Wow. Two whole years of not updating this story? Man, sure has been a while. I wonder if anyone here remembers me.

Anyway.

Please, advanced critiques will be greatly appreciated.

Chapter Ten - Pursuit

The nimble black monkey vaulted over the fence onto the road beyond, moments before the creature pursuing him crashed through the same fence and reduced the sturdy wood to splinters. Fear coursed through his entire body, reducing the pain of his injured foot to a dull throb. Adrenaline pumped through his heart. Blood pulsed in his ears; the ears that remained unscathed. Because he had not been infected.

No.

All of his friends were infected by those disgusting creatures. Everyone in the city would follow in due course. And what of Antauri's fate? His last moments would involve a slow death in the corrosive acids of the Queen's stomach, if her powerful jaws didn't crush him first.

"NO!" Antauri's cry resonated across the misty streets. It was instantly drowned out by a gurgling snarl.

He dared to look over his shoulder. The Queen seemed to shudder strangely, with odd bumps and dimples in the flesh. She was powerful and vicious, she was everything that made her a formidable, unbeatable terror. But she was not fast. Antauri's burst of adrenaline had put several metres between himself and the drooling monster that snapped at the air in his wake.

A crash resounded to Antauri's left. The monkey barely had time to react before Chiro rammed into his side.

"THE QUEEN WILL MAKE A MORSEL OF YOU YET," the boy shouted, before attempting a wobbly laugh. Antauri clambered to his feet with a gasp. The Queen was almost upon him.

"I'm... sick and tired of your stupid patriotism and... and drama!" Antauri sent a kick towards the person that used to be his leader. The strength of the kick was fuelled by terror; Chiro was sent staggering backwards, standing between the Queen and Antauri.

Chiro turned and faced the matriarch. Suddenly he threw himself down to the floor before her, rambling about his eternal loyalty that will live on when his host had all but turned to dust. The Queen was unmoved - she threw herself forward, knocking the grovelling servant out of her path. With a sickening crack, Chiro collided with a street bench. His leg was twisted at a wrong angle. He did not stir.

It wasn't until that moment that Antauri realised why the strange lumps shivered oddly on the Queen's skin - the Queen had no skin. Powerful muscles shuddered with strength amongst a pulsating mass of tendons and ligaments. Black blood coursed through flaxen veins. Saliva oozed from the lipless mouth, revealing a display of blackening gums and yellowed teeth. The black monkey felt small as he thought of how those teeth would be the last thing he would see if she should catch him.

If she should catch him. The heroin pens were suddenly cold in Antauri's grip.

A depressing thought suddenly occurred to the monkey. What if the only way to defeat her was to let her catch him?

Slowly, Antauri began to understand why the creatures depended so heavily on the control of neural activity. The worms had no skin, and hosts protected their internal structures from the harsh air outside. Their muscles were strong, but they were tender, having been accustomed to living in water. They were sensitive to changing conditions.

If the muscles were sensitive... then how weak were the organs behind those muscles?

The Queen continued to thunder after him. Although he could feel the yellow spittle on the back of his head, Antauri knew that for now he was safe. He was fast, he could outrun her. But he could not run forever.

Antauri skidded to a halt, and jumped to the side to avoid colliding with the matriarch. Her muscles flexed; her long tongue flicked across stained teeth. She was hungry.

A balcony hung overhead. Launching himself towards the piping that ran down the building's wall, Antauri clawed at the rusting metal, dragging himself up to the safety of the ledge. The Queen dived after him. Using the remainder of his strength, Antauri pulled himself over the balcony railings and collapsed to his knees. He could rest a bit here, gather his thoughts.

The Queen uttered an earth-rumbling roar. Her prey was eluding her.

A green figure darted into the corner of Antauri's view. His spirits rose - Otto would help him! - but with a sinking feeling, Antauri remembered that Otto was under enemy control. The green monkey was probably being sent to deal with Antauri - he posed a threat to their Queen.

Sparx and Gibson followed after Otto. A sob rose in Antauri's throat as he realised - Chiro had attacked him, but not because he was a danger to the worms' survival. Sparx, Gibson and Otto were coming after him, but not because he posed a threat to the Queen.

They were after him because they had finished infecting the entire city. Antauri was the only one on the planet who was not being controlled.

With a growing sense of dread, Antauri knew that he would not survive.

"Take out the Queen," the black monkey whispered to himself, "or die trying."

The Queen sat back on her hindquarters, and lashed wiry tendrils of skin, preparing to roar. Antauri unscrewed the caps off the heroin pens, and stepped onto the balcony railings. The cut in his foot no longer hurt.

The Queen opened her mouth; the high pitches of a squeal resounded.

Antauri jumped. The Queen swallowed him whole.