Calypso was not at all ready. One would think, when falling down something, it meant that. But when she and the others fell down this dark pit, only to flip upwards to land on their backs—they were understandably confused.
As she and the others groaned, trying to find their bearings, the process of it all just felt… Impossible. It wasn’t due to the pain she was understandably in, but Calypso… Just… Felt awful.
Her skin felt intense musk… The very air was too hot to breathe in… Her eyes stung and constantly unfocused. Her nose was downright assaulted with an odor that was indescribable other than it was stained with blood. And her ears were pummeled with this searing rumbling that drilled into her skull.
She fell onto her hands and knees. It was just too much. Calypso wanted to check on her cohorts, but was too wrapped up in her own pain-based agony to care at the moment. All of these things, repeatedly and mercilessly slamming into her one after another. Trying to ground herself by focusing on another sense that wasn’t being mutilated, and she’s reminded that it was being destroyed as well. There was simply no relief.
And it built. And built. And built.
Until another, but familiar feeling of death radiated over Calypso.
Her eyes snapped open, and she marveled over the fact she can now. All to see her only human hand steadily gaining sharp, bone nails.
The skeletal monster girl couldn’t help but chuckle. She shouldn’t be getting used to this, to be overjoyed over becoming a monster… But the positives keep emerging with every passing day.
Calypso rose up as her spine exploded out of her back, shredding her gown within seconds. Guess she was the most prepared after all.
She closed her eyes, hearing the other girls go through their respective transformations. It was only fair and for their privacy, despite wanting so badly to watch. Calypso supposed that what she was hearing was enough for her imagination to run wild.
It took a great deal of moments, but the monster girl opened her amber irises that swam in an ocean of black sclera. “Well then. I guess we have yet another boon, ladies…”
She glanced over at the gnat, now in her true form. The onyx-insectoid armor fashioned into a minidress, a puffy collar of her gray fly-like hairs that spouted all over her hands to create “gloves”. Her wings that were made up of hexagonal cells draped down her back, massive compound horsefly eyes at the sides of her head, bonded by a black band that morphed into a butterfly-lite mask on the front that trailed downward, nose-to-lips with a stinger.
She pouted. Pulling the last strands of that stupid wig she wore as her indigo, neck-length hair was exposed. “And I was really proud of that disguise…”
“You really shouldn’t have been—” Calypso spat.
Gale cleared her throat, putting her hands on her now-developed hips. “I’m gonna make up some, like… Insult Jar for you if you keep this up, Cal.”
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Gale, by contrast, had an odd beauty to her look. Cyan skin that was made out of goop, green-leafy backless dress that had a cut where her right leg was. A massive mushroom sprouted from her moss-colored hair, the said mushroom mutating into a stink flower of sorts. And despite her eyes, too, dark and wild, still were full of expression as a violet light shined from them.
“We don’t even know her name, Gale—” Calypso tried to argue diplomatically with her friend.
“Have you aaaaasked?” Gale paddled back to her.
Calypso rose her bone claw, as with one would with an index, mouth agape as she struggled to find the words. Before sighing in defeat.
“Let’s just get this over with…”
“Normally, I’d just agree with you for the sake of self-preservation—but seriously guys. Take a look at this…” the gnat chimed in at the worst possible time, per usual.
Calypso elected to not respond, instead taking in their surroundings finally…
Even as a Consumed, which not only transforms the victim physically, but mentally as well—into enjoying pain, suffering, and depravity… Calypso felt disgusted.
It was the type of decay that’s been there for so long, that an entirely new and equally gross ecosystem had grown inside of the filth. As if to say, akin to carton of milk that was busted open because of the gas generated from spoiled milk that was left out TOO long... The contents went past becoming rotten, curled. To the point moss and maggots thrived inside of such.
This other side of the hospital was like that to a T.
It was as if, this hospital was condemned for a hundred years… Grime was stained everywhere, the lights flickered faster than Calypso’s accelerated heartbeat—multiple of said lights were hanging from dangling wires. Tiles were kicked up to reveal exposed dirt, the walls gave way and crumbled into yellowing dust and debris. The structure of the hallways themselves--practically stretched beyond what they were designed to be, only because of the decay being that advance to absolutely warp them. White noise wasn't not only noticeable, but blared so harshly that the ruined floors hummed with vibration as a result.
All with air that was so tainted, there was a visible gray smog that colored the scene.
“Thank goodness that I didn’t eat today…” Gale desperately tried to steady her breathing. Not out of fear, but keeping her head clear.
“Y’know, with having the multiple thoughts in my head swirling around, I often go—‘man, the Subsumed might just be victims of reality giving them the evolutionary short-end of the stick. We might be going too hard on them’…” the gnat then shook her head. “Nah. We need to burn these bastards—plus places that they’ve infested, alive. They've been left alone for too long, the experiment ran it's course. Kinda unnegotiable at this point. ”
“Either way, we’re in their country now,” Calypso reminded both, with her raised claw. “We’re better off than we were now, but we can’t get careless. Stick together, be on high alert.”
“Good! Glad we’re not Scooby Doo-ing this while Scooby Doo-ing this,” the gnat clapped her furry-gloved hands. “So, should I take point? Since I have the most mobility here.”
“That’s fair,” Calypso crossed her razor-sharp arms. “So, when we inevitably get spotted, you can fly away out of danger. Or at the very least, you provide enough distance to get captured and allowing Gale and I to get away—”
“You said that so fast and without remorse…” the gnat lowered her head with an offended but pitiful tone in her voice.
Calypso smirked smugly, with closed eyes. “What can I say? Added benefit of the transformation—I’m not held back by that kind of thing anymore~”
The skeletal monster girl then sighed aloud, opening her eyes again with a pensive stare. “If only this entire operation wasn’t so off the cuff and messy… I’d much prefer, y’know, them not knowing we’re here entirely, sneaking and hiding in the shadows with them none the wiser… It would’ve been a brilliant role-reversal—”
Then a thought occurred to Calypso, causing her entire body to stiffen and her expression turned surprised.
“…Gale? What happened to those cloaks that you-know-who gave us--?”
And unfortunately for Calypso, whatever Gale was going to tell her was cut off by groans and rumbling… And not from any Subsumed… But from the walls and floors and ceiling itself.
Of course this cursed building was alive.