The basement door didn’t feel right in Ember’s hand. Even just touching it made her feel sick. It was as if the door wasn’t so much a door but a gateway to somewhere bad. She knew she had to go down there, even thinking about doing anything else caused her brain to short circuit and flood with reminders of what she needed to do. She hated the idea that she was doing this but could do nothing to stop it.

Slowly she turned the knob, it felt like a sickening creek in her hand. Less like a doorknob and more as if she was unlocking some kind of vault. She slowly pushed the door open into the darkness beyond. There was a flight of stairs leading down, but she could barely see past the first few. The darkness was almost tangible, a thick surface that seemed to swallow all light that threatened to go down into it.

The worst part though was the smell. It reeked of rotting flesh and motor oil. Ember could hear the sound of grinding gears and metal squishing something beyond. It did nothing to help her feel any better about what was coming.

“Hey Ember. You don’t happen to have a flashlight mode or something built into you do you?” Ry asked, fidgeting with the safety on their gun.

Ember mentally scanned through the indexes in her head. She raised her right hand and felt her palm split a little bit opening up in the center, the four panels that made it up each shifting out of the way. From the center emitted a beam of light. It barely cut through the darkness only revealing one extra step.

“Best I can manage.”

“It’ll have to do. I’ll go first, you just keep that light in front.” Ry stepped forward and onto the first step. It creaked under their weight but the sound was wet and sticky. As they moved down to the next one, it was as if something was attached to the step trying to keep them from moving on.

Ember tentatively stepped down, her foot registering the wet sensation of the stairway. She paused wondering if she should shut the door behind her. She gently gripped the handle and pulled it towards her, closing off the light.

“Why’d you shut the door?” Ry asked, continuing down another step. It was harder to see them now even with Ember’s enhanced vision cycling through the different spectrums she could see in.

“If there’s something bad in here. I don’t want it getting out.”

“So you trapped it in here with us.”

“Or us in here with it. Think on the bright side. You have a gun and I have a combat mode.”

“You have a combat mode. What can you do?”

“You can do nothing.”

Ember heard the words but felt them vibrate through her body. One look at Ry and she knew they felt the same thing. There was something else in here, but whatever it was, was not something that was human.

“Ember I’m pretty sure I’m at the bottom.” Ry whispered to her.

Ember took another step and felt the ground grow damp. It was wet and sticky like a small puddle around her foot. She stepped forward and realized it wasn’t quite water as it clung to her almost like a gel.

“Ember is that you?” Chelsea’s voice cut through the darkness. Some part of Ember knew it wasn’t her but that didn’t stop her from walking forward a few steps. Only Ry’s hand gripping her arm stopped her from continuing.

The darkness parted slightly, undulating like a wave out of the way. Chelsea stood there in the middle of it, water dripping off of her as if she was soaking wet, still in her clothes from earlier. Ember looked at her, this wasn’t Chelsea, it was something parading as her.

“Ry you see her too right?” Ember asked, nudging them with her elbow.

“You mean Stella…” Ry whispered softly. Ember glanced over her shoulder at them. They seemed to be paralyzed. Gun pointed straight ahead at where Chelsea was.

“Do you think I’ll still love you after the game Embs?”

Ember froze words caught in her throat. Chelsea looked at her, head cocked sideways, water dripping off of her. She knew this wasn’t Chelsea, but the words, the way she acted and said exactly what Ember was thinking, it was too coincidental.

“I didn’t want to push you away Stella. I- I-” Ry’s voice cracked behind her.

“Do you think anyone could love you Ember? I certainly don’t.” Ember’s eyes went wide. 

“I’m so sorry Stella. Please don’t go! Please-” Ember spun and gripped Ry’s shoulders holding them in place. She shook them violently.

“Ry you need to get out of here right now. Whatever this is, you have to go. Listen to me!”

Ry’s head turned eyes wide in fear. “She’s going to leave me Ember. I should just let her go and give in. Nobody needs-”

The slap rang out in the void as Ember’s hand collided with their cheek, the flashlight cutting off for a second as it collided with their flesh. Ry’s head snapped up to look at her trembling. “Ember I- It was in my- I couldn’t-”

“Go.” She spoke sternly without a hint of emotion in her voice. “I’ll be okay.”

“Ember you can’t stay down here. We have to leave.”

“I can’t Ry. We both know it. Now just go. And no matter what, don’t let anyone else ever come down here. Smash the handle off the door if you have to.”

Ry nodded and quickly took off back up the stairs. Ember waited listening to the sound of the door slam followed by the crack of metal hitting the floor. She was now all alone. She turned the flashlight off. She didn’t need it. Slowly the darkness parted as if the light had stayed on. Whatever this was, she was in the belly of the beast now.

“You know that you’re nothing Ember. You can’t be anything that’s enough for me.”

“Nothing that you say is true. Chelsea loves me for me.”

“But do you really think that? After all it took this game to convince me to say that. Maybe the game was making me say it.”

“No. Because I know the real Chelsea and no matter what, she doesn’t lie. She doesn’t say the things in my head. She tells me things will be okay.”

“But they won’t be Ember.” Chelsea said sweetly, placing her hand on Ember’s shoulder. She felt her arm go numb and fall limp by her side.

“You can’t hide from me Ember. I know every inch of your body. Every thought of yours. So just give in and let me consume you.”

Ember shook softly. She could feel the toxin spreading into her body. It was poisoning her systems, each one was shutting off no longer under her control. She was losing function by the second. She knew that she should keep fighting, pushing back against it, but they were only saying what was in her head, and she couldn’t lie to herself anymore.

She can just take your hand and you’ll feel like everything is okay.

In the deepest part of Ember’s mind she could hear Chelsea’s voice ringing out. She could almost feel the smaller girl's hand in hers, squeezing tightly. She felt the warmth ring out in her core.

“I am more than my bad experiences and my past. You don’t get to poison my happiness. You don’t get to take away my lo-” Ember felt the words catch in her throat as something bubbled up inside of her. It was as if something was trying to force itself out of her but was being held back. Something was choking her off.

“You were promised. Do not hide behind your lies. We will show you true love. Just let us embrace you.” 

Ember felt the port on her lower back being plugged into. She could feel cold sticky hands slowly undo her pants pulling them down. She wanted to scream and resist but couldn’t. Her body wouldn’t move. She could feel the warm feeling remembering Chelsea’s hand in hers begin to fade to a sour taste in her mouth.

“You’re nothing, just a pitiful little hollow shell that needs filling aren’t you. Let us fill you.”

Ember could feel something start to pump into her through the port. It wasn’t data. Whatever it was dripped out of the port and into her leaving her feeling sticky and gross. It flowed like a leaky faucet. Ember wanted to throw up. This thing was poisoning her mind and body. She knew she wasn’t empty. She had so much and was so many things. Wasn’t she?

“Don’t lie Ember. You’ve always been nothing. Now you’re just another discarded toy left behind. But don’t worry. We can play with you. Would you like us to play with you?”

Ember felt her head nodding. She didn’t want to but she could feel the poison filling her. Her resistance was faltering faster by the second. She tried to focus on Chelsea but only a bitter memory filled her mind. One after another, pushing away all of the good inside for negativity. She cried black tears leaking out of her eyes. They stained her cheeks melting into the surface, corrupting it slowly.

“We can rebuild you. Make you perfect for everyone. Let us fill you with love to share with the whole world.”

Ember nodded, unable to fight anymore. She was such a waste, so useless. Maybe she could make everyone love her. All she had to do was let this thing take her and rebuild her. She could be perfect for everyone.

She felt the machines get to work on her in the distant part of her mind. She could feel the poison seep deep into her replacing bones and limbs with monstrous pieces. Meanwhile her mind was being washed clean, pushing away all of her thoughts, tainting all of her memories, filling them with her new life. She’d be much better once she was fixed up. She’d carry this with her and spread it to everyone. She’d be so much better sharing her love with the world.

Ember didn’t need to exist. She just needed to let go and disappear.

Chelsea, no, that name didn’t feel right to her anymore. She was so much more than a pitiful human weakling, she was a part of the garden. She needed a name befitting of one granted such a glorious purpose. Flower, that felt right to her. She was Flower and her purpose was to be beautiful.

Flower emerged from the pool hoisted by a series of vines that wrapped around her limbs. They carried her gently as if she was a queen. She was glorious in her new body. Gone were all those silly fleshy problems, instead the plants were a part of her as much as she was a part of them. Her blood now sap in her veins, muscles and bones replaced by wood and vines. Her skin breathed with every cell. She was so alive. She no longer needed eyes, covered tightly in a bandage of vines, she could see everything with her other senses. A much more vivid picture of the world. Flower was a part of all living things and they were part of her.

The vines set her down, feet gently touching down on a rough vine. She could feel every cell in it, urging it to hold her. It moved along with the ones beside it creating a woven bridge for her. The vines released her allowing her to stand on her own. She breathed, not with lungs but with her entire body. Every smell was so vivid and rich with its own unique texture and taste.

Flower reached out touching the vines. She began to shape them with her thoughts. Slowly the rose, stretching from the walls and floor, bending inward. They curled together, bending and intertwining, flexing and melding, forming her a throne to sit on. A flower sat folded up on the bottom, a small stem in the middle waiting to enter her. Flower smiled and took a seat letting the stem slip inside of her. Immediately the stem expanded, spreading to fill her fully.

She reached out with her senses, feeling, tasting all of the delicious lust in the air. Her vines spread along the walls and floors embedding themselves in the very house itself. She could feel everything, every thrust, every exhale, every delicious bit of pleasure that was currently being spread throughout.

Flower’s vines spread further down, deep into the dark of the placement. She could hear the sobs of someone. The air tasted metallic and ashy. Like burning oil. The garden didn’t like it, it didn’t taste sweet to her. She began to pull her vines away when she felt it. There amongst all the bitter, there was something sweet. It tasted familiar to her, but weakened, twisted. A name came to Flower’s mind. “Ember”.

Thoughts came flooding back to her. She gripped her head with one hand rubbing at her temple. Flower, no her name was Che- Flower wasn’t feeling quite herself. It was this Ember who was hurting. She needed Flo- Chelsea. She needed Chelsea to come rescue her. But Chelsea was Flower now wasn’t she? Chelsea’s mind grappled against the garden.

Vines gripped her wrists, pinning her arms to the chair. The garden was telling her things, trying to fill her minds with thoughts of flowers and being a good little flower. She struggled against it, Ember’s name burning through all of the noise filling her mind. Chelsea screamed a roaring flame that burned all of the plants back.

The vines released her wrists. She could feel the plants cower before her. She gripped tightly to the chair, nails digging into the plants. She could feel the vines whimper and cower before her. She could feel the garden shift and ripple under her demands of power. She felt every inch of it stretch out not towards her, but from her. This was her garden, this was her power. She was Chelsea and it was her flower.

The dice rolled off of the vines and onto the floor. She was in control of this world. She was the supreme flower.

“The garden heeds your command, take control and force it to obey your heart’s demand.”

Chelsea stood from her chair and began to force the vines to work. They lifted her, carrying her forward towards the basement. Ember needed her, and nothing would stop her now.

Stella pulled her car up behind Ry’s parked car and turned it off. She flicked off the headlights and climbed out. The house seemed empty, she couldn’t see any lights on through the windows or hear any noise from inside as she approached the door. She tentatively knocked on the door and waited for a response. 

After a minute she shrugged and tried the handle. It turned in her grip and she slowly opened it peeking her head inside. The place seemed empty. The only thing she could see was a board game sitting on the floor mid game. She opened the door the rest of the way and stepped in.

“Hellooo? Anybody home?” Stella asked closing the door behind her. She turned the top lock feeling it click in her hand. She kicked off her sneakers next to the door and walked in her socks around taking a look. Everything seemed relatively normal except that nobody was around. Everyone’s cars were still in the driveway so nobody left which was good.

She tossed her bag down next to her shoes and walked over to the board. She knelt down, it seemed almost unremarkable and more like somebody made a fake game. On the board were four player tokens, three of them seemed pretty far along the board. If she had to guess, the goal seemed to be to reach the middle of the board, the big ominous black space. By her count at least two of them could win. One person was so far back in the game that they didn’t even seem to have a chance.

Stella laughed and looked, finding a number of small pieces sitting to the side. They grabbed a white and brown spotted one and looked it over. It looked like a small cat and she did love cats. She placed it on the board at what seemed to be the starting space.

“So now what? Do I roll a dice or just wait for-”

The space in the center began to swirl. Stella watched surprised at how impressive the tech was in the board. Her piece began to move on its own, sliding across the pathway forward along. Words began to appear in the space.

“Arriving late is not your blame, but to catch up feel every sensation from the duration of the game?”

Stella wondered what the game meant when the wall of pleasure crashed into her. She fell back off of her knees and onto her back. She felt as if something was inside of her, pressing against her inner walls. Her back arched off of the floor as she felt her tongue go numb, the tastebuds flickering as if she was sucking on a bag of sparking candy. Her toes curled as she felt something wrap tightly around the phantom dick now attached to her. She hadn’t felt that sensation since her surgery a few years back, it was weird, but also felt as if it was coming from someone else. She felt as though her breasts were swelling, each breath causing them to grow larger and larger. She could feel something pressing into her ass, stretching it wider than her pussy. Even in her head she felt as if she was being filled.

Stella couldn’t focus, it was all too much to bear. It was as if four people were suddenly occupying her body, each feeling their own sensations, each pumping them right into her. It wasn’t just one cock filling her, it was two inside of her pussy now. The sensations overlapped as if she had not one, but two holes being filled at once. Her head felt full now, as if something was pushing in but also entangling itself around her head.

The sensations kept building, rolling on top of one another, building higher and higher. Anytime she felt as though she grew accustomed to one sensation another came to add to it growing deeper and deeper within her. She could feel it cresting deeper inside of her, ready to explode outward in one earth shattering orgasm.

The dice slide across the floor from her twitching hand. Slowly her piece slid to a stop next to Ry’s on the board. It turned to face his almost menacingly.

“A cute little kitten by day, feel the beast in you take that freedom away.”

Stella felt the sensations shatter away immediately. Her eyes opened, pupils dilating turning from a circle to a small slit. She groaned, pain erupting from every inch of her body. There were thoughts in her mind of hunting, tearing, clawing.

She rolled onto her stomach, nails digging into the floorboards as her knuckles began to grow covered in fur. Her nails stretched sharpening into deep claws that extended from her fingers. Her arms swelled, muscles growing deeper and more pronounced before fur sprouted along them. She could feel her legs bend and crack as the bones extended, pads growing on the base of her feet as her socks and pants tore hanging off of her body in shreds.

She reared her head back snarling as her nose flattened slightly, small whiskers pushing their way out of her cheeks. Fangs grew, teeth sharpening as her tastebuds heightened. Suddenly her sense of smell erupted in a furious change. She could smell sex, it was everywhere, devoured everything. It made her mouth water. Mixed among it were metal smells dripping with oil, sweet florals and rich earth tones, deep brimstone and ash. They all mingled amongst the sex. She could see where everyone was suddenly, or at least sense them.

Her ears perked up, pulled to the top of her head, deep feline ears that twitched from side to side listening to the various sounds of wet sex filling the air. Stella felt her own pussy clench. She could feel it drip with need. It was building with in her, a deep roaring ache to be filled.

No. Not just filled. BRED. 

The world filled Stella with a deep longing lust. She needed something to fill her. She needed to claim something, no someone as hers and force them beneath her. She needed it more than she needed to breathe.

She grabbed at her remaining clothes and pried them from her body. A long tail shooting up into the air now flicking back and forth before curling around itself. Stella stretched, now unburdened by the constraining clothes keeping her trapped, she let her limbs stretch out as she arched her back bearing her ass up to the world. She hoped someone would see it, see her aching needy slit and fill her. Perhaps one of the others dripping with sex could satisfy her.

She heard a soft click on the ground, head whipping around. Her body followed, ready to attack. She scanned the room, nothing seemed out of place except for a small square dice sitting on the ground. Slowly she crept over to it, one leg at a time, eyes unblinking fixed to it. She leaned in sniffing it, it smelled like nothing. She wrinkled her nose and poked it with a paw. It moved an inch in front of her but then nothing happened.

Stella’s ears flattened against her head and she did it again waiting. Nothing happened for a second time. She snarled and smacked it with her paw. It bounced across the room slapping against the far wall. Stella jumped, back arched upright tail pointed at the ceiling. She hissed angrily at the dice. It slowly rolled to a stop next to the board.

She grew irritated and bored and began to lick at her fur covered hand. Her tongue felt rougher against her skin. Tough to the touch.

“The burning fire inside will awake, hunt down your prey so pleasure you can take.”

Stella felt the aching need in her pussy swell and doubled over curling within herself. Her muscles rippled flaring outward. They swelled growing larger, thighs growing toned, fingers taught and lean. She could feel wetness coating her fur and sniffed the air. Her ears twitched back and forth as she rose up on her two back legs.

Her head snapped towards the stairs and followed them upwards. She could feel them, sense them above her. There was someone up there, not consumed in sex. They would satisfy her need. They had to. She wouldn’t let them not. 

A smirk curled at the edge of Stella’s lips as her snout stretched slightly. She became less cat like human and more of a feral werecat by the second. Her lust only grew, heat burning deeper within her. Each second she waited she felt her animal instincts grow more and more.

She jumped, claws stretching as she inverted herself, claws stabbing into the ceiling above. She felt her body reorient itself and began to crawl along the ceiling, hand over foot silently moving amongst the shadows. Soon she would have her prey. Soon her heat would be satisfied.