Larva Novels & Stories

“Now, before they . . . ” One of them exploded. The bloated sausage body flew apart, releasing a thin jet of foul-smelling liquid and several squirming creatures that fell into the mass of kosmops. Svetlana expected them to devour the larvae, but they did not. Instead, they were swarming over the naked bodies as if trying to keep them warm. One of the larvae started crying, then another. They sounded as deceptively baby-like as they looked. Svetlana rushed toward them, ready to stomp them into the ground, but Andrei’s hand landed on her shoulder.

That was because behind her, on the desk, was a worm-like venomous insect. It was small, brown, and inconspicuous. She had dealt with Vivian before and recognized it immediately. This was a Dreadspawn Larva. It looked harmless, but once it entered the human body, it would multiply rapidly and endlessly. These insects would gnaw away at a person's internal organs, clinging to the bones until there was nothing left but skin. It was extremely dangerous. At that critical moment, she had no choice but to take the shortest route. Now, with one hand hidden behind her back, she grabbed the last of the medicinal powder and flung it backward.

The butterfly lifted again, the blue momentary and electric, then vanished into shadow. Christopher watched, transfixed. “That’s sneaky.” Bobby smiled. “It’s smart.” She gestured toward a small placard nearby. “They don’t start like that, you know. First they’re eggs—tiny, almost invisible. Then caterpillars. Not pretty ones either. They eat constantly, shed their skin, outgrow themselves over and over again.” Christopher’s eyes widened. “Then they turn blue?” “Not right away,” she said. “They disappear first. They turn into a chrysalis. Everything changes inside, but you can’t see it. That’s the hardest part.”