Molds and Roses (Resident Evil Village)

Awoken

Karl was shocked awake by a small, cold pinch on his arm.

He snapped out of his stupor as he turned to look at what snapped him out of his daze.

He saw Angie, moving its porcelain mouth up and down, talking, speaking, shouting, but Karl couldn't hear it as only ringing was in his ears.

He shook his head and after that, he was finally able to hear it.

"WAKE UP!!"

Karl flinched when he finally heard the doll shout.

It was now slapping his face, but that didn't seem to be the problem.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes before taking what just happened seriously.

He looked around him and, yes, he was still inside the crater, but in front of him was a pile of small mold roots bulging, clearly hiding something below them.

Karl was about to approach it before getting yet another frozen pinch on his arm.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!?"

Karl flinched yet again. "Don't shout! God,"

The doll seemed like it was fuming from how it was shaking but the expression said otherwise.

"What do you mean 'don't shout'!? You were walking all the way here and even when I screamed at you, you didn't answer or tell me to shut up!"

Karl raised a brow. "Walk here? But I used the met–"

He paused as he noticed he was actually on his feet.

"...the hell?"

The doll glared at him, but the unmoving face mechanic made it somehow funny.

"I jumped on you when you stopped commanding your metals. They all fell, you know?"

Karl glanced at the doll, finally acknowledging its words as he nodded.

He didn't say much more before finally walking up to the pile.

He felt the doll slide off of him and he almost immediately used his metal to cushion the doll's fall, although he doubted it would do better than the almost-mushy mold roots under his feet.

Another loud clanking was heard as the doll landed.

He bent down as he used his gloved hand to pry the small saplings off of whatever was buried inside.

Although it was more of a thin mold root to be honest.

Soon after examining it for awhile, he then finally used both his hands to rip the small pieces off.

He continued to do this before finally, what was below was visible enough for him to just pull out.

-----

Rosemary awoke with a jolt.

She sprang up and her eyes widened as what she was greeted with were only her mold... and the metal man?

Her eyes widened further when she also saw the doll, but with the veiled woman nowhere in sight.

"Yo–"

"Yeah, I got it. Someone shot you and you fell."

The man cut her off and the doll said nothing, only eyeing her with no expression.

Rose gulped. Was she really shot? And who shot her?...

"A random human shot you. Forget about him."

It was like the man read her mind. Strange...

She nods, and then looks around again.

The man, Karl, followed her gaze. He sighed. "That's right. When you were out these mold suddenly started to sprout out of nowhere."