Organism X Ch. 08

She had killed all three of them. No, not just killed. She had decimated them. All that remained were a trio of withered remains sapped of all life and vigor.

"We did that," the voice within murmured.

The radio on the nearest corpse crackled to life suddenly.

"Geo Team 2, we're closing in on your presence. Please confirm."

The voices in the distance were getting louder.

"Why did you kill them?" Erin asked out loud.

"We killed them," The voice answered.

"Geo Team 2, confirm!" The female voice in the radio barked.

Erin stumbled to her feet and began to run. There would be time later for shame. Now was the time for fear. Behind her, the team closed in.

9

"Remember," Bethany said. "We all stay together as a group. We all confirm the details about the girls to Professor Pierce. After that, everyone can go their separate ways or not."

The rest of the gang nodded in agreement.

It was seven in the morning and the light shone brightly across campus without a single cloud in the sky. It was a lovely break from the constant rain.

A cool breeze blew through the air, making Jessie feel calm and invigorated. For the first time in days, she slept well the night before. She still felt apprehensive knowing what lurked on campus, but overall, she felt optimistic.

"This should be pretty easy," Eliza said. "Fingers crossed."

They began walking in the direction the natural sciences building and had made it a few feet when Penny stopped in her tracks, turning as white as a sheet.

"Oh no," she said.

"What?" Eliza responded. "What is it?"

"Oh God, oh God, oh God."

Eliza stepped up to the girl and shook her by the shoulder.

"Out with it!"

"Sweet Wormengarde!" Penny cried.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Bethany walked over to the pair and rubbed Penny's arm gently.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

Penny had turned bright red, making her look like a round, overripe cherry. She was rapidly working herself into a panic attack.

"We can't go to Pierce. Sweet Wormengarde, Eliza. Cece! She's got one of those things in her aquarium!"

Eliza turned pale as the memory dawned on her.

"Oh fuck, you're right."

Jessie joined the group, feeling her momentary peace rapidly vanishing. The same hopelessness as the night prior crept over the horizon like storm clouds.

"Who is Sweet Wormengarde?" She asked.

"It's a worm. It was in my room. It attacked me but we captured it. My hallmate, she has it in her aquarium."

"If it hasn't turned her already," Eliza added.

"We need to warn Cece!" Penny said.

"Okay, fine," Bethany said. "We can just stop there first."

It was Melissa who stepped up this time.

"I don't think we have time," she said. "The more I think about it, the more worried I get. Those eggs must be hatched by now. What if they've gotten loose? That's three possible girls turned."

"So much for staying together," Haley said.

The thought of splitting up made Jessie's heart sink, but she couldn't see any other option. It would be so much easier to run, but every time she thought about doing so, Felicia's pleading eyes stared daggers into her from her imagination. Who was she kidding?

"I'll go with them to the dorm room. I'm used to dealing with this shit in close quarters," Jessie said, holding up her practice sword.

"We really shouldn't split up," Bethany said. "I don't like it one bit."

"Same, but we don't have any time. Just keep in touch and we'll try to meet up around lunch time."

"Fine," Bethany said. "For the love of God, try to stay human."

"We'll try," Jessie said with a snort.

"There is no try, only do or do not," Penny muttered.

Eliza punched her in the arm.

"A Star Wars quote? Jesus."

Haley looked at Jessie with a grave expression.

"I hope we aren't making a huge mistake."

Jessie smiled.

"We probably are, but hey, you've gotta make the best with what you've got. Remember, stay in contact, stay together, meet at the dining hall around eleven. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," Haley said, trying her best to force a smile.

With that, the group split up. A sense of doom hovered over them all.

10

The sound was dull and constant. It crept over Cece's consciousness as she slowly awoke.

The room was dark, but Cece could see sunlight peeking out from around her blackout curtains. Looking down at her phone, she noticed that it was five past seven. Her first class was at seven thirty.

"Ugh, overslept," She said.

Then she noticed it again.

The sound.

It was a dull tapping sound. Looking in its direction, Cece saw her aquarium and remembered the odd new pet she had adopted the night earlier.

There she was - Sweet Wormengarde.

The creature was knocking its bulbous head hard against the glass of the aquarium.

"Hey! Stop that, wormy!"

The girl jumped out of bed and stepped closer to the aquarium to get a better look. She was shocked as she noticed that the worm had seemingly grown several inches in length and width overnight. It was now nearly eighteen inches in length and almost as thick as her fist at its thickest point.

"Jeez, girl. How did you pack on that much muscle in one night?"

Remembering the fish food from the night earlier, Cece grabbed the bottle and overturned it through a hole in the aquarium cover.

"That's all I've got. Let's see how much bigger you get from that!" she said.

Then Cece threw on some clothes, grabbed her backpack, and dashed out the door. Back in the room, the worm ate piece after piece of the fish food, its appetite only growing with every new chunk of nutrients. Minute by minute, its bulk began to grow.