The Situation

https://herschelsterling.com/#cat-speculative It was difficult to use the word “situation” for the situation because for all intents and purposes the situation was over. There was so much that was irreversible that it made repair impossible. The sadness for the people who weren’t infected was beginning to set in. There were people who would present as heroes and fixers. They were opportunists, grabbing and stashing as much as they could from the situation before the situation came to a miserable close. Other vile operators would feign compassion and a desire for justice, only for the purpose of sabotage from within. The reason that happens when something is dying and weak is because that’s when the parasites set in. The infections that people were suffering from were so intense that they caused sadness in the uninfected. A kind of parallel contagion. This happened because it seemed like no matter how hard the uninfected tried to help the afflicted, their condition caused them to react even more and therefore exacerbate the situation. The sadness did not lead to weakness because it was real. It’s not like it’s an inappropriate response, but there would be times it led to fear about the future. Concern for the future is a proper response. Even nervousness is appropriate as long as it leads to action. Fear, however, fear lets in the disease. Fear opens the door for the infection. It was fear instilled by the false heroes and saboteurs that spread the infection in the first place. The unafflicted were left without much choice but to make a decision they felt was a last resort. They had to abandon the idea of of the protecton of the collective as a whole, and be prepared as individuals and small groups to protect the host. The affliction caused the infected to attack their own host. Those who valued the host had to batten down. The affliction took many forms. The saboteurs and false heroes had used various strategies to give the infected cause to attack one another. Now that they are attacking the host, it’s just a matter of time before the healthy faction has to square off directly with the ill-intentioned in order to bring the host back to good health, because abandoning the host is not an option. 371 Words https://herschelsterling.com/#cat-speculative 31 brand-new stories written & podcasted in 31 days This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit commercialherschel.substack.com/subscribe