Im hoping you all have heard of the not-deer. I live in Michigan, not particularly around the great lakes, but you still hear about the story or two where im from. I hear sightings are more common in Appalachia. But know.
The Not-Deer is a cryptid often said to be sighted around Appalachia and even as far north as the Great Lakes and surrounding areas. Ofter characterized by having an elongated mouth that is too large for its face as well as oddly shaped or even forward-facing eyes, and sometimes not enough/too many joints. All around just appearing off. Not-Deer are also described as not being afraid of humans and moving in 'uncomfortable jerking motions'. Rationally, this phenomenon can be explained by CWD (Chronic wasting disease) which causes emaciation, drooling, lack of fear, aggression, and eventually death. But, it is still unsettling nonetheless.

Basically I decided, well, I like cryptids and creepy things, why not make Apollo a not-deer/whitetail thing rather than a caribou/whitetail hybrid. So I got a little bit of a feral depiction going.

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Well today's been...uh...interesting? My aunt took my sister and i to the beach to go swimming. Cuz mom supposedly dropped my sister off with her cuz see had stuff to do or something. Well, we ere the for a few hours, my sister kept wanting me to hold her hands cuz she was scared or something. She was like...up to her waist in the water. I get it, she's young and panicky. But like, hER WAIST- My aunt and I kept trying to get her to calm down and go out a bit farther but she was noooooooot having it, and kept splashing us. Later in the evening she stepped on a sharp rock and started panicking again because she was bleeding, my aunt and I kept having to convince her that she's fine and that yeah- it's gonna bleed, you're in the water. But I mean, I can't blame her, I almost screamed because a fish bumped into my leg. BUT IN MY DEFENSE I WAS OUT PRETTY FAR AND GOD KNOWS WHATS OUT THERE OKEY- There's like...fucking..snapping turtles in that lake. So, it was all nice and dandy, until about...mm..6:40 or so? When my aunt got a call from none other than my mom, who my aunt said sounded like she was high as a kite, demanding that she wanted my sister back right now and that if my aunt didn't bring my sister back right this instant that she was gonna call the cops, as well as swearing up and down and calling my aunt a slut, a whore, and a useless bitch. Whereas...my mom is literallyno better than her? The most my aunt does is smoke the occasional blunt, whereas my mom is out here doing a meadly of drugs with her gf instead of being a parent, i don't get it. Well, my aunt begrudgingly brought us home and I immediately got in the shower, so im not sure what happened next. But, once I got out of the shower, my nana had confirmed that, yeah, mom is high off her ass. And know what? For someone who wanted her kid right this instant (We really didn't want her to go with mom, but we really didn't have a choice) mom sure took her sweet fucking time. She took TWO. FUCKING. HOURS. To come get this kid. Oh my fucking god I agree with my aunt when she said "Oh my god I could just fucking hurt your mom so bad and not feel guilty." Bc um, yeah, same :) as one of my friends said, mom needs to respectfully lose custody. She is not a fit parent and can not care for my sister or I, hell, as most of my friends know. I live with my grandparents because my mom isn't stable enough to take care of me. MMmmm-

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. . .
Your jaw drops as you see the slowly approaching mob.
"Ohh shit" you whisper, slowly reaching for the handgun you had packed back into your bag. Upon pulling it out, to your horror, you realize... You're out of ammo. You used your last bullets on the estranged zombie. 'Welp' you decide, you'll just have to fight them off with your bare hands, without becoming zombie meat yourself. Aeryn and Axon attempt to discourage you from your horrendous idea, and encourage you to get moving in the other direction. But you decide against it and run full speed and bare-claw into the band of infected. Bouncing over worms and quite easily snapping the bones of the infected, they were already half deteriorated, you manage to immobilize a good chunk of the group. Until it happens, an uninjured individual pulls you to the side. You flail and kick, alerting Axon and Aeryn, who rush through the group, throwing the infected to each side until they reach you and the singular other. But what surprises you, is that the individual hasn't attacked yet, but rather, seems...scared...remorseful perhaps? They look just as diseased as the rest of the group. Appendages missing, with raptorial forearms replacing them, as well as thin black worms making their way out of each wound. The thing whispers in a deep hoarse gurgle,
"Please...Get away, get away while you still can. You don't want to succumb to the same fate we did. Please...please...I'm begging you, Get out of here and find a cure. Find a cure for this awful infection." Your mind races for a few moments, feeling sorry for the deformed creature, despite knowing, you truly never realized that all of the infected were once happy, healthy individuals with families and friends of their own. They have just been practically brainwashed by the parasite lurking deep inside of them. Then, in a split second, without thinking, you grab the zombie and make a run for it, just hoping that Axon and Aeryn follow. You race to the other end of the city, the thing limping and struggling to keep up. Eventually, you find a good place to hide until this passes, an abandoned building with unlocked doors. You yank the doors open and pull the others inside, by now Axon and Aeryn have caught up to you. You let them all sit down and take the floor. First, turning to the zombie.
"Alright, I know we should never trust the infected, but you seem different. So, tell me, tell us. What is your name, and how did this all start, yknow, your infection?" The deteriorated creature looks around nervously and speaks up.
"Well, You'd be right, I am different. The parasite didn't find me to be a good host and removed itself. But, not before wreaking havoc on my body and leaving its little pseudo-worms. But anyway, my name is Kip. And my infection started years ago when my spouse ate a chunk of diseased meat and got infected. They seemed fine at first, but as the infection progressed they got more and more aggressive. Eventually, they bit me when I tried to get them to a hospital. That's when it started, indescribable pain. It felt like my organs were melting, and my brain was frying. Then's when the deterioration came, day by day more of my skin would just...flake off, eventually turning into my whole arm falling off. and the side of my face melting into a gaping hole, as you can see. These...buggy arms came in place of the missing limbs, I was trying to fight it until then, that's when I realized it was too late and was just ready to succumb to what was clearly my fate. I was hurling chunks daily, I guess that's the way the parasite made its way out, because then I started to feel better, sure, there's no undoing the damage that was already done, but my skin stopped flaking and my organs didn't feel like they were melting anymore. Well, I guess that leads us to now. I try to blend in with the group, so they don't try to re-infect me. But, any chance that I get, with any new and healthy souls that dare find their way into this city, I try my very best to warn, or at least scare them into saving themselves..."
To Be Continued~