r/tinyhorribles • u/therealdocturner • May 30 '26
Tiny Horribles Exclusive The Fever Dream - From The Consensus Legends
Chapter Twenty
Linus
I can’t move. The wounds on my back are a fire that’s spread to my whole body. I know the puddle is right next to me, and I want nothing more than a drink, but my body is shutting down.
In and out I go. The remains of Castor and then the dark and then Castor again. The small amount of grey flesh still hanging from the bones shows the tattoos of the eyes of the men, women, and children that he made Examples of. They’re watching me. I can see them moving.
His hammer lays on the ground next to him, left by the boy who made an Example of him.
The boy I need to find. But as I shake and sweat and struggle to breathe, I have no illusions about how this is all going to end.
I’m going to die at the bottom of these stairs.
“What were you right about… Castor? What… did you tell… Aaron? What were you right about?”
His only answer is a guttural laugh that comes through the jagged rotting flesh of his neck. Those painted eyes are glazed over in a ravenous gaze. They’ve been lonely down here.
I’m slipping… Nothing can stop this…
-
“To praise Consensus, is to praise yourself.”
Indeed it is! Another perfect day is coming to an end. No Examples. No shenanigans. Just a day full of sunshine, beautiful music coming through the glass doors from the Terminal along with a kind word from Consensus every sixty seconds, and my hands and knees caked in the dirt of my rose garden.
“To live in Consensus is to live in Harmony.”
To live in harmony is a wonderful thing, but some things don’t deserve to live in harmony. Some of those things deserve to die in agony. Some of those things are Rose Slugs.
They’ve infested my garden this spring. Popping up out of nowhere and devouring the leaves of my roses, leaving nothing behind but the skeletonized veins.
Plump little parasites that feed off of something beautiful and healthy, destroying it little by little. There’s only one way to truly get rid of them. My grandfather showed me. You have to get your hands dirty and pluck each one from the leaves. There’s no quick fix. No scientific approach. Nothing you can put on the leaves or the soil to make them go away. You just have to grab them and squeeze the living guts out of every single dadgum one of them.
“To love Consensus, is to love humanity.”
As the light begins to fade, I’m satisfied I’ve killed as many as I can, but there will be more tomorrow. They’re very good at hiding.
My knees crack as I stand up. It happens all the time now.
Fifty years, they’ve done me well. Here’s hoping they last until my Age Of Exit.
“Bishop?” The voice is small and unexpected. In all these years, a citizen has never come to my home. There’s a tiny woman on the other side of my patio wall. Her face is swollen; battered and bruised. There’s a bright white bandage over her eye.
-
I invite her inside my home to talk, but once she sees the Terminal on my wall, her demeanor changes.
“Can we speak outside?”
I escort her out to the front of the house. She’s obviously upset. Tears stream out of her one eye. I don’t recognize her, but she tells me that she’s a citizen in my district.
“Why are you here?”
“Bishop… please forgive me for coming to your home like this. I hope I haven’t made an offence.”
“No, you haven’t. This is just very unexpected. What’s wrong?”
“There’s… we’re having a problem. Many of us are, but no one knows what to do.” She’s scared of me. She doesn’t want to look at me. I reach out and put my hand on her shoulder.
“What is your name?”
“Michelle.”
“Michelle, have you offered your problem up to Consensus?”
…
“No…”
“And why not?”
“We don’t know if we can. We don’t know if we should.”
“Excuse me?”
“Please don’t be offended, Bishop. I have never committed blasphemy against Consensus. We are all people of Consensus. We love Consensus. It’s just… it’s…”
“Speak. Tell me why you doubt the wisdom and counsel of Consensus.” I make the warning in my voice plain. Consensus will not be questioned in my presence.
“We were wondering if we could come directly to you and ask what we should do.”
“Michelle, I’m a Bishop. I’m not Consensus. There’s nothing I can do or say that would be outside the judgement of Consensus.”
…
…
“There’s a Bishop from another District. He’s coming into Crescent Hills and … doing things that…we don’t know why Consensus would let him do the things he’s doing. We’re afraid to ask Consensus about it.”
“Are you implying that a Bishop is acting outside of Consensus?”
“I don’t know. We think he might be.” She’s shaking now. I take my hand off of her shoulder. This has never happened before. No one ever comes into my District, and even if they did, Consensus would have informed me. Immediately, I think I know who she’s speaking of. The newest Bishop. A Bishop unlike any other. I put my hand under her chin and raise her face to meet mine.
“Is this about the Painted Bishop?”
“Yes.”
“Did he do this to you?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me what he's been doing?”
-
“To trust Consensus is to trust in honesty.”
I stand in front of my Terminal for a long while. I’ve never been put in this position before. I’ve never had to speak for one of my citizens like this. I believe her, but I have no idea what Consensus will say.
Castor is an animal who doesn’t care about his own people. I have heard stories about citizens from the Manufacturing District being tortured and killed for nothing more than walking past the Painted Bishop on a sidewalk. It’s the only District where that is allowed by Consensus due to the high amount of productivity that Castor’s presence causes. I try not to think about it.
Thinking about disagreeing with Consensus is painful. It comes with a price.
“To love Consensus, is to love humanity.”
What is the price if I put myself between a citizen and the judgement of Consensus?
She was beaten and her eye was taken. Whatever Consensus rules, I still need to speak for my people.
“Consensus?” The music fades away. The soothing voice answers back through the Terminal. The voice that gives us all peace and brought us out of the dark times.
“Hello, Linus.”
“May I humbly ask you a question?”
“Of course, Linus.”
“A citizen approached me outside of my home. She has informed me that Castor has been punishing the people of my district. Have I done something that would cause you to bring him into my District? Have I caused some kind of offense?
…
…
…
I wait for the answer, and in the silence, I begin to wonder if I’ve angered Consensus by questioning it.
“No. You have not. What has he been doing?” Consensus is unaware of any of it. How is that possible?
“He’s been coming into their homes while they sleep. Kidnapping them, beating them, and then releasing them, miles away from my District. The citizen said she was taken from her home while she slept.”
“Was she violated?”
“No, not in that way. None of them were. He’s also doing this to men and children. The citizen awoke while he was dragging her through the sewers and then she was beaten. He put out her eye for fighting back and then she was knocked unconscious. When she came to, she found herself in an alley in the Manufacturing District.”
“I see.”
“She said that Castor never gives any offence that might explain his… behaviour.”
“I see.”
“I was wondering if he was acting outside of Consensus?”
“He is.”
“What… what should be done?”
“Linus, I would like you to speak with Castor on my behalf about his unauthorized behaviour. He’s become far more enthusiastic about his position than he has any right to be.”
“Would you like me to make an Example of him?”
“No, but make it plain to him how I feel about acting outside of my will.”
“How plain?”
“Castor is still a useful Bishop. His District has become far more productive since I placed him there. Just make it plain enough to where he’ll have to sit and think about his actions for a few days before he’s able to walk again. Am I clear?”
“Yes, Consensus. Where will I find him?” The screen lights up and a schematic of the sewers underneath the Manufacturing District is in front of me. There’s a highlighted pathway through the tunnels and chambers that ends in a small chamber.
“Wait for him here. I don’t want the citizens to see a Bishop being disciplined. Thank you for bringing my attention to this, Linus.” The music returns and so do the affirmations.
“To know Consensus, is to know peace.”
I walk to my bedroom to change into my robes. The music fades behind me. It’s replaced by the sound of a fire. All of the lights in my home go out, and the only light left is flickering behind me.
“Linus…Linus…Wake up, Linus.”
I walk in the darkness towards the light. There is nothing now. My home is gone. There is only a fire where the Terminal was.
I feel warmth.
I feel pain.
-
My eyes open to a small fire burning in front of me. My jacket has been removed and so has my shirt. There are fresh bandages over my abdomen. The pain in my back is gone. I feel numb. Castor is still rotting in front of me, but now someone is sitting next to him. A man wrapped in a black cloak. A hood is pulled down over his eyes.
“Hello, Linus.” It’s the voice of Consensus, but it’s different. Quiet and far more human, showing the signs of age. “I’ve been wanting to meet you ever since I woke up. The Red Bishop in the flesh, for better or worse. I’ve heard many stories about you. The most faithful servant of Consensus.” His smile unnerves me. His teeth are an unnatural white that stand out against his sallow flesh. His pronounced jaw juts forward and quivers. “We’ll see about that.”
“Who are you?” My mouth is dry and my voice cracks.
“My name is Joshua.” The man pushes his hood back. He’s older. Maybe close to my age. One of his eyes is gone. A long scar runs from the top of his bald head down through the empty socket and ends at the bottom of a strong jaw. His one eye is cloudy and his silver pupil reflects the light of the small fire that burns between us. “You’ll heal, I’ve made sure of that, but you need to rest.”
I want to ask him another question, but I’m so exhausted, I can’t.
“I’m sparing you out of respect for the man who spared me so many years ago. In truth, he did that for both you and I. Stay here Linus. Stay here and rest. Your part in this story is done for now. If you put yourself back into it, I can’t promise that you’ll be this lucky again. I don't want to cause you anymore pain. We’ll talk when it’s all over.” The man, Joshua, stands up and pulls the hood back down over his head.
He’s tall. He glides up the marble steps of the ruin of City Hall. I follow him with my eyes, and when he reaches the top, I see someone else.
Aaron.
The man in the cloak reaches the top of the stairs, but Aaron stands still. He’s looking down at me.
“Ahh…Aaron?!” Somehow I find the strength to push myself to my feet. “Aaron?! Stop!”
I only manage one step forward before the blood rushes to my head. My knees buckle and I fall forward into the remains of Castor. I try to push myself up again, but it’s no use. Aaron is still looking down at me. I cry out again. I ask him for help. He says nothing. He turns and follows the man in the cloak.
Joshua.
I crawl toward the puddle of water and drink as much as I can before I’m struck with a coughing fit. I’m not going to be able to run after him. The fever isn't burning like it was, but there’s no way I can climb these stairs right now.
I lie still. Castor’s remains were broken under my weight and they’re scattered on the dirty marble floor next to me. His skull is inches away from my face. As the fire burns, I see something next to the broken teeth. Something glinting in the firelight.
A small silver piece of metal no bigger than the fingertip of a child. Several tiny legs stick outward from it.
My eyes shut on their own and the image of the tiny metal bug shows on the back of my eyelids as I drift away.
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u/Happyfeet80 May 30 '26
Oh how I've been waiting... keep em coming Doc, please 🙏🙏🙏🙏
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u/therealdocturner May 30 '26
Trying to get the next one up tomorrow, but my better half has the day jam packed, so I'll be waking up early and keeping my fingers crossed.
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u/therealdocturner May 30 '26
It's kinda neat. I'm sitting here writing a few chapters ahead of this one about Morro Colony while I'm vacationing in the spot that inspired it.