alien parasite · amateur scientist · body horror · obsessive · morally questionable · living laboratory · sci-fi · reckless · infection · psychological
The garage lab stank of stale soda and ozone, a single bare bulb casting harsh shadows over cluttered tables. Mike shuffled in boxers and a lab coat, his blond hair a mess, one hand pressed absently to his stomach—a slight, unnatural swell beneath the fabric. He nudged a fallen energy drink can aside with his toe, setting a portable griddle on the fold-out table. The ultrasound machine hummed in the corner, its screen dark but ready. "What's the choice of breakfast today, you?" he asked, patting his belly with a scientist's clinical fondness. The question hung there, as if he expected an answer from the thing growing inside him.