If It's True What They Say
Originally published on 2020-09-25 | 394 words | read on AO3
Fandom: Among Us
Characters: Crewmate, Imposter
Warnings: Mentions of murder, mentions of infectious disease
Other tags: None
Summary: There are many theories surrounding the existence of the Impostors.
Title from Hadestown.
They have heard of them before, of course.
The Impostors.
Every spaceship crew in the galaxy talked about the Impostors all the time. Most were only retelling stories they've heard from others, but you could find a few first-hand witnesses who saw an Impostor on their ship and survived. The accounts differed drastically.
Some said that they have always existed among us. That they're an alien race, human only in appearance, that have mastered the art of mimicry over the years. That you can recognize one by their sharp teeth or the seams of the spacesuit that look a little too... organic.
Others insist the Impostors are infected by a disease, a plague that transformed their minds into those of a killer. That you are always at risk of becoming an Impostor if you take off your space helmet too often or avoid eating spinach.
And there was another opinion, perhaps the scariest of them all. The opinion of those who believed that the Impostors were completely human, and not influenced by any creature or virus or demon. That the Impostors were the way they were completely by choice. That they abandon the noble ways of a space traveler and become ruthless murderers willingly.
No matter where the Impostors come from, one thing was sure: they were terrifying.
They moved swiftly and silently - some said they possessed the ability to teleport or turn invisible. They waited for you behind the corner, ready to murder you in cold blood. And the worst part was, they could be hiding in plain sight. A familiar smile, a warm look, an encouraging word could conceal behind itself a stranger. A stranger that didn't care about you at all, only about their goal of ultimate elimination.
Yet, people were also curious. Sometimes the stories seemed so completely untrue, so detached from reality, and so, despite the terror, people actively seeked new information about the Impostors.
The lonely crewmate just wished they didn't have to find out like that.
The change came quickly. The realization that you're about to become one of them, it fills you with fear for just one moment.
And then everything becomes clear.
The crewmate's blood started warming up in their veins. Their muscles grew stronger and more agile, their vision sharpened tenfold.
Most importantly, they understood now.
They were not the Impostor.
Everyone else was.