《Experiment CX21: The Night it Was Released》


 Bloody Knuckles

    Collin closed the front door with the delicacy of an experienced parent. He smiled as he looked at his wife, Kristy.


    Kristy sat as a silhouette in the sunset on the edge of the porch with her feet dipped in the water. She looked back and returned a smile that made Collin¡¯s heart melt.


    Collin hooked a thumb toward the closed door, ¡°She''s fast asleep.¡±


    ¡°How was story time?¡± Kristy patted the porch next to her.


    ¡°Same as usual,¡± Collin shook his head and let out a mild groan as he sat. He was too young to feel this old. Responsibility had a way of speeding up the clock faster than any miracle cream could ever hope to cure. ¡°I''ve read that same book to her at least two hundred times at this point. I swear I could say it by heart. A little variety would be nice.¡±


    Kristy laugh in a light way that meant she felt his pain. The laugh cut off and was replaced by a small frown as she caught sight of Collin¡¯s knuckles.


    ¡°How was work?¡± Kristy said in that way that meant she already knew.


    Collin cursed inwardly. There was no way he was getting out of this conversation. ¡°Can we just sit here and not talk about that?¡±


    Kristy gave Collin a level stare, ¡°That bad?¡±


    Collin hung his head and nodded, ¡°Yeah.. That bad.¡±


    ¡°Are you suspended?¡±


    Colling shook his head, ¡°Worse.¡±


    ¡°No, you got fired again?" Kristy said in a hushed voice, eyes drifting toward their daughter''s room, "For a stupid fight? They usually give you a warning first. What are we going to do?"


    Collin understood that Kristy wasn''t worried about the two of them, but she was worried for their daughter. When it was just the two of them, they had always found a way to scrape by, but that wouldn''t cut it anymore. They needed to give their daughter a good life.


    Being jobless and behind on the mortgage was a terrible start.


    "I don''t know," Collin rubbed his face and loosened his tie.


    Kristy sighed, ¡°I¡¯d knock some sense into you if I thought it would do any good.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°You can still take a swing if it¡¯ll make you feel better,¡± Collin joked.


    Kristy punched him in the arm hard.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    Kristy laughed that summery laugh.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡± Collin said.


    ¡°A little, but you¡¯re not off the hook that easy.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it,¡± Collin joked before taking a serious tone, "I''ll figure something out, Kris. I promise."


    Kristy leaned into Collin, grabbed his hand, and gave it a squeeze ¡°You will."


    Collin squeezed Kristy''s hand back, gentle as a loving breeze. She was his everything. He didn¡¯t deserve someone so good and pure.


    Kristy lifted Collin¡¯s hand and inspected his bloodied knuckles, "So, was it a customer or a Coworker this time?" She didn¡¯t have to ask for more details than the state of his hands to know why he got canned.


    Collin winced, "My boss.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that explains them jumping straight past the warning and firing you,¡± Krtisty frowned at Collin.


    ¡°Don''t worry,¡± Collin reassured her. ¡°He got a couple of good shots at me so he''s not gonna try to take it to court or he¡¯d be in a bigger load of trouble. A couple of the boys at the yard promised they¡¯d back me, if he tried something. They didn¡¯t like the way he was talking about you either."


    Kristy¡¯s wig was slightly tilted and a pang of guilt stabbed at Collin, he chose not to mention it, but she caught him staring before he could look away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope,¡± Kristy said, reaching to straighten her wig. A flash of insecurity played across her face. It made Collin''s heart ache.  ¡°You don¡¯t have to defend me, you know. It¡¯s normal for people to gossip.¡±


    Collin¡¯s heart nearly tore in two at the look on his wife¡¯s face. How could he call himself a man if he was incapable of keeping a look like that from coming around? Collin¡¯s blood started to boil. He clenched his fists, thinking about what his boss had said about Kristy, ¡°He said the reason why we¡¯re always broke is cause of you being a jobless gambler. I set him straight by breaking his nose. Plain and simple.¡±


    ¡°You know, words can be an effective tool.¡± Kristy said in a half-hearted reprimand. She never approved of Collin¡¯s fighting, but he could tell a part of her was happy that he had defended her. ¡°You could have told him about me, you know. I wouldn¡¯t have been upset.¡±


    Collin shook his head and raised his fists, inspecting them. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want word getting around about the chemo. That means I don¡¯t either. Besides, words wouldn¡¯t have done the trick on that pile of waste. I used the right tools for the job.¡±


    ¡°Those tools are most definitely not right for keeping a job.¡±


    Collin opened and closed his hands, ¡°I just wish people would mind their own damn business.¡±


    Kristy wrapped her arms around Collin¡¯s midsection. ¡°You¡¯re just a stubborn, brute. You need to learn how to ignore people who aren¡¯t worth our time.¡±


    Collin nodded, laying an arm over her. ¡°That would be nice. One of these days, I¡¯ll figure out how to be smarter.¡±


    The two of them sat there on the front porch long after the sun had set. Tomorrow, they could worry about money, but tonight, they had each other. That was all they had ever needed to make it to the next day.

 Desperate

    The tick of the clock on the wall cut through the otherwise overwhelming silence. In some ways the clock enhanced the silence as a constant ticking reminder. Collin sat in the waiting room with six other desperate individuals that were dressed frustratingly better than he was. His comrades. These men and women understood the struggle, but for that same reason, none of them spoke to one another. Instead, they all gave each other the respect of silence. Like them all, Collin prepared himself for what was to come. They would call him in and he¡¯d plaster a smile on his face, ready to kiss as much hindquarters as was necessary to get his next low brow gig.


    ¡°Collin.¡± The secretary called.


    Collin stood with all the gratitude in the world that he was first and plastered on a hopeful smile. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±


    The secretary nodded and scratched something off on the clipboard she was holding. ¡°Miss Brandish will see you now. Room 207.¡±


    Collin followed the echoes of the hall to the last door on the left. An unassuming door that wasn¡¯t even thick enough to muffle the clicking of a pen coming from the other side.


    Collin wiped the sweat from his hands on the backside of his slacks, turned the polished doorknob and stepped inside.


    ¡°Collin, it¡¯s good to see you again,¡± Miss Brandish said, standing up from her desk and smiling. She motioned to the chair on the other side of her desk. ¡°Please sit. How is the family?¡±


    Collin nodded politely back to Miss Brandish and sat down, worried about the way she was acting. She was usually more intimidating than kind. Something told Collin to brace himself for the worst. ¡°There isn¡¯t anything left for me, is there?¡±


    Miss Brandish looked away and winced. She sat down and leaned her elbows on the desk with her fingers interlaced. ¡°Straight to business as usual I see. I¡¯ll cut to the chase too, then. I¡¯ve got nothing for you.¡±


    ¡°Nothing at all?¡± Collin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.


    ¡°Look, Collin, with your criminal background, you were lucky to get the last job. That was your last real chance. There¡¯s nothing left for you that I can professionally recommend.¡±


    Collin ran his fingers through his hair and thought about his wife and daughter. He couldn¡¯t pick up and start over again. This was his fault, not theirs. His wife and daughter deserved a stable life. Collin would do anything to make that happen. ¡°What about the ones that you can¡¯t professionally recommend?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Miss Brandish raised an eyebrow at Collin, ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s not something that I feel right about bringing up.¡±


    Collin sighed, ¡°At this point, it doesn¡¯t have to feel right as long as it puts bread on the table.¡±


    ¡°Even so, this may be something you come to regret.¡±


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m desperate.¡± Collin met her eyes and held her gaze until he was sure she knew he was being sincere. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not illegal or life threatening, I¡¯m willing to do anything to feed my family. Hell, at this point, I might even be talked into lower standards than that.¡±


    ¡°Not illegal and not life threatening pretty much strikes out the entire list of non-recommendable jobs.¡± Miss Brandish pursed her lips, ¡°Except for one.¡±


    Collin sat up straighter and scooted forward at the mention of a chance. ¡°Name it, I¡¯m there.¡±


    ¡°Listen to what it is before you make up your mind.¡± Miss Brandish held up a hand and gave Collin a pointed look. ¡°There¡¯s a scientist doing experiments and he needs volunteers.¡±


    ¡°What kind of volunteers?¡± Collin¡¯s eyebrows creased.


    ¡°The kind that doesn¡¯t wear a lab coat.¡± Miss Brandish let out a soft laugh to herself. ¡°To tell the truth, I don¡¯t know any real details. I was just told by my contact that this client is a biologist doing experiments and he needs volunteers who are desperate.¡±


    ¡°Why only desperate people?¡± Collin knew desperate people worked harder, but that didn¡¯t make them the perfect soldier.


    Miss Brandish shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m curious too, but I¡¯ve already told you everything I know other than the application process. Are you still interested in applying?¡±


    A biologist looking for desperate volunteers. There were only a handful of conclusions Collin could imagine about what this job would entail, but as long as it didn¡¯t leave him permanently scarred and he was able support his family, he really didn¡¯t care. Collin only hesitated for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m in. Where do I sign?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t.¡± Miss Brandish cleared her throat and pulled out a syringe, a glass vial, and a slip of paper with three blank lines. ¡°I know it¡¯s strange, but this is the application. Fill out your direct deposit information and address, then put a sample of your blood into the vial. You will receive your first payment after I mail this in. A deposit of five thousand dollars will appear in your account a week from now for just applying.¡±


    ¡°Five thousand?!¡± Collin¡¯s eyes bulged. That could get him caught up and pay his mortgage for several months. That was a life changing amount of money. ¡°And I don¡¯t even have to talk to anyone?¡±


    Miss Brandish nodded, ¡°That¡¯s correct. Beyond that, I don¡¯t know what happens. I have gotten zero feedback from anyone who has applied, but I assume that is due to some kind of non-disclosure agreement if you move forward. Also, If anyone asks who referred you, don¡¯t tell them it was me, let them know it was a man named ¡®Frank Sycota¡¯. If anyone asks, I will deny any and all involvement. As far as I¡¯m concerned, I turned you away today without helping you at all.¡±


    Collin shrugged and filled out the paper, then picked up the syringe. He hesitated only a moment before reminding himself that this blood sample was worth Five thousand dollars. He shrugged and pricked his forearm with the syringe and filled the vial. No going back now.

 Bedtime

    Two weeks had passed since Collin got the deposit of five thousand dollars. He had almost cried when he saw his bank account well out of the negative for the first time in a long time.


    After a slight hesitation, Collin told his wife, Kristy, the whole story except for leaving out miss Brandish¡¯s involvement. Collin informed Kristy that ¡®Frank Sycota¡¯ was a pseudonym, but insisted he wouldn¡¯t reveal the real person so Kristy wouldn¡¯t have to lie.


    ¡°Daddy?¡± Jenny, Collin¡¯s daughter, interrupted his train of thought. She peeked out from under the covers. ¡°Why did you stop? The best part is coming up.¡±


    ¡°Sorry honey.¡± Collin sat there beside Jenny''s bed with her favorite book in his hands. He always read it to her before she went to sleep. He hadn¡¯t even realized that he¡¯d spaced out mid-sentance. He found his place in the story and began to read again. ¡°Before there was no chance of going back, the beast stopped attacking the town and listened to the one person who saw him as more than a monster. It realized there was someone who loved him and that was far more special than being a monster. The monster was so happy when it realized this, that it turned into a human and lived happily ever after.¡±


    ¡°How did the monster become a human?¡± Jenny asked.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Collin had to think for a second. Jenny never asked that question before. ¡°Love is a powerful thing, sweety. Some people say it can conquer anything.¡±


    ¡°I love you, Daddy.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Sweety.¡±


    Jenny threw back the covers and inspected herself wearing a very serious expression.


    Collin laughed. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I was waiting to see if I turned into a human.¡± Jenny said.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Collin teased, ¡°You¡¯re still a sugar monster.¡±


    ¡°I am not! I ate my broccoli tonight, and sugar monsters hate broccoli!¡±


    ¡°Knock, knock,¡± Kristy said, entering the room.


    ¡°Mommy?¡± Jenny¡¯s face turned serious, ¡°Why are you awake? Are you feeling better?¡±


    Kristy smiled lovingly at Jenny, ¡°I feel great right now, Sweet-Pea, I promise I¡¯ll go to bed soon. Collin, someone just dropped off a letter for you.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°A letter? At night?¡± Collin looked at the envelope in Kristies hand, ¡°What did it say?¡±


    ¡°Grown-up stuff,¡± Kristy said, ¡°I¡¯ll read to Jenny if you want to step out to read it.¡±


    Collin grunted in compliance as he ruffled Jenny¡¯s hair and wished her goodnight.


    ¡°Say goodnight to the bugs too,¡± Jenny said pointing at her netted cages full of different bugs she had collected.


    ¡°Goodnight bugs,¡± Chuck said as he stood up, traded a kiss for the letter in Kristy¡¯s hand and ducked outside to read it on the porch.


    The letter was much shorter than Collin had expected:


    ¡°You have been selected for the next step in our program. If you choose to move forward, you will be paid in weekly installments of $10,000.00. To confirm your interest, wait alone in the parking lot of the Perk diner at 11PM this Friday.¡±


    Collin read the letter a few times. What would he have to do for ten thousand a week? They had his blood sample, so would they be after his organs next? He decided it didn¡¯t matter what he needed to give up as long as it brought his family a better life in the end.


    In for a penny, in for a pound, Collin thought.


    Kristy opened and closed closed the front door quietly.


    ¡°That was quick,¡± Collin said.


    ¡°You did all the hard work,¡± Kristy sat next to Collin and snatched the letter out of his hand. ¡°Can you believe this? What kind of psycho sent this?¡±


    ¡°A rich one,¡± Collin said.


    Kristy shuddered ¡°A rich psycho is scarier than a poor one.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to do it, do you?¡±


    Kristy raised an eyebrow at Collin, ¡°Are you actually considering showing up in that dark parking lot alone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot of money, Kris.¡± Collin said. He knew he would have to do some convincing, but this was an opportunity that wouldn¡¯t come again.


    ¡°It really is, but I would rather have a living husband than have a paid mortgage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± Collin reassured her, ¡°At the first sign of danger, I¡¯ll start running.¡±


    ¡°Collin, this letter IS the first sign of danger.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you on speed dial.¡±


    Kristy sighed, ¡°You know, part of making decisions together, is not making up your mind before you even talk to me.¡±


    ¡°Did I ever tell you how beautiful you look?¡± Collin deflected.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Kristy said. She wasn¡¯t happy, but was coming around.


    ¡°You know, if I have you fight a vampire in that parking lot, that¡¯d be a great story later on.¡±


    ¡°At least that fight wouldn¡¯t get you fired.¡±


    Collin chuckled, ¡°Unless the Vampire ends up being the rich psycho.¡±


    ¡°Damnit, Collin,¡± Kristy said with a sudden sincerity, ¡°Please promise you¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    ¡°I promise, Kris,¡± Collin said as he wrapped Kristy in a bear hug, ¡°I ain¡¯t done with you and jenny yet.¡±


    ¡°I hate you sometimes,¡± Kristy said.


    Collin chortled, ¡°I love you too.¡±

 Black-bagged

    Collin kicked himself for not bringing a flashlight. He didn¡¯t realize how dark the Perk diner parking lot actually got at night. Luckily he didn¡¯t have to wait long before it got creepier.


    Car headlights flashed on and swallowed Collin like a spotlight. Visibility went from terrible to zero.


    There was the sound of a car door closing, then a voice called out, ¡°Collin?¡±


    ¡°That would be me,¡± Collin replied. He couldn¡¯t see the man, but he sounded older than forty.


    ¡°You can call me, Nameless. I am to escort you to my employer.¡±


    ¡°Not a great pickup line, there buddy. I¡¯d start less aggressive if you¡¯re looking for a good time.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no thank you,¡± Nameless said. Stick confirmed to be waaaay up there. ¡°Apologies for the extensive measures, my employer is meticulous about his privacy.¡±


    ¡°Right then, next you¡¯re gonna black bag me?¡± Collin tried for another joke, but his eyes bulged when Nameless tossed him a black bag to slide over his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made sure that it¡¯s quite breathable.¡±


    Collin hesitated, looking at the bag in his hands. How far was he willing to go? He shrugged and slipped the bag over his head. He¡¯d go pretty far damn far.


    ¡°This way,¡± Nameless guided Collin with a surprisingly gentle hand into the car.


    ¡°Thanks, bud,¡± Collin said.


    The slam of the car door was the only reply.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m not looking to sell my body,¡± Collin prodded as he heard the slam of the driver door.


    No response from Nameless.


    After probably twenty minutes of driving in silence, Collin¡¯s head was gathering sweat beads from the bounce-back of his breath in the black bag. He¡¯d attempted a few more times to provoke a conversation out of Nameless, but there wasn¡¯t a single reply. There was a good chance the back seat was sound proofed since the world outside was nearly inaudible.         The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Collin sighed and kept tapping his feet, breathing into the darkness while waiting.


    And waiting.


    About an hour into the drive, the car stopped.


    Collin excitedly ripped the bag off his head and looked around the blacked out container he was in. They had gone so far as to black out the windows. What was the point of the bag on his head?


    An intercom buzzed on and Nameless spoke, ¡°Please kindly place the bag over your head again. We cannot progress until you do¡±


    ¡°You could talk this whole time!?¡± Collin complained, ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you don¡¯t like me, Nameless.¡±


    No response.


    Collin sighed, wiped his face and slipped the bag back on.


    The car door instantly clicked open.


    Nameless helped Collin out of the car and passed him off to a new person who sounded equally British and coincidentally introduced themselves as Nameless as well. Nameless number two escorted Collin to a new car and they started to drive again. By the third Nameless, Collin was rethinking his life choices.


    Six hours.


    SIX hours of driving and switching cars and Nameless and more driving.


    Collin was about to call the whole thing quits, but finally the car stopped and Nameless number seven spoke over the intercom.


    ¡°This is the final stop,¡± Nameless announced, ¡°I assure you that you will be allowed to remove the bag from your head in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Thank Christ, man. I was beginning to think the experiment had already started and it was an endurance competition.¡± Collin groaned. He needed a good stretch and a tall glass of water after that ride from hell.


    Nameless didn¡¯t reply, but the door opened a few seconds later. Nameless placed a gentle guiding hand on Collin¡¯s arm, ¡°Watch your step, sir.¡±


    Nameless led Collin into some kind of house or building and onto an elevator from What Collin could tell while still blinded.


    After stepping off the elevator, Nameless walked Collin a few steps, then spoke, ¡°Count to one hundred twenty and then you may remove the bag.¡±


    Collin gladly started counting. Two minutes was nothing after the exhausting hours of twiddling his thumbs. The elevator behind, him dinged at sixty seconds and he assumed Bruns was gone.


    Collin idly wondered how many Nameless there really were. It could have been as few as two of them just driving Collin back and forth to obfuscate the location of wherever he was now.


    At the end of the count, Collin ripped the bag off his head and tossed it to the ground. In front of him was a long table with a juicy steak on top of a bed of mashed potatoes and a contract with a pen.


    Collin blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the light in the room.


    ¡°Hello Collin,¡± A high pitched voice spoke from across the table, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you in person. My name is Merrin.¡±


    Collin hadn¡¯t noticed the other presence in the room until they spoke. He looked to the source of the voice, blinked a few times, rubbed his eyes then spoke up in confusion, ¡°Monkey?¡±


    ¡°Yes,'''' the monkey in a lab coat said. It was standing on the end of the table, holding a small clip-board, ¡°I¡¯m a capuchin monkey to be precise, but I respond better to Merrin than Monkey.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Sure,¡± Collin said, questioning what he had gotten himself into for entirely new reasons.

 Terms of Employment

    Merrin used her hairy hand to motion to the table ¡°Please, sit and eat. You must be famished after the long drive. I know the others were.¡±


    There was a long, drawn out silence between them. Colin stared and tried to figure out the trick behind the mini scientist monkey. Merrin stood there writing on her monkey sized clipboard. Maybe he¡¯d fallen asleep in the car and this was all a dream.


    Colin slapped himself and it hurt. Confirmed to not be dreaming. ¡°So uh, are ya gonna turn me into something freaky too? No offense.¡±


    Merrin chuffed, ¡°I¡¯m not trapped forever as a capuchin if that¡¯s what you¡¯re wondering. Now will you please sit? I need to prepare you before the master gets here.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t really the answer he was looking for, but it was close enough. Colin sat and sawed into the steak to reveal a perfect medium rare. ¡°For a monkey, you really knew your way around a slab of meat.¡±


    Merrin chuffed again, ¡°I couldn¡¯t cook to save my life. That was prepared by Nameless.¡±


    ¡°How many of those guys are there?¡± Colin mumbled through a half chewed bite.


    ¡°A lot,¡± Merrin said with a level stare, ¡°Now I¡¯ve prepared a non-disclosure agreement for you to sign. Upon signing, your first week¡¯s stipend of ten thousand dollars will be deposited into your bank account. Should you choose not to¡­¡±


    Merrin stopped short as Colin dropped his utensils and leaped on the contract, signing it before she could finish speaking.


    ¡°Well then,¡± Merrin said while crossing something off her clipboard, ¡°Moving on, now that you¡¯ve signed the NDA, you may not speak of any events, actions or interactions performed or witnessed here by you or anyone else. Failure to comply with this will result in a revocation of all pay you have received throughout the trial. Don¡¯t test this, our lawyers are a hell of a lot better than anyone you could hope to hire.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Colin gave a thumbs up, ¡°Keep my damn mouth shut if I wanna keep the money.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, as eloquent as I could expect, I suppose,¡± Merrin said with a slight smirk she hid behind the clipboard. ¡°Now that we understand the terms of employment, I¡¯m sure you would like to know what you are here to do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be nice,¡± Colin said, ¡°Though if you just paid me to be wined and dined then sent me packing. You wouldn¡¯t hear a complaint outta me.¡±


    That one didn¡¯t make the monkey smile.


    ¡°My master, Charles Bell, is a brilliant man. For the past decade, he has been researching a biological phenomenon that he personally discovered. The biological phenomenon starts as a dormant cell, but given the proper exposures, it can be cultivated into a collection of cells that can maintain a highly receptive amorphic body.¡±


    ¡°Sooo he made a Blob Thingy?¡± Collin said with a scrunched eyebrow.


    Merrin held up a hairy hand in a halting gesture, ¡°Patience please, I¡¯m getting to the impressive part. Charles named the ¡®Blob Thingy¡¯ a Hypnosite due to it¡¯s unique nature. When the Hypnocite is exposed to a certain frequency near a willing human mind, a resonance is formed between the Hypnocite and the human, allowing temporary transference of consciousness into the Hypnocite. That¡¯s where you come in.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to tell me that you want me to mind control a Blob Thingy?¡±


    ¡°More or less, yes,¡± Merrin tilted her palm back and forth, ¡°Not everyone is a good match, but your blood sample showed a promising compatibility with the Hypnocites. I myself am compatible enough to maintain this form and even shift into one other. As long as you are in the top five subjects for compatibility, you will retain your employment with us.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Colin said, sitting up straight and leaning forward. He wasn¡¯t sure he heard Merrin correctly, but he was curious, ¡°Are you telling me that you¡¯re not actually a monkey? You¡¯re one of those Hypno things?¡±


    Merrin nodded, set down her clipboard and she started to bubble. Her form gradually bubbled and shifted from a monkey into a raven.


    ¡°What in the..¡±


    ¡°I am the most compatible subject yet. I¡¯m able to retain two forms.¡± The crow version of Merrin said in a slightly squawking voice.


    Collin¡¯s inner child was cheering at this point. He hoped against all odds that he was compatible and now it wasn¡¯t just for the money.

 Special Agent Holly

    Holly thought about her first assignment as an FBI agent with mixed feelings. It was a solo assignment like she begged for, but there wasn¡¯t much else to be excited about.


    The assignment was in Louisiana of all places. She had to travel to some muggy, murky, bayou town that probably didn¡¯t even have good food or shopping. While the case sounded interesting, the bugs absolutely did not.


    Holly sighed in resignation, like it or not, there was no way she could push for reassignment. She had heard too many stories of ungrateful agents complaining about their assignments and then getting permanently assigned to a desk as a paper jocky for years. That was not why she worked so hard to join the FBI, so Holly would keep her head down, do a good job and hope the next case was in Aspen or somewhere else pleasant.


    ¡°Special Agent Sylva?¡± Her SAC, Oliver Brown, said, raising an eyebrow.


    Holly shook her head, coming back to the conversation ¡°Sorry, sir. Did you say something?¡±


    ¡°Are you unhappy with the assignment?¡± SAC Brown said.


    A pit opened in Holly¡¯s stomach and she shook her head in protest, ¡°No sir! I was just wondering if I could head out to get started today.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Excellent!¡± SAC Brown slapped his desk and smiled, ¡°You suggested it before I could. I like that attitude, Special Agent Sylva. I¡¯ll see to it that you¡¯ll be on a plane within the hour. No need to pack, I¡¯ve already arranged to have your things sent to your home there.¡±


    ¡°My home?¡± Holly said, dreading the implications.


    Brown nodded, and slid a file over his desk to Holly, ¡°You¡¯ll be assigned to this case as long as it takes. Your task is to investigate a cluster of strange coincidences surrounding a particular area. There have been multiple reports of missing persons, grave robbings, illnesses, and even monster sightings in the same vicinity. Besides proximity, there are no other known correlations between the cluster of reports, but it¡¯s too much to ignore without investigating. There are a few speculative leads in the file, but it¡¯s your job to find the reason behind all of this or to find the reason it¡¯s not worth the FBI¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡±Understood, sir,¡± Karmen said, snatching up the file and trying to not show her disappointment. She did not want to live in louisiana. She needed to do everything in her power to wrap this case up as soon as possible.


    ¡°I knew I could count on you,¡° SAC Brown said, ¡°To be honest, a good friend of mine is on that missing persons list and it¡¯ll be a great comfort to his wife to have a Special Agent permanently assigned. It¡¯ll be a comfort to me as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to find your friend, sir.¡± Holly said, not knowing how else to respond.


    ¡°You and I both know that¡¯s not likely, Special Agent Sylva, but if you do, I¡¯ll be forever in your debt.¡±


    Holly felt her excitement bubbling up. This was her chance to prove herself. It might not be ideal, but if she could have the boss in her debt, this could be a career changing opportunity. She would not mess it up. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to make you proud, sir.¡±


    Brown nodded,  ¡°See to it that you do. Your point of contact will be a deputy Higgins. He¡¯ll be waiting for you when you touch down. He knows the locals well and can show you around the area. Now get out of here. The rest is in the file.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Holly said and headed out of SAC Brown¡¯s office and off to her first mission ever.

 The Employer

    Collin gaped open-mouthed at the man who walked into the room. He had to be the most beautiful man Collin had ever seen. Tall, Dark hair, deep blue eyes that practically glowed with intensity and cheek bones sharp enough to cut glass.


    Collin hoped this man swung for the other team, because if he were straight, all other men were doomed to be single.


    ¡±Collin, this is Doctor Charles Bell,¡± Merrin motioned a wing toward Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.


    ¡±Nice to meet you Charles,¡± Collin said.


    ¡°Please, call me Chuck. It¡¯s very nice to meet you, Collin. I was hoping you¡¯d accept my invitation,¡± Charles said with a voice that was deep and butter smooth.


    ¡°Are you genetically modified? Or should I just hate you for being natural?¡± Collin said.


    Chuck laughed, ¡°Lets just say I discovered a few things that will shatter the plastic surgery industry.¡±


    Collin stared for a bit, not sure if that was a joke.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Chuck said, handing Collin a name tag, ¡°Shall we get started?¡±


    Collin read the name tag, ¡°What¡¯s ¡®Experiment CX21¡¯ mean?¡±


    ¡±That is you,¡± Chuck said, walking Collin through a sterile hallway.


    Merrin shifted back into a monkey and followed close behind after gathering her things.


    ¡°Come again?¡± Collin said.


    ¡°For your duration here, you will be referred to as CX21. The others have similar titles for the sake of privacy.¡± Chuck reached a metal door and punched a code into a keypad on the wall. The door slid open with a depressurizing sizzle.


    Past the doors was another hallway. One side of the hallway was lined with glass walled prison cells. Across the hall from each cell was a view of everyone else¡¯s cell on camera. Each cell was occupied by either a single man or woman. As they walked by, some openly stared at Collin with animosity, some ignored him altogether.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Collin looked around nervously. There had to be at least twenty people here, ¡°Um, Are you planning to keep me here for awhile?¡±


    ¡°Two days a week, yes. Your wife has been notified,¡± Chuck said before stopping in front of an empty glass cell. It had ¡®CX21¡¯ labeled on the door, ¡°Welcome to your room, CX21.¡±


    ¡°Umm, thanks,¡± Collin said, opening the glass door and stepping in.


    Chuck closed the door behind Collin, ¡°Your first task is to stay in your room and clear your head as much as possible while you prepare for the first attempt. If you need anything, please let Merrin know. Please hold your arm to the slot in the wall.¡±


    Collin found the slot in the wall and held his arm to it hesitantly. Some sort of clamps latched onto his arm and kept him from pulling away.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Collin shouted and yanked at his arm.


    A pressure gun slowly descended from the top of the slot and onto Collin¡¯s wrist. He tried again to free his arm, but it was no use. He was trapped. The pressure gun made a hissing ¡®Cthnk¡¯ sound and a searing pain exploded through Collin¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Ah! What the hell!?¡± Collin was breathing deep and staring daggers at Chuck. He tried to open the door to knock some sense into the guy, but the door was locked. Collin punched the door hard enough to split open his recently healed knuckles.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± Chuck spoke in a calm voice.


    Merrin wore a sympathetic look on her monkey face.


    Collin was furious. He punched the glass again and shouted in rage, ¡°Sure you¡¯re sorry, you prick!¡±


    ¡±I¡¯ve found that the process is less traumatizing if you¡¯re not expecting the pain.¡± Chuck said, with his stupidly smug face, ¡°The painkillers should be kicking in any second now¡±


    Collin felt a wave of relief spread from his wrist and throughout his entire body. He was still pissed, but without the pain, he was calming down easier, ¡°Next time, I don¡¯t care how bad it is. Warn me first. Now unlock this door!¡±


    ¡°No can do,¡± Chuck said, ¡°The experiment has begun. For the next forty eight hours, you are mine. Paid for in advance. That chip in your wrist was the only painful portion though.¡± Chuck placed a hand on his chest. ¡°You have my word.¡±


    ¡°What did it do to me?¡± Collin said in a growl.


    ¡°Inserted a simple chip that tracks your vitals and lets you communicate to Merrin if you need anything. It will also let us know if you¡¯re about to violate your NDA and take extreme measures to prevent such an event, but that shouldn¡¯t be a worry.¡±


    Chuck felt a pit open in his stomach. He should have backed out when he had the chance. The money was great, but this guy was unhinged. What did ¡®extreme measures¡¯ mean? He looked at his wrist and punched the glass door again.


    ¡°Merrin, see to it that he gets something for his knuckles,¡± Chuck said then raised his voice to address all of the subjects, ¡°I apologize for the terrible first impression. I hope you will find the rest of your experience worth the minor inconvenience. From cuisine and comfort, to fine wines, let Merrin know and she will provide it for you. Listen to her advice if you would like the best chance at compatibility and returning for the next stage of tests. Otherwise, it was nice meeting you all and I wish you the best.¡±


    With that, Chuck walked away wordlessly.


    Collin stared at the other people on the screens, the glass room didn¡¯t let you see into the room next to you, but he could see each person on the wall across from his cell. They all had mixed reactions from worry to excitement, but all Chuck could feel was anger. He reminded himself that this was for his family to calm down and it slowly helped.


    Either way, Collin would make that doctor pay for what he had done.

 First Experiment

    Collin swung himself in the hammock that he had Merrin setup. After taking the rest of the day to think in his cell and to cool down, he felt mostly okay about what had happened.


    Mostly.


    The listening device in his skin was a sore point to put it lightly, but there was no going back on that part already. There was still enough money in this whole deal to take care of his family for a long time. Besides, this was the first job he had taken a swing on his boss and not gotten fired. Collin decided that as long as the doctor didn¡¯t cross anymore ethical boundaries, he could live with two days of work for life-changing money.


    First chance he got though, Collin was still going to do some damage to that prick¡¯s too perfect face.


    The hallway door opened to reveal Merrin in her monkey form pushing a large, silver cart. She pushed it into the first cell with CX01 and backed out of the room. Merrin repeated the process four more times until the first five cells had its own silver cart in the room.


    Merrin stepped out of the hallway and a few minutes later the voice of Chuck came on over the intercom, ¡°Welcome to the second day of the experiment everyone. Today, we are going to have each one of you try to link with a Hypnosite. There are only five fully developed hypnosites at this time, so each subject will have to wait their turn. CX01 through CX05, we are going to seal your rooms and start.¡±


    Metal walls slid down from the ceiling to seal the five cells. Collin could still see the five subjects on the screens outside of his cell. He was thankful he got a chance to watch the process before having to try it.


    After the five rooms were fully sealed, Merrin spoke over the intercom this time, ¡°Remember to maintain a willingness toward the hypnosite and you will have a greater chance at establishing a connection. It¡¯s normal to experience memory loss if you manage to connect with one, but your mind is still there, so think of things that you feel strongly about and the memories will return eventually.¡±


    The carts automatically opened slowly. Inside there was a clear tray holding a small greenish-silver, liquidy blob, no larger than a strawberry. It looked similar to mercury. Collin had pictured something more ominous than the small liquid ball. How that little thing could turn into a monkey, made no sense.


    ¡°Get ready,¡± Chuck said, ¡°I¡¯m going to begin transmitting the frequency.¡±


    Collin heard nothing from his vantage, but the five participants seemed to hear something and react to it.


    Collin waited¡­ And waited. The whole process was a lot more boring than he expected after an entire day of mentally preparing.


    After about twenty minutes, one of the blobs started to move. It was in CX02¡¯s cage. She was a small woman in her late forties. As soon as the blob started moving, CX02¡¯s body slumped to the ground. The Blob in her room bubbled and roiled and shifted into a more rigid form with tiny legs. It looked like a small, deformed, cockroach.


    ¡°Very good!¡± Merrin cheered over the intercom, ¡°CX02, move from left to right if you can hear me.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The cockroach skittered around the tray, but didn¡¯t move in the signaling way that Merrin had requested. Inside CX02¡¯s room, the woman¡¯s nose started to bleed and her body jerked in convulsions. The cockroach began the bubble and shift in unstable jerks.


    ¡°I¡¯m cutting the experiment for CX02 and turning off the frequency transmission in her room,¡±  Chuck called out.


    Collin watched in concern the whole time, wishing there was something he could do to help. All he could do was hope she would be fine. It felt horrible to be able to do nothing but stare.


    CX02 thankfully stopped convulsing and her cockroach reverted back to the liquid blob shape at the same time. The cart immediately closed, covering the tray and the blob inside of it. Shortly after the cart was covered, two figures shrouded in full black bodysuits entered the room and carried CX02 away.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± Chuck announced, ¡°We have an excellent medical team here and she will receive the finest care. This is an excellent example of someone straining too hard to force the connection, make sure to maintain a willing mindset, but don¡¯t force what doesn¡¯t happen naturally.¡±


    Collin didn¡¯t doubt that Chuck was saying that more to keep people calm than anything else. He hoped the woman would be fine, but for now he reminded himself to focus on the task at hand.


    After twenty more minutes, none of the other four subjects were able to establish a connection. Their respective carts were closed off and all five carts were moved to the next five rooms, and the prior participants were escorted away. All five of the new participants were given the same time slot of forty minutes where nobody had a shred of success.


    The same process was repeated for CX11 through CX15 where another woman, this time a teenager, was able to establish a connection.


    The successful young girl, known as CX11, had her blob turn into something closer resembling a ladybug. She also failed to respond to the doctor¡¯s request, but thankfully there was no nose bleed or incident. She was okay throughout the entire run.


    After fifteen minutes of CX11 skittering around, Chuck called an end to the session ¡°Congratulations CX11, You are officially the day¡¯s first success,¡± Merrin announced, ¡°We will be contacting you later this week for the next experiment should you be interested.¡±


    That caught Collin¡¯s attention. No more poking and prodding? All it took was one test where you became a mindless bug and the day was done?


    Sure enough, when they came to escort the next round of subjects out, CX11 was guided out with the rest of them.


    Over the next eighty minutes, two more successes cropped up. One was a man and one a woman. Collin was beginning to wonder if women had a greater chance for compatibility given the outcome of two to one, but since three coin flips would always become two to one, he was probably just assuming things too early.


    ¡°Alright, CX21,¡± Chuck called out over the speaker, ¡°You¡¯re the last one.¡±


    ¡°Glad to be done?¡± Collin asked.


    Charles answered back in his deep voice, ¡°I¡¯d say I¡¯m more happy with the promising results, but I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯ve been looking forward to your turn the most. The blood sample you provided reacted with the hypnosites in a way that has me feeling hopeful. You could say that we saved the best for last.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Collin said, ¡°Well you¡¯re still a dick.¡±


    Charles laughed over the intercom, ¡°How about I make it up to you with a special offer only for you?¡±


    Merrin pushed a new silver cart into the room with Collin and then left. This silver cart had CX21 carved on it.


    ¡°What¡®s this about?¡± Collin asked. Nobody else had gotten a cart with their name carved into it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you an extra twenty thousand dollars for today if you manage to link with this hypnosite,¡± Charles said, ¡°I kept this one from exposure to anything else until it had a chance to meet you.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound foreboding at all¡±, Collin said sarcastically, but Collin would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t interested. He felt a draw from inside the cart. Something calling to him, pulling him in, ¡°What are the odds that the crap under there kills me?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I have no idea,¡± Charles said, ¡°The blood samples that you all gave us were fed to the hypnosites to test for compatibility. If the hypnosite spat the blood out, it was obviously not compatible. If the hypnosite ate the blood and kept it down, then it indicated a higher chance for compatibility. That¡¯s how we chose CX01 through CX20. The particular hypnosite in front of you is different. After consuming your blood, it changed. It condensed and refused the blood samples of anything else at that point. Furthermore, your blood from that point was rejected by all the other hypnosites. You can imagine that I was more than excited to have you, the man whose blood reacted differently, try to form a connection with it.¡±


    Collin looked at the cart for a long time. The pull from within was a primal sensation that filled him with a curious, pulsating hunger. He had his doubts about giving in to that pulsating pull, but ultimately, it was the thought of his family that once again pushed him forward, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it.¡±

 Collin’s Turn

    As soon as Collin agreed to the request, the metal doors closed around Collin¡¯s cage. It was a simple thing to agree to do something he was planning to do already, but with a twist of mystery to it. After the wrist implant, expecting some sort of unrevealed factor was a given, so for it to be transparently layed out for him ahead of time this time made it an easy choice.


    The cart in front of Collin slowly opened to reveal a darker green blob inside that was the size of a bead rather than the strawberry sized blobs the others dealt with.


    ¡°So what if I can¡¯t connect to it?¡± Collin asked.


    ¡°Just do your best,¡± Merrin said over the intercom, ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Collin said, taking a deep breath and trying to picture himself as willing as possible.


    A high pitched sound blasted from all directions, making it momentarily much harder to concentrate. Collin regained his focus when he heard a primordial whisper in his mind. The whisper originated from the blob in front of him almost as if it were calling out from too far away to make out the words. Collin set his attention to that call and opened his mind to it.


    The pulsating, hungry pull from the blob grew more intense as Collin followed the call. The call and the pulsating pull both merged as they both centered on Collin¡¯s mind. In a disorienting moment, Collin felt himself falling to the ground as he lost all muscle control. Instead of fighting back the sensation, Collin leaned into it until the pulse grew to an overwhelming strength. The pulse expanded into an aura that felt incorporeal yet palpable. The aura surrounded Collin¡¯s body and it felt comfortingly familiar as he felt himself leave his own body. The next moment, the whole world went black.


    ¡­


    When Collin woke up again, he had a hard time remembering much other than his own name. He couldn¡¯t see or hear anything but felt a vibration in the air. That didn¡¯t seem completely right, but somehow it felt natural. At the same time of feeling natural, there was a contradictory feeling of instability to his own existence.


    A burbling sensation from within warped his body as he first grew legs, then eyes then a body and some semblance of ears that let him hear the vibration in the air as some kind of constant background noise. Blinking, he found himself looking from the vantage of something incredibly small. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Collin skittered around the tray he was on until he felt several life pulses far away and a single familiar life pulse close by. He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt the life of something else, but it came as naturally to him as any other sense. The life pulse nearby belonged to a human, unconscious and on the ground.


    Was that human him? What was a human? Why wasn¡¯t he sure?


    Collin felt like he should know more than he did, but nothing was coming to him easily. He felt so hungry and it was making it impossible to think straight.


    ¡°CX21, can you hear me?¡± A growling noise rang out from the top corner of the room.


    Collin felt an anger inside of him from hearing that noise. Whatever it was, it was aggravating.


    The noise called out again, ¡°CX21, this is Chuck, if you can hear me, I want you to move in a circle clockwise, then counter clockwise.¡±


    The growling felt insistent, but it was hard to think through the confusion of everything. Collin felt so hungry and it was getting worse. The voice was making it harder to think. Between the anger and the hunger, Collin had no room for anything else.


    ¡°CX21,¡± The growling siad, Collin knew it was a voice that was using words to manipulate him somehow, but the words made no sense, ¡°Next, I¡¯d like you to see if you can change your original form.¡±


    Between the hunger and the aggravating voice, Collin was overwhelmed by the need to stop one. Collin pinpointed the life pulse that resonated with the growling sound and leaped toward it with all of his might. He was stopped short by a glass dome around the tray. Collin scratched at the dome with his feeble legs, but it was no use.


    He was trapped.


    That was unacceptable.


    Collin let out a raging scream that rattled the glass around him.


    The growling reacted to Collin¡¯s scream, ¡°Fantastic! Let¡¯s not overdo it, though. It takes practice to maintain longer stretches of time. I¡¯m turning the frequency off now.¡±


    Collin heard the background noise disappear and soon after the growling stopped, he felt a pull on his mind from the unconscious human on the ground. Recognizing the opportunity for escape, Collin followed the pull.


    ¡­


    In a snapped blink, he opened his eyes from his human body again.


    It took several minutes of dazed blinking to fully remember who he was, but when his memory came back, Collin realized that he had done it. He¡¯d connected to the Hypnosite. He felt his stomach with his hand, remembering the intense hunger that he had felt and watched thankfully as the cart sealed the little blob away.


    The whole experience had been exhilarating, but it was nice to have his own memories back. Everything was so much clearer now. Collin could think at a normal speed and things made far more sense to him. For some reason, inside of that hypnosite, he was so stupid, he was barely even conscious beyond basic recognition ability and instinct. It was almost painful to feel that limited.


    ¡°How are you feeling, CX21?¡± Merrin called out over the intercom.


    Collin shook his head to clear his thoughts, ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good.¡±¡°Congratulations on a successful connection,¡± Chuck said.


    Collin felt a wave of bloodthirsty rage run through himself before he pushed it down.¡°Should you be interested in continuing the experiments, we will be in touch with you for next week.¡±


    Collin ran through his memories of the experience and responded confidently, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll be back next week. Try and stop me.¡±

 Merrin

    Merrin watched the security footage as one of the Nameless escorted CX21 with a blackout bag over his head from the compound and back to his home.


    A sinking feeling was building in her gut and she tried to suppress it for the sake of her Charles. She needed to be there for him first and foremost. Her worries about the test results shouldn¡¯t get in the way.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡± Charles spoke excitedly. His enthusiasm was so adorable, ¡°CX21 is exceeding expectations by far. Who know what¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡±But the cognitive baseline remains a constant control for all initial subjects. It¡¯s too soon to tell how promising CX21 is,¡± Merrin couldn¡¯t stop herself from blurting out the counterpoint. She fidgeted with her clipboard, a bad habit. Luckily, Charles hadn¡¯t figured out that it signaled her feelings of jealousy.


    Charles spoke without taking his eyes off the footage he kept replaying, ¡±Even so, he was able to pinpoint my location through multiple layers of lead and steel. And on the first connection!¡±


    Merrin gripped her clipboard tight enough for the wood to creak from her primate empowered hands. Her tail curled in frustration. It felt like a dagger had been plunged into her heart. She was supposed to be Charles¡¯s most prized subject. His greatest success. Nobody else should be able to take that from her. She plastered on a fake smile for Charles¡¯s sake, and said: ¡°It¡¯s definitely a promising start.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Not just promising, it¡¯s pioneering,¡± Charles, ever oblivious of Merrin¡¯s feelings, proceeded to twist the dagger deeper into her heart, ¡°After the preliminary feedings next week, I¡¯m confident he will be my most successful test subject without comparison.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so wonderful,¡± Merrin said past gritted teeth. She dug her claws into her clipboard as she tried to change the topic. She¡¯d happily talk about anything else in an attempt to alleviate the pain, but Charles was only focused on his work, ¡°The hypnosites from CX21 and the other subjects are developing well after exposure to the new brain activity. They should be ready for feeding by the time of the next round of tests.¡±


    ¡°Good work, Merrin. I can count on you.¡± He still didn¡¯t take his eyes off the screen, but it was a start.


    Merrin took a deep breath and savored the recognition. She needed that. It wasn¡¯t that hard to appreciate her was it? She just needed to remind Charles of her value.


    ¡°Watch this,¡± Charles said, ¡°Do you see how CX21 was able to harness sound energy to such a degree even in the most infantile stage? It¡¯s remarkable.¡±


    Merrin scowled as the stupid footage of CX21 that Charles was watching played on loop for the umpteenth time. Sure, it was different, but was it really all that great? Merrin had been able to reach full cooperation with her own hypnosite and that had never been done before.


    CX21 wasn¡¯t anything special. Charles was simply excited by something new. Merrin just needed to remind Charles that she was the real testament of his achievements, not someone that wouldn¡¯t even be able to survive the preliminary stages.


    An idea popped into Merrin¡¯s head. A fiendishly, wonderful idea to return the status quo to it¡¯s proper place. It truly wasn¡¯t that difficult for Charles to appreciate her. She just needed to make sure she remained his most successful subject. That wasn¡¯t too difficult given the proper circumstances.


    ¡°The next round of experiments cannot come soon enough. I cannot wait to see what happens next week.¡± Charles said.


    ¡°Me too, Doctor,¡± Merrin said, hiding a devilish grin behind her clipboard, ¡°There¡¯s so much to look forward to.¡±

 Kristy

    Kristy white knuckle gripped the chair. Staring out the window at their driveway. She waited for any sign of Collin coming home.


    The night that Collin left, she saw a deposit into their checking account for ten thousand dollars. It was an unreal amount of money to see when they were typically just a few dollars away from negative in their account.


    She did good staving off her worries at that point.


    She continued to do well, staving off her worries when a prim-sounding man by the name of Nameless called her and informed her that her husband was safe and would be returned to her in two days.


    When the deposit of twenty thousand dollars showed up on day two, Kristy¡¯s mental fortress collapsed and she started to panic.


    Were they paying her off after something terrible happened to Collin? What if he was never coming home? She tried to talk herself down and be patient, but it was the night of the second day with not a single word.


    She would kill Collin. If he wasn¡¯t dead already, she was going to kill him for making her worry like this.


    They had enough money to pay of their debts, keep Jenny in school, and even keep up with chemo for a long time, but Kristy would trade all of that to be sure Collin was safe.


    Headlights shined through the window and she perked up. The car pulled into the driveway and the headlights turned off. She couldn¡¯t make out any features, but the silhouette of a man that looked like her husband walked toward the front door.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    She was gonna kill him for being so late.


    The sound of boots clomped in front of the door.


    She stood up to wring his fat neck.


    The door knob turned.


    She marched toward the door.


    The door opened to reveal Collin and Kristy dove into him for a hug, ¡°You idiot! What took you so long?¡±


    Collin absorbed her tackle with a massive bear hug. He patted her back in a comforting way, ¡°Hey there, love. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me you¡¯re done with whatever that was,¡± Kristy said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that in the morning.¡± Collin said.


    That was not the answer Kristy was looking for. ¡°You can¡¯t go back.¡±


    Collin groaned and hugged Kristy harder. ¡°Kris, it¡¯s been a long day and I had to ride with a bag over my head for hours. Can we just, you know, be with each other for a little while?¡±


    ¡±Oh my god,¡± Kristy said, convinced that Collin was stalling for more reasons than being tired. His stubborn tone was lurking within that tiredness. ¡°Why would you even want to go back?¡±


    Collin let out a long sigh, ¡°Alright fine. I do want to go back and the money is a big factor, but there¡¯s something else.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean something else?¡± Kristy said.


    ¡±Well, I signed an NDA..¡±


    ¡±So what?¡± Kristy cut in, ¡°Tell me anyway.¡±


    ¡±I can¡¯t and there¡¯s a good reason why, butI can¡¯t tell you that reason either,¡± Collin ran his hands through his hair in frustration, ¡°Look, if I ask you to trust me on this one, will you?¡±


    Kristy nodded without hesitating, ¡°I will. You know that. Are you asking that?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Collin said, ¡°I have a chance at something bigger than ever. Will you please trust me on this?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Kristy said, pulling away and crossing her arms. ¡°But please promise you¡¯ll be careful, these people have enough money and power to make you disappear without a trace.¡±


    Collin hugged Kristy from behind and kissed her on the cheek, ¡°I promise. There¡¯s nothing that will stop me from coming back to you.¡±


    Kristy heard the promise and loved and hated Collin for saying it. She heard the words and knew he meant them with all his heart, but for some reason, Kristy couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Collin had just spoken a final farewell.

 The Next Round

    Between reading bedtime stories to Jenny. Well, one bedtime story over and over again. Between that and spending quality time with Kristy, the week flew by for Collin.


    Collin looked around his new, sterile room. It was one of six in a larger hexagonally shaped room. He couldn¡¯t be sure how large this facility was, but he was sure there was more here than he¡¯d already seen. Of the six rooms, four were occupied by one of the graduating subjects, including Collin, per room.


    Kristy had tried a few more times to talk Collin out of continuing the tests, but he hadn¡¯t budged. She only wanted the best for him and he wished he could tell her what he was up to so she wouldn¡¯t worry as much, but him coming home safely would have to be enough.


    ¡°Welcome back everyone,¡± Merrin said in an even voice. She was still in her monkey form and Collin was beginning to suspect there was a reason she never turned back to being a human, ¡°I know you¡¯re all tired, but today, we are going to start the tests on the first day.¡±


    ¡°Bring them in,¡± Chuck announced over the intercom.


    Four people in black full body suits pushed four carts into the hexagonal room and then into their respective room with a test subjects. Collin¡¯s cart was no longer the only one with a CX number engraved on his cart.


    Merrin spoke to everyone, ¡°Now that we know you are all capable of connecting to your hypnosite, you have each been assigned a specific on to bond with. From here on out, the testing will consist of you developing your Hypnosite. As you all experienced, they start out hard to control since you cannot think or even remember clearly. This is due to the reduced cognitive function of your hypnosites, but it is not a permanent state. As we feed your hypnosite new nerve tissue and brain matter, it will expand it¡¯s cognitive ability and in turn, your own memories, intelligence and capabilities while controlling it.¡±Stolen story; please report.


    The teenage looking woman, CX11, raised her hand, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just make them smarter before connecting them to us?¡±


    Merrin chuffed, ¡°We tried to no success. We would have if it were an option, but something about the human mind being inside the hypnosite is a necessary catalyst for any changes. Are there any other questions before we begin?¡±


    The only man besides Collin, CX17, spoke up next, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us any of this last time? You didn¡¯t even let us ask questions.¡±


    ¡±In a few words,¡± Merrin said, ¡°You matter now. Besides, it¡¯s best for the failures to know as little as possible.¡±


    That made sense to Collin, but he was still curious about one thing, ¡°How long did it take you to be able to do the things you can do with it?¡±


    Merrin kept looking around the room as if she hadn¡¯t heard Collin.


    ¡±Yeah, how long did it take you?¡± CX11 said.


    ¡±Months,¡± Merrin answered quickly after CX11 spoke, which seemed a little odd, but Collin shrugged it off. He was probably just reading into things too much, ¡°From what we¡¯ve gathered from feeding hypnosites, there are thresholds. Once a threshold is reached the Hypnosite goes dormant while it expands it¡¯s cognitive ability. These start as easily obtainable, requiring very little nerves and brain matter and the period of dormancy is short, but the smarter it gets, the longer it will take. I personally have not reached a new threshold in three months.¡±


    ¡°So are these things unable to turn into anything until they get smart enough?¡± CX11 said.


    ¡±Not necessarily,¡± Merrin said, ¡°That part depends on you. Every person is able to transform into anything they have consumed. It is stored inside of the hypnosite¡¯s memory, but being able to instantly access more than one thing comes down to your own compatibility with the hypnosite. I can change into two forms at will, most can only do one. We call those ¡°Willforms¡± If you want to change that form you can access at will, it takes concentrating for hours and you have to consume a small piece of the creature again. Some people are unable to change their Willform at all.¡±


    ¡±So..¡± Collin tried to say, but Merrin cut him off.


    ¡±I¡¯m going to put an end to the questions there for now. After the first round is completed today, then we can talk more. Get ready everyone.¡±


    With that, Merrin left the room and the metal walls dropped down around Collin.

 Feeding

    As the metal doors lowered around Collin and the other subjects, the silver carts slowly opened. By the time Collin could see his own hypnosite, the other subjects were blocked from his view. The pulsating draw he felt enticing his mind to connect was much stronger than last time. He idly wondered if the others would garner feelings of jealousy if they ever discovered the differences between theirs and his. Realizing he didn¡¯t really know the difference other than size and coloration, he shrugged and decided it wasn¡¯t a train of thought worth pursuing.


    Inside the tray, under the glass dome, the hypnosite was not alone this time. Two water striders occupied the cage and skittered around; Occasionally they would even skitter over the dormant hypnosite, unaware of their impending fate.


    ¡°We chose the creature most similar to what you manifested on your first connection,¡± Doctor Charles said over the intercom, ¡°Prepare yourselves, everyone, I will be activating the frequency for connection in five, four, three.¡±


    Collin took advantage of the countdown by laying down on the floor. He closed his eyes and focused on the pulling pulse from the hypnosite. It felt strangely warm and appetizing of all things.


    ¡°Two, One.¡±


    The high pitched frequency reverberated across the room. Collin, being ready for the sound this time, didn¡¯t lose focus. Far more naturally than last time, the pulsating aura spread from the hypnosit and surrounded him. Fulfilling a craving he had been carrying for the past week, Collin dove into the feeling with an open embrace and once gain merged his mind with the hypnosite. This time when the world went black, a smile was spread over Collin¡¯s now unoccupied body.


    ¡­


    Collin snapped awake and found it hard to remember anything. That felt familiar, but also didn¡¯t make sense. On its own, his body started burbling and shifting to grow four legs, eyes, ears and a mouth.


    The exertion left him with a gnawing sense of hunger. It was hard to think of anything else, but why should he? In front of him, glowing with a pulse of life each, were two easy meals in the form of water striders. Collin didn¡¯t understand the life pulse emanating from them, but it made it easier to follow their movements.


    HUNGRY,


    There was a damanding from within that was more of a powerful feeling than a thought. Collin obeyed without hesitation and pounced on the closest water strider. His mouth may have been small, but he was able to make quick work of the meal. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Hungry


    It was less insistent this time, but Collin still obeyed.


    The second Water strider evaded Collin on the first lunge, but was caught on the next attempt. After eating the center portion, Collin was too full to finish eating the legs.


    As the hunger stopped commanding, Collin felt a new sensation wash over him.


    Rest


    This feeling was less demanding and more gentle, but it slowly overcame anything else Collin could focus on. His body burbled and shrunk into itself as it produced a shell to surround and protect him.


    Rest


    The feeling pulsed soft and slow like a lullaby until Collin fell asleep.


    ¡­


    Collin woke up inside his human body and slowly got to his feet. Falling asleep inside of the hypnosite had been an alien experience and he still felt groggy from it. For that matter, the whole experience had been alien. It was thrilling, yet terrifying all at once like being tossed around by a rollercoaster of instincts.


    Collin still had the phantom taste of the water strider in his mouth. At the time, it had been delicious, but now, remembering the taste and texture, Collin nearly gagged. He tried to distract himself by watching the metal cart slowly close. On the tray, the Hypnosite currently looked like a butterfly chrysalis in shape and size. The collaboration was a darkish green and silver much like the hypnosite, but with hues of dull gray swirling in the mix.


    One of the black clad mystery helpers. Carted the tray out of Collin¡¯s room. None of the metal walls had come up other than his own so far.


    ¡°How long does this usually take?¡± Collin asked toward the intercom. No response came.


    Chuck strolled into the room in person looking as much the Greek god as ever. He wore a beaming smile as he approached Collin.


    Merrin followed close behind wearing a very stern expression behind her clipboard. She wouldn¡¯t make eye contact with Collin. She seemed like she could really use a cup of coffee. Could Monkeys drink coffee?


    ¡°Typically it takes hours to form the chrysalis stage. Especially the first one, but not you. You are the first to ever pull it off in mere seconds. I had to come ask you in person, how did it feel?¡± Chuck said with wide eyes.


    ¡±Uh,¡± Collin thought back to the experience, ¡°Honestly it feels strangely addicting, but the taste in my mouth is something from a nightmare.¡±


    Chuck laughed, ¡°Addicting? And you¡¯re experiencing a transference of sensation? Fascinating. I¡¯ll be honest with you, CX21, I have never gotten to experience the connection for myself, but I think you will be my ticket to understanding and breaking through that barrier. You are my pioneering hope.¡±


    Merrin¡¯s pencil snapped, ¡°Sorry, still not used to my own strength sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Glad to be here,¡± Collin said lamely, ¡°So you can¡¯t transform?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Chuck said, ¡°But I have a feeling that you will change everything for me. Merrin, double his weekly stipend.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Collin said. His own wide eyes mirroring Chuck¡¯s.


    ¡±Well I¡¯d better get back,¡± Chuck said, ¡°I just wanted to congratulate you in person.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s next though?¡± Collin said.


    Chuck chimed in, ¡°Get some well earned rest. Your portion is done for the day.¡±


    ¡°The Doctor is right,¡± Merrin said, glaring back at Collin as they walked away, ¡°You¡¯ve done enough.¡±

 Witness and Victim

    Chuck woke to the pulse of the hypnosite calling to him. The sound of the metal doors sliding around his room signaled the start of the next round of experiments. He was surprised he slept in for that long, but he still felt tired so he must have needed the rest. He looked around groggily and found the cart in the room with him again. The hypnosite inside was silently calling to him before the cart even opened, ¡°Is it time already?¡±


    ¡°Not for everyone. It¡¯s still the middle of the night,¡± Until he spoke, Collin hadn¡¯t noticed the figure dressed in one of those all black bodysuits standing in the corner inside the room with him. It was the voice of one of the Nameless, ¡°They want to see how you manage if someone else is attempting to connect to your hypnosite at the same time as you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure. You¡¯re the boss. You might wanna lay down just in case you win, buddy.¡± Collin said, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He was in the perfect position laying on the bed anyway, so he didn¡¯t bother sitting up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be quite fine,¡± Nameless said as he raised a hand and gave a thumbs up.


    Without any further warning, the frequency blared out. Collin closed his eyes and easier than ever found his connection with the hypnosite.


    Before blacking out, Collin grinned. Nameless never even stood a chance against him.


    ¡­


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Collin woke inside of the hypnosite. He burbled into form and felt more stable. He wasn¡¯t sure what he felt more stable in comparison to, but he was sure of the feeling. His legs and body changed color from the greenish-silver to the dull gray of a water strider and he instinctively knew he currently looked just like one. He still couldn¡¯t remember anything, but he felt much more himself. Much more aware.


    HUNGRY


    Collin¡¯s thoughts were cut short by the demand of his own hunger. The feeling became his everything, but there was nothing inside the glass dome for him to eat. He latched onto the nearest life pulse. A large, dark human moving towards another weaker life pulse that was laying down.


    Collin lunged for the two life pulses. This was an opportunity to feast on a meal of titanic proportions. The glass dome prevented Collin from making any progress toward his meal.


    HUNGRY


    Collin felt fury boil up inside of him for being prevented from feeding. He was trapped and that was unacceptable. He let out a rage filled screech that rattled the glass, but it didn¡¯t make a difference.


    The moving human stopped and leaned over the one laying down. After a few seconds, the life pulse of the one laying down started to fade until it disappeared completely.


    Collin¡¯s hunger was temporarily forgotten as he felt a stab of mental pain and staggered.


    Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. The moment that life pulse faded out, Collin didn¡¯t know why, but he felt it in a personal way. It was too much for him to understand, but the feeling wouldn¡¯t go away.


    Loss


    A feeling of deep sadness pulsed throughout his body in tiny, yet profound waves. Relentlessly reminding Collin of its presence.


    Collin whimpered and curled into himself, trying to shrink away from the pain.


    The remaining life force approached Colln and fear welled up inside of him until metal rose from either side of the glass dome and blanketed Collin¡¯s world in darkness. The life pulse disappeared from Collin¡¯s senses.


    The fear faded, but not the pain of loss. His hunger and rage forgotten, all Collin could manage to do was whimper alone in the dark and hope the pain would go away soon.

 Chuck

    Chuck felt a torrent of volatile emotions sweep through him as he stomped through the hallway and stormed into the camera room, ¡°What happened to CX21?¡±


    ¡±It seems that two of the Nameless went rogue last night,¡± Merrin said, reliable as ever. ¡±The footage shows them collaborating to insert CX21¡¯s mind into the hypnosite and then murder his human body. They took the hypnosite form of CX21 in a small container off the facility shortly after.¡±


    ¡°Where did they take him?¡± Chuck said, keeping a lid on his bubbling anger.


    ¡±I don¡¯t know,¡± Merrin said. She looked back at him with a pain in her eyes that let him know she truly cared.


    ¡±Why don¡¯t you know?¡± Chuck growled. As much as he knew Merrin didn¡¯t deserve it, he couldn¡¯t help taking some of his anger out on her. He replayed last night¡¯s footage several times over. It didn¡¯ make sense for a Nameless to do something like this. Their loyalty was unquestionably absolute. He had made sure of that by making their daily serum highly addictive. So how did something like this even happen?


    Merrin winced, ¡°I just found out a few hours ago, but I have all hands sweeping the area looking for the rogue Nameless.¡±


    ¡°Damnit!¡± Chuck pounded the screen in frustration. He rubbed at his hand that was, unlike the screen, harmed in his anger. This didn¡¯t make any sense. He took a deep breath and reminded himself to think rationally about the whole thing. The Nameless wouldn¡¯t defect for nothing and they couldn¡¯t stay away for longer than a day without debilitating withdrawals.  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Charles,¡± Merrin said, ¡°Look on the bright side. We still have his data and I can use that on myself to reach further. Who knows? Maybe that will be enough for me to help you find the breakthrough you¡¯ve been after. I¡¯m all yours.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Merrin,¡± Chuck said, her idea helped calm him down considerably. Merrin knew just what to say in order to make him feel better. She was right, all hope was not lost. He coughed hard, wiping away the blood afterwards with the back of his hand.


    Merrin handed him a handkerchief and he wiped his hands clean. He took a deep, yet ragged, calming breath.


    ¡°How about you leave the testing to me today?¡± Merrin said, ¡°You go rest and take care of your health. You¡¯ve been through enough stress for today.¡±


    ¡°But what if there¡¯s another anomaly?¡± Chuck protested. So far, only CX21 had blown past the limiter; had shown him a potential that screamed of something more. He had given Chuck a newfound hope. It was hard to let go of the possibility of finding another one like CX21, even if the newest subjects had yet to show anything special.


    Merrin patted him on the leg in a chiding way. It was a playful gesture that she saved only for him. She looked up to him, her beautiful simian eyes sparkling from the recessed lighting, ¡°That¡¯s enough now. It¡¯s all recorded. If there is anything significant, then I will let you know immediately. Go get some rest.¡±


    Chuck picked Merrin up, closed his eyes and pulled her tightly into a loving embrace.


    ¡°What would I do without you, Merrin?¡± Chuck said. And he meant it. She was his rock. She was the one always by his side and willing to risk everything to help him escape the impending countdown of his own mortality. He didn¡¯t deserve such an amazing woman.


    Merrin hugged him back and in a gentle whisper she said, ¡°I promise I¡¯ll do everything I can to make sure you¡¯ll never have to find out.¡±

 Without a Paddle

    Around daybreak, Collin was released in a patch of hyacinths on the swampy waters of the bayou. His form felt stable than it had hours before the pain and he had yet to make sense of what had happened. As the pain faded and the large life pulse faded into the distance, there was only one thing that dominated his attention.


    HUNGRY


    It drove every fiber of his being.


    HUNGRY, HUNGRY, HUNGRY!


    The feeling had grown to a painful level of sensation. There was no other choice, he had to feed. Instinct guided his actions as his hunger drove him forward. Four spindly legs Carried him across the water successfully, yet awkwardly. His form was still unstable from the length of time without a meal.


    Not far from where he hatched, a low hanging branch sported a chrysalis just within reach.


    HUNGRY


    Collin climbed to the top of the hyacinth closest to the chrysalis and leaped to it, just barely catching a grip and hanging on. He let the life pulse lead him to the top near where it was strongest. This was also the point where the chrysalis  was attached to the branch. There was a small, soft spot there and Collin took advantage by chewing through to the inside. He spat out the first few layers and squeezed through the opening that was just barely large enough to fit through. Even deprived of food, Collin knew the true prize was inside.


    Inside the chrysalis, was a helpless, partially developed creature. Not quite a caterpillar anymore, but not yet a butterfly either. For a moment, Collin felt sorry for the pitiful thing, but the feeling was instantly squashed by the overwhelming need to feed. He was more a force of instinct and nature rather than a conscious individual in this state.


    Collin didn¡¯t hesitate to chew straight through the caterpillar¡¯s soft head. There was a sharp combination of bitter and sour with an undertone of sweetness as the different soft and slimy textures filled his mouth. The heat added to the slimy texture, making it even more delicious. He was hunting primarily for sustenance, not flavor, but he couldn¡¯t deny enjoying himself. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    As he chewed his way through the best meal of his life, Collin could feel a pulse of concentrated nutrients growing along the spine. Almost like it was calling to him. He prioritized that portion first but didn¡¯t stop there.


    When the meal was finished, Collin was no longer driven mad by hunger. There was still a background nagging pulse of hunger, but it was faint enough now that he was no longer ruled by it. He poked his head out of the chrysalis to survey his surroundings.


    The sun was already falling in the distance, spreading hues of orange and pink across the water¡¯s surface. He must have been feeding for the whole day for the sun to already be setting.


    There was a shoreline within sight on either side of him, with drooping trees that fought to preserve the ridgeline. The patch of hyacinths that he was born in came just short of touching the shore on one side.


    A water strider slid across the water in front of him between the hyacinths. It had a graceful way of moving that Collin found himself watching in admiration. He may have the same form, but his capabilities were lacking in comparison. The water strider seemed to dance with every movement, slowly twirling and sliding without a care in the world.


    Colin watched long enough that he thought he could feel something deeper within the water strider. Its rhythm, its intentions, its¡­ thought pulse?


    At first, Collin thought it was his imagination, but as he paid closer attention, he really could feel beyond the water strider¡¯s life pulse and see into its intentions. It gave off a small unobtrusive pulse that when Collin focused, let him know where the strider would move to next.


    Suddenly, A larger life pulse approached from below the strider until it was upon it.


    A gigantic mouth of a fish surrounded the water strider from below and pulled it underneath the surface of the water. For all its grace, the tiny thing never stood a chance.


    Another mouth appeared in the distance, then another. Collin spread his awareness and realized he could sense multiple life pulses of fish in the water. There was an endless swarm of them down there! There were too many out there to be able to count. It was overwhelming. Collin looked up to the setting sun. He needed to get off the water before sunset was over. Taking the hint from his late graceful companion, he decided to avoid the water''s surface. ___


    Collin leaped down from the chrysalis. The wind picked up at that exact moment and carried his feet from his target landing point. Panic set in as his miniature frame was helplessly carried by the gust of wind.


    Thankfully, he touched down on the leafy surface of a hyacinth. He reprimanded himself for not being more careful. Luckily, the wind was blowing favorably toward the shore so it hadn¡¯t reversed his momentum.


    Did he dare risk being carried away again?

 Tapping Into Instinct

    The splashes of a feeding frenzy nearby were drawing closer. That was more than enough encouragement for Collin to move on from his current hyacinth despite the unreliable winds. Before he could plan his next jump, A particularly large fish leaped clear out of the water next to Collin and when it came back down, it crushed the Hyacinth right next to the one Collin was on.


    He was forced to crouch low to his own pad as the waves of the water jostled him violently. Another jump like that and Collin would be underwater. He needed to get to shore before something bad happened.


    It was now or never.


    He readied himself for the next gust of wind and when it blew, he leaped along with it. He kept the routine going, wait, aim, gust, and leap, but the sun was falling faster than his gradual progress toward the shore and the fish below were becoming more active. He needed to hurry, but there was nothing he could think of to safely move faster.


    Too late, Collin realized he was not going to make it to the shore in time.


    As soon as the realization struck him, he stopped in the middle of a hyacinth. He let the breeze pass over and hoped for a plan. He hoped his instincts would take over and solve his problem. He wished he could think of some sort of solution, but try as he might to come up with something, he simply didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Whether by fish or bird, being stuck here all night was a death sentence. He needed to hide or find shelter, but the shore was out of reach. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Not knowing a better solution, Collin searched within himself and tapped into the instinctual feeling that drove him to feed, The instinct that led him to the caterpillar, the one that let him hear the water strider¡¯s intentions earlier. He turned his attention toward the origin of his own instinct and listened for something that could help.


    The sense of pulses were there, within that point of instinct surrounding the pulse of his own life. It was damaged for some reason but he avoided focusing on that. It was far too painful. He moved on and found circulating around his life pulse, the instinctual pulse of hunger, it was subdued, but it gave off the impression of a damn slowly building up. He could still reach out to it easily, but it didn¡¯t seem like the help he currently needed. Collin moved past the hunger after becoming consciously familiar with it.


    Deeper past his hunger, there was another familiar pulse inside him, stirring and whirling. Where the feeling of hunger was insistent and throbbing, this new sensation was a quiet and sturdy pulse.


    This was what he needed.


    Collin honed in on the new, yet familiar pulse and let it overwhelm his instincts in much the same way his hunger had taken over before. He wasn¡¯t sure how, but he invoked the instinct to come alive and pulse harder.


    Rest


    Collin¡¯s body burbled and shrunk into itself as it produced a shell to surround and protect him. Thankfully, he managed to fully enclose himself before the sun was completely down. As the sun slowly disappeared, he floated on a hyacinth nestled safely in his chrysalis.


    Rest


    Collin held onto that quiet pulse and let it guide him deeper and deeper until it pulled him into a deep hibernation. In this state, he was still aware of his surroundings, but his thoughts felt dulled. He could feel his body assimilating the meal from earlier into himself, to make it a part of himself. He felt himself changing and knew when he emerged, that he would no longer be just a water strider. He would be something entirely new. Something that was much more

 Kristy

    Kristy slowly turned and walked away from the darkened window. She couldn¡¯t help herself from looking out and waiting for the headlights in the driveway, but she couldn¡¯t just do that all night. She made her way to Jenny¡¯s room.


    ¡°Honey, would you like me to read The Lonely Monster to you?¡± Kristy said from the door of Jenny¡¯s room. She needed some kind of distraction and hoped Jenny would take her up on the offer for once.


    ¡°No, Daddy reads it better. I wanna wait for him.¡± Jenny said from her bed with absolute certainty and crossed her arms over the book in a protective hug.


    It was hard to argue with determination like that. Kristy felt her heart tug in multiple directions, but kept it to herself.


    ¡°Alright, sweety,¡± Kristy said, ¡°Do you need anything before I turn the lights off?¡±


    ¡°But Daddy was supposed to be home already. Can I pleeease stay up and wait for him? Please Mom?¡±


    ¡±I¡¯ve already let you stay up far past your bedtime, though.¡±


    ¡±But, please? Daddy¡¯s gonna come home soon, I know it. What if I miss him? Five more minutes, I promise.¡±


    ¡°I know he was supposed to be home yesterday sweety but,¡± Kristy looked back to the front door and the window where there were still no headlights. She was internally dying of worry. After he hadn¡¯t come back yesterday, she had started by assuming the worst, then resorted to denial, and finally circled back to assuming the worst over and over again in an endless loop of torturous worry. She couldn¡¯t let Jenny know how worried she was though. That wasn¡¯t right, so she wore a small, plastic smile and the bravest face she could muster and did something every parent cringes from having to do. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°I think he might have gotten an offer to work for longer.¡± Kristy lied to Jenny.


    ¡°Noooo,¡± Jenny said in a whining devastation that Kristy internally harmonized with. ¡°He was supposed to read to me. It¡¯s been forever. It¡¯s been two forevers!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want Mommy to read the book to you just this once? I promise I¡¯ll do the voices like Daddy does.¡±


    Jenny sniffled and loosened her grip on the book. ¡°You promise?¡±


    Kristy walked slowly into the room, sat on the side of the bed and reached her hand toward Jenny with the pinky outstretched. ¡°I pinky-promise.¡±


    Jenny stretched out her hand and took Kristy¡¯s pinky with her own. Her other arm released the stranglehold she had on the book. ¡°Can we go bug catching tomorrow too?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Kristy shuddered at the thought of all the bugs. She didn¡¯t understand why Jenny was so obsessed with them. She looked back at the blanket covered cages in Jenny¡¯s closet and shuddered again. At least she didn¡¯t have to look at the damn things since Jenny was actually good at taking care of them, ¡°Um, sure honey. We can go later in the afternoon when it cools down.¡±


    ¡±Yay!¡± Jenny said while handing Kristy the book. ¡°You can read to me now.¡±


    Kristy cracked open the book and caught a whiff of Collin¡¯s scent. Of course the book smelled like him, because why wouldn¡¯t it? It was like some sick prank that every little thing reminded her of him. Despite her best efforts to tell herself that Collin was still coming back, it did nothing to drive away the sense of loss she felt in the pit of her stomach. She wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes, looked off in the direction of the driveway one last time, and pushed herself to focus on doing a good job at reading the story for Jenny.

 Merrin

    Merrin was a ball of nerves. She sat in the sterile parlor upon Charles¡¯s request. He suggested they spend some quality time together and she jumped at the opportunity.


    Try as she might, she kept reminding herself that she didn¡¯t deserve quality time with him after what she¡¯d done. How could she lie like this to the love of her life?


    No.


    It was his fault, he had forced her to, but she still chose to do it. This was her only choice for the good of them together.


    She wrung her hairy hands together while trying to relax in the chair that was far too big for her.


    ¡°It¡¯s ready,¡± Charles stepped into the room with a tray of tea for both of them. He rarely did so, but it was one of Merring¡¯s greatest joys in life when Charles made tea for her. He set it down and even poured a cup just for her.


    The pangs of guilt struck even harder as he handed her the teacup and smiled in that breathtaking way.


    Merrin sipped at the tea right away, using the burn of the scalding hot liquid on her lips as a silent punishment to herself. She hated that she was forced to keep this secret from him.


    Thankfully, Charles interrupted her spiraling thoughts with his melodious voice, ¡°So how are remaining subjects performing?¡± He said as he poured himself a cup of tea and set It down on his side table.


    Merrin gladly fell into the comfortable rhythm of work talk. ¡°No deviations from the typical groups other than CX11. She shows promise.¡±


    ¡±Oh? How so?¡± Charles said with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°She was able to perform one more feeding cycle than the rest, making it to three within a two day span,¡± Merrin said in between sips of her tea. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Charles said, ¡°At that rate, We¡¯ll be able to replace one of the two missing Nameless¡¯s sooner than expected.¡±


    Merrin jumped slightly at the mention of the rogue Nameless¡¯s. She could sense the anger pulsing behind his calm words when he mentioned them. It pained her to see him like this.


    ¡°More tea?¡± Charles said.


    ¡°What?¡± Merrin said, looking down at her cup, she had finished her whole cup before Charles even touched his own, ¡°Oh, yes thank you.¡±


    Charles poured another cup for her, ¡°You were right about resting, you know. I feel much better.¡±


    ¡±Really?¡± Merrin said, accepting the tea and sipping at it. Charles¡¯s anger pulsed harder as he spoke, but his voice never raised. Merrin strained to concentrate on it. For some reason, it was getting harder to detect his life pulse and emotions.


    Charles sat back down and stirred his tea. His eyes never left Merrin, ¡°Yes, in fact, it gave me the headspace to do some much needed inventory.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Meriin blinked slowly and forced her eyelids open. The room was spinning and she was finding it increasingly more difficult to pay attention.


    Charles nodded, ¡°In fact, I was surprised to find that the serum for the Bruns¡¯s was heavily depleted. I tried to find the footage from around the time the supply dropped, but it was gone. It got me wondering about the two rogue Nameless¡¯s and how they¡¯ve managed to not return after longer than a day without their serum dosage.¡±


    Merrin¡¯s slowed thoughts caught up to what Charles was saying, her eyes went wide and she stared in horror at her tea as she realized why it was increasingly harder to think.


    Merrin dropped the teacup and protested through slurred words, ¡°No, please, you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Charles said, flipping the tea and coffee table into the wall, ¡°I don¡¯t understand! Why would you do something like this to me? After everything I gave you!¡±


    ¡°I love you,¡± Merrin said. As she lost connection with her hypnosite, the last sight she caught of Charles was him falling to the ground in a coughing fit.


    ¡­.


    Merrin woke up in her own paralyzed human body for the first time in forever. Painted in red on the ceiling was the word: TRAITOR.


    ¡°No!¡± Merrin screamed. Not even being able to move her head, she was stuck staring at that single word. That reminder of her failure, ¡°No!¡±


    This deep in the bowels of the facility nobody could hear her scream, but she howled anyway. ¡°No! Please!¡±

 A New Shape

    Collin could not say how long he had been inside his chrysalis for, time felt strange when he was in that state. It felt like the awareness of a light sleep where you can hear conversations around you.


    When he finally wrestled his way out of the chrysalis, it was apparent that he had gotten larger. Instead of being the size of a water strider, he was now somewhere between that and the caterpillar he had eaten. It wasn¡¯t merely his size that had changed, though, his exoskeleton had softened to closer resemble the caterpillar¡¯s more plush exterior while somehow feeling more resilient. He did a lap around the hyacinth petal, testing out his new body. He still had six thin and lengthy legs and his body was now firmly two sections made of a head and thorax.


    As far as his overall composition went, he felt more stable than before. His mind also felt sharper. He was more self aware than before, but there was a feeling of having much further to go.


    He admired his new body after going over the changes. It seemed that he was able to incorporate parts of the caterpillar into himself given enough time. That made him wonder what would happen as he ate more things. The possibilities seemed endless.


    Collin looked within to his life pulse and the surrounding pulses that orbited like a small solar system. There was a new pulse there and when he observed it he found that he was able to understand the caterpillar more. What he had done with the chrysalis came in a time of panic, but after consuming and incorporating the caterpillar, he was now confident that he could withdraw into the chrysalis with ease next time.


    Collin chirped in delight. Exploring his own development gave him a craving to expand his understanding. The instinctual hunger inside of him resonated with the craving for more creatures for the sake of survival, but Collin found another motivation within himself. He watched a dragonfly wizz by overhead and felt a yearning. The sky called to him like a long lost loved one.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Loss


    Collin whimpered as he felt a deep sense of pain at the thought of losing a loved one, but he didn¡¯t understand why. The feeling faded quickly as his hunger grew.


    hungry


    It was time to move. He could feel his hunger swelling. It wasn¡¯t too bad yet, but it was slowly demanding a front position in his mind.


    He crawled to one of the raised edges of the hyacinth and looked around. The sun was high in the sky and the water was thankfully still. He tried to tap into the life pulse from yesterday and failed his first attempt. He could feel it just out of reach. On his second attempt, he reached for the pulses within himself first and was successful.


    It had felt so automatic for Collin yesterday; So simple, but now it took effort. He concentrated on the elevated sense of self awareness for a few moments, then slowly let it expand outward. He couldn¡¯t expand it much farther than a thirty foot bubble without losing focus, so he settled on maintaining one of about ten feet for now.


    Immediately, Collin sensed the Pulses of a few fish below, but they seemed inactive; Possibly asleep.


    There was insect life above the water that thrived without the presence of the fish.


    Water striders glided over the surface of the water, Mosquitos layed eggs and dragonflies mated. Cicadas cried in the distance and though he was unable to sense their pulse, he somehow knew what they were.


    It bothered Collin that barely understood what or who he was, yet somehow the world around him made sense. He was smart enough to understand that something wasn¡¯t right, but frustratingly not smart enough to figure out what that meant.


    Hungry


    His hunger continued to grow and was pulsating more aggressively now. He shouldn¡¯t let himself simply eat anything now that he knew it affected him so much, but thinking straight was getting harder as his hunger grew.


    With the fish asleep, he was safe to move along the water, so he hopped down and onto the surface of the water and fell through.


    Collin realized too late that his new body was no longer optimized for moving on the water¡¯s surface as he started to sink.

 Drowning

    Collin sank through the water flailing like an inflatable-tube-man. Nothing he tried helped him slow his downward momentum. Regardless of how he struggled, Collin was simply not made for swimming. He tried to right himself in the water, but his legs were too thin to move his plumpy frame at all down here. He chirped in panic as he flailed around helplessly.


    Collin was drowning and there was nothing he could do.


    He didn¡¯t realize it at the time, but all the flailing made Collin stand out like a wriggling worm to the fish below. He squirmed enough to turn himself around just in time to come face to face with a giant mouth aimed straight for him.


    The mouth opened lightning fast, creating a vacuum in the water that sucked Collin in without mercy.


    The suction luckily caused a momentary pocket of air that surrounded Collin and he greedily sucked in as much air as possible. Sweet life-giving oxygen momentarily filled him and chased some panic away. The air pocket disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The fish''s mouth filled with a swirling vortex of water and twirled him around in an unforgiving, whirling torrent.


    As he was slowly being coaxed down the fish¡¯s throat, Collin lashed out in desperation to find something to grab onto. He needed to think quickly before he ran out of air and the panic set in again. Collin managed to find purchase on one of the sides of the fish and held on for dear life.


    HUNGRY


    On top of everything else, Collin¡¯s hunger was growing to an irresistible level of demand. He tried to stay in control, but between panic and hunger, there was little room for any thought. He tried to settle himself, but accidentally took in a breath of water.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Desperate and running out of time, Collin looked inward for something, anything. The pulse of his hunger was in the way of anything else, so he finally gave in to it.


    As soon as he stopped resisting, his hunger began to pulse in resonance with the life pulses around him. The pulse tuned itself with the fish and he could sense a solution pulsing inside of the fish on either side of him almost as if it were calling out.


    The gills!


    Collin locked his sights onto the wall of flesh between himself and the set of gills closest to him and took a massive bite. His hunger cheered him on as he chewed his way through the fish¡¯s insides to the gills.


    The fish started to writhe in response but had no way to fight something that was inside of it.


    Collin choked out for air and forced himself to chew faster, but he was already at his drowning limit. He honed his focus entirely on the pulsing in front of him and let go. He put all his hope into chewing his way through to the gills. He didn¡¯t care about anything else at that moment, the only thing that mattered was the key to survival just millimeters in front of him.


    It was all Collin could do to force himself to keep chewing. He was out of oxygen and could feel his consciousness fading.


    Collin was about to die.


    Suddenly, he bit into pure relief. As soon as he swallowed the first bite of that gill, he felt oxygen filling him again, it made him whole once more. Panic faded, consciousness returned and the world was right again, but his hunger was nowhere near satisfied. He let his hunger take over entirely and feasted on the gills with reckless abandon. Blood filled the water around him and dulled his vision, the pulses guided Collin to be able to easily find every scrap without the use of sight.


    Collin was so lost in gorging himself that he forgot he was trapped underwater until the moment he took that last bite of the gill.

 Besting The Beast

    Collin swallowed the last bite of gill and panic prickled at him again. While he still had a decent air supply, he clawed his way to the other side of the fish and gnawed his way through to the next gill. Luckily he had made good time reaching this gill and burbled a chirp in relief.


    Collin made a conscious effort to take his time, eating it far more slowly this time.


    The waters grew thicker as more and more blood filled the inside of the fish. Collin could feel the Fish¡¯s life pulse fading faster by the second.


    Such a fragile creature, part of him regretted being forced to consume it, but another part reveled in exacting revenge upon the thing that dared to harm him. His anger told him that it served the fish right to meet such a bloody end.


    Collin¡¯s hunger pulsed in a much lighter way, mostly tamed at this point. Slowly chewing through the second gill, prioritizing oxygen rather than gorging himself, Collin had time to think. He needed to plan his escape from the fish when this gill and in turn, his air supply was gone.


    He could chew his way out, but he couldn¡¯t swim, so that would only serve to trap him again. Even with taking his time, Collin was already halfway through the second gill. He was afraid of drowning, but he suppressed that feeling and focused on maintaining control over himself and slowly eating just enough to keep his oxygen supply up. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The fish''s life pulse was so weak now, that if he was not inside of it, he probably would not have been able to detect it at all.


    With a final twitch, the fish¡¯s life pulse winked out of existence, signifying its death.


    Collin could feel the fish rotating and going belly up. As he felt himself turning upside down, he shifted to keep upright inside the rotating room without interrupting his meal. It felt like they were moving upward.


    The pulses of the dragonflies and water striders were coming closer as if to confirm the feeling and Collin felt a glimmer of hope. He was down to the last bite of the gill and as he slowly chewed, he peaked out of the gaping hole that he had chewed through the fish.


    Even through the blood soaked water the light of the water¡¯s surface was coming closer.


    The fish was rising belly up to the surface. Collin saw his chance. He made sure to maintain a tight grip on the fish as he climbed onto the outside of it and onto its belly. As it popped out of the water, Collin planned to use that moment to jump to a hyacinth. He had to time this just right or it was all over for him.


    There would be no second chances.


    As soon as the fish belly breached the water, Collin leaped with every ounce of strength he had for the nearest hyacinth. The momentum was enough to throw him over the edge of the plant and he tumbled down the side to rest in the center. It felt so good to be back in the open air, he lay there exhausted and greedily took deep breaths of sweet, pure air.


    Collin chirped and kicked his legs in celebration.


    He was somehow still alive.


    Not only that, but he had just bested a predator far larger than himself. The sun may have been high in the sky, but his belly was full to bursting, so he decided that was enough for one day.


    Rest


    Collin tapped into his resting pulse and withdrew into himself, making a new chrysalis surround and protect him while he floated on the hyacinth.

 A Breath Of Fresh Water

    This time, when Collin emerged from his chrysalis, he felt sleeker. He had grown larger than the caterpillar, but his frame was thinner now. His head and body were all one section and he was all around much narrower. His exoskeleton now had a sheen to it and was split into small scales. He still had six legs that were now less lengthy in proportion with his body and all about the same size. His legs were flat and wide along the length and ended in two split claws that were meant for gripping more than clipping.


    He looked into himself and  aside from his instincts, there were three separate pulses that surrounded his life pulse: The water strider, the caterpillar, and the fish. They were each distinct and pulsed actively in a way that made him more in tune with his body and how it worked.


    Collin peered at his reflection in the water. He looked like some combination of bug and fish. He was still much smaller than the fish he encountered yesterday but he was easily larger than any caterpillar now. His head was composed of antennae, pincers, and four eyes like usual, but now much larger and it was less rotund and more arrow-shaped. As he breathed, Collin saw gills on either side of his head flap. When he paid attention, he could feel them there. He hoped they worked since he was still able to breathe air. It felt like they would.


    Collin looked to the edge of the water where he had been attempting to reach the shore for so long, then looked back to the gills in his reflection. If they worked, he could make it to shore with ease. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Collin climbed over the edge of a hyacinth making sure to maintain a firm grip. It was a relief to find he retained the caterpillar''s extra grip ability. Carefully, he lowered his head in the water until it was fully submerged. It was hard to force himself to take a breath underwater after his last experience, but he managed to push through and breathe in. He choked and pulled his head out of the water with a hacking cough.


    It didn''t work.


    He felt like he was missing a piece of the puzzle. He tuned into the pulse of the fish and searched his instinctual understanding of the gills. He dipped his head back into the water and this time flexed his gills before breathing in. It worked!


    Where breathing normal air felt like a sucking action, this was more akin to squeezing the air out of the water and pumping it into himself. It took more concentration, but after a few minutes of practice, it came naturally.


    Thrilled with the results, Collin did a little tapping dance and chirped in excitement. The chirp came out as more of a croak and ollin blinked. It was strange getting used to himself going through so many changes, but overall, he found the process exciting.


    Maybe eating that fish wasn''t so bad after all. It may have changed him drastically, but there only seemed to be benefits with no drawbacks as compared to the caterpillar making him lose the ability to walk on water.


    A dragonfly flew overhead and reminded him of a longing within himself. That longing gave his growing hunger direction. Collin made it his goal to eat a dragonfly before his hunger forced him to eat something else.

 A Breath Of Fresh Water

    This time, when Collin emerged from his chrysalis, he felt sleeker. He had grown larger than the caterpillar, but his frame was thinner now. His head and body were all one section and he was all around much narrower. His exoskeleton now had a sheen to it and was split into small scales. He still had six legs that were now less lengthy in proportion with his body and all about the same size. His legs were flat and wide along the length and ended in two split claws that were meant for gripping more than clipping.


    He looked into himself and  aside from his instincts, there were three separate pulses that surrounded his life pulse: The water strider, the caterpillar, and the fish. They were each distinct and pulsed actively in a way that made him more in tune with his body and how it worked.


    Collin peered at his reflection in the water. He looked like some combination of bug and fish. He was still much smaller than the fish he encountered yesterday but he was easily larger than any caterpillar now. His head was composed of antennae, pincers, and four eyes like usual, but now much larger and it was less rotund and more arrow-shaped. As he breathed, Collin saw gills on either side of his head flap. When he paid attention, he could feel them there. He hoped they worked since he was still able to breathe air. It felt like they would.


    Collin looked to the edge of the water where he had been attempting to reach the shore for so long, then looked back to the gills in his reflection. If they worked, he could make it to shore with ease. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Collin climbed over the edge of a hyacinth making sure to maintain a firm grip. It was a relief to find he retained the caterpillar''s extra grip ability. Carefully, he lowered his head in the water until it was fully submerged. It was hard to force himself to take a breath underwater after his last experience, but he managed to push through and breathe in. He choked and pulled his head out of the water with a hacking cough.


    It didn''t work.


    He felt like he was missing a piece of the puzzle. He tuned into the pulse of the fish and searched his instinctual understanding of the gills. He dipped his head back into the water and this time flexed his gills before breathing in. It worked!


    Where breathing normal air felt like a sucking action, this was more akin to squeezing the air out of the water and pumping it into himself. It took more concentration, but after a few minutes of practice, it came naturally.


    Thrilled with the results, Collin did a little tapping dance and chirped in excitement. The chirp came out as more of a croak and ollin blinked. It was strange getting used to himself going through so many changes, but overall, he found the process exciting.


    Maybe eating that fish wasn''t so bad after all. It may have changed him drastically, but there only seemed to be benefits with no drawbacks as compared to the caterpillar making him lose the ability to walk on water.


    A dragonfly flew overhead and reminded him of a longing within himself. That longing gave his growing hunger direction. Collin made it his goal to eat a dragonfly before his hunger forced him to eat something else.

 On The Hunt

    Collin slunk into the water from his hyacinth and Flailed awkwardly at first. It took a little bit to get used to swimming, but the pulse of the fish helped guide his actions, so between that and his flat legs that were perfect for swimming, he was gliding through the water at impressive speeds .It took a little bit of getting used to, but it felt natural to swim after a while.


    He set his sights for the shore, but kept moving and didn¡¯t pick the closest spot. Instead he set his sights on the perfect spot for hunting dragonflies. He prioritized the life pulse to use it as a radar to hone in on any dragonfly hotspots while he explored and found that the range had expanded to a fifty foot radius.


    Now that Collin could breathe underwater and wasn¡¯t panicked, he was able to appreciate the scenery. It was a completely different world down here. Past the murk, was a variety of life the surface could never have kept up with. It was amazing. Plankton floated aimlessly, taking in the sunlight. Plants ranging from his size to much larger than fish swayed in the slow-moving current.


    A spooked crawfish swam backward away from Collin. Now that looked worthy enough to eat. Those claws could come in real handy and their exoskeleton was the toughest looking he¡¯d seen so far. There were shrimp and tadpoles, but neither caught his interest much. The further he swam, the more he realized that the surface of the water was more of an addition to the life down below. Underwater was where the real action was. Creatures of all sizes preyed on one another in beautiful displays of power and speed. The more he explored, the more he realized that a dragonfly was not his only goal. There were so many displays of things Collin knew he could use. It was like a buffet table of evolutionary choices.


    Despite being tempted in other directions, Collin stayed on course for the dragonfly. After being able to swim and seeing how his world expanded his horizons, Collin wanted to fly even more than ever.


    As he swam Collin stayed wary of any hungry fish, but so far, they all kept their distance. As far as he was concerned, he was content to keep it that way. While he liked to breathe underwater, he didn¡¯t want to become any more like a fish than he already had. Far too limiting. Far too fleshy and vulnerable.


    Fish were more of feeders instead of predators. Collin knew that he was a predator and as such, what better way to make himself a greater predator than by eating other successful predators?


    While exploring, there was a predator that stood out more than any other. It was an alligator and it was incredible. The behemoth was larger than anything else down here by leaps and bounds, yet was able to move with terrifying speed. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Collin followed one for some time by latching onto its scaly back just above the tail. It was a nice place to observe. Anything that it came across was either a meal or insignificant. Nothing in these waters could threaten this titanic beast and he instantly fell in love.He tried to nibble off pieces of its hide to become more like it, but It was too tough for his pitiful pincers.


    Hungry


    By now Collin¡¯s hunger was beginning to take priority over his conscious choices. Regretfully, he had to abandon the alligator and find his next prey.


    The gator had towed him a long way, but the scenery still looked the same. When he listened to the pulses, he found the vibrations of insects were more numerous near the shore. He headed to where a much larger population hummed and was not disappointed. In a near stagnant pool of water, cut off by a fallen tree, was a massive spawning ground for mosquitoes. He could sense dragonflies feeding like crazy all around here. This was it. His chance to finally get one.


    Collin waited and noticed that most of them liked to snatch a mosquito just as it was leaving the water¡¯s surface. There were so many, it was only a matter of time before one touched down where he was, so he lurked under the water and waited patiently for his kill like he saw the Alligator do.


    He waited there long enough for the sun to peak overhead.


    Hungry


    His hunger pulse urged him to move, but he had watched the greatest predator and knew his hunger was wrong. Patience was a deadly tool and he would master it.


    A young blue and green dragonfly was flying low over the water, obviously not old enough to have the experience of knowing what a mistake it was making. It teasingly did laps near Collin and he was tempted to break his position to go after it, but he steeled himself and remained still.


    Hungry


    Just as he was about to give up and give in to his hunger, A massive dragonfly hovered over the surface of the water. It must have had a wingspan of seven inches.


    It was glorious and it was all his.


    Collin timed his strike for when its tail was just above him and struck. It had a lightning-fast reaction and dodged to the side. Collin lashed out and instead of clamping down on the tail of the dragonfly, he found purchase on a wing near the body. He ripped his head back and forth and they both dropped into the water together. The dragonfly was lashing out and snapping toward him, but even if it still had both wings it wouldn¡¯t have had the advantage in the water.


    Steering clear of its pincers Collin made his way to its back and latched on. He dug into the base of its skull with his pincers and it stopped thrashing around after several bites. Collin ate with fury and made certain to leave nothing behind.


    Collin had actually done it.


    The dragonfly was finally his and soon he was going to be able to fly. He swam to the edge of the shore where a patch of reeds grew and without wasting time, he withdrew into his chrysalis.

 Jenny

    Jenny was excited, she had been outside hunting bugs and butterfly chrysalis for only a few hours and she''d already found a whole bunch.


    Out of everyone in her class, she was the best at hunting them. She didn''t tell even her best friends her secret. The water directly beside her house had them everywhere.


    Usually, you could only find chrysalis on branches and stuff, but the population of bugs behind her house was awesome.


    She had heard Mommy scream a few times from bugs coming to the house. It was awesome, but Mommy didn¡¯t get it nomatter how many times she tried to show her.


    Jenny crossed her arms and shook her head, admiring the treasure trove of bugs surrounding her. Mommy just didn¡¯t understand what was important in life.


    Daddy understood about bugs, but he was still gone and Jenny was mad at him for that. She hadn¡¯t gotten a single good bedtime story in forever. Mommy stopped trying after the second night after Jenny convinced her to. She was amazing with so many things, but not bugs and not stories.


    Jenny crouched low as she spotted a vibrant green chrysalis dangling from a thin, low hanging branch. Jenny scooted in close, pulled out her shears and gently snipped the branch a few inches on either side before the chrysalis. With all the care that Daddy had taught her, she slipped it into her ventilated plastic collector.


    Daddy had gotten her this collector before he left. She wanted to show him how much it helped by the time he came back, so she was filling it up.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡±Jenny,¡± Mommy called from the porch. Jenny couldn¡¯t see her from this deep in the trees.


    ¡±Yes Ma¡¯am?¡± Jenny called back.


    ¡°You¡¯re cheesy mac Is ready, come wash up.¡±


    ¡±I¡¯ll be right there,¡± Jenny promised. She was hoping Mommy added the little bits of cut up hot dog in the mac.


    Today was a good day and not just because Mommy wasn¡¯t having one of her exhausted days. It was also a good day because Jenny had found so many beautiful specimens to watch grow and hatch and now she got to have cheesy mac? Life was good.


    Just when Jenny was about to head home, she spotted a weird looking chrysalis in the reeds, near the edge of the water. She had almost missed it, but a flicker of light reflected off of it, making it stand out.


    She waded into the ankle deep water and picked it up, not caring that the ends of her pants got a little wet.


    Jenny gasped at the chrysalis in admiration. It was unlike anything she had seen before. It was smooth as glass and shined in a swirl of silver and dark green. The silver parts reflected the light like her hand mirror did. The Chrysalis was much smaller than the other ones she collected, but it was super heavy. It was so heavy that Jenny slipped it into her overall¡¯s front pocket so it wouldn¡¯t smash the other chrysalis.


    This was the coolest find of the day by far. She decided to name the chrysalis Swirly.


    Jenny couldn¡¯t wait to see what type of butterfly Swirly would hatch into. She patted her overall pocket to make sure Swirly was safe.


    ¡°Jenny, it¡¯s going to get cold if you wait any longer.¡±


    ¡±Coming,¡± Jenny said, she gathered her net, clippers and her two bug bins. One with Chrysalis and one with different bugs she caught. After double checking shehad everything like Mommy taught her to, she headed straight home as fast as possible. She was extra careful to not jostle her prizes too much as she hurried home. They were more likely to hatch if you were careful with them.


    A broken Chrysalis was a sad thing

 Face to Face

    Collin wanted to wait to emerge until the pulse of the little girl went away, but his hunger wouldn¡¯t let him wait any longer.


    HUNGRY


    The pulse was too powerful to resist.


    Collin retracted his Chrysalis and his body bubbled as it took it¡¯s new form. It was much the same as before, but his body was more plumpy like a caterpillar compared to his slimmer frame from before. He had wings from a butterfly and from a dragonfly now, but he flapped and sadly still couldn¡¯t fly. It killed him to have to eat all of those soft, weak caterpillars instead of something useful, but there was nothing else in this prison. Now he was basically a larger version of those soft creatures, just as weak and helpless. The body wasn¡¯t all downsides as he tested it out. It felt much more elastic than before. He was able to touch his back end to the front of his head without straining. His legs may have shortened, but what they traded in speed, they made up for in durability and grip. Where he used to have to strain to climb, he could now scale the net with ease. Sadly, he was still unable to chew through the netting.


    The little girl¡¯s big eyes watched him the whole time.


    Collin stared back in hatred at her. What he wouldn¡¯t give to be able to sink his pincers into her in revenge for trapping him.


    HUNGRY


    The hunger was so strong, it made it difficult to hold onto hate. Collin searched for food, but there were no life pulses in the cage with him. In the little girl¡¯s hand, though, was a beetle that she held up. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Collin climbed further up the net until he was at the same height as the beetle.


    ¡°Down,¡± The girl was making sounds for some reason. It was called ¡®Speaking?¡¯, but it didn¡¯t make any sense to Collin.


    She was holding a beetle and Collin wanted it.


    HUNGRY


    Collin needed that beetle, but he couldn¡¯t get past the net to get to it.


    The girl held the beetle in one hand and motioned downwards with her other hand, ¡°Down, Swirly.¡±


    Collin didn¡¯t get what the girl wanted at all, but he wanted that bug so he kept paying attention.


    ¡°Get down or you get no food,¡± The girl started making louder noises while motioning downward more aggressively.


    Collin struggled to understand, he wanted that bug and would do anything to get it.


    HUNGRY


    In desperation to feed, Collin listened closer to the life pulse of the little girl. Her intent was focused on Collin and the bottom of the cage, but it felt so intense, it was hard to decipher any more than that.


    Not sure what else to do, Collin crawled off the net and down to the floor of the cage.


    ¡°Good boy!¡± The girl shrieked, then opened the flap in the net near where Collin had been hanging from, just moments before.


    The girl reached her hand into the cage and Collin raced for his chance for freedom, but with his new body, he was far too slow and the girl pulled her hand out and the flap closed before he could even start climbing. Freedom was so close and then gone. Collin¡¯s heart sank, but maybe there was a chance he could open the flap on his own if he grew big enough.


    Collin heard scratches coming from inside the cage behind him. He turned and saw the beetle trying to dig into the plastic bottom of the cage. It was inside the cage with him now. The girl must have placed it in here. The way out was momentarily forgotten as Collin¡¯s hunger pulse kicked into high gear and he went wild, attacking the beetle.

 Time Enough To Plan

    Collin waited inside the chrysalis, plotting angrily. He knew he needed to kill that girl, but he didn¡¯t know how. He was trapped in a cage, but even if he got past that, then their size difference would put him at a major disadvantage. If he had eyes, he would be glaring aggressively at the life pulse from the girl. He could feel happiness directed at himself from the intent in the girl¡¯s life pulse, which only fueled his anger further.


    She was twisted to take pleasure in his captivity.


    If that wasn¡¯t bad enough, she had taken Collin¡¯s ability to decide what he ate. He was at the mercy of whatever she dropped in the cage since his hunger would take over if he tried to resist for too long.


    He was still aware when the hunger took over, but it was like his rationality was pushed into the background of his mind and without a great effort, he was helpless to his own instincts. He¡¯d have to keep an eye on that. Not all of his problems so far could be attributed to his hunger, but a great many of them were.


    Collin felt like it had been getting easier to resist his hunger every time he finished absorbing his meals. He was also getting smarter after each emergence from the chrysalis. The two had to be related. There was a portion of life pulse that glowed brighter in every one of his victims so far that he was confident had to do with his increasing intelligence. The girl had a large amount of that extra glowing pulse coming from her head. Colin thought it was her brain, but wasn¡¯t entirely sure what that meant.   This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It was frustrating knowing what things were, but not knowing why he was able to identify them. He could tell he was missing a part of himself and only had enough self awareness to understand that he wasn¡¯t complete; Almost as if he were the mirror image of himself and the real him had walked away without taking him along.


    The girl was making noises again.


    Collin couldn¡¯t make out the words while in his chrysalis; Not that they made any sense even when he could hear them, but it was just another reminder of his incompleteness.


    Collin felt stuck. Less so because of his currently dormant state, and more so because he wasn¡¯t smart enough or large enough to fight back and escape.


    Both needing to grow larger, smarter, or possibly both, were possible and left Collin with only one path forward: He needed to eat as much as possible.


    Collin had an idea. He thought back to that word she kept saying, ¡®Down¡¯ That was the key to more food. Every time he had climbed onto the net, she would say ¡®Down¡¯ and then feed him if he went to the floor.


    That word must mean a promise for food that was somehow activated after he went from the net to the floor. Collin could use that to his advantage. If he kept climbing on the net, that would maximize his chance for ¡®Down¡¯ to happen.


    It was brilliant.


    Collin had three goals in life now: Get enough food to grow, escape, and kill that girl. Now he also had a plan to make that happen.


    Collin would have chirped in delight if he could. He glared triumphantly at the girl waiting outside of his cage. He felt like he was taking back the power from her by discovering the meaning of ¡®Down¡¯ and using it against her.


    It was only a matter of time befre he got his revenge.


    This time, Collin was in control, but a new hunger still drove him.