Purple Heart

Chapter 1
Purple Heart

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Chapter Description: And so the beast is discovered....

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The twigs and bugs were crushed as3 pairs of boots treaded across them. The troop was tired, and had been marching for three hours in this dense forest. The area was uncharted, but that didn’t change the situation. They needed to get to Mokuba, a small village where a terrorist leader was thought to be hiding out. The mission was simple; find, and eliminate the target.

“I estimate that we’re in the middle of the forest now,” said the commanding officer, Lieutenant Dyers.

A shiny object caught Dyers’ eye.

“Halt!”

The two soldiers stopped cold. Dyers bent down and brushed off the dirt. He dislodged a damaged camera from the caked in dirt. He held it out for his men to see.

“A camera?” Private Baker said, cocking his head.

“Try playing it,” Sergeant Sosa suggested. Dyers opened up the side screen and scratched off as much dirt as he could. He pressed the play button. The screen flickered to life.

It showed two natives collecting insects from the bushes. The narrator was following them.

“As you can see,” the narrator said, “insects are a big part of the Laotian diet. They can be used in a variety of dishes such as sauces, drinks, meals, and even desserts.”

One of the natives called to the narrator in a language the troop did not understand.

“Okay! We’ll take a break!” he cried back.

The trio sat down. The narrator didn’t turn the camera off as he set it on the ground. He walked in front of it and leaned against a tree. He was a skinny man who looked to be of Hispanic descent. A low growl could clearly be heard as the narrator took a bite out of an apple.

“What was that?” he murmured. The two natives stood up and surveyed the land. In unison, their eyes widened and they bolted off in the opposite direction, leaving the narrator behind. The narrator glanced off-screen, his eyes wild.

“What the hell?” he gasped as he backed up. A fleshy pink form jumped into the frame and onto the narrator. The camera was in the perfect position for the troop to see everything.

The creature opened its mouth, revealing an odd nipple-like organ. The narrator screamed as the creature forced the organ into his mouth, gagging him. He kicked and punched, but the creature held steadfast. Soon, he seemed to shrink.

His clothes grew baggier. The creature began to loosen its hold as the narrator’s form continued to shrink. After about three minutes, the creature relinquished his head.

“Oh my God,” Dyers whispered.

The narrator’s face, instead of the gruff, furry face of an adult, was that of an infant. His beard was gone, his features had softened, and his hair had been reduced to mere fuzz. He looked barely old enough to walk. The impossible had been accomplished.

To the troop’s surprise, the creature stood up on its hind legs and picked up the infant narrator. It slid the child into a flesh pocket like a kangaroo and ran out of the frame.

“What the hell did we just watch?” Baker stammered. He backed up and dropped his gun to the ground.

“Be wary, men,” Dyers advised, “This thing may still be arou-“

Dyers was interrupted by Sosa’s sudden gagging. He jerked his head to face him. Sosa’s blank eyes just stared as blood flowed from his chest. A bony spike had pierced his rib cage and heart. Sosa was lifted into the air and then thrown to the side.

The creature sat like a dog, curling its deadly tail.

“Son of a bitch!” Dyers shouted. “Kill it, Baker! Kill it!”

The private picked up his gun and sprayed the creature with bullets. It howled in pain and leapt at him. Dyers could do nothing as the creature smashed Baker’s skull with its tail. The creature turned and stared longingly at Dyers.

“Why won’t you die?” Dyers said airily. He kept shooting until his ears were met with the horrifying click of an empty chamber. The creature seemed to laugh as Dyers dropped the useless weapon. That’s when Dyers remembered.

“I’m Hispanic.”

The creature grabbed Dyers and forced its nipple organ down his throat. Dyers could do nothing as a strong liquid was pumped into his system. He didn’t bother struggling; there was no point. Dyers felt the unusual sensation of his limbs shortening and his teeth retracting. His boots fell off, dragging his socks with them. The pants were next, leaving Dyers lower half completely bare as his years were drained away.

The shrinking feeling stopped, but Dyers was still self-aware.

Dyers shivered as the creature ripped off the remnants of his uniform. He felt the wind caress his renewed skin and genitals. It felt so small, and he felt so vulnerable and weak.

Just like he saw in the video, the creature slipped Dyers into the fleshy pocket. Dyers sighed in amazement as the warmth of the creature overcame him. It was like being wrapped in thick blankets. Dyers welcomed this change from the cold forest outside.

Light filtered in through the many pores of the pocket, so Dyers could finally see himself. His feet were small, and he was finally afforded a good look at his penis. A tear almost came to his eye as he looked at the pathetic nub. Dyers had never felt so weak, never so...so…innocent. He had lost everything from his abs to his dignity.

The light disappeared, indicating that they were indoors. The rocking motion finally stopped as the creature’s movements came to a stop. Dyers felt nervousness creep up. What was this thing going to do to him?

Dyers gave a small gasp as he felt the pocket open. The creature lifted him from the pocket, careful not to shake him. Its dexterity amazed Dyers. The cave was lit by odd glowing orbs on the upper walls. He could see rows of what appeared to be fleshy cribs that lined the walls. Dyers caught a few glimpses of other babies. They were all brown-skinned.

The creature carefully set him in one of the organic cribs. Dyers felt like he was in the creature’s pouch again as that same warmth overcame him. He heard the creature run out of the cave, so he took this opportunity to examine his surroundings more carefully.

Grabbing a stone for support, Dyers pushed himself up on uneasy legs. He looked around and saw that each crib contained a Mexican baby. What did this all mean?

Am I just a pet now? Dyers thought, finding himself unable to talk. Were they all pets?

Dyers let himself fall onto the soft flesh. He was getting hungry. What did the creature feed its charges?

He soon found out. A pink tube with a nipple end sprung up from one end of the crib. It moved back and forth, as if searching for Dyers. Once it found him, it dashed at him. The nipple forced itself into his mouth. Dyers tried to spit it out, but his long forgotten sucking reflex took over and he fed from the nipple. A warm liquid flowed down his throat, filling Dyers with an unbelievable feeling of pleasure. His appetite was immediately quelled after several minutes of feeding. The tube retracted from his mouth and slithered back to where it came from.

Dyers’ eyes grew heavy as he lied his head down. He yawned as the pleasurable feeling continued to caress him as a mother would cradle a newborn. He didn’t know what would become of his soldiers, his country, or his mission, but he didn’t really care.

As far as the military was concerned, he deserved a Purple Heart.

 

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