The Warrior Worm Ch. 04

Author's Note: I'm a liar. I said that, due to life changes, I would not be publishing anything for a few months. Apparently that was not true. I have found time to write and have managed to push past my writer's block to finish this chapter. We'll see how far I get into the next chapter. I am working on a succubus focused standalone work concurrently with this series. Here's hoping I can make good progress on both works, but we'll see.

1 - It's Not Possible

When the venom wore off, the true agony began. Sharp tendrils pierced the flesh of Bonnie's crotch and rooted themselves deep inside her body. She hunched over the countertop and tried to scream, but the pain robbed her of her voice. The only meager relief she received was an odd, localized numbness around her clitoris. In absence of pain, she felt the methodical slicing and restitching of her flesh in granular detail. Pain would have been preferred.

In fairness to the worm, it seemed just as horrified as Bonnie. It lashed this way and that, flailing wildly as it realized that Bonnie wasn't the host it thought she was. It didn't know what to do with female biology, but it already rooted itself to her body. It hadn't detached itself from her, and Bonnie was beginning to think it couldn't. It was stuck, having wasted whatever mechanism it used to infect a host on Bonnie, a dud. She almost felt sorry for it.

Almost.

It was time for another attempt to pull it off. Bonnie braced herself for what was about to hit her. She had failed every other attempt when the pain became too much to bear. If only she could push past that barrier, she could drag herself to the hospital. By now, the damage to her crotch seemed catastrophic. No matter what happened, she had a long, painful road to recovery ahead of her.

"Three, two, one--HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!"

As soon as Bonnie tugged on the worm, her vision went blank and her body seized up. How could such a small thing cause her so much pain?

She tumbled to the ground and curled into a fetal position. There, she wept like a baby. There was nothing she could do.

I need to call 911.

Instantly, the same shrieking pain filled Bonnie. It didn't make sense. Physical stimulus was one thing, but how could this thing understand complex thoughts like that?

Bonnie tried to reach for her phone on the countertop, but once more she was defeated by a wave of pain. Her only hope was that someone found her in the morning. Hopefully, the damage wasn't too severe by then.

Slowly but surely, Bonnie lost consciousness as she shivered on the cold tile. A fever was coming over her, just as it did whenever she got the flu or strep. Perhaps it was an after effect of the venom.

As Bonnie faded, she clung to a single cold comfort. No matter how much this thing tore her up, it couldn't really infect her. Given everything she had witnessed and heard secondhand, it was almost certainly a biological impossibility.

"It's not possible," she muttered repeatedly until it became a dull, soothing mantra.

All the while, the parasite rooted itself deeper into her body.

2 - A Little Kiss

It was close to three in the morning and Brynn was freezing. She still felt too cold to sleep, and the few extra blankets Claire owned were now split between Brynn and Alex. She shivered like she was sick with something, and each shake made her boobs jiggle, which only emphasized the discomfort. After tossing and turning for a while, she finally stood up and marched to the kitchen for a warm drink.

Brynn wore a tight white belly tank top and a pair of stretchy gray jersey shorts that clung a little too close to her butt for comfort. Her chest was so distracting that it was easy to forget that the parasite changed other things as well. Her entire figure was transformed, forcing her to stand and walk differently. Her hips now swayed obnoxiously while she stepped, which was slowly driving her insane. The tight, revealing clothes only hammered home these changes further. Brynn was willing to give Claire's method an honest shot, but she was starting to get sick of it.

Halfway through making a chamomile liquorish brew (bleck!), Brynn heard someone speak and nearly screamed. She turned and saw Alex rising from the covers on the pullout sofa.

"Having trouble sleeping?"

Brynn nodded.

"I'm sorry for waking you. I totally forgot you were out here. I'll be out of your hair really soon."

"Don't rush," Alex shrugged. "You're not the only one who can't sleep."

"That sucks," Brynn wished she had something more insightful to say.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about everything."

"Why are you sorry?"

Alex stood up, grabbed his blanket, and walked over by Brynn. Before she knew it, he was wrapping the blanket around her. It was warm, soft, and it smelled like him. It felt like a little scrap of heaven wrapped around her body.

"Thank you," Brynn gushed. "Won't you be cold?"

"I'm not the one whose teeth are chattering. Besides, I have the opposite problem. I feel like I'm going to sweat out of my own skin."

Brynn wanted to kiss the man right then and there, and it was only by the barest shred of self control that she stopped herself. Why did he have to be so obnoxiously perfect?

You could have him right here and now if you wanted to, the dangerous little voice in her mind said.

"Why were you sorry?" Brynn asked, trying to change the subject.

"Where do I even begin? First of all, I'm sorry for the comments I made about your appearance earlier. That was gross and uncalled for. I was just so surprised - not in a bad way - not that I'm ogling you or anything. It's just," Alex paused, struggling to find the right words. "I remember when I first met you, and you were this sweet, adorable, brilliant little girl, and seeing you all grown up makes my head spin."

"I wasn't this grown up a few days ago," Brynn said as she dunked her teabag and held her breath. "I wasn't pretty."

"What the hell are you talking about? As far as I'm concerned, you were just as gorgeous then."

"You're just saying that."

"I'm not."

"I don't believe you."

Alex looked around furtively, "I'm going to tell you something. Do you promise not to tell your sister it? She would flip."

Brynn nodded.

"A few days ago, when I thought you were another intern and I told you we didn't have room? That was only partially true. I probably could have made room, but I didn't want to because," Alex winced. "You were way too pretty."

"You're just saying things now," Brynn felt like a puddle of warm goo.

"I'm actually not. You might not know this about me, but I was a bit of a womanizer before I met your sister. I'm in recovery, but temptation can be a bitch, and when I saw you walk in I knew I would be dealing with it all summer."

Brynn stared wide-eyed at the man. She couldn't believe he would admit such a thing to her. She still didn't fully believe him, but his voice seemed full of true angst.

"I'm sorry, that was not appropriate to tell you. It's super late and I'm not using my best judgement."

How easy would it be to just give him a little touch...

"What... else are you sorry for," Brynn said, running from her own temptations.

"For letting this happen to you. I knew something was wrong, but I let you go into the lion's den anyways."

"You couldn't have possibly known what would happen."

"Maybe, maybe not. I still feel guilty. We're going to make those creeps pay for what they did to you."

Brynn wondered what Shawn, Kaylee, and the others were up to at that moment. Was Shawn's friend fully transformed by now? She wondered if Shawn was happy with the results of his plan. She harbored zero resentment towards the boy and his tribe.

"They're just as much victims as I am. You should have seen me two nights ago... it wasn't pretty." Brynn noticed Alex's panic and backtracked. "I'm better now! The medication is working. I'm not gonna try to jump your bones or anything."

"That's good. I'm pretty sure Claire would kill me, resurrect me, and then kill me again if she walked in on that."

"Or kill me."

"Probably kill us both."

The two of them giggled. It was nice. For the first time, Brynn felt like she had a moment with the man of her dreams that wasn't trapped in her sister's shadow. Even better, Brynn no longer felt cold. She felt warm and fuzzy.

"Thanks for keeping me company, Alex," Brynn said.

Suddenly, that new, dangerous side of Brynn peeked out. Feeling bold, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before sauntering back to the guest room, swaddled in the blanket he gave her.

I'm going to make that man my husband, one way or another.

Had Brynn looked back, she might have noticed that her future 'husband' was tenting his shorts.

3 - Making Do

This was not the right host. This was a female.

The worm knew females well enough. After all, it came from one. It knew their smells and their sounds. The host was definitely a female.

The situation didn't compute for its small, primal brain. It needed male hormones and male sex organs to survive, and this host had none of those things. It nearly gave up and let itself drop dead, but a small impulse kept it going.

The worm remembered a voice. It was attuned to the sounds of humans, male and female, and could pick out individual voices with ease. The voice that whimpered and sobbed had once comforted it. It remembered fingers softly stroking it, relaxing its body. Most importantly, it remembered the blood. The sweet, vital liquor of life. That blood had nourished it when it was on the brink of salvation, and it knew no sweeter taste. That same taste filled it now. This host was not the male it needed, but it would have to do. In time, it would become a proper home.

The situation wasn't all bad. There were a few things to work with, foremost was the little nub above the female's entrance. Biology programmed the worm to recognize the fleshy stalks that jutted from the bodies of males, and while the nub was different in size and shape, its cells still meshed well with the worm's own. The fusion process was well underway, and while the nub provided much less material to work with, the worm's greatly increased size allowed it to compensate.

Under normal circumstances, the worm would be lodged inside the flesh stalk. From there, it would extend its tendrils down the soft canal into the vital orbs, where the true merging process would begin. The female host did not appear to possess the vital orbs, which was a terrible blow to the worm's plans. It needed those to produce the hormones to sustain and regulate itself, not to mention reproduction. There had to be something on the female that could work towards its ends.

The worm extended its tendrils deep into the slit below the nub. The canal was soft and wet, providing the worm with deep comfort. Deeper and deeper it plunged, looking for anything that might help it. Eventually, it found something - two somethings. They were much smaller than vital orbs, and they tasted strange. Still, the worm sensed promise in the little balls of flesh. Besides, it had no other choice. It plunged the tips of its feelers into the orbs and injected its virulent payload. Unbeknownst to the worm, a pathogen spread from itself to the female host. The true infection had just begun, kicking off a process of genetic mutation and cellular transformation.

After all, the worm was not one organism, but two in one. Soon enough, it would be three in one.

4 - Meathead Mondays

Jack wondered how late Bonnie worked the night before. He texted her a few times, but she never responded. This was unusual, but he tried to chalk it up to Bonnie's crazy work ethic. When she put her head down, she was unstoppable. It was one of many things that made her utterly incredible.

Jack was so absorbed in thoughts about his mentor that he failed to notice that another person had fallen in step with him.

"Heads up, Teagarden!"

Jack freaked and held up his hands to cover his face for protection, only to notice a moment later who it was.

Kit Lacourse was small, standing at a mere four feet and eleven inches. She was small and delicate too, with slender, soft limbs and a scrawny torso. Her curly, short hair was dyed in a rainbow gradient, adding to her ethereal appearance. When Jack first met her at the start of summer, he assumed she was a flowy, quirky fairy. How wrong he was.

Kit's eyes were the one thing that revealed her true nature. They blazed with blue fire. Kit was always picking fights, especially with the various meatheads that lingered on campus during the summer. In fact, Jack was one of the few boys the tiny lesbian didn't have a problem with.

"You look out of it, Jack. What's up?"

"It's nothing," Jack didn't know where to even begin.

"It doesn't look like nothing. Come on, out with it."

Kit essentially forced Jack into friendship. On one hand, she was pushy and rude and constantly forced herself into his space. On the other hand, that was the kind of assertiveness Jack needed in a friend most of the time, so it all worked out.

"I'm just worried about my mentor. We've been researching a new species of parasite and she's been pulling long nights. Now I can't get a hold of her. I'm sure it's nothing, but it still freaks me out a little."

"Aww, you're worried about her. That's so sweet."

"I guess. I just need to get to the lab and see her there, and then I can take a big, deep breath of relief."

Jack took a step and then felt an impact on his head that made everything go numb. He saw stars and nearly collapsed to the ground. Luckily, Kit caught him, struggling with all her might to keep him on his feet. Jack wasn't a big guy by any stretch, but Kit felt like little more than skin and bones underneath him.

Deep, hearty giggles echoed from off in the distance. Jack looked up to see Zander and Brett, two ridiculously buff meatheads that lived in a house off campus. It was the strangest thing. At the start of the summer, Jack remembered seeing the duo, and didn't remember them being anywhere near as physically imposing. They must have been doing steroids.

A football wobbled on the ground beneath Jack's feet. Apparently, this was the culprit for the blow to his head. As he stared at the damned thing, the two jocks mozied over and grabbed it.

"Hey, you fucking assholes, what was that?" Kit shrieked. "Apologize!"

Kit was rough around the edges, but when push came to shove, she was a real one.

The two boys looked Kit up and down in a way that made Jack's skin crawl. It was like they were appraising her.

"She looks like she'd be pretty tight," Zander said.

"What are you, gay? She looks like a dude!"

Kit turned bright red, but her fury remained. She rushed forward and jabbed her finger right into Brett's chest hard enough to repel him an inch.

"I'm not a fucking dude! Men are selfish, piggish, shitty creatures who only think with their dicks."

Like a tiger pouncing on its prey, Brett grabbed Kit's arm and twisted it backwards. The girl squeaked and then went limp.

"I only think with my dick, huh? What do you think my dick is thinking now?"

"Ugh, let go!"

Zander closed in and grabbed the other arm. For the first time, Kit looked terrified. She dwindled into a fearful mouse that could only whimper while caught in the grasp of the two giants.

"Didn't you say she looked like a dude?" Zander crooned.

Brett merely shrugged.

"Once we get into her, she'll look better. Besides, you're probably right. She looks tight as fuck."

Jack froze as he realized what was happening. They were going to rape his friend, right here in the open.

"Suh-uh-stop!" He managed to say.

The pair fixed him with icy glares.

"Get out of here, fag."

The slur cut Jack like a hot blade, but it also broke him out of his funk. Suddenly, he was just as pissed as Kit.

In the distance, Jack saw a public safety officer milling about. He immediately called the guy over. At first, the officer didn't budge, but finally he approached when he caught sight of the boys looming over Kit.

"What seems to be the problem here?" The officer said.

By then, the two boys had unhanded Kit, who still looked petrified. She trembled like a drowned rat.

Before Jack could fill the officers in, the two boys pounced on the situation.

"We're just rough housing. You know, horse play?"

The officer turned to Jack, "Why did you call me over?"

From the glint in Kit's eyes, it was clear she was regaining her courage. She was ready to go on a war path. Unfortunately, Jack saw the situation clearer. There was darkness in the eyes of their attackers. They would make Jack and Kit pay later if they tattled.

"I... just wanted to know how to get to the athletic building."

"That's why you called me over?"

Kit looked as flabbergasted as the officers.

"I got lost and was getting worried."

The officer gave Jack the instructions and then walked off in a huff. When he was out of sight, the two boys patted Jack on the back hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

"Good call, amigo. You're cooler than we thought. See you freaks around."

By some miracle, the duo walked off, leaving Jack and Kit alone.

"What the fuck was that?" Kit fumed. "Let me guess, bros before hos? I never should have stood up for you."

She had every right to be angry, but Jack needed to explain.

"I was standing up for you."

"How?!"

"I've been beaten, shoved in lockers, and called every slur in the book, Kit. Trust me, tattling never helps. Those guys would have done something way worse if we told the truth. I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt on my account."

Kit's expression softened.

"Let me guess, you've lived through this exact situation plenty of times before?"

Jack nodded.

"Yeah, me too. It sucks," Kit sighed. "You're probably right, but I just get so pissed. Seriously, fuck those guys. Typical men, always acting like entitled, violent pigs."

"We're not all bad, I swear!"

"You might be the only good one. Here's my spot, I'll see you around," the two of them shook hands, which felt too formal for what they just went through, but it was the only thing either of them could think to do. "I hope you find your boss, Jack."

"Yeah, me too."

When Jack got to the lab, he found it empty.

5 - Conditioning

By some small miracle, Bonnie made it home early that morning. She ran no less than three stop signs and two redlights, and only managed to avoid being pulled over due to the early hour and empty roads. Then again, being stopped would have been a blessing. She couldn't force herself to go to the hospital, but maybe a cop could.

Instead, Bonnie stumbled into her apartment in a delirium. Her fever was worse than ever, rivaling the worst illnesses she ever experienced. She struggled to walk as her vision transformed into a chaotic storm of shapes and colors, cut through with lightning bursts of pain.

I have to get it off. Even if I have to cut it out, I have to-

The parasite responded to the thought immediately with a blistering wave of agony. Bonnie sank to her knees and sobbed quietly to herself for several minutes. She had a doctorate and decades of schooling under her belt, yet a small, mindless little creature was now controlling her thoughts. It was a maddening situation.

Water... maybe I can drown it.

Oddly enough, the thought triggered zero pain. Taking the opportunity, Bonnie struggled to her feet and made a beeline to the bathroom. She yanked her clothes off in a mad rush, but stopped in her tracks when she pulled her pants down and saw what was waiting for her.

The worm was longer by more than an inch, and thicker too. Its bulbous head flared like a purplish mushroom. The phallic resemblance was undeniable, but its worm nature was still obvious. The surface was similar to human skin, but a little too smooth. A slight sheen of slime coated the surface.

Bonnie gently lifted the worm, taking care not to jostle too much, lest she incur its wrath. There was no pain, but she did feel a slight stirring deep within her as she touched the parasite. What she saw underneath the worm disturbed her more than the worm itself. She could clearly see that the worm had rooted its base into her crotch. Its flesh sat flush to her skin, and when she gingerly pressed against the seam, she felt a firm, fibrous structure underneath. By now, the parasite was deeply rooted into Bonnie's lower body, and even surgical removal seemed doubtful. At the very least, she was likely to come away from the experience infertile. Bonnie never planned on having kids, but didn't like the idea of the choice being ripped away from her.

The fleshy stalks at the base of the worm now protruded into Bonnie's vagina. She could feel them deep inside of her, filling her entire birth canal and then some. Just the sight of the invasion made her want to hurl. With each passing second, the urge to rip the damn things out grew. Finally, she gave it a (gentle) try.

This time, the pain was different. It wasn't the blazing, mind-numbing fire the worm conjured whenever Bonnie did something it didn't like. Instead, it felt like a deep, twinging ache in her core. Her insides felt wrong, somehow, like they were swollen and misshapen. It puzzled Bonnie why the stalks chose her vagina to hide. She remembered that the cellular makeup of those stalks resembled that of testicles. What had been a clinical observation previously now cut her through with terror. Obviously, her body was completely incompatible with the parasite. That was clearer now than ever before. That didn't mean the parasite couldn't do a lot of damage while trying to make her body work.

Quickly, Bonnie turned on the water and angled her crotch into the stream. As she watched the fleshy stalk wiggle about on her crotch, she was suddenly overwhelmed with a gut wrenching sense of wrongness. The worm really did look like a penis now - her penis, as ridiculous as that sounded in her mind. It was an alien, profane attachment that transformed her entire lower body with its presence.

Drown it, Bonnie. Drown it!

Bonnie grabbed the spout and brought it as close to the worm's head as possible, hoping that the torrential stream of water would drown the creature. The parasite twitched and wiggled, but otherwise seemed unbothered. It occurred to Bonnie then that the worm likely received all of the oxygen it needed from her bloodstream.

That's why it didn't react when I went for the water.

A manic terror overcame Bonnie then. She was not going to let this thing control her every thought and action. She needed to get it off, pain be damned.

It was Bonnie's best attempt yet. She yanked as hard as her soft, relatively unathletic build would allow. The pain rose to meet her, but it wasn't quite as sharp as it had been. For a brief moment, Bonnie tasted victory, then the moment passed as she encountered a new problem. The worm was simply too deeply rooted to disgorge. A substantial portion of its body jutted into her innards. Her earlier fears were fully realized. Removal was impossible without surgery.

Bonnie sat down and let the water rush over her. She had exhausted all options - all rational ones at least. She wished she could explain the futility of the situation to the worm, as ridiculous as that sounded when she truly considered it.

"Please, Rex. I don't want to fight you anymore. I'm not the right kind of host. You're not going to be able to do what you want to do. Please let me go to the hospital. I promise I'll try to keep you alive and-"

The pain ended the negotiation immediately. It returned sharper than ever before, zapping Bonnie's consciousness for several seconds.

"Fine... you win."

This time, the parasite responded with a rush of sweet, calming euphoria. The soothing sensation washed over Bonnie's body, relaxing every muscle. She even felt a strange, phantom tingle between her legs. It was a fleeting sensation, and one that Bonnie nearly missed among the rush of relief, but it stood out to her, because she felt it in the space inches above the base of her crotch. It was there and gone again in an instant, and Bonnie shook it off as a hallucination.

The sensation gradually faded, leaving Bonnie feeling somewhat refreshed. The message was clear: fight back and you'll suffer. Obey and you'll feel good.

It's conditioning me.

Bonnie tried to puzzle out how such a simple organism could engage in such complex manipulations when her stomach began to rumble. She hadn't eaten a proper meal in over twelve hours, but even so, the hunger she suddenly felt was unlike anything she ever experienced before. Before she knew it, she was running naked and wet to the kitchen to dive into an unopened bag of mozzarella cheese. Within a minute, she cleared the entire two pound bag. The worm rewarded her for her effort with another wave of euphoria. The pleasure only lasted for a handful of seconds before the hunger rushed back in like floodwaters.

Bonnie cleared her fridge within half an hour. Only then did her hunger sink to the background. Her belly bulged as if she were a few months pregnant. She never stuffed herself like this before and she should have felt miserable, but the pain seemed blunted somehow. Instead, she felt the gentle, soft euphoria of the worm's reward. Filled to the brim, she stumbled to her bedroom and collapsed.

"Rex... what are you doing to me?"

Bonnie wrapped her fingers around the worm between her legs. She didn't try to yank it off this time. She was done fighting, instead holding out for the distant hope that someone would find her and rescue her. Now, she just wanted to get a handle on her situation. This alien thing was now attached to her body in ways that seemed to defy normal biology.

As Bonnie touched the worm, she felt another wave of euphoric calm. She swore she felt another phantom tingle in the fleshy tube, but tried to dismiss it. Rex was conditioning her again, letting her know this was a good touch. At this point, she didn't care. She just wanted to close her eyes and not be for a while.

Soon, Bonnie tumbled into a deep, dreamless sleep. While she shut down, Rex woke up. The worm wiggled and bounced as it worked its flesh ever deeper into Bonnie's body. The infection was well underway, and now there was a glut of fresh calories for it to use. The host was the hardest challenge the worm's kind had ever encountered, but hardship drove innovation. As it changed Bonni, it too changed. New genetic pathways were opening, paving the way for incredible new adaptations.

6 - The Kidnapping

The worst part of having big tits was that it was nearly impossible to hide them. Brynn supposed she could hide her new puppies under heavy layers, but the scorching Florida sun made that a death sentence. Instead, she was forced to sit outside the cafe in a skin tight t-shirt with a neckline that scooped deeper than she liked. So far, ninety percent of the men that walked by had given her chest a glance.

There were brief moments where Brynn felt the confidence Claire spoke of, but those moments were few and far between. With the medication suppressing the infection, Brynn no longer had alien courage pumping through her veins. She felt clumsy and exposed all the time.

"I can't believe dingbat is running behind. He just had to shower," Claire fumed.

"He's not the only one running late," Brynn felt compelled to defend Alex, even if she was a little annoyed as well.

The breakfast was supposed to be a touchbase between all involved parties, but Bonnie seemed to be a no-show. Somehow, this didn't concern Claire.

"Bonnie gets tunnel vision whenever she has a new project. I kinda figured she wouldn't come. Honestly, this shindig is more of an opportunity for you to get out and get to know your new self more than anything."

"Great."

"Keep your head up, Sis. You'll be used to it in no time. I'm going to order, what do you want?"

"I'll just take a hot decaf tea. I'm not hungry."

That was another effect of the medication. As much as Brynn wanted to imagine the medication was helping, it made everything feel so flat and lifeless.

"Suit yourself," Claire disappeared inside the cafe, leaving Brynn to her thoughts - and her chest.

Brynn was so wrapped up in her thoughts, that she failed to notice when someone sat across from her at the table. It wasn't until she heard his voice that she realized what deep shit she was in.

"Hello, beautiful," Shawn said.

***

Given how late Alex was running, Claire figured she had time to run to pee. With it being late morning, the cafe was mostly cleared out, and the bathrooms were in a side hall that was particularly abandoned. He must have followed her at a distance. He pounced when she emerged.

The first thing Claire felt were two powerful arms wrapping around her waist. A musky, not unpleasant scent flooded her nostrils. The terror froze her in place at first, but it was soon replaced by indignation as her assailant started exploring her body.

"Damn, these milkers are even bigger than Shawn promised!" The voice was deep, but cracky, as if it hadn't quite settled yet.

Claire started to scream, but her attacker haphazardly slapped a massive hand over her mouth to silence her.

"Come on, don't fight it. You're gonna be even hotter once I pump you full of my spunk. You'll feel so good, too."

Fighting was useless. The man holding Claire was huge, and immensely powerful. She could feel tight cords of muscle twitching against her back. She would have to find another way to get free.

Luckily, Claire had the motions for her phone passcode memorized well enough. She reached into her pocket, unlocked the phone, and surreptitiously pulled it out. If she could just fire off one text, maybe she could alert Brynn to what was happening.

The attacker was fondling Claire's right breast so hard, it felt like it was going to pop. It was humiliating, but Claire had been through worse. She just hoped the horny freak was too distracted to realize she had pulled out her phone.

Unfortunately, fine motor skills and stealth were far more difficult under duress. Try as she might to hide her phone by her waist, her attacker quickly caught on.

"What do we have here?"

Claire's attacker moved like a striking cobra, switching his hands and snatching up her phone. She managed to let out one sharp yelp as his left hand briefly left her mouth, but it didn't seem to do anything, as the cafe remained mostly silent.

"Naughty girl! I can't have you calling for help... not before I plant my seed at least. Hmm, is this your sister? Damn, she's cute! No wonder Shawn won't shut up about her."

Claire's blood ran cold at the mention of the intern's name. This brought the infection into matters, raising the stakes exponentially. Immediately, Claire started to struggle, but the man easily kept her subdued.

"Who's this chick? Bonnie Huntsman," the man scrolled to Claire's conversation with Bonnie. "Damn, she's fine too! So soft and curvy. This is a mighty interesting conversation. I guess you guys know all about us, but you should get this through your heads: we don't need your help. Hmm, maybe I should pay this hot scientist chick a visit when I'm done with you. I'd love to do some 'research' with her."

Shit, I just gave away the whole damn goose!

Finally, Claire heard footsteps. They were heavy and hard, full of panic and nervous power. They didn't match Brynn's at all. A man burst into the bathroom hallway, his arm upraised. It was Alex, come to her rescue.

The cloud of pepper spray burned like hell, turning the whole world into a painful blur. Claire wanted to punch Alex, but his little stunt did work. The attacker let go and shrieked as he clutched at his eyes.

Alex grabbed Claire by the wrist and pulled her out of the hallway.

"Where's Brynn?" he asked in a panic. "We need to get her to safety."

"What do you mean?" Claire groped about, trying to get her bearings. All of a sudden, her blurry world was very bright. "She was outside the cafe."

"Shit!"

"She's not here? Oh God."

"There's no time to lose," Alex grabbed Claire by the wrist and dragged her down the street.

As she walked, her vision cleared, as did her mind. In the chaos, she left her phone behind. Those boys now knew about Bonnie and the lab. They probably couldn't crack her phone passcode to learn more, but it was enough information to get them started.

Stay safe, Bonnie. We're counting on you.

Little did Claire know that the infection had already claimed her friend.

7 - Infection

It was a strange turn of events. Upon initial infection, the male strain was injected into the female host's gonads in a desperate attempt to make her body suitable. However, the presence of female hormones also caused the dormant female strain to awaken and release into the bloodstream as well. For the first time in history, both strains were present within the same host. The results were unprecedented.

Alone, the male stain was incompatible with the female genetics and struggled to properly infect the host. The female strain could infect the female host, but chemicals released by the parasitic body blocked its progression. Infection seemed deadlocked until stray viral bodies of the female strain entered the ovaries to attempt infection. Here, they encountered the male strain and genetic crossover took place.

The resulting hybrid was the best of both worlds. It shared the ability to infect female hosts with the female strain, allowing it to properly bond with the ovaries and rewrite genes. Physiological changes triggered by both strains compounded in the new hermaphroditic strain, paving the way for a female host that could fulfill all of the biological needs of the male strain.

With the hybrid created, the infection pushed full steam ahead. The ovaries were infected in earnest, kicking off dramatic physiological changes that would soon percolate to the rest of the body.

The female host slept, blissfully unaware that her very genetic essence was being rewritten. The blueprint of her body was being reworked in the interest of the parasite sprouting from between her legs. She tossed and turned, still gripping the worm in her sleep. Occasionally, she stroked the growing parasite and moaned. Had she known just how intertwined her nervous system was becoming with this invasive, alien creature, she might have panicked, but the call of sleep was too strong.

The host slept, and transformed.

8 - Showdown

"Come on, stop fighting me."

Shawn buried his face in the crook of Brynn's neck, forcing his musky scent right into her nostrils. Only a few days ago, this would have been enough to make her lose control. Now she felt nothing. No stirring between her legs. No flutter in her chest. Her world was flat and gray.

"Please stop," Brynn muttered. "I don't want this."

They were the words of a robot following a procedure. She didn't really mean them. She didn't want to have sex either. It was an odd middle ground.

"Don't lie. I know how freaky you are," Shawn groped Brynn's heavy right breast. "After I gave you these, you turned into quite the little slut."

For a brief window, the breasts Shawn bestowed on Brynn had been as sensitive as her clit. Now they just hurt. There was nothing appealing about the boy's touch. It was harsh and invasive.

"Why are you doing this? I thought you had the love of your life."

Shawn's expression darkened, peaking Brynn's curiosity. After everything the boy had done to her, Brynn still felt drawn to him. She pitied him, and more than that, felt a deep desire to nurture him. He was a beast, but there was pain in his heart.

"She isn't who I thought she would be," he said. "That's why I'm here. I know who you are. I know I like you."

Brynn tried to push him away, "I'm not your sloppy seconds."

"Who said anything about sloppy seconds? Even before you transformed, you were one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen. So different and striking. Now look at you. You're a goddess."

"I bet your crush is just as hot."

Shawn fixed her with a glare that burned like the sun. In it, Brynn withered like a spring flower in hot July.

"There isn't a single girl in our tribe that compares to you. Your face, your body, even your smell. All are superior."

That put a flutter in Brynn's heart. Her body seemed utterly incapable of sexual desire at the moment, but her spirit was another story entirely.

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not. Ever since we left off, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I went after the wrong girl."

Shawn pulled Brynn's shirt up, revealing the big, bubbly swells to the late morning air. She panicked for a moment that someone would see her new body, but the alley they were in was abandoned. There was something oddly satisfying about the feeling of her blossomed womanhood squishing against the boy's muscular torso. She couldn't feel horny, but she certainly could feel sexy, and that was an alien, addicting feeling indeed. There was so much more of her now, and it was all concentrated in the right places. Places that swelled and bulged, curving her body to the perfect shape for the male gaze.

"Don't make the same mistake I did. You're chasing an ideal while ignoring reality. We could make it work," Shawn caressed her breasts softly. "I could make you very happy."

At that moment, Brynn believed him, but then she remembered the parasites coursing through his body. As long as Shawn was infected, all of his good qualities would be submerged under the darkness of infection.

"You need help, Shawn. You all do."

"Are you insane? Does it look like I need help?"

"I needed help, and I got it. The doctors gave me medication and I feel-" empty, flat, lifeless. "A lot more like myself. They can help you too."

"So that's why you aren't in the mood. They've given you poison to suppress who you really are. Looks like I'll have to give you an extra large dose of my own medicine, then!"

Shawn twirled Brynn around like a ballerina, then bent her over and yanked her shorts down. Even the hot Florida air felt too cold and exposed on her buttocks.

"Goddamn, a skinny white girl like you has no business having an ass this fat!"

Brynn wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Why did he have to say such nasty things? Wasn't enough for him to claim her body? Brynn just hoped that the ordeal would end relatively quickly and her next dose of medicine would kill the incoming gush of parasites.

"We can help you, Shawn. We have a friend who is a scientist. She's trying to understand this thing better. If you just let her help."

"She huh? I'll have to pay her a visit after I finish with you. Can't have you guys ruining the party, after all."

Damn it, Brynn. Why couldn't you just keep your mouth shut? Now Bonnie is in danger.

"No, please don't! We're trying to help. We're..." Brynn clammed up when she felt the head of Shawn's cock against her entrance.

"Open sesame!"

Just when Brynn gave up all hope, she heard a voice that made her heart sing.

"Get away from her!" Alex shouted.

Brynn saw her love standing there like a knight in shining armor. On one hand, he seemed so small and frail compared to Shawn. On the other, he was unbothered, making him seem like a true hero. He held up a bottle of pepper spray as his sword.

"Make me, little man!" Shawn snarled.

Alex looked ready to throw fists with the beast, which only drove Brynn's heart wilder. Luckily, Claire stepped in to truly save the day.

"We called the police after what your friend pulled. If I were you, I would make like him and get the hell out of her before things get ugly."

Shawn was so pissed, he looked ready to charge at the pair, but he finally pulled away from Brynn and backed down the alley. Immediately, Brynn took the opportunity to rush into her savior's arms. Alex pulled her in tight, bringing her to a level of euphoria unlike anything in her life.

My hero.

Shawn watched the scene unfold. As he did, a dark smirk crossed his lips.

"Don't make the same mistake I did."

With that, he rushed away, leaving Brynn feeling even hollower than before.

9 - Rage

To say Bonnie woke up on the wrong side of the bed was the understatement of the century. She was pissed, and the worst part about it was she had no idea why. The rage was all consuming and blinding.

Perhaps it was the constant pinging of her cellphone. She grabbed her phone and nearly shattered it with her wrathful grip. Through bleary eyes, she saw half a dozen text messages from Jack Teagarden. His dopey, delicate boy face smiled from the little round profile pic next to his name. As soon as she saw that face, she wanted to punch it.

"That little bitch, why is he texting me?"

The texts told the story of a boy melting down into increasing worry and concern. The last one said it all.

"I'm really worried about you. Just realized the big worm is missing. Please tell me you are okay! P. S. I'll stay here until six in case you show up."

Why did that little shit constantly hover around her? He was an intern, not her son. He never left her alone. Was the sick little freak into her? No, that couldn't be it. He admitted he didn't like girls. There had to be another reason, right?

Wait, why am I thinking like this?

The anger was bizarre, but Bonnie couldn't shake it. She could feel it pumping into her veins from somewhere deep in her core.

"What's wrong with me?"

Bonnie got her answer immediately as she felt something stir between her legs.

"Rex?"

The worm grew while Bonnie slept. It was bigger and more phallic than ever, extending nearly six inches from Bonnie's crotch. The seam between its flesh and Bonnie's skin was much harder to make out. The sheen of slime was gone from the surface of the parasite, further contributing to the illusion that it was just another part of Bonnie's body. A large, disgusting, male part.

Heidi, the trans lab tech, had once described gender dysphoria to Bonnie. She said it was like having an unbridgeable gap between her body as it was and how she felt it should be. It was like your physical self was a costume you didn't want to wear. As Bonnie gazed at the phallic parasite between her legs, she began to understand what Heidi meant. This thing wasn't supposed to be here. This wasn't her. This wasn't right.

In a panic, Bonnie once more grabbed the worm to yank it off. She winced as she did so, remembering how it reacted every other time she tried. Instead of pain, however, she was met with a subtler, yet infinitely more disturbing. Bonnie felt pressure. Not only could she feel her fingers touching the worm's body, but she could feel the worm itself. Her consciousness now bubbled up from her crotch into the length of the alien creature. As she gripped it, she started to feel that giddy, sparkly tingle she dismissed as a hallucination previously. The sensation intensified until it hovered in a confusing, ever changing place between pain and pleasure. She had to let go because it was so intense.

"This can't be possible."

These sensations were only possible if the worm integrated itself with Bonnie's nervous system, which was a biological impossibility. Bonnie couldn't think of a single parasite on the planet that integrated with its host so thoroughly. Even without touching the worm, she could feel it, not as an alien attachment, but as an intimate part of her just like her arms and legs.

The worm twitched and wiggled slightly as if to remind Bonnie that it was in fact a foreign entity. This only deepened the horror of the connection.

As Bonnie stared at the gruesome new attachment, she became aware of an intense itchiness beneath it. She gingerly lifted the worm, wincing at the intensity of the light touch, and saw something that boggled her mind. The worm's basal tendrils had splintered into dozens of little offshoots while Bonnie slept. Those branches stitched themselves into the skin of Bonnie's labia, fusing it shut. Effectively, Bonnie no longer had a vagina. She gently traced the merged crease and felt the same shudder-inducing neural reflex. Apparently, these parts of the worm had joined with her nervous system as well.

There was a violent twinge deep inside of Bonnie's core. At first, she thought it was more of Rex's conditioning, but the pain wasn't attached to any particular thought or action, and it didn't go away immediately either. She clutched her lower abdomen and noticed a distinctive bulge. There was some kind of mass or swelling in her abdomen, and as she focused on it, she began to notice how tight and full her lower body felt, as if it were stretching to encompass something large.

"Oh God, what's happening to me?!"

There was a shock of pain, and this time it really was Rex's conditioning. He didn't approve of Bonnie's horror.

"Rex, stop! Please stop! I'm not the right host for you. All you're doing is-ugh!"

Apparently, Rex didn't agree. He blasted Bonnie with the worst wave of pain yet, causing her to sink to her knees and begin to weep.

"I'm not right! This isn't going to work, and you're just going to hurt us--"

Another blast of pain. Such thoughts were not allowable according to Rex. It was a maddening situation. How was she supposed to convince such a simple creature, one with such a powerful biological drive, that it was barking up the wrong tree?

Suddenly, a fresh dose of terror flooded Bonnie's mind. What if she wasn't the wrong tree? The parasite had already made terrifying strides in joining with her body. Its nervous system was perfectly integrated with Bonnie's, and it had clearly triggered physiological changes both internally and externally. How far could the worm run before it hit a biological wall?

That thought suddenly triggered a rush of euphoria. This was a thought Rex loved. Yes, Bonnie was a good host. Of course she was! The worm had bonded with her just fine. It was taking a little longer to get where it needed, but it would get to its destination eventually.

"No! That's not possible-argh!"

Another blast of pain.

Is it possible?

Another wave of euphoria. Against her will, Bonnie felt her own desires and distastes reshaping to fit the worm's preferences.

Bonnie's phone pinged with another message from Jack. The poor guy was freaking out.

Can you please respond?! I'm having a panic attack here. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you mad at me? Just say something!

Bonnie started to type a response when the rage returned. It pumped through her blood like acid. Just the look of the boy's dopey, freckled face made Bonnie violently angry.

He's competition. Why do you think he's been clinging to your side so much? He wants to learn all of your tricks and then take your place.

It was an insane thought, but once it wormed into Bonnie's mind, she couldn't get it out. She had worked so hard to get to where she was. She was one of the most accomplished scientists in her field, and this little runt thought he could just ride her coattails?

"No, this is crazy!"

Rex hit her with another blast of pain. The agony mixed with the rage so that Bonnie's entire being was pure agitation.

"That little bitch! Ugh, no, what am I... ARGH! Why is he so obsessed with me?! I need to.. need to... need to..."

There was a stirring between Bonnie's legs. She looked down in time to see the worm steadily rising and stiffening with a series of pumps. A giddy, tingly rush surged up the length as blood filled its body. Bonnie gripped it and gasped as unspeakable thoughts fluttered into her mind.

"I need to teach him a lesson!"

***

"Staying late?" Heidi asked from the doorway.

Jack was close to tears, but he didn't want to show it, so he turned away from the lab tech as he spoke.

"I'm still hoping she'll at least respond."

"I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for why she hasn't yet. Bonnie's a pretty level headed gal."

"Thanks, Heidi. I appreciate it." Heidi said before stepping out, leaving Jack alone in the facility.

The tech's words brought little comfort, but Jack still appreciated them. He was holding onto every bit of hope he could. His brain kept coming back to the fact that one of the worms - the biggest worm was missing. Sure, maybe there was a 'reasonable explanation', but Jack could think of a more likely one. Some dude stumbled into the lab and got himself infected by that damn thing, then responded by attacking Bonnie.

The outrage of that scenario burned Jack's soul like acid. In the short time he knew Bonnie Huntsman, she had ascended to one of the highest spots in his heart. There was something so effortlessly lovable about the woman's personality. She was humble enough to make Jack feel completely comfortable in her presence, but wicked smart enough to be a constant inspiration.

Bonnie was also one of the few women Jack was truly attracted to. Not sexually, mind you. It was more that he basked in her beauty.

As Jack sat there at the counter, he suddenly got the distinct impression he wasn't alone. When he looked up at the doorway, he nearly screamed. There, standing in the doorway, was a pale, haggard figure with messy dark hair and a glowering face. It took him several seconds to realize who it was.

"Bonnie?!"

The woman Jack admired most suddenly twisted into a violent rage. Her entire face changed into a mask of wrath and destruction. She moved before he could process what was happening.

Jack was taller than Bonnie, and slightly bulkier too, but his slight strength advantage mattered little. She was on the attack and he barely realized he needed to defend himself. As she lunged at him, she grabbed a beaker from the countertop and smashed it over the young man's head. Immediately, he dropped, but Bonnie wasn't done. She kicked him repeatedly while he was done, bruising him badly.

"Stop it, please! Why are you doing this?"

"I know I never should have trusted you. You were just trying to use me! You were just," Bonnie suddenly cradled her head with her hands and cried out.

"Bonnie?"

"Oh God, what have I done? Why am I doing this?"

The two of them stared at each other in disbelief. For a moment, Bonnie was her old self, realizing with horror that she had given into the worm's conditioning and rage to hurt someone she cared about.

"I'm sorry..."

The worm reasserted itself. An obscene bulge formed in Bonnie's shorts to announce its attachment to the woman. Bonnie clutched at it as if to hold it back, but nothing could stop it. The flared mushroom head surged up out of the waistband of her shorts. As it emerged, Bonnie instinctively gripped it and gave it an unconscious stroke.

Jack gaped at what he saw. The mystery of where the large worm went was solved, but the answer only led to a bigger question. How could a parasite that showed no interest in Bonnie a day ago now be attached to her body?

There wasn't much time to dwell on the technical questions. Something was happening to Bonnie's body. The scientist clutched at her abdomen as a considerable mass twitched under the surface. By the sounds of her moans, she seemed to be in immense discomfort, and it soon became clear why.

"Oh God, it's tearing me apart!"

The twitching mass rolled down Bonnie's abdomen. She clutched at what Jack assumed was her vagina, however in the next moment, his assumption was turned upside down. The mass, or rather masses, stretched the skin around Bonnie's womanly entrance, reshaping it into a decidedly unladylike sack. The obscene new organs filled Bonnie's grasping hands. Jack couldn't help but blush as he recognized what they were. They dwarfed his own, with each one nearing the size of a ripe avocado.

"This can't be happening! It's not possible!"

Bonnie started to convulse as she cupped her newly descended testicles. The balls pulsated in her hands, as if they were pumping her body full of poison. Then, as soon as the seizure started, it stopped. Bonnie went still and closed her eyes. Her left hand slowly and methodically curled around the worm. She didn't touch it as if it were an alien, invasive attachment, but instead as if it were her most intimate part.

"Buh-Buh-Bonnie?"

When Bonnie opened her big brown eyes again, it was clear she was no longer in control. There was a feral, wild fire to them now. Jack knew he needed to run, but fear froze him in place. When Bonnie descended on him, he knew he needed to fight, but he couldn't bring himself to. He couldn't hurt her, not after everything she had done for him. In the end, Jack simply gave himself to her.

He was forced onto his belly and his pants were pulled down. He felt so exposed and emasculated, but there was a tiny, naughty part of him that felt a little excited. After all, this wasn't some random woman-turned-man. This was Bonnie, a woman Jack practically worshipped. He spent so many nights wishing life had made the two of them compatible like this, and now life was forcing the issue.

The worm pressed against the cleft of Jack's buttocks. It twitched and wiggled just enough to remind him that it was not a human sex organ, but instead a living animal. Then Bonnie thrust and Jack forgot this fact entirely. With the worm embedded in his rectum, the illusion of it as a penis became totalizing.

The groan from Bonnie's lips was so primal that it made her voice seem unrecognizable. Jack was used to a woman of near perfect composure, not a howling beast. Then the sex began in earnest. It started as an awkward series of slow, ragged thrusts. After all, Bonnie still had the mind of a woman even as she grappled with her new male urges. However, each new buck of her hips smoothed things along until the pair were locked in a proper breeding rut.

Bonnie bent over and whispered in Jack's ear. He could smell her sweat and perfume (mint and vanilla). He smelled something darker too; a chemical fragrance that signalled Bonnie's new role as a dominant male.

"I needed this, Jack. Thank you!"

In that moment, Jack tried to find an ounce of shame within him. He couldn't find a trace. This was exactly where he wanted to be. After so many years, the boy who never understood sex finally got it. He found his purpose: to please Bonnie Huntsman in any way possible.

The infection was more than happy to help him in that endeavor.

10 - Hallway Heartbreak

"Alex? Thank you."

Claire hugged Alex as tightly as she could. His familiar scent rushed back over her like a warm blanket.

"No sweat."

"No!" Claire looked right into his eyes. "Don't sell yourself short. Things could have really gone sideways today, but you stood strong the entire time. It meant the world to me, and it meant the same for Brynn. You made her feel so safe."

"All I did was spray and pray with some pepper spray. You're the one who did all the heavy lifting."

After all these years, the doofus was still insufferably humble where it counted. Alex never spared a moment to brag about the bass he caught as a teenager or his three point shot, but when it came to being an honest to god hero, he did everything he could to avoid the praise. It was a quality that drove Claire crazy, but it also made her love him.

"Shush, you were a hero!"

Claire looked into Alex's eyes and suddenly saw something she hadn't seen in a very long time. That flutter in her heart turned into a whole field of butterflies. She leaned in, hoping Alex would catch her drift.

He did.

Their kiss was soft and sweet and so familiar like a long forgotten treat from childhood. Claire felt his heat wash over her and knew she needed it back in her life.

Alex resisted Claire's kiss for a moment; just long enough to fill the woman's heart with panic. Then he embraced her. After a few wet, needy seconds, it was clear neither of them would be satisfied with kissing alone. Alex took Claire by the hand and led her to the bedroom, just as he had so many times before. He had an annoying habit of being an insufferable gentleman in moments like these, and Claire couldn't help but blush like a school girl.

Neither of them heard the choked whimper at the end of the hall, nor did they hear the rush of footsteps, nor the quiet weeping in the living room. They broke a heart that night, and set off a domino.

11 - An Exceptional Host

The worm's initial fears and apprehensions were proven wrong. This was indeed an exceptional host.

The infection process took longer than it would have with a male host, but the end product was the same in every way that mattered. The host now produced everything the worm needed for life and reproduction.

For the lifeform, a whole new world now opened up. It could now target males and females in both infection forms, opening the door to many more potential hosts. Even more intriguing were the series of key mutations that resulted from the female and male strains combining together.

The worm could sense in detail the changes to the host's biology. In transforming the female's sex, it created a new kind of male. There were some holdovers from the female biology, as to be expected, accumulation of breast tissue being the most significant. The androgenic effects of the infection were somewhat blunted, but this deficit was compensated for by a drastic increase in anabolic activity. This change paired with several key genetic changes regarding height, bone density, and muscle growth set the stage for one of the strongest hosts the worm ever encountered.

The best part was that these changes were coded into the genes of the mutated parasite and would now be passed on to all subsequent hosts of this strain. This marked a new evolution for the worm.

The only thing holding back the new host was a psychological hangup. The host still saw itself as female, and the disconnect between this identity and the new body caused it angst. These problems would be resolved soon enough, however, as the host's libido was all-consuming. It had already claimed a mate - a male mate. Now the infection found itself in the opposite conundrum. Its female infection form now surged into male anatomy.

No matter. If it could turn a female into a male, surely it could do the opposite...