The day has been long and exhausting; three deaths the night before, followed by a panicked duo of deaths in the day, anyone would be exhausted. One wanders to the showers, hoping to wash off some of the grime of the day, hoping that perhaps they can wash off some of the fear that has settled.
They've barely started when they get the indication that something was wrong. Jura's ghost is playing the violin, violent, sudden screeches that would unnerve anyone; the shower curtain is wrenched aside, and a psycho NASA agent is revealed.
"You should not have killed my partner," it growls.
The agent known as Sirius lifts off his helmet, revealing its true, human features below. it looks into SCG's eyes with nothing but hatred.
Jura's violin screeches reach a painful crescendo and SCG screams. Blood trickles away down the shower drain. All colour has left the world.
"What was that?" suddenly NSS bursts through the door. He stops the moment he sees the NASA agent, unmasked; it barely looks human now, even if moments before NSS would have thought them a friend. Who would have imagined antlers could fit inside a spacesuit helmet?
But fit they do, for the face of Bullwinkle stares back at him.
For a moment of panic, NSS's head fills with numbers. He sees SCG on the floor, he sees Sirius, and he thinks of Boydster asleep in the dorm. if he falls then there is no chance for them, for any of them. Boydster would be alone; he looks around.
Bullwinkle can't kill again that night, he tells himself. The NASA agent is already visibly tired, the strain of slaughter having taken its toll. NSS grabs at the first weapon he sees, a bottle of bleach from the cleaning supplies.
"You can't kill me," NSS says. "Not after you killed her. You're tired; I meanwhile have plenty of energy. What can you do?"
A dark, heartless smirk crosses Bullwinkle's face, and he pulls out a gun. Painstakingly etched down the barrel is the phrase 'sky justice.'
NSS takes a step back.
"You stole that from Crouton," NSS says.
"Do you want to roll the dice?" Bullwinkle says. His voice sounds hollow. "You die. But can you stop me before I head out there and kill your little friend? By the holy Tyson, it's made me sick pretending to be your friend, going along with all of you. There's a reason I couldn't bear to be around any of you, that I was so quiet. You are everything I loathe. So, I think I'll enjoy this."
He clicks the safety off.
"My partner is dead," Bullwinkle says. "Nothing you do can hurt me now."
He fires. Even as he feels the bullet strike him, NSS still throws himself towards Sirius. Even vigilantes can be killed, he tells himself, and throws the bleach, and lunges still. Even as he bleeds out he tries to wrestle the NASA agent's knife from him. He only hopes it is enough.
A figure stands at the foot of Boydster's bed. Boydster stirs, blearily opening his eyes. The shadow shifts.
"Space Cowgirl is dead," it says. "But not just her."
The figure's voice sounds strained. Exhausted, perhaps, or maybe injured. it's hard to tell.
"Who are you?" Boydster said. "Are you... are you the one that killed her? Or did you kill the NASA agent responsible? Are you NSS? Or are you Bullwinkle?"
A moment passes, and it staggers closer. Moving to Boydster's bedside, now the figure is in the light, now Boydster can see the figure. Hurt, bleeding, but recognisable.
Bullwinkle smiles fiercely, victoriously down at the sole survivor. it means Boydster's eyes, and for a moment black magic flickers, the dark art of necromancy summoning up a spectre of an emperor penguin. Bullwinkle stares at him with hypnotic eyes.
"Tonight has been tiring," Bullwinkle says softly. "But you can do nothing. You will wait, powerless, until my energy returns. And then you will die. There is nothing but my voice.
"There is nothing but your voice," Boydster intones hollowly. I... I will die..."
Sirius smiles.
The FESS Flatty McFlatface comes down in parts unknown, its lifechanging discoveries and images of the Earth from high altitude showing its true flatness lost forever. Bloodied, haggard, pushed to his limits and beyond but still triumphant, the sole survivor of the mission walks out.
Bullwinkle, Elite NASA agent Sirius, has come home.
SCG, NSS and Boydster, all villagers, were the last to die.
And in one last boon, the Gods of Chaos cast their blessing upon their chosen. Their wildcard stands, corpse restored to life and leaves the vessel in the picture of health, the only other person who might one day tell the truth about what came to pass. But will he? Of course not.
The saga of the good ship Flatty McFlatface comes to an end. This is not a fairytale, and good does not always triumph.