NeoSlayer

[Volume 6, Chapter 5] Apathy Atrocity Pt. 2

Cinder: Do you have my information?

Cinder meets with Lil' Miss Malachite at her tavern.

Lil' Miss: Of course I do, darling. Lil' Miss always delivers. Although, I can't promise you'll be pleased.

Cinder glares at her.

Lil' Miss: Word is they were seen boarding the Argus Limited a few weeks back. While that isn't exactly far from here, Argus is rarely a destination for folks. Chances are they'll be going straight to--

Cinder: Atlas.

Cinder walks away while Lil' Miss smiles at her intuitiveness.

Lil' Miss: You know, you turned out to be quite the interesting customer... Cinder.

Cinder stops in her tracks upon hearing her name. She turns around to face Lil' Miss again.

A snow storm appears at Brunswick Farms, making visibility nigh difficult. A wind howling is heard.

Ruby: (sighs) I don't get it. The empty towns I've passed through were all damaged or unfinished. But this place looks... fine.

Team RWBYS, Qrow, Oscar, and Maria arrive at the porch of a residence. Weiss is shivering as she wraps her arms around her to keep herself warm.

Weiss: Maybe everyone left in a hurry. Before things took a turn?

Qrow tries to open the door, only to notice it was locked.

Qrow: Hmm. Stay on guard.

Qrow kicks the door open, everyone proceeds forward with their weapons drawn. They cautiously look around the place.

Maria: Close the door already! It's cold enough in here as it is.

Maria walks into the house. Afterwards, Blake and Oscar push a nearby drawer to block the door.

Blake: I saw a chimney from the outside. Maybe we could get a fire going?

Weiss: Please. I'll look for some blankets.

Qrow: Yang, go with her.

Ruby and Neo linger by the entrance hall for the bit while the others look around. Oscar can be heard opening a door.

Oscar: Looks like a study. Or, a library?

Ruby walks forward to notice a group of pictures on the wall of the family that owns Brunswick Farms. Blake walks up next to her.

Blake: What do you think?

Ruby: Something doesn't feel right.

Blake: Let's look for some--

Suddenly, a high-pitched scream is heard.

Ruby: Weiss!

Ruby, Neo and Blake head up the stairs and run into the room Yang and Weiss were in. Qrow also arrives. They look on the bed to see a pair of decomposing corpses...

A fire is burning in the fireplace. Weiss watches it, still shaken from what she saw earlier. Blake wraps a blanket around Weiss before sitting on the couch Yang is on. The group hears the door open and close, and Qrow walks back in brushing snow off himself.

Qrow: It's the same in every house.

Yang: What?

Qrow: Bodies. Every bed in every home. It's like the whole estate just went to sleep and never woke up.

Weiss: Then we're not staying here, right?

Qrow: (walks over to the fireplace to warm up) We don't have a choice. Storm outside's only getting worse. Any of us except Neo would freeze to death before we made it anywhere.