Corylus

Bugs

Jaison knew he might die in his line of work. The Foundation was full of things he could only hear through the doors he passed everyday. His job shouldn’t have been dangerous. He was a janitor and the only thing he did even remotely life threatening was cleaning the shitshow they called the kitchen. So when the first bug erupted from the front of his uniform he was more confused than anything. It was red and knashing its’ teeth. It had eaten its’ way through his stomach. He screamed and swatted at it, only to have it clamp its’ pincers on his hand. He flailed about and dislodged it, sending it flying into a wall. “Dammit!” He pulled his radio from his pocket and called for an MD. They wouldn’t get there in time. The medical bay was on the other side of the site and more of those bugs were chewing their way through his skin. One had emerged through his right shoulder, glistening in his body fluids. Tears formed in his eyes, he had no way of stopping this. He stumbled backwards and sat down hard. "No…" And he shut his eyes for the last time.

"Damn what happened to him?"

"Some sort of bug or parasite. Tore his body to shreds."

"Where'd they come from?"

I don't know, there's no anomaly on this site that does anything like this. Those bugs were six inches long. SIX INCHES."

"Well I'm not cleaning it up."

"Who is? He was the janitor."