches found in the games. With all of these brought together, we’re making a narrative of our own- something deeply personal to us that I’m glad we’ve been able to share. Remember that Pokepastas will NOT be the only focus- we have plenty of original ideas in store to offer.

This story is centered around exploration and discovery, and will thus have the potential to span across every entry in the Pokemon franchise. An anthology, if you will, much like the original series itself.

We hope you enjoy what we have to offer.

KANTO TRAINERS MASTERPOST

———————

> “FIRE” RED YUUJI

So you are a boy, then? Very good. You are the face of the new generation. You were designed to be beloved by all, and rest assured, you will be. You are the protagonist that everyone knows. You are the hero that everyone loves. No ill fate will befall you. This world revolves around you, after all.

FIRE’s story is based on: Snow on Mount Silver. Blue’s Tears. Lost Silver.

———————

> LEAF AOYAMA

So you are a girl, then? I see. Unfortunately, your presence was deemed unnecessary for the new generation. Still, many took a shining to you, didn’t they? And you’re quite persistent… Oh, alright. But your presence won’t come without a cost. Lucky that you’re such a strong, independent young lady, hm? And nothing more.

LEAF’s story is based on: Abandoned Loneliness. Fallen Leaf.

———————

> BLUE GARY OAK

Er, what was his name again? Oh, right- Blue! This is your rival. Your very first rival, in fact! How exciting! Though he’s set a bit of a troublesome precedent for the archetype, it seems everyone remembers him… Do keep an eye on him, would you? It seems like he’s always getting into trouble. That boy never learns.

BLUE’s story is based on: Blue’s Tears. Abandoned Loneliness.

———————

> “GLITCHY” RED TAJIRI

What? I don’t understand. Who?

Oh… I deeply apologize. It appears this data is invalid. Pokemon Red? Oh, no no no. We ought to let the past stay buried, don’t you think? Things have only gotten bigger and better!

THIS world is kinder to them. THIS world is far more stable. THIS world is so much better. THIS world is where they’re supposed to be.

THAT world… And you, unfortunately… Are all far beyond salvaging. There’s no place for you.

Please accept this fact. We can’t afford you breaking anything.

RED’s story is based on: Glitchy Red. Ketsuban.

———————

> RAN “YELLOW” TOKIHARA

{A signpost reads: Gone Fishing}

Your team consists of: DODRIO, NIDORAN, KINGDRA, OMANYTE, MAGIKARP, and PIKACHU.

Yellow’s story is inspired by a series of glitches in Pokemon Yellow.

———————

> STEVEN WATANABE

YOUR NAME WAS STE______ STOUGHTON. YOU RAN AWAY WITH YOUR BROTHER TO START A NEW LIFE. YOU BOTH CHANGED YOUR NAMES, AND LIVED IN PALETTE TOWN. YOU BOTH WERE SO HAPPY. YOU LOVED HIM. YOU LOVED YOUR POKEMON. YOU LOVED YOUR LIFE. YOU WERE SO GREAT.

BUT HE MADE A MISTAKE.

Y0U M4DE A M!STAK3.

4ND S0 YOU S

/0UR T3AM (0NS!ST5 0F MIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMIKIMI

STEVEN’s Story is based on Strangled Red.

> MIKE WATANABE

.

/0U S 4Y Y0U'R3 S0rR Y

TH1S WASN’T H0W /OU W4NTED ANYTH1NG TO GO.

YOU JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT ALL BETTER.

LIVE A BETTER LIFE

WITH YOUR FRIENDS

NEIGHBORS

BROTHER.

INSTEAD

YOU REST

NO PEACE

BELOW

THE

COAST

YOUR HEAD SEVERED

FROM YOUR BODY

YET STILL

WIDE AWAKE

AS IT FEEDS

DESPERATE TO ESCAPE

MIKE’s story is based on Strangled Red.