Juicy July day 14: Contain (Patreon)

(alternative title: The Horrors of H.)

It was under the cover of darkness as the chopper carrying a half dozen highly trained special forces operatives known as the dragons fire squad towards their most bizarre mission yet. “So...what you are saying is that we are going in to some laboratory to secure and contain  some psycho scientists? Don’t we have , I don’t know, cops for this kind of inane shit?” Fang asked , always the mouthiest of the lot.

“Police , swat , army , all sorts have tried to secure the scientist , yet none have failed. The government is worried he is developing biological weapons unlike any we have ever seen. If you paid attention during the brief Fang, you’d know this.” Horn, the leader of the group, clarified with an irritated glare.

“Well....what happened to all the people who where sent in before? The cops and swat ?” Wings asked , his gun shaking in his hands a little.

“Keep your shit together Wings. We don’t know what happened. Our secondary objective is to free any hostages that have been taken by this madman. Namely , two civilian girls taken a few months back.  We have permission if needed to kill the target , but HQ wants him alive.” Horn informed them all as they lowered towards the building.

The squad repelled down ,before flicking down night vision.  “Scale , on point. Claw, right behind him. Tail, cover our rear.  Horn and wings you are on me. Check your corners and take this slow. This man’s is a genius...we need to bring our best to beat him.” Horn commanded.

“Alls I need is a sightline sir. Then this psychos painting the walls.” Claw replies with her own brand of aggressive glee, all hushed under whispers.

“Cut with the chatter, and get to breaching that door. Quietly.” Horn told, clarified as there had been at least one incident where a silent op turned loud because a trigger-happy bomb brain used explosives to open a door. She did open it quietly and Scale moved in. More heavily armoured than the rest. The rest followed suit. Claw, Fang, Horn , Wing then tail.

The hallway they entered into was dark. Pitch black even. Their night vision could barely cut through the blackness. They pressed on however. That was until every light in the hallway turned on all at once , causing the squad to yell out. In pain. “Goggles up!” Horn yelled. The squad did or already had done so , and began looking around frantically. Adjacent hallways where still dark. “torches on.” Horn whispered , hoping they had not been discovered and the light was just automatic.. however a grim laugh told him otherwise.

“Ah, lambs that walk to the slaughter are always such merry mutton.” The voice called out with sickening glee. “They still have bodies to send? I thought after the thirty you had just given up. BUT NO! THE DELIGHT CONTIUES!” his voice was erratic, as if flinging between rage, hatred, curiosity , and some...corrupted form of childlike glee.

Horn did his best to keep to the procedure “we have been spotted. Weapons free. Shoot only what you see. No blind fire.” He commanded. Wings was shaking on the spot. Horn turned and glared at him  “keep it together. In formation we are strong but if it falls apart because your too chicken shit, then you may as well....” before the commander could finish his words , black tentacles came from the ceiling and snatched him upwards , before he disappeared entirely into the corridor. Fang called out “HORN? HORN!?” down the hall way.

All that came back was the grim sound of someone being forced to swallow, and the gurgling of pouring liquid. Impulsively, Claw began to run after her commander , and Wing turned and tried to escape, but was clotheslined by Tail. “You ain’t running off on me now.” Claw barely made it five feet before she heard a wet explosion (like an overfilled water balloon), getting sprayed all over. Coming back into the light she was covered in red. The squad began to gag but she stopped them. “I can smell it...it’s ...just cherry juice.”

Confusion joined the mix of emotions in the disoriented dragons breath. “Dear oh dear just like a chicken. Chop off its head , and watch the body run wild. Don’t worry for your boss...HE WAS A FAST ONE. You all won’t be so lucky.” The scientist mocked from the shadows. Claw as the second in command tries to regain order, but before she can , scale is yanked from the front into the shadows. Fang goes but claw stops him “hes already dead fang!  We need to stay together!”

Tail comes forward and growls “you don’t know if he’s dead...we have to save our squad if we can. No man left behind.” He argued. The sound of gulping and gurgling filled the air once more.  Tail went forward till claw grabbed him by the chest “you won’t make it...we need to go back to back and push forward and get this son of a bitch.”

“puwh forward? We already are two down we need to go now!” Wings yelled “we need to get out of here and get reinforcements. Bomb this place off the map!” He argued. Tail was about to agree with him, before tentacles ensnared his ankles . Before he could react, he was yanked back the way they had came. Claw immediately snapped into action and began spraying around Tail, trying desperately to save her squad best she could.  She ignored the fact her stomach was starting to feel uncomfortable. Her mag clicked empty Yet Tail had still been stolen.

For once , Fang was at a loss for words . Dragons fire had been a squad for years without a loss. And now half had been taken in a blink of an eye. “we...should leave. We aren’t enough for this.” He mumbled. Claw looked to him before reluctantly nodding. “Fine... alright. Double time we are getting the hell out of here.” She commanded. The three began to run yet she was slow. Sluggish. Her body felt heavy.

“You can run, but ill burst your hide. ONE OF YOU IS ALREADY MINE. You just don’t know it yet.  Go ahead. Try and leave...with your TAIL BETWEEN YOUR LEGS.” The voice taunted more. None realized what he meant till they reached the door. It was filled entirely with green flesh, corner to corner. In the center was Tails head, his cheeks bulging and eyes filled with fear. Skin creaking with fullness. “Oh fuck...is this what he did to you? To Horn and Scale?” Horn asked as Claw and Wing slowly backed away.

“And...c..claw....” was all Tail could manage before his body gave in. Within an instant he ruptured, sending a spray of juice over Fang as the others got out of the radius.  The smell of watermelon along side it. “GOD DAMN SON OF A BITCH!” Fang yelled in frustration . Wing didn’t waist a second, running for the open door, however he was immediately snagged into a web of black slime. It immediately began pushing down his throat. Within moments his belly burbled and swelled outwards , turning blue as it did. “Hew..p...mee...”.

Claw went to cut him down but her own stomach groaned. Fang looked to her face and saw that her body was dark red. Like....a cherry. “What...what is it?”

“you...you are turning red..your gonna be like...the rest.” He mumbled.

“Then you haven’t got much time either. I got covered in juice...that’s what must have done this to me.  You just got covered too.” She mumbled. It was clear on her face she already accepted her fate. She pulled out her explosives and moved towards the wall closest to the door. “When this blows...run. run for the streets . Get as much distance you can. Someone might be able to help you. “

“I am not leaving anymore people behind.” Fang tried to argue. Yet her belly was rapidly swelling , ass doing the same.

“Fang...I don’t think  I am a person anymore. Or...iOnt be for long. I’m going to be a fruit...or a splatter. Don’t doom yourself for me.” Claw said. She snatched his gun and tossed him the detonator. “Make it count.” Claw then darted into the depths of the hallways shooting a gun in each hand.  With a reluctant groan, he pulled the detonator and let it blow.  A hole to the outside blasted through and without hesitation he drove out  into the bushes below.  He began sprinting down the street , pulling out his radio “i need immediate exfil. I have been exposed to the bio weapon, the rest of the squad is down!”

Back in the lab, as Claws guns ran empty , she stopped running. Her body was bulging full with cherry juice...slower than she had seen Wing grow yet still inhumanly fast. She heard a distant splat, then the resulting splash. At least someone got out. She tossed her guns to the ground ..as she did, a tall slender man in a lab coat approached her. “Hello my dear. My name is H.... You are quite the fighter aren’t you? But you just can’t fight yourself.” He taunted her.

She looked him in the eye and raised her arms. “Go ahead. Make me explode. I don’t care. You are gonna pay for this ... someday.” Claw announced defiantly. Yet H seemed all too unimpressed with it. “oh silly girl I wouldn’t pop you. Not yet at least. You are a second generation cherry...blowing up with the juice of another. I must study you. Your process seemed slower...in the right target creating all the more delicious suffering.”

Claws eyes widened at this...and she began to defiantly try and move back. Yet her body was so packed she could barely muster a  step. She couldn’t even lower her arms, so packed with juice now they where held at her side. She was practically spherical. “no! ...I won’t be part of your.... experiments...”

“Sweet foolish fruit.  You have no choice.  But you are military yes? You are used to doing as you are told. Unfortunately the only dishonourable discharge I offer is your juice discharging across the room as the last parts of you are scattered like fleshy Confetti. Now be a good subject...and be quite.” H demanded , as his grim tendrils began to push her along. Rolling her towards the depths of his labs.

H is a character created by @revoblueablum on twitter.  Do check her out , she is an amazing writer.