Organism-X
Ch. 09
1
“No more, please!”
Tears streamed down the secretary’s rosy cheeks. Spittle dribbled from her plump red lips.
She was a pretty little thing with a tight body and golden blonde hair put up in a conservative bun. There was an engagement ring on her left ring finger with a diamond much too big for a secretary’s salary. Lindsay wondered what kind of big-wig the woman had managed to snag.
Whoever it was, he was about to lose his sweet fiancee. Lindsay cupped the woman’s cheek and forced her into a tight kiss. As she did so, the infected woman channeled her newfound power into her lips, sending pure arousal into the secretary.
It had been two days since Lindsay Maycomb had been infected by the strange form of parasite that was now spreading like wildfire across the campus of Bailey College. Those two days had been the most bizarre yet thrilling days of Lindsay’s life.
Lindsay remembered how the slimy, hot bulk of her parasite pried open her folds and slithered into her womanhood. The invasion had been terrifying at the time, but as she thought back on it now, Lindsay desperately wished she could go back and live through it all over again.
Instead, she would have to settle for the second-best thing: giving a worm to another. Lindsay felt the cute secretary wiggle under her touch, the woman’s body giving in to the pleasure wrought by Lindsay’s ability while she fought to stay conscious. This one was going to be fun to turn.
A tap on Lindsay’s shoulder broke her out of her revelry. She turned and looked, seeing Leah Bardot nod her head. Leah Bardot was patient zero for the infection ravaging Bailey College’s female population. A beautiful brunette whose appearance and body had only been enhanced by the worm infesting her pussy, Leah was the infected’ ringleader. She was also the woman responsible for Lindsay’s own infection.
“We don’t have much time, Lindsay. Turn her already.”
Lindsay sighed. She could play with the pretty blonde secretary for hours before turning her. But time was of the essence and Leah had other targets she wanted to hit that day.
“Ugh, fine,” Lindsay said.
Lindsay gave the secretary one final kiss, tender and sweet, and then whispered in the woman’s ear.
“This is going to make you so fucking hot.”
The secretary whimpered and began struggling against the pair of infected college girls, but it was hopeless. Between Leah and Lindsay, they had more than enough strength to overpower the secretary. Besides, the poor woman was much too weak from the combined ministrations of the two infected girls.
Lindsay reached down and unzipped the backpack at her feet. Peering into the shadowy main pocket, she could see the movement of glistening bodies. The backpack was filled with parasites. Seeing the worms squirm in the backpack caused Lindsay to feel a sudden emptiness in her core.
Remembering gestating a worm in her own body sent a shiver of deep longing through Lindsay’s soul. The first time she carried a worm inside her belly was shortly after her turning. It had been two days since Lindsay pinned down a bookish redhead named Emily Bloom and used her parasite to turn the girl into a sex goddess.
The thought made Lindsay’s pussy slick with pleasure.
“It’s so much more fun to turn a girl when you grow the worm yourself,” Lindsay said idly.
“Just turn her already,” Leah responded.
It was then that the secretary spoke up.
“I’ll pay you anything. My husband is in finance. Just let me go!”
“Oh yeah?” Lindsay said. She reached into the backpack and felt around for the thickest worm she could find. She grabbed it by the bulbous head and felt its body coil around her forearm like a snake. “Do you love your husband, honey?”
“Of course!” The woman squeaked. “And he would do anything to keep me safe. We have money. We have connections. We have—” the woman trailed off as she caught sight of the creature Lindsay was pulling out of the backpack.
The parasites responsible for the corruption of girls like Lindsay Maycomb and Leah Bardot were around six inches long. They had smooth, tubular bodies with bulging, mushroom-like heads. Each worm was dark green—almost black and covered in a layer of bright, bio-luminescent slime.
“What the hell is that?” The secretary cried.
Her voice was thick with disgust.
Lindsay held the parasitic worm up to the light and admired its form. What a powerful and unique creature. Locked within the body of each worm was the ability to completely remake a woman. The makings of a sex goddess we’re locked in this slimy tube of flesh, just waiting to be released on a helpless, unwitting subject.
Turning towards the pretty blonde secretary, Lindsay smiled brightly. She could feel the worm growing excited on her forearm. It could sense the untouched female body, ready for bonding.
“To answer your question,” Lindsay said, standing up and creeping closer to the secretary. “This is your new best friend.”
“What? What does that mean?”
Leah cupped her hand over the secretary’s mouth and motioned for Lindsay to stick the worm in.
“No more questions,” Leah said. “We’re running out of time.”
“Megan’s right, you really are no fun,” Lindsay said.
She lunged forward and reached under the secretary’s pleated skirt. She fished around, savoring the supple flesh of the woman’s thighs. Then Lindsay touched the woman’s panties; without hesitation, Lindsay snatched the garment with her fingers and ripped it away, exposing the woman’s slick pussy.
“No, stop! You can’t touch there.”
Lindsay grinned and brought her face close to the secretary’s.
“Are you going to stop me?”
To hammer her point home, Lindsay slid her index finger back and forth along the secretary’s pussy. As she did so, she focused on channeling her metal energy through the tip of her finger into the woman’s soft flesh.
Lindsay’s infection had given her many things: a gorgeous and strong body, full breasts, and a new, electric confidence. It had also given her something else: a special power. Simply by focusing her mind, she was capable of channeling energy through her body into the bodies of others. That energy drove men and women alike insane with lust.
Now, Lindsay Maycomb was taking full advantage of her power to drive the secretary insane.
The secretary tossed her head back, her dainty little mouth forming a soundless ‘oh’ as unnatural pleasure radiated up her body. Seeing the opportunity, Lindsay shoved her entire index finger in the woman’s sex. As she did so, Lindsay ramped up the energy in her finger, filling the secretary with her strange power.
The woman screamed and her legs nearly gave out. Had it not been for Leah’s support, she would have collapsed on the ground in a puddle of her own lust.
“Stop playing around!” Leah said. “Turn her or give that worm to me!”
Lindsay rolled her eyes. Leah seemed dead set on removing every bit of fun from the process of turning another woman. What was the point if not enjoyment? Whatever, there would be plenty of time for fun later.
The secretary sputtered out a few final protests, drool leaking from both edges of her mouth. The girl was a complete mess.
“N-n-nuh more. Can’t take it.”
“Sorry,” Lindsay said. “That’s not an option.”
She brought her arm holding the worm up underneath the woman’s skirt, positioning the creature’s head directly between her legs. The worm clearly smelled the secretary’s pussy juices and reacted like a striking cobra. The bulbous head of the monstrosity slammed against the secretary’s lubricated vagina, pushing past her folds with a lovely squelching sound.
The secretary began to buck and flail wildly, jerking herself free of Leah’s grasp, but it was too late. Even as the woman fumbled at her crotch, the slimy invader moved deeper. Its entire head was inside the woman’s pussy, and it was gaining ground quickly. The secretary clawed at it, her fingers sliding off its mucus covered bulk harmlessly. Within thirty seconds, the last of the creature slipped between the secretary’s folds, forever becoming a part of her.
The secretary slumped to her hands and knees and cried futilely before her entire body stiffened and she collapsed in a fetal position. The worm had reached her womb. Lindsay remembered how her own worm had forced its fat bulk past her cervix and meshed it flesh with hers. There would be no rescuing the secretary from her fate now.
“Here, help me put her in the stall,” Leah said.
Lindsay took one side of the secretary and Leah took another. It was not hard moving such a small woman. Besides, Lindsay felt stronger than ever.
They plopped the woman on the toilet and closed the bathroom stall. Then they slipped out of the one-person bathroom and left the building through a side exit.
Ten minutes later, both women were enjoying the cool morning breeze while walking down the path.
“Remember, we need you at five thirty,” Leah said. “Until then, try to stay out of trouble.”
“Five thirty, Montrose Hall, right?”
Leah nodded.
“Cool. Until then, I might just sleep.”
“Oh?” Leah raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look tired.”
Truth be told, Lindsay was brimming with energy, but she wanted space. She understood the reason for the sisterhood’s new marching orders but executing them was getting stifling. She wanted to stretch her legs and have a little fun.
“It was a late night. Besides, I haven’t been back to my room in a while. I wonder if my roommate is dumb enough to come back after last night.”
“Probably not. That’s another thing: keep a lookout for those girls. Especially— “
Lindsay cut off Leah with a wave of her hand.
“Your roommate? Yeah, we all know you have your sights set on her.”
Leah scrunched up her face and let out an angry little grunt.
“I’ll keep an eye out,” Lindsay said. “But what do I do if I see them?”
“Just let me know, don’t do anything else. And try not to get caught by them. Trust me, it’s not fun.”
Lindsay chuckled, much to Leah’s annoyance, and walked away towards her dormitory. Apparently, Leah’s dear roommate and former best friend had given her quite the beating the night before. Of course, Leah didn’t have a single mark on her body, so it might have all been bullshit. Still, it was funny if true.
The transformed woman walked off, brimming with energy. She felt like she could conquer the world, one lovely, unturned woman at a time.
2
Professor Vanessa Pierce reached classroom 5A and found Molly Dubois sitting patiently at one of the desks. Molly looked up and smiled nervously at Vanessa.
“What are you doing here,” Vanessa asked.
Molly shrugged.
“I had a feeling I should be here.”
The girl motioned towards the door to the bio lab behind her. Vanessa looked over at the dark, cramped lab and felt a slight shiver.
“You should be at class,” Vanessa answered. “But it’s good to have you here.”
Vanessa walked over the lab door and unlocked it. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Immediately, she caught a whiff of something cloyingly sweet. It made her head spin from just one sniff.
“What is that smell?” Molly asked, huddling in close behind Vanessa.
“Well, there’s only one thing it can be.”
Vanessa stepped into the room and threw on the lights. Immediately, the small lab was bathed in a sterile fluorescent glow. She scanned the room and felt her blood run cold.
The night before, Professor Vanessa Pierce has taken three mysterious eggs given to her by Molly Dubois and Hunter Miller and placed them in a small terrarium. That terrarium now lay empty, its glass walls smeared with green mucus.
“They hatched,” Molly said in a hushed voice.
“Watch your step, they’re probably hiding in the lab somewhere.”
“What are they?”
“How should I know? You’re the one that gave those eggs to me!”
The pair took opposite sides of the lab and began looking frantically for the hatched — whatever the hell these things were. Vanessa kept her eyes fixed on the ground and that is when she noticed the slime. It was the same color as the stuff on the terrarium, but it was fresher. It coated the floor in several crisscrossing trails.
Vanessa knelt, carefully pulled a pen out of her pocket and began to swab it in the unknown slime. At the very least, she could get a sample to inspect later.
As she did this, Vanessa heard a wet, slithering noise. It sounded like something moving towards her, and fast. She turned around just in time to see a dark green creature shaped like a big slug approach her.
“What the hell?” Vanessa said.
The creature slithered towards Vanessa with surprising speed and grace. Within seconds, it crawled from its hiding place under one of the desks to Vanessa’s foot, where it stopped. It then raised its bulbous head as if to sniff the air and pointed itself at Vanessa’s face.
There was a loud bang from across the room followed by Molly crying out.
“Fuck! It’s on me! Professor, can you give me a hand?”
At that moment, the slug in front of Vanessa pounced. It shot forward and coiled around her leg. Its body was warm and slick.
“I’m a little busy,” Vanessa called out.
She reached down and tried to bat the slug away, backhanding its bulbous head. The creature recoiled from the blow but held on to Vanessa’s leg. In the next moment, it redoubled its effort, slinking up the Professor’s pale and shapely thigh. It moved quickly, pointing its bulging head under the hem of her skirt.
“Oh, you can’t be serious,” Vanessa said.
“Professor!” Molly cried. “There’s two of them. They’re crawling on me!”
Vanessa ignored her student and grabbed the slug with both hands, squeezing it as hard as she could. She could feel powerful muscles working underneath the slimy surface of the creature. Even with her crushing grip, the creature was squirming its way free.
Meanwhile, Molly was clearly losing her battle.
“Vanessa! I need help, it’s—it’s—shit!”
Just as Vanessa’s slug burst free from her grip, the door to the lab flew open and three girls rushed in. A tall, blonde girl barked an order at her two friends and then rushed over to Professor Pierce.
The girl snatched up the slug as it began to slip under Vanessa’s skirt and tossed it against a nearby cabinet. The creature struck the surface hard, falling to the ground and twitching slightly. The blonde girl did not give it a chance to recover. She began stomping on the creature as hard as she could until it was nothing but a mess of pulpy flesh.
Then the girl bent over and extended her hand.
“Bethany Eastwood, nice to meet you.”
3
Haley Lewis listened as Bethany explained the entire story to the bewildered professor and her teaching assistant. The two women stared at Bethany, Haley, and Melissa as their story grew wilder and wilder.
On the lab counter to Haley Lewis’s left, a terrarium was turned upside down and the last surviving worm was idly wiggling its head in the air. The sight of it made Haley shiver.
It was amazing how dangerous such a seemingly unremarkable creature could be. Had they not arrived at the lab when they did, there might have been two new infected writhing on the floor, caught in the throes of transformation.
Listening to the story, Haley had trouble believing it herself. Until the night prior, it would have sounded like the plot to a bad science fiction film. Now it was all too real.
Finally, Bethany finished speaking and the group fell into an awkward silence. Haley noticed that the teaching assistant, Molly, kept eyeing the remaining worm with a mixture of disgust and fascination.
Professor Pierce broke the silence. She stood up and shook out her long, straight black hair before tossing it up into a bun. She was a beautiful, elegant looking woman. Her eyes were hard and gray, but her face was not unfriendly.
“On one hand, I don’t believe a single thing you just told me,” Professor Pierce said. “On the other hand, these things just tried to crawl inside of Molly and me. I can’t deny that.”
Professor Pierce walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a pair of disposable plastic gloves and mask. She put these one and then pulled a scalpel and a pair of tongs from another cabinet.
“The idea that these things are turning college girls into slut monsters seems kind of ridiculous,” Pierce grabbed the corpse of one of the other worms from off the laboratory counter. “But then again, so is the idea of a worm crawling into a woman’s pussy.”
It was at that moment that Haley noticed a fervent gleam in the Professor’s eyes. There was a touch of hunger and excitement.
“Also,” Professor Pierce continued. “I’ve lived in coastal Virginia all my life and I’ve been a biologist for nearly half of it. I’ve never seen these things before. They’re big, they have heard but no apparent mouth, and they hatch and develop at a startling rate.”
Molly leaned over and whispered in Haley’s ear. “She’s getting in one of her moods again.”
Professor Pierce ignored the remark and dangled the battered worm carcass in the air, making its tail wiggle and bounce.
“Molly help me crack, this sucker open. We’ll get to the bottom of these critters.”
“Yes Professor,” Molly answered dutifully. She stepped over to the Pierce and turned to Haley and her friends. “Are you guys squeamish?”
Bethany shook her head emphatically. Haley could see that the science fiction nerd in Bethany was coming out now that they were out of direct danger. She looked excited and happy. Very attractive.
Haley blushed and looked to Melissa instead. Melissa Takizawa’s eyes were fixed on the upside-down terrarium with the worm in it. She had a glassy, vacant expression, seemingly lost in thought.
“I’ll wait outside,” Melissa said finally.
Bethany looked worryingly at her roommate.
“I’ll keep you company, Mel,” she said.
Mel shook her head and said, “I’ll be fine. I just need a little fresh air.”
Haley looked at her friend and felt ice in her veins. They still hadn’t managed to piece the whole story out of Melissa. Her ordeal had clearly been traumatic.
Then there was something else. As Haley looked at Melissa, she felt a strange, itchy sensation in her mind. It felt like a bug crawling through her thoughts. She only felt it when she had her eyes on Melissa.
“I’ll wait out in the classroom too,” Haley said. “Besides, it stinks in here.”
“Suit yourself,” Molly said.
Professor Pierce didn’t even look as Haley and Melissa left the room. She was already fixated on the worm corpse.
Haley and Melissa sat down across from each other in the classroom. Melissa immediately put her head down on her desk and closed her eyes. As Haley watched her friend, the itchiness in her brain intensified.
“Hey, Melissa. Are you alright?”
Melissa looked up at Haley, but her eyes were distant and glassy. She did not seem all there. Haley could even see a glistening jewel of spittle at the edge of the girl’s mouth.
“I’m fine,” Melissa said before plopping her head back down on the table and shutting her eyes.
The pair sat in silence from then on. The clock ticked and the minutes passed by slowly. Eventually, Haley pulled out her phone and tried to dull the uncomfortable, itchy feelings she got from looking at Melissa.
About a half an hour later, the door to the lab opened and Molly walked in. She gave Melissa a troubled, sad glance and then looked to Haley.
“The Professor is finishing up now,” she said. “It’s a fascinating creature, whatever it is.”
“I just want them gone,” Haley said.
Molly nodded.
“Yeah, that’s fair. It seems they’ve caused a lot of harm already.”
“So, you believe us now?”
The teaching assistant smiled and pulled up a chair next to Haley.
“I believed you guys from the start. After all, it was Melissa and her friend who helped me bring those eggs over in the first place. I mean, for God’s sake, we found them all over some poor RAs room. By the way,” Molly turned to Melissa. “Where is Erin?”
Melissa’s head shot up and her eyes bulged.
“No,” she whimpered.
“She got turned,” Haley said.
Molly’s entire face fell.
“Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
Melissa’s face was turning bright red. She quickly looked away from Molly and put her head back down on the table. Molly, clearly feeling awkward, turned back to Haley and forced a smile.
For her part, Haley felt like a rubber band being pulled to the breaking point. Her chest felt tight and she could feel her blood pumping in her right temple. Where were all these nerves coming from suddenly?
“Your name is Haley, right?” Molly asked.
Haley nodded.
“Yeah. So how long have you known Professor Pierce?” Haley hated small talk, but she didn’t know what else to do. Her friend was melting down next to her and there was an alien autopsy going on in the other room.
“Just since freshman year. She took me under her wing, but she does that for most of her students.”
“That sounds nice,” Haley said. “To be honest, I’ve felt kind of lost since coming here. It would be nice to have a mentor.”
Molly casually patted Haley’s back. Her touch was gentle and reassuring, full of warmth and sisterly support. It was enough to lift Haley out of her gloom a slight bit.
“Well, if you’re going into bio, Pierce has you covered. She takes care of everyone in the program. Hell, she is the program! Did you know she’s the youngest department chair in the history of the school? For any program!”
Haley could see why. Having only known Professor Vanessa Pierce for a few minutes, even she could see the rabid zeal Pierce had for her subject.
“Actually, I’m an English Major. I’m really not a science person.”
Molly let out a short, high pitch laugh reminiscent of a small dog’s yip. It didn’t match her at all.
“I said the same thing. Then I got roped in,” the teaching assistant ran her hand through her short, chestnut colored hair and flashed a bright smile.
“Yeah, I guess anything is possible,” Haley said.
At that moment, the door to the lab flew open and the professor stepped into the classroom wearing a triumphant look on her face. Bethany huddled behind her, her eyes wide with awe.
“She’s so cool!” The girl mouthed at Haley.
“Come on, you three. I wanna show you something,” Professor Pierce said.
They followed her into the lab, seeing the messy, dissected remains of the worm laid out on a steel tray next to a microscope and a beaker filled with bits of green flesh. The strange, sweet smell in the room was even more pungent now, causing Haley to scrunch up her nose as it hit her.
The four of them formed a semi-circle around Professor Pierce, who hunched over the microscope. The professor adjusted the view several times before her face lit up. She popped her head up and pointed at Molly.
“Take a look. Tell me what you see.”
Molly peered through the lens and furrowed her brow. Then, after a few seconds of looking, she gasped.
“What is it?” Haley asked.
This whole experience was becoming exasperating. She just wanted Professor Pierce to find a cure and draw a curtain on this nightmare. Instead, the Professor and her assistant seemed giddy like kids on Christmas morning. They clearly did not understand how dangerous these creatures were.
“From the looks of it, this sample has a mix of what look like human muscle tissue cells, earthworm cells, and something else I can’t identify. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Professor Pierce nodded; a big, dopey smile spread across her face. She removed the slide from the microscope and replaced it with another one.
“Now take a look at this,” she said.
Molly looked and shook her head.
“I don’t know what I’m looking at. Seems like the samples Hunter and I retrieved from the meteorite.”
Pierce grabbed the tongs and lifted a bulging sac of green fluid from the worm corpse.
“What you were looking at is this stuff,” she said. “When I first looked at the slide, I noticed several single-celled organisms floating around. The usual: paramecium, bacteria, a couple of amoebas. Did you notice any, Molly?”
Molly shook her head.
“Exactly! They all got processed into that green soup. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t so much that it ate them. No, instead it seemed to repurpose them into its own structure. It makes me wonder what this stuff would do to a macroscopic organism.”
Haley glanced over at Melissa and noticed that the girl starting to turn green around the gills. Melissa’s eyes were fixed once more on the squirming creature trapped beneath the overturned terrarium. It seemed to be the only thing that interested Melissa.
“Now girls,” Professor Pierce said, her voice suddenly stern. “In science, there are strict codes of ethics and procedure. These are in place for safety and moral decency.” The Professor paused for a moment. “, I’m about to break some of those codes, so, um, don’t tell anyone.”
The girls nodded and Professor Pierce practically skipped over to a tank at the far edge of the room. Haley could see small, tubular forms swimming around within. Pierce snatched up one of these creatures with her tongs, held it up to the air, and then brought it back over.
As this was happening, Haley took a moment to tap Melissa on the shoulder.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Melissa twirled around and fixed her wide, frightened eyes on Haley. For a moment, the two women just stared at each other. Then, Haley watched as Melissa’s eyes glazed over again. Melissa turned back to the worm in the terrarium without another word.
Haley didn’t like that at all. The itchy sensation in her brain was getting worse. Melissa seemed to be getting worse too. The girl had been captured. Had the turned girls done something to Melissa? Could she be turned, and they didn’t realize it? That seemed unlikely to Haley, but it was hard to make sense of anything anymore.
Pierce returned to her makeshift operating table and plopped the creature down in front of her. It was a black, slimy worm with a flat body.
“This is a leech from the river,” Pierce said. “Erpobdella punctata to be exact. It’s a simple life form. We already dissect and kill these suckers on a regular basis, so this shouldn’t be too harmful of a test.”
“That seems a little callous,” Bethany said under her breath.
Pierce smiled and shrugged.
“It’s for the greater good.”
Pierce reached inside another cabinet and pulled out a syringe. She tore off the plastic packaging from the instrument and dumped it on the floor behind her. Molly swooped in and grabbed it, disposing of it in the nearest trash can. Haley wondered how often Professor Pierce’s adoring students cleaned up after her messes.
What happened next alarmed Haley greatly. Professor Pierce took the syringe and jammed into the bulging green sac, drawing out a healthy dose of the fluid within. Outside of the sac, the fluid glowed a bright green color.
“Wait, are you going to inject that into the leech?” Haley asked.
Pierce nodded.
“But you don’t know what it’ll do to that thing!”
“That’s why we’re doing an experiment, dear.”
Haley couldn’t believe it. Was this woman insane?
“What if it’s dangerous?” She said.
Molly, sensing the brewing argument, jumped in.
“I’ll grab a bucket in case things go south. That way we can trap it just like the other one. Besides, that leech is tiny, and it can’t survive for long out of water.”
“Fine,” Haley said. “Just be careful. These things are a lot more dangerous than you think.”
Professor Pierce flashed her a patronizing smile and then turned her full attention to the wiggling leech on the table. The Professor, with startling grace, managed to slide the needle into the middle of the leech’s body. Then she pressed down on the plunger, pumping the green fluid into the creature. Immediately, the leech began to writhe violently. Haley watched with mounting terror as the creature’s body swelled as more and more of the viscous goo filled its body.
Pierce pulled the needle out and stepped back, putting her hands out as if to invite praise.
“Now we wait and see what happens.”
Professor Vanessa Pierce stepped forward and assumed a mature, lecturing tone.
“You see girls, sometimes you have to take a chance. That’s what science is about. We might be on the brink of an incredible discovery here!”
Meanwhile, Haley’s eyes were fixed on the writhing leech on the table. With horror, she watched as a network of glowing green veins weaved across the animal’s body. These veins pulsated and thickened, seeming ready to rip the creature apart. Then, as the pressure built to a maximum, Haley watched as the leech began to expand in size. Right before her eyes, it seemed to quadruple in size. Its shape changed as well, its head thickening into a mushroom shape.
“I know you all have probably been through a lot,” Pierce continued, blissfully unaware of the growing monstrosity behind her. “But I’m sure whatever these organisms have done to your friends can be reversed or treated. But in the process, we’ve discovered a new life form!”
The transforming leech rolled over, and Haley saw its sucker mouth. Half a dozen small tendrils wiggled from the opening. By now, the creature was nearly the size of the worm trapped behind the glass of the terrarium.
Haley looked at the other girls and saw that they all shared her horror and disgust. Molly especially looked repulsed, holding the bucket at the ready like a weapon.
Noticing the girls’ reactions, Professor Pierce finally stopped bloviating and turned to see her monstrous creation. As she did so, it raised its bulbous head at her and seemed to sniff the air. The tendrils hanging from its gaping mouth vibrated, creating a high pitch buzzing sound. Then it shot at the Professor with lightning speed.
Professor Pierce screamed and ducked, barely dodging the hideous leech-thing. Instead, the creature plopped down on the floor, its body shook violently, and then it turned over and immediately started slithering towards the other girls.
Everyone backed away in panic as the creature approached. Everyone except for Melissa. The chubby Asian girl simply looked down at the approaching leech with glassy eyes. As Haley glanced at her friend, she felt the same itchiness as before magnified a thousand-fold. The sensation was so intense, it almost made Haley double over.
By now, the leech-thing was only a couple feet from Melissa. It would not be long before the creature was wrapped around the girl’s leg and working its way relentlessly towards its target.
For Haley, time seemed to slow down. She could practically see what came next. The leech-thing forcing its way between Melissa’s legs, using its mouth tendrils to shred her panties before slipping effortlessly into her opening. Then what? Would Melissa become a monster like the rest of the girls? It seemed likely. That could not happen.
Haley screamed and snatched the bucket out of Molly’s hands. Then she lunged forward and slammed the bucket down over the leech-thing. For a few seconds, the creature violently slammed its body into the side of the bucket, trying its hardest to get out.
“Get me something heavy to put on top of this. Do it now!” Haley screamed.
Molly, who until that moment had looked completely shell-shocked, broke out of her funk and ran to grab a couple of textbooks. She piled them on top of the bucket, but the creature continued to pound against the plastic surface.
“I’ll grab more,” the teacher’s assistant said.
Eventually, Haley and Molly managed to stabilize the bucket, sealing the mutant leech inside. They stepped back and watched as the bucket vibrated from the creature’s blows. This continued for another few seconds before the assault ceased.
The group was silent for over a minute after that. Finally, Professor Pierce spoke up.
“I should probably be a little more careful next time.”
4
The hallway was deserted by the time Jessie, Eliza, and Penny reached it. Penny stepped up to Cece Ramirez’s door and tapped lightly. When there was no response, Eliza pushed her out of the way and pounded on the door with all her strength. The door never opened and not a peep came from the other side.
“Maybe she’s at class,” Penny said.
Eliza shook her head.
“She’s turned, I just know it.”
“Oh, don’t say that Eliza. We can’t give up hope.”
Jessie weighed the available facts in her head. This girl Cece was keeping the worm as a pet. Given what Jessie had seen of other worms, this one would not hesitate to turn any girl close to it if it got the chance. If the thing had managed to get out of the cage at all, there was a good chance it was now deep within Cece Ramirez’s body. That all being said, the room seemed empty. No shuffling from the other side of the door, no voices, nothing. Turned or not, the girl did not seem to be in there.
Suddenly, Jessie got an idea. She pushed her way between Eliza and Penny and reached for the door handle. To her surprise, the handle turned easily. She pushed the door open, revealing a dark, cluttered room with a damp smell. The sound of bubbling water filled the room.
“Shit,” Eliza muttered under her breath.
She immediately joined Jessie in entering the room, but Penny waited outside. She looked nervous.
“I don’t think we should break into her room,” Penny said.
Eliza spun around, her short hair flapping around her head like the wings of a cardinal.
“Come on, this is an emergency. Don’t be such a rule follower.”
“But it’s wrong!”
Before the argument could escalate, Jessie flipped on the light. What she saw caused her to gasp.
The room was filled with several terrariums and aquariums of varying size. On the desk to Jessie’s right sat the largest of these containers, filled to the brim with water and housing a troubling specimen.
It was certainly a worm, and it was huge. Jessie had only seen one other worm as big the night her RA, Felicia Owens, had been turned. She shivered as the memory washed over her.
“Well we know she isn’t turned,” Jessie said.
Eliza came to stand next to Jessie. Her eyes were practically bulging out of her sockets.
“Jesus Christ! It wasn’t that big yesterday,” Eliza said. “Penny, come take a look!”
Penny shook her head and remained in the hallway.
“It’s wrong! We shouldn’t be trespassing.”
“It’s for Cece’s own good!” Eliza responded. “Stop being a baby.”
“Just leave her be. Besides, it’s probably better that we all keep our distance,” Jessie said.
Her eyes were fixed on the worm in the aquarium. Not only was the creature bigger than the average parasitic worm, it also had a different shape. There were two fins, one on the top and one on the bottom of the creature. Bright green veins striated the body of the creature, pulsating with an unnatural glow. The thing was an abomination.
However, the worst aspect of the creature was the way it thumped its bulbous, phallic head against the glass of the aquarium rhythmically. It pointed its head directly at Jessie, clearly recognizing her presence.
“What do we do?” Eliza asked.
“I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“We should destroy it,” Eliza said, stepping forward.
Jessie barely managed to hold the girl back.
“Are you crazy? You let that thing out and one of us is likely to get turned. We need to come up with a plan.”
“You had the entire walk to come up with a plan. Besides, aren’t you the one with experience with these things?”
Jessie and Eliza began to bicker. In the heat of the moment, neither of them paid any attention to Penny, who was still standing in the hallway. It was only after nearly a minute that Jessie glanced over and saw no one standing outside the room.
The two girls looked at each other with confused expressions before calling Penny’s name. There was no response. They stepped into an abandoned hallway and heard a loud thump from around the corner. Cold panic set in and the pair began to sprint down the hallway.
5
In the excitement, it had slipped all three girls’ minds that the hallway they were in was also the home of one Lindsay Maycomb. In fairness to Penny Atwood, she rarely saw her roommate even before the worms had gotten involved. It was only once Penny felt a strong hand close over her mouth and heard the soft, hoarse whisper of Lindsay’s voice in her ear that she remembered.
“Hey there, roomy.”
Penny froze as Lindsay held her from behind. She knew she needed to break away and warn the others, but she couldn’t move.
Before she knew it, Penny felt Lindsay’s other hand snake under the waistband of her skirt. Lindsay’s touch was frighteningly skillful, her fingers running over Penny’s soft, warm flesh. Each touch was accompanied by an electric tingle that made Penny weak at the knees.
Lindsay moved quickly, slinking her fingers under Penny’s panties and finding the girl’s pussy. With the sudden, invasive touch, Penny let loose a weak, choking sob that was muffled to nothing by Lindsay’s hand. As she felt prying fingers rub her pleasure bud, Penny felt her mind go blank.
Penny soon had the vaguest sense that she was moving, but she didn’t much care. The tingling between her legs had intensified and was now turning into a blazing fire in her entire lower half. After a while, she felt herself spin around. Then a pair of soft lips met her own.
In the back of Penelope Atwood’s mind, she realized she was experiencing her first kiss. It was sweet and soft. A sweet smell filled the girl’s nostrils, causing her to become even more lost in the moment. She felt Lindsay’s body press up against her—felt full, perky breasts rub against her chest. The contours of Lindsay’s body felt incredible against her.
In that moment, Penny felt a deep sense of yearning. She wanted what Lindsay had. Beauty and power and sexual magnetism. Having always been the chubby one, the nerd, the loser, Penny desperately wanted to be more.
As if she could read Penny’s thoughts, Lindsay began to speak to her between kisses.
“If I had one, I would plant it inside of you. I know you want it deep down.”
Penny looked into Lindsay’s blazing green eyes, becoming lost in their hypnotic glare. She felt Lindsay’s hands caress her small breasts, pumping that mysterious, electric energy into them. Immediately, her nipples stiffened.
“You know,” Lindsay said. “I really ought to thank you guys. You have been so helpful, leading me right to another worm.”
Lindsay stepped back, allowing cold horror to replace arousal in Penny.
Penny shook her head and focused on her roommate. In that moment, it sank in that she was alone, separated from her friends, and at Lindsay’s mercy. She felt the urge to scream, but before she could act on it, Lindsay reached out and touched her forehead with her index finger.
For a split second, Penny felt a blast of sexual pleasure so intense, it made her knees buckle. Then her mind went blank and she fell to the floor.
When Penny came to, Eliza and Jessie were standing over her. Jessie was desperately shaking her shoulder, trying to get her to wake up.
Penny struggled through the murk and confusion and tried desperately on what her friends were saying.
“Is she turned?” Eliza said frantically. “Oh God, she’s turned!”
“She’s not turned! At least, I don’t think she is,” Jessie responded.
Penny shook her head. She did not feel turned, but then again, how would she know? This wasn’t something she had a whole lot of experience with.
Slowly, she sat up and tried to remember what had happened. Suddenly, it all came back to her and her grogginess turned to panic.
“Lindsay got me. She’s going after the worm.”
“What?” The other two girls cried out.
Suddenly, footsteps rang out from down the hall. Eliza bolted off while Jessie helped Penny to her feet.
“I saw her! She’s running out of the building,” Eliza cried out.
“Can you get up?” Jessie asked Penny.
Penny nodded yes. She felt like she was encased in a big cube of jelly. Everything seemed murky and gelatinous around her. Still, her energy was coming back slightly.
With a struggle, Penny got to her feet and followed Jessie down the hall.
“It’s gone. She took it,” Eliza said, popping out of Cece Ramirez’s room.
Inside the room, the aquarium was empty.
“Shit! We need to go after her,” Eliza said.
“Wait a minute. Do we?” Jessie replied.
A look of pure indignation crossed Eliza’s face. She stared at Jessie with a mixture of venom and utter confusion.
“You just want to give up and let them win?”
“But are they winning? Our goal was to stop this crazy chick from getting turned by her own pet. That isn’t going to happen anymore, right? So, what if the infected girls have another worm? They have plenty of those.”
Penny thought about this for a moment. Jessie’s logic made sense, but something didn’t add up. Somehow, Lindsay had listened in and found out there was a worm in the room and then concocted a whole plan just to take it, but why? If the infected had plenty of worms, why go through all the trouble to get this one?
“This doesn’t make sense,” Penny said. “You’re right, Jessie. They have plenty of worms. What made this one so special?”
“You saw it, it was huge! It’ll probably do a number on whoever it infects,” Eliza said.
“I guess,” Penny said.
She remembered her brief encounter with Lindsay. How Lindsay had told her she didn’t have a worm now. Was there a shortage of worms? That was the only explanation for why Lindsay would take the worm.
“Whatever the reason, we might as well get the hell out of here. I don’t want this chick coming back to find her precious new pet missing and us all standing around like idiots,” Jessie said.
Eliza let out a loud sigh and gave Jessie a resigned look.
“Fine, I guess you’re right. Let’s go.”
Jessie flipped the lights off and closed the door. Then the trio left. As they did so, Penny could not shake the feeling they were missing something crucial. There was another piece to the puzzle.
None of them had noticed the faint, rhythmic tapping coming from Cece Ramirez’s chest of drawers.