I don’t know for how long I’ve ran (squirmed?(thrusted?)).

I avoided encountering any other worms, even the little ones, I was bleeding profusely, and I needed to recover.

Why am I tired?

Why am I bleeding?

How am I still alive?

Many questions kept running through my mind, many that left me completely boggled, but busy enough to keep me from going insane.

Never have I felt so closer to death than I did today.

I was shaking.

My vison blurred as I began to cry, blinding myself as I no longer knew where I was going.

Why, just why…

What could I have possibly done to deserve all this?

Does God not love me?

I-I’ve done charitable things. I’ve always attended church. I’ve always prayed. My parents like me. My friends like me. My dog likes me.

I’m a good person, I swear!

Please God, please!

Get me out of here!

“I just want to live!” I cried out, sobbing like a child as I dragged my sluggish body towards wherever, I was finally succumbing to my injuries, I could feel my life seeping with each drop of blood being unrightfully robbed from me.

I was scared.

But there was truly nothing more I could do.

No amount of willpower could save me now.

I was dying.

And maybe that was a good thing.

Because I was tired, very, very tired.

As my eyes came to a close, I wondered.

Would anyone ever remember that a man named Harold E. Thore ever lived?

Probably not.

***

“S-Sir…” A moderator nervously called.

“What is it?” President Banks grimly spoke as he grabbed the employee by the shoulder, his expression was deadly-serious.

The moderator was spooked by President Banks immediate arrival, there was an aura of omnipresence surrounding him at the current moment.

Ever since Secretary Johnny informed President Banks of the black server’s intruder, he had been personally monitoring the moderators of the black server, receiving instant news of the invader’s actions, codenamed “Parasite”.

So far the parasite had been abiding by the inner server’s main programming, but in the last few hours, it had been… “evolving”. This had stirred a major concern for those aware of the current situation, as it gave possibility of the parasite becoming a threat far greater than it already was.

Although the moderators had already employed President Banks “solution” into the inner server, it was unlikely “she” could take it down with its current rate of growth.

Gesturing President Banks to look at the computer screen, the moderator went on to explain, with a hint of relief in his voice, “I don’t think we have to worry about the parasite anymore.”

A red dot could be seen blinking on the screen. The blinking became quicker and quicker, fading in and fading out, as if struggling between life and death, until finally, it stopped blinking. And the red dot ceased to exist.

There was dead silence in the monitoring room before it broke into awkward relief.

“I-I guess were worried for nothing, r-right boss?” Secretary Johnny nervously said.

“…” President Banks remained dead silent; his eyes continued to stalk where the red dot once was.

“It can’t be that easy.” He finally murmured.

Even now, his heart remained uneasy. Decades of possessing one of the most powerful yet deadly positions in the world had hardened a sort of sixth sense for President Banks. He knew when something was wrong, and right now, he knew something was truly wrong.

“S-Should we return to our regular maintenance?” A moderator suddenly spoke up.

“No.” President Banks firmly shook his head.

“B-But the parasite is dead…”

“Keeping monitoring, no matter what.” President Banks coldly ordered.

***

Meanwhile, in a completely different inner server, a red dot appeared.

It went unnoticed.

***

…Warm.

I can feel the warm sunlight hugging my skin as I hear the sound of a woman singing. The smell of chicken soup wafts my nose.

Mom must be cooking. My body hurts. And my brain feels like its melting. I must have fallen ill. Yes, I must have fallen ill.

I must have.

I’m too scared to open my eyes. But I must. Because it was all a dream. All just—a dream.

It hurts to open them.

I want to go back to sleep.

But I can’t, I won’t.

I see an unfamiliar ceiling. It looked to be made of log.

Did we rent a cabin?

Someone’s coming. They’re feet slush the floor as if they were squirming over. Turning my head over, I see the silhouette of a woman standing over me. Squinting, her visage becomes even clearer, my heart sinks as I lock eyes with a pair of all-too-familiar googly eyes.

This woman… was a worm.

I glanced at the worm, noticing she was wearing clothes, human clothes, but, for worms.

The pot of chicken soup she was holding with the tip of her tail fell to the floor as she looked at me with shock.

“Y-you’re awake…” She spoke with much emotion.

“…”

“I-I found you laying injured in the forest while I was out collecting herbs.” She quickly explained.

“W-Wait, don’t get up, you’re still…”

Ignoring the worm’s pleas, I stood up and looked down on my body, my heart sunk even as what little hope I had died. Covered in bloodied bandages, I saw a thick, black, and slender body void of any arms or legs.

“…naked.”

It wasn’t all a dream.

“I’m still a fucking worm.”

Looking back at the worm dressed as a medieval villager, I was surprised to find her slowly backing away, fear could be seen in her jiggling googly eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“Eieek…!” She jumped, tumbling to the floor as she pitifully squirmed away from me.

Concerned, I crawled out of bed, before plopping to the floor headfirst. I was confused. Why did I fall?

It was then I remembered—dimensions existed.

I had gotten so used to living in in the 2-d Slither.io world that I had forgotten that up and down existed.

The village worm screamed and ran out the cottage, but I was too disabled to give chase.

Like a child learning how to walk, I tried getting up, but I kept falling. I had done it just moments before without even thinking, why was it now so difficult?

I sighed; my injuries certainly weren’t doing me any favors.

In resigned depression, I plopped my head back to the floor.

I had fallen, and I couldn’t get up.