I walked through the halls towards Subject One's room. The smell of disinfectant and the sound of my shoes clicking sent my brain back in time. The subject was tearing itself apart, the once black shell cracking and falling off, only to rebuild itself in an instant. Three weeks back to back, little by little the subject was being cleansed of the blackening plague.

Even other subjects were beginning to show the same level of repair as Juniper. They were regaining their speech, learning to walk again, shedding their false appendages, their bodies were healing. But I couldn't celebrate, I could only keep working. I couldn't let those who've died, die in vain. Everyone was counting on me, Subject One was counting on me, thousands of lives were waiting for me to save them.

I could see it in their eyes, the hollowness was finally broken even if only slightly. We could see the pupils showing through, darting around as they waited indefinitely for their fate, for their horror to come to an end.

I stopped in the hall as a crowd gathered before one's chamber. I ran over, pushing several people out of the way and forcing myself into the room. My heart sank into my gut as I saw two men unhooking Subject One. Not a single spot of black, she was clean. "What happened?" I asked calmly, walking towards the working men. "What the fuck happened!?"

The two men didn't look at me. "I'm sorry sir, we tried to call you, but you never picked up."

I grabbed one of the men, slamming him past a few pieces of equipment and into a wall. "What happened!?"

The other man in the room started sliding a bag under Subject One. "Flat lined at midnight. We tried to resuscitate."

I slammed the man in my grip against the wall before throwing him off. "No damn it!" I felt my heart start racing. "Nooooo!" I kicked an IV stand over and started bashing the equipment. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I punched a wall, splitting the skin on my knuckle and splashing the room in blood. I stopped as my torn hand rested on a counter.

The two men went about their work, packing up the body and removing it. I stayed in the room, trying to collect any sense of myself as my world fell apart.

I fell to the floor, my arm stuck on a counter as I slumped into the corner.

My assistant found me an hour into my failure. "Sir.... I thought you'd want to know...the changelings are...they're changing back." He stepped over and stood toe to toe with me. "You did it."

I ignored him, lost in my silent hysteria. He stood for a long time until walking out, closing the door behind him.

I sat in that room, lost in my own mind as I tried to think of where I went wrong. I was convinced it was something I did.

At some unknown point I had pulled my pistol out, letting it linger in my lap as I clutched my head. I had come from the frozen north, learned everything I could about these creatures, I'd come so close, yet I couldn't fix it.

"Danila." A soft voice broke the soft shuffling as I pulled my pistol under my jaw. "Danila...look at me."

I recognized the voice. Juniper was standing before me, her body clean, normal, not a single blemish.

"Sir." Another voice, Newton's, added into the growing choir. "Sir, you gave her back to me."

"No...I did nothing!" I screamed, pointing my pistol at the ghosts. "I failed, I could do nothing!"

"Doctor." Another voice, "Doctor," Another, "Doctor." The room buzzed with a choir calling after me, pony after pony joining the spectral orchestra. "Doctor, you saved us."

I could feel my breath go heavy as I stared at the thousand strong crowd, crammed like mad in the large room, staring at me, calling to me. "Doctor, you did everything you could." They sang in unison, rattling the room as they chanted.

I had lost my mind, I had realized this and was ready. I held my pistol to my temple. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...."

"Doctor." A single regal voice broke the chanting. "Doctor, you saved us all." An ethereal sky blue unicorn stepped over to me, ducking her head down and staring me in the eyes. "We are bound no longer to that blackened form, and we, I, thank you."

My hands shook violently as I felt my finger tighten, my eyes blurred as I ducked my head. "I tried...I failed...I'm so sorry. I couldn't save the one."

The unicorn lifted her head, staring down at me. "Do what you must, but understand, you are our savior." The room emptied out in an instant, the specters turning to dust and disappearing in a single glorious wave.

I gathered myself for the end. Two final ghosts standing beside me. "Sir...I'm here." Newton stated coldly as he put his hoof on my knee.

"We won't leave you." Juniper's withered voice croaked from my right. "We're here for you."

I laughed crazily as I felt my finger tighten for the final time. "Thank yo--"

Author's Note

Project SHELL: SUCCESS
Doctor. Torkavich: Deceased
Total saved: 11025
Project is hereby disbanded until further necessity demands it.