The Scarlet Crucible

It has been too long since I've been well enough to write, Four days since my fever broke. I've just left my home for the first time in what seems to be two full weeks... everything has changed. There are only a handful of us that survived this illness... Father and Mother are both gone. My brothers are gone. Our neighbors, gone. I attempted the walk to the mines earlier today, but stopped short when I saw the state of things. No longer is it a well-run place, bustling with purpose... now, it is a foul place, tainted by Corruption. I tried to find my foreman, my heart, but it seems he succumbed as well. I was not spotted, and left quickly. We have gathered what little we can carry and will move toward the settlement to the northwest, to sanctuary.