The Troop

by Nick Cutter

How would it feel to pull the crayfish apart? He didn’t mean how would the crayfish feel—he didn’t care about that, and anyway, with its piece-of-lint brain and elementary nerves, it may not feel anything. Distantly, Shelley considered that possibility: that this creature could watch itself be shredded like paper and feel nothing, caring not at all.

these are the thoughts of a future serial killer.... yuck

Scout’s Law number four: Honor and protect Nature in all her abundance.

they already broke that law with the crawfish

Tim hooked his thumb at Max. “Now come on.”

this is dumb.....

now saw how much the Scoutmaster had changed in the hours they’d been gone. His chest was sucked inward where his rib cage met. His shoulders

oh no he has what the man has.... why would he put the kids at risk too? as a doctor why not assume its contagious?

Jeff Jenks showed up to say he was sorry but not really—some men are incapable of offering a sincere apology, Max realized; something in their nature refuses it, so instead they frame it as an accident, a misunderstanding, or a “sorry you’re so upset” sort of thing that placed subtle blame on the other person for making such a big deal. Kent was there, too, and told Max he was sorry about what’d happened—which wasn’t an apology, either. Max would always remember that glint of pride in Kent’s eye.

toxic masculinity .....

Did the Scoutmaster really want to save the man, or only investigate for symptoms of his own condition?

the latter

Kent shouldered his way through the door. The smell hit him like a ball-peen hammer. Sweetly fruity top notes, rancid decay lurking underneath.

he wants to be so macho that he doesnt stop to think he just does..... theres an infected person and he isnt even concerned about the risk of entering

your dad, the mighty Jeff Jenks, tried his dick-swinging act here, he’d end up just like that guy over there. Okay?”

ha ha ha

But Kent had already raised the bottle to his lips. It went down like molten iron. He sawed his arm across his mouth. His grimace became a broad grin.

didnt the scoutmaster drink from that bottle? i feel like kent is going to be the downfall of them all

But the crude way that the food had been shredded did suggest an animal.

kent is sick and probably ate the food himself..... smh

Kent slumped on a boulder carpeted with moss that resembled the fuzz on a tennis ball. When he was sure nobody was watching, he pinched some moss and stuffed it into his mouth. He didn’t know why he’d do such a thing. It shamed and disgusted him.

yep. infected

The hardest-hearted part of the boys realized that Kent had earned this. If you call the tune, you also have to pay the piper when he begs his due.

Max caught Ephraim looking at Kent’s wounds, then at his own split knuckles. It wasn’t hard to guess what he was thinking.

yep. i thought this as they were fighting.... too much body fluids being spilled smh... why are none of the boys thinking???

Earlier, back in the cellar, Shelley spotted Eef staring at his hands. His knuckles had broken open when he’d punched Kent—an incident Shelley had enjoyed immensely because it meant group dynamics were shifting. Changes made people unsure, especially boys his age, because routines were important. When you took away

i have alot of thoughts on this in terms of men, leadership, their dyanmics and more..... i think alot of this behavior shows that alot of men are meant to follow and carry out task vs lead and do both

it was more a case of boys needing someone to single out. A fatted calf to sacrifice. They had to turn someone into that bottom rung on the ladder if only so they didn’t have to occupy it themselves. Boys weren’t very inventive, either. The simplest flaw would do. A lisp. An overbite. Dental braces. Being fat. Add to it a few glaring idiosyncrasies—such as being a know-it-all bookworm who was fascinated with mushrooms—and presto! One made-to-order sacrificial lamb.

Testimony given by the lone survivor of the Falstaff Island tragedy seems to justify this hypothesis.

please be max or newt not shelly

WHEN THE other boys didn’t return by nightfall, Shelley decided to kill Kent.

WHAT????

Q: Dr. Erikson, I will cut to the chase: Were you aware that Dr. Edgerton was in fact receiving competing grants? One from a biopharmaceutical company and the other from a military research firm? One of those companies was anticipating a diet pill. The other, Dr. Erikson, was anticipating a biological weapon. A: No.

And containment was vital? A: Always is, but even more so in this case. Word came down that we could be up against a three-tier bug: the virus could be carrier-borne, waterborne, or airborne. The terrible threesome.