An Impostor's Hunger [AMONG US FANFICTION]

Changing

     Sitting in the bunks room, Green grimaced. "You're starving aren't you? You can't be okay..." "Don't worry Green. Your accidental sacrifice should hold me over until we get to Polus. In the meantime, all we have to do is wait."

     "Pink? What's going to happen at Polus?" Green asked nervously. "Oh," Pink replied, "Since there are other Impostors at Polus, they have to be eating something, right? I thought so, anyway." The answer didn't put Green at ease. "Uh, are the other Impostors going to be interested in killing me?" Pink stiffened. "I... I'm working on that. Don't think too much about it."

     Green was concerned. What if the other Impostors did want to hurt him? What if the Impostors on Polus fed off of lost crewmates? Pink noticed Green's expression. "Don't worry. I'll protect you, Green." Green's frown softened at her words. "Thanks," he replied. "By the way, I just remembered something. I know we're used to using color-code names because it was policy, but there's no one to enforce that now. I'd like to reintroduce myself."

     He smiled at her. "Hi, I'm Dax. Nice to meet you. What's your name?" She looked back at him, puzzled. "I... don't have one? Back in training, we went by ID numbers. I guess impostors don't care too much for creativity." Dax frowned. "Well, I guess we'll have to come up with a name for you. I can't just keep calling you Pink." "I don't know. Why don't you choose-" she hesitated, "Dax?" "Hmm... how about... Maia?" He said. "Okay. Sounds good to me." She replied. He smiled again, and the two enjoyed a moment of peace.

     That night, lying in his bunk, Dax stirred. His stomach rumbled, waking him up. He decided to make a trip to the Cafeteria and gather some food to take down into the bunk room. He ate but it offered no satisfaction to his rumbling stomach. He sighed and slinked into the bathroom. The owner of the green spacesuit felt sick.

     Dax's eyes widened and he leaned over the toilet. His stomach's contents emptied into the toilet. He thought he felt a little better, but still, his stomach only offered discomfort to Dax. He splashed water onto his face with the sink, and then brushed his teeth. His stomach then let out another growl, this time much louder than all the rest. Dax felt like something was off.

     In his wounds from Maia's attack, a strange feeling grew. Dax lifted his shirt and unwrapped the gauze from his chest. What he saw shook him to his core. From within the wounds on Dax's chest sprang tentacle-like growths, writhing and twisting. Terrified, he ran from the bathroom to alert Maia of the situation.

     "Pi - Maia!" he said, shaking. "Wake up. Something - something's wrong!" The impostor twitched, and her eyes sprang open. "What...?" she said, and then her eyes focused on Dax's chest. She was shocked, but unlike Dax, she was curious instead of terrified. "Dax," she said softly, "This - it looks like an Impostor. You're sure you're a human?" "Uh - last time I checked!" Dax replied in disbelief.

     The Impostor reached out and touched the familiar growths extruding from Dax's chest. One tentacle wrapped around Maia's finger. Dax startled. "I - I can feel it. Like - like it's a part of me. What's going on?" he asked deliriously. Maia exhaled. "I think... I think you're changing. Into an Impostor. I didn't even know that could happen - maybe that's why missions could be completed with one crewmate per Impostor alive..."

     Dax gulped. "I - I'm turning into an Impostor?" He asked. "...I think so," Maia replied. "I think this could actually solve our problem. If you're an Impostor, you can join our units instead of getting killed on Polus. Can you control it?" Dax concentrated on the tentacles protruding from his chest. They slowed and stopped squirming. "I guess so," he said.

     "Do you think you could - shift? Change your form?" Dax frowned. "Like what?" "I dunno, just focus on something and try to change to it." Dax closed his eyes and the tentacles shifted together into the shape of a fluffy gray cat's paw. "Woah, I did it," he said, "Weird." "Hmm," Maia said, "What about the rest of you?" Dax focused, but to no avail. "I don't think so," he said. The tentacles reverted to their original form.

     "Interesting," Maia said, "But I think you should get some sleep. Surely you're tired from exerting your energy, and it's the middle of the night. I'm tired too, you know. Just wake me up again if something happens again." Dax frowned. "I'm really freaked out, Maia. I don't know I could sleep." "You could stay with me in my bunk if you think that would help," Maia said. "O - okay," Dax blushed. "Goodnight." The two drifted off to sleep, both comforted by the warmth of the other.