{"sf1_id":1072915,"sf2_id":"rn6O0251","title":"I Can Do It Better","author":"Sneeze","words":4031,"posted_at":"2016-09-17T04:18:00.000Z","tags":["Alcohol","Arctic Fox","Bull","Horror","Music","Pennyforthesong","Seduction","Vixen","conversation"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1072915-i-can-do-it-better","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/rn6O0251","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/a3/7a/a37a79de-b267-423c-ab6c-0175da7f5575","description":"Always be wary of strangers.\nMy entry for stgeorgeshorse's writing contest! You can find the song I based this story on at the bottom, along with the lyrics.\nWhen I entered this contest, I knew I didn't want to write a story about love or relationships, but something different. So I decided to write a horror story! Reading everyone else's entries, doing as such was probably a mistake, but I have no regrets. I put a lot of work into this one, I really hope you enjoy it!\nComments are appreciated. Especially on this one.\nCopyrighted to me, please don't steal.","content":"_I Can Do It Better_\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe music from the sound system cut to a low hiss.\u0026nbsp; Corey turned around to the stage, if it could even be called that, where some young tiger was tuning an acoustic guitar.\u0026nbsp; Dissonant chords filled the room and Corey quietly snarled.\u0026nbsp; The bull turned back around to his drink, silently resenting the feline for picking today, picking this bar, picking musician as a life choice in general.\u0026nbsp; Of course he knew he was misappropriating his mood, and of course Corey knew he didn't care.\u0026nbsp; It had been a terrible day, and all he wanted was a drink and to be left alone.\u0026nbsp; Of course, if his boss were here he'd find some reason to belittle him for having a quiet drink alone instead of getting _more_work done or some other ridiculous request the bull would be obligated to fulfill.\u0026nbsp; Corey huffed through his nostrils and downed his drink.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"I've seen that face before,\" said a gentle, husky voice.\u0026nbsp; The bull turned to his left and saw an arctic fox, leaning on the bar with her hip sticking out, looking him over like she was evaluating a statue.\u0026nbsp; Her eyes were dark, dark brown, her fur bone white, her dress tight and revealing.\u0026nbsp; \"That's the face of someone directing their anger at someone who doesn't deserve it.\"\u0026nbsp; The vixen slid onto the bar stool, graceful as a dancer.\u0026nbsp; \"Maybe someone who isn't involved should help out.\"\u0026nbsp; She leaned in, and Corey couldn't have missed the fox's cleavage if she were wearing a bullet-proof vest.\u0026nbsp; An amulet dangled between her white-furred peaks, some kind of insect.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Corey chuckled and motioned to the bartender.\u0026nbsp; \"I appreciate the show, miss, but I know when something's up.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The vixen flashed a smile, black lips curling over sharp, pristine teeth.\u0026nbsp; \"Good thing I'm not up to anything.\"\u0026nbsp; Right as she said it, the sound system cut out, the speakers spewing out awful static like the buzzing of a swarm.\u0026nbsp; It made Corey wince, his tail instinctively trying to swat at whatever would try to land on him.\u0026nbsp; As quickly as it started, it went away.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The bartender placed the drink in front of the bull, and the vixen immediately picked it up, taking a chaste sip.\u0026nbsp; Corey raised an eyebrow.\u0026nbsp; \"A beautiful thing like you walks right up to me, puts on her sexiest moves, steals my drink, and I'm _not_ being conned?\u0026nbsp; I'm sorry, dear, but - \"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"You work in politics, you know how to work people, you're not easily fooled.\u0026nbsp; Yeah, picked up on that miles away.\"\u0026nbsp; The vixen's eyes were locked on Cory, and her smile widened.\u0026nbsp; \"It's a government town,\" she said, swirling the drink slowly in her hand.\u0026nbsp; \"You're wearing a very nice suit and have expensive taste in alcohol.\u0026nbsp; Three strikes,\" she leaned in again, and Corey instinctively flicked his eyes down her dress and back up.\u0026nbsp; \"You're out,\" she breathed, the words blowing into Corey's fur.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; More dissonant notes filled the bar as Corey looked the vixen up and down.\u0026nbsp; She didn't seem to mind, inviting the scrutiny.\u0026nbsp; The only people who did that were the ones with something to hide.\u0026nbsp; The bull's eyes flicked to her drink, twisting from her wrist, then back to her.\u0026nbsp; Corey turned his body, squaring his shoulders at the vixen, and extended his large hand.\u0026nbsp; \"I'm Corey.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Janet,\" she said; delicate, white-furred fingers taking his.\u0026nbsp; Black claws tickled his palm.\u0026nbsp; \"Now you're a bull with a problem, Corey.\u0026nbsp; Why don't you let me help?\"\u0026nbsp; She continued to swirl the drink in one hand, occasionally glancing into the spinning liquid.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Corey watched as her hand lazily moved the glass.\u0026nbsp; \"Why?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Why not?\"\u0026nbsp; she gave him a sideways glance.\u0026nbsp; \"Just talk.\u0026nbsp; That's all I want.\u0026nbsp; I won't say a word.\u0026nbsp; Till you're done anyway.\"\u0026nbsp; Corey narrowed his eyes, looking at her, unintentionally focusing on her breasts, her legs.\u0026nbsp; She did not stop moving her glass.\u0026nbsp; She was a con artist, alright, even _talking_ to her was dangerous.\u0026nbsp; Except he didn't know any real secrets; he didn't have any real authority.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The bull sighed, glancing at Janet's drink and the liquid swirl.\u0026nbsp; \"I'm the top aide for a senator.\u0026nbsp; It's a tough gig, lots of last-minute deadlines, late nights, emergency meetings.\"\u0026nbsp; Corey watched as the drink turned.\u0026nbsp; His fists clenched tightly.\u0026nbsp; \"I do a lot of work.\u0026nbsp; _A lot_.\u0026nbsp; But I have no job security.\u0026nbsp; A senator can get work for years, based just on their face.\u0026nbsp; People _know_ them, and you can't replace familiarity.\u0026nbsp; But hard work?\"\u0026nbsp; Corey snorted.\u0026nbsp; \"Anyone can do that.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Corey looked away from the drink, into the dark eyes of the vixen.\u0026nbsp; \"My boss threatened my job today.\u0026nbsp; I've been with him this _entire term_.\u0026nbsp; I haven't had a vacation day since I _applied_ for that job.\u0026nbsp; I was promoted - by _him_ _personally_.\u0026nbsp; And I'm _still_expendable.\"\u0026nbsp; Corey set his jaw, trying to get his breathing under control.\u0026nbsp; \"I know that man, I know his _career_, I know his _life_, and he thinks he can _replace_ me?\u0026nbsp; Because of a few mistakes?!\u0026nbsp; After all the work I've put in, I'm _still_ replaceable?!\"\u0026nbsp; Corey breathed in deeply, slumping.\u0026nbsp; \"And you know what?\u0026nbsp; He's right.\u0026nbsp; A lot of ambitious kids would kill for my job.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Janet's smile had wilted.\u0026nbsp; As her hand tilted the glass back and forth, the fingers of her free hand touched her amulet.\u0026nbsp; Gently, as if reminding herself it was still there.\u0026nbsp; Then her fingers drifted down, along the hem of her dress, grazing her breast.\u0026nbsp; Corey watched the entire movement.\u0026nbsp; \"Your boss is a jackass,\" she said finally, \"but I disagree with you.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Corey raised an eyebrow, setting his weight on the bar with one elbow.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Hard work isn't replaceable.\u0026nbsp; Each person has their own way, their own method, their own,\" she sped up the glass slightly; Corey flicked his eyes down and watched for a moment before looking back to her, \"flavor.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Your boss may believe you're replaceable, and maybe he could even find someone to do it.\u0026nbsp; But _no one_ is replaceable.\u0026nbsp; It's not that someone else _could_ do your job - of course they _could_.\u0026nbsp; But it's _your_job.\u0026nbsp; Just like how no two people are the same, no two people _work_ the same.\u0026nbsp; _Live_ the same.\u0026nbsp; _Lead_ the same.\"\u0026nbsp; Janet leaned away from Corey, toward the bar, looking deep into her drink.\u0026nbsp; He could feel the conviction drip from her words. \u0026nbsp;\"You look up to your boss because you know _only_ he can get something done.\u0026nbsp; He made it _his_ job.\u0026nbsp; It's _why_ your boss has his power over you.\u0026nbsp; Your boss promoted you for the same reason.\u0026nbsp; What they call work ethic, what they call drive, is an extension of you, your being.\u0026nbsp; It isn't _hard_work, it's _your_ work.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Her fingers touched the insect amulet; one claw grazed an obsidian black eye.\u0026nbsp; As the song from the stage continued, feedback began to build up, slowly, the swarming sound rising almost imperceptibly, until the tiger managed to get it back under control.\u0026nbsp; \"There was a time people knew that, respected it.\u0026nbsp; A thing was built by ones' blood, sweat, and toil and it was rightfully called _theirs_.\u0026nbsp; If they made a building, if they made an army, if they made an _empire_.\u0026nbsp; People looked up to them in awe of the power they commanded, the force of their will.\u0026nbsp; It filled them with wonder, to see what _this_ person could accomplish.\u0026nbsp; And it filled them with _fear_ should they ever set their sights on them.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The spinning liquid in her glass had begun to collect bubbles, amber pearls that caught the light around them and directed it back into her eyes.\u0026nbsp; She turned to the bull, and her eyes turned the light into cunning and malice.\u0026nbsp; Corey realized he had been watching her drink more than he had been watching her, and he blinked to refocus.\u0026nbsp; She straightened again, pushing her chest forward and Corey could just make out the outline of her nipples in her dress.\u0026nbsp; She brought the glass to her lips and sipped her drink while it was still spinning.\u0026nbsp; As she pulled the glass away, she flicked her tongue along her bottom lip.\u0026nbsp; Corey blinked again.\u0026nbsp; Was her tongue . . . _black?_\u0026nbsp; No, he just hadn't been paying attention to it.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"What do you want?\"\u0026nbsp; Corey asked, crossing his arms.\u0026nbsp; \"Why tell me this?\u0026nbsp; Why even listen to me?\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Janet looked away, spinning her glass.\u0026nbsp; Corey's eyes were drawn to it, though his stance remained resolute.\u0026nbsp; \"I'm not _trying_to con you out of anything, honestly.\u0026nbsp; But I do want something from you.\u0026nbsp; Something I can see in you.\u0026nbsp; I'm . . . not like you.\u0026nbsp; I don't have the ability to work into people's good graces with demonstrations of my talent.\u0026nbsp; But you do.\"\u0026nbsp; Janet touched the bull's shoulder, and even through his suit he could feel her claws.\u0026nbsp; The tingle filled him with an excited fear as she brought her hand across his shoulder blade to his spine.\u0026nbsp; \"I want to join with you.\u0026nbsp; Become a team.\u0026nbsp; I use your position, your skills, _your work_; and you use my cunning, my ruthlessness, my drive to become _more_ than I am.\"\u0026nbsp; She pulled herself close to him, using his body as an anchor to do it.\u0026nbsp; He could feel strength in her arms, downy fur hiding muscles he wouldn't have expected in someone so lithe.\u0026nbsp; She pressed herself to him, her pristine white fur tickling his short, coarse coat.\u0026nbsp; \"Together, when our time comes, we'll change most everything.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Corey looked into her eyes.\u0026nbsp; Even in broad daylight they'd be nearly black.\u0026nbsp; He glanced back to the bar, to the drink.\u0026nbsp; It was beginning to stop, the bubbles in the liquid rising to the surface and bursting, a silent life cycle in amber.\u0026nbsp; As he watched the sound system began to feedback again, but quieter, more subtle; as if the swarm of bugs making the sound were farther off, slowly consuming their way into the horizon.\u0026nbsp; Her words hung in his mind like fog.\u0026nbsp; It was all so strange.\u0026nbsp; Is it what he wanted?\u0026nbsp; Power, position?\u0026nbsp; And _why_did she want to help him?\u0026nbsp; Who _was_ she?\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Janet took her finger to his chin and guided his gaze back to her eyes.\u0026nbsp; Her look wasn't the look of a lover, warm and inviting, but scrutinous, evaluating.\u0026nbsp; She was looking for what _he_ had to hide.\u0026nbsp; It made him uncomfortable.\u0026nbsp; He knew he could stop her, push her away and tell her to fuck off.\u0026nbsp; But damn she felt nice against him.\u0026nbsp; If her look wasn't warm and inviting, her body _was_.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Her hand stroked along his jaw.\u0026nbsp; \"Give me one night to prove myself to you.\u0026nbsp; One night.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Corey raised an eyebrow.\u0026nbsp; Maybe he didn't trust her.\u0026nbsp; Maybe he didn't believe her.\u0026nbsp; But he knew an invitation when he heard one, and he was interested in this from the moment he saw her.\u0026nbsp; It had been a _really_ bad day.\u0026nbsp; He looked down from her face to her chest; the insect, black eyes peering into him with a life of their own, implacable, unknowable, foreign against her white fur.\u0026nbsp; He could at least take up this part of her offer.\u0026nbsp; For the bad day.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"I can't say no to that.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nJanet smiled, again showing her predator teeth.\u0026nbsp; \"I live up the street.\"\u0026nbsp; She stood, just as gracefully as she sat, and walked out of the bar.\u0026nbsp; Dissonant chords marked each of her steps and she glided to the music.\u0026nbsp; The song was over now, the guitar fading to nothing more than quiet feedback, that uncomfortable noise now familiar.\u0026nbsp; Janet's tail swished to either side with her hips, the movement enticing Corey from his stool, out of the bar, down the street.\u0026nbsp; Outside her door, the vixen gave him a coy look over her shoulder.\u0026nbsp; \"Make yourself at home.\u0026nbsp; My house is yours.\"\u0026nbsp; Corey chuckled as she got the door unlocked, following her in.\u0026nbsp; She did not turn any lights on, and the bull couldn't make out any details in the darkness.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The door closed behind him with a soft click that filled the empty blackness.\u0026nbsp; The room smelled thick and unpleasant, like burning dust on a furnace and Corey wrinkled his nostrils against it.\u0026nbsp; As he tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness, he saw a faint, flickering light down a short hallway.\u0026nbsp; \"You should look at it,\" Janet said.\u0026nbsp; Her voice seemed baited, expectant.\u0026nbsp; \"Go.\"\u0026nbsp; It was as if she came from all sides at once.\u0026nbsp; Corey shook his head, looking for the vixen in the dark.\u0026nbsp; It was pointless, far too dark for him to see, even though he could feel her presence around him.\u0026nbsp; The bull headed down the hall, toward the light around the corner.\u0026nbsp; As he approached, the air became more acrid and thick; Corey recognized it as candle smoke.\u0026nbsp; The weight of it coated his tongue and forced him to swallow.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; He reached the corner, turned, and immediately stopped.\u0026nbsp; Candles lined the room and filled it with weak, stuttering yellow light.\u0026nbsp; Against the far wall was a massive statue of something terrible and strange.\u0026nbsp; Tall, thin horns, _antennae_, came out of its top; its eyes were black voids, sucking in any light and destroying it.\u0026nbsp; Candles were grouped in front of it, casting light beneath it and giving the statue a shadow even larger than itself.\u0026nbsp; Corey recognized it, the same creature on Janet's amulet, and finally realized what it was:\u0026nbsp; _locust_.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Corey tried to back away, away from this shrine but his back met the wall.\u0026nbsp; He turned his head and saw Janet, smiling at him; black lips nestled between white fur and white teeth, like the stitches holding together torn flesh.\u0026nbsp; Her eyes were no longer dark brown, even the near black they had seemed at the bar, but pure black, voids that could consume the entire universe.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Beautiful in its own way, isn't it?\" Janet said, stepping toward him with that familiar sensuality, \"Locust are deep in your mind.\u0026nbsp; From a time you can no longer remember.\u0026nbsp;_I am too_.\u0026nbsp; I've been watching you, all of you, for a long time.\u0026nbsp; Waiting for you to see who walks among you again.\u0026nbsp; To _feel_ it.\u0026nbsp; Sometimes I come right out to you, telling you the truth.\u0026nbsp; But you laugh,\" her voice broke, \"you say I'm a myth, I'm a _lie_.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\nAs she moved, her hand drifted to the back of her neck and undid her dress.\u0026nbsp; It fell away and she effortlessly walked out of it, never breaking stride.\u0026nbsp; Corey pressed himself into the wall, swallowing a gasp as he watched her.\u0026nbsp; Her voice continued to break as she spoke, \"You don't recognize me.\u0026nbsp; You _can't_recognize me anymore.\u0026nbsp; I once ruled over you _all_ with a terrible might like a storm, and you loved and feared me, sang anthems of my wonder and beat yourselves for my glory.\"\u0026nbsp; The locust amulet slid over her fur in a pendulum stroke, black eyes matching hers.\u0026nbsp; Blood red markings were on her fur, random but symmetrical, beginning at the bottoms of her breasts, over her ribs, meeting on her hips and pubis.\u0026nbsp; Whorls and twists, they seemed to move on their own, reaching forward to the bull.\u0026nbsp; \"Now there are no anthems, just the dull echo of your fear, the resonant ring of your _desire_to submit to me again.\u0026nbsp; I want it.\u0026nbsp; I want the melodies, the anthem, the voice, the respect, the fear, the wonder, the _power_.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Janet - the name was wrong on her, she was much older, much more unimaginable, Corey knew - raised her hands, palms upward and fingers splayed.\u0026nbsp; Her claws shone in the candlelight.\u0026nbsp; \"I'm not going to kill you, Corey,\" she said, a smile on her lips that somehow resonated into the voids of her eyes.\u0026nbsp; \"I need you.\u0026nbsp; I meant it when I said you were irreplaceable.\"\u0026nbsp; Then her arms shot out, one hand gripping his jaw, the other the top of his skull.\u0026nbsp; She was strong, so much stronger than she looked and so much stronger than him.\u0026nbsp; Corey was six inches taller than her, and she easily forced him to look down at her.\u0026nbsp; Her smile had been replaced with a sneer, a primal and timeless hatred filling her features and her voice.\u0026nbsp; \"But I can do it better.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Corey's fear filled him and made him feel light.\u0026nbsp; He gripped her arms and tried to struggle but she couldn't be budged.\u0026nbsp; Her fingers squeezed his head, sending sharp bolts of pain through him and forcing him to cry out.\u0026nbsp; She redoubled her grip on his jaw, holding his mouth open and moved her other hand over his eyes.\u0026nbsp; Corey felt her breath over his lips and heard her inhale, quietly.\u0026nbsp; The breath went on and on, never stopping, long past the limits of a mortal.\u0026nbsp; It became difficult to catch his breath, quick airless pants as his lungs desperately tried to pull in air.\u0026nbsp; Struggling became difficult and the sound of her inhale grew, rising around him.\u0026nbsp; His chest began to hurt as his lungs spasmed and he could feel the air was leaving him; she was _sucking_ it from him.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The inhale became a roar as his rapid heartbeat filled his ears and pulsed painfully in his temples.\u0026nbsp; Janet's, no, the _creature's_ fingers squeezed tighter, and he could feel her body shuffle closer to him, greedily pressing against his own.\u0026nbsp; He couldn't struggle anymore, the strength in his limbs gone.\u0026nbsp; His knees were limp, the only thing holding him up were the creature's arms.\u0026nbsp; Muscles across his body twitched as the hurricane noise spiraled around him, his body draining through his mouth.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The creature readjusted her hands, no longer needing to keep Corey's mouth open herself.\u0026nbsp; Gripping the sides of his head, Corey gave a final tremble as he saw a golden haze, the most pure light, flow out of his muzzle and _into_ the vixen.\u0026nbsp; Looking at it reminded him of stars and the warmth of a summer sun; Corey knew, his fear greater than ever in his life, _it was his soul._\u0026nbsp; Her maw was wide open, black tongue and flesh illuminated like an oil slick by the gold haze.\u0026nbsp; Her eyes were not illuminated; pure void, where light and hope and thought itself were consumed by this being, timeless and powerful beyond measure.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The light grew brighter, filling Corey's vision, blinding him.\u0026nbsp; He couldn't feel his body.\u0026nbsp; His senses tumbled, throwing him around like a bubble in liquid.\u0026nbsp; The noise around him was all he could perceive, twisting him in a whirlpool cacophony.\u0026nbsp; It wasn't just one sound anymore, but a mixture of voices, screams and whispers, some in languages he recognized, many he could not.\u0026nbsp; They invaded his thoughts and seemed to run through him, and somehow he felt as though the voices were a part of him.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The brightness of the light receded around him, but Corey could not orient himself.\u0026nbsp; There was something in front of him, but not the creature, his eyes couldn't adjust to make it out.\u0026nbsp; He wasn't facing the right way, there was something in his hands, he felt cold.\u0026nbsp; As his eyes adjusted he could make out the thing in front of him:\u0026nbsp; _himself_.\u0026nbsp; Except he looked desiccated, as though he had been dried in salt for years.\u0026nbsp; His fur had thinned and gone grey on the edges, his tongue hung limp out of his muzzle, his horns had cracked and decayed.\u0026nbsp; He looked into his own eyes; they had gone dead and black.\u0026nbsp; He screamed, but heard no sound.\u0026nbsp; The voices around him quieted, not going away but clearing enough for him to separate them as background noise to the rest of the world.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Corey watched as his body fell to the ground, crumpling into a heap like a paper skeleton.\u0026nbsp; His hands raised in front on him, without his will.\u0026nbsp; They were his own, just as he always knew them, and yet _his body_ was on the floor.\u0026nbsp; Corey's mind spun, unable to comprehend what was happening.\u0026nbsp; The large knuckles and heavy hooftips flexed, palms twisted without his control.\u0026nbsp; His view angled down, and he saw the creature's amulet on his chest; the blood red swirls twisted on his own fur.\u0026nbsp; \"I haven't been this tall in a while,\" his voice said.\u0026nbsp; It _was_ his voice, it was in _his_ head, but the bull hadn't said it.\u0026nbsp; Corey realized his body was no longer his own.\u0026nbsp; The voices around him rose a small amount, seeming to resonate _joy_.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"Corey, I hope you understand what's happened, what you've become now.\u0026nbsp; You'll always be with me.\"\u0026nbsp; Unbidden, Corey reached across the span of his memories, to his happiest, his worst, his proudest and his lowest moments.\u0026nbsp; Against his wishes, he thought of work today, his boss, all that he had done to further the senator's career.\u0026nbsp; He knew it was the creature, but he was as powerless to stop her as he was to move his body.\u0026nbsp; As he thought back to work today and focused on his boss, instead of irritation or anger, all he saw was weakness, vulnerabilities that could be exploited.\u0026nbsp; He didn't see the senator as a mentor, but a worm to be crushed on _his own_ way up.\u0026nbsp; \"You'll always be a part of me now.\u0026nbsp; And together we'll do things few can imagine.\"\u0026nbsp; The whispers around the bull seemed to close in around him, caressing and soothing him.\u0026nbsp; They would never leave him now, a constant, the rhythm in silence.\u0026nbsp; He could reach out and learn from them, use them to his benefit.\u0026nbsp; An army of knowledge and experience at his hands, the truest source of power.\u0026nbsp; \"I can't replace your experience and your personality. \u0026nbsp;I can't replace _you_.\u0026nbsp; I need you.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; The voices rose, some kind of dissonant harmony, beautiful and chaotic, the sounds of a swarm that could not be stopped.\u0026nbsp; Corey turned to the locust statue, reached his hand up and touched the amulet.\u0026nbsp; Was that the creature, or had he_wanted_ to do that?\u0026nbsp; A smile played across his lips, and Corey truly didn't know who had done it.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \"But _I_ can be _you_ better.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n3,706 words\u0026nbsp;\n\nInspired by \"No Anthems,\" Sleater-Kinney, from _No Cities to Love_, 2015.\u0026nbsp;\n\n[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ec0y7HTyQ4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ec0y7HTyQ4)\n\n_I'm a low hiss telling you something's amiss_\n\n_When you hear the sound_\n\n_I'm the whisper I could do it better_\n\n_When I look around_\n\n_I'm desire itself beaming from the highest shelf_\n\n_You should really look down_\n\n_There is no roadblock that I couldn't unlock_\n\n_I really get around_\n\n_\u0026nbsp;_\n\n_Seduction pure function_\n\n_It's how I learned to speak_\n\n_Steal your power in my hour_\n\n_I will change most everything_\n\n_\u0026nbsp;_\n\n_I'm not the anthem_\n\n_I once was an anthem_\n\n_I sang the song of me, but now_\n\n_There are no anthems_\n\n_And all I can hear is_\n\n_The echo and the ring_\n\n_\u0026nbsp;_\n\n_I'm the sly one watching how to get it done_\n\n_I don't say a word_\n\n_In a slow dream planning out my next scheme_\n\n_I lay my moves down_\n\n_I'm the pool boy filling you with cool joy_\n\n_In my melody_\n\n_I will lay low figuring the way to go_\n\n_Behind the scenes_\n\n_\u0026nbsp;_\n\n_I'm not the anthem_\n\n_I once was an anthem_\n\n_I sang the song of me, but now_\n\n_There are no anthems_\n\n_And all I can hear is_\n\n_The echo and the ring_\n\n_\u0026nbsp;_\n\n_Seduction pure function_\n\n_It's how I learned to speak_\n\n_Steal your power in my hour_\n\n_I will change most everything_\n\n_\u0026nbsp;_\n\n_I'm not the anthem_\n\n_I once was an anthem_\n\n_I sang the song of me, but now_\n\n_There are not anthems_\n\n_And all I can hear is_\n\n_The echo and the ring_\n\n_\u0026nbsp;_\n\n_I want an anthem_\n\n_A singular anthem_\n\n_An answer and a force_\n\n_To feel rhythm in silence_\n\n_A weapon not violence_\n\n_A power, power source_\n\n  \n  \n\n"}