The face hung over her like a haunting specter. Colonel Durant never noticed it, even as it grew to cover them. The lights dimmed, the sounds of clicking interrupted Durante’s haggard thrusts. But he never turned his attention to it, Keri began to wonder if it was only in her head. 

Eventually the Colonel had to call a retreat, slipping his manhood from her puffy red loins. He was sweating profusely, his sent washed over her like a bad stench. What little essence he had left discharged onto her stomach, it’s burning touch made her recoil. Her entire body was full of male fluids, her stomach was bloated from all the alcohol and her poor womb was completely overrun by the torch bearing invaders. Her skin was clammy, she could smell nothing but sweat and shame, and yet she couldn’t stop looking upward at the shadow. It’s clicking noise faded once the colonel sat up to stretch, the shadow melted away like a fog. 

Keri watched as the shadow’s elongated limbs stretched into its corner on the far side of the room and stood there like a ghost in a dream. She couldn’t keep her eyes off it until it finally evaporated into nothingness. Even with it gone she couldn’t stop looking at the place where it once stood. 

The colonel tapped her on the hip and moaned a sigh of relief before speaking, “you’re getting loose again…I think you need more exercise. A couple squats and hip thrusters everyday will get you nice and tight in no time.” He collapsed on the mattress next to her with a thud. Keri was too exhausted to rebuttal so she curled up onto a ball on her side. She felt him cuddle next to her and wrap his arms around her so he could fondle her breasts, but not before pulling a sheet over them. Keri wished he would stop cradling her boobs, even though it felt good having them warmed by his touch. She just wanted to be left alone, even from the shadow.

A thought occurred to her that maybe Durante was somehow keeping the shadow away? She clung onto her overbearing protector knowing he was too much of a man slut to let her go. Her stomach growled, not in hunger but in protest of all the protein it was forced to digest. The fight to not throw up was difficult.  

She tried to refuse sleep, her eyes spied for any sign of movement. Eventually her eyelids grew too heavy to resist. Sleep was sporadic and disorienting, often an hour would pass with no memory or concept that she slept at all. Dreams came in short supply, and were often unsettling.

In those moments where true blissful sleep offered its nourishing touch she would be rudely awakened by the Colonels shifting motions. At one moment she swore he was grinding against her back, she turned her head and freaked out seeing the face of Johnathan grinning so close to her. She panicked to discover it was only a dream, or so she hoped. By the time morning finally dawned she was still feeling lightheaded. Colonel Durante stirred the moment the sunlight flirted with the parted shades, he yawned boastfully and scratched the hair on his chest before getting out of bed.  

“So how do you like your eggs in the morning? Scrambled or fertilized?” What he said failed to translate to her aching mind. Keri didn’t really care what he had to say but pulled the blankets over her and watched as he gave her an awkward salute before finally leaving. The moment he was gone, the room seemed to get colder. Finally alone she faded to sleep.

Keri was running from something. Something large and reeking of corpse flesh. Its laughter bounced off the gravel colored walls around her. She couldn’t escape it no matter how hard she dragged her feet. Soon it was upon her with massive elongated limbs and skulking hair. She wouldn’t dare turn to look upon its stretched face. 

It pinched her arms with its freezing hands and threw her to the ground. She tried to cry out, but her voice drained into nothingness. She felt her legs forcefully spread wide!

“We meet again…” it made a clicking sound in between its words, “you’ve grown ripe…you taste better…”

Keri  panicked as something long slither down her back. The large dark shape extended between its legs casting a shadow she could see even with her face in the dirt. It was so cold! 

This had to be a Nightmare! She wanted to wake up but didn’t know how. 

It laughed and suddenly talked in Johnathans voice, “I wanted your first time to be with me!” It pleaded as if her old boyfriend was somehow alive, his soul imprisoned behind its teeth. It grumbled and created a low crackling sound, Keri realized it was laughing. It clicked again as it’s head lower to her, “You’re afraid aren’t you…no need…I won’t devour you…I have something else I want from you…”

How was it so strong? She wondered, how was something so scrawny and thin so fucking strong?

She felt the enormous pressure of something vast and unrelenting squeeze into herself! Spreading her wide and tearing her apart!

The pain was unlike anything she ever experienced. Her insides were being squashed into mulch! 

“Few inklings get to experience this…” it’s clicking grew louder, “Prepare yourself inkling!”

She foamed at the mouth as its icy anaconda threatened to split her in two! Suddenly scratching ice cut into her! Her entire body convulsed as sharpened knives scared her uterus and hunted the sensitive pathways to her ovaries. Its sperm was completely unnatural! Her stomach began to glow from raw corruption tainting her fertile flesh. The fiend wouldn’t remove itself, instead it kept pumping her full of its diabolical seed until she screamed loud enough to break the dreams grasp.

Keri awoke screaming and immediately puked next to the small bed she laid on. As soon as she could Keri threw the covers off herself and scanned the room. She was alone, so unbearably alone! The laughter of a thirsty fiend echoed in her head until she vomited again! Her stomach clenched as she dry heaved for several minutes before collapsing back onto the soggy pillow sheets. Keri was shaking in terror until she finally passed out yet again, this time her mind wasn’t disturbed by the terrors of old night.

When she awoke the third time it was to the smell of chlorine and disinfectant. She was laying on a hospital gurney somewhere in the medical ward. Keri felt the paper thin patience gown irritating her skin as she laid into the stiff cushioning of the gurney. The room she was in was a small enclosure walled off by a curtain. She studied her surroundings, the clock on the wall showed it was past seven and an IV fed her arm with a clear liquid. Her head pounded but the world no longer spun on all axis. 

She turned her head to find a machine reporting her vitals. Her blood pressure was higher than it should ever be. She tried to lean forward but a stinging pain made her recoil to lay flat on her back. With her free hand she searched for the source of the disturbance, her fingers found a small abrasion just below her navel. There was a single bandaid and cotton swap pressing against it. 

Keri sighed and rubbed her head, realizing her hair was much cleaner than she remembered and no longer smelled like stale sweat. In fact her entire body seemed a few shades healthier than before. 

The curtain drew back and Nurse Bethany walked in with a clip board in hand, she frowned seeing her awake, “I see someones finally up.”

Keri didn’t want to deal with her, “What am I doing here.”

Nurse Beth wrote something down on her clip board before answering, “Why don’t we start with the basics, what do you last remember?”

Keri didn’t even want to answer that question, she forced herself to reminisce about the gala and her sexual commitments with some random soldier at a poker table. Nurse Bethany listened intently but didn’t comment until Keri finished speaking.

“So,” Nurse Bethany started. She paused clearly for dramatic effect, “Don’t be alarmed, but that was three days ago…homecoming is over, and we had to perform a completely non-invasive procedure.”

Keri frowned, “What kind of procedure?”

Nurse Bethany put her clip board down and retrieved a file from a cabinet next to the gurney. She opened it then handed Keri a small black and white picture. 

The image was cloudy, hard to discern, it looked like a tiny spec of dust in a static backdrop. She looked at it for several seconds before finally asking, “I’m lost…what am I looking at?”

“You’re newly conceived child, barely a day or two old.” 

Keri’s blood ran cold, she swore she could feel something watching her in the corner of the room. The grin of a nameless shadow scratched the back of her neck. She swallowed and looked back to the photo, the tiny spec of dust didn’t look like anything more than a film grain.

Nurse Beth continued, “We notified Colonel Durante that you’re copulation bore fruit…an archaic term I know but thats how he put it once we gave him the news. He was so excited he paid top dollar for surrogation, so this wouldn’t interrupt your current life circumstances of course.”

Keri was so confused, “surrogation?” She instantly looked down at her groin where the bandage was, “Wait so its no longer inside me?”

Nurse Beth nodded, “We’ve safely transferred the newly fertilized egg to a synthetic womb, time was of the essence, it had to be done before it bonded with the lining of your own womb. The artificial womb is currently enroute to Colonel Durante’s own estate, apparently he was eagerly hoping to raise a new heir.”

Keri realized she was holding her breathe the entire time, she gasped feeling lightheaded, “How could this happen? I mean the birth control….”

Nurse Beth answered quickly, “Can only go so far, and with your constant sexual activity I’m surprised it took this long.”

Keri narrowed her eyes in spite, “This isn’t right…”

Nurse Beth sat next to her, “You’ve been in an out for days, we had to work quickly to safely transplant the fertilized embryo. You’ve been in recovery since. Your body was so dehydrated we feared we would have to send you to another facility. Luckily you’re tougher than you look.” That last part seemed to be a tease. 

“Can I at least…see this synthetic womb?” Keri didn’t know why she asked the question. She felt like a piece of her was missing…

Nurse Beth seemed surprised by the question,”We had to transfer it yesterday. It should be on its way to the Durante estate.”

“Never mind…can I go?”

“Of course, just take it easy for a couple days. Finals are coming up and you’re going to need your strength,” Nurse Bethany showed a little empathy as she reached out to touch Keri’s shoulder. 

Keri wondered if it was even possible to ‘take it easy’. She unconsciously placed her hand over the bandage, “Just don’t tell anyone about this, please…”

Nurse Beth picked up her clip board again and marked a checkbox, “I know you don’t trust me, but I promise this’ll be between us…and the father of course.”