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It had been 10 days since the Visitor arrived. The world had been changed irreversibly as monsters roamed the Earth, their last shreds of humanity stolen from them by the Visitor's gaze. Inside an apartment in Montreal however, was a group who over the last 10 days had grown close in the apocalypse. Every day Sam and a few others would go out in search for offerings and supplies, typically Leigh, Hellen, and Dan followed but sometimes others would come along instead.
Today was a typical day in the apocalypse, Sam left with his usual party to explore the apartment once more. Their first stop was Edwin's apartment, Sam had taken to talking to Spine every day. He felt bad for her, trapped in an alternate version of his apartment forever. As they entered apartment 31 however, a scratching noise caught Hellen off guard. She turned to Sam as he was about to turn off the lights, "Don't. Something's here." Sam looked at her confused before the scratching started again, this time getting the attention of the rest of the party. Leigh giggles, excited for whatever is about to ambush while Dan hypes himself up by talking to chat. Sam watches the room for wherever the creature could be while Hellen silently draws her cleaver.
Despite them knowing something was stalking them they were all still caught off guard as a massive worm like creature barrels into Sam and directly out the window. Leigh transforms immediately and manages to grab the creature's tail between one of her jaws, pulling it back up. When the creature comes up Sam is not there. They make quick work of it, slicing, chomping, and verbally berating it.
"Dan. Get out. I'm going outside", Hellen states plainly as if her plan to jump off the third floor of an apartment was normal. Dan turns to protest, seeming worried for Sam before shutting his mouth and walking out, talking to chat to keep them entertained. "You're so boring Hellen! We could've gained two cursed in one day, it would've been so much more freeing for them I know it!" Leigh bounded towards the window with Hellen, looking out before coming back in. Hellen looks at her and slightly tilts her head before looking out and getting hit in the head with what has become of Sam. His body had basically doubled in size, he would be able to squeeze himself through the window just barely and he was at least 10 feet long. Many mouths and eyes show themselves as he climbs through the window with his many legs. Hellen and Leigh stand back, not sure if he would attack them or not. A sob echoes out from his form, he looked shocked, terrified, looking for comfort of some kind. His sharp claws cover part of his face and mouth, tears streaking down them. Eventually his eyes land on the other two in the room with him, he moves towards them cautiously, not wanting to startle them or make them think he's lost his mind.
"W-where's Dan?" Sam stutters. "Out. Didn't want him cursed", Hellen responds. Sam nods before moving his body towards the door, leaving the apartment, making eye contact with Dan as his jaw falls open for a second before leaving to his own apartment.
———
It wasn't long before people got used to Sam's new form. Half of the people in the apartment were cursed anyways so it wasn't a big deal that one more became cursed. Even though everyone else was fine with it, Sam felt empty, a hunger for something he had never felt before. He wasn't truly hungry, he didn't want any food and he didn't gain any blood lust from his encounter with the outside. However it was still there, gnawing at him always. He didn't truly know what it was but he could tell he gained some kind of new protective instinct and somehow that correlated with hunger. He didn't have much time to mull over it though, he needed to go out again to get supplies for his weird family and get offerings before the 15 days are over. The elevator had been fixed he remembered, he hoped it could still fit him. He needed to get the Neo Duo Dan keeps bugging him about and he can't get through without the elevator.
Dan, Hellen, Leigh, and Sam walk out of the apartment and head towards the elevator. Hellen gets in last and hits the button for the second floor as Sam awkwardly moves his body so he's not stepping on the body of the Elevator Freak. The elevator stops, Dan leads the group this time. He stops at door 25, "This one's my apartment, the Neo Duo should be in here!"
As soon as they step in the apartment Dan warns them to be quiet only to be cut off by a booming voice, "DAANIEL? Is that yoooou?" "(Sh-shit). Hi mom…", Dan responds in a timid tone. She beckons them to come out to the living room but judging by the empty alcohol bottles that littered the place and Dan's tone Sam decided to just grab the Neo Duo and book it. Unfortunately Dan's mom had a different plan. She ambushed the party right as they were about to leave. "Leaving so sooon? At least give me a huuuug Dan!" She was cursed and towered over Dan, holding her arms out expectantly. Dan looked more scared than Sam had ever seen him before. Sam tried to calm the situation, "I could hug you instead?" "Awww what a nice young maaaaaaaan. No Daaaaaaaan I want you to hug me", she got closer as she spoke. Dan takes a deep breath, "(Here goes dude...)" Sam's protective instincts feel stronger than ever as he hugs her, watching for any sign of danger. Dan lets go, she does not. "Mom! Stop you're hurting me!" Dan struggled to get out of her grasp to no avail. That protective instinct kicked in in Sam once more. Stronger than ever. It felt like he wasn't there, like he was a spectator of his own body as he tackled Dan's mom, grabbed Dan, and subsequently swallowed him whole.
As soon as Dan's mom made the slightest movement, he crushed her and ripped her apart quickly. It was over, his friend was safe and the monster was slain. Why was he squirming so much? Didn't he want to be safe? He heard a growl, wasn't the monster dead? Turning his head towards the noise, he saw Leigh in her grinning beast form running at him and quickly pinning him to the ground.
He felt like everything that just happened finally hit him. He killed Dan's mom, sure she was a monster but it still felt like he had committed a horrible sin. Not only that but he swallowed Dan whole, he was still alive somehow, struggling to get out. Sam starts trying to regurgitate as soon as he comes to his senses, with very little effort he managed to get him out without any bile as if his new biology was made for such a thing.
"How disappointing, if you had truly lost your senses I could've had a rematch with you! How boring", Leigh seems genuinely disappointed, getting off Sam and turning into her more human looking form. Sam wasn't really worried about that though, he was more worried about Dan. He was sitting on the floor, staring directly at the remains of his mom. He looked like he was about to cry, "Let's just go."
———
They arrived back at apartment 33, the walk back had short but tense. No one wanted to talk about anything that just happened. Dan cried for only 5 minutes before switching his streamer persona back on and talking to chat as if nothing happened. Leigh was teaching Sophie how to use a knife. Hellen sat at the table, sharpening her knife.
An hour had passed and none of them had talked to each other which would be normal if it wasn't for the fact that Dan was now probably more traumatized than ever and was most likely terrified of Sam now. Dinner came around, everyone sat at the table as usual except for Xaria and Monty who got food and went back to "their" room as well as Hellen who left to eat in the bathroom. However unlike what was usual, she sat back down at the table with an empty plate. Her eyes bore directly into Sam as she spoke calmly yet sternly, "Why did you do that?"
Sam froze, it was already bad enough that he had to live with the shame and embarrassment of what he did but now everyone else that was close to him would know. After a few moments he responded, "I don't know really. I've been feeling this strange protective instinct ever since I got cursed but I've been able to keep it under control. A-after seeing Dan being in danger like that though something just snapped, I felt like I wasn't me and somehow it just felt right to… to eat him. Like he'd be safe in there, away from everything else…" Sam looked so incredibly embarrassed as the other people at the table just stared at him or Dan with varying amounts of concern or shock. Sophie stood up and slammed her hands on the table, "YOU ATE HIM???" "Look I know it sounds bad and it is and Dan's probably horribly traumatized now and ohhh god I'm a horrible person", Sam speaks rapidly, spiraling out loud.
At some point Hellen had gone around back and put a hand on Sam's shoulder, as if to comfort him. "Can you keep yourself in control now?" Hellen asked. "Y-yes? I think? I'm not sure", Sam sobbed. She pauses for a second, "Just apologize to Dan." Sam looked over at Dan with the most pathetic, watery look in his eyes, "I-I'm soorrrrrryyyyy." Dan looks at him with a mixture of concern, disgust, and confusion before going back to his usual facade, "I mean, I am Dan the Man of course I'd forgive you! I'm a generous streamer and we're best friends!"
Hellen seems to have given up on being the most normal person in the room and just walks to the couch to be alone with her thoughts.
———
Night came and Sam still felt awful about what he did. He couldn't stop thinking about it. The worst part was that it felt right. Dan came out unharmed, he was able to regurgitate him easily, and he wasn't hurt by his mother. His instincts were right. His friends would be safe inside him.
He simply laid alone with his thoughts until he heard footsteps getting closer. Sitting up he saw him, Dan. Why was he coming up to him? "Hey, buddy", it was one of the few moments that Dan wasn't streaming. His true self. He continued, "So uhh, today kinda sucked. It really sucked actually and I keep on having nightmares about my mom… could you just, eat me again? Please?" Sam was shocked, why would he want that? Was it not terrifying? Was it not grounds for their friendship to shatter? Even so, Sam decided to indulge him, if only to shut his instincts up for a second. He got closer and simply opened his bottom mouth, the one that was safe to go inside, his instincts told him. Dan crawled inside on his own volition, leaving the outside world as jagged teeth closed down as soon as he was inside.
He only had to swallow once, feeling his friend travel down into the pouch connected to it. It wasn't a stomach, that he could tell, it was similar though. As Dan got comfortable for the night, Sam did too, laying down on the couch, finally able to sleep.
———
Sam woke to someone shaking him. Hellen was there, she looked annoyed, "Where's Dan." "He crawled inside… did it himself, he's safe now, but he's still asleep", Sam grumbled, slightly delirious from having been woken up too early. She just looked at him, mildly perturbed and tired somehow. "Let me in. If he's alive in there I'll stay, if not I'll kill you", she flatly said. Sam just let out a noise of affirmation before opening his bottom mouth once more and letting Hellen in. It was the same routine of closing his teeth and swallowing her down, this time though she did not settle down, opting instead to look at Dan's body and feel for a heartbeat. It was stable, still beating. Dan's body was unharmed as well. Sam could feel the tension in her body melt away as she conceded that he was safe inside. She curled up against the soft walls of the pouch and laid there.
Sam checked the time, it was only 3:30. Sam went to sleep, content with the knowledge that some of his friends were finally safe.