Chapter 72 False Hope

(Anthony’s POV)

The sounds of people crying and coughing filled the air where my car is currently parked. I was inside, watching the people outside weep for help. I could smell their stench from here, an acrid tang of sickness.

This is one of the reasons why I had Dianne do the job of spreading the rumors for me. I could never talk to ill people like them.

Dianne, her face a mask of feigned concern, weaved through the throng of villagers. Their eyes, once bright with hope, were now clouded with despair. Every loved one they have is now suffering in the plague, dying in their hands, barely breathing to survive.

"The Luna," she hissed, her voice laced with venom, "She's the reason the Moon Goddess has cursed us! He's stolen her favor, and now we suffer!"

Her loud, direct blame gave a place to people’s anger.

The whispers started, like a low hum building into a roar. Fear, suspicion, and anger twisted their faces. And Dianne, with her carefully crafted lies, had given them a scapegoat, a