This story features mind control drugs, an apocalyptic scenario, public sex, and breeding kinks. If that isn't your thing, don't say I didn't warn you.
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Becky looked one way and then the other.
No cars.
She stepped off the sizzling sidewalk and power-walked across the asphalt.
Silently, a shadow passed over the street quickly, and then another, and then another. In the distance a low droning hummed, the faint sound of several planes high overhead, flying in formation over Manhattan.
Becky hopped onto the opposite curb and walked toward a doorway. She sighed with relief as she ducked into the corner bodega, a quick blast of air conditioning offering a reprieve from the oppressive summer heat outside.
The thick, humid air of the city was clinging to her like a second skin. She could feel beads of sweat pooling in the curve of her back under her ripped white crop top and running down her smooth, exposed, slim lower back. Errands had dragged on longer than she'd planned, and this was her last stop--a quick trip for snacks before heading home.
As she strolled by, the boy behind the checkout counter turned his head to follow her, wordlessly admiring the fit 23-year-old's shoulder length light brown hair that curled slightly at the ends, swept up into ponytail to keep cool in the heat of a New York City summer. Her bright, piercing light-blue eyes scanned the shelves as she walked down the aisle. A few freckles dotted her sun-kissed complexion around her nose and cheeks. She was about 5'6", with a toned but naturally curvy build, a slim belly but F-cup boobs straining under the crop top and a bubble butt that jiggled as she walked, pushing against black Lululemon stretchy shorts that hugged the curve of each round cheek.
The little store was busier than she expected, with lines snaking through the aisles. After grabbing a few snacks and tossing them into a basket she joined the shortest queue, behind a man tapping impatiently on his phone. The air was cooler inside but somehow dense, almost heavy, carrying an odd chemical scent. Faintly bitter. Her pouty pink lips curled into a cute little frown as she scrunched her eyebrows.
Ew. It smelled weird in here.
She didn't want to stay long, just a quick in and out. Away from this weird chemical smell.
As she waited, Becky noticed the customer ahead of her, an older woman, lean closer to the cashier, a young man with tousled hair and a slightly flushed face. The customer was smiling, speaking in a low tone, her body language oddly intimate for what should have been a mundane exchange. The cashier chuckled softly, his movements slower than usual as he bagged her items.
Becky frowned, feeling a sudden warmth rise to her cheeks. She wasn't sure why the interaction unsettled her. Maybe it was how close they stood to each other.
She shifted her basket to her other hand, glancing away toward the aisles. A couple near the produce section stood shoulder-to-shoulder, their hands brushing in a way that seemed more deliberate than accidental.
Weird. She could have sworn she'd seen them come in separately.
Her throat felt dry, and she coughed lightly. Others in line were coughing too, a faint reaction to the odd heaviness in the air. A woman two spots ahead fanned herself with a magazine, her cheeks pink despite the air conditioning.
Becky adjusted the spaghetti strap of her crop top, which suddenly felt too tight, straining against her flushed skin, and rubbed her arms. A strange, tingling warmth was spreading through her, just barely perceptible.
Fuck, she thought. She might be coming down with a fever. Ugh, this was the WORST time to get sick, right before Josh came to visit.
She pulled out her phone. 3:49 PM.
Shit. He was gonna be here in ten minutes. Why was this line moving so slow?
The man in front of her shifted, turning slightly, and their eyes met for a moment. His lips curved into a half-smile, and Becky's breath caught unexpectedly. She wasn't sure what it was--his smile wasn't particularly dazzling, and he was a little too chubby to be her type--but something about the way he looked at her made her stomach flutter.
He was... he was kinda cute, she thought. Hell, everyone in the store was sort of radiant. Beautiful people all around. She relaxed and smiled, and a shiver ran through her.
When it was her turn at the register, Becky stepped forward, breathing heavily as she caught the cashier's eyes lingering on hers. His smile was soft, inviting, and his voice dropped to a lower, more intimate tone as he greeted her.
"Afternoon," he said, scanning her items with unhurried ease.
"Hi," she replied, grinning a little too wide, her voice softer than she intended.
Wow. He was muscular. Hot. She felt her pulse quicken, a warmth radiating from her chest.
Everything just felt... beautiful. Bright. Right somehow.
She closed her eyes, took a deep, slow breath, and stretched her arms out behind her. A shiver of unexpectedly intense pleasure rippled through her, catching her off guard.
Whoa. She felt good. Really good. Her jaw vibrated as she exhaled.
As he packed her snacks in a bag, her eyes were glued to the cashier. His hair curled slightly at the edges, damp with sweat. He smiled up at her and a thrill shot through her. His fingers brushed against hers as he handed her the receipt.
"Hot day, huh?" he murmured, holding her gaze for a moment longer than necessary.
Becky swallowed hard, nodding. "Yeah, um, really hot." Her words felt clumsy, her face flushing for reasons that had nothing to do with the heat outside.
As she reached for her bag, the sound of a laugh from another aisle caught her attention. She glanced over and saw a man and woman leaning against a display of soda bottles, their heads tilted close, their expressions full of longing. The man tucked a strand of the woman's hair behind her ear and she bit her lip as she tilted her chin to move her face closer to his, their movements intimate and slow.
Huh. She could have sworn she'd seen him come in the store with a different woman.
The atmosphere in the store felt charged, electric, and Becky realized with a start that almost everyone was behaving strangely.
A couple near the bakery whispered to each other, their laughter low and breathy.
The cashier at the next register was licking her lips as she handed the change to a flustered-looking customer.
Becky coughed again, her throat tingling, and inhaled that bitter scent hanging in the air. The scent didn't feel weird anymore, it felt... good. Her lungs filled and as she exhaled a wave of heat cascaded through her body.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she adjusted the strap of her bag and turned toward the exit. Her skin felt overly sensitive and her pulse quickened.
The scent in the air, the strange warmth spreading through her body, the behavior of everyone around her--she didn't understand what was happening. As her rational mind scrambled weakly to try to make sense of what was happening, a soft, sweet voice at the back of her mind whispered to stay, to linger, to lose herself in the chemical haze.
It was hard to resist it.
The air in the bodega was thick, almost syrupy now, and Becky's senses were on fire. Every step she took toward the exit felt like wading through a dream, her body humming with energy. Her jaw was vibrating wildly now, and her pupils had dilated to unnatural widths. She took a deep breath in, a silly smile spreading across face. As the chemicals surged into her bloodstream once again, her heart pounded in her chest and her skin prickled with anticipation.
As she reached the door, a hand brushed against her arm, sending a surge of adrenaline through her. She turned, her breath catching in her throat, and her gaze slowly rose upward, lingering over the muscular body of a beautiful man. She found herself face-to-face with the cashier.
His dark eyes were wide, pupils dilated so wide his brown irises were a thin strip around them. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. He was taller than she'd realized, the rippling muscle of his frame towering over her, and the faint sheen of sweat on his olive skin made him glow under the fluorescent lights.
"Hey," he said, his voice low and rough. "You forgot your... uh..."
He trailed off, his gaze dropping to her lips, then lower, to the curve of her neck, the swell of her chest beneath her overstretched crop top bulging through the thin white material, hard nipples poking nubs out from it and the darker-pink circle of each areola visible through it.
He stared, breath ragged, and swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing, and Becky felt a flush of heat spread through her body.
"My what...?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.