Originally uploaded to FF and AO3 on 1/5/2024, but some mini mod happened across the story so I reuploaded it. The Chimeran Hybrid.
Foot falls echoed down the dimly lit hallways, the beams of three flashlights cutting through the dark gloom, identifying three people walking through the abandoned factory.
The metal flooring made stealth impossible, their boots hitting the floor advertising their presence to anything that could be in the area.
The three men were clothed in orange hazmat suits, providing limited protection from multiple hazards. They also wore hazmat helmets, the heavy items connected to an even heavier pack which could supply air to them if they were in hostile environments, thankfully the climate here was hospitable so the men could take their helmets off if they wanted to.
One of the men inwardly sighed, regretting the many life choices that had led him to this profession. Could it really be called a profession though? The only thing he and many others did was search through old facilities, gathering items of 'value' to sell to an eldritch abomination.
He had never gotten a good look at the creature, just its tentacles when it would shoot out of a window to take items that had been scavenged. He didn't know why or what it could have possibly wanted with what most people would label garbage, nor did he know why The Company was so interested in getting said garbage to the creature either.
The Company. How he regretted signing on to them. Their job postings appeal to people down on their luck. They offered insane pay, for what they advertise as a relatively easy job. And it was... if you managed to survive.
He had needed the money and he had no other options so he had signed on, despite the vague job descriptions, the shady person he'd talked to about the job, and the numerous forms he'd signed to take the job.
The job was simple, work for a month, and make a years salary in that time. Provided you survive.
He'd seen a few people put their month in, but he'd seen many more people fall trying to get there. The places we got sent to were dangerous, either from local fauna, or the old, abandoned buildings we'd be sent into to look for junk to bring back.
Crews were given a quota to fill, salvage a few hundred dollars worth of debris and bring it back. Any crews that failed to fulfill their quota were 'terminated' as The Company put it. People quickly found out just what that meant when previously crewed ships would be seen getting filled with a brand new crew, just a few hours after the previous crew sent out.
He wondered why the governments didn't do anything about it, but a part of him knew there was something bigger going on here, but he'd never know more than what little was required of him.
So, here he was, walking through an abandoned factory next to two men who he'd never talked to, who he knew did not give a single damn about him. You just tried to do your job and get out alive.
His previous crew had gotten wiped out by an Earth Leviathan, he would have met the same fate as them if he hadn't forgotten his flashlight, those scant few seconds saving him from a grisly end. He'd had to fill the quota by himself, which was tough but he was just barely able to do it.
He got transferred to a new crew after that, this one. The two men with him he did not trust at all, and the 3rd was on board the ship, monitoring the maps, ready to inform them of anything in the area, that one seemed similar to him, just wanting to do his job and get out.
A glint caught his eye, tearing him from his thoughts as he swung the flashlight around to what he saw, seeing multiple items lying on the ground.
"Jackpot."
He swung his flashlight around the area, making sure there was nothing around before walking forward. The other two next to him did the same.
On the floor and shelves were several pieces of scrap, but as one of them drew their flashlight further they spotted an engine lying in a corner. "No one must have come through this area before, place is loaded."
"Ya, or we could be in a hoarding bug nest."
"Then let's hurry up before the little bastards get here." The two men set to work, the man who spotted the engine picking it up and walking towards the two who were rummaging through some shelves, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking past them.
His friend was too busy picking scrap up off the ground, but the other man noticed, turning around. "Oh god."
The third guy finally stood up, looking at what the other two were looking at.
The radio chirped. "Guy's, there's something in the next room over."
Stood in the doorway was a Bracken, a tall, vaguely humanoid creature, but extending out of its back were multiple flower like appendages, and in place of its eyes were two silver, glowing dots, making it stand out in the darkness as it stared at them.
It began to emit a low rumbling sound, the leaves on its back making a rustling sound as it began to step closer to them.
"Shit, run!"
He heard the two men behind him drop their items, and just as he turned around he found himself being shoved by the man behind him. He stumbled backward, falling to the ground towards the Bracken. This was it.
He heard the creature running towards him and he tensed up, closing his eyes and waiting for those hands to close around his neck. Instead he heard the footsteps go past him, the man opening his eyes to see the Bracken turn around the bend they had come from.
A few seconds later he heard the terrified screams of the two men who had tried to sacrifice him. The first scream was cut short, but the other one soon turned to pleading, the man on the ground recognizing the voice as the one who had pushed him.
"No no no no, please, no! Oh god no, no no no, NO, N-AHHHHH!" The sound continued for 2 or 3 seconds until it suddenly ceased, immediately followed by a dull thud.
The man just sat there, breathing heavily, his heart going a mile a minute as he waited for the Bracken to come back, but after a minute passed with no sound at all he slowly got back onto his feet.
He picked his flashlight up and slowly made his way towards where his crew and the Bracken had gone.
Just before the room with all the scrap was a catwalk that was around a bend, and as he peeked around at it he could see that's as far as they had gotten. Not because their bodies were there, no, the only sign they were there was the glowing flashlight on the ground. The two men were nowhere to be seen.
But then a radio crackled again, and he looked toward the source, shining his flashlight down at the endless blackness below. He couldn't see the corpse, but he knew it was the man who had pushed him, because he was the only one who had a radio.
"Hey, man, can you hear me? I think the other two are dead, monitor says one of them is right next to you, but the other got carried off. It was a Bracken, wasn't it? You gotta get out of there now... Wait... What the hell is... OH FUCK!" He heard running, then the sound of the ship door closing.
"There's dogs outside. God. I've gotta... I've gotta get out of here, I'll come back in the morning, just... Just survive." The radio cut out, and a few seconds later he could hear the roar of the engines as the ship took off.
His arms grew limp. Survive a night. He'd be lucky if he made it another hour in this place. He didn't blame the guy for leaving, he wouldn't have been able to get back onboard anyway with the dogs nearby, but, damn.
He looked down at the blackness again, his thoughts turning back towards the Bracken. This thing loved to toy with its prey, stalking them from the darkness, then pouncing when they weren't looking, grabbing them by the neck and breaking their spine before they could do more than gasp.
He guessed that's what had happened to the other guy, but why had the same not been done the one who'd shoved him? Maybe this one was just a bit more sadistic than some of the others? It loved to get people when they were vulnerable too, so why had it not gone for him when he'd fallen and his back was to it?
Maybe it just wanted more of a game, and didn't like having its food thrown to it. It would have plenty of time to play its games with him now. He wondered what he could do. Sit here and wait to die? Go somewhere else and die there instead? Hold out in a lit room and also wait to die?
There was nowhere for him to go. If he went outside he'd get eaten by the dogs, or whatever other creatures were out there, god forbid one of those giants catch him, he did not want to be eaten alive by a giant tree.
A rustling stirred him from his thoughts and he turned his head left to look, his shoulders slumping with relief when he saw it was just a hoarding bug. It was staring at him just past the catwalk, its body partially obscured by a wall it was peeking from.
They had a very good habit of making people jump by running out from corners, and he'd even heard of some that were bold enough to take scrap right out of a person's hands. The sight gave him a bit of hope.
Hoarding bugs made for good meals for other more dangerous creatures around, and if there were hoarding bugs around it was a good sign that there wasn't anything dangerous in the area. If those bugs and the Bracken were all that was here there was a possibilty he could survive after all.
The bugs he could probably shoo off, or bribe with some scrap, and as long as he kept his wits up he could probably keep the Bracken from getting close, provided it acted like the typical Bracken, but so far this one hadn't.
He heard a sloshing sound off to his right and he turned his attention to that, finding a blue puddle slowly moving towards him.
"Oh, you fucking...!" He had seen these things a few times, Hygrodere they were called. They were massive predators that looked like a goo blob, their insanely dense form allowing them to go up stairs and over mesh, slowly chasing down their prey, in this case, him.
They weren't hard to evade, their incredibly slow movement making it unlikely to be killed, provided they didn't corner you. If you did find yourself caught by one, you'd suffer an insanely painful death, slowly being broken down by the acidic goo.
He tried to go for the flashlight on the ground, but it was too close to the blob, the man watching it get swallowed up and dissolved. He turned to go back the other way, but as he got closer he saw the hoarding bug wasn't moving away, instead it stood up taller, its wings expanding as it took up a threat pose.
He didn't have time for this, and he didn't have anything to give to the creature either. He walked closer, preparing to punch it in the face, but at the last second the bug went away, allowing him to go back into the hallway.
It had gone down the way he and his crew had originally come in from, and as he looked down there he was glad it had retreated, seeing 4 others standing nearby, all staring at him. He wouldn't have won a fight against 5 of those creatures.
He couldn't go back that way, and he couldn't turn back either, so he was forced to go down the hallway his crew had avoided earlier, entirely due to the fact that there were no lights, and a heavy mist making it impossible to see what was ahead.
His heart started beating even faster, his fear bordering on paranoia, always thinking something was just in front of him, barely out of sight. He hadn't met a single person who liked those hallways filled with fog, they were impossible to see in, you hardly knew where you were stepping, and flashlights did nothing to help in it.
His relief was palpable when he saw that the fog thankfully didn't go more than a couple of feet, his flashlight cutting through the darkness, revealing another catwalk. There were no other ways to go so he walked forward.
It was arranged in a T intersection, the catwalk going forward into a storage room, and as he walked past the T he looked to his right, seeing a dark hallway, his beam quickly swallowed up by the darkness as he looked down it.
He shuddered, deciding to go towards the storage room instead, seeing if there was anything of value in there.
This room was actually lit, and when he walked in there he almost dropped his flashlight, a gasp escaping him. This place was a literal goldmine, various scrap items sitting on shelves all over the place. There was enough here to fill their quotas for the entire month.
A smile crept onto his face as he walked towards the closest shelf, his fear of this facility fading to the back of his mind, instead replaced by a glimmer of hope for the future. If he could survive the night he and his crewmate would be completely set.
He heard a squeaking sound off to his right, turning over, only to find himself scared to the bone. Illuminated for a split second was the Bracken, and much to his horror, he saw it just as it finished pulling the single light in the room out of its housing, sending the place into blackness.
He stared at it with wide eyes and it turned its gaze over to him. It peered at him for a second, those glowing eyes staring right at his own, tilting its head lightly, and then it dropped the bulb.
If he could have jumped out of his skin, he would have. The bulb shattered on the ground, tearing through the silence, and he launched himself back in fear, falling to the ground and kicking himself up against a corner, watching as the Bracken quickly stalked away, its eyes never leaving him as it turned around a door at the far end of the room.
Never in his life had he felt such fear. He tucked his arms in closer to his chest as if he was cold, his eyes wide as his flashlight shakily aimed at the doorway the Bracken had exited from. All hope of him surviving the night vanished in an instant.
He had hoped to be able to keep his wits up, constantly minding the area, but this creature had silently stalked into the room, not a single sound being made. It could have snuck up behind him while he was looking at the shelves, it had ample opportunity to take him out.
Instead it had gone for possibly his biggest defense, his ability to see. He almost wished it had taken him out instead of doing that. It wanted to enjoy the night though, toying with its prey. There was no other reason for it doing what it did, it was playing with him.
It was going to terrorize him for however long he could keep it entertained. He could already picture it stalking him from the shadows, peering at him as he passed hallways, the creature uttering that low, insect-like sound as it shook its petals to terrify him, eventually going in for the kill when it grew tired of toying with him.
His adrenaline pumped when he heard a buzzing, and he swung his flashlight to the right, ready to see the Bracken staring at him, but instead he was greeted by the face of a rapidly approaching hoarder bug.
He screamed, raising his arms up to protect himself as it fell on him, the creature wrestling with him, dread pulling at him when he watched its claws wrap around his flashlight.
"NO! NO!" He desperately tried to keep hold of the light, wrapping both of his hands around it, but the creature was just as desperate to get the item as he was to keep it. It leaned forward, setting its mouth on his hand, biting down.
"Ahhh! Damn it!" He wrenched his hand away from the creature, leaving only one hand left on the flashlight. His grip was no match for the creature's frantic kicks and movements, the light wrenched from his hands, the man watching in despair as it flew off the way he had come, the light rapidly dissapearing.
He didn't care about his injured hand, the creature hadn't bitten down hard enough to even break the skin, he only cared about his sole lightsource being stolen. He starred slackjawed at the now dark doorway the bug had flown down, his mind blank.
He stared for several seconds, his outstretched hand going completely limp and falling down with a thud, not caring about the dull pain that came from his arm hitting the ground. He had no chance of surviving without a lightsource, he was easy pickings for anything in this place, especially the Bracken.
He turned his head over to the hidden doorway the Bracken had come from, silently imagining the glee it would feel when it realized he was essentially blind now. A normal Bracken would have killed him when he was snuck up on earlier, but this one wasn't a normal Bracken.
What would it do now that he couldn't see anything? He didn't want to imagine the horrors that awaited him and he didn't want to stay here and just wait to be killed, so he slowly stood up, taking in the pitch blackness, doing his best to remember how the room was.
There were 3 doorways in here, and they were all on the right side of the room. One was the far doorway which the Bracken had gone down, the closest was the doorway that he had come from, which had the bugs and the Hygrodere slowly heading toward him. That left the door in the middle.
He slowly made his way over, cursing whenever he stubbed something with his shoes. He soon made his way to the wall, running his hand along it as he moved forward until he felt nothing. He took a step forward, feeling around, finding a wall to his left and right. He was at the door.
He took a cautious step forward, he had to be careful now, he didn't know what the floor was like in this area, or if there even was floor. He felt along the wall, slowly shuffling forward. He quickly approached what he found was a 4 way intersection, seeing a singular light far off in the distance to his right.
He decided to look back the way he had come and his heart jumped out of his chest. The Bracken was peeking through the doorway its glowing eyes the only thing visible. Just as he spotted it it slinked away, the man listening to the petals shake as it walked off, the ominous sound disappearing.
He stood there, catching his breath for a few seconds before he started walking towards the lightsource, make frequent glances behind him to make sure the creature wasn't sneaking up on him.
He took a glance behind him, seeing nothing, but as he was doing that he walked up on a pipe jutting out of the wall. It was low to the ground, at the perfect height to take out shins, and that's exactly what it did.
He slammed his right leg into the metal pipe, a dull thud heard, followed by a pained groan, and then the sound of him falling to the ground.
He turned himself over onto his back, letting out a pained laugh as he rubbed the spot which would no doubt be bruised all to hell in a few hours, if he survived. He slowly got back up to his feet, keeping an eye down both ends of the hallway before moving forward again, a pained expression hidden beneath his visor.
He quickly made his way to the light, standing in the center of it. He looked around, not seeing anything so he walked forward some more, soon finding himself in darkness again. He was soon stopped by a wall though.
He felt around, but all he felt were pipes and wall. It was a dead end.
He slumped his head in defeat. Hanging it there for a few seconds, but eventually he looked back up, turning around to make the trek back the way he had come.
He froze, taking in a gasp, then shoving himself back against the wall. Silhouetted against the light was the Bracken. He stared up at its face, seeing nothing there for a second, but then its eyes opened.
It had been following him the entire time, keeping its eyes closed when he was looking at it.
He prayed to god it would go away now that it had been caught, but it didn't. Instead, those petals on its back starting to shake, and it made that chittering sound again. It took a step forward and the man pressed himself further up against the wall, putting his arms to his sides.
As it got ever closer he closed his eyes, turning his head to the side, waiting for his end to come.
The creature was making a chittering noise constantly, and its petals kept shaking, letting the man know how close the creature was getting, and when it was right in front of him it suddenly stopped.
He stood there for several seconds, trying to stop the shaking in his arms. Eventually, after nothing happening, he slowly opened his eyes, freezing when he saw the Bracken was stood just a foot away from him.
Every instinct told him not to look up, but he slowly did, his eyes drawing up its chest, the man having to tilt his head to look at its face. His breathing froze, his eyes wide as he stared at those featureless eyes staring down at him, betraying no hint as to what it was thinking.
It tilted its head at him again, and he looked down as he caught movement, seeing it bringing its hand up. It wrapped its hand around his neck, the man swallowing, knowing just how much strength it had.
It encompassed his throat, but soon its fingers left, instead focusing on the veins in his neck, the man feeling its fingers run along his tensed up jugular vein. It had claws, but to his surprise he could feel no force being put on them.
He looked back up to the Bracken, sucking in a short breath, and it tilted its head again, blinking at him. His eyes fell away from its face, not wanting to look at those glowing eyes, setting his eyes on the petals on its back, watching them shake again as its hand explored his neck.
He sucked in a gasp as he felt one of its claws press against his neck and he closed his eyes, but he quickly opened them again, looking down with wide eyes as that claw sliced through his suit, the man feeling the warm air against his neck.
It sliced more of the suit away, peeling it away to reveal his entire neck to the creature. He didn't dare do anything to stop it.
It set its hands back on his neck and to his surprise they were quite warm, the man failing to supress a shiver travelling up his spine. The Bracken froze for a second, and the man froze again, the Bracken soon continuing.
It wrapped its hand around his neck again, lightly pulling at the skin, and then he felt it dig its fingers under his chin, but the hard shell of the helmet halted it. It tilted its head again, pulling its hand away and setting it on the chin of his helmet, lightly scratching at it.
It had torn away the rubber that made a complete seal between his helmet and suit, but the actual helmet was made of a thick plastic shell protected by rubber, making it much harder to penetrate.
It brought its other hand up, setting it down on his shoulder, putting some weight on him, and then it set its other hand on top of his helmet, and he stood in fear as it pulled the item off his head, revealing his face to the creature.
He looked up at it again, seeing its head move slightly as it took in his features. It looked at the helmet for a second before lowering its hand, dropping the helmet on the ground, focusing its attention on him again.
He breathed in as it set its hand on his chin, its fingers running through the stubble. It brought its other hand up to his head, running its fingers through the thick hair on his head. The tension in his body was beginning to disappear now, slowly being replaced by confusion as a creature that should be violently killing him was instead running its fingers through his hair.
It switched from his face to one of his ears, feeling the soft skin on it, interested in how flexible it was. His panic soon returned though when it cupped his head in its hands, leaning down a bit, forcing him to look at its eyes.
Its head was inches from his own. There were no features on it, he could not see if it had a mouth or a nose, just the bright eyes. There was no iris,there was nothing at all, it was just a silver orb, but he could tell that it was staring him right in the eyes, examining every detail. It didn't seem to matter that he was in complete darkness, the creature could clearly make him out perfectly fine.
He let out a soft exhale and the creature leaned back a bit, shaking its head and leaning away further. He relaxed a bit more, opening his mouth and drawing in a quick breath.
"Aaack!" Out of reflex he brought his hands up, grabbing the forearms of the creature that had now jammed its thumb into his mouth, but he froze, and so did the Bracken. It stared at him, and then at his hands.
He quickly let go, splaying his hands out and bringing them back to his side, the Bracken tracking one of his arms until it came to rest at his side. It looked back at him, letting out a chitter and a short shake of its petals before it resumed examining him.
It felt along his teeth, testing how sharp they were. He had the brief thought of biting down, but he quickly dispelled it. It echoed another chitter when its finger brushed his tongue, and it immediately focused on that.
It continued for several more seconds, eventually pulling away, rubbing its fingers together. He looked up at it, seeing its eyes staring at his hand. The creature was intensely curious about him, examining him as if it had never met a human in its life before.
And it seemed the creature was far from done exploring him, the man's eyes going wide eliciting a gasp as he watched its hand reach down to his chest, intending to explore more of him, the man getting a bit worried as he realized this thing was far from done with him.
Instead of tearing his suit apart as it had done with his helmet, it decided to probe a bit, peeling back the covering that hid the zipper for his suit. It grasped it in its claws, peeling it down, stopping when it reached the end, just above his waist.
It then tried to pull his suit away, but the straps for his airtanks got in the way, the Bracken making an irritated chitter as it sliced them away, the airtank slamming to the ground behind him.
With that obstacle out of the way the creature was free to examine him more, pulling the suit away, revealing a simple white t-shirt. It poked at it, feeling his skin underneath. It seemed to be growing more and more agitated, and he closed his eyes, grimacing as it tore the shirt away.
The first thing it did was set its hand right over where his heart was, feeling the heavy beating, and rapid rise of his chest as he breathed heavily. There was a layer of sweat caking his body, the man all to aware of it as he'd had to deal with the humid conditions of the factory, the stuffy suit, and the constant terror of nearly dying all day.
This creature seemed perplexed by it though, running its hand over his chest, feeling the remains of the soaked through shirt. Just as it had been curious of the hair growing on his head, it was also curious of the sweat that coated his body, and as he looked up at it he could see it focusing intently on his chest.
It noticed him staring at it, raising its eyes to look at him. It looked at him for several seconds, glancing down him a few times before it decided on a course of action, setting its hands under his shoulders, lifting him up.
He lurched, squirming as he grabbed onto the Bracken's arms, but he quickly stopped when it pressed him against the wall, bringing him up to head height with the creature. It stared at him, and he found himself not wanting to look at its eyes, staring down at its chest, where he noticed it seemed to be breathing heavily, its chest rapidly rising and falling.
It leaned in closer to him and he looked back up, seeing it was looking down at him, and he tensed as it brought its head close to his upper chest, just barely touching it. Its head twitched a bit, and then he jumped as he could just barely make out several mandibles splaying out, barely grazing his chest as what must have been its mouth opened.
It made a low chitter as it leaned in closer, far different from the threatening noises it had made earlier, and he shuddered, his muscles tensing as he felt what must have been its tongue snaking out and tasting his chest.
It was long and thin, the man breathing heavily as it trailed across his chest. He looked down at it, seeing that its eyes were closed, still echoing that low chitter. It left trails on his chest, the man realizing that it was working its way up to his neck.
It brought those mandibles close to the vulnerable veins on his neck, and he flinched as he felt it close them around his neck, the sharp points lightly digging into the soft skin. He stopped breathing, seeing that the Bracken was now staring at him, its tongue lashing out at the veins on his neck.
His fear was still there, but the Bracken hadn't reacted to him resting his hands on its forearms, so he decided to take a chance, letting go of its arms and bringing his hands together, taking the gloves off.
The Bracken noticed, the man feeling its tongue freeze on his throat, its mandibles lightly pinching his neck a bit, making him tense up, but he still slowly proceeded.
He had the gloves off and he dropped them to the ground, seeing its eyes subtly move towards where it heard the items drop. He then slowly raised his hands up towards the Bracken's arms again, setting them down.
It tilted its head lightly, but then it resumed its activity, adjusting to get a different part of his neck, the man relaxing when it didn't get agitated.
His fear was beginning to die down now, the man becoming more confident that this creature didn't intend to kill him. He slowly wrapped his fingers around its arm, feeling the soft skin, gripping lightly, feeling the muscles tense under him.
The Bracken reacted to that, letting out another low chitter, and it leaned a bit more weight on him, the man letting out a sigh when it seemed to not mind.
He moved his fingers up to its bicep, feeling the muscles there, and lightly scratching at its skin, feeling its muscles go taut as he did that. He decided to scratch a bit harder and he felt its muscles spasm.
It pulled away from his neck and he grew worried, fearing he'd done something it didn't like. It stared at him, its chest rising and falling even faster than before, and as he looked at its eyes they almost seemed heavy.
It leaned in closer to him and the man sucked in a gasp, its mandibles clasping onto the sides of his cheeks, the Bracken staring at him for a second before it pressed itself on him more, closing its eyes.
Its mouth was pressing against his own, he could feel soft flesh against his own, and then he felt its tongue travelling over his teeth, pressing against them, mapping over him far more than its fingers could have.
His arms grew weak, resting against its arms, but he soon recovered, and he decided to wrap his arms around the creature's neck, moving one of his arms onto its head, lightly rubbing it. The Bracken appreciated that, a short chitter coming from the creature.
His fear of it was gone now. He didn't think that a creature that wanted to kill you would first get into a tongue deep kiss with you, so he grew more brazen, moving his hand from its head to its back, grasping one of the petals.
The petals shook, the creature jumping a bit, not expecting the gesture, but it quickly retaliated, wrapping its tongue around his own, forcing his head against the wall as it leaned in closer, tasting him as much as it could.
He ran his hand to the edge of the petal, realizing that the edge of it was quite sharp, but they also seemed to be sensitive, the petal vibrating as he ran his hand down it.
He realized that he had constantly been referring to it as an it, and he wanted to know just what it was. He left the petal, trailing his hand down to its shoulder, then to its chest. The Bracken was slowing down now, the man feeling its breathing slow as he set his hand on the center of its chest.
It seemed to be at least somewhat similar to a human, he could feel a heart beat as he rested his hand there, and he noticed just how fast it was beating.
He had closed his eyes, but when the Bracken pulled its face away from him he opened them, seeing it staring heavily at him. He hesitated for a second but he trailed his hand a bit lower, setting it on its stomach, feeling the muscles there tense wherever his hand roamed.
It brought its head down to his shoulder, the man watching as it splayed those mandibles out again, grasping his suit with them and pulling it away, setting its mandibles on his shoulder, lightly nibbling on him.
His other hand was still wrapped around its neck and he shifted it to hold the back of its head, the Bracken closing its eyes again. His other hand had moved down to its thigh now, and the Bracken started uttering a low, constant chitter, encouraging him to continue.
His hand soon found itself between its legs, and just as he had hoped and suspected, it was a female. It bit down on his shoulder, the man grimacing as he felt them pierce his skin, but they quickly pulled away, its tongue raking over the spots where blood was coming out.
He shivered, feeling its tongue graze over his wounds, and he decided to go further. His fingers delved into the folds, feeling the tight ring of its entrance. He moved his fingers a bit more, and they soon traced along the front of its slit, tracing over a little nub, the Bracken trembling.
It pulled away, leaving the wound at his shoulder to stare at him. Its eyes were lidded, he started lightly rubbing on the nub and its mandibles splayed, its head tilting down as the petals shaked erratically.
It stared down at him, and then it pulled him away from the wall, setting him on the ground. It wasted no time, it could see the bulge at his midsection, and it wanted to find out more. It set its hands on his shoulders, peeling away his suit, the man helping, shrugging his arms out.
With his arms free the rest of his suit was quickly dragged down, the Bracken kneeling to pull it down to his feet, where it was stopped by his boots.
He was just about to lift his leg up to take the boot off but the Bracken was faster. It grabbed him, spinning him around and setting him on the ground. It set onto him quickly, pulling the boots off his feet, then dragging the rest of the suit off, leaving him with nothing left but the thin fabric of his pants.
"Whoa, wait, wait. Let me do this part." She was about to tear apart the fabric, but he stopped her, not wanting to have to deal with the hazmat suit chaffing his skin afterwards. She relented, an annoyed chitter escaping her, and he quickly pulled the garment away, leaving himself completely exposed to the creature.
He saw her head tilting, taking all of him in, and he sat there on the ground, waiting for her to make the next move.
Soon enough, she did, stalking forward like a predator, her gaze anchored on his stopped, her thighs right above his shins, and she sat down, leaning forward. She set one of her hands on his stomach, the other reaching down and grasping his erection.
She traced the tip with her thumb, and then she brought her head closer, her mandibles opening again. He squinted, trying to make out what she had, but it was too dark, he could see no more than the outline of her figure.
Her tongue lashed out first, wrapping around his member, the man groaning, leaning his head back. The Bracken chittered, and then he felt a warmth begin to envelop him. He gasped, looking up and seeing her engulfing him to the base.
She did not have a mouth, it was just her throat. She would use her mandibiles to tear food apart and then her tongue would shoot out, grabbing the food and swallowing it. She had no teeth, it was just her warm, insanely tight throat, and it was seizing around his member.
"Nnnngh." He groaned, setting his hands on her own, the Bracken grasping it, wrapping her hand around his. Her eyes were staring into his own, and he regretted ever having tried to avoid her, perfectly happy to have this moment continue forever.
She did not raise her head, she did not move to do any up or down motions, she just held him there, her throat massaging him, trying to suck him dry. He bucked, forcing her head up, but she quickly put an end to that, putting more weight onto his hips, pinning him to the ground. She seemed to want to be in control here.
She appeared to not need to breath, at least not through her mouth anyway, she could hold him here forever like this with no problems at all. The thought made him tremble, the Bracken noticed, her swallowing becoming stronger, trying to take him deeper.
He grasped her hand tighter, feeling his release draw closer. He had to distract himself, he wanted this to last longer. She started chittering.
His mind went blank.
Her throat convulsed around him, her chittering the final straw. He spasmed, grabbing her head as he groaned, his emission drawn out of him by her swallowing. She was still chittering, her throat massaging his entire length as she tried her best to suck his soul out of him.
He could do nothing here, his entire body tensing up, his eyes clenched shut and his hands desperately holding onto her head as he emptied himself.
He breathed heavily, gradually coming down from his high. It felt like she had drawn all the life out of him, his entire body going limp. She held him there for a bit longer, but when she was sure he was spent she slowly pulled off of him, relishing in seeing him squirm as her clinging throat struggled to keep hold of him.
He heard her swallow again, and he knew that not a single drop had fallen to the ground. Her mandibles returned to their resting state and she started shuffling forward. He was worried she was going to want to get to the main bit right away, but with how effective it was it would take him several minutes to be ready again.
She shuffled past his aching member though, and when she stopped just over his chest he knew what she wanted.
He brought his hands up, grabbing her ass and trying to pull her forward. She tensed up, freezing for a second, feeling her muscles tense as he squeezed down. He was too weak to have any hope of moving her himself, but she knew what he wanted to do and she moved forward, setting her thighs over him, lowering herself down until her lips were just barely touching his own.
He could not see anything, it was too dark, but he had done enough exploration of her to know that she was familiar enough.
He brought his mouth forward, dragging his tongue in between her folds, the Bracken emitting her chittering, and her petals started to shake too. She ground down on him, and her fingers fell onto his head, running through his hair, encouraging him.
He moved one of his hands away from her ass, setting it on one of the petals, the extension twitching when he grasped it.
He set his tongue to work, dragging it over her twitching opening, watching her shudder. She had a pleasant taste, and he found himself wanted more. He could see her looking down at him, and he watched her shudder, her eyes closing as he delved inside her, dragging his tongue over her depths.
She tilted her head back, breathing heavily as her thighs clenched around his head, her fingers clenching onto his scalp. He felt satisified, knowing that she was enjoying his explorations, driving his tongue into her as deep as he could.
Her pillowy flesh clung to him, spasming as it tried to draw him deeper, the Bracken's thighs shifting as he dug his tongue against her walls, tasting as much of her as she could. He hadn't expected her to be as tight as she was, but her core was packed with muscle, giving her an insane tightness that made his member twitch.
He drew back, feeling her fluids cling to him, and she looked down at him, a dissapointed chitter coming from her. Then she started squirming again as he dragged his tongue up her folds, her thighs closing around him as his tongue grazed across her clit.
The petals on her back shook, the Bracken closing her eyes and leaning forward a bit as she wrapped her fingers around his head, pulling him up against her, desperately wanting him to continue.
He was more than happy to oblige, setting his lips against her clit, massaging it with his tongue. He brought his hand away from its petal and he brought it between her, rubbing her opening as she stared down at him, her body tensing and her eyes half lidded.
He slowly pushed one of his fingers into her opening, her muscles clenching around him as pushed in deeper. Her passage was unbelievably tight, seizing around him, trying to draw him as deep as she could. She ground on him, grasping his arm, trying to push him deeper inside.
She was moving more now, her thighs constantly clenching around him, and when he moved his hand to her leg he could feel just how much her muscles were spasming, she must be close.
He felt her insides seize around him, and then she uttered a long, drawn out chitter, the petals on her back shaking violently as she doubled over, her eyes clenched shut as she came. She moved her hand back to his head, holding him against her slit as her fluids drenched his chin.
He kept up his zealous licking all the while, only stopping when she finally pulled him away, her juices clinging to him. She peered down at him, her chest expanding heavily, and he put his hand on her stomach, feeling the muscles clenching.
She planted her hands down on the ground, another aftershock overcoming her, and when she recovered she turned her eyes to him, far brighter than they'd been before. She looked behind her, seeing his erection standing tall, and she turned back around, staring at him as she shuffled back, stopping when her thighs were planted above his own.
There was a size difference between them, she was a good two feet taller than him, but it wasn't enough that she couldn't do it, and he watched as she grasped his manhood, lowering herself down onto him.
His muscles tensed as he felt that tight ring touch his tip, and she pressed down, taking him into her. Her passage clenched down on him, far harder than it had with his finger, and he closed his eyes, groaning as she hovered there, breathing heavily.
She sat there for a few seconds, getting used to the sensation before she lowered herself more, repeatedly clenching her thighs against him as she took him to the base.
She didn't look it, but her entire body was full of muscle, her insides clinging to him like a second skin, sealing around him completely. She was very warm, her heat coursing through him, the man desperately bucking upward as he leaned his head back, his toes clenching.
He could do nothing in his position though, the Bracken setting the pace, and he watched as she ground herself on him, moving her hips around, digging him into her, trying to reach different spots. She grabbed his hands, pinning them to the ground as she leaned over him, her eyes closed as she slowly raised herself up.
She clung to him even tighter now, her insides desperately trying to keep him buried in her, and he bucked, pushing back into her. She shook, and she fell back down onto him, her body trembling as he was shoved back into her depths.
She sat there, breathing heavily, not moving. She opened her eyes and stared at him, releasing one of his arms and instead grabbing his hips, pinning him down.
He groaned, trying to thrust, but she was far stronger than him, and he squirmed as she raised herself up, slowly lowering herself back down, his length disappearing again.
She set a slow, torturous pace, enjoying the feeling of fullness she got when she pushed herself back down, the man gritting his teeth as he desperately wished she would go faster.
After another painfully slow descent she stopped, sitting on top of him. She let go of his other hand and set her hand down on his shoulder, putting more of her weight on him. He placed his hands on her thighs and he watched as she raised herself off of him.
She slammed herself down on to him, the man gasping at the sudden change, and she quickly got into rythm, rapidly raising herself up and then dropping back down, her mandibles splaying open, her tongue drooping out of her mouth as she screwed him.
It wasn't a straight up or down, she changed her angle every time, angling her body to the right one thrust, then the left on the next thrust, making him dig into different spots each time.
Her tongue extended out, far further than he thought it could, reaching his chest and neck, eagerly tasting the sweat that was sticking to him. He leaned his head back, gasping every time she fell onto him, her rough pace leaving him too weak to do anything.
Her chittering grew faster, and her petals began to shake again, the man reaching between her legs as she felt her passage clenching down on him harder. He was nearing his end, he couldn't survive the hard pace she had set.
He rubbed his finger on her clit, and her passage spasmed around him in response. That was the final straw for him.
He came, her thighs quivering as his finger kept massaging her clit, and she pressed down onto him hard, throwing her head back as her petals spasmed, her passage squeezing down on him.
He emptied himself into her, her juices flowing out as she pulled his upper body close, hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her too, desperately clinging to her as her passage wrung him dry, the Bracken grinding on him to prolong their pleasure.
Eventually she grew still, the man having given her everything he could. She kept him pressed close to him, the man feeling her tongue snake out, running down his back, tasting the sweat that had built up there.
His face was right against the center of her chest, the man able to hear her heavy heartbeat, gradually slowing down now.
He let go of her and she leaned him back, and he trembled as she raised herself off of him, their combined fluids spilling out to the ground as she sat down on his legs, staring at him for a second before she leaned closer to him, wrapping her arms around him as she threw herself onto her back, taking him with her.
He looked up at her, and she stared for a few seconds, her mandibles opening and she grazed his cheek with her tongue, quickly bringing it back in, closing her mandibles, and he watched as she closed her eyes, leaning her head back.
He rested his head on her chest, hearing her heartbeat slow down, her chest rising slower now, and he joined her in sleep.
xxxxxxxxxx
The ship landed, the lone man inside, stood worriedly as he wondered how to fill the quota. All the funds were gone, The Company fining him for not abandoning a crewmate and not being able to recover the corpses of his other two crewmates.
He didn't really have a choice, there were dogs camping outside the door, but The Company didn't care.
He wondered why he even came back here. He thought back to the last thing he'd said to his one remaining crewmate, "survive the night."
How absurd. The guy surely must have died, he probably didn't even make it an hour after he'd left. Still, he opened up the screen.
The first guy he pulled up was at the far end of the facility, no doubt dragged there by the Bracken.
He pulled up the second guy, the one who'd had the radio, and he saw him still in the exact position he was in when he last saw him. The 3rd guy was close by too, it seemed he hadn't made it very far, he could even see a red blip close to him.
Then, he suddenly moved, the screen showing him turn away from the red blip.
He gasped. "Holy shit!" He reached for the radio, praying the radio that the second guy had was still powered. "There's something behind you, get out of there!" He watched the blip turn towards where the second guy was, but he didn't wait to see what he did next.
The man ran out of the ship, grabbing a flashlight and shovel as he made his way to the main entrance. He ran through the door, his flashlight clipped to his chest as he wielded his shovel, about to call out to his teammate, but he stopped short.
There was scrap all over the area. He could see multiple engines and axles, piles of metal sheets in corners, just thousands of dollars worth of scrap lying around.
"Wasn't sure if you were actually gonna come back. Couldn't radio you, guy who had it got thrown off the catwalk."
He turned to the left, seeing the 3rd person on his crew. He felt relieved, but then he noticed the state he was in. His helmet had been shredded along with part of his suit. There were several scuffs all around his suit too, he would need a new one for sure.
"What the... What the hell happened to you?"
"I uh... I made a friend." The man pointed in front of him, and he turned to his right.
Stood just past the doorway was a Bracken, the creature staring at him as it held an engine in its hands.
The man stared at it, his eyes going wide and his jaw going slack as he slowly turned his head back to his crewmate, wondering just what the hell had happened during the night.
He shrugged.