"Well? Will you be sharing your Evgnomon with the class, Abby?" Connor pressed after a lengthy amount of silence.

"..." Abby frowned but nonetheless kept her mouth zipped tight. Connor's expression seemed to worsen when he was met with silence, but before he could get a single word out, a third party interrupted:

"Abby." Surprisingly, it was Hastur who had spoken, "You do know I love you, right? That I love ya to death, yeah?"

Abby hesitated, scanning his expression for any tricks or schemes, but eventually, she nodded.

Without missing a beat Hastur continued, "And you know that I won't do you wrong, yeah?"

"Yeah," She replied, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. I do too. He's rarely ever this roundabout, always heading straight to the point with things. I take a look at Connor, who'd just been surreptitiously ignored, and I can tell: he isn't happy with it. Still, he barely manages to hold himself back, if not because of his patience, then because he was curious as to where Hastur will take this.

"So I want ya to listen to me..." He gets up, and for once, his towering size over everyone else in the room... it's scary. When he reached her, he knelt down to eye-level, placed both of his hands on her shoulders, and spoke:

"Tell us what your Evgnomon is. No matter how private, no matter how uncomfortable; that is the only way."

His words, even when expressed so... robotically, carried intense emotion, it's as if he was choosing to be monotone, lest he says something he'd later regret.

"W-What?" Abby stumbled over herself at first, though that confusion swiftly made way to anger, "What the fuck do you even mean by that?!"

"I mean what I mean. You're coasting on dangerous territory, and there are only two possible ways to get out," He held up one finger, "One is to somehow provide us with a sold enough alibi that removes you from suspicion..." Then, he holds up another finger, "Or two: your Evgnomon." Tell us what it is, and if we think it's safe, you won't be bothered.

Smart. He was giving her an easy way out of this mess, so as long as she bit and nothing goes wrong, we'll turn a blind eye to everything else. If not a foolproof plan, then a clever compromise; Abby was an attention-whore if there ever was one, and both Connor and Hastur didn't seem to mind feeding her obsession. As a result, they cut her a lot of slack even if she's at fault. Hell, something like this probably wouldn't even be brought up if our departure wasn't so close at hand.

Too bad their careful manoeuvring is going to be all for nought:

"Hell no! You two don't get to do this to me!" She screamed at the top of her lungs before storming off, "Why can't you just take my word for it?!"

"Because Abigail, this is a crucial point in our lives, and mistakes cannot be afforded, even for you," Hastur followed her up and held her back by the hand, "So please help us. We need it now more than ever,"

"..." There was a period of silence where she just stood there, staring. He stared back, his hard black eyes almost as piercing as Greg's was.

"Fine." The word comes out quickly and softly, with me having to concentrate just to hear the tail-end of it.

Everyone's eyes widened a tad at her consent(?); did I hear that right? They probably wondered. And to be perfectly honest with you, I did too.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Ugh. I said fine! Can you quit being weird about it already?!" I quietly snickered to myself, looks like the queen bee is suffering from stage fright... how ironic.

"Heh, sorry sorry. But still, thanks for helping," Hastur patted her on the shoulder, "I know it's not your style,"

"Whatever," She just pouted, "I'm only doin' this to get Connor off my ass,"

I smirk and shook my head; of course it is.

"Ya got a problem with that, Maia?"

"No problem at all, it's just... excuses much?"

"Wha!?" Ooh, that set 'er off. I watch in amusement as she stomped her way to me, her face the epitome of indignant anger, "Now listen here you little shi—!"

"Enough playing around. We still need to examine your Evgnomon," Connor put a stop to her antics with a brief glare, "Come, we must make haste,"

Abby grumbled silently to herself but followed him out nonetheless. Interestingly enough, Hastur didn't go after them. Huh, maybe he isn't as invested in this whole debacle as I thought...

"Hm? What's up with you?" My face turns red when I realize I'd been staring this whole time, and I quickly muster out an answer:

"U-Um, you're not going with them?"

Hastur shakes his head no before digging into his trouser pocket, "Connor can handle Abby if need be. And honestly, I'm too lazy to go," He says as he pulls out a cigar and lighter, "But if you want, you're welcome to trail 'em... not like anyone's goin' ta stop ya,"

Click! The infamous sound of his custom-made lighter clicking open signalled the end of our conversation. I stared thoughtfully at the door Connor and Abby had left through.

Hmm... I guess it wouldn't be so bad to see what they're up to, plus, I'm kinda itching to find out about Abby's Evgnomon.

"Hooo... Oh yeah, that hit the spot," I scowl, waving away the arid cloud of smoke from my face. Just another reason to leave, then.

I get up and brush myself off, wave Hastur, Kim and Gin goodbye before closing the door behind me.

"Let's see... where do I go..." I have two options: left or right. Left goes to a creepy dark hallway that'll probably get me lost and right is also a creepy dark hallway that'll probably get me lost.

So much for following them I guess...

Just as I was about to turn back around so I could get a map of this maze I call my home, I pause mid-step. Wait... what do I need a map for? I have something way better!

I close my eyes and focus. After ten seconds of waiting, it comes to me in waves of feeling and emotion, of cacophonous cries and mournful roars, of their never-ending hunger and thirst: they've sensed my intentions, and they want out. Right now.

"Goddammit..." It feels like the whole weight of the hive is bearing down on me and I struggle just to breathe. Still, I push through it, because at this point: it's do or die.

As time passes, their eagerness is trumped over by my control, their greed is smashed apart by my fist, and their craving is sated with the promise of next times and laters... for now, I just need one.

Kraaaaaaah!! A humming, buzzing, carnivorous cry of enraptured bliss erupts from my insides, forcing me to stop and look down: there, I find a pitch-black hole the size of a human head beginning to form on my midriff, devouring half of my shirt in the process.

"Well, shit... whatever, not like that shirt was new or anything," I shake my head; there were more pressing matters at hand.

Crick! Crikcrick! Soon, I hear their calls once more. I recognize it. A worker swarm... exactly what I needed.

"Come out. I don't wanna be your nest any longer than you wanna be stuck in my body," As if replying to me, the bugs' cacophonous cry populated the otherwise dead hallway. That's when it happened.

Like a dam bursting, their tiny, writhing bodies crawled out of my stomach cavity in droves. I couldn't count them all, but that's normal. A swarm of these things aren't meant to be studied; either destroy them, or run for your life.

Landing on the ground with a wet splat, it took them a few seconds to get used to their newfound freedom. It's curious, how such small creatures barely the size of my middle finger could've etched their names into everybody's hearts. So much so, in fact, that the people of the outside world call them gallow bugs.

Hm? Why are they called gallow bugs?

Well, of the one-billion people sent to this strange planet, three-hundred-million have died to these monstrosities during the first year alone, fifty-million more joined them the next. They all perished the same way: self-decapitation.

Scary, right? I certainly think so.

But that's besides the point; these are just scouts, nothing more nothing less.

"So, let's put them to use," With a wave of my hand the bugs take flight, their wings producing a quiet, humming sound.

Another wave of my hand, and they're gone. Almost instantly, I was connected to them via telepathy. Everything they saw, I saw; everything they heard, I heard.

You could imagine that with the right number of these things, it'd take no time at all to find my destination. You'd be right.

Shortly after I began remotely controlling them, one of the smaller groups saw something that caught my attention.

"Evgnomon testing facility. DO NOT ENTER UNLESS AUTHORIZED." I read through the bugs' crystalline eyes. That should be it.

I tell the rest of the bugs to return except for that one. Then, I begin the trek towards their location.

***

When I arrive, they greet me by ramming themselves into my gut.

"Ow... fucking hell that hurts," I muffle a groan, clutching my stomach with both hands. Do they have to do that?

Whatever. When I catch my breath, I began to step towards the steel door.

"..." Huh. That's strange; I'd have guessed there'd be more noise. The last time I was here a 'ruckus' was at best a bad euphemism.

I shrug, thinking nothing of it at first before opening the door:

Creak!

"Hey guys I just wanted to— oh my god." Yeah. Oh. my. god.