The cocoon radiated heat, making the lab room sweltering hot. The air was humid and thick with the metallic taste of blood. Bodies lay around it, piled in unsightly heaps. It was almost like some twisted sort of nest. Except the bird that built this nest didn't collect little twigs and mud; it used flesh and blood.

> Desecrated Angel (level 30)

Jenny kept the notification in her head as she stared at it, vaguely aware of the striped, yellow Wretched Angel dragging the girls away. She remembered the stairwell, the first "nest" she'd seen. How those two Wretched Angels had kept that boy alive to drain his blood. These angels must be doing the same, for all the sacs that covered the ceiling, and for this large cocoon-like sac. But why did the Desecrated Angell need such a thing?

The stench clogged her lungs. She had to cough but knew coughing would set off even more agony, and she forced herself to remain as still as possible. Everything ached, burned, or throbbed. But with Oliver nearby, she refused to drift off into unconsciousness no matter how strongly the darkness tugged on the edges of her mind.

Focus... Focus! She connected thoughts. The angels had dragged all the bodies here. These two male Wretched Angels must be serving the cocooned female. Did angels have a matriarchal society? Like bees and ants?

She ignored the pain, trying to remember things she'd read in books and seen in documentaries. One insect would become the Queen, eating a special diet to grow large so it can lay countless eggs for the colony. Then they’d spread and seek out more food so they can lay more eggs and continue to grow.

The angels looked human, but the sacs they produced were not human at all. And the female angel reminded her of a worm or caterpillar gestating inside a cocoon before emerging with wings and...

She blinked in shock. Would the Desecrated Angel emerge with wings? Then it would look more like the angels from holy books, wouldn't it? How much stronger would it be?

She sucked in a warm, moist breath. Air whistled through her crushed nose and stung her bleeding gums.

The yellow Wretched Angel's covering turned green in the blue light before it faded, and it shone yellow again. It dropped one of the girls onto a pile of bodies and raised the other, cradling her limp body in its slim, muscular arms. This angel wasn't as wide as the one covered in black. It wasn't as monstrous either. It had long white hair. Its covering was thin, and Jenny could see the outline of its spine. The stripes were black, reminding her of a tiger.

It placed the girl on the table as though she were a slab of meat ready to be tenderized and slathered with spices. Jenny strained to see what the creature was doing, but it had its back to her, blocking her view. At least it wasn't Oliver's friend; she was lying on the floor, her broken helmet reflecting the cocoon's blue glow.

The bodies around the girl looked thin and drained... almost like Tarnished Angels. Some of them were Angels, but even the humans appeared thinner and mangled, their faces ghastly. With a cold sweat, she realized they'd been drained of all their blood.

Once again, she tried to summon her hatchet, the muscles in her forearm straining. She clenched her teeth by accident, and renewed pains shot through her messed-up jaw. Then she noticed the black Wretched Angel. It crawled across the ceiling between the sacs, touching each one with its clawed hands and tendrils.

A glimmer of golden light sparked in her hand, but she stopped trying to summon it. The light gave her the tiniest bit of comfort, but not yet. Not just yet, she told herself. If she summoned it, the angel would notice immediately, and she was in no condition to fight. She’d bide her time. Wait for an opening, any opportunity...

The other humans, the ones alive and lined up near her and Oliver... if she could somehow wake them up. If she could create a potion and split it between them all, just to heal them enough to fight together, maybe she could rally and-

A revolting crack cut through her desperate planning. Jenny winced, but she turned her head to see the yellow Wretched Angel on top of the girl. It crouched over her, pinning her arms with its hands. Her armor was torn open. The angel's face was pressed to her neck, and it started slurping.

They were long wet slurps, with brief pauses to swallow as the girl cried softly. Jenny lay on the floor wishing she could claw out the insides of her ears. She couldn't even tell if the girl was awake or crying helplessly in her unconscious state. God, she prayed the girl was unconscious. Nobody should have to suffer something like that.

The slurping went on and on, until, finally, it was quiet again except for the sound of her pounding heart.

The angel sat up, tilting its head back as it swallowed again. Its covering appeared green again before the light faded, then the creature slid off the table and stomped over to the cocoon, hissing as though it were speaking.

A crease appeared down the cocoon’s center. From inside, something bulged against the protective skin-like layer, stretching it out before bursting through.

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The Desecrated Angel’s head appeared.

The bright blue glow faded to a dull glow, as though from a dying lightbulb. The eerie hue stained everything in the room. Jenny didn't dare blink. The angel's face was dark, the covering was no longer glossy and slick, but instead looked metallic and woven. It reminded her of carbon fiber. Its face was thin and gaunt with a pronounced jawline and cheekbones.

Its two antennae twitched as its golden hair spilled forward to cover the sides of its head. Gooey liquid dripped from its hair and chin while everything below its neck remained inside the cocoon. Its eyes were shut, but its mouth opened. A tongue stretched out expectantly.

Now a dull green in the dim blue light, the Wretched Angel bent slightly to kiss the other. Its throat convulsed, its chest heaved, and it gripped the Desecrated Angel's face with both hands.

As it swallowed, the cocoon’s light brightened intensely, blinding Jenny. But the image of them kissing was seared in her mind. She heard the retching. She heard splattering. Swallowing. She pictured a mother bird feeding screaming chicks, their beaks open as they cried out. She'd throw up the worms and bugs she'd hunted, after digesting them in her gut, and the young would eat it up.

When the light faded, Jenny blinked repeatedly, trying to clear her vision. She saw the Desecrated Angel staring.

A terrible chill sent goosebumps racing up and down her body despite the disgusting humidity and how much she was sweating beneath her armor.

The creature's antennae flicked. Its eyes were open, glowing violently blue, and Jenny realized it was no longer a vacant stare.

Its eyes were no longer vacant whiteness. It had pupils now, giving it a freakishly human appearance. Its lips curved into a smile, the carbon fiber skin shimmering as it forced an arm out of the cocoon. Thick liquid glopped and splattered on the floor. It pointed with fingers covered in slime, hissing and shushing, not taking its eyes off Jenny’s. Then it broke into a fit of coughing, hacking up blood and spittle.

The creature's breath was raspy and painful. Jenny got the sense it couldn't handle the air. As though its insides were still forming. What was it that caterpillars did inside a chrysalis? Dissolve into an organic soup before taking on a new shape?

The Wretched Angel's head turned. It hissed something in response before helping the Desecrated Angel slide back inside. More gooey liquid escaped, dribbling down the side of the cocoon before the slit faded away and the large sac was whole again.

She knew what had happened. She knew the Desecrated Angel had declared its next meal. It wanted her.

Whimpering as pain shot through her skull, she again tried to get up, desperately flexing her core. If she could just get to her feet... if she could just stand, her head would stop spinning, she could summon her hatchet, and she might be able to do something.

But the yellow Wretched Angel was already stomping towards her, crushing limbs and hands beneath its feet. The other male was still working through the sacs, adjusting and stroking.

Her head dropped as she stopped straining. She turned to look at Oliver as the footsteps drew near. He was lying awkwardly, the red mark on his face glistening in the fading light. The sight of his twisted leg made her want to scream. He wouldn't be able to walk out of here much less run. And if he'd had enough Energy, then he would've tried to heal it already.

Maybe he could crawl? Maybe if she could create a distraction somehow and he woke up... But would he leave his friend behind?

Her thoughts swirled as desperation threatened to suffocate her. No idea leaped into her mind. She wasn't the planning type. That was Susan. Jenny was the rush-in-blindly-and-just-do-it type. At least Susan was safe in the library.

The angel scooped her up with both arms. Something popped between her ribs, and her body writhed with pain as her limbs hung loose. Her shield bounced against its knees. The angel didn't seem to care. Blood and drool glistened on its chin as it carried her to another table and gently, almost reverently, lowered her.

Her helmet clanged against the table. She felt like a sack of potatoes. Her jaws snapped and crackled as she tried to say something, but her gums burned with pain, and all she managed to do was gape like a fish out of water.

On the ceiling, the black Wretched Angel moved further away, toward the back of the lab room. From this angle, it seemed like a fly exploring a bowl of flesh colored grapes. The sacs wriggled, glowing faintly in the blue light as the angel caressed them.

Jenny's vision kept fading in and out; she was about to pass out. She was trapped in her useless body. Her bones ruined by her own attacks. Her face smashed in because of her recklessness.

But wasn't this how she'd always felt? Stuck in her own flesh. Trapped. All she'd ever wanted was to break free. To get away. To chase her dreams and wants and do all the things she wanted to do. It was almost poetic that this was how she died then.

> You will not perish here, Jenny Huang.

She scoffed, regretting it instantly as blood spurted out of her throat. I thought you gave up on me. She sensed Eve on the fringes of her mind, and she had a dozen self-pitying remarks. but before she could respond, the Wretched Angel knelt forward.

It was going to suck out her blood, wasn't it? Like a vampire... it was going to crack open her armor and bite her neck and then feed the Desecrated Angel. Jenny braced for the worst as the creature’s hands explored her armor. But instead of attacking, it sniffed.

Its striped face hovered over her navel, then worked down to her feet. It paused where her armor was broken, where she was bleeding. Then it sniffed her left hand, turning her arm to move the shield out of the way. She felt the wetness of its lips against the stubs of her fingers, and she shuddered.

It sniffed her chest next and hissed gently when its lips brushed her crumpled nose, pain blossoming like a flame on her face. The hissing changed frequency, and then it climbed on top of her. Its knees on the table, holding her hips. Its hands curled around her arms. She stared into its empty eyes, saw the stained teeth, and inhaled the rancid, decaying odor of its breath. Its yellow covering shone green again, blue light glowing over everything as a drop of warm saliva hit her face.

Ignite! she thought. Ignite!

With all the possible strength left in her mind, she tried to summon the flames. She wanted to burn the dreadful creature to ashes, but her thoughts turned to mush. All the fight emptied out of her as the angel pressed its lips to her nose. She felt its teeth scraping against exposed cartilage. Felt its tongue, slimy and thick run all over her face as though searching for something.

Then it began to suck.