As I crawl through the slitted passage, I feel its fleshy membrane gently collapse behind my feet. The smell becomes sweeter and a tad bit pungent. It becomes evermore concentrated in the passage as the membrane seals behind me. I push myself forward, using my feet against the membrane. In the faint warm light ahead, I see only the dark outline of a figure crawling out of the passage in front of me. I am the last in and the last out.
Following right after, I pull on the edges of the opening, sliding myself smoothly out, covered in now a thick layer of muculent slime. We are in a circular cavity. A slow pulsating warm glow permeates through the enclosing membrane. In the centre is a muscular tree-like growth. Red glowing polyps form its dense crown. When I look at them, I salivate. Their sweet scent fills my mouth and throat, tantalizing me closer.
A firm hand squeezes my shoulder. It’s Lucky. They shake their head at me and point to a figure lying on the ground near the growth. I recognize them from our group. They lie still. Their face is bloated. Their eyes and lips are swollen shut. I do not see or hear them breathing. The others watch them. The floor soon swallows their body, leaving no remains. There are eight of us now.
Lucky tries to stop the others from approaching the growth, but one pushes them aside, licking their own lips. Elbowed then steps forward, spits in Lucky’s face, and elbows them hard in the shoulder as they brush past. The others follow as Lucky looks on helplessly. I try creeping past Lucky, but they block me with their arm. They point towards the growth as the others approach it. Despite Lucky’s pleading grunts, they ignore them.
A rattling sound emits from the growth as the others close in. One of them reaches for a polyp. The polyps quiver as their hand nears. Lucky keeps pointing intently at the growth, and they shake their finger. A keratin vine emerges from behind the polyps. On its tip, a rattle shakes rapidly and loudly.
The vine hovers near the impending hand. Undeterred, the hand tries to grasp a polyp. Drool drips from my lips as I stare. A stinger emerges from the vine’s tip. The vine springs at the hand and punctures through it. Stung screeches in pain and jumps back, clutching their hand. Tears stream down their face. Their hand swells up fast, and the swelling travels down their arm. The others, including Elbowed, pay no attention and rip off polyps from the growth, spared of the distracted vine. They sink their teeth into the juicy polyps and devour them.
Stung falls over, convulsing and crying silently. I watch the others with burning jealousy. They lick the leftover juices from their lips. My heart pounds, and my mouth drools for a fresh red polyp. The rattle cannot inhibit me any longer. I rush forward, not letting Lucky get a chance to hold me back. As I scurry by the growth, I quickly yank off a polyp, and the rattling vine launches after me. I feel a rush of air against the back of my shoulder. The vine barely missed me.
While I consume the polyp, I see the satiated others submerge into the floor. I close my eyes, enjoying the luscious sweet taste. Juice squirts from the polyp on my cheeks. I gather what I can with my fingers and lick my face clean. Lucky watches from across the room, their eyes darting between the growth, Stung, and I. My muscles tighten and relax. A serene wave flows through me. First, my toes sink into the floor, and then gradually, the rest of me. Just as the membrane fully engulfs me, I see Lucky creep toward the growth. Stung stumbles to their feet, their swollen arm limp. I close my eyes as the membrane rolls over my head.