Angela

From my perch I spied on my targets down below. For whatever reason my pendant was abuzz tonight, and I had a feeling it was something about the weather. A storm was rolling in, thunder crackling in the distance and the smell of rain carried by the wind. I had already felt better than ever before that magic wave hit, but now I could practically feel the lightning arching within my body just begging to be used. What better use for all that energy then living out a little superhero fantasy and beating up a few punks who I had seen bashing in parking lot windows the other day?

I couldn’t just attack them though, no. I had to wait to catch them in the act. Was it perhaps my brightest idea? No, but I wanted to push my limits, its not like they could chase me down even if they tried. I re-checked my hat and bandanna to make sure it covered a good portion of my face. Stepping back a few feet towards the other side of the building, I charge forward at full speed. At the last moment I leap into the air, my vertical jump may be only slightly above average but my forward momentum easily lets me clear the 15 foot gap between me and the next building’s roof. I could swear I was defying gravity itself with how easy of a task it had become.

My aim wasn't always perfect though, I groan at the impact before scrambling to pull myself up. With a bit of experience and practice I no longer felt much of the nausea from the speed rush anymore. Impacts where a lot less concerning now too. I not only felt lighter, I’d easily lost 30 pounds since I’d found this amulet yet my overall appearance hadn’t changed much at all. It definitely was noticeable when trying to open the heavy school doors though. Harder to have leverage without all that weight.

I eyed them below, today there was six, yesterday there had only been a group of five. Now though, it was just endless waiting. They didn’t seem to be heading anywhere in particular, besides migrating from our small little town to the bigger city's alleys nearby. Altogether It was incredibly boring, let me tell yeah. Luckily I had my phone to keep myself occupied, though it was a challenge to keep it safe from all the impacts I kept having.

It was late out, but with it being a weekend and my parents being preoccupied with themselves I had no reason to return soon. I watch as the group turns down an alley, they’re spreading out into two different groups. Not spread out enough to signal that they might be going home. No, they had found something or someone. I smile, time for a little action.

I leap across to the next building. It’s a little slick from the start of incoming rain, something I quickly make note of after a little slip, leaping between buildings will get a lot more dangerous. Despite my speed and reduced weight, I’m pretty sure a long enough fall would very much still be lethal...probably.

I peak over the roof’s edge, below me I can spot a pair of individuals walking down the sidewalk. A guy and gal couple, though it seems like they’re both a little tipsy. The group that split off undoubtedly heading around to block their exit on the other side of the road. I pull out my phone, making sure the flash is off, I take several pictures of the incoming group. People never think to look up do they? It's so easy it practically feels like cheating, but its not like they were seeking a fair fight either.

I move to crawl down the ledges on the side of the house wanting to get to the couple before their potential assailants might, but then I hesitate. I’m not that much of an idiot am I? I pull out my phone again and dial 911. Damn, they’re moving fast! I have to get down there now or I’ll miss my chance.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” A male voice asks, making me quickly dial down the volume to its lowest setting. God I hope no one else heard that, no, they couldn’t have, I’m just being paranoid. Enhanced hearing is just something my little amulet had granted me recently. The new repulsion to eating meat was a bit annoying though, that’s a lesson I had learned the hard way. I really was going to miss chicken, if I lost my taste for chocolate I might have to really rethink this whole magic thing.

“Hi, yes. I’d like to report a robbery. 45th and Baker Street, first alley after the dry cleaners and by the abandoned Johnson office building.”

“We’re deploying units to that area, please make sure you stay away from the sc--”

I’m about to hang up, but then decide I can be a little nice. “No can do sir, do be careful though.” I can’t help but add, “I’ll try to leave them in one piece.” Smiling wider than I had any reason to I hang up and turn around the corner of the building. I then just jog to the drunk couple, no sense in letting them get caught up in my fun.

“Run! There is an armed shooter down the road! Dial 911!” I scream at them as I approach, trying to disguise my excitement as fear. There is a noticeable delay in their reaction, but my pointing to the incoming over-dressed would be assailants they quickly turn and run down the other way that they’d come and away from the ambush, the guy nearly trips over himself in a drunken haze in his rush as he turns around.

I wait for them to turn around the corner, then I see 2 of the individuals slip out and they yell quickly backtracking down into the ambush. The second group must have split up again. “Well, fuck” I say as the group circles in around us. There goes plan A.

“You got a lighter?” One of them asks, as if their question could make me believe their innocence. They hang loosely, around us leaning against the buildings. They’ve got us pinned, right now they’re just trying to fish for what we have. Not risking anything the cops could do anything about if they don’t determine we have something they’d want. This isn’t Hollywood where they just stick you up at gunpoint out of the blue. They aren’t idiots.

“We don’t have a lighter.” The drunken guy states, seeming to be at least sobered up by the situation. He holds his girlfriend close and together they try to walk past the crowd, they spare a glance at me as they pass. Though I’m unsure if its gratitude or suspicion. Unfortunately for them, the crowd isn't keen on letting them pass by just yet, closing in a little more as they try to move past, only softly blocking their exit.

“A dollar then? Mine is real broke, and I need a light. I just want a dollar.” The couple seems to tense at that and I see him reach for his wallet before I reach out a hand and stop them. They scowl at me for my movement, recoiling from my touch with a fair amount of noticeable disorientation.

I stare at the one asking, meeting their partially cloaked gaze, a scarf thicker than is needed for the weather is around their neck. “They don’t want a dollar, they want to see your wallet and if you’re worth their time to rob.”

I see them stiffen as I call their bluff and they back away. “You’re lying man. I just want a dollar…” They don’t seem to be letting up and have gotten closer, but just keep lurking letting us know they’re there. If they can intimidate us into just giving over our money they could probably weasel out of any law trouble.

“You’ll let us past, or the cops will get involved.” I hold out my phone, of course I’d already called but they didn’t know that. Where were they anyways? I was just aching to teach these thugs a lesson, but engaging with the victims present could be problematic, and if the cops handled it before I taught them a lesson it would make my hours of stalking useless. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately pulling out my fancy latest gen phone was probably not the best idea.

The guy brushes a bit of his brown stubble, then nods to his buddies before starting to walk off, covering his face up a bit more while we here the click of a handgun getting cocked from behind us. The talker we’d seen, so obviously they wouldn’t be breaking the law tonight while we could potentially identify them. Instead we’re greeted by another guy with a low headband and a scarf covering up a lot more of their face, revealing only his eyes.

“Alright, hand them over.” He yells, his voice straining in a way meant to try to disguise his real voice. Now that the actual crime is being committed they want to get out of here as soon as possible. The couple quickly concedes and I see them empty their wallet and purse of some loose change, reluctantly forking it over to the thugs. “I don’t got all night! Hurry it up!”

I flinch from his yelling, knowing that it was all about intimidation didn’t make it any easier to resist. After the quick shakedown the couple is let to free without any further altercation. Yet I stand my ground, not letting them make me do anything. Not optimal, but I'd be sure to make these punks pay for every penny.

I don’t have to wait long before one of the thugs reaches to grab me before I breathe in, then out. The shift, as I’ve come to refer to it felt easier than ever as the rain had began to fall. I grab his arm then yank it towards the gunman only mostly sure that their gun would be unloaded. Without watching to confirm I then follow up with a punch, ramming my high speed fist into the stomach of another thug to my right. I feel my fist connecting with mostly soft tissue. Then I dash forward into the gap my hit had created, the water stings to move through at this speed and my fist hurts from the punch, but the satisfaction is well worth it as the rest of them stare at me blinking owlishly as I fade back into normal time.

“The hell are you?” the ‘Need a lighter’ guy asks. The others are glancing at the guy I’d just punched and I look down and see them crumpled on the ground as they scream in agony clutching their side. The gunman and recent throwee quickly stumble to their feet as I see our gunman swapping his magazine of what I assume to be empty ammo for a live one.

“All the people you shouldn’t have messed with.” I reply, trying to harden my resolve. The sight of the gun worries me. I’m fast, but definitely not outrun a bullet kind of fast. “Now drop that gun o--” I flinch seeing him raise it up to shoot, but I’ve already shifted and started moving to the side. The bullet fires and I see it split past me easily twice as fast as a baseball pitch and missing me by inches. I definitely can’t outrun that, but I can still keep ahead of his swinging arm.

Two of his buddies just take off running, dropping their stolen goods and fleeing as fast as their legs can carry them after seeing me shift again. The rest I see grab for weapons at their hips, at least two of them with guns of their own, the guy I had punched earlier still remaining very much grounded. Okay, this just got waaay too dangerous! I sprint behind the nearby office building's walls, hearing the pings of gunfire off the brick walls. The hell is with these people?

I run down the alleyway. Knowing that I have to get out of their line of fire I dive through a broken window, tearing through the torn tarp that had been covering it, landing a little painfully on the uneven bare concrete floor. The weather has wrecked the building in the years since the company had moved on, and it seemed like no one had wanted the property enough to tear down the giant eyesore since.

The floor is ice cold under my hands, a firm contrast to the warm tingling spreading through my body. I’d pushed my abilities a little before, but today instead of having to pull them to the surface, it was like they were there waiting for me to use. A gunshot ringing through the empty space brings me back to the present. I move to the staircase and start ascending as I hear the group yelling behind me as they break the glass to get in.

I shift again to get up the stairs. If I can get up a few floors then maybe, just maybe I could lose them across the rooftops. I make it only a few floors before the tingling suddenly turns to a sharp stabbing, my back erupting in pain as I feel my skin tear and stretch. My clothes start to feel looser and looser causing me to trip over my sagging pant cuffs, landing awkwardly on the concrete stairs. All this time of trying and now, of all times things finally start to fucking happen.

The sound of feet slamming against the concrete is getting closer. Being an athlete pushing through discomfort is familiar, though this is a bit more than just a cramp. The adrenaline with their yelling from below drives me to climb floor after floor, switching between two legs and all fours. I lose count of how many floors I'd climbed. I knew I was likely too high up to leap to another building. In my scrambling I had lost track of when to jump and now...I was about to be cornered.

“You can’t run forever you little bitch! We’ll wait here all night if we have to!” I hear them scream from below. My legs have taken the exertion well, but unfortunately I was still only just ahead of a bunch of men likely twice my age.

I slam into the push door at the top of the building breaking back out into the rain. It’s pouring now, and despite the rainfall my hair raises on end. The smell of ozone building permeates the air up here. As I move to the edge I see just how high I have gone. The nearest rooftop is several stories below, too far for me to safely jump.

“Nowhere to run now you little freak!” I turn around and see the remainder of the thugs move through the roof access. Their guns are leveled at me, but they haven’t fired just yet. Meanwhile down below I start to hear the blare of sirens coming down the street. Great, just in time to be a lot too late.

I back away towards the edge, then double over as a convulsion wracks my form. Now? Of all the times I’d tried to transform it just had to be now? I can’t be captured, and I can’t outrun bullets. Then I feel a strange sensation from the small of my back. I raise my hands to brush over my head, brushing up against my back on the way, nope, not a horn like Arty, something even better... To them though, I reckon it looks a lot like I'm surrendering.

Looking up at them, I start to see wariness building on their faces, I bet even they can feel it. There is power in the air up here. My clothes are barely clinging to me now that I’ve shrunk several sizes. I look over the edge eyeing the height, perhaps such a fall wouldn't be so bad after all compared to what else awaited me. One of them steps forward, gun drawn with murder in his eyes. The smell of ozone intensifies and I feel the current rattling between my teeth, yet somehow I know that it isn't something to be feared. I can feel the chaos raging above in the sky, an unbidden thought forming in my mind at the sight of it. Lightning is a storm's most chaotic force of nature, it may never yield, but it can be persuaded...

If this fails I’m dead anyways. I tense my new muscles from my shoulders, feathery appendages spreading with the buzz of arcing electricity. My pendant burns hotly, I feel a force building as my wings spread, hearing the crackling of electricity between my recently sprouted feathers. A flash of white, purer than any sun sears itself into my retinas, a shockwave sending a powerful vibration through my chest that is deafening. I don't wait to see what happened to the others, leaning back over the edge I let myself fall towards the ground below. I’m falling through the air, my belongings burnt by the strike in the freefalling air the remaining scraps of my clothes scatter to the wind.

I grit my teeth trying to angle my body to try to catch the wind. For several terrifying milliseconds I tumble before the air catches under my wings and they’re forced open wide. I manage to fall at an angle just trying to tense my wings enough to keep them spread while shifting my body in an attempt to slow down. The ground is coming up really fast, the water stings at my eyes, but far less than I would expect. I try to throw my weight backwards to lessen my dive, but without something to push off of I just lose my balance and fall into a spiral.

THUD!

I tumble across the ground, squealing as my delicate body gets bruised in ways it never could before. I initially had impacted grass, but my landing strip had then crossed over into concrete sidewalk. I don’t move for several moments, content to just lay there letting the rain soak into my new fur. Thunder crackles through the sky as I rest on the ground. I just survived a 200 foot fall, and I laugh. It starts small before it turns into wheezes of exhilaration. I’d done it! Sure...I couldn’t stop them from taking the money, but I got them caught and gave one a good hit!

I try to turn onto my new legs before whimpering. Looking at my legs one of them is twisted at an improper angle, my wings hurt too much to even twitch. First priorities first, I search the area. This late at night, with the rain and thunder the road road and buildings were silent. The old office building is further into the distance than I had expected as well. No way I hadn't lost them at this point, I'd survived.

With that realization of safety, I take a moment to look over my new body. My fur is a light blue, my hair has transformed from its usual color into that of a light crimson, soft blue, blonde, and purple. Some sort of off-color rainbow, the change oddly kept the purple highlights I have in my hair. What strikes me the most odd though is a mark on my hip. It’s a simplified pocket watch with a rainbow lightning bolt through it. Perhaps the marking is a way of indicating that speed ability I have? I wonder what other secrets the pendant is hiding.

Several moments later I try to get up again, succeeding with no small amount of whimpering. I’m unbalanced on these new legs, and my dislocated right front leg causes stabs of pain at the slightest movement. I hobble forward down the road, wings dragging against the ground, stopping every couple meters to breathe and rest. I make my way to where I parked a few blocks away.

Jake

The next few days pass in a numb daze. Each hour breezing by, each one exactly like the last. Not depression, not sadness, but a dull, empty nothingness. We hadn’t been close, in fact we’d argued frequently but he was my father. He had been rough at times, but others he had stood by my side and supported me in ways that made me a better person, so why did this pain for him feel so hollow?

The worst part of it all though, the part that disturbed me the most is that my mother had moved on after our cry that night. She had hugged me a few times when I expressed my grief but she acted so...so eerily normal. When I tried to bring up his death she would just change the conversation, we hadn’t even gotten to see his body and she refused to tell me how he had died. That in itself was infuriating, how could she go from a broken emotional mess to so calm about it?

That certainly wasn’t the only odd thing that had happened either. These past few days I had felt stronger than I had in years. I could run more than a few steps, my body didn’t grind or protest painfully when I moved. The strangest of changes though came this morning.

I woke up like normal, scowling at the sunlight pouring into my room. I rub away the grime from my eyes and trudge my way to the bathroom for my morning shower. There is a bit of discomfort in my lost limb, sending no small amount of phantom sensations to tingling unpleasantly down my spine. As I strip I feel an alien sensation from my missing limb, as it catches my shirt slightly as I pull it off. Looking closer I see a crack in my skin, about five inches long and one inch wide. Underneath it appears to be a black protrusion that seems to be emerging. Flat and vaguely chitinous judging from its sheen.

As this is a bit out of the ordinary I quickly finish up and look around the house to see if I could get a ride to the hospital but my mother seems absent. I look at the odd crack and give it a prod, it has a bit of sensation but isn’t painful. Black could be a sign of gangrene, yet there is no fluid buildup or the aforementioned pain. No pus, no nothing. Looking at the clock, I ultimately conclude that I’ll just handle it after school.

The bus ride goes as it always does, this early in the morning it's mostly awkward silence with a little muttering between the students. The bus itself was noisy enough to make conversation a challenge. I adjust my prosthetic underneath my long sleeve shirt. At this point everyone knows I have it, but the fact that I don’t have to see it helps me feel better. The new crack on my arm though makes it aa uncomfortable fit, making it harder to ignore.

Going to school with all that has happened is reassuring, it's a sense of normalcy, an anchor, without the cognitive dissonance of home. It’s just something normal to worry about, a ways to pretend, just for a little longer, that life isn't the way it is. I read through my library books with what could only be described as religious fervor, only stopping occasionally to take a few notes from my classes. Fantasy is always another world to get into, another life and adventure where I could be living a world so much better than my own. Classes go by rapidly but more importantly they keep me distracted.

Lunchtime comes around, something I typically looked forward to. Meals at home typically were barely palpable. Honestly most of the time it was like they’d never cooked before, as a result I did the cooking at home when I could. Complaints about school lunches are never in short supply, but for those of us that struggle for variety and actual meals it is one of the best parts of the day.

That said...today seems exceptionally bland. Not only that but chewing in itself seems off. My jaw feels like I’m wearing a retainer, each bite feels awkward. What is supposed to be a Salisbury steak on mashed potatoes tastes more like salted cardboard. I swallow it quickly to reduce the experience but that only worsens things. I feel it ooze down my throat but instead of it fading from my awareness it feels incredibly present. Like I can feel what I’d just swallowed inside my stomach.

I cough and hack, but by now it's too late to regurgitate. Or at least it should. My stomach flexes in an oddly flexible manner but I stop before I manage to throw anything up. I stare at my Styrofoam tray with frustration. I don’t care if it tastes like ass, I’m gonna eat this or I’m going to starve until a much less appetizing dinner.

With no small amount of strange discomfort I quickly stuff myself with what I can from the meal. I only manage a fraction however before I have to call it quits. The meat of the meal was definitely the worst while the potatoes were only mildly bad and the fruit juice was at least slightly pleasant. The feeling of it all sloshing around in my stomach highlights the feeling that something is out of place. As time goes by the mix seems to thicken a little becoming less distracting overall.

Last class of the day is Gym, not typically my favorite in any case. I just wish the teachers wouldn’t treat me like I was made of glass. Just ignore it, for the love of god just ignore it! Hell, if they noticed how much I tried to ignore it, maybe they’d wise up a little. Every year though they seemed completely oblivious, the same song and dance year after year.

In the changing room I just enter the restroom to avoid changing in front of the other students, grabbing my clothes from my locker. As I take off my shirt, I feel a twitch in my absent arm. For a moment I pass it off as just another phantom pain, but then I feel it flex. I practically tear off the prosthetic, in my haste to look at my shoulder. The crack has widened massively, in fact defining it as a crack is an understatement. It had ruptured, protruding from my torn skin is an insectile looking nub.

I brush over it with my other hand, my chest tightening at the tactile feedback as my eyes bulge from their sockets. Only a quick clamping of my hand over my mouth stops my excited scream. I make it twitch, I make it move in a small circle, I make it move. Tears stream down my face at the sight of it. It’s only about two inches long, but it is something. Something I didn’t have before, something that is clearly becoming more.

Driven by morbid fascination I pull at the torn skin that had mushroomed from the protrusion. It gives and tears with a disturbing amount of ease, every inch revealing more and more of the insectile flesh. Pulling a little further my skin becomes slick, my skin cracking like an eggshell, blood oozing slightly from the cracks. Yeah...okay, maybe that’s far enough. But it doesn't hurt, if anything it feels...natural.

I roughly adjust my prosthetic over my newly formed limb, it's a rough fit and if it gets any bigger wearing it probably wouldn’t be the problem in any case. I use a bit of toilet paper to wash off the blood trying to clean up a bit. I can’t wait to show my doctor this! Oh just the look on his face would be priceless!

As I exit the teacher gives me a little bit of a look, but then gives me an irritatingly pitiful nod. Of course he would assume I would need more time because of my ‘special needs.’ I grit my teeth and just get in line for the warm up stretches, adapting them as little as possible so I can look a bit normal with the others. I smile a bit in satisfaction as his eyes widen a little while I perform push ups, leaning on my arm just enough for balance while doing it one-handed.

Warm up done we all gather up to play badminton. Ratty old nets had been set up, most of which sag heavily and have a yellowish tint to them. Second-hand (Pun intended) rackets are passed out only with the saddest looking...birdies? Is that what they’re called? I don’t have a clue.

Looking around I can spot the guys going all out spiking the depreciated cock around (Now that is a fitting name). Not wanting to play with those crazies I look around for a free group. There hadn’t been any direct assignments and so the class is pretty scattered around. I bite my lip as I try to look for a group I could possibly join.

“Hey! Wanna play?”

I look over across the gym and see a group of three gals. They were somewhat familiar, the previous years in school I had been able to participate with them on multiple occasions. The teacher didn’t seem to care much, and the guys always played too rough for me to keep up with or just were aggressive a-f. Relieved to receive an invitation I join them with a small eagerness.

It’s exhilarating just to get lost in the game. I’m paired up with a gal as my partner and it becomes a surprisingly even match. It’s just small stuff like being included and treated like anyone else that could really make your day. By the end of the period I’m smiling, just having an all out blast. No awkward sitting around or trying to ask people that would only accept me on their team because they didn’t want to look like a bad person in front of their friends.

With just the arm thing and a good gym class my day is going well. Forgetting about lunch I feel like a million bucks. Yet, of course, things could only go down from here.

=====================

I grab my stuff from my locker, my prosthetic arm keeps on trying to shift out of place, evidently not happy with the thought of being replaced. The school crowds pass me by on either side, everyone getting their things and heading home. At this point I’d typically stay after to hang out with Sam, though I should probably get home to plan a visit to the doctor again. Doc was a great guy after all.

I’m about to hurry to the bus before I pause. Why not just go directly? I don’t have a phone to call, but I’m sure my mom would get over it, after all dad dying apparently wasn’t a big deal to her either, I clench my fists at the thought feeling the pressure behind my eyes and forcing a steady breath. Her apathy has really been ticking me off. Everyone grieves differently you're told, but her actions were eerie. I wasn’t that close but at least I have the sense and compassion to at least miss the guy!

I wipe away a few loose tears and start down the road. It’s just a few blocks away and having a good walk these days just feels good. You never realize how much your health is worth until you lose it. I certainly wasn’t going to be running any marathons or winning competitions anytime soon, but at the very least I could live again. The very air I breathe actually feeling like it fills my lungs, not just rubbing coarsely against them.

I enter the Hospital and head to the front desk, with how often I have to visit, most of the staff know who I am and I’ve memorized a few of their names in return. “Hi Mary, is Doctor Judas in today?” Mary is a bit of an older slightly portly woman who tended to radiate a lot of ‘Southern Charm’ as its called.

“Oh why yes, here to join your mother? She came in just about an hour ago. You can head right in to join both of them.” She looks through a few files on her computer before looking up. “You can find them in room 207.” She says with her ever-present smile.

“Alright, thanks!” I reply quickly and hurry down the halls at a brisk walk. I see her just nod in reply as she goes back to her computer work. I can’t wait to see the look on the doc’s face when he sees what’s going on, he’d always been rather obsessive about my condition. I just hoped that it wasn’t something they’d have to remove.

It’s a bit of a walk up some stairs, but I wasn’t in any real rush. What was my mother doing here though? Did she have some other condition that needed attention, or something genetic? I grit my teeth a little. They better not be talking about my condition and health without me present. If something was going on I deserved to know. The last time they had tried to change my medication on me I… Wait, what did I do?

I try to think back to when I was certain they had changed my injections but the only memory I have is just agreeing to the change. Yet that can’t be right...I remember being absolutely furious that they were making changes without my consent, especially with reading up on medicine in my chemistry and biology classes. Even with all the testing I’d undergone they still had never given me a clear answer on what my condition was...that should bother me, shouldn't it?

The door comes into view partway down the hall and my steps slow. My head starts buzzing all of a sudden as a pressure of some sort presses against something on my head. Waves of some sort of energy are just radiating from the room as I step forward. As I do so I’m aware of a ripping sensation around my missing arm that quickly starts to spread over my chest and left side. Am I getting shorter?

On one hand I’m pretty sure I should walk away, but on the other hand…. Well, I don’t have another hand but my curiosity was never something I could argue with. The buzzing in my head feels oddly familiar, but isn’t something I could remember feeling before. I press my ear against the door, feeling the side of my head crinkle a little like an eggshell is in no small amount disturbing, but I continue anyways.

“I just don’t know what to do Mandible, with Exo dead we just can’t keep up with her growth. With this many bucking ponies around she’s feasting more than I can hope to drain, not to mention how much harder it is getting to siphon her! I got a decent draw a few days ago when I used Exo’s death to garner her sympathy enough to feed but even that barely made a dent. Now with Antenna assassinated we can’t even get in touch with the rest of the swarm, we’ve been severed!”

“Get ahold of yourself Scutella, the Queen trusted us to keep her contained and we will. We’ve dealt with this several times before. Just put her into stasis for a few days or mare up and give her a bite and drain the little pest from the source!”

“B-but the queen said if we damaged her--”

“The Queen wants us to contain her! Without her the traitor Thorax doesn't have a queen of their own to challenge her. Chrysalis only wants her for subjugation, blackmail, and to strengthen her own hive, who cares if she doesn't lay as large of a quota? We can afford to damage her a little here and there if it means keeping her from getting out of her shell.”

I stumble back clasping a hand over my mouth as I do so. However at that moment I’m hit by a penetrating wave coming from the front of the hospital. It’s over in a moment but leaves my skin tingling with an afterglow that makes my skin burn as if I’d spent too much time in the sun. I hear a rush of steps and quickly start to retreat down the hall at a dead sprint. Sure they could be referring to something or someone else but too many things line up. A queen? Thorax? Just who are these people?

“Hey! Stop right there!” I hear the rush of orderlies behind me charging down the hall in a rumble behind me, their every step causing the group to shake ever so slightly. I slam open the fire escape and pour down the staircase my body burning with a newfound energy I had never felt before. My body is dripping fluid from multiple cracks in my skin yet it’s all relatively painless, if disturbing, the skin flaking off to reveal the spread of a dark more solid skin inside.

I make it to the ground floor, plowing through a pair of orderlies waiting for me at the ground floor. Their stance protective and firm, yet when they look at me their jaws drop in horror as they take in my blood soaked clothes.

“N-now calm down now, you’re not thinking rationally…” They hold their arms out trying to placate me, obviously not wanting to tangle with a wounded patient. I have only moments before the rest of them get down the staircase.

“I’m begging you, I don’t know what’s going on here but my doctor” I point to him as he emerges from the stairwell “is trying to experiment on me without my consent.” The orderlies calm and relax for a moment, evidently satisfied they’d stopped my rush, holding their arms out placatingly.

“We’ll get you another doctor then, how about that? You’re bleeding out and need medical attention. Let’s get that solved first okay?” Their look of concern feels so genuine, no it doesn’t just look genuine I can feel it. Radiating through my chest I can sense it. Like how someone would compare taste to being a mix of touch and smell, this new sensation is like a mix of smell and taste.

I nod, moving carefully away from my doctor as he looks on, his expression unreadable. My entire body is shaking, and I can't stop it, whatever is happening, there is no going back now. My mother to her credit looks horrified, yet after what she’d said about what was most certainly my father I don’t dare trust it. “Keep them away, both of them.” I instruct through gritted teeth, one of my incisors wiggling a little as I speak, something else emerging from behind it.

“I’ll take care of him.” I turn around to see a Hispanic nurse that I had seen a few times before from the ER standing next to me. She’s already wheeled out a stretcher for me, with the amount of blood soaked into my clothes I’m not surprised. I eye her, trying to look for some amount of deception. What ultimately confirms it is the sensation I feel radiating from her. She’s greatly concerned, a little bit scared, and dare I say ever so slightly curious.

I lay down on the stretcher, my eyes not moving from my mom and past doctor. I’m quickly wheeled down the hall and into what I think is the ER. There is one other individual waiting in the room for us who has already donned a mask and is holding some trauma shears.

Not wanting to ruin my clothes further I carefully peel off my shirt, feeling no small amount of slick skin tear off as I do so. The guy in the other scrubs winces as I do so and stops me from going further than my shirt.

“No...don’t do that. You’re causing further damage...I think.” He looks over my form, he presses gently against my chest. It feels wet and my skin cracks a little more under it but there isn’t any pain and I inform him of such. “There is a uh...abnormality in his subdermal layer. Could you confirm for me Arnesto?”

She comes over, delicately feeling at my ribs again watching for signs of pain while looking at me. She gets a few pads and presses them against the bloody surface trying to clear it off. Looking down I can see an interlocking layer of chitin over my chest underneath the torn skin. It’s quite a mess but it doesn’t hurt at all, in fact I daresay it feels kind of good, I also feel this developing, instinctive kind of itch to tear it all away...

“I’m not a doctor, but I’m pretty sure that isn’t normal.” I reply a bit warily, rubbing over it gently with my own hand. There is a bit less sensation than I’d assume from skin, but only by a little. The chitin itself is moderately flexible and lighter on my chest then it is on my shoulder. The pair of medical professionals methodically start clearing away the shed skin examining it inch by inch.

“I’d say we get the skin grafts, but they would require a surface to adhere to. The blood loss seems excessive, but pupils are normal and patient is not exhibiting typical signs of blood loss. Unfortunately the blood pressure cuff isn’t working properly on your...anatomy.” She continues with the other doctor, however they quickly switch from cleaning the skin to strapping on bandages to try to keep the skin from falling off.

The door is suddenly slammed open with such strength that it makes both me and the doctors flinch. My mother walks in right after, glaring at us with confidence as she strides into the ER. The doctor quickly walks over while the nurse keeps working on the bandages.

“I’m sorry but you have to get out of here! This is an ER and you aren’t sanitary! Wait outside!” the doctor instructs, but she just walks forward and grabs him then lunges forward and bites into his neck in a smooth motion. His body goes limp within moments and sinks to the floor staring dopily across the room as if drugged. She strides forward as I roll off the table the nurse moving right behind me.

“Security! We have an assault! Contact the police!” She calls through the intercom, she holds a scalpel out towards her. I’m shaking like a leaf as I stare between the both of them.

“The hell are you!? The hell am I for that matter!?” I yell in a panic, edging along the far side of the room towards the car exit. The bandages feeling rather tight, yet at this moment I’m thankful that they're covering up part of the odd carapace under my skin.

“Nothing you’ll remember, now why don’t you just calm down and surrender before one of you gets hurt? I’m sure the good doctor here would like to live another day...” The nurse bristles at their statement gripping her small blade all the tighter. The doctor in her grip chuckles at that, his eyes unfocused and staring blankly across the room.

“Al-alright, I don’t know what the hell you are but we can discuss this like decent hu--decent beings.” She carefully sets down her scalpel on the operating table and holds her hands up sparing a glance at me as I do the same.

“Why my dear I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She purrs in a two-toned voice that sounds nothing like the mother I know. A green flame starts to dance over her body, her body shrinking and contorting as her skin blackens and hardens. Her head doesn’t change much in size besides growing a frill as fangs expand out of their mouth. “Ah, so much better,” She purrs.

Mrs. Arnesto looks at me in shock, I can do little more than return the same, shaking my head slightly. I softly grip at my protruding arm seeing the similarities between us that send a shiver down my spine. “And here I was waiting for my Hogwarts letter…” I finally say somberly, leaning against the wall a little woozily.

The creature I’d formerly known as my mother stalks forward slowly towards the nurse, the horn on her head glowing slightly along with her eyes. Mrs. Arnesto was frozen stock still as she approached. I didn’t have to know everything to know something bad was happening.

“Snap out of it! Run!” I yell at her but she doesn’t even flinch. Instead she slowly relaxes her posture and sinks to the ground in a lazy sit now just above eye level with the creature. Her horn then erupts with a lightning bolt beam of green energy that strikes her between the eyes and she sags to the side unconscious.

“Don’t worry hun, this won’t hurt a bit.” She says as she turns to face me, her face oddly human in its expressiveness looking almost bored with the whole thing. “Without me you’ll be dead within the week, you cracked your damn shell and there is no going back now.” She chides stepping forward in a calm steady pace while I slowly back up towards the car entrance.

“N-no! S-stay back!” I squeak, my voice catching as it goes up a few octaves. A few quick coughs and I’m hacking up more filth, a few teeth coming out as well from my hacking. Their replacements already starting to grow in with a sickening schlick. “W-we need ch-to talch about thisss!”

“Then how about we talk somewhere we aren’t going to be dragged off to a lab?” She purrs confidently stepping forward ever so slightly faster than my retreat. “My associate is already cleaning up the mess you’ve made already, do you really want to make things worse?”

My thoughts are racing a thousand miles a minute and I gesture to the nurse. “Are they going to be okay?” I ask assertively, coughing a little as my throat finishes clearing some of the ‘shell’ as she had called it.

“They’ll be just fine hun, now if you’ll just--” She doesn’t finish before I see another green lance burst from her horn and my head explodes with sensation dazing me for a few moments. Fatigue spreads through my limbs as I slowly collapse to the floor under their weight, all the while she maintains her beam. Everything feels so good, as if I had just received a mind numbing massage. I hear her saying something but it is as if I’m underwater sinking ever deeper.

No.

Not like this.

The thought bubbles up as casually as one might remember they had left the oven on. Then it grows from a passing thought, to a craving. I don’t want this. The craving as simple as needing a drink of water grows further into a desire. I want to be free. That alone bubbles up through the depths, it surges higher and higher, ascending through the apathy until…

It pops.

I sink into the abyss of nothingness, no longer just sinking, but falling. My stomach aches and twists from the stress, then suddenly I’m no longer sinking. The world snaps back into focus as I find myself vomiting a green slime all over the creature in front of me. Her connection broken I kick at her small form, tripping slightly over the slimy residue soaking the floor its texture like slightly sticky jello.

This time I don’t hesitate to run as I slam through the double doors of the ER, much to the surprise of the emergency crew yelling at me as I burst through their intake room. I stumble onto the sidewalk crashing into the concrete using my good hand to break my fall while hearing a loud cracking noise. I look at my hand and see that I’m missing my pinky and fourth finger, dripping from where they used to be is a green fluid as viscous as an egg yolk mixed with only a little blood.

Please tell me I’m dreaming, this has to be a dream. Looking behind me I don’t see anyone pursuing me as I flee down the road, one of the doctor’s though, is squatting over where my ‘fingers’ had broken off and is inspecting it. Looking over my body my stomach churns at the sight of my body falling off like one might expect from the pictures of leprosy in the middle ages.

I make it only a few more feet before I collapse. I can feel my limbs shrinking back up into my core, my limbs quickly becoming unresponsive dull husks of a shell. My life is over, this is it. I can hear sirens in the distance heading towards the hospital, but much more closely I hear a scream as a middle aged man locking eyes with me, freezing on his lawn before stumbling backward and running back into his house.

I have to move, I crawl forward with what's left of my remaining hand, my prosthetic must have slipped off a while back not that it’d be any help now. I must have blacked out because the next moment I’m under a blanket and being dragged into a car, confirmed by the door slamming shut after being dropped onto a cushioned seat. I hear a police siren blast so loud it makes my ears ring for several moments after it passes by. The car accelerates down the road with me in it as I succumb to blissful oblivion.

Author's Note

Thank you so much for reading!

If you liked or even disliked the story please consider leave a comment.

Fun Fact: Angela's PoV this chapter was partially based off of a real life experience I had escaping a mugging about 2 years ago.