Shadows Unleashed

Jenna and Mia had always been adventurous. They were the kind of friends who sought out the world’s most remote and wild places, never backing down from a challenge. Their latest expedition, a trek through the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, had been the most grueling yet. The heat, the humidity, the endless expanse of green—everything about it had been overwhelming, and yet, they thrived on it. But it was also during that trek that they’d each gotten the strange bites.

At first, neither thought much of it. Trekking through a dense jungle meant scrapes, bruises, and insect bites were just part of the deal. But now, back home in their cramped London flat, the bites were no longer something they could brush off.

"Does your arm still hurt?" Jenna asked, scratching at the inflamed skin on her wrist. She and Mia had first noticed the bites a few days ago, small red welts that had appeared on their bodies after waking up one humid morning deep in the Amazon.

"Yeah, it's getting worse," Mia replied from the kitchen, her voice strained. "I've been feeling… weird. Like my whole body is sore. I just thought it was from the trek, but this…" she gestured to the bite on her neck, which had swollen and turned an angry purple. "This is something else."

Jenna nodded, unease gnawing at her. Her own bite, located on the inside of her forearm, had begun to ooze a thick, clear liquid, and no matter how much she cleaned it, it just wouldn’t heal. She’d even woken up last night drenched in sweat, her body burning with a fever she couldn’t shake.

Mia plopped down onto the couch beside her, rubbing her temples. "Maybe we should go to the hospital? I don't like how this is getting worse. My muscles feel like they’re… cramping. Like something’s moving under my skin."

Jenna frowned. "You too? I thought I was imagining it." She lifted her arm, where the bite had swollen grotesquely, the skin stretched thin and taut like a balloon. As she stared, she swore she saw something shift just beneath the surface, as though something was crawling around inside her.

Mia’s face paled. "Jenna, look at your arm."

Before Jenna could reply, pain exploded through her limb. She doubled over, clutching her arm as a searing, burning sensation spread from the bite. The skin around it began to bulge, shifting unnaturally as if something were pressing to get out.

"Help me!" Jenna gasped, panic rising in her voice. "Something’s inside me!"

Mia backed away, her hand over her mouth, her own discomfort forgotten. "Oh God… Jenna, what the hell is happening to us?"

The bulge beneath Jenna’s skin writhed, pulsing in rhythm with her racing heartbeat. She screamed as her arm erupted in a spray of thick, dark fluid. Something long, thin, and segmented slithered out of the wound, twitching and wriggling as it wriggled free. Jenna collapsed onto the floor, sobbing in agony, her body convulsing as more of the creature began to push its way out of her flesh.

"Mia, help!" she wailed, but Mia could only watch, paralyzed by horror.

Jenna’s body jerked as more parts of the insectoid creature began to emerge—long, sharp legs covered in spines, multiple eyes glistening as they stared back at her. Jenna’s skin split open like wet paper, peeling away as the thing inside her forced its way out.

Mia screamed, but the sound barely registered. Pain shot through her own body, centered around the bite on her neck. She clawed at her throat, but it was too late. Her skin bulged grotesquely as something sharp pressed against her flesh from the inside. Mia felt the excruciating tear as her skin ruptured, and something slimy and wet slithered down her collarbone.

Her hands flew to her chest, where she could feel the creature wriggling beneath her skin, forcing itself upward. She gagged as something clawed its way into her throat, choking her. A wave of dizziness hit her, and she collapsed to the floor beside Jenna, her vision blurring.

Jenna’s body had stopped thrashing. She lay on the floor, her body torn open, a gory mess of exposed muscle and bone. From within her ruptured torso, a massive insect-like creature emerged, its translucent wings fluttering as it unfurled. It was long, black, and segmented, with sharp pincers and thin, spindly legs that clicked against the floor as it pulled itself free.

Mia’s own chest heaved, her breathing ragged as her skin split open from her neck down to her belly. Blood and viscera spilled onto the floor as the creature inside her tore its way out, its spiked legs scraping against her ribs.

For a brief moment, Mia was still alive, still aware. Her eyes, wide with terror, locked onto Jenna’s as the last of the creature crawled out of her. They were both reduced to hollow, fleshy mounds, barely clinging to life, forced to witness the horror of what had been growing inside them.

The creatures—horrific amalgamations of insect and parasite—turned toward their creators. Their many legs clicked and scratched against the floor as they approached the barely alive remains of the two women. The last thing Mia saw was the creature's mandibles opening wide, ready to consume what little was left of her.

Jenna could no longer scream. She could only watch in silent agony as the creatures devoured them piece by piece, reducing them to nothing more than blood-soaked memories on the cold floor.

THE END