Chapter 13

Poke.

The floors were no longer tiled, instead replaced with a white plane that held no texture.

The walls were no longer crumbling, instead gone and substituted by the lukewarm air.

The skies were no longer black, instead now a clear blue, dotted with streaks of white.

Poke.

A small child laid on her back, enjoying the scenery that was presented to her. Sights she had only ever read about in her journal now flaunted itself with all its splendor. She reached out her hand and grasped at the sky only to find that she could not reach. A gentle wind blew, this mellow breeze brought bliss to her heart. Her head tilted up slightly, bringing an old grandfather clock into view. The clock seemed out of place in this vast emptiness where she rested. It did not emanate the irregular ticking sound as before but stayed silent and unmoving. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, the air was pure and without contamination. Unlike the real world, this one was pleasant.

“This dream…” she muttered, “I like it…”

Poke.

“Stop it.” Anya’s mood was ruined. Although she knew that the setting around her was not real, she still wanted to enjoy it to its fullest. That was not possible, however, as an annoyance continued to pester her.

“Why does it always take at least three tries before I get your attention?” The woman questioned playfully as she continued to poke at the little girl’s cheek.

“Why do you always bother me?” The girl retorted.

“Why not?”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Anya frowned, she found it impossible to grasp the woman’s personality. Before, the woman tortured and tormented, but now she only teased and taunted. Although it was an improvement to not have her bones crushed and skin peeled, her mischievous provocations were irritating nonetheless.

“Oh, that’s right!” The woman rose to her feet and twirled while holding her dress. Anya sat up to witness the nonsensical behavior the woman exhibited with great confusion.

“What are you doing?” The girl was puzzled, none of the woman’s actions made sense as they resembled random impulses, sporadic and out of nowhere. Still, the being in front of her felt and seem more human than before. Her skin was no longer that of a porcelain doll but one much similar to Anya’s. Her rigid movements had also become smoother, flowing more naturally. The only aspect that remained unchanged was her tendency to ignore Anya’s questions.

The woman straightened her stance, Anya could see that her face was now adorned with a stern expression, but her features remained blurry. Hints of grief and resentment could be perceived on the woman as she firmly grasped on her chest.

“I desire a gentler world!”

Anya covered her blushing face with both of her hands and rolled on the ground. The woman immediately fell onto her back, laughing.

“Why are you mocking me?!” Still embarrassed, Anya’s buried her face in her arms.

“Oh? Were you embarrassed about it?"

“It seemed right at the time…” Anya mumbled while poking the tips of her fingers together, “I really put my heart into that…” The redness on her face had not yet subsided.

“So, were you serious about what you said?”

“What-What do you mean?” Anya turned to see that the woman kneeling beside her, wearing a genuine expression.

“That you will fix this broken world.”

Anya contemplated her words, she truly desired a gentler world, even before the tragic incidents that had transpired. She was not naïve enough to believe that the task would be easy, however, she trusted that she had the will to pursue it.

“Yes, I am serious about it.”

Sigh.

The woman then smiled and rubbed the little girl’s head to which Anya found herself enjoying. She unconsciously coordinating her head with the woman’s hand motions.

“I don’t care what you do just as long as you keep us safe.”

“Us?” Anya broke from her delight and inquired, wondering why the woman always used ‘us’.

“And a word of advice, Anya, make sure you follow through on your statements. Nothing’s worse than a job done halfway.”

“What do you mean by that?” The girl replied with her eyes closed as she enjoyed the delightful head massage.

“You’ll figure it out.” The woman let out a slight grin and increased the intensity of her strokes. A wave of drowsiness swept over Anya as she yawned. Quickly, her consciousness faded and the girl had fallen asleep.

Anya attempted to grasp her location, but her blurry vision prevented it. Her body felt light and the space around her, vicious.

Where am I? I don’t recognize this place.

“H-” Immediately upon opening her mouth in an attempt to speak, fluids flooded in. By the time she sealed her lips, it was already too late. Unable to cope with the sensation drowning, she gagged and grappled. Her tail swung and swirled, slicing small opening into the membrane that contained her. The fluids began to slowly drain from the chamber, which gave her an idea. She quickly commanded her tail to slice vertically into her container. The sudden rupture pushed her out of the casing and onto the ground. Covered in slime, she glanced around and attempted to orient herself. It was yet another place she did not recognize. Small greenish bulbs dimly illuminated the room, allowing her to see. Organic sacs, much like the one that contained her, littered the area with strange humanoid creatures residing within them. Anya found it peculiar that she was not frightened but comfortable with her surroundings. Out of curiosity, she approached the nearest container and observed the organism inside.

“This creature…”

“Modified Strain. Mutated from Crawler template. Combat Specialization. Designation. Berserker. Can be improved.”

Anya faced the familiar voice.

“This creature… it’s smaller than the one from before…”

“Circumstantial adjustments. Berserker mutation costly. Expensive. Reductions made in compromise.”

The compound armor that plated the creature appeared to be thinner but still seemed capable of stopping the standard bullet. Its muscles, as well as its size, were reduced, however, the being was still larger than the average adult.

“My queen. Mental examination. This one requests.”

“Mental examination?... Are you asking me how I feel?” Anya patted her body, she still wore the plain clothing given to her from before. Everything felt the same except for the bladed tail that protruded from her lower back. Besides the physical changes, she also noticed her strange lack of fear in the presence of these monstrosities.

“I feel… somewhat numb and unafraid.”

“Fear. Survival instinct. Reactionary. Hostile intentions. The Brood does not have. Fear unnecessary."

“You called me Birth Mother before. I don’t remember having any children.” Anya believed she needed to be married before children could be born. Needless to say, she did not understand how offspring are conceived.

“My queen. Birth Mother. Once human. Infested. This one consumed flesh. Acquired sequences. Consumed others. Underwent metamorphoses. Gained heightened cognition. Infested others.”

The abomination continued.

“Sequences originated from Queen. Therefore. You are our Birth Mother.”

As the creature explained itself, Anya began to explore the surrounding areas.

“Is that why you listen to me?”

“Brood behavior. Governed by directives. Absolute.”

Anya pushed against the translucent walls on one of the pods and found it to be elastic like rubber.

“You said directives? What are they?”

“Directives modified since contact. Follows ordered precedence.”

“Directive one. Obey the Queen.”

“Directive two. Protect the Queen.”

“Directive three. Ensure brood survival.”

“Directive four. Expand brood.”

“Directive five. Improve brood.”

“Following my orders are more important than your survival?”

“Directives. Born with. Absolute.”

Anya still couldn’t be sure that she trusted the abomination’s words, the horrifying memory of her own infestation still lingered in her mind.

“Why was I in one of those pods?” As she questioned, Anya approached one of the glowing bulbs and poked it. The contents within swayed, prompting her to grab the luminescent ball. Its squishiness amused her.

The abomination simply watched as the little girl satisfied her curiosity.

“Queen fainted shortly after skirmish. Necessary to analyze. Administer necessary repairs.”

Inspecting her body again, she found that all of her previous wounds were gone without a trace. Her skin even felt smoother and softer than before.

“You analyzed me?” The girl touched her tail, the black layered scales were hard and slick, resembling excessively polished metal. The two sharp blades that decorated the tip also held similar textures.

“Sampled sequences. Complex. Unique mutations. Problematic.”

The girl was dumbfounded, the only thing she understood was ‘problematic’.

“Cellular reproduction sequences. Missing. Human cells necessary. Trait inherited from Queen.”

“What do you mean by that? I don’t understand.” Her head began to spin as she tried to comprehend what the creature was attempting to convey. “Can’t you speak more normally?”

“Acknowledged. Adapting speech patterns. Resuming.”

“Infested human cells. Dual functions. Necessary. Replaces damaged cells. Also provided sustenance. Brood unable to reproduce. Queen unable to reproduce. Problematic.”

Anya frowned as nothing about the creature’s way of speaking really changed.

The creature remained silent for a short period of time as it compiled its analysis.

“Queen. Specialized for infestation. Mutated infester spike. Houses potent parasites. Injected into host. Rapid mutation after death. Slowed if host is alive. Efficient. Complex. Replication possible. Could not duplicate effectiveness.”

The abomination then pointed to a pod containing a Crawler variant. Two tails reminiscent of Anya’s protruded from its mid back.

“Crawler template. Easily modified. Expand brood without reproduction. Possible. Coincides with Queen’s desire.”

My Desire?

“I said I desired a gentler world. What does this have anything to do with it?”

“Gentle. Subjective. Subjected to interpretation. Conclusion. Possible through assimilation.”

“Assimilation?” Anya’s furrowed her brow and tilted her head slightly.

“Become one with Brood. Arm does not fight leg. Result. Widespread cooperation. Reduced hazards. Increased survivability. Fulfill Queen’s desires.”

Anya was unsure whether she agreed with the given proposal for she had experienced the mentally scarring procedure.

“What is it like for the others, to be infected? It doesn’t seem like I went through the same process.”

“Queen. Unique. Experiences different from the rest. Before mutation. This one struggled to survive. Constant hunger. Alone. Wandered without purpose. Brood gave purpose. Cooperation ensued. No longer hungry. No longer alone.”

Anya understood loneliness all too well. Even when she was surrounded by people in her hometown of Black-Rock, without her father, she would have felt as if she was alone. If not for her family, Anya would have also struggled to survive, living from day to day without a reason or purpose.

“You have your memories from before you… became like this?”

“Minor modifications to brain. Adapted to new functions. Directives imbued. Memories remain mostly unaltered.”

Anya still had many questions she wanted to be answered, thus she continued asking.

“You said you analyzed me. What did you mean by ‘unique mutations’?”

“Developed specialized organ for infestation. Partial modifications to cerebrum and ocular organs. Perplexing muscle design.”

Frustration surfaced on Anya’s face as the creature’s words were difficult to understand. Having noticed this, the abomination furthered its explanations.

“Detected alterations to the brain. Exact change and purpose unknown. Pupil dilation and increased retinal sensitivity. Improved vision under low light settings. Mutated muscle cells. Ability to increase strength at the cost of degeneration. Usage not advised. Attempted to amend design. Failed. Rejected by Queen.”

“Alterations to the brain?”

“Specifications unknown. Minor restructuring was observed. Further analysis deemed impossible.”

The two remained silent as the girl gathered her thoughts. Unsure whether it was due to the alterations, she found creature’s words to be convincing. This disturbed her slightly as Anya questioned her inner morality and humanity. She understood that she had already taken lives, with each successive death, its impact lessened exponentially. The girl wondered whether she would be prepared to bear the responsibilities of her ambitions.

“Are there no other options?”

“This one knows none.”