CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 64- HORRORS BEYOND THE MIND (PART 2)

Chapter 64- Horrors Beyond The Mind (Part 2)

(A//N: This Chapter is graphic and will have very disturbing depictions. Please don’t read if you can’t handle that.)

Lying still upon the man’s head was what seemed to be some kind of insect — a disgusting-looking creature, larger than the man’s head. It appeared to be a horrifying hybrid between a grasshopper and a cockroach, with its limbs, torso, and head all fused together to form the most diabolical thing Jack had ever laid eyes upon.

The creature’s long antennae moved disgustingly as they descended, wrapping around the man’s head before entering both of his ears and digging deep inside. Judging from their length, Jack was certain those things were wrapped around his brain.

What further confirmed that was the occasional pulsation of those long antennae, as if they had a heart of their own.

’What the actual fuck is this...’ Jack cursed as he covered his nose again. The smell was naturally coming from that insect and the man. ’I’m going to throw up... Is that thing controlling him?’

Judging from the way it was connected to the victim, it seemed like a parasite — a mind-controlling monstrosity. Either way, the man was clearly far gone. His brain was completely controlled.

For a few seconds, Jack watched silently as the man stood there, not moving an inch. He wanted to understand what this creature was doing, if he could.

However, before he could inspect it any further, the insect suddenly screeched, making him instinctively step back to hide. Its wings fluttered, and the pulsation increased as it kept pumping unknown substances into the man’s brain.

Then, the man’s rigid body moved, and he turned around unnaturally. Jack caught a glimpse of his face — a blank expression, empty, dead eyes, and a drooling mouth. He looked like a moving corpse rather than a living being.

’Is he... dead?’ Jack visibly frowned.

Then, the man began walking away from the door into the hallway. He moved through the blinding darkness without hitting anything in his path.

"..."

Jack slowly opened the door and peeked outside. There was no one else there but that man. After a brief moment of hesitation, he finally left the room and decided to follow the target.

With silent steps, Jack crept after him, from one turn to another. There were no traces of other people on the way, which only confused him more. ’Where are the rest of the people? Where did they go?’

Each turn only raised more questions. He wished to see more people, even if they were under these parasites’ effects... He simply wanted to see any sign that could answer his questions.

However, for several cruel minutes, Jack followed the man without knowing where he was heading. He contemplated killing him more than once, but shook his head each time, deciding against it.

Simply to see where this would lead, he stayed patient.

Eventually, after walking for what felt like forever, the man reached a set of double doors with circular windows. Pushing them open, he walked in as they closed automatically behind him.

Jack stopped, stared at the door, then covered his mouth and nose. The smell had become completely unbearable.

’The source... I’m getting close to the source.’ He fought the urge to vomit as he stared at the door. ’Whatever is behind that door... It’s making this horrid smell.’

Cursing under his breath, Jack quickly tore a piece of his clothes and wrapped it around his nose, clogging it properly to reduce the stench as much as possible. Breathing through his mouth wasn’t much better.

Then, with careful steps, he approached the door and peeked through the windows — but all he saw was a thick layer of mist covering the glass, obstructing the view.

’Dammit.’

Taking a deep breath, he crouched and tried to listen. But it was completely silent. There was no noise inside. That left him with only one option.

After a moment to prepare himself, he pushed the door open very slowly and peeked through the gap. His hypervision immediately illuminated the room — and what he saw froze him.

The first thing he laid eyes upon was... humans. Many humans. They stood side by side, filling the entire room. On each one of their heads was the same exact insect, controlling their brains.

’So this is where they are.’ He mused. ’And they’re all, as I expected, controlled by these bugs. This must be their nest then.’

The answer became clear. This laboratory wasn’t a research facility anymore — it was the nest of mind-controlling insects.

However, one question remained: where did these creatures even come from?

’It can’t be that they evolved this rapidly from normal insects. Their numbers are far too big for that to have happened instantly... at least from what I know.’

It was a given fact that everything that had happened since yesterday was contained within Earth. No other realm or world was involved — otherwise, Liliana would’ve warned Jack about it. So, where did such things come from? They certainly weren’t earthlings.

"..." As he was thinking...

Swish

"Hm?"

Jack saw something flash in the distance. Quickly, he looked up — only to barely catch sight of it in time. At first, he couldn’t make out what it was, but as he focused his vision on the far side of the room, beyond the rows of controlled humans, he finally saw something he hadn’t noticed earlier.

"... Huh?" Jack’s mouth parted as he leaned forward, almost in disbelief. "Are those...?"

Holes. Countless holes riddled the wall. They came in all different shapes and sizes. His eyes moved left — more holes. To the right — even more. The entire room was covered in them.

Cold sweat trickled down Jack’s face as his heart began to race. A deep feeling of dread grew in his chest. But... he still watched.

A second later, Jack saw it again — and this time, he understood what it was.

Out of one of the holes, a massive insect head burst forth — one that resembled the mind-controlling bugs on the humans’ heads, except several times larger, with huge mandibles as sharp as razors.

The head moved with lightning speed, grabbing one of the humans violently and pulling them into the hole — disappearing completely in a second.

Moments later, another head emerged and snatched another human. Then another. And another.

It started happening everywhere. Each second, several humans were dragged into the depths of darkness — disappearing, never to return.

The scene was horrific. Jack stood there, shell-shocked. Even though he was accustomed to blood, and even though he was fine with killing, Jack simply couldn’t handle the sight before him.

Something about it broke his mind in ways he hadn’t thought possible. It was morbid, it was dark — and worst of all, since he couldn’t see what the insects were doing in that darkness, it left room for his imagination to fill in the gaps.

"Goddammit... God fucking dammit..." he cursed as he sat down on the floor, trying to calm himself. ’What the fuck? What the fuck?! What the hell is this place?’

The nausea and urge to vomit returned stronger than ever, but with sheer willpower, Jack forced himself to calm down.

’I need to leave. Those insects aren’t something I can fight now. They’re the reason I felt so uneasy walking here. Each one is extremely strong. After consuming so many humans, I’m not surprised.’

It didn’t take a genius to understand that these things were growing rapidly — which could explain their fast evolution.

Either way, the boy knew he had seen enough. It was time to leave. He stood up and turned around.

At that moment...

"Jack, are you there? Do you hear me?"

The boy froze. His eyes widened as he looked at the transceiver in his pocket. Then, slowly, he turned his gaze toward the closed door.

His heart sank.