Squirming free from his nails, the worms descended upon the shard, devouring it in seconds.

Even though Abe wasn’t the one consuming the energy, he could feel that the shard had paled compared to the meat rot. But it had awoken something else.

He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he was sure they hadn’t evolved just yet, at least not to an entirely new stage. But they had made a step, and he felt that it was similar to his own awakening.

They hungered for more, and not just the shared. He could sense the attention of the worms turning toward the black cloaks.

“You want them too?” The worms pulsed as if answering his question. Abe glanced across to the unmoving black cloaks. “Enjoy the feast,” he shrugged.

With his permission, the worms shot out from Abe’s hand, their bodies stretching out like impossibly thin slinkies coated in slime. They easily covered several meters, still connected to Abe’s body, and latched onto the surrounding black cloaks.

Shrieks and squeals erupted from around the room as he watched the faint glow of barely perceivable purple energy travel down the worms and into his body.

Within seconds, the shriveled corpses of the black cloaks fell to the ground.

Hundreds of the tiny worms perked, swaying through the air—still attached to Abe through his nails and ears.

“Yeah, that was fucking gross,” Abe grimaced as he stepped over corpses to leave the room.

Black cloaks turned to him in the next room, tilting their heads curiously. Some turned to escape, but it was too late.

The worms were fast, their extendable bodies shooting across the room and latching onto the black cloaks. The black cloaks were paralyzing the moment they connected, and the purple light pumped out of them until they were consumed.

Abe could only shake his head as they devoured the last of them. Not that he was one to speak after all he had been through.

Stepping back into the snow, Abe stretched his neck. He could feel the worms wiggling with delight.

“Well, I guess I’m glad that was good for one of us,” he mouthed, turning to the closet purple light. “I don’t really need to ask if you want more, do I?”

Within minutes, Abe had found another shard. It was held within a snow-shrouded cave guarded by more black cloaks.

This time, the worms did not wait for him to consume the crystal. With their hunger awoken, they consumed any black cloaks that came within range.

Some of the pitiful creatures tried to escape, but with only one entrance, it was useless—the paralyzing worms made quick work of them.

Their ability to make short work of the black cloaks seemed related to the bond they shared by having the same master. But Abe wondered if that was it. If there was a chance that the worms could evolve to provide the same paralyzing attacks against other enemies, then he might have made a very good choice by enrolling them.

On the other hand, the worms weren’t simply parasites contained within his veins and body anymore. They peered out from his nails and ears whenever they felt like it, whipping through the air like hungry predators—thankfully, they seemed to stay away from remaining orifices for whatever reason.

For now, he let them roam. They had proven obedient so far, and he wasn’t about to deny a good pet from its meal.

Abe scanned the horizon as he passed through another room. He could see the remaining purple dots glowing as brightly as before. Elissa had yet to either find or destroy a shard for herself.

He felt conflicted. Remaining cordial with Elissa seemed like the best decision, at least for now. And she likely wouldn’t take kindly if he consumed all of the shards himself. But the worms were hungry, and their power was his. Whether or not Elissa could use the power stored in the shareds likely didn’t matter. She would no doubt hold this against him.

His speed was increasingly fast—allowing Abe to travel across the valley in minutes. And in less than an hour, Abe had led the worms to four more shards, allowing them to feed on everything within.

He could still see the remaining two shards. They were in the same spots as before, and he was certain Elissa hadn’t destroyed or taken any.

More food excited the worms, and their feeding on the shards and energy from the black cloaks had increased their communication with him to the point that they were close to talking.

Whatever doubts he had about consuming, all the shards were cast aside. The truth was, he had been lying to himself. He didn’t want Elissa to beat him to any of the shards. Now, his senses were one with the worms, and he no longer doubted their loyalty—there was no room for deception. Their minds had connected to a point that made it impossible. They desired to grow strong in symbiotic unity with Abe. They saw themselves as part of him, no different to a limb. And he was sure that strengthening them would give him more power.

Approaching the final shard, he cast a final watchful gaze for Elissa. None of his heightened senses picked up any sign of her, and he continued to the partially collapsed tower perched ahead.

Dark rock cut through the snow here, its jagged ends creating a pillar that rose up, and at its top sat the tower where the purple light shone.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Last one,” Abe mumbled as he walked the rocky path.

Even before he entered the tower, the guarding black cloaks began to shriek and flee—perhaps they could smell the death of their comrades on him. But it was pointless, and the worms seemed to stretch further with every meal they consumed. Latching onto escaping black cloaks from dozens of meters away and draining them of their energy. The only ones who escaped were those who decided to take their chances with the vertical fall behind the tower that plunged into a shadow-shrouded ravine.

The rotted door that hung loosely from its hinges was thrown open by the worms as Abe approached it. Inside was a single room with spiral stairs that wrapped around the tower—but they had long rotted away.

The shard was lying on a bed of snow in the middle of the room. Lashing out at it, the worms took hold and consumed the shard when he stepped within a few meters.

The worms pulsed with energy as the final shard was drained, whipping around him in a frenzy.

“You filthy things, you really liked that, didn’t you?” Abe smiled. “Well, I’m glad I could be of assistance,” he muttered as the worms as they receded back into his body.

The rhythm of their energy had changed with the consumption of the final shard, and their awakening had been completed.

Abe turned to the orb in the submarine. It was the only purple light remaining besides the one that glowed below the manor.

Looking toward the orb, he didn’t feel the worms’ hunger. There was an urge that compelled him to return, but it was different. The fear of losing control had faded.

“What is it? What has changed?” he said, but the worms didn’t reply. He wasn’t surprised. They seemed to work on an instinctual hunger that drove them to grow, rather than something that could be considered conscious thought.

Leaping down the rocky path, Abe shot off into a sprint back across the valley. He was already much faster than he had been, but he found his legs propelling him across the frozen landscape at a speed that surprised even him.

It was the worms. They had filled the veins in his legs, and the deathly energy that filled their tiny bodies became one with his own, making him stronger and faster.

The worms seemed to anticipate what he needed, but he found himself able to control them by focusing on their movements. Abe redirected his little friends into his right arm with a simple thought. It took less than a second for them to follow his command and fill the veins of his arm.

Tensing his hand, Abe’s nails extended into claws, and he eyed a tree ahead. His muscles tightened, and energy from the worms transferred into him, and he readied to strike. Flashing out, his claws ripped across the tree instantly, cutting a wound several inches deep into the hardwood.

“Yeah, that’s impressive. Looks like I made the right choice investing in you, little bastard,” Abe smiled, glancing down at the engorged veins across his arm.

Minutes later, he arrived at the mountain top. The remnants of the black cloaks still aimlessly stood around, their purpose seemingly lost with their master's death.

Immediately, the worms began to feast. Corpses dropped across the mountaintop plateau as Abe calmly walked toward the submarine. Stopping shortly before it.

She’s inside, I can sense her. And she’s with the orb. What on Earth is that crazy bitch doing now?

Abe snorted and stretched. It was clear to him now that she had decided not to seek out the shards, instead coming here for the orb. And he was fairly certain whatever lay within wasn’t going to be good.

He could feel it from here; Elissa had changed. The energy sense provided by the worms was still new to him, but even now, he could tell that her energy was agitated.

“We’re almost done,” he grunted as he climbed up to the deck, eyeing the glow from both the orb and Elissa through its metal hull.

*****

Tapping her fingers against the armrest, Anita rocked in her seat. Glancing down at her phone, she saw that the rideshare was approaching her destination.

She had received the email only yesterday and, since then, must have read over it a hundred times. They claimed to have seen Abe the night he went missing. To have seen him carried away by a man and a woman, with a white-haired woman in tow.

Everything else about the event matched the police reports she had seen, but no one had mentioned seeing him leave or the other two individuals.

Was it just a coincidence, or was something else going on? Her head was spinning with emotions, but she knew she had to attend the site to better understand the alley Abe had been seen in.

Jumping as the notification dinged on her phone, she whipped away the tears that swelled at the corners of her reddened eyes and made for the door.

The driver was the silent type—not even looking as she climbed into the back seat. That was preferable.

She took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself and stared out foggy windows—not that it helped.

As they approached the dingy alley, she spotted the notable red brick that set the corner building apart from its neighbors.

Her chest pounded, a sickening feeling filling her gut. This was where he went missing.

“Here’s fine,” she said, anxiety growing as they crawled through traffic—the alley only a few dozen meters away.

“I can go closer,” the driver mumbled in a thick accent.

“No, it’s fine,” she said, already pulled on the door latch.

“Wait,” he said, pulling to a halt as Anita flung herself outside.

Several horns sounded as she skipped the few steps to the curb. She might have turned and produced a finger on another occasion, but today, she didn’t even notice them.

Her legs trembled as they carried her the final few steps, forcing her to stop briefly before reaching the corner of the alley.

This is where he was last seen. Oh, Abe, what happened to you? Please, just be alive.

She swallowed and forced her stubborn feet forward.

Turning to face down the alley, she saw it. The red plastic eaves sheltered a section of the alley at its rear, with ‘La Cucina Lazio’ written across it in cursive.

She froze a moment, seeing it for the first time in person before composing herself.

Glancing around, she spotted the Christmas lights that lined the walls. It might have been an alley, but it was pretty. It wasn’t some dank, grotty hideaway; this was a hipster laneway.

Even the street lamps were positioned close enough to light the entrance and likely further down, though it would require returning at night to confirm that.

“There’s no way,” she mouthed, walking down the alley as she scanned every inch of it.

She hadn’t believed the story before, but now she was more convinced than ever.

If he had been a nobody, maybe she could have believed nothing was happening, just lazy policing. But Abe was a respected detective, and his colleagues loved him. How could she accept that they would put so little effort into his disappearance? Furthermore, the alley described in the report was dark, with little to no foot traffic and no reported witnesses outside of the restaurant.

Such a vastly inaccurate description couldn’t possibly be a mistake, and she doubted people who liked and respected Abe would lie. So then, why?

“I’m going to find you, Abe,” she mouthed as she took out her phone and began to take photos. “Whatever it is that’s going on.”