Tales from the Golden Town (Part 2 Added)

[Pilgrim]

Part 1 of...a number that is larger than 1! This ended up being a little bit more meandering than I had intended. Some scene-setting type stuff, y'all know how it is. In the next part I'll get straight into it a lot faster.

Part 1: Bio Hazard

As usual, Yuriko’s alarm rang into the double digits before she finally mustered the energy to shut it off and begin scrambling into her blue and gray school uniform. She was succumbing to the malaise that accosts all seniors in highschool and found it difficult to care much about her studies, even more so this spring because of how many students and teachers alike had abandoned the school entirely. Hayfever had hit the town hard because of the propagation of “gold trees,” the latest experiment from the Ravenhome institute. The genetic research facility had finally obtained permission from the government to begin a test of its so-called “super tree,” which would grow quickly in any temperate climate and spread fast, and a number of them had been planted around town. The trees did indeed grow at an incredible speed, and their timber was sturdy and useful, but their branches were covered from start to finish with row upon row of catkins so overladen with pollen that if there was no wind it would simply drip down from the branch. Members of the town who’d never had hayfever before found themselves suffering now, and those who’d already possessed bad spring allergies were practically incapacitated.

One such person was Yuriko’s sister Maya, whom she found sitting at the kitchen table every day, sneezing her boisterous, uncovered sneezes and wiping at her turned-up little pink nose. Yuriko didn’t understand why she bothered to wake up early every morning, since she’d been excused from school due to her allergies. Maya was always getting excused from things like that, it seemed. Yuriko blamed her looks; though only two years younger than herself Maya had a round face, small nose, wide eyes, and wore her hair in high pigtails, making her look a fraction of her real age. Yuriko meanwhile had (she believed) a more mature look, with her hair cut shoulder-length and dyed a realistic brunette color, a wide flat nose, and sharp accusatory eyes.

Today Maya was sneezing uncontrollably over a plate of toast, which she’d probably been trying to eat for some time now. Beside her at the table was an empty tissue box that appeared to be slightly damp, and Yuriko soon saw why; after a particularly wet “HAAAESCHOOOOOE!” Maya groped for it, brought it to her nose, and blew a sodden, honking blow straight into it.

Alerted to her presence by an audible “Ugh!” Maya looked at her sister through teary red eyes, her mouth hanging open and nostrils flaring as she fought to speak through a sneeze, a strand of snot hanging past her chin dancing as her breath hitched in between words.

“Sis Haah-Hah We–eehhh–‘re out aahh ah of tiss-tiss-uhhh-ahhh-Ahhh-AAAATTSCHOOOH Haaah-ATSCHUUUH Ahhhh-AHH-HASSCHHOOO!”

Yuriko cringed as her sister's sneezes exploded out over the table, scattering thick spray all over it, unconsciously rubbing her own itchy and slightly runny nose in sympathy. Though rarely home due to his work at the very same institute which created the trees, their father had left explicit instructions that whatever tissues and allergy masks could be bought (as they’d become the most in demand product in the town’s stores next to allergy medication and were difficult to find) be reserved for Maya, since her allergies were so debilitating. Yuriko was amazed at the speed with which her sister used up whatever supplies she bought, given that she never even left the house and was mostly sheltered from the pollen. Granted, Yuriko did leave some of the windows open and their air conditioners on, but in the heat of this spring that was just common sense.

Cranky and jealous of her sister’s special treatment, Yuriko replied, “So go buy some yourself,” and added “Snot-pig” under her breath before rushing out the door, hoping not to be too late for school to earn a reprimand. Maya blasted a raucous “HAAEEETSCHOOOOH!” into her tissues box, ripping through one soaked side of it, as her sister left.

On her way to school, Yuriko saw her friend Kimi, a freckled, glasses-wearing girl who always wore her black hair held in short black bangs by small pink clips. She was waiting for her on the corner wearing a cheap white medical mask, which was already becoming visibly damp. Being painfully shy, Kimi always wore a mask when in public to prevent anyone from seeing her messy sneezes or runny nose. Yuriko actually suspected that she might even re-use masks from time to time, since it was practically impossible to reliably purchase them.

“Haaaitscheew! Haatchiiew! *snnrk* You’re late again…” Kimi muttered in greeting as the two began walking together towards school.

“Yeah, sorry.” Yuriko said with a light sniffle. Though she didn’t have allergies naturally, the potent pollen of the gold trees that suffused the air still agitated her nose. Of course, it wasn’t a fraction as bad as what someone like Kimi, who’d already had seasonal hayfever before the town was overtaken, went through.

“It’s okay, I ju-just…Haahh-Atschiieew! Atschiiew Aah-Tschiiew! I just haah-hate st-sta-standing…aahh-Aaah-Atschiiiew! Standing here s-sneezing—Tchiieew!—in front of everyone.” She rubbed her nose beneath her mask, and Yuriko could hear the squelching sound of mucous rearranging itself beneath it. “This thing barely helps…”

Yuriko looked around at the other students walking to school the same way, all of whom were sneezing or sniffling behind masks, handkerchiefs, and handfuls of damp tisues or a rough substitute. “Somehow, I don’t think anyone’s paying much attention. Hehh-Hetschuuh!” She rubbed at her nose, way itchier now that she was outside but still tolerable, and glared at a man wearing a brown trenchcoat and a gasmask who was standing on the corner of the next street, handing out informational pamphlets about the Order of Gaia. The cult had seemed to triple after the gold trees were planted, it’s members preaching about the effects of the pollen as if it were some apocalyptic sign. Or something of the sort; Yuriko did not pay attention to their barely coherent ramblings. She made sure to adopt a stubborn body posture as she walked past the street preacher and walked between him and Kimi. The cultists often saw her allergy-ridden friend as a prime target for conversion to their nature-worshipping Order.

***

The crazy cult ended up being the subject of discussion among Yuriko’s other friends at lunch break, as rumors about them indoctrinating lower classmen had begun spreading with great abandon. Midori, an excitable rumormonger who wore her long black hair in twin braids and whose narrow eyes seemed to always possess an inquisitive gaze, did her best to share her latest findings in between sneezes.

“I’m pretty sure that…Ehhh, hold on hehh-Hetcheeew! Ahhh-Hetsheew! Ahem, that that weird girl who’s always reading on the roof joined them…ahhh…Ahhh…*snff* mm, went away. Anyways, nobody’s seen her for a AATCHEEEW! Ah excuse me!” Midori covered her mouth too late, and had liberally sprayed the center of the table the girls were sitting at. She sheepishly wiped some lingering spray from her nose and then continued, keeping her finger under her nose. “Nobody has seen her for a few days and she definitely didn’t quit school ‘cause of allergies, since she still spent her free time outside willingly…”

“Yeah, they certainly couldn’t have been like Kimi’s over here, and she still comes!” Takiko playfully tapped her friend’s mask, now several shades darker from being so soaked with snot, right over where Kimi’s nose was. Kimi recoiled and what of her face that was visible flushed bright red, making Takiko cackle mischievously as she twirled a curl of her long, unnaturally blond hair. She enjoyed taunting the shyer girl about her allergies, knowing how easily embarrassed she was by them. The troublemaker herself wasn’t shy about her own, often announcing her sneezes before they happened and unabashedly blowing and wiping her nose on her sleeves, as could clearly be seen. When Takiko held up a finger in a “one second” position, the others instinctively leaned away from her, knowing that an explosive sneeze was coming soon.

“Ahhh-Ahhh-Hah-HATSHAOOH!” The huge sneeze had loosened congestion that had been building for some time, and a long strand of snot dangled from Takiko’s upturned nose. “Ugh…” she muttered as she attempted to snort it back into her nose, causing the others at the table to cringe.

“Razia, you’re such an animal.” Yuriko reprimanded in the measured deadpan she employed when criticizing her friends.

Takiko stuck her tongue out in response. “Hey, not all of us are lucky enough to be barely allergic at all.” She snorted again and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “Gah…still itchy…”

“Whatever. You know, some people make way too big a deal out of it.” Yuriko gestured towards Kimi. “I mean like, Kimi can barely breathe in that thing, but she doesn’t skip school every day.”

The freckled girl had remained silent during the entire conversation except for a persistent snuffling from behind her (now very visibly wet) mask. Takiko nodded and with a fast movement pulled the mask down from her friend’s face. “How do you breathe through all that anyways?” she asked, referring to the huge mess that had formed over the lower half of the girls face as a result of her nose running unchecked for the whole day and her wet allergic sneezes being confined to the tiny space. Snot ran from her nose to her chin, completely overtaking her mouth, and fanned out across her cheeks. It stuck to the mask in long, thick strands that drooped under their own weight. The other girls had all known what a messy disaster must’ve been contained behind it and so barely reacted, but Kimi still gasped in embarrassed surprise as she was revealed. Takiko let the mask snap back into place, but not before Kimi had taken a full breath of unfiltered air.

“Haaptchiieew! Hah-Hahpshiieew Aaugnshieeew!” She sneezed repeatedly behind her mask, each one adding to the mess behind her mask and sounding wetter and wetter as their spray fused with the snot already sitting behind it. “Aahptchiieeew! Hehhptshiieew Aheh-Heehtchieeew! Haagntchieeew Hahh-Haptchieew Ahh-Ahptshieeew!”

Yuriko continued talking over the increasingly thick and goopy sounds coming from behind her friend’s mask. “I don’t understand why everyone expects us to have sympathy for everyone who’s decided that spring is just nothing but holidays for them. Don’t you think there ought to be more pressure for them to just suck it up?”

“Hold that thought…” Takiko held up a finger again. “Ahhh…Haaah...Hah-HATCHOOOAH! Ahhh-CHAOOOH! HATSCHOOOHA!” As Takiko doubled over with each sneeze, her long hair flipped forward and she ended up spraying into it, small globs of snot sticking in her curls. She appeared to take no notice. “Haahh-aAAATSHAOOOOH! HUTCHOOOAH! HATASCHOOOAH! Aaah, now that’s better.” She palmed her nose upwards to stave off the stream running down from it and kept rubbing at it in a circular motion as she spoke. “Are you sure you’re not just mad that you don’t get to take school off yourself?”

“You bet I am!” Yuriko exclaimed. “Aren’t you?”

“It sure would be nice to get out of P.E. at least,” Midori said wistfully, still holding a finger under her nose even though rivers of mucous were beginning to overrun it. She intended to keep it there until her nose had ceased tickling, even though it had only been growing steadily more itchy. “I’m always a total disaster after we finish exercising outside. I don’t have it too bad normally, but…ehhh I hehhhh-I-Hehhhh-Ehhhh-Eeetscheeew Heh-Etcheew Hetscheew Hehh-Hetcheeew-Etscheeew! Ehehh…” Ashoka paused, snot steadily dripping from the end of her nose as her mouth hung open in pre-sneeze while the last of the tickle toyed with the idea of releasing her.

“Hehhh…Ehhh-Heh………Heh…HEH-TSCHEEEEW! Ahh *ssnrf*” She paused to wipe her nose with a handful of well-used toilet paper she took out of her pocket. “Ah, but all that physical activity out of doors just make my nose itch so much.” She finished stuffily. With a short breath Midori blew as gently into her pile as she could, but even that gentle blow was so thick it disintegrated the entire thing into a clumpy mess, more snot than paper. With a shudder, she leaned back to toss it into a nearby trashcan, already overflowing with used tissues, napkins, and toilet paper.

Yuriko rubbed at her own nose; an itch had been building for a while, but she preferred to contain her sneezes rather than let them out. She didn’t mind sneezing in front of people, but she enjoyed exercising that control which so many others seemed to lack. “Personally, I think they oughtta just close the whole school and let us take the semester off. Half the teachers can barely function. Remember Ms. Kagawa on the first day?” Yuriko smirked. “Dumb city bimbo didn’t know about what spring is like out in the country I guess.”

Takiko chuckled. “I loved it when none of the class would spare her any of their tissues when she ran out of hers. And then when she just started blowing her nose into notebook paper, oooh, that was priceless!”

Everyone laughed (except for Kimi, who was afraid that making any sudden moves would cause her to lose the delicate equilibrium she’d just managed to create in her still running, but no longer sneezy, nose) and Yuriko waved a hand. “See, but she still does that because she can never get any tissues! And she spends well over half of class time sneezing…It’s so unprofessional. Not to mention a waste of our time!”

Midori scratched her nose thoughtfully. “You should have more sympathy, Yuriko. Or else,” she adopted a deep, dramatic tone and waved her arms, “Gaia will be coming to get youuuuuu! Repennnnt, repent nooooooooow!”

The girls laughed at the parody of the Order members who had spread themselves among the town’s street corners. And none of them thought there was any portent in the fact that at that moment a powerful tickled surged in Yuriko’s nose, forcing her to stifle four “Hetchnngks!” into the crook of her arm.

***

That evening, Yuriko stayed in the library after school to do homework and went to a restaurant with her friends for dinner, prolonging her return home as long as possible so as not to have to deal with her sister. By the time she returned, she found that Maya had already gone to her room and turned out the lights (forgetting to leave any on for Yuriko, causing her to heap curses on living room furniture). Yuriko went up to her room and turned on her air conditioner full blast, as Maya had closed all the windows so the house was stifling.

Had there been light, she might have noticed the note on the fridge left by their father, which informed them that their backyard had been selected as the next test plant site for a gold tree, and that Maya was going to stay with their mother (from whom she inherited her horrendous allergies) in another town. It also advised that Yuriko, now sole inhabitant of the house, not open the windows for extended periods of time under any circumstances, particularly not her bedroom window, underneath which the tree had been planted.

However, since she was not aware of any of this, Yuriko thought nothing of leaving her window open and her air conditioner on all night, allowing it to suck pollen out of the air and blow it around her room as she slept in a tanktop and shorts, determined to beat the intense spring heat.

Yuriko awakened early that morning unable to breathe through her nose. In fact, she had the sensation that her nose had swollen up to twice its size, it felt so stuffy. Her eyes too could barely open and as she rubbed them could feel her puffed-up eyelids had grown to a massive size. Her entire face felt puffy and itchy, and her nose in particular suffered from countless pinprick sensations. The instant she drew a wakeful breath, she began sneezing uncontrollably.

“HEEYAAATCHUUUH! HAAATSCHUUUHU! HATASHUUUU! Haaaah-HAH-Hatschuuuh Hahhtchuuuh Hatsschuuuuh-Tschuuuh-Hehh-Hatshuuh Aahtschuuuh!” The blockage in her nose finally loosened, it began gushing out of her nose in a long streams lengthened further by her sneezes. As she sneezed tears were squeezed from her swollen eyes, adding to the wet mess forming on her face. Soon chin to cheek was coated in sticky wetness. “Atschuuh! Hehh-Hetschuuh-Tchuuuh-Hehhehehh-Tschhhuuh-Hatschuuh Haaaatschuuuhuh! EEYATSSCHUUUU!”

Yuriko sat in bed sneezing goopy spray onto her sheets for some time before realizing it wasn’t stopping anytime soon. In between sneezes she began rubbing at her nose with the back of her hands and arms, occasionally accidentally stifling a sneeze while she desperately tried to soothe the itch.

“Haatschuuh! Heeyatchuu Heetchuuu-Huuushhhuu Huhhh-Huh-Haatschuuu Hatschuu Atchuu Ahhhh-Ah-Aaaatschuuuuh!!” Her sneezes soon drenched her hands and arms. Thick snot dripped off of them in long strands and was replenished quickly by further sneezes. A snotty web formed between her hands and upper lip, where the highest concentrations of spray accumulated. Still, she persisted in scratching at her nose, the slightest alleviation motivation enough to continue. “Hah-Atschuuu! Atschuuuuh! Haaah-Ahh-Ah-Ahhhhh-TCHUUUUH!”

When Yuriko realized she’d need to do more to stop the itching in her nose, she gathered up her bedsheets and began blowing into them. She shuffled them around after each blow to find a cleaner spot, though since she couldn’t see out of her streaming eyes even between sneezes, she had to tell by feel. This resulted in her spreading around the snot already on her hands, and occasionally she would grope at an area that had already been well-used. When her sheets were too sodden to be useful, she stumbled out of bed and began grasping around the floor in search of discarded laundry or any other worthy substitute for a tissue. Meanwhile, the fan continued to blow pollen all around the room.

“Huuuh-Utschuuuh! Aaatschuuuh! Huhh-Huhhtschuuuh Hatchuuu Haah-Ah-Atshuuuuh! Hehh-Tschuuuuh! HAAAATSCHUUUUH!” Though she could hardly feel it through the swelling, Yuriko’s mad pawing at her face had spread the snot all over her face, so that tears and mucous were fused on her cheeks and around her nose. Each sneeze blasted spray that clung at least in part to the mess on her face, so the web of snotty strands still extending droopily between her nose and hands began to expand to her arms, her shoulders, her chest, and her hair. “Haataschuuuh! Haat-Tschuuuh! Heeyetschuuuh! Haah-Hah-HAH-TSCHUUUUH! Heeeetschuuuh! Hetchuuuh! Heh-Haaah-Huhhhutschuuuh Hatschuuuh Atschuuuh HAATSCHUUUUH!”

Yuriko eventually fled her room and retreated to the shower, where after a thorough rinse she was eventually able to stop sneezing long enough to call her school and report her absence. She then went about the arduous task of shutting all the windows in the house (thought she merely shut the door to her room, unable to enter without making her whole face itch as the sneezing restarted). She didn’t dare to enter her room again that spring, instead sleeping in her sister’s room and wearing the clothes she left behind. And when she had to run an errand outside, she masked her face as well as she could, dreading any further exposure to the tree which loomed beside the house, waiting, she felt, to ambush her once again.

[Oolia]

As always, masterfully written with plenty of AWESOME descriptions! LOVE the idea of the engineered trees that backfire

Can't wait for moooore!

[Curiosity234]

I love how your stories always have a well thought out plot. It makes it fun to read them

[Renee]

WOW!!! I LOVE THIS!!!!

[Blah!?]

Hark! There's evil afoot!

Clearly there's more here than meets the eye, and I can't wait to see what becomes of this odd little setting.

Also, I must proclaim my appreciation for your recent propensity for wide noses. They're fun.

[PollenFiend]

Oh god this is deliriously hot. Thank you so much for writing this. If I may ask, I'd very much to use some elements here to influence my Start Simulation story. If the inspiration strikes me, may I reference this fic in mine?

[Pilgrim]

Thanks a bunch for all the nice comments guys! The next bit will probably come soonish. I've got at least 2 more in mind so keep checking this topic for future installments and let me know what you think! ^.^

Oh god this is deliriously hot. Thank you so much for writing this. If I may ask, I'd very much to use some elements here to influence my Start Simulation story. If the inspiration strikes me, may I reference this fic in mine?

That would be a super okay thing to do! I myself reference stuff in my work that's from other things all the time: "Ravenhome Institute" is named after Ravenholm, the abandoned town in Half-Life 2, and "The Order of Gaia" is a fusion between the cult of Gaia from Shin Megami Tensei and The Order from Silent Hill: Homecoming (as will be more apparent the more of them is revealed). So please go right ahead!

[PollenFiend]

Awesome. Thanks Pilgrim. I think I have an idea....

[blum]

thanks for sharing

[Pilgrim]

Wow this one sorta got away from me after a while there! I hope you enjoy!

Indoctrination

One night in spring, when she was supposed to have been staying with her mother in another town entirely, Maya was instead standing in the center of the local park sniffling and trying to keep from sneezing too much. Around her stood a gathering of The Order of Gaia, all wearing baggy clothes such as track pants and sweat jackets, along with their traditional gas masks, save for one. This was Sir Adachi, the leader of the cult. A tall man in a well-tailored blue suit and green tie, he stood just within the circle and was pacing back and forth while reciting prayers and platitudes. He had a strong jaw, soft hazel eyes, immaculately combed short black hair and a kind of ethereal handsomeness from the fact that he was able to stand here, directly beneath a golden tree, and not so much as sniffle. Maya had not seen an allergy-free human being in this town for months, and she took it as a sign that her decision to join the Order was well-made. Surely, this man must truly be aligned with the goddess of Earth.

“HAAAAAETSCHOO!”

Each time a sneeze did escape Maya, she flushed bright red and rubbed at her small upturned nose furiously, but none of the cult seemed to mind the interruptions. Still, she felt extremely self-conscious and was glad when Adachi finally approached her with a mask of her own, sleek and obviously brand-new. As he raised it above her head, two other members approached her from behind and stood at attention.

“Before you join the Order,” Adachi said, “You must first understand the suffering of Gaia. This is the last phase of your baptism.”

He lowered the mask upon her, and something that felt like thick dust on the inside brushed across her face. The two cult members drew back the straps for the mask tight around her head, and then snapped something into place over them. Maya gasped in surprise, and suddenly her nose and throat were overcome with a terrible itchyness. Then she was thrown forward by an explosion of thick, wet sneezes.

“HATSCHUUUH! Haahhh-ATSCHUUUH Heeeh-ETCHUUUH! HEEEATSCHUUUH-TSCHUUUH Huhhhh-Uhhhh-HUTSCHHUUUUH! AHATSCHUUUH HATCHOOOH AHHCHUUUH! AAARASTCHUUUH!” Maya stood doubled over, the force of her sneezing keeping her pinned in place. Every breath she took came with a hundred itchy pinpricks. She felt them dancing all over her face and rampaging through her sinuses. Her nose was exploding in mucous with every shuddery breath she took, and thanks to the mask there was nowhere for it to go. With each sneeze spray from her nose bounced back onto her face, and that from her mouth collected in the mask’s filter, ending up being inhaled back towards her. The majority of spray from each sneeze gathered at her upper lip and dripped all the way down to her chin as more and more was added with every massive sneeze. “Heeh-HEYATSCHHUUH! AATSCHOOOH! HAATSCHOOOH-TSCHAHUUUUH-AHAAATSCHUUUH! Ahhh-Hah-HATSCHUUUH HATSHUUH HAARRTSCHUUH!”

“Just as Gaia breathes in our pollution each day, so you must feel what it is like to breathe nothing but what your body regards as a toxin.” Adachi was saying, as Maya tugged uselessly at the straps at the back of the mask with one hand. With the other she clawed at the front, trying to scratch her nose and face through the unflappable barrier. Neither action yielded any success.

“HAAEEETSCHUH-ETSCHUUH-HETASCHOOOH! HATSCHUUUH! AAATSCHUUUH AAHTSCHUUUH AHHH-HATTSHAHUUUUH! HAAA-HAARATSCHOOOH! AAARRTSCHUUUH! AHH-TASCHUUUUH” Maya felt like she was suffocating. The short, wavering gasps she was taking in between sneezes seemed to take in more pollen than air. The insides of her nose and throat were coated in the stuff, the pollen having formed an itchy layer across the whole of them that was agitated by each breath. She tried to massage her throat, but it only made her wheeze as the pollen was dislodged.

“HATSCHUUH HUUHHH-HUH-HUTSCHOOH AAATSCHOOH HAHHH-AHH-ATTSCHHHUUH!” Maya was in absolute misery. No matter how much she sneezed, her nose felt plugged up all the way to the back of her eyes. She could feel unnatural warmth spreading over her face as it had begun to swell up, and her skin itched all over. Her eyes burned and the tears pouring down her face combined with the snotty mess below them, making it more watery and drippy. The entire lower half of the mask was becoming a soup of sticky mucous.

“Heehl-HATSCHUUH HATASCHOOHUUH-TSCHOOH! Haal-HEEEH-HEEAATSCHOOH! Ha-HAEEETSCHUUH! HUUH-EEASHHUUUH! HUUUUHSCHUUUH! Heeh-Heh-HAAARATSCHUUUH!” Through her nonstop sneezing she attempted to plead for help, though she hadn’t the breath to form any true words. Adachi seemed to understand her plea; he walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulders, steadying her.

“Help?” He asked just before kneeing her in the gut. The sudden impact made her gasp in pain and surprise, drawing in a deep breath of the pollen still free inside her mask and not yet submerged under layers of mucous.

“ETSCHUUH-ETSCH-HETSCH-ETSHH-HETSCHHUH-HehhhhETSCHHUH-TSCHUUH-ETSCHUUH!” Maya collapsed to her knees, clutching her sides as she struggled to breathe through the convulsive sneezing that overtook her. If each breath had been torture before, they were agony now. Her nose felt like a single, swollen itch, every inch of it filled with a burning tickle that was not relieved at all by the massive flood gushing from her nose. Her throat felt like it was filled with cotton and sealed up; hyperventilating breaths were all it could manage.

Adachi was saying in an explanatory, not accusatory, tone, “Did you help Gaia as she was choking day after day on the filth and waste of mankind? Did you lift a single finger to stop her suffering? Did you even think of her agony?” He shook his head. “Mankind has been far too selfish for far too long. We must be awakened to this fact; only then can we serve our Mother with the dedication she deserves.”

Adachi continued speaking, but Maya couldn’t hear him. She could hardly hold herself upright on the ground as sneeze after sneeze wracked her, suffocating her with their speed and power. “TSCHUUH-TSCHHHTSCHUUH-TSCHH-ETSCHHH-EHH-TCHASHUUH! HARATSCHH-HATSHHH-HETASCHH-HUTSCHH-UHHTSCHH HUTSCHHUH HUTSCHHH-ATSSCHHH-HAAATSCHH! HARRATSCHOOH HARATSCHHH-HATCCH-TSCHH-AAAH-TSCHUUH!” Her haphazard breathing sucked in more and more of the snotty spray that was now clogging the filter of her mask, and she began to choke and sputter.

Finally, Adachi produced a key and unlocked the padlock holding her mask in place, then yanked the whole thing off her. Maya immediately began scrubbing her face with her hands, wiping away several layers of tears and mucous. She rubbed at the area beneath her nose, which was too tender and sore to touch directly without searing pain, and clawed madly at her itchy eyes, which were swollen shut and had grown to the size of walnuts. As she wiped at her face her continued sneezing showered her hands, so that she was soon wearing mittens made of mucous. “HAAAEESCHOOOH! HAEETSCHH-HETSHH-HAAETCHUUUH! HAAA-HARATSCHUUH! HAAAEESHHHHUH! HUHHH-Huh-HUTSCHOO AAAESCHUUUH HAEESHHOOH HAETSCHUUUH HAAHH-HAARRATSCHUUHU! HEEATSCHUUUUH!”

As Maya lay on the ground sneezing less breathlessly (but no less ferociously) than before, alternately wiping her soaking hands on her clothes and her face with her hands, Adachi stood over her and recited another prayer. “Welcome to The Order, child of Gaia. Welcome to the future of the world.”

[Curiosity234]

... That guy is a dick! XD

[kushamizuki]

this story realt is incerdably hot the first part in particuler with so many helples snezes and having the arogent non alergic girl end up with the worst alergies of all is 1 of my favoritt thems

[PollenFiend]

Hi everyone.

I just wanted to bump this story, as I have recently completed the final chapter of Start Simulation, where in the epilogue I give a not-too-subtle shout-out to concepts within this story.

Perhaps they can exist in the same universe, perhaps not. In either case, the inspiration is clear.

Thanks Pilgrim, for the fantastic story. I hope you don't mind what I did in my epilogue.

- PF

[Chronosynclastic]

Excellent story. I love your descriptions of messy sneezes.

[Kshu]

Wow, good descriptions!

[chalkdust]

This is fun! Will there be more? I also liked how psfs2010 is 'linking' it to 'start simulation', which is another awesome story!

[kushamizuki]

i realy would love to see this continue . actually if Pilgrim would be o.k with it i have an idea for how to continue th story if he is done with it.

[Pilgrim]

i realy would love to see this continue . actually if Pilgrim would be o.k with it i have an idea for how to continue th story if he is done with it.

I am totes done with it, please carry on! Phew, glad I check the stories board now and again or I'd never have been able to give you this permission you don't need ^.^

Future note to all persons: I do not care at all if you would like to continue things I have abandoned and in fact would like to see what you come up with! Do whatever you will!

[chalkdust]

Has someone else continued this? If so, Id love to read it!

[kushamizuki]

Has someone else continued this? If so, Id love to read it!

i think i may continue it since i have some ideas

[MonaLisaSmile]

Do it!

[omgomgg]

Nice!

[Chiguy]

Great stuff.

Really looking forward to Chapter 3!

[kushamizuki]

Well with all the enthusiasm i should definitely go ahead!

[zaiphon]

Looking forward to the next update! I love this!