Black Melt_Mother Fountain

by Indy McDaniel

  “Dead or missing?”

  Zoey nodded. “Not much left of bodies. Seem to have undergone same process as Moone. Only this time, fully dissolved. Makes identification, head count of victims troublesome.”

  “Shit,” Stark hissed. “Any sign of infected passengers?”

  Zoey shook her head. “Scene abandoned by time CDC field unit arrived.”

  Stark got on the radio and requested more agents to set up a perimeter around the crash site and road blocks. If there were more infected people out there as crazy as O’Malley had been, they needed to find them and subdue them before things got any worse. A downed plane, an entire team of rescue workers dead, and an out of control fungal infection from beyond the stars, he thought. Hard to think of how it could get any worse.

  Stark let out a sigh. “You do realize how insane this is, right? Two days ago, killer space fungus wasn’t exactly on my list of things to keep an eye out for. Clinging to procedure, working the case like it’s any other, I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason I haven’t gone completely insane from this shit.”

  “Admittedly, most bizarre case I’ve ever had,” Zoey said. “But, according to majority of classmates in school, I’m already crazy. So no fear of that. Still, this fungal life unlike anything ever seen before. Can certainly see CyberWolfe’s interest in it. Scientific possibilities endless. Weaponization of fungus most likely goal. Either as outright biological weaponry or as means of finding a way to use linked consciousness for means of creating more powerful soldiers. Would render radio communication within units obsolete. All squad members able to see, feel, experience multiple points of view simultaneously.”

  “If it works how you think it works,” Stark pointed out.

  “True,” Zoey said. “Would need to conduct extensive testing on infected individual to confirm or deny.”

  Something about Zoey’s words struck Stark. “What if that’s what CyberWolfe was doing?” he asked. “The lab, what if the outbreak wasn’t an accident? What if it was all just a means of them testing the fungus? To see what it would do to a group of people?”

  “Possible, but unlikely,” Zoey said, shaking her head. “If that were case, wouldn’t risk such useful personnel as simple test subjects. There’s a reason we use rats. Useful for testing, but expendable. Replaceable. Team lost in lab accident, don’t fit that profile. Fredricks and Davis both top minds in field of mycology. Carmack expert on astrobiology. Isaacs only a graduate student, but top of her class. Caine and Gordon, least valuable of the group but both employees of CyberWolfe Industries. Lab accident and deaths not kept secret, aside from details regarding the fungus.”

  “But even in the reports CyberWolfe gave us, the specifics of the lab accident are fairly limited,” Stark argued. “They say it’s because there were no survivors and quarantine was still in effect so they couldn’t conduct a proper investigation. You can’t tell me a high tech company like that doesn’t have their labs rigged with surveillance gear hooked into a remote relay. They’ve got video of exactly what happened down there, so why are their files so sparse when it comes to what happened?”

  Zoey’s eyes widened. “We have video, too,” she said before turning back to her tablet and frantically scanning through data.

  “What?”

  “Files taken from O’Malley and Kurylenko’s apartment,” she said. “Only skimmed them for specifics on fungus. Noted video files, but discarded them at first because thought irrelevant. Not so much anymore. Can see exactly what happened in lab. Exactly what caused accident.”

  * * *

  “Was he…” Stark struggled to finish his sentence and decided to skip a few words along the way to make it easier. “With her…”

  Zoey nodded. “Appears so. Highly disturbing.” She closed out the surveillance video. They’d watched through every ounce of it, from the research team’s arrival up to their infection and deaths, the last of which had been particularly gruesome. “Theory of fungus’s gender bias seems confirmed. Fungus infected men, consumed women. Only variant now is Kurylenko.”

  “That’s what you’re taking away from what we just watched?” Stark asked.

  “No,” Zoey replied. “Easier to process this way. Easier to not dwell on horrific nature of the situation.”

  Deciding that Zoey probably had a good idea, Stark tried to similarly ignore the disgusting sights he’d witnessed and instead focused on the crucial information he’d gained from watching the surveillance footage. “I’m still not fully convinced CyberWolfe didn’t have a hand in what happened in that lab,” he said. “Just because we saw Carmack intentionally infect himself doesn’t mean that it wasn’t CyberWolfe who told him to do it.”

  “Possible, but still seems unlikely,” Zoey countered. “Still missing pieces of this puzzle. Not enough research took place in the lab. Carmack self-infected with obvious intent. Without knowing possible outcome of infection, doing so incredibly stupid. If he knew outcome, even stupider. What’s the motive?”

  “Now you sound like a Fed,” Stark said with a smirk. “I don’t know, maybe CyberWolfe was blackmailing him, or he wasn’t as smart as he looks on paper. Or maybe he was just completely nuts. I can’t think of any logical reason why a sane person would willfully gobble down a handful of space fungus and then go back for seconds.”

  “Perhaps Carmack was infected previously,” Zoey pondered. “Low level infection, not enough to show outward symptoms, but if psych symptoms present, could have inspired him to worsen infection by consuming fungal spores.” She motioned to her tablet, indicating the surveillance footage. “Based on final clip, hive mind theory confirmed.”

  “You mean what they were saying to Davis right before they…”

  Zoey nodded. “Yes. Might know why infection spreading towards Baltimore,” Zoey said. “In theory, anyway. Scanning through updated personnel reports from CyberWolfe’s lab. Madison Davis, medical mycologist, lived in Baltimore. Has family there. Ex-husband, sister, daughter.”

  “Are you telling me this infection is targeting the family of one of the researchers who was in the lab?”

  “Only theory,” Zoey said. “Paired with theory of hive mind linking fungus together. If Davis consumed by fungus, possible that her thoughts, memories, might have transferred in some way. Might be trying to return home.”

  “But if that’s the case, why Davis’s family specifically?” Stark asked. “There were five other people in that lab. CyberWolfe listed them all as having died in a lab accident. So if the fungus does work like that, it’s got those five minds in there, too. Not to mention the others it’s consumed since breaking out. What makes her so special?”

  “No idea,” Zoey said. “Again, only a theory.”

  “Better than nothing, I guess,” Stark said. “I’m going to put a security detail on Davis’s family, just to be safe. And we should swing by there ourselves to let them know that crazy might come calling.”

  Chapter Six

  Unwelcome Messengers

  The handcuffs clicked shut around Kari’s wrists, binding her to the headboard of the bed. Rough fingers traced down the length of her spine from the base of her neck down to the dimple at the top of her ass cheeks. She shuddered, her body tingling with pleasure. The fingers tapped at the plump mounds of her ass, playfully prodding at her. Lips kissed along the back of her neck, moving around to the side and nipping at her skin. The lips moved up, sucking on her earlobe and making Kari shudder out a throaty moan.

  Once Allen found the handcuffs in Kari’s collection of kinky sex toys, there had been no dissuading him from bringing them into the bedroom. Normally, Kari only got to use the handcuffs on cam by herself. The thought of having them actually used on her filled her with dangerous excitement. She could feel the warm moistness between her thighs already, and Allen hadn’t even touched her down there yet. Kari wiggled happily on the bed as Allen’s hands slipped around her to cup her breasts and give them a gentle squeezing. The bedroom door shared a very important
similarity with the handcuffs currently shut tight around Kari’s wrists; they were both locked. It was far enough past Felicia’s bed time that Kari was certain they wouldn’t be disturbed. Which meant she had no intentions of asking to be released from the handcuffs for quite a while – bathroom breaks notwithstanding.

  After giving each of her nipples a firm tweaking, Allen moved his hands away from Kari’s breasts. He kissed his way down the length of her spine, sending shivers of ticklish delight through her as he went. When he reached her ass, he gave each of her cheeks a kiss before moving further down on the bed and pushing her thighs apart. Kari lifted her hips up, knowing what Allen was going for and wanting to make it as easy on him as she could. These handcuffs must really be doing the trick for him, she thought with a smirk. He eats me out about as often as I let him stick his dick in my ass.

  Allen rubbed his hand over Kari’s sex, smearing her juices on his finger before sucking them clean. His fingers returned and spread her cunt lips open so he could lower his face between her legs and drag his tongue across her slit. Kari buried her head into the pillow to stifle her moan, not wanting Felicia to hear her through the walls. Best case, the young girl would have some very bizarre dreams. Worst case, she’d wake up and come to investigate the strange noises she had heard. Either way, Kari felt it was best to be safe and keep her sounds as quiet as possible, although Allen was hardly making that task easy for her. After a few long licks of her pussy, he moved his tongue lower and flicked it across the aching bud of her clit. The jolts of pleasure that shot through Kari transformed her muffled moans into muffled screams. She bucked her hips up and did her best to grind her cunt into his face as his tongue fluttered over her sensitive nub.

  Kari lifted her head from the pillow just long enough to gasp in a breath of air before immediately burying her face again. She had to. The rising tide of pleasure was nearly at its apex and she knew her orgasm would not be a quiet one. Her body shook in the throes of climax, the handcuffs clicking against the headboard as Kari tried instinctively to pull her hands free. Her warm juices gushed freely from her wet pussy only to be eagerly lapped up by Allen’s attentive tongue. As the ecstasy faded from Kari’s body, she expected the oral attentions to come to an end, but found herself surprised as Allen lifted his face away from her snatch and instead gripped her buttocks. He spread Kari’s ass cheeks apart and lowered his face between them.

  Holy shit, she thought with surprise. Is he really doing this?

  Sure enough, the next thing she felt was the tip of Allen’s tongue drag across her sensitive asshole. She’d lifted her face from the pillow again and his act caught her so off guard that she didn’t think to suppress her moan of surprised pleasure with the pillow. Her moan rang in the air and she was quick to remedy her unrestrained mouth. As much as she hadn’t wanted Felicia interrupting her and Allen’s passionate fun time before, she doubly didn’t want it to be cut short now. While Allen had never passed up the opportunity to fuck Kari’s ass, he’d never expressed any interest in eating it. Considering his less than enthusiastic response to going down on her, she’d never even bothered to ask him if he’d be willing to do such a thing.

  It’s official, Kari thought as she continued to moan into the pillow. I need to get more bondage gear so I can see just how much of a freak Allen is.

  As Allen’s lips and tongue kissed and licked across Kari’s asshole, he moved his hand between her legs and rubbed her pussy. He slid his index and middle finger into her, finger fucking her as he tossed her salad. He brought her to climax two more times before lifting his face away from her ass and pulling his fingers free of her wet cunt. He kissed his way back up her spine before nibbling at the back of her ear. She could feel the firm warmth of his throbbing erection pressing into the small of her back and leaving a messy smear of pre-cum in its wake.

  “Can I?” he asked her.

  He didn’t need to be any more specific than that. Kari knew exactly what he wanted and in her post-orgasmic bliss, she couldn’t think of a single reason why she should deny him. “Go for it,” she gasped out. “Just grab the lube, please.”

  “Of course, baby,” Allen said, kissing the back of her head before sliding off of her. “Thank you.”

  Kari couldn’t help giggling at that. She was the one bound to the bed, but he was the one asking permission. She’d have to discuss the whole dominant/submissive behavior role thing with him later. She watched him crouch down next to the nightstand and pull out the bottom drawer, digging through it before coming out with a bottle of lube and a condom. He stood back up and Kari admired his hard, bobbing cock for the scant few moments she could see it before he climbed back onto the bed and moved behind her. Allen pushed the cheeks of Kari’s ass apart again, this time squirting a healthy dose of lube into the crack of her ass. He used his fingers to push the lube into Kari’s asshole and spread his digits a few times to give her a few testing spreads. Once he had her hole nice and slick, he applied some more lube to his condom-covered cock before taking position over her.

  Kari let out a loud groan – this time remembering to use the pillow as a muffler – as Allen pushed his way into her tight ass. The feeling of him filling her rear was oddly pleasurable, but she’d never admit that to Allen. If he knew she actually got some kind of enjoyment from anal sex, he’d be after her for it even more often than he already was. And just because she didn’t outright hate it, didn’t mean she wanted it every damn night. The few times she gave up the ass were reserved for special occasions, holidays, and birthdays and she planned to keep it that way. She figured that way, they both got to enjoy it as a special treat.

  Once he had himself fully buried up Kari’s ass, Allen gave her a few gentle thrusts until her asshole had grown accustomed to being pried open as it was. Then the rhythm picked up speed and force. It didn’t take long before Allen was pounding Kari’s ass like a speed freak sitting behind a drum kit. The forceful thrusts he made into her caused a bit of discomfort and pain, but Kari was able to push past it and focus on the more pleasant feelings coursing through her body. The fact that she was handcuffed to the bed and unable to reach down to tweak her clit or pinch her nipples somehow made the experience more thrilling. Face down, ass up, unable to see Allen’s sweaty face, only feel his pulsing cock pounding into her ass, it was like she was getting fucked hard by a complete stranger. As if someone had broken into their house and bound her up for the intent of using hard and leaving sticky.

  As Allen groaned and went tense on top of her, Kari could feel his dick twitching in her ass and knew he had reached his own orgasm. He pulled his softening prick free of her well-used hole and she felt her ass gaping open. Breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, Kari waited patiently for Allen to get the keys to the handcuffs and set her free. Next time, she thought. I’m getting a blindfold, too. And maybe we can give some spanking and light choking a try.

  * * *

  Felicia awoke with a terrified scream working up the back of her throat and tears of sadness stinging her eyes. She managed to keep the scream from ripping free of her, transforming it into a weak whimper instead. Her frightened eyes darted around the shadowy interior of her bedroom. Memories of the vivid nightmare were already fading, but a few key aspects remained to haunt her waking moments. Something impossibly dark and slimy lurking just under her bed. The thing had snatched hold of her tiny legs and drawn her into its mass, squeezing and crushing her into oblivion. And within the obsidian coils, she discovered her mother waiting for her, grinning with open arms and tender kisses.

  It wasn’t the first time such nightmares had plagued Felicia, but every time they happened, they caused her several hours of lost sleep. She knew she wouldn’t be able to drift back off anytime soon. Her heart pounded in her chest, adrenalin surging through her veins. She desired the comforting familiarity of cartoons but the thought that the monster under her bed might have crept out of her dreams and into her reality kept her pinned to the bed for longer than she’d like to
admit.

  Drawing up every ounce of strength her young body possessed, Felicia kicked the sheets away and leapt off her bed, rushing out of range of the dark area beneath containing all manner of demons and goblins. She made it over to the small television on the other side of the room without incurring any bodily harm. She flicked it on and grabbed the remote, making another charge back towards the bed and jumping onto it from a couple feet away. She very nearly tumbled off the edge and landed on the floor. Scrambling to the center of the bed, she flopped onto her back and breathed a sigh of relief, fixing her attention on the TV. Her thumb moved across the remote, switching the station over to ToonTV. It wasn’t yet late enough for the early morning programming to be on yet. Instead, she was treated to some kind of Japanese anime that she didn’t fully comprehend, but the animation was still soothing in its own way.

  Focusing her tired eyes on the spiky haired bounty hunter traveling through space with his eclectic band of fellow adventurers, Felicia’s mind slowly let the nightmare slip away almost completely until all that remained of it was the memory of her mother. The terror disappeared entirely, but the sadness boiled up to take its place. Felicia cried softly, hugging her pillow tightly, until her fatigue grew strong enough to finally pull her back down into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

  ***

  “Time to wake up sleepy head,” Kari called to Felicia as she gave a gentle tapping on the young girl’s bedroom door. After waiting a moment, she opened the door and peeked her head inside. Felicia’s puffy eyes blinked open slowly and she lifted a hand to wipe at them. She looked particularly confused after she looked over to the alarm clock on her nightstand.