#10

The airboat works swimmingly. (Ha!) The river air blows across Your face, and You feels stunningly stirred. This is the first time You has left the farmstead in a long, long time. You's never seen a city before, properly. You sticks Your hand into Your pocket dramatically. It is then that You remembers You quietly pocketed one of the foosball figurines from the very table You is riding now.

You takes some time away from steering the boat—the river being rather linear at this point—to examine the figurine. Rather irregularly for a figure supposed to represent an athlete, the tiny porcelain creature appears to be a stereotypical representation of an old German man. He is wearing lederhosen, a cap with a red feather in it, and is holding a beer stein. He also has a tiny mustache. He doesn't look very athletic at all. In fact, he looks rather chubby and ineffectual.

You ponders his dark mysteries for a little while. It is a good ponder.

Then You returns to the task at hand.

You looks down as far as You can see, and the river goes for quite a ways. However, the forest line does end, and You can see now that the road You was supposed to follow still holds parallel to the river. You's still on the right track. As mentioned, You doesn't know where the road or the river will lead, but presumably, Susie steered You right. You hopes You interpreted her message correctly. You and her had figured out some codes, mostly as jokes, when you were younger, “in case of an emergency”. But You had gotten all of those codes, and presumably she did too.

You remains apprehensive. That thing that attacked You might still be around somewhere. And there were those strange bats back in the house...You doesn't know how to explain it, at least for now. All You can hope for is...

Wait. You looks over the side; the road is bending off in a different direction! You needs to stop the boat and follow the road, not the river! Unfortunately, turning Your attention to this fact has distracted You; You's spent too much time allowing Yourself to zone out. You crashes onto the shore, and barely manages to hold onto the airboat. You narrowly avoids getting dragged into the propeller, which would be certain death. The ship is spinning now, out of control. Your head spins with it, and swiftly, before You can react at all, You begins to fall into another blackout...