“Lift!” Sierra grunted.

Oh hell yes.

Sierra (or Charlotte) POV? I am so here for this.

The tightness in her back was reminder enough to use her legs to rise to a standing position.

Alright, definitely Sierra. Hell yes.

Her hands were blistered and every knuckle was scraped or bruised.  They were carrying a door, torn from its hinges; the peeling paint, the worn wood, and the weight of their burden made it less than comfortable to hold.

So are they working on the shelter? Or maybe other repairs in Skitter’s territory?

…are we going to see Sierra receive the news that the Nine have retreated?

She held one end of the door.  Jay was at the opposite end, his back to the man who was draped over it.  She wanted to ask Jay to hold the other end; she doubted looking down at the figure as he carried the makeshift stretcher would even bother him.

…oh.

Well that would explain why the door was so heavy.

Is the man alive?

But she didn’t ask.  She couldn’t spare the breath.  They’d been working so long already, it was easier to forge ahead than to stop for any reason.

Despite being a lazy sack of potatoes sometimes, I know the feel.

Still, her silence meant she was faced with the corpse of the man who had once lived here.

Hey, guys, I think the man might not be alive.

I didn’t have high hopes for that.

Once upon a time, he’d had parents, had a first day at school, had made friends, even had a crush on someone.  He had probably worked.  He’d had things he loved about life, no doubt, and if he was living here, he probably had more than enough things about life that he’d hated.

A life cut short.

Whoever he’d been, he was another one of Mannequin’s victims now.  Not quite so disturbing as the ones killed by Burnscar.

I suppose Mannequin didn’t do much fancy stuff with most of his victims. Especially the gassing victims wouldn’t have many outward marks. But Burnscar? Charred remains still look just human enough to be very disturbing, I’d guess.

He didn’t have a wallet on him, so he was a John Doe for now.

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun…