Parasite: A worm AU

[NTaiwo]

You never know just what you're capable of, until you reach your breaking point. Taylor Hebert learns that the hard way.

This is my first time posting and writing a fan-fiction, and I'm a total rookie when it comes to creative writing, so please be patient with me. I'll try to update regularly, but with school and life, I'm bound to be a little inconsistent.

TW: This fic will be exploring darker themes, such as indoctrination, child manipulation and suicidal idealisation

 

[NTaiwo]

Taylor vomited, the black green chunks of acid spilling out onto her stomach, adding to the rancid scent of her prison. The bugs were everywhere; in the walls, in her hair, in her mouth. They crawled over her skin, like a million tiny needles tap tapping away and they just wouldn't STOP!

The stench was overpowering, so much so that she couldn't breathe.

Taylor couldn't fucking breathe!

She gasped for breath, her lungs burning with the effort as caterpillars, and beetles and flies and who knows what else crawled into her mouth, suffocating her and choking her and blinding her.

I'm going to die, Taylor thought, I'm going to die in this stupid fucking locker and emma and sophia and madision are going to fucking get away with it!

It wasn't hard to figure out who trapped her in this prison. Emma Barnes, Madison Clements and Sophia fucking Hess had been there when she approached. They'd giggled to each other as Taylor opened the locker and the…objects inside began spilling out. She felt Sophia's hands on her back, pushing her in, locking her in with the waste and grime and dirt, trapping her in a box of pure toxic waste!

Taylor didn't want to let them win. She didn't want to give up, to let them break her. So, she kicked and screamed and cried, struggling desperately for someone, anyone to hear her and let her out!

…but no one came.

Not during the school day, not during recess or lunch or the break between periods. The janitor didn't check her locker, not even as she watched him walk past and kicked and screamed wilder than ever before, shouting and shouting for help until her throat went raw with pain. She heard fucking Emma and Madison and Sophia come to her at recess, cackling as she tried to escape.

"Taylor, you're so fucking pathetic!" Emma had giggled. "Just give up already. You're a weak, insignificant bitch, and no one's coming to save you, because no one her actually gives a shit about you or your broken little family."

Taylor sobbed, remembering her ex-best friends words, the sting of them resurfacing, so painful it felt like a freshly dealt blow, hitting her heart dully.

"Yo, Ems lets leave Hebert here until tomorrow," Sophia had said, and she heard the trio cackle in response.

"That would be so funny!" Emma had squealed, "Imagine if no one finds her all night!"

Taylor had sobbed, banging her fists against the door, tearing into it with her nails to get out of this fucking locker!

She screamed and cried and kicked and struggled.

But no one came

Taylor sobbed, her chest heaving unevenly with the strain.

Her nails were gone, the skin underneath torn and ripped to shreds.

Her arms were slashed and bleeding, chunks of vomit still lingering on them.

I'm sorry dad… Taylor thought, and then darkness consumed her.


Destination.

Agreement.

Trajectory.

Confirmation.


Two entities, in the sky….giant Leviathans and Behemoths and Simurghs all fighting above her.

They all wanted her….

She saw something falling down onto her, a beam of light crashing down, a kaleidoscope of colours above her.

Then….it hit.

 

[NTaiwo]

1.1

I'm surrounded by waste. That's the only way to describe the dirt and grime and puke in this locker. I bang my head against the metal, desperately trying to get out. I thought I'd died. I wanted to die.

I don't want to be in here! I cant still fucking be in here!

I push my hands to the door, scrabbling and clawing at it for any reprice. I keep on going no matter what, even when my nails bleed and crack, even when they tear off completely, leaving only the pink, raw, fleshy skin underneath.

I need to get out! I can't still be here!

Emma..she- she put me here! She betrayed me! She left me to die!

Her and Sophia fucking Hess; they'd both tried to kill me!

Well..they could still succeed…

The thought sends a wave of panic through me, and puke spills out of my moth, compiling in a fetid puddle by my feet. I try to ignore the bugs crawling over my feet, on my legs, crawling and scuttling up my shirt and into my back, burrowing in my ears and nose and mouth and-

Everywhere. They're everywhere. I can hear them clicking, like a never ending beat, the mandibles clacking together in time with my racing heartbeat. It's like a countdown, like they're waiting for me to die. And maybe I will. Maybe I'll never see dad again, never see the sun again, never have to go to fucking Winslow again!

Maybe..maybe dying would be a good thing.

NO. I shake my head and resume my banding and scratching, hoping to at least loosen the lock enough to open the door.

"Help!" I scream - my throat is raw and sore - but I scream nonetheless, at the top of my lungs.

Someone has to hear me. Surely someone has to pass my locker.

Yes. Then I'll be out of this rotten, squalid place and Blackwell will finally have to do something about the Trio. shell have to do something if I end up in the hospital.

Or in the morgue.

NO. Those thoughts are bad. Bad Taylor.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps.

A human? A way out of her, out of this god's damned school and his stupid, stupid locker.

"HELP!" I scream as loud as I can, my voice breaking and cracking as it strains but who cares? I'm getting out. I'm going to be free of the vomit and grime and blood and sweat. I'll be free from the bugs and their incessant scuttling, always moving around on me with their hairy legs and hexagonal eyes.

"HELP!!"

The footsteps stop, and my heart leaps in my chest. I'm really getting out. The person, whoever they are, is going to let me out.

When I'm out of here,,, I'll go to Arcadia. There'll be no ex-friends, no psychopathic track athletes, no students who make it their life mission to torment you and tear you down. My grades will improve without Emma, Sophia and Madison always stealing my notes, and maybe it'll make dad feel something for once, instead of being a dull, lifeless hunk.

I press my back to the locker's inner wall.

"My password is 14696!" I shout out, just in case the person doesn't know it. For a while, I hear nothing, and a horrible feeling grips me as I panic.

What if they left?

No, they wouldn't. They must've heard me screaming- they had to. They're probably just getting supplies and backup to help me out, along with an ambulance. Maybe the school will even pay for it, because god knows dad can't afford it.

Yes. they're not gone, they're coming back. I await their return, the uncomfortable feeling settling in my gut. Soon i hear footsteps and i shoot up to bang against the door

"HELP ME! I'M STILL STUCK IN HERE!"

For a moment, silence falls upon us. Then- then I hear giggling.

Giggling? Who would find this funny? Other than the Trio of course, but they aren't here they can't be here.

"Oh Taylor, are you stuck?" a mocking high pitched voice says, and their words bite at me.

I freeze.

Their voice is too recognisable, too distinguishable.

I- it cant be real, this cant be happening.

It's the goddamn Trio.

"Too pathetic to get yourself out Hebert/" I hear Sophia say snarkily.

"She's probably passed out in her own puke."

"She's probably dead already, the weak little wimp."

"Her dad won't miss her, that's for sure."

"Isn't that right Taylor?" Emma calls out, "That your dad is a no good, sleazy drunk who fell apart after mommy dearest died?"

No…

"Good one Ems. I bet she's crying in there."

Please, just leave…

"Your entire family are a bunch of weaklings Hebert. Your drunkard father, you, and your stupid mother who was dumb enough to get herself killed in a car crash. How pathetic."

"S-shut up!" I croak out, and the trio crackle with laughter.

"Oh, is widdle baby Hebert upset? Are you gonna cry?"

Shut up…why wont they just shut up!

I throw my entire weight into the door, banging and crashing and scrambling at the metal to finally GET OUT OF HERE!

"I think we'll leave you here until morning Taylor." Emma says, "We'll see if you're strong enough to survive it."

I tense as fear grips my chest, tightening around my neck like a noose.

They can't leave me here! Not overnight! I'll die!

Tears stream down my face, and I don't even bother to wipe them away.

…what's the point anymore?

My hands drop down to my side, and I lean my head against the metal door, letting my body sag against the walls.

I'm sorry dad…but I can't do it anymore, I can't live anymore.

I wonder if he'll cry when they find me.

I wonder if he'll care.

Then, just before I close my eyes, something happens. A kaleidoscope of colours flash in my face, greens and blues and reds and yellows all in front of me. Up above, three giants are fighting.

They look down on me…

Something breaks away, a fragment, a shard from each one of them, merging into one in a brilliant burst of light, and now it's falling, falling down towards me.

I'm powerless to stop it, powerless to do anything but watch as the glowing object descends above my head.

Then, it hits, and everything dissolves into white.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I wake up- still in the locker goddammit- I feel…different. Rejuvenated somehow. Like something changed. My body's buzzing with energy like a never ending battery, and my eyes feel more alert. The darkness of the locker feels less dark , and I can make out the objects and other contents of it.

I try slapping back palms against the door, and I feel it dent. Not fully, but enough.

What's happened to me?

Then, I hear whistling, my heart leaps but I chain it down, reminding it of what happened last time I allowed myself to hope.

But.. the Trio don't whistle. Gary, the school janitor, does. And if it's night, he could be making his rounds before locking up…

"HELP!" I scream at the top of my lungs, and I reach out as far as I can, desperately trying to get whoever it is outside to notice me.

I reach out with my eyes, with my mind and.. I feel something. A connection between us. Instantly, a flurry of information floods my brain.

//name is Gary, is janitor at Winslow high, not a parahuman//

Parahuman?

I don't ponder on it longs, because Gary's stopped walking and is now looking around at the lockers to see where the noise came from. I don't know how, but I know that I can make him do things. I can make him free me.

'Free me, I'm in locker 278'

I send the command down the thread connecting us, and feel it override his brain. The lock on my locker jangles as Gary uses the master key he carries around school to unlock it. Unbelievably, the locker door swings open, and I spill out into his arms, alongside a wave of bugs and tampons and other, less pleasant things, but he still supports me on my wobbling, unsteady legs.

"T-thank you." I stammer out, but Gary doesn't reply. I glanced up at him, and would've jumped back if I had the energy to.

In place of his normally green irises, are a glowing gold taking up his entire eye.

Did- did i do that?

"Hello?" I croak, and wave a hand in front of his face. Gary doesn't respond.

'Talk to me' I think, and his gold eyes flash even brighter momentarily before his mouth opens.

"God, are you okay?! I'm calling an ambulance right now. Y- you need medical help!"

"No," I croak, "no ambulances, please."

He clams up immediately, and drops his phone to the ground.

Oh god. Oh shit.

I'm a parahuman, and not a good one at that. I can master people.

Oh god. I'm like Heartbreaker! What will the PRT do if they hear about me? Would I be able to join the Wards with a power like this?

No. no they'd never let someone as dangerous as me be able to run free in the city. I have to hide my abilities.

But first…

'Take me home,' I think, 'then forget about all of this.'

Gary's eyes flash, and he picks me up gently in a princess carry before walking out the door towards my house, with me mentally giving him instructions the whole way.

---------------------------------------------------------

The shower water runs over my body, cool and soothing, washing away all the blood and grime and bugs on me. I inhale deeply as the water patters on me back, and I finally feel refreshed after everything. I turn it off eventually, not wanting to wake up dad, and change into my pyjamas. I climb into bed, and nestle myself under the covers.

Bugs, crawling all over me, vomit puddling up at my feet, blood squeezing out of those horrible things and runs down my back, darkness, pure darkness, nothing but darkness-

I frown and turn the light back on. Then, I close my eyes and try to sleep.

Safe to say, my dreams are not pleasant.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"Morning dad." I say as I walk downstairs, grabbing the pot of coffee to make myself a mug. He grunts noncommittally and takes a drag from his flask. His eyes are bloodshot and glazed over, which means he's already drunk enough to pass out.

I sigh and shake my head. Dad fell apart after Mom died, and he's left me to figure things out on my own. But right now, the more pressing issue is that of my power. I have to go to school, and face the Trio again after what they did to me, and the thought of seeing Emma or Sophia or Madison again makes my blood boil.

It would be so easy to just…master them and make them humiliate themselves. All it would take is one command…

But no. NO. I can't do that, not unless I want to be arrested. And…mastering your bullies is something a villain does. I want to be a hero. Even if I can't join the Wards, I'm going to be a hero.

So, I go into school and keep my head down, praying that just this once the Trio's found someone else to torment. But as usual, I'm wrong. Emma spots me almost immediately after I walk in, and she nudges Sophia and Madison, gesturing at me. The three saunter over, all smirking at me.

"Well, well, well Hebert." Sophia says, bringing her hands together in a slow clap, "Looks like you got yourself out. Maybe you're not as wimpy as I thought."

"Or maybe, Madison says, her voice laced with venom, "maybe she cried so much someone actually heard her."

They all burst into laughter at that, and Emma fixes me with a cruel smile.

"Did your dad even notice you were gone? Or was he too busy passed out drunk on the couch?"

"S-shut up." i whisper, and Emma grins.

"What're you gonna do about it Taylor? Cry for a week again?"

My head snaps up to meet hers. She- she wouldn't say that, even now, she couldn't. The Emma I know would never use my mother's death and the weeks of depression and haziness that followed against me like that. But now, looking into my ex-best friend's eyes, I realise that the Emma I knew died a long time ago.

"Are you crying? God, that's pathetic."

I can't bring myself to look fully at Sophia's eyes, and instead focus on her stomach. Then, I freeze. At her core, in the middle of her body is a golden light. It's pulsing with energy, brighter than the light in Gary's eyes. Gary didn't have that light at his centre, so why does Sophia?

I look at Madison and Emma, and they don't have it either. So what makes Sophia different? Is it just her general bitchiness or something more?

Already, an idea is forming in my mind, a horrible idea that i hope and pray isn't true, for once, i pray that i'm wrong, that when i just thought isn't real. It couldn't be real. I look up to meet Sophia's eyes, and stare at her brain.

//name is Sophia Hess, is student and Ward at Winslow high, is cape - shadow intangibility - is shadow stalker//

No. Nonononononono.

Sophia… is Shadow stalker?!

No, this can't be real, it can't be true. She can't be a Ward!

"You- you're Shadow stalker." I whisper, and Sophia's eyes widen before narrowing at me.

"How did you figure that out, huh Hebert!" she hisses, stepping towards me, and i back up into a wall. Flanking Sophia are Emma and Madison, both looking completely unsurprised by my revelation.

They knew already…

"Listen to me, Hebert, and listen closely. If you tell anyone, anyone at all about me, the PRT will come down on you. Even as a powerless wimp you'll still be shipped off to the birdcage, and we both know you wouldn't last a millisecond in there. So, here's what's gonna happen. You're going to forget about ever knowing my secret identity, and you're going to stop reporting us to Blackwell." she smirks at Emma. "It's pretty boring to have to listen to her drone about costs to replace all the report sheets she keeps burning."

What…she's been actively covering for Sophia and Emma and Madison this whole time?

"I mean, why would she want to discipline and suspend a ward with all the benefits she gets from having me here. Especially the bonuses and increased budget. I heard she bought a new car last month with it."

"No…she- she can't be…"

"She is." Emma confirms, stepping forward, "And there's nothing you or your alcoholic father can do about it."

"Speaking of him, maybe I'll pay him a visit tonight." Sophia says, "I'm sure i can get him arrested for something, maybe drug possession. That's about 15 years."

"My dad doesn't do drugs." I say quietly, and Sophia grins.

"The judge doesn't know what. And besides, who's word do you think they'll take? An alcoholic father or an exemplary ward with a perfect track record." she leans in close, "I bet if he somehow died suddenly, they would class it as an 'accident'. That should be enough of a deterrent for you."

RAGE courses through me, hot and powerful as my blood boils.

How dare she threaten dad?! She can't do that!

And Blackwell, covering up for the Trio because Sophia's a ward! They're all corrupt, the whole lot of them! The PRT, Blackwell, the legal system. They'll never listen to me, they'll never let me have my say! I'll never be able to join the wards, not with Sophia always there, and one word from her and the pet will just arrest me!

What's the point in being a hero if everyone supports the villain?! Why should I hold back when Sophia threatened to kill my dad?!

I want her to hurt, I want her to know what it feels like to have everyone turn on you, your friends, your classmates, your teachers, the entire fucking school!

I don't even realise what I'm doing until the threads are connected, and I feel every mind in the school except for Sophia's. She looks around uncertainly and Emma and Madison turn to face her, their eyes glowing gold.

"What did you do to them?!" she demands, and i just smile.

Before I give them their orders though, I look at Sophia and that conduit of power at her core. I connect a thread to it, and pull.

The golden light inside her begins to dim, and I pull and pull and pull until it disappears completely. My body buzzes with energy, the feeling of pure ecstasy and I tried tapping into it.

I shift into a shadow state, my arms and legs translucent but murky at the same time. Sophia gapes at me.

"My power…you- you just stole my power!"

She roars and lunges for me, but Emma and Madison block her, holding her arms to restrain her.

"You threatened my father." I say, and Sophia's face pales. "You almost killed me. Now," I say, and send only one order into the minds of everyone at Winslow.

"I'm in control."

'Attack Sophia Hess. Stop at nothing until she's dead.'

 

[Angry_Crustacean]

Hell yeah.

 

[Despacitoleo]

Yeah baby murder that hoe