There wasn't much of a scene. Days like this, were so common now that no one really noticed anymore.
The guards had finished loading the gurney into the back of the hurse. The body covered in a grab dray sheet.
A local woman walked over to the small crowd. "Another?"
A portly man sighed "Yeah. Saw all the signs of it. But we'd have still been too late."
The others in the crowd had a small frown and shook their heads.
"How did it happen?" the woman asked.
"The usual. Heart attack induced by stress."
"Stress? I wouldn't have thought anything like that would affect him."
"At first, that was true. But then, the changes ... they started ... "
The woman recoiled "Change?"
"Aye. Change. It's been happening more and more around here lately."
"Oh my. But how did it get him? Is there anything we can do?"
"Nay. Just seems to happen without us noticing. At first, some furniture got moved around. A new lick of paint on the wall. Some new dialogue."
"Well, I don't see how that'd bother him."
"Again, aye. But that was over months. Then over several weeks, his character changed. Almost a completely different personality. Sure it was 'him', but it wasn't. He didn't like the changes. He tried to resist, but couldn't."
Everyone gasped again.
"But then what?"
"Well, like I said. Stress. He raged about it, then kept it pent up, then raged again. Then finally, he just sort of clutched his chest and ..... "
Everyone looked down to the ground for a moment in silence.
"This isn't even the worst of what I've heard. Next town over, 1 fellow's poor heart looked like he'd ripped it out himself."
"Is there ... is there anything we can do?"
"Sadly no. We don't really have any control. Best hope is to ride it out and make the best of it."
"Isn't there anywhere we can go? Run away?"
"Nay. You see, this is our story. Just characters in it too. We can't really leave until our part in the story is done. And ours isn't over yet."
05-May-2016 18:55:51
