He was becoming a hollow doll, a man-shaped void. Panic should have surged, but the Leech took that too. All that remained was a quiet, terrible acceptance. Just lie down , a soothing voice whispered—his own voice, but wet and empty. You’ve been tired for so long.
Kael stumbled, his rifle clattering into the muck. The Leech was on him. He didn't see it—he felt it. A thing of translucent cartilage and needle-fine filaments, it fused to his cervical spine, its body flattening against his skin like a second layer of frost. It weighed nothing. And then the feeding began. ex-load leech
Kael didn't look away. He owed them that much. He was becoming a hollow doll, a man-shaped void
He found his rifle. He found his feet. And as he limped toward the extraction point, he passed a clearing where three of his squadmates lay smiling at the sky, their eyes wide and wet and wonderfully, terribly empty. Just lie down , a soothing voice whispered—his
The world dimmed first—the neon purples and toxic greens of the jungle bled into grayscale. Then the sounds: the constant insect drone faded to a distant hum, then silence. Kael gasped, trying to claw at his own neck, but his arms felt like they were moving through honey. The Leech was siphoning his intensity , the raw electrical fire of his consciousness.
