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ouch next to the boy.“Let me get you that drink,” he said and made his way to the sideboard.I glanced from his back to the boy. The child’s breathing was shallow, his skin paler than when I’d first discovered him by the side of the road. I had no idea what Harlan was up but if it didn’t bode well for me, then I doubted the boy would fare much better.I had brought him to Harlan’s house, I couldn’t bring myself to abandon him here. I had to get him away from Harlan, try to make some sense of all this.I lunged forward and scooped the child up, my arm tight around his waist. Despite the icy air that had filled the room moments ago, his flesh emanated heat, his skin slick with sweat.Harlan still had his back to me as I pulled the boy towards the front door.The boy struggled, twisting in my grip and spitting his strange language at me. Heat burned through me where my arm encircled him. I glanced down. The rip in his shirt exposed tho

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se bizarre tattoos. They writhed beneath his skin. Where they touched the inside of my bare forearm, the lines of ink bled into my skin.I fought the urge to drop the boy and reached out my hand to open the door.There was a loud crash as something heavy threw its weight against Harlan’s front door from the outside. The wood bowed inwards from the impact. I jumped back, breaking my clasp on the boy. He tumbled to the floor. He scrambled away from me, his breath coming in harsh grunts.CHOOSE YOUR NEXT MOVE<a href="https://readmedium.com/bfedaa6437a4">Flee Harlan’s house without the boy</a>–OR–<a href="https://readmedium.com/7c413413bd04">Stay and hear Harlan out</a>The Child is an interactive puzzle fiction story. If you’ve stumbled onto this episode without reading the beginning, you can start at <a href="https://readmedium.com/3e9ea6686953">Episode One here</a>.</article></body>

The Child: Episode 8

Harlan is not himself

We need you to make the other half of the map.

What in the hell was going on here? A few hours earlier I had found a boy by the side of the road and tried to do right by him. Tried to help him.

I was more than regretting that good Samaritan impulse.

Now, my oldest friend was acting totally out of character.

Icy fear slithered down my spine at Harlan’s words. The boy was a map? They needed me to make the other half?

I didn’t understand the words, couldn’t grasp what they meant, but Harlan’s tone left me in no doubt that my old friend was deadly serious with what he was saying. I sucked in a few calming breaths and plastered a smile on my face.

Harlan straightened up from his crouch next to the boy.

“Let me get you that drink,” he said and made his way to the sideboard.

I glanced from his back to the boy. The child’s breathing was shallow, his skin paler than when I’d first discovered him by the side of the road. I had no idea what Harlan was up but if it didn’t bode well for me, then I doubted the boy would fare much better.

I had brought him to Harlan’s house, I couldn’t bring myself to abandon him here. I had to get him away from Harlan, try to make some sense of all this.

I lunged forward and scooped the child up, my arm tight around his waist. Despite the icy air that had filled the room moments ago, his flesh emanated heat, his skin slick with sweat.

Harlan still had his back to me as I pulled the boy towards the front door.

The boy struggled, twisting in my grip and spitting his strange language at me. Heat burned through me where my arm encircled him. I glanced down. The rip in his shirt exposed those bizarre tattoos. They writhed beneath his skin. Where they touched the inside of my bare forearm, the lines of ink bled into my skin.

I fought the urge to drop the boy and reached out my hand to open the door.

There was a loud crash as something heavy threw its weight against Harlan’s front door from the outside. The wood bowed inwards from the impact. I jumped back, breaking my clasp on the boy. He tumbled to the floor. He scrambled away from me, his breath coming in harsh grunts.

CHOOSE YOUR NEXT MOVE

Flee Harlan’s house without the boy

–OR–

Stay and hear Harlan out

The Child is an interactive puzzle fiction story. If you’ve stumbled onto this episode without reading the beginning, you can start at Episode One here.