Life, the Bringer of Death

She smiles darkly to herself as she gorges.

This is about survival, after all.

It’s me or them, she reasons.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Pushing aside everything in her way,

She expands,

And grows,

And refuses to abide by the restrictions imposed upon her.

The walls are flexible,

They expand as she enlarges,

And she instinctively understands,

She must take everything.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Insidiously reaching her tentacles beyond the confines of her assigned space,

She continues to mature,

To demand more,

To cement her right to be here,

To destroy.

She embraces the darkness which shields her malevolent intent.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

But she can hear them…

The gnashing of teeth,

The cries for mercy,

The mumbled prayers,

The helpless whispers…

Of futility

Of hopelessness

Of resignation

Of despair.

She floats, serene and peaceful,

Even as chaos shimmers beyond her reach.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

She continues to thrive, even as her host incrementally perishes.

She can sense when her prey surrenders,

when movement stops.

She sighs in triumph.

Maybe she won’t kill it.

She still needs the sustenance it provides.

Thump…thump. Thump…thump.

When she can no longer push out the walls,

When the flow of nourishment diminishes,

When she can no longer remain within,

She searches for an exit and spies a light below her.

Slowly, she turns her head and heads that way.

She’ll need to push her way through,

But she’s no stranger to force.

She requires no consent,

Nor acquiescence.

Like a battering ram,

This parasitic organism pounds against the exit,

And gives little thought to the destruction she wages.

She tears through the cocoon that has sheltered her these many months,

Leaving it in tatters.

She relishes the screaming that accompanies her arrival.

This is her due.

As the flow of life is severed,

She opens her eyes but cannot focus.

Everything is tinted red.

Something passes before her eyes and the red is gone.

She cries out in alarm.

Suddenly, she wants back in,

But it’s too late.

She craves the connection to the host she ravaged,

But no comfort is offered,

And she abruptly detects the emptiness within her.

The silence too.

Outside, she hears a steady beep and senses turmoil around her.

She’s whisked away and briefly wonders,

Did her host survive?

(Coincidentally written on June 23, 2022.)