Sept 13, 20xx

Z

This body will take some getting used to. The knowledge of its functions—while provided by the woman’s memory—is insufficient and quite different from how it actually feels and handles. The itches. The strange involuntary twitches. The friction of skin against the fabric. The hunger. This body is hungry… I am hungry. I guess it is time I claim another victim. I wonder when Fran will get here.

She walked around the corner of the street, close to her apartment. Her stomach gurgled once more, making her sigh. “Aside from this body, I am hungry myself as well. I need to learn more about this species. This particular human was not knowledgeable on humanity. She liked… animals more.” 

Zofia, or rather the creature that stole her body, paced around, looking out from the corner to check if Francis had arrived yet. She licked her lips at the thought of consuming him. Another victim. New knowledge. New memories. New DNA to archive and analyze, and of course a filling meal.

Her eyes lit up when she heard footsteps nearby.

She hopped out of the alley with a grin. “Hey Franci— oh.” She paused, looking at a gruff looking drunk. “It’s just some random low life.”

“The hell you say, Missy?” The drunk raised a brow. “Actually, don’t you look cute? Were you looking for someone? Pretty lady?” He grinned with ugly yellow teeth.

Zofia’s eye twitched in annoyance. “Ugh, a drunk and a perverted creep. No matter. Food is food no matter how ugly it is,” she said to herself, eyeing the drunkard. She grinned and puffed her chest out, moving closer.

 “Oh no! Please don’t hurt me, mister! I’m just all alone here!” 

The drunkard smiled with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Don’t worry little girl, I’ll get you home safe.”

“You will, mister? Oh thank you! How can I ever thank you?”

“I can think of two things,” the drunkard said, eyeing her chest. 

“Oh? These?” Zofia smirked, walking backwards into the dark alleyway. “I guess I can let you… see. Do you want to see, mister? For your eyes only…”

The drunk walked forward after her, entranced by the way she moved her hips and beckoned him closer. Closer into the darkness. Into the waiting trap. The drunk’s eyes widened as the silhouette of the woman in front of him began to morph and split apart down the middle. Her clothes burst into useless pieces of fabric on the floor, torn to shreds. Tendrils sprouted from the chasm that opened up from her belly to her skull. It flew towards him, wrapping around his wrists.

The man screamed as he was dragged forward, pulling him deeper into the dark. “W-what the fuck?! Let  me go! What are you! H-help! Someone help me!” he screamed, thrashing around as much as he could. 

“Oh?” a voice rang in his head. “I thought you wanted to see..?” The voice was shrill, singsong, and playful. 

The drunkard’s pleas fell on deaf ears as he was pulled even closer. As soon as he was close enough to feel Zofia’s breath, he could see the full form under the light of the moon.  The split down her body had turned into a massive gaping maw with hundreds of blade-like teeth arranged in rows that seemed to go deeper without end. 

The tendrils holding the man’s wrists sprouted sharp bone that cut into his flesh and drew blood, eliciting low moans from the creature. From… Zofia. 

“Please! Stop! Stop! I’m sorry! Let me go!!!” 

Before the man could beg any further, Zofia tugged hard. The man fell off balance due to his own drunkenness, and was pulled inside her massive maw, clamping down with a sickening squelch stabbed and ripped through the man’s flesh. 

He screamed, gurgling as his pierced throat filled up with blood. He still tried to escape. Still tried to crawl and scream. He managed to wrench her mouth open with what little strength he had left, just enough to pop his head out and scream one more time. 

Then, her mouth slammed shut with immense force, tearing the man’s head from his body. Zofia’s eyes followed his head as it tumbled down the floor of the alley. She chewed on the rest of his body, as it started to break down quickly. It only took mere seconds before it all disappeared into her body. New biomass to work with.

As soon as she was finished, Zofia’s body began to reconstruct itself once more. The rows of teeth turned back into flesh, and the tendrils morphed into intestines and other human organs once more, all setting back into their original places. The split down the middle began to close up like a zipper, taking on the body of the woman again, her first victim. 

“Blegh, either human males taste bad, or it's because this one was drunk,” she said, shaking her head and sticking out her tongue.  “He wasn’t as filling as I thought. Oh, well.” 

She walked over to the man’s head on the floor and picked it up, examining it closely. “You don’t look too bad for a guy. Actually quite… dashing? Was that the word?” She giggled, licking her lips. “If you didn’t struggle so much it wouldn’t have been this messy. I could’ve eaten your head with the rest of your body. But, oh well.” 

She opened her human mouth unnaturally wide, sprouting jagged teeth on the inside of her cheeks, prepared to devour the head in her hands. 

“Hey!” A voice called out, making her turn her head in its direction. Zofia’s eyes widened as she recognized the voice. Francis. She quickly morphed her mouth back to normal and gasped, staring at the decapitated head on her hands, her naked body, and the blood all over the alley. She twisted her neck from side to side, looking for a place to hide. 

“Is someone there?! I heard screaming!” Francis called out, getting closer by the second. 

In a panic, Zofia threw the head into a nearby dumpster. She picked up her tattered clothes and quickly wiped off the blood on her body before throwing those into the dumpster as well. She bit her lip, looking down at her nude form and grunted. It doesn’t matter. I need deniability at all costs. 

She ran out of the alley, exposing herself to Francis, startling him. He was wearing a coat and a hat on his head. 

“Do you need help? Are you hur— wait Zofia? Is that you?!” he hurried toward her.

Zofia quickly scoured her mind for excuses or a story on the fly. However, before she could think, her body reacted first. The burning sensation in her cheeks and an odd knot in her chest. Her eyes dilated and a strange feeling overcame her. 

What is this? Why the sudden reaction? It’s the same feeling as the one in school, but stronger now. Why is my body suddenly feeling… flustered? Oh. Right, I’m naked. But there’s something else. What is it about you Fran?

She decided to look through the woman’s memories more closely. Even if she was nude, why would her body react in such a way in proximity to this one person? Unless…

She finally found it. The memory resurfaced before she could even call it to herself. This woman had feelings for this male. For Francis. They were hidden, unspoken feelings, but feelings nonetheless. 

No wonder she didn’t find it immediately. It would explain why she had reacted so strongly too.

Francis waved a hand in front of her, breaking her from her thoughts. “Zee, what happened to you?!”

“H-hey! Francis! I uh…” she stammered, adopting and following her mind’s flow of information. The synapses of her past interactions followed naturally and she copied her mannerisms completely. 

“Zee, you’re naked! W-what in the name of—”

“I-I got attacked!” 

“A-attacked? Who did this to you?! Were you hurt?!” Francis spoke with urgency, immediately taking off his coat and placing it around her. 

This woman’s feelings are flaring up again. Zee Whenever this man calls me that, my heart noticeably quickens its pace. Zofia Heathers, Zee; a nickname this human had given me in past encounters. This affection for him is strong and lasting, her subconscious mind is flooding me. My mind is flooding me. What an enigma. How did she hide feelings this strong so damn well?

 “I’m f-fine. T-the m-man got away. I don’t know who it was but…”

“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” Francis replied. “Let’s get you to your apartment and we will report this to the authorities in the morning. We should—”

“No!” 

“N-no?”

“It’s okay… I’m afraid that if we report this, that person might come back for me,” she lied, putting on a pleading face and clinging to his arm. “Just… stay with me tonight. Please?” She pressed her bare chest to him. 

“Please, Fran… don’t think I can fall asleep alone after that.”

“Zee, are you sure you’re okay? You’re… acting a little different.”

“I-I…”  Zee held on to him tighter, squeezing his arm. “Please. I’m scared, Fran.” 

Francis bit his lip and slowly shook his head. “Okay, it’s okay,” he replied. “I’ll stay with you tonight. Nothing will ever get through your doors so long as I’m there. Does this ease your thoughts?” he asked her gently. 

Zee nodded. “Thank you, you’re always kind to me,” she sniffled.