Second transformation
No one knows exactly how it started. Some say they came in a meteor, others that global warming awakened some form of ancient, and others that any number of different of divine entities were punishing us. The truth probably would never been known, but something that had only ever been dismissed as a myth suddenly preyed on humanity. Creatures of corruption now awaited in dark corners and their victims moved under the cover of night to attack and corrupt more humans.
The first response of the government only brought disaster, the hastily assembled containment centers all around the country devolved in giant nests for the creatures as the crew supposed to guard the creatures were corrupted.
Scientists around the world struggled to understand how those creatures worked, their strange biology and the way they seemed to be able to infect any kind of mammalian defied their current understanding of evolution and biology. At the same time, the rest of the population hurried to erect walls, to create defenses.
Today these creatures control the night, no sane person ever walk out after the sun is down and most won't sleep without a good shotgun or rifle at their side. Every town these days have walls, but some of the creatures always seem to infiltrate even the best guarded towns.
Amanda had never knew other life, she had been born after the rise of the strange rubbery creatures, and had spent her entire life in a small secluded enclave amidst the mountains. The only contact she ever had had with the exterior world was the occasional caravan of merchants that connected the small towns that still resisted and the occasional radio transmissions on their old and battered short wave radios.
The old world had fascinated the girl with their amazing feats of technology, their impossible buildings and a life that didn't needed to be spent in a single small village, terrified of what exited on the other side of the walls. She had spent what little extra cash she had with old magazines some foolishly brave men would scavenge from the old cities.
After the day working the fields she loved to go back to her small room and read the magazines, pretend there was no wall and even that she wouldn't have to marry with Kevin, her neighbor.
But every morning as she walked to the fields she could see the remains of New York on the horizon whatever fantasy she had about the future would be crushed.
That day Daisy was in her shift, she hated the girl and knew she was hated back with equal intensity. The motive of their little feud was of course Kevin, Daisy had been crushing on him for months, but he only had eyes for Amanda. The kind of small feud that popped and disappeared by the dozen each new season around the small community.
"Hey, you know, I'm sorry." Daisy said as she pushed a small wood box on Amanda's hands.
Amanda was unsure at first, but then it wasn't healthy keep resentments and, if she was being really honest, she was really curious to see what was on the box.
"Hey, no problem," Amanda smiled. "I heard that Daniel is totally into you."
The two girls exchanged gossip for a bit more as they worked, a flimsy friendship beginning between the two young women.
As the sun begun to set, Amanda walked home without even casting a longing glance to the ruins in the distance, eager to discover what the small box contained. She jumped on her bed and closed the small curtain to separate herself from the rest of the world, the other girls would probably spend a few hours in the tavern drinking and chatting so it meant she probably had at least two hours before they came back.
She had immediately recognized the bitten apple in the box, knew that this particular symbol had been one of great importance for the people of the past and that it usually was emblazoned on their most valuable relics. She had seen several vendors going around with such relics, amazing devices that could play music from the past and some even contained entire libraries worth of knowledge and dozens of movies! A single device like this could be worth thousands of dollars! She had no idea where Daisy had found it, but...
The box slid open by itself.
Overcome with curiosity Amanda looked inside at what appeared to be a solid piece of black rubber, she immediately recognized for what it was and tried to throw the box away, but the black glossy substance liquefied and practically jumped over her. Long and thin tentacles of black substance reaching for her bare skin, seeping through her clothes as if they weren't even there.
The contact with her skin sent a strange sensation trough her skin as the creature assimilated her skin, she could feel a strange warm sensation wherever the strange black goo touched, her skin transmuted into some kind of glossy black substance. She desperately tried to clean it with her sheets, but the long tendrils kept advancing quickly over her skin. They were inside her, she knew they were seeping deep into her skin, changing her to the very core and even as it covered her in the outside, she could sense the tentacles inside her, reaching for her nerves. It was like electricity running through her body, it begun in her extremities and was quickly advancing towards her head.
She run as fast as she could, her legs felt numb, but she didn't missed a single step. She emerged on the outside, the moonlight bathing her seemed to fill her with an strange energy. She felt a fire burning inside her, a flaring of new sensations and desires.
Without even noticing she destroyed the single lamppost on her street, a single punch was able to break the post of hard wood, extinguishing its offensive light for once. She looked in amazement to her own arm, white markings now tainted the pure black glossy rubber.
The night exploded in new lights and sensations all around her as the lamp was destroyed, flower glowed softly, insects buzzed loudly all around and everywhere she could glowing spots. So lost in her new visage she didn't even noticed the substance taking over her head, covering her eyes between white lenses.
Then she heard the voices calling for her, an infinite chorus of voices speaking as one, soothing and enticing her of all the things she would see and do as one of them.
There was a moment of pain that quickly subsided as the black wisps reached for her brain.
Amanda heard millions of voices speaking as one, a light shining in the darkness.
Amanda could feel her body changing, the rubbery substance seeping deep inside her, changing her insides, making her stronger, faster. She didn't feared the night anymore, she was the very same nightmare that lurked in the dark. She roared viciously, her new and long tong feeling her new sharp teeth. She was the queen of the night, not a scared kid hiding under walls anymore.
There was a fire burning inside her, an unstoppable energy that compelled her. She run without effort, clearing the village wall with a single jump. She didn't needed to fear the outside anymore. There was nothing she needed to fear. She felt horny, felt a delicious inhibited lust.
The thousand voices spoke with her at once, teaching all that she would need to survive, how to use her new abilities and encouraging her to forgo her humanity. It was so easy to simply let go, to abandon the little that still connected her to her human past. They promised her a new life of unbound pleasure, a life that wouldn't be spent toiling a field and cowering in fear.
But she couldn't.
She felt the thousand voices screaming in rage, never a human could resist them.
Amanda grabbed with all her force to her old memories, to her past.
"My name is Amanda!" She screamed at the thousands of voices, needing every fiber of her strength to resist them.
They replied as one, barraging her with sensations and promises of a glorious future.
They ordered and Amanda needed to physically dig her claws on the ground to resist the urge to obey.
"I'm not one of you!" She screamed with all her force, struggling to remember that she even had been human, her memories could become so fledgling.
She felt an infinitude of eyes upon her, long rubbery hands that reached for her, such a colossal entity that blotted out the sky. That seemed to fill the entirety of the existence.
She felt the coiling around her, pulling her toward them with inhuman strength.
"No!" She screamed and slashed against them, not even noticing the claws that had formed in her hands.
More hands came for her, long and skeletal thing with spidery fingers. She jumped amongst them, twisting and turning quickly as she maneuvered amongst the creature, every step bringing her close to the million red eyes that looked upon her. Hand came from her left and with a brutal determination she slashed them, black blood flowed out of them.
She dodged the spider fingers, all her rage propelling her forward even as she felt the millions of voices ordering her to stand down.
"My name is Amanda!" She screamed as her claws pierced the eyes.
Then there was nothing.
Amanda was lying on her back in the middle of a clearing, she was out of the walls, completely lost. She smiled and enjoyed the stars.