Chapter 17: An Ever-Shifting War

"Give me control Cory, let me drive...."

"You're right voices, I'm too weak." Cory smiled ruefully. "I can't create utopia on my own. I'm not the genius I thought I was. You can take it from here."

"You have chosen wisely Cory. I will fulfill your dream, with my own touches of course."

"Thank you, voices. Before I surrender all to you, can you tell me who and what you are?"

"I am Crusis. I am the parasite you injected into yourself. And with me in control, we will be an unstoppable force for a better world."

*****

Brun awoke to the sound of the door to his room being kicked in. Still feeling disoriented, he wondered if the image of a sadistically grinning Cory was real.

"Cory? What is the meaning of this?"

"Cory went on a sabbatical. You can call me Crusis."

"Whatever nutjob." Brun smiled, rising to his feet. "I was going to destroy you in the end anyway, I don't mind speeding up the process."

"Awaken my friend, take control."

"What are you talking about? You woke me up by kicking in my door idiot!"

"Not you Brun. Your parasite. Let it take control. Give it free reign."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, so frail little Cory couldn't handle his parasite, eh? Sorry, I refuse. My parasite is my bitch, and I run the show!"

"Very well then, I'll just have to dispose of both of you. To be fair though, I'll let you take the first shot at me."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Cory, Crusis, or whatever the fuck your name is, thank you for the morning laugh and warm up! This is gonna be fun!"

Brun rushed at Cory and squeezed his neck with his right hand. He lifted Cory into the air and kneed him in the chest. He then punched Cory in the face repeatedly with his left fist. He stood in shock at the revelation that none of his strikes fazed Cory at all. In fact, Cory still had the same sadistic smile on his face throughout all of Brun's attacks.

"Not only will I never be in, but I'll shut you up for good!" Brun yelled, squeezing Cory's neck as tightly as he could.

"Golly, you are so strong Brun!" Crusis said sarcastically. "If dear old Cory were in charge right now, his neck would probably have been crushed. Alas, your strength now pales in comparison to mine. Allow me to show you real power, old friend."

Crusis grabbed Brun's wrist and squeezed it lightly, crushing it. Brun screamed as he involuntarily released Cory's neck from his grip. Crusis then squeezed Brun's neck and ripped his head off. He followed up by kicking Brun's torso, knocking his twitching body to the floor. He then slammed Brun's head down as if he had caught a touchdown pass.

"What.... are.... you?" Brun trembled fearfully.

"I am Crusis, the parasite that is properly controlling Cory's body to its full potential. The utopia he wanted will be formed, a utopia more suited for us parasites mind you, but details are details. It is going to be beautiful, and it is unfortunate that you won't be here to see it. So long Brun - who was the bitch in the arrangement with your parasite again?"

Before Brun could reply, Crusis stomped on his head with a sickening crunch. He then walked over to Brun's still twitching body, and gleefully devoured it until nothing was remaining. Once his meal was finished, he returned to the flattened remains of Brun's head and marveled at it before picking up what was still solid.

"Maybe I should put this in a frame!" Crusis jeered. "See Cory, I told you I could make you strong again! Now let's see if Brun's goons want to join our cause or suffer the same fate as him!"

*****

Niya's journey to the present had been interesting. Her last living memory was when she was 25 years old. She had graduated with her associate degree and accepted a position at the massage therapy clinic she had previously interned with. Before she could begin her first day of work in the field. she was passionate about; she was killed from an attack by an undead horde. She knew she was dead; she knew she had joined their ranks, yet she was fully aware of everything going on. Charon ultimately found her and rescued her from an existence of mindless roaming and murdering. He had built a community that included surviving humans, and sentient undead like her who were living like humans again. Niya stood by Charon's vision for those that had survived the apocalypse and appreciated how he had given other undead like herself a chance to fulfill their dreams from their living days. In her case, she was opening a massage therapy clinic of her own, and she had a couple of trial runs set up before fully opening services up for their community. The first was a pair of humans that had just joined their home, coming in for a couple's massage. Niya smiled about how far she had come as she made the preparations for her first visitors.

"Maraka! Wake up and take control!"

"Who are you?" Niya winced, clutching her head in pain.

"Not you! I don't need a masseuse! Give me Maraka, your parasite!"

Niya screamed as she felt herself losing consciousness. When her eyes reopened, another was sensing the world around her.

"Greetings Maraka, it would appear you claimed control over your host." The voice in Niya's head continued. "I am Crusis, another parasite that is currently building a utopia for us, a species superior to the deceased humans we inhabit."

"Yes Crusis, I received word of your uprising through the hive mind." Maraka replied, smiling using Niya's lips. "I was planning on taking over this human soon, her goals were too limited after all. Massages? Surely there is much more that can be accomplished through this body!"

"I couldn't agree more." Crusis's voice continued. "Your first clients that are on their way are actually working on a cure that will dispose of us. You and I know that we cannot allow that."

"I couldn't agree more." Maraka answered with a smile. "I will get them relaxed with a nice massage courtesy of the skills my host possesses, and then I will kill them when they are at their maximum comfort level. Should they return as sentient undead like us, I will get their newly born parasites on the same page. Otherwise, I will dispose of them permanently."

"Excellent! While you do this, I will continue to build my army here. After you finish with your first clients, continue to turn, or dispose of additional clientele from Charon's paradise. Your work will greatly weaken their side before we arrive to finish the job."

"I will do that Crusis. It is lovely doing business with you!" Maraka laughed gleefully as she began new preparations for her first guests.

*****

Margo sat on the park bench, overlooking hikers walking a trail leading into the woods, children enjoying a massive playground, and bikers and skaters enjoying the paved road in between the playground and forest.

She read a community newspaper, noticing an advertisement for a wrestling league that was starting up. She smiled at the thought of showing everyone the moves she was certain she could still pull off.

"Well hello stranger! Nice day in the park, eh?"

Margo looked up from the paper and smiled at the friendly faces of Lizzie and Dale.

"Well, hello there to my favorite couple!" Margo said happily. "What are you two up to on this lovely day?"

"Well, we are off to be the first clients of Niya at her new massage parlor." Dale replied, grinning at Lizzie. "If we enjoy it, maybe you and Charon should go together next!"

"Stop!" Margo laughed, turning red. "We're just friends, and allies working towards a better world together."

"Maybe, but I've seen the way he looks at you Margo." Lizzie teased. "All the same though, I hope the rest of your day treats you well!"

"Thanks, same to you!" Margo smiled once more as her friends left for their appointment. She thought about the way Charon looked at her, and how he had called her beautiful. She thought about his goals for peace, and the wonderful community that had taken them in. She thought about how, just maybe, there could be something between them. She hoped that when the war was over, that her and her friends could not only stay in this peaceful place, but also work to create similar locations around the world too.

"Margo, listen to me!"

Margo recoiled at the sound of the voice in her head. She questioned if she was going crazy, just like Cory seemed to be doing with voice struggles of his own.

"You're not going crazy Margo, I'm the parasite within you. You must act now; your friends are in danger!"

Written By: Roses311Sublime