The Nightmare Plague: The Children of Men

The sky had barely darkened when the first crash of thunder rolled across the landscape.  Moments later the rain began and quickly became a downpour.  The small figure at the treeline remained motionless with head bowed, the sigh of resignation lost in the roar of the storm.

Why is it always me that gets caught in the rain, Marley thought.  The teddy bear began to trudge forward, already beginning to swell with the absorbed moisture.  She could heat herself enough to evaporate the water, but there wasn’t much point in expending so much energy while the rain continued to fall.

It was a considerable distance to the next treeline, and the bear amused herself in recollecting on how Barnabus had to run himself through a dryer on that cruise ship.  He still smells of lavender, she thought with a chuckle.  Of course, he didn’t relate that bit of information, oh no, but was shared by Janice, the massive Valentine’s bear.

Janice, Letitia, Montrose, and Hamish.  Where were they?  She had not been spared even a moment to attempt to track them down after everyone parted ways.  They were solid, though, and were more than capable of looking after one another.  Plus, Marley had complete confidence in Wee Hamish being able to keep them safe.  The little, stuffed corgi had resources that always marveled teddy bears who crossed his path.

Everyone is racing around looking for answers and here I am, in an unfamiliar place, following another hunch, she thought, before sighing again.  Her hands closed on the strange pearl that drew her to an island in the Pacific.  Well, probably that’s where she was.  Once it was in her hand, she was whisked back to where she had been originally and this time is no different.  It had been her intent to check on Barnabus, but the nagging sensation had begun and it was never worth the repercussions to ignore the sensation.

Lost in thought, she had traveled some distance before realizing that she was so sodden that it was slowing her down.  She had begun to waddle, her plush body squishing at each step as if a sponge was being squeezed.  Rain always bloated her worse than other bears, most likely due to what happened all those years ago.  Fortunately, she had learned to generate enough heat to dry out quickly.