# The Perfect Costume Piece

Author: Gabriel Moon
Tags: Alien, Gore, Insect, Instinct, Transformation, cocoon, infection

#35 of Commissions

A man finds the perfect pair of fangs to complement his costume, not knowing what it could possibly infect him with

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, admiring the sharp-fanged visage that regarded me back.&nbsp; A smile crossed my lips as my sharp canines glinted, the shape and texture looking perfectly in place over my human teeth.&nbsp; These fangs looked so real! They were so comfortable in my mouth, it hardly felt like I had prosthetics.&nbsp; I clenched my jaw a few times, their comfort in my mouth selling the look.&nbsp; They were amazing!&nbsp;

  

I had been looking for the perfect prosthetic fangs ever since early September when all the Halloween supplies hit shelves.&nbsp; Sadly, everything in the box stores was cheap and gaudy as hell.&nbsp; I didn't know why I was expecting anything better.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I decided to look into the annual Halloween shops next, despite the worry of inflation for the same quality products as the box stores carried.&nbsp; I even spent an entire afternoon combing every inch of those stores for the perfect vampire fangs.&nbsp; It was silly, I knew.&nbsp; Yet, I was determined.&nbsp;

  

I had the perfect costume in mind for an upcoming party.&nbsp; It would be far superior to simple vampire fangs and a cape.&nbsp; I wanted to be more authentic.&nbsp; Full-on prosthetics, a real Bram Stoker-type of face.&nbsp; I had already secured all the necessary make-up and supplies to apply the costume by myself.&nbsp; Yet the perfect teeth still eluded me.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I was about to leave in defeat when something caught my eye.&nbsp; It was a series of small boxes in one of those metal carts, shoved into the back of the store out of the way.&nbsp; Through the plastic, I could see the perfect pair of fangs.&nbsp; The edges did not appear to be cheap plastic like every other pair I'd come across in recent days.&nbsp; The shading and size were exactly what I'd envisioned.&nbsp; I was elated!&nbsp;

  

Excited and relieved, I took my purchase up to the cash.&nbsp; Greeting the heavily made-up clerk, I noted that her goth look suited this establishment well.&nbsp; I handed her the box and went to pull out my card.&nbsp; I hadn't seen a price tag on the display.&nbsp; I didn't have too much cash to spare, but I figured I could splurge on these since they were exactly what I'd been hoping for.&nbsp;

  

The cashier tried to scan the item, but I didn't hear the distinctive beep.&nbsp; She tried a few more times with no luck.&nbsp; Frustrated, she called up a manager while playing the awkward game of trying to not make eye contact with me, lest we have to speak.&nbsp; As an introvert, I understood the game well and tried not to make eye contact with her either.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through social media until a portly woman strode up.&nbsp; Lifting my gaze, I was greeted with a confused expression and a couple of lightly muttered curses.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

"I'm so sorry sir, but the item isn't in our computer.&nbsp; Must have been a mistaken shipment. " replied the woman in a practiced customer service voice.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

"Oh, does that mean. . . can I buy them? " I asked, confused.&nbsp; "They were in a bin and everything..." I sounded a little sad, and in truth, I was.&nbsp; Still, the degree of my sadness was a practiced act.&nbsp; It was always better to attract flies with honey than vinegar.&nbsp; I wouldn't get anywhere being rude to the clerks.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

"Were they? &nbsp; They shouldn't have been!&nbsp; Weren't we trying to return them? " the manager asked.&nbsp; The clerk simply gave her a shrug.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

"Isn't there anything I can do?&nbsp; They were on display, after all..." I said, feeling a little apprehensive.&nbsp; I just had to have them!

  

The woman sighed.&nbsp; A line was starting to form, and the customers were beginning to get a little rowdy.&nbsp; After a few more minutes of haggling, I was able to get them at the same price as the usual fangs on display.&nbsp; It was still a little expensive, but it was worth it!

  

The first thing I did when I got home was to try them on.&nbsp; I had to admit, I'd always had a love of vampires, and I had toyed with the idea of wearing fangs around at all times, smiling at people just to expose the tips.&nbsp; Taking them out of the box, I was surprised at their length.&nbsp; They were much longer than any of the other vampire fangs I'd seen, more akin to cobra fangs.&nbsp;

  

I pulled out the resin that came with them, filling the teeth before donning them and allowing it to harden around the shape of my canines.&nbsp; I was sure to do it fast lest they hardened too quickly, and I'd have to get a new pair.&nbsp; Since acquiring these were such a hassle, I'd rather get it right the first time.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

It took little effort to get them around my teeth as they settled into place.&nbsp; It felt so right having them on!&nbsp; I looked at myself in the mirror, smiling at the sight of the massive fangs that perfectly accented my teeth and facial features.&nbsp; They were perfect!&nbsp; I couldn't wait to see them with the rest of my costume!

  

As I reached out to touch them, a sharp pain assaulted my finger.&nbsp; Looking down, I realized that I had pricked my finger on the edges of one of the fangs.&nbsp; I yelped in surprise and pain.&nbsp; Were they really that sharp?&nbsp; There was a thick drop of blood running down my finger, so I quickly grabbed a towel to wipe off the spot.&nbsp; I was momentarily worried I'd stained my fangs, but then thought that blood spatter would simply add to the look, especially if it was actual blood!&nbsp; Just to be safe, I went into the bathroom to pour some disinfectant in the wound and wrapped my finger up.&nbsp;

  

As the big night came, I took the time necessary to meticulously apply the face make-up.&nbsp; It took longer than it should have, but I was pleased by the results.&nbsp; I really did look like I could walk onto the set of one of those old vampire films and sink my fangs into the film's helpless maiden!

  

&nbsp;The party went well, for the most part.&nbsp; At least, I thought it did, best I could recall.&nbsp; I didn't have work the next day, so I allowed myself to indulge in some choice beverages.&nbsp; Towards the end of the night, I was feeling pretty good.&nbsp; My costume was a real hit!&nbsp; I was applauded for its details all evening!&nbsp;

  

&nbsp;It was getting a little harder to recall the details as the night dragged on.&nbsp; It was more than just the booze that did me in.&nbsp; I was definitely ill by the time I got home.&nbsp; I couldn't explain it.&nbsp; It must have been some sort of stomach bug or the like.&nbsp; Whatever it was, it only worsened the longer the night dragged on.&nbsp; By the time I entered my bathroom, I felt like shit!

  

Wanting to get in the shower to cool off, I did my best to remove my prosthetics and clothes without damaging them.&nbsp; I think I was successful, for the most part.&nbsp; The last thing I removed was my fangs, placing them in their protective casing.&nbsp; The warm water did help me feel more human, at least.&nbsp; By the time I was done, I was tired as hell, ready for bed!

  

It was then I noticed the bandage still on my finger.&nbsp; What I saw when I removed it startled me.&nbsp; My finger was a bruised purple and brown color.&nbsp; To my chagrin, the small cut had not healed.&nbsp; As I peeled away the bandage, a foul smell hit my nose.&nbsp; I turned towards the toilet, throwing up, unable to keep all the booze in my stomach down.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I took a look at the cut again, shocked at the sight of a strange, orange sticky fluid oozing from it.&nbsp; I'd never seen anything like it before.&nbsp; I immediately poured more disinfectant on the wound, hoping to rid the smell.&nbsp; Yet, it still lingered.&nbsp; I wrapped the oozing wound once more, hoping that it was just some kind of after-effect of drinking too much.&nbsp; Spent, I crawled into bed and quickly passed out.&nbsp;

  

The next morning when I woke up, I felt a little dizzy.&nbsp; Nauseated.&nbsp; At first, I thought it was a hangover.&nbsp; But as I lay wrapped in my cocoon of blankets, I realized I felt feverish.&nbsp; There was a faint odor of something foul wafting up from the blankets, but I paid it no mind as I tried to sleep it off.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

It was then reminded of the wound on my finger, and I forced myself up.&nbsp; Bracing myself to overcome the wooziness, I started to cross the room to my door.&nbsp; Yet the instant the light from my window hit my eyes, I hissed, feeling the blinding light painful.&nbsp; I quickly drew my curtains back before I made my way to the bathroom.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

The sight of my visage in the mirror made me gasp.&nbsp; I looked very sick.&nbsp; My skin was a ghastly yellow, pallid, and sweaty.&nbsp; That faint nauseating odor seemed to emanate from every pore, though I was starting to grow accustomed to it by now.&nbsp; At least, it didn't make me throw up right away.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

Recalling the source of the bizarre illness, I pulled the bandage off, afraid of what I might find.&nbsp; It peeled away slowly, as though it was stuck with something more powerful than the adhesive.&nbsp; I gasped as the stench hit me-tenfold.&nbsp; More of that same orange. . . stuff was oozing from where the wound once was.&nbsp; Yet, my finger was no longer injured.&nbsp; There was no longer any trace of the scar, as though it had never even been there.&nbsp;

  

I took one more glance in the mirror, looking for any sign that might explain this unexpected illness.&nbsp; As I did so, I noticed that my eye teeth were sharp, the spitting perfection I had been staring at all yesterday.&nbsp; Hadn't I taken my fangs out?&nbsp; I recalled distinctly that they were on my mantle in their protective casing.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I reached out to touch them, sure I must have been mistaken in my drunken stupor.&nbsp; I tugged at the fangs, expecting them to come out as easily as they had before, Yet, to my shock, they didn't.&nbsp; They were stuck!&nbsp; I felt underneath the fangs, trying to find the space between them and my gums.&nbsp; But, to my horror, it simply didn't exist.&nbsp; After a few moments of struggling, I gave up, too tired and ill to continue.&nbsp;

  

I went back to bed.&nbsp; It was all I could think of in my current state.&nbsp; Part of me was concerned about the bizarre stench and the fangs in my mouth.&nbsp; Yet, before I could formulate a plan, sleep quickly overtook me.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

The dreams haunted me.&nbsp; I was sure I tossed and turned in my sleep, desperate for escape.&nbsp; Yet, no matter how bad they were, I couldn't wake up.&nbsp; I was surrounded by darkness, trapped, unable to move.&nbsp; There was a fear, a primal terror of being vulnerable.&nbsp; Yet, there was a modicum of safety in my private little world.&nbsp; The stench from before was there, though not as pungent to my senses.&nbsp; In fact, as I grew accustomed to it, it brought with it a comforting sense of familiarity.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

There was something else, a hunger welling up in my stomach beyond anything that I felt as a human.&nbsp; I was ravenous, certain that I would perish soon without sustenance.&nbsp; Yet, in my current state, I was immobile.&nbsp; I tried to move, to free myself, but I was stuck.&nbsp; I couldn't see, couldn't hear.&nbsp; It was terrifying!

  

I woke up to a putrid stench in the room.&nbsp; It made me wretch almost immediately.&nbsp; It carried the same notes as the slick fluids that I had oozed from my fingers.&nbsp; Only now, it seemed to permeate the entire room, as though it had been sprayed with a nozzle.&nbsp; It stank to high hell!

  

I tried to rush out of bed in a bid to escape the putrid odor.&nbsp; But I immediately fell back, as though stuck.&nbsp; Looking down, I was fucking covered with that disgusting fluid!&nbsp; It clung to my skin, my hair, and the blankets.&nbsp; Where the hell had it come from?&nbsp;

  

After several moments of struggle, I finally managed to get loose with a loud sucking pop.&nbsp; Desperate, I ran to my bathroom, barely making it to my toilet before I emptied the entire contents of my stomach into the bowl.&nbsp; My face remained there for what felt like an eternity until all I was retching was a bit of bile.&nbsp; Shivering, I lay there for a few minutes as tears ran down my face.&nbsp; I hated throwing up, but at least I was done.&nbsp; The smell still permeated the room, but it was weaker now, and I was starting to grow accustomed to it.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I took a shower, desperate to wipe the sticky liquid off my body.&nbsp; Even soap and scrubbing did little to remove all the stains.&nbsp; It was a struggle, but enough of the fluid was washed away to keep me occupied.&nbsp; After twenty minutes under boiling water, I felt clean enough to get out.&nbsp; Yet even as I dried myself off, I could feel the towel catching on some areas where I had failed to completely remove the hardened resin.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I checked myself in the mirror once more after that.&nbsp; Though it wouldn't do me any good, I still had to know.&nbsp; The yellowed skin looked even worse than last night.&nbsp; I looked like a man struck with jaundice.&nbsp; Even my eyes were a little yellow!&nbsp; I appeared sick, far more than what a bad hangover would allow.&nbsp; No ailment I'd ever heard of could explain the sight of my face and body!

  

I checked my teeth once more, recalling my fangs and wondering if they had fallen out during the night.&nbsp; Though, at this point, I would be happy if they'd simply loosened.&nbsp; To my horror, they had not.&nbsp; It was worse than I remembered.&nbsp; The damn things were stuck!&nbsp; They seemed to be protruding from my gums even longer than they had been before, from what I could tell.&nbsp; How was that possible?&nbsp;

  

As I struggled with my teeth, I noticed my fingernails were longer too.&nbsp; Careful not to prick myself, I raised them to my face for closer inspection.&nbsp; On my thumb and two of my fingers on each hand, the nails had noticeable mutations.&nbsp; The nails were thick, losing their translucent pink color as they extended outwards.&nbsp; They looked almost like claws!

  

There was little I could do in my present state to fix what was happening to me.&nbsp; Instead, I washed my sheets and blankets, trying to remove the foul sticky fluid.&nbsp; I must have been extremely sick to secrete so much of that... stuff.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I made a quick call to my doctor and booked an appointment as soon as one was available.&nbsp; Though I was panicked, my need wasn't bad enough to consider immediate treatment, to my chagrin.&nbsp; Thank goodness I didn't have to work that day, at least!

  

While my sheets were in the wash, I stumbled my way out to the kitchen to get something to eat, hoping I could keep it down.&nbsp; As soon as the light pouring in from the kitchen window hit my skin, however, I jumped back, as though struck with a jolt of pain.&nbsp; Looking at my shoulder, there was a noticeable reddish spot where the sunlight had touched me.&nbsp; It looked almost like an allergic reaction.&nbsp; What the hell was happening to me?&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I stayed in bed the rest of the day, cocooned in my little pile of blankets.&nbsp; It was all I could do.&nbsp; The smell had not entirely dissipated, but that wasn't concerning to me anymore.&nbsp; Though I was afraid of what was happening, something was comforting about my present state of being.&nbsp; I felt safe here, protected.&nbsp; Even though I was sweating profusely, I still had no desire to leave the warm embrace.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

In mere moments I was able to relax enough to fall asleep.&nbsp; The dreams came back stronger than ever.&nbsp; I was in a warm cocoon, safe from light and heat and danger.&nbsp; I could change here, become my true self.&nbsp; It was truly bliss, a feeling beyond anything my human self could even fathom.&nbsp; I didn't understand the meaning of the change, but my body and soul desired it.&nbsp; There was something more I could be, so long as the process continued uninterrupted.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I awoke sometime later, drenched in that foul-smelling sweat once more.&nbsp; Groaning, I lay there for a few moments to gather my strength.&nbsp; I was stuck to the bed again, barely able to move.&nbsp; I felt as though every pore was excreting more and more of that stuff.&nbsp; I was covered in gunk-like sweat!

  

I bolted upright, scared I would be stuck to my bed.&nbsp; A thick rip echoed through the room as I popped out of my cocoon.&nbsp; Yet, as I did so, I felt suddenly afraid.&nbsp; Exposed.&nbsp; It had been uncomfortable lying in my own filth, but I missed the warmth of the bed.&nbsp; The sheets were once again covered in that foul-smelling fluid.&nbsp; The smell no longer bothered me as it had.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I wanted to turn on a light and look at myself, but I was afraid to.&nbsp; Not just of the light, though a part of my mind was aware of that as well.&nbsp; I didn't want to see how sickly I looked, how grotesque.&nbsp; Whatever was happening, it was getting steadily worse!

  

Instead, my gaze turned towards a dark corner of my bedroom, completely obscured from the window, even if it was open.&nbsp; Some part of my mind was drawn there.&nbsp; I wasn't sure why, but I found myself compelled to move towards it.&nbsp; The wall, in particular, seemed to be perfect for... what?&nbsp;

  

I put a hand out to touch it when suddenly my entire hand started oozing pints of the sticky fluid!&nbsp; It dripped onto the walls and quickly congealed, still clinging to my fingers as it did so.&nbsp; I couldn't pull my hand away!&nbsp; I was stuck!

  

I wanted to panic.&nbsp; Yet I couldn't.&nbsp; I suddenly felt tired, lethargic.&nbsp; I desperately wanted to nap.&nbsp; Yet, my bed no longer held appeal.&nbsp; It could still be exposed to the light from the window, and the sheets were uncomfortable and might stick to my flesh.&nbsp; The wall, somehow, seemed more enticing to rest my weary body.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

&nbsp;I stepped closer to the wall and turned to lean my back against it.&nbsp; It felt comfortable to rest here, even as more foul-smelling ooze poured out of my body and attached me to its surface.&nbsp; It was more than enough to cover me completely.&nbsp; I could feel it puddling around me, covering the floor and hardening fast around my body.&nbsp; I was being cocooned by my own bodily fluids!

  

Despite my placid state, the realization of what was happening sent a chill of panic through me.&nbsp; I wanted to scream.&nbsp; I wanted to cry for help.&nbsp; But I could do nothing as the ooze swelled over me, covering my chest, my hands, and face.&nbsp; I closed my mouth as the ooze started seeping inside, but I could do nothing to resist it.&nbsp; It soon sealed shut my throat, as well as my nose and ears and eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I found myself wondering how I was still alive.&nbsp; I could feel my heartbeat slow, my breathing stop as my body shut down.&nbsp; Yet, I was not dying.&nbsp; It was more akin to falling asleep.&nbsp; Even as my brain began to shut down, I had the notion that whatever was happening to me would keep me alive long enough to complete its purpose.&nbsp;

  

It was over.&nbsp; I was trapped, imprisoned in a cocoon excreted from my own body.&nbsp; The substance had congealed into a solid form far stronger than any biological material I was familiar with.&nbsp; I was left in here to transform as I had desired to in my dreams.&nbsp; A part of me was aware that this prison would be the catalyst for my metamorphosis.&nbsp; I couldn't move, couldn't speak.&nbsp; And soon, I was too tired to even care.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

\*\*\*\*\*\*

  

I had no idea how long I remained there.&nbsp; It could have been hours, days, maybe weeks.&nbsp; The passage of time seemed irrelevant while in my cocoon.&nbsp; I would be here as long as needed, my changing mind reasoned.&nbsp; I was safe and secure here.&nbsp; No one could harm me until I emerged.&nbsp;

  

No one came to seek me, or at least that I was aware of.&nbsp; My senses were nearly useless beyond the confines of my new prison.&nbsp; A part of me worried that someone might check in on me if I were absent from the human world for too long.&nbsp; What would become of me if I was discovered in this state?&nbsp; I could do nothing about that fact.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I was asleep for most of it, but there were periods of wakefulness where I was aware.&nbsp; I found it difficult to differentiate between my fantasies and my waking state at times.&nbsp; My dreams were all centered on the cocoon that had enveloped my world.&nbsp; My mind and body did not need anything beyond this space.&nbsp; At least, not yet.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I realized I was changing, transforming into a new shape.&nbsp; It was gradual, it was subtle, but it was there.&nbsp; My legs were the first thing I realized had altered.&nbsp; I could feel them extending, tearing off my pajamas as the cocoon dissolved their remains.&nbsp; I knew my legs were getting bigger than the cocoon could support, but I was not hindered by the confines of my prison as I grew larger inside it.&nbsp;

  

My legs felt as though they had too many joints.&nbsp; Without the ability to actively move them, I couldn't be certain.&nbsp; My ankles felt as though they'd stretched.&nbsp; And from what I could tell, I didn't have the same number of toes I'd once possessed.&nbsp; My hips felt as if they were sinking into my chest in the area just above my ass.&nbsp;

  

Odder still, I could feel my ass becoming massive, nearly too large for the cocoon.&nbsp; Each time I awoke, the protrusion had expanded further.&nbsp; I could feel the weight of it pulling on my back as its growth progressed.&nbsp; I couldn't be sure, but it felt as though my junk was gone, lost in the massive expanse of ass I had developed.&nbsp; A passing thought made me think I had grown an insect's abdomen, as impossible as it should have been.&nbsp; But, what else could explain the resin and cocoon?&nbsp;

  

My hands were not spared either.&nbsp; I think I still had a thumb, but my fingers were longer, and again, multi-jointed.&nbsp; Two on each hand might have fused together, giving me two fingers and a thumb remaining on my hands.&nbsp; My arms seemed thinner, their musculature gone.&nbsp; They, too, seemed to have snapped in unnatural places, but I couldn't rotate them to find out.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

It felt as though I was growing new pairs of legs from my chest.&nbsp; Their dimensions seemed to increase each time I awoke.&nbsp; They were the same as my arms, complete with three-fingered thin arms.&nbsp; It was an alien sensation to have another set of limbs where none existed prior.&nbsp; Even if I couldn't move them, their presence was disorientating.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

There were other changes, some more subtle as time went on.&nbsp; My skin was becoming harder, more durable.&nbsp; The flesh had dried out, likely a protective covering far sturdier than my human flesh.&nbsp; I couldn't be sure, but it seemed as though my hair had dissolved.&nbsp; Not just on my head but my entire body.&nbsp; I couldn't imagine what I must have looked like!

  

I could feel my internal organs sloshing around inside me, altering my physiology.&nbsp; I wasn't breathing anymore, at least not from my lungs or mouth.&nbsp; Those were still closed off from the resin.&nbsp; I didn't know how I was taking in air, but I still was.&nbsp; My body's metabolic needs were greatly reduced in my cocoon-induced slumber.&nbsp; My heart was still beating, but I couldn't hear or feel it.&nbsp; Did I even have a heart as I understood it, anymore?&nbsp; It felt as though my organs were dissolving into something simpler, slowly pumping some sort of viscous fluid that had replaced my blood.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

Something was growing out of the skin of my shoulders as well, down along my back.&nbsp; I couldn't tell what it was.&nbsp; There was no human equivalent.&nbsp; They were hard and lengthy, like some sort of protective casing.&nbsp; Something underneath stirred slightly every so often, triggering muscles that I'd never had before.&nbsp; I shuddered at the possibilities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I think the most unnerving changes were to my head.&nbsp; I was scared of losing my human visage, the one that looked back at me in the mirror each and every day of my life.&nbsp; It was terrifying to feel the numbness in my mouth give way to something elongated and coiled where my tongue had been.&nbsp; Also, I could feel something long and thin sprouting from the back of my head that had not been there prior.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

My eyes bulged from their sockets ever further, though I could still not see.&nbsp; I was larger than I had been, and I was clearly no longer human.&nbsp; The changes were in line with something insectoid, further backed up with the resin I had excreted.&nbsp; I should have been disgusted, but I often passed out before I could reflect on my future.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

&nbsp;In recent days I could feel my body getting stronger as the cocoon around me began to thin.&nbsp; The process was nearly finished, I realized.&nbsp; My changes seemed to slow to completion.&nbsp; Or at least, I wasn't aware of any new differences when I woke each time.&nbsp; My periods of wakefulness became more extended as time wore on.&nbsp; I would be free soon, to be whatever I had become.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I was equal parts excited and terrified.&nbsp; What would I look like?&nbsp; What would my life be like with whatever strange new body I now possessed?&nbsp; How had this happened to me in the first place?&nbsp; I was soon to find out.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

\*\*\*\*\*\*

  

One day I felt it.&nbsp; A crack in the cocoon that surrounded me.&nbsp; It was small, but it was enough.&nbsp; I could feel air currents rushing in.&nbsp; I didn't breathe them in.&nbsp; I no longer had a nose or the ability to breathe that way.&nbsp; Still, it was enough to stir me from my hibernation.&nbsp;

  

I tried moving, feeling all my parts stirring in tandem within the weakened casing.&nbsp; I wasn't sure how to work all the appendages I now possessed.&nbsp; There was certainly more of me than when I entered my cocoon-induced slumber.&nbsp; Each attempt at movement caused a stirring in the other parts that created a chain reaction of sorts.&nbsp; My body was desperate to be free from here, it seemed!

  

I pushed and pushed, feeling my additional limbs unfurl from my chest.&nbsp; They began pressing ever so slightly against their former prison as the weakened resin began to break apart.&nbsp; The more I struggled, the more the resin gave way, and the greater my mobility became.&nbsp; I imagined this was what a butterfly felt before hatching from its cocoon.&nbsp; It was wonderful and frightening all the same.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I was being reborn, yet I had no idea into what exactly.&nbsp; I wasn't anything earthly, or at least nothing I was familiar with.&nbsp; What sort of creature could infect another life form and change them so fully?&nbsp; It wasn't taking me over, at least not entirely.&nbsp; I was still here in my mind, even though my body was very different than what I was used to.&nbsp; Stirrings of instinct, in particular, that to escape, were also present.&nbsp; But faced with returning to the waking world, it was impossible to differentiate between my drives and those of the creature I had become.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

At last, with an almost audible pop, I fell forward out of the casing where I had metamorphosed.&nbsp; The first thing that came to my awareness was the feeling of my three-clawed nails on the bedroom carpet.&nbsp; It was strange.&nbsp; I was aware there was a structure under my feet.&nbsp; But I couldn't detect it, not exactly.&nbsp; The tactile sensations I was accustomed to were absent in this state, much to my chagrin.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

It was dark outside, that much I could tell.&nbsp; There was no light streaming in from my small window.&nbsp; Yet my new body was not hindered by lack of light.&nbsp; It was the alien inputs that left me confused.&nbsp; It took a few moments to reinterpret the dimensions of the once-familiar space.&nbsp; My abilities to smell and hear were jumbled, and my distorted vision made little sense.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I took a moment to orientate myself, forcing my vision to settle on familiar images that I could begin to interrupt with my new eyes.&nbsp; As my eyes started to focus in a meaningful way, I was suddenly startled by the sight of my changed visage in the mirror.&nbsp; Even with the shattered field of view before me, I took a moment to be face to face with the creature I had become.&nbsp; A creature out of a horror movie, like nothing that could have existed on earth.&nbsp; The image scared me to the core, even more so knowing that it was now my body.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

The first thing that came to mind was that I appeared to be some sort of insect.&nbsp; Yet I was far larger than any insect to endure in the history of the planet.&nbsp; Far larger than even most people.&nbsp; If these things existed on earth they might be a contender for the dominant species.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I was at least 8 feet tall, too large to stand erect in my tiny room If I reared up to my full height.&nbsp; My legs naturally remained hunched over, my back and head ducked down as I tried to better see myself in the mirror.&nbsp; My legs looked, for all intents and purposes, very similar to my human ones.&nbsp; Yet, I could see that they carried a few extra joints, in particular, around my hips and just above my ankles.&nbsp; My ankles had extended backward, like a second pair of knees.&nbsp; Combined with my massive, flattened, three-clawed feet, they stabilized my weight and kept my balance well.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

My skin was hard and brown, made of interlocking plates in many places to allow superficial movement.&nbsp; It appeared to be some sort of chitinous material, like an exoskeleton.&nbsp; It was far lighter than my bones had been.&nbsp; In some areas, it was smooth, almost shiny.&nbsp; In others, the fleshy carapace was rough and pointed.&nbsp;

  

&nbsp;Each of my limbs had several protrusions ending in what looked like spikes.&nbsp; These same protuberances ran down my pointed, tapered abdomen.&nbsp; I wasn't sure how they were used, but they looked dangerous or deadly upon contact.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I wondered how I was to use my new legs.&nbsp; They were currently restricted in my abdomen and seemed smaller than what had become of my arms.&nbsp; I tried extending them slowly, hearing a crinkle of flesh as the new limbs moved for the second time.&nbsp; They had seven segments each, allowing them to contract into my rather small thorax, thus limiting their movement side to side.&nbsp; The tips of each had three fingers, tapering into fearsome claws.&nbsp; I tried flexing them experimentally, feeling the strength in each.&nbsp;

  

My own hands had altered into a similar structure.&nbsp; Two fingers and a thumb, each hardened and segmented with wicked looking claws at the end.&nbsp; Joints connected them to my torso where my shoulder once was and allowed greater articulation that my former human arms could ever manage.&nbsp; They, too, possessed a strength I never had as a human.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

My back was covered with a thick, shiny carapace, not unlike a beetle.&nbsp; I could feel a series of muscles underneath the surface, though they did not respond to my mental commands.&nbsp; I found myself wondering if they were some kind of wings under a protective covering.&nbsp; The 'shell' ran down my back, tapering at the end just where my massive ass began.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

My backside had extended out into what was clearly an insect abdomen.&nbsp; I could flex it slightly through the thick layer of the carapace that connected it to my thorax segment.&nbsp; It was impossibly large compared to the rest of me, though still remained relatively weightless.&nbsp; I didn't have a cock or asshole anymore, just a single opening that I could open and close at will.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I wasn't aware of any organs inside me.&nbsp; No heartbeat, no chest rising and falling.&nbsp; Nothing.&nbsp; I felt. . . somewhat empty.&nbsp; I had to have internal organs, but they must have been radically different.&nbsp; I could feel a sloshing inside me that I assumed was blood or whatever fluid had replaced it.&nbsp; What color would my blood be?&nbsp; I didn't want to find out.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I was still breathing somehow, yet not in a human fashion.&nbsp; My nose was absent, and I felt no air enter my lungs.&nbsp; Soon I became aware of many tiny holes opening and closing on the sides of my thorax and abdomen.&nbsp; Spiracles, I recalled from my university entomology.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

My head was the most bizarre sight of all.&nbsp; It reminded me of a praying mantis.&nbsp; A pair of long, waving antennas sat atop my scalp.&nbsp; The contours of my head were bulged out with black, multi-faceted eyes.&nbsp; After a few moments of visual discovery, I became used to the level of visual acuity they now possessed.&nbsp; In some ways, they saw even better than my human eyes.&nbsp; I could detect trails of heat in the room, though none of them were recent.&nbsp; Three more sets of eyes on my forehead left me confused about their purpose.&nbsp; I guessed they could detect different light spectrum levels that my human body would be unaware of.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

My mouth was the least insectoid part of me so far.&nbsp; I had a prognathous jaw extending out from my face.&nbsp; I had no nose to speak of, nor any external ears.&nbsp; My mouth was surrounded by tiny arm-like structures that I could move if I tried.&nbsp; They wriggled back and forth and seemed to have some ability to grab and hold.&nbsp;

  

But that was where the insectoid appearance ended.&nbsp; My mouth was filled with cavernous teeth, so sharp that I was sure they were meant to rend flesh.&nbsp; They were frighteningly reminiscent of the vampire fangs that had likely infected me.&nbsp; Only instead of two, my entire jaw was filled with the deadly daggers.&nbsp;

  

More curious than frightened, I tried to run my tongue over them, but it no longer worked that way.&nbsp; When I tried to move the organ, it only pumped in and out rapidly, a stark contrast to the range of motion my tongue once had.&nbsp; The end was covered in a thick point that made it look like a spear.&nbsp; It reminded me of the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise.&nbsp; It didn't have a mouth of its own, but I was sure it was used to kill while the other mouthparts drew food into my body.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I don't know how I was able to stand there so long, just staring at my changed form.&nbsp; I think the entire process left me a little stunned.&nbsp; I stared over and over at my new body, trying to move the new parts and watching their motions reflected at me.&nbsp;

  

An assault on my senses broke me from self-reflection.&nbsp; I felt something waving atop my head, the antenna I had noted earlier.&nbsp; They were twitching frantically now, bringing with them a wealth of sensory information that I had no idea how to process.&nbsp; But my changed mind did.&nbsp; Tiny, twitching filaments collected scent molecules in quantities that excited some alien center in my mind.&nbsp; Similar, longer hairs were stimulated by movement, though currently, it was my own body causing the distortions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

It amazed me how quickly I found I was able to interpret the new information.&nbsp; I could identify my human scent had been here, mingled with the markers that made up what I was now.&nbsp; But I also detected signs from a multitude of different beings like the former me, all human.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

That realization unnerved me.&nbsp; The scents in the room indicated the presence of other people while I was in the cocoon.&nbsp; I wondered why they had not broken me out.&nbsp; Had they been unable?&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

The implication finally hit me.&nbsp; If other humans had found my trapped form, when would they be back to check on me?&nbsp; And if so, did I want to be seen like this?&nbsp; On the one hand, they might be able to find a cure for me.&nbsp; On the other hand, I didn't want to be some kind of lab rat under scrutiny for study.&nbsp; I didn't deserve that!&nbsp;

  

A stirring of something in my mind suddenly shifted my focus.&nbsp; I was assaulted with a pang of hunger more intense than anything I could imagine.&nbsp; The drive was so insistent, so primal that I was left with no other choice than to obey it.&nbsp; I needed to hunt, to feed.&nbsp; And I could not do so in this tiny enclosure.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I broke out of my window easily enough.&nbsp; I barely felt a thing, none of the shards of glass able to pierce my flesh.&nbsp; I fell to the ground unharmed.&nbsp; My new body was surprisingly agile, in addition to the strength it possessed.&nbsp; There were no humans around, thankfully.&nbsp; I lived near the woods, and it was late at night.&nbsp;

  

The hunger in my belly became more and more demanding.&nbsp; I found myself slowly moving across the lawn towards the woods.&nbsp; Though I had little control, I could sense that my current gait was insufficient.&nbsp; It was a notion shared by my new psyche, it seemed.&nbsp; Even as I scuttered along, I could feel something strange and new stirring along my back.&nbsp; All of a sudden, the sheath covering my back tore open, and an intense buzzing was picked up through my antenna.&nbsp; Without warning, I was airborne.&nbsp; I was flying!&nbsp;

  

The sensations of flight were nearly indescribable.&nbsp; One minute I was on the ground, and the next, I was in the air, hovering over my house.&nbsp; It took no energy at all to soar over trees.&nbsp; It felt a bit overwhelming being so high up, but my instincts felt safe in the air.&nbsp; That sense of ease allowed me to truly immerse myself in the experience.&nbsp; It was exhilarating!&nbsp;

  

I flew for a long time, hovering soundlessly over the woods behind my former house.&nbsp; I say soundless, though I could easily detect the vibrations of my wings.&nbsp; I doubted any mammal could.&nbsp; At least, given my current altitude.&nbsp; Only my shadow would give away my presence, but it was no matter.&nbsp; No mammal on earth would have ever experienced the creature I had become.&nbsp; They would have no defense against me.&nbsp;&nbsp;

At last, I spotted a herd of deer feeding near a clearing at the edge of the forest.&nbsp; I could easily make out their outlines and the heat signatures, but what alerted me to their presence most were the pheromones.&nbsp; Scent molecules wafted in the air around me, though my body needed only a few to signal that a source of meat was present to nourish me.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I was famished, and my body went into automatic at the sight of prey.&nbsp; I lit on a branch, surprised at its ability to hold me up, yet it barely shook under my weight.&nbsp; My new claws gripped tightly into the bark, keeping me stationary in my hiding place.&nbsp; There were plentiful branches and foliage to obscure my presence, and surely the deer wouldn't be looking up.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I could sense that my prey was getting closer.&nbsp; I was downwind without having realized it.&nbsp; My hunting instincts were on point, it seemed.&nbsp; And my internal calculations had been correct.&nbsp; The deer were indeed moving closer and closer to my location.&nbsp; One, in particular, was at the head of the herd, a male.&nbsp; Likely the rut buck for the herd.&nbsp; Oh well.&nbsp; Males were more expandable, my human mind reasoned.&nbsp; And my new insectoid mind cared little except that it needed to feed.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I gazed forward, watching it getting closer and closer while my body remained still as death.&nbsp; I was perfectly content to stay motionless for hours if need be.&nbsp; I would wait till my prey was either close enough to drop on or had moved too far out of sight.&nbsp;

  

Fortunately, in this case, I did not have to wait for hours.&nbsp; The buck was nearly in range, blissfully unaware of the death that would soon rain from the sky.&nbsp; Just a little more. . .&nbsp;

  

I lept down on its back, piercing the flesh of its skull quickly with my massive, tapered tongue.&nbsp; The deer was dead in an instant.&nbsp; The motion scared away the rest of the herd, but that was OK.&nbsp; I didn't need them that night.&nbsp; Not with this amount of meat to feed me.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I wasn't sure how I was to feed in this body.&nbsp; The anatomy seemed all wrong for a typical insect's ingestion.&nbsp; I found myself wondering if my new mouth was suited for the quantity of meat I would need to sustain my much larger body.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

My new instincts quickly took over with the prospect of a meal before me.&nbsp; I lowered my mouth, drooling onto my prey.&nbsp; My saliva was thick, burning into my prey's flesh.&nbsp; I could see it slowly eating away at the carcass that I had killed.&nbsp; Breaking it down into chunks that could be grabbed by my multiple mouthparts.&nbsp; Easily fitting into my mouth where the rows of jagged teeth turned the meat into a slurry.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I ate my fill.&nbsp; The flesh was surprisingly satisfying.&nbsp; I dove in, devouring the skin, fur, meat, muscle, and even organs like the eyes and brain.&nbsp; Nothing was safe from my ravenous hunger.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

Within ten minutes or so, I was done.&nbsp; Satisfied, I looked over from the remains of my meal with human curiosity.&nbsp; There was hardly anything left, save for the bones.&nbsp; I was full beyond belief.&nbsp; A part of me knew that now I did not have to eat for several days.&nbsp; I could devour massive amounts of food in one sitting.&nbsp; My abdomen was a bit bloated and distended from the quantity of food I'd consumed.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

Now that the hunger had been satisfied, the instincts in my mind had other priorities.&nbsp; I was open and exposed.&nbsp; I had no home, no nest to return to.&nbsp; My scent was not present in the area.&nbsp; I had to change that.&nbsp; Without realizing it, my shell parted, and my wings lifted me into the air to search for my next goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

\*\*\*\*\*\*

  

I've lost track of the days now.&nbsp; My new form didn't care about such things with its own prerogatives and agendas.&nbsp; It didn't matter how many days it took to achieve them.&nbsp; It simply did what it needed to do to survive and follow its instincts.&nbsp; And I was content to exist in such a fashion.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

My body was active at night for the most part.&nbsp; During the day, I entered a kind of torpor state not unlike my time changing in the cocoon.&nbsp; It was deeply relaxing, like resting after a hard day's work each time.&nbsp; Unlike my human life, I had no concern for deadlines or appointments.&nbsp; My new existence allowed me to relax in a way modern human life no longer afforded.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

As time passed, I was beginning to feel my mind blend into the instincts and drives of the creature I had become.&nbsp; It wasn't a perfect melding.&nbsp; I still retained control at some points.&nbsp; But for the most part, I was content to allow the creature to take control.&nbsp; It knew what it needed to do to live in its new form.&nbsp; I was more of an observer, studying the behavior and lifestyle of this new species.&nbsp;

  

I found this life's fulfillment was in its simplicity.&nbsp; I had no obligations.&nbsp; No work, no school, no bills.&nbsp; Part of me missed my family and friends, of course.&nbsp; But part of me imagined what it would be like to bring them here instead of going back to my human life with them.&nbsp; Could I infect others as I had been?&nbsp; My mind toyed with the possibilities.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I had found a secluded cave in the forest from which to hunt.&nbsp; It protected me from the light, which my body did not like.&nbsp; My skin was sensitive, but it did not burn.&nbsp; Still, it made me uncomfortable to be out during the day.&nbsp; Sometimes I could venture out on a cloudy or rainy day, but I preferred to go about my business at night.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

The area my body selected for my nest was perfect.&nbsp; There hadn't been a human scent in the area for many months that my senses could detect.&nbsp; The work was laborious, but it was satisfying.&nbsp; Each of my hands could secrete a thick resin, not unlike the cocoon that changed me.&nbsp; My saliva was potent enough to melt rock while my resin built up a suitable nest for myself.&nbsp; I was reshaping the land to suit my needs!

  

I had to eat about once every week or so.&nbsp; I could eat a variety of animals, as I quickly discovered.&nbsp; Larger mammals were best, given the quantity of meat that was present.&nbsp; There was no difference in taste that I could tell.&nbsp; Deer, Moose, Bear, Coyote.&nbsp; The species did not matter.&nbsp; Smaller animals escaped my notice.&nbsp; They were beneath my needs.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

I supposed if I came upon another human, I would find them potentially prey as well.&nbsp; I was so much stronger than any human, and unless they were thoroughly prepared, they would not overpower me.&nbsp; The part of me that was human didn't want to know how I would react if I came across others of my former species.&nbsp; It was strange to think of myself as anything other than human.&nbsp; But the longer I existed in my new body, the more it made sense that I was now this creature in body and mind.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

There was another thought that came to mind whenever I considered humans.&nbsp; I was lonely.&nbsp; I was the only one of my kind.&nbsp; At the idea of another being like myself, a strange ache emanated from my crotch.&nbsp; I had a faint idea of why, and the notion was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating.&nbsp; Either way, it was a sensation I desired to explore further, should I have another of my kind in proximity.&nbsp;&nbsp;

  

There was enough human in me to be aware that if I was to retrieve more of the store's fangs, I could make more like myself.&nbsp; That the chemical markers for the change may rest inside them.&nbsp; Were they tainted with alien DNA, or were they directly harvested from a being like me?&nbsp; If the latter, perhaps I could change others with a bite from my fangs.&nbsp; Soon, I would test my theory.&nbsp; Either way, I would not be the only one of my kind for long...&nbsp;&nbsp;

  
  

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Source: https://sofurry.com/s/J1ONRBkn