Organism X Ch. 11

"Well Bethany. Should I give him another chance or not?" Ellie asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

Bethany realized she had tuned out the last minute of Ellie's screed entirely.

"Uh, I don't know," Bethany said. "Remind me, what's your boyfriend's name again?"

"Jon! Aren't you paying attention? Also, he isn't my boyfriend anymore. Well he might be. I don't know!"

God help me, I do not have the patience for this, Bethany thought. She stepped to the side and snagged a slice of cheese pizza from a tray, doing her best to avoid Ellie's judgmental glare. In terms of priorities, Ellie's haphazard love life was about as low on Bethany's personal totem pole as possible, but she knew ignoring her friend completely wouldn't be an option.

"He hasn't tried to hurt you or anything, right?" Bethany asked.

"Not physically, no. He just wants to have sex with me. I don't want to have sex yet. I'm not ready for that. But I do like him. He's a real sweetie pie. But he was so different last night. He was cold and a bit of a jerk. But today he was much nicer. I don't know. Should I give up my virginity for him, Bethany?"

Bethany was not proud of what she did next, but it was the only response she could manage given that question. She laughed in Ellie's face.

"Jesus Ellie, what a question. I can't tell you that. Probably not? He seems like a bit of an asshole to me."

Ellie frowned in such a way that her cute button nose scrunched up, making her look like an angry bat. This just made Bethany want to laugh harder. The exhaustion was really making her go loony.

"So, you don't like him? I wish you had told me that earlier! Should I cancel tonight?"

Bethany could not take much more of this. Her roommate was going off the deep end, the school was descending into parasite-induced madness, and this crazy girl wanted to talk about her boyfriend of exactly one week.

"You can do whatever you want, Ellie. You're a grown woman. He seemed like a bit of a dick last night and he dumped you because you wouldn't put out. Maybe I'm wrong, though. I guess it can't hurt to talk to him."

Ellie huffed.

"Great, I'm sorry that I'm so annoying to you. You're my best friend here, I just thought you might care about me!"

Great Bethany, you couldn't just keep your big mouth shut and nod along? Now you've got a fire to put out.

"I'm sorry Ellie. I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"It's fine. I'm sorry I annoyed you," Ellie said.

The girl stomped off, her cloud of curly blonde hair bouncing up and down as she went. Then, without warning, she spun around, impotent rage splashed across her face.

"I'm going to get back together with him just to spite you. I think you're a bad judge of character!"

With that, Ellie disappeared into the crowd.

"That's not what I -- oh bother," Bethany said.

There was a tap on Bethany's shoulder. She turned around and saw Melissa standing behind her. The girl was looking down at the floor, her plate still sparse.

"I'm ready," she said.

Suddenly, Bethany missed Ellie and her drama. Melissa was far too quiet.

5

Dinner passed uneventfully. The women chatted idly about what to do moving forward, but mostly they avoided talking about the crisis at hand. It was clear to Jessie that everyone was getting tired of the subject. She could see the marks of exhaustion on all their faces - even Pierce.

Finally, it came time for dinner to end and the eight of them walked outside. Professor Pierce shuffled through her purse for her car keys and bid them all farewell.

"Wait a minute," Jessie said.

The professor looked back at her with thinly veiled annoyance. Jessie did her best to ignore this.

"You shouldn't go to your car alone. You're asking to get turned."

"It's a short walk to the staff parking lot from here. I doubt it'll be a problem," Pierce answered.

Jessie readied herself for another fight, but luckily, Molly, the professor's student assistant spoke up.

"No, professor, I think she's right. Let's say this is happening the way they say it is."

Why is this so fucking hard to believe? Jessie could not wrap her head around what they were missing.

"If there are girls on campus targeting other women and implanting these things in them, you could be in danger. I'll walk with you. It'll give us some time to discuss next steps, anyways."

"Fine. But I still think you all are being way too jumpy about this."

Molly and the professor began to walk off when Jessie thought of something.

"Wait a minute. What are you going to do when the professor drives off? You'll be alone."

Molly and the professor looked at each other, neither having considered this.

"I'll come along," Jessie offered.

Professor Pierce grimaced, but Molly did not notice.

"I wouldn't have thought of that. I appreciate that," she said.

Jessie turned to face the rest of the group.

"I'll meet the rest of you back at the dorms, sound good?" The rest of them nodded.

Jessie walked triumphantly towards the professor and her assistant. She loved the look on Pierce's face. You better get used to me, lady. I'm not going anywhere.

6

Bethany walked along the path with her friends, beginning to feel a sickening weight in her stomach. Of all the things in the world for her to worry about now, Ellie was first and foremost on her mind. Had she been too dismissive?

Also, was it a good idea to let Ellie wander campus in search of this Jon loser with the infected girls spreading like wildfire? Of course not.

Of course, with all this going on, Bethany's phone was dead. There was no way to contact Ellie besides visiting her dorm, and that would require splitting up the group even more. Bethany did not want to do that.

She looked off at the sun setting over the river and felt a chill. The future's uncertain and the end is always near. Those were lyrics to a song from The Doors, right? They seemed to fit her present moment perfectly.

Just calm down and get back to the dorm as fast as possible. Get your phone charged and text her. That's all you can do right now, Bethany.

Bethany felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Haley Lewis giving her a concerned look.

"You okay, Beth?"

Bethany nodded. A simple lie. She was not okay, but who was in this bunch? They had all been through hell, especially Melissa. None of them wanted to hear about this drama bullcrap.

"Is it about your friend? The blonde one?" Haley asked. The girl reddened slightly and added, "I saw you talking to her. Sorry, I hope I'm not intruding."

Huh, I guess this was all more obvious than I thought.

"Yeah, she's having relationship problems right now. She got dumped and now the guy wants to get back together, and she wants to meet up with him. It's a big mess."

Haley giggled a little.

"Sounds like it."

"I'm sorry," Bethany said. "I'm sure you don't want to hear about this stuff. We have bigger problems."

Haley shook her head.

"Don't apologize! It's nice to hear about something normal after two days of crazy."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So, did you see the whole thing go down? She kind of stomped off on me."

"No, I just saw her talking to you in the cafeteria. I didn't stop to look for too long. I've seen you guys talk before though."

Sometimes Bethany wondered about Haley. The girl seemed to be a little too on the mark about things at times.

"You're pretty good at guessing," Bethany said.

Haley shrugged and smiled.

"It's one of my many talents."

"You're an interesting one, Haley Lewis," Bethany said, relishing having a normal human conversation for the first time in days.

Still, Ellie would not leave her mind. She desperately wanted to be home.

7

As the three of them reached the parking lot, Jessie heard a man's voice call out to them from behind. Jessie remembered the night before, when their ragtag band had been attacked by that psycho dude and froze.

The man rushed over to them and pulled Molly into a tight hug. He did not look like the guy from the night before, but Jessie's memory of the event was fuzzy.

"I've been looking all over for the two of you!" the man said.

Professor Pierce went a little pale.

"The two of us?"

The man gave the professor a nervous glance but said nothing.

"What have you guys been up to? I tried to find you at the lab, but you had already left. Sarah said you guys were going for food, but I guess I missed you there too."

Molly shrugged.

"It's been a bit of a hectic day. I'm sorry. I should have texted."

"No worries, babe! Hey, any update on those samples?"

Oh great, this doofus knows too. Jessie knew it was only so long before the secret got out. Still, the more people that knew about what was sitting in Pierce's lab, the bigger potential target they had on their backs.

Then Molly did something that surprised Jessie.

"Nope! No update. We put them in a closet, so they don't get messed with. We'll see what happens."

Professor Pierce raised an eyebrow and gave Molly a hard glance but said nothing. Jessie watched it all from the sidelines, unsure of what to make of any of it.

"Oh well," the man said. "Maybe by tomorrow we'll see some activity."

"Yup!" Molly answered.

"I'm going to go," Professor Pierce said, unlocking her car and stepping into the driver's seat.

The man gave the professor a quick nod but didn't say anything else.

"Hey, wait a minute," Jessie said. "Make sure you text Molly when you get on campus. Two of us will come meet you here."

"Ugh, fine," the professor answered before starting her car and driving off.

"Why do you need to meet Professor Pierce in the parking lot?" the man asked.

Molly put her finger to the guy's lips and said, "don't worry about it, honey."

"Alright, you guys are freaking me out a little," the man said.

Jessie shook her head.

"It's just some boring girl drama. Trust me, you would rather not know, dude."

The man chuckled.

"Alright, fair enough. I don't think we've met, by the way."

Jessie stuck her hand out.

"Jessie Vitelli."

The man was wiry and slim, but his handshake was surprisingly strong.

"Hunter Miller. Nice to meet you."

The three of them stood in awkward silence for a moment. Jessie could feel a layer of grime all over her body. Her whole body was run down with aches and pains pulling at her limbs like tangled marionette strings. Worse yet, she could sense danger lurking in every shadowy patch of woods and behind every car. Fear had a way of exhausting the brain, never letting you rest. Drink enough of that vile drink and you begin to shut down.

"Let's get you home, Jessie," Molly said.

Jessie cringed as the words came out of the girl's mouth. Just another oddity for this Hunter guy to pick up on. And pick up on it he did.

"We're walking her home?" he asked.

Jessie blurted out an explanation without thinking.

"I'm trying to avoid my ex. If I'm alone, he'll try and corner me."

"Say no more," Hunter said. "I'll tag along too. Strength in numbers, right?"

Jessie nodded, trying to bite back her frustration. She had been hoping to get one-on-one time with Molly. She needed to suss out Pierce better. The lady didn't seem to be taking any of this seriously enough, but Molly had a better head on her shoulders. Plus, she was close with the professor.

But nothing could ever go right. Jessie reflected that her life was becoming like a pair of earbuds in her pocket. Look away for a second and it gets tangled. Try to untangle them, and they only get tangled worse.

8

"Come on, Melissa, wake up!"

Melissa recognized the voice immediately, but kept her eyes shut. Nothing good could come from listening to that voice.

Then the touching began.

Melissa felt a soft, dexterous hand slink up her belly before coming to rest on her right breast. The pressure on the tender flesh was uncomfortably pleasant. Melissa had never been touched that way by a man, so she had no reference to compare by, but she guessed that any future boyfriend would not be so gentle.

"It's a trick," Melissa said. "You're not here."

"Why don't you test that theory and open your eyes."

Melissa did so despite herself. The redhead named Emily loomed over her on the bed. There was no one else in the room.

Melissa gasped.

"No. How?"

Instead of answering, Emily swooped down and kissed Melissa on the lips. A rich, sweet taste like molasses filled Melissa's mouth as Emily's tongue began to explore.

An animalistic heat wafted off the redhead. Melissa could feel the girl's body against her own. Large, perfectly shaped breasts brushed against Melissa's own, far more modest pair. The feeling of their chests touching was exquisite, filling the young woman with a deep, longing desire she never realized she possessed.

"You like my body, don't you?" Emily said.

"Get off of me!" Melissa squeaked.

She knew Emily was right, and she hated it.

"Come on, don't be that way, Melissa. Here, let me help you out."

Before Melissa knew it, the redhead seized her hands and placed them on her luscious breasts. Melissa sat there, her hands sinking into the soft, lovely pillows, shock paralyzing her.

"Doesn't that feel good? So intimate and close?"

"No! Maybe. I don't know!"

"It feels good to be touched by you, Melissa. I like you."

Emily swooped down for another kiss, mashing her large breasts against Melissa's hands in the process. This time, Melissa was completely helpless. The molasses taste returned, punctuated by floral notes. Meanwhile, Emily's breasts were so pillowy and soft. Were all the infected girls so voluptuous? It must be nice.

Before she knew it, Melissa was squeezing and jiggling Emily's perfect breasts like a horny, fourteen-year-old boy. Their kissing intensified and soon Emily was grinding her crotch against Melissa's.

Melissa knew what came next. She was going to be infected. Would it really be so bad? To be beautiful and sensual? To have a sisterhood.

"Now you're getting it," Emily said.

The redhead's eyes blazed with unnatural green light. Melissa allowed herself to be consumed by it. Her entire body relaxed, and, in that moment, she saw everything. She saw how easy it would be to give in when the time finally came. She saw how good it would feel to become like Emily. To have power and beauty and a magnetism that no ordinary human being could manage. To never be alone.

Melissa felt as her nether lips parted, allowing entrance to the engine of her rebirth. It was wet and hot and wonderful.

Then Melissa's eyes flew open, this time for real, and she was back in a crowded dorm room with Bethany, Haley, Penny, and Eliza. There was nothing between her legs. No evidence of the rendezvous save for a sheen of sweat that covered her brow like a moist blanket carried over from the dream.

But it was real. It felt realer than reality. A perfect moment with the clarity of a still mountain lake.

Melissa looked over at her friends. They were pretty girls - each one carrying the potential to be a goddess. Melissa could feel that potential brimming inside of herself. What could she become if she gave in?

Then a wave of shame washed over her as the last vestiges of the dream fell away. These were her friends; she was not going to betray them. Whatever Emily was it was unhealthy. Unnatural. Melissa knew she could not give in. It was a trick.

Still, the desire lingered.

"You okay, Mel?" Bethany asked, taking a moment to look up from her phone.

Melissa sat up and scratched her head, feeling a wave of dizziness hit her.

"I'm fine. I just had a weird dream."

Melissa stared at her friends and suddenly felt a day-long haze of depression shatter, replaced by a deep aching in her heart. She just wanted to be her old, cheerful self again. She could see by the looks in their eyes that her friends were all worried about her. She hated being a burden.

"How are you guys?" She asked. "I'm sorry. I've been stuck inside myself all day. I haven't bothered to ask."

"Yeah okay," Eliza snorted. "I think you get a pass on that one."

"We're all fine. Just waiting for Jessie to get back," Haley said with a soft, reassuring smile.

"Right, Jessie," Melissa said, distantly.

Things had moved so quickly in the last two days that she had not gotten a chance to process the new arrivals to their little group.

God, that girl Jessie must think I'm a total psycho based on how I've been acting, Melissa thought. She felt herself redden with embarrassment only to feel her shame replaced with a strange, yet deep joy.

Being embarrassed was such a normal feeling. It was boring. Mundane. A white bread emotion. To have normal person concerns for just a moment was so deeply rejuvenating. Maybe she really could put this behind her.

"Good luck with that," Emily Bloom's voice whispered in her mind.

Melissa felt her heart sink and her blood run cold. There was a ball and chain attached to her ankle and she wasn't going anywhere.

For several seconds, the group sat in silence. Then, Bethany ruptured that silence in the most uncharacteristic way possible. She took her phone and threw it across the room.

"Goddamnit Ellie!" She cried.

Everyone stared at the girl, their jaws hanging open. Melissa found an odd comfort in this too. It was nice having the attention on someone else for once.

"My friend is an idiot. I need to go," Bethany said.

"What? You're kidding, right?" Eliza asked.

The redhead stood up and tried to block the door with her scrawny, five-foot three body. Bethany, at six feet, was a whole head taller than the girl. The juxtaposition was almost laughable.

"I'm not kidding. My friend is meeting up with some guy alone on campus. I'm going to provide cover just in case."

"What do you mean, just in case?" Eliza asked. "What, do you think someone might try to turn her?"

"Maybe. They tried to do that to Haley. Look, I just don't want her doing this alone. Besides, this guy is sketchy."

Eliza crossed her arms over her chest and stood her ground.

"So, you're going to put yourself at risk, in turn putting all of us at risk, for your idiot friend?" she said.

"Fine, I'll go with a buddy," Bethany grumbled, trying to get around the redhead.

"Oh great, so you'll put one of your friends at risk too. Great idea."

Bethany ran her fingers through her hair and rolled her eyes. Her entire body was tense, making her look powerful and dangerous. Melissa had never noticed just how tall her roommate was until that moment. Bethany usually slouched, but she was standing tall now.

A powerful tingle of attraction coursed through Melissa as she stared at the tall blonde. She tried to fight it back, but its presence was undeniable. Her encounter with the infected girls had ruptured something deep inside of Melissa and now all kinds of unpleasant thoughts were leaking out.

"Listen, Eliza. I get that I'm being a hypocrite and being selfish, but I'm going. Got that? One of you can come with me. Hell, all of you can come with me. I don't care. I'm going, okay?"

"I'll go!" Melissa said, the words leaping out of her mouth before she had a chance to think about them.

"See," Bethany said. "I've got a buddy, it'll be fine."

Eliza held her ground for another few seconds, but ultimately crumbled. She stalked off, muttering something about blondes and refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

There was a knock at the door. Bethany stepped up, stared through the peephole, and then opened the door on Jessie.

"Hey, did I miss anything?" She asked.

"Someone's being a selfish idiot!" Eliza responded; her face almost as red as her hair.

Bethany shook her head, clearly losing all semblance of patience.