PARASITIC (Among Us)

Three: The Looney Bin. Population: One

        "Morbid, please, I can't get out as easily as I thought could," Cole pleads, hoisting herself up as much as she can. I stand in the hallway and look around, no one to be seen. Cole grunts and lowers herself back into the vent and twists her hips, jumping out onto her side. She kicks the vent hatch with her foot, laying on her stomach and kicking her feet behind her, holding her head up with her hand. "Nevermind, it's okay, I got it."

I stand gawking. "Why... Why were you..."

"In the vent? Pshh, doing a vent task, obviously," she tries to play it off. I blink at her, paralyzed. She stands up. "Oh, right, those don't exist anymore."

If you see your crewmate pop out of the vent, that is not your crewmate. ​​​​​​

I turn, walking away but then transition to sprinting. I breathe heavily, swinging my arms as I get into full stride. Cole's footsteps thud behind me, far faster than mine. My feet stutter, but I keep going, racing to the Cafeteria to call for an emergency meeting. I can practically feel Cole's breath on my neck. She lunges at me, tackling me and taking us both down to the ground. My PDA slides across the floor, and I struggle with her in our bulky spacesuits. I kick her off, trying to set myself up for a dash off the ground, but she latches onto my ankle to weigh me down. She huffs and uses me to pull herself up. I pick up my military cap, hitting her over the head with it to earn myself enough time to take out my gun. She uses her oxygen tank on the back of her suit to smack me head-on, looming over me and panting in exertion. She drops the pack, picks up my gun, and points it at me. I groan as I stare up at her.

"Shit, I didn't know that we were having a track meet."

"You're an Imposter," I cough, reaching up to feel my nose.

"And? What of it?" She shrugs. "I mean... Aren't we all?"

"No, you maniac!" I wince. Where is everyone else? "We did a task together, there's no way you're actually an Imposter! Why would we be Imposters?"

She tilts her head, slightly confused. "It didn't choose you?"

"What's it?"

"It. It didn't choose you?" She prods in a delirious way. I heave, furrowing my brows. She's so casual about the fact that I've found her out. I stare at her and open my mouth slightly, belting out a beacon in hopes someone will come. Cole drops the gun at my sudden action, and I yell louder, slowly opting for a scream as I transfer to my hands and knees. I stop for a brief second to take a deep breath and get to my feet, screaming as I start sprinting again. Cole curses and yells out in exertion. I do a double-take when I check behind me, needing to verify that I was seeing things correctly. Her oxygen tank blazes through the air, and I can see a glimpse of Cole catching up before the canister collides with my face with a great big ping! that's followed by the tripping my feet did and ever so elegant skidding of my cheek against the metal floor.

Am I going to die? What an Imposter actually does is going to be finally known, but I won't be around to tell the tale. What's going to happen to Mundy? I feel movement in my body, right under my skin. I can't move, meaning I can't scratch it. It writhes, rolling around and sprouting inside of me. My skin lifts with each movement. It hurts.

I slowly open my eyes, groaning as I close them again as the blindingly bright light strains my pupils. Footsteps eagerly step over to me, and I try again on opening my eyes. Ten casts a shadow over me, a finger to her chin as she observes me from above. We lock eyes and she tilts her head slightly. "Morbid?"

A grunt escapes me as I stir, sitting up on my side. Ten helps me. She forces my eyelid open and shines a flashlight in it. I flinch, but she does the other one as well with no hesitation. My brain is being crushed inside my skull. Ten hands me a small cup with pills and a larger cup full of water. "What... what do these do?"