Helen awoke to the immediate realization that something was amiss. Unlike the day before, her memory was crystal clear, but Sarah was gone. Her bedroom was left in the same pristine state as the rest of her house was yesterday. She sat in bed for a while and wondered about what she had done. All the puzzle pieces had come together -- now what was left to her was a choice, if she could call it that. One part of her, the part active now, the part which she had reason to call her genuine self, wanted to run. It told her that she had been drugged, impregnated by some alien or something, and that she had to escape to the police. Even if they wouldn't believe her about the crazy stuff, they would believe that she was abducted, and maybe if she went to a doctor they would see what was inside her -- hell what that was she didn't even know. She was terrified -- Sarah could break through locks like they were paper, had some way of knowing where she was at all times, and could turn her mind to mush.
Helen was sure of that last part, but the more her rational mind tried to understand it, the more she found herself slipping away, falling into that mushy, loving, soft place in the back of her mind. She could still feel Sarah's hand on her cheek, she could still feel Sarah running her hands through her hair. It was golden, and it informed the other part of her -- the part she was trying to repress, keep down long enough to make an attempt at getting away. That part was ready -- it was an abyss of pleasure inside her mind, and she dared not gaze into it. She couldn't dwell on those thoughts that threatened to pull her deep into trance. She pulled herself out of bed and was immediately greeted by extra weight pulling her down. Those things inside her, or maybe just one thing, had grown significantly. She had never been pregnant before, but her belly looked like she was about four months in, and she could feel the jostling motion inside her. There were definitely many little things in there -- although she wasn't sure what they were exactly. Her mind raced as she pondered what they could be -- little humans? Eggs? Tentacles? Monsters unlike anything she'd seen?
As she thought about it, she felt the ungodly pull of that abyss, trying to drown out her sapient mind with thoughts of the birth of her young. The abyss didn't know what was to come, but it didn't care. It just wanted to birth them, to nurture them, to enjoy mothering them with her lovers, her handmaidens.
Helen stomped out that line of thought, daring not even to ask what it meant by "handmaidens." Lord forbid anyone else be brought into this mess. Just as much as her belly was gravid and weighted down, so too were her breasts. Apparently, Sarah's feeding had stimulated them to produce even more milk -- they were full and ready to be drained. Not engorged, nor sore, just full. Helen realized that might be a bit of a timer. Eventually, she would need to drain them, and unless she somehow found a way to do so without stimulating herself as well, that would likely return the control of her mind back over to the mushy half. She had no idea how much time that afforded her, but she knew she would need to think fast and plan faster if she wanted any hope of escape.
Helen walked down the wall barefoot -- the kitchen was still clean as before, the locks on her doors shut tight, and everything where it should be. She hastily threw on some sandals, grabbed her keys, and moved to the front door. Just as she slid of the chain, a knock resounded from it. She immediately hid away behind the kitchen counter, before hearing the voice of a close friend from the other side.
Another round of raps on the door was followed by, "Helen, it's me Julie -- are you home?"
Helen rushed to the door, checked the peephole to verify, and pulled Julia inside. Her friend was a little taller than her, with short black hair.
"Get in, get in!" Helen ushered her in and Julia promptly started asking questions.
"Helen, what in the everloving fuck -- where have you been are you alright -- are you..." She looked down to her friend's belly, "Holy fucking -- you aren't?!"
Helen stopped her and started answering, "Julia, I'm so so sorry, honestly I don't even know where to start." She had begun to tear up, and Julia toned herself back down from upset to reconciliatory.
"Helen, I have no idea what's happened here, but we need to talk -- who did this, are you hurt, are you alright?" She walked Helen over to the couch and sat her down.
Helen took one breath and started, "Ok. Ok. God, I am gonna sound so fucking crazy to you... ok. I guess..."
"It's ok -- sound as crazy as you need to, I'm here for you."
"Ok. I was abducted. I don't exactly know when, but I know it was after I celebrated with Joey at Rock Bottom. I met her there, Sarah -- the woman who abducted me. She didn't take me there, we actually went on a couple dates, but one of them she drugged me. I can't remember much after that, but at one point, someone -- no something impregnated me."
Julie took in the immensity of those three sentences for a moment, before asking, "What do you mean something -- and you were just with Joey like a two weeks ago, not even. How is it already like this?"
"Julie, promise me you won't think I'm crazy, but it wasn't a person. It was a thing. An alien thing. From beyond our world."
"Sarah? Or?"
"No, not Sarah, it was the thing she brought me to."
Julie was entirely incredulous about the idea that her friend had been assaulted by an alien from beyond, but the testimony and evidence directly in front of her made the maintenance of that doubt difficult. Helen continued, "And, I don't know if it was drugs or if it just changed my brain, but I loved it, and I'm terrified that part of me is gonna come back and I won't be able to control it anymore. I'll just fall back into that part of my mind and I won't be like this anymore."
Julie furrowed her brow, "I -- I'm not sure I follow?"
"Julie! When Sarah first, I dunno, I guess she did drug me, when she did that the first time, it was like there was a part of my brain that had never really been touched, or had been neglected since forever got turned on. And it didn't turn back off until I went back to sleep. Then yesterday, it turned itself on." She emphasized the last point, but Julie wasn't sure yet.
"How -- like I guess I don't know what you mean. I'm sorry, I sympathize, but I know I don't understand."
"That's ok, it's ok -- I guess it's like Pavlov's conditioning? Maybe? I don't really know, but it's like when it activates it's like a haze comes over everything, and I get these weird thoughts -- like really weird thoughts. I can't really remember stuff when it comes over." She started to feel herself being pulled into that comfortable, soft place, "And it's just so... she calls to me and I feel so warm and fulfilled when I answer, and I..."
Julie pulled on Helen's arm, "Hey, Hel' -- Hel'!" Helen snapped to, and took a sharp inhale.
"Fuck I was going there -- fuck fuck I don't even know where that came out of."
"Helen, I don't know either, but we need to get you to a doctor, like now. You might have something in you that's fucking with your system and you absolutely need to get your ass to someone who can help you."
Helen nodded hesitantly, "Yeah, I think we need that." Just as she started getting up, a sharp pain shot through her chest, "Shit! Shit, they're full. Fuck."