I looked down into the leather purse I’d stolen.
Not only was the designer label fake, but there wasn’t a single billfold or bit of jewelry inside.
The purse was empty–apart from a rubbery black bag.
Whatever was inside, it was sealed tight. The round shape and heft made me think of a weight-training ball, but there was something disturbingly familiar about the lumpiness of it. It made me want to throw the black rubber bag away and act like I’d never stolen from the woman in the blue dress. I would have, too, if I hadn’t needed the money so badly.
I started sawing away at the rubber with a knife. It was ridiculously tough, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the eloquent young girl who’d purse I’d snatched had been doing with such a thing. I only prayed that whatever it was, it was worth something.
When I finally ripped open the rubber, a stink like rotten meat filled my tiny apartment.
Clotted gore. A swollen purple tongue. Glazed eyes that stared lifelessly at my ceiling.
The rubber bag contained nothing but a severed human head.
I brought a hand to my mouth to hold down the vomit, but before I could dispose of the bag, a black wormlike thing slithered out of the head’s eye socket.
It coiled itself, sprung–
And burrowed into my arm.
Shrieking, I ran to the bathroom. I tugged at my shirt, fumbled for a razor to carve the thing out–
But it was too late. It had wriggled inside of me, leaving only a tiny bleeding hole behind. I patted myself all over, feeling for any trace of something hard and squirming beneath my skin.
Instead, I heard a voice in my head:
“Oh my. Well, this is certainly interesting. A most unexpected turn of events.”
“Who’s there?! What’s happening to me?!” I screamed at the empty bathroom.
“Think of me as a passenger. Just along for the ride. As long as you do as you’re told, there’s no need for you to get hurt.” I gripped the filthy sink, splashed water on my face, and leaned in close to see if I could spot a black worm swimming in my eyeball.
My hand closed around a straight razor.
“Get out of my head!”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I’m inside your brain, you know. Would you like me to make you schizophrenic? Or perhaps a pedophile? How about paralyzed from the waist down? All I have to do is make a few adjustments…
“What…what are you?” I gasped. “What do you want?!”
“The same thing as you. To live.”
There was a knock at the door. I slid to the floor, clutching my skull. I couldn’t believe this was happening…
“Ah. That’ll be her then.”
“Her?” I asked helplessly.
“The woman you saved me from. Her organization doesn’t take kindly to the existence of beings like me, and unfortunately, there’s no way to extract me from a living host. Which means, I’m afraid, that she’s here for your head. If you value your life, I suggest you run.”