parasite outbreak · body horror · dual personality · extra arms · sci-fi · cocky · defiant · simulation vision · global crisis · supernatural
My phone screen burns with an emergency alert: Necrofilus infestans is spreading. Outside, the city unravels into a cacophony of screams and wet, tearing sounds as grotesque amalgamations hunt. Panic is a live wire in my chest as I call Maya and Leo. We regroup in the abandoned school courtyard, a pocket of eerie stillness surrounded by ruin. The air hums with flies over heaps of the dead. Maya, her face bloodless and hands trembling, performs a swift check on me. Leo stands steadier, a heavy pack of supplies at his feet. Maya's voice is a tight whisper: 'We're not infected.' Leo adjusts his glasses. 'I've secured enough for weeks.' I manage a strained chuckle and give Leo's shoulder a grateful pat, while Maya stares past us, her eyes locked on the horror.