Almost Human

A parasite, small enough to be missed under a microscope, but ruthless enough to end the world. It infects primarily animals, hijacking their brains, stripping away everything but the urge to kill. Even when torn to shreds, even on the verge of death - they don't stop. They can't. They're driven by one thing: hunger. A hunger that never ends.

These things, these shells of what they once were, feel no pain. No fear. No warmth. Just that one, endless ache.

The parasite isn't airborne. It won't spread through water. But if you've got even a paper cut, you're a target. A scratch, a nick - that's all it takes. If you're wounded, disinfect it immediately. Wrap it. Pray. The bigger the wound, the longer your prayer had better be.

If you get bitten, don't wait. Don't let hope make a fool of you. Take a gun, aim true, and end it. It's better that way. Because once it starts, you'll still be you... for a while. You'll feel it growing inside - the gnawing, the heat, the twitch under your skin. At first, you'll be able to hold it back. Barely. But soon, the hunger will dig into your mind. You'll start to slip.

And when you do, nothing will stop you. Not reason. Not memory. Not love. You'll eat anything to make it stop-even yourself.

TW: blood, death, violence (anything else comes up, I'll give a warning at the start of the chapter)