The Trap Is Sprung

The Vanessa who climbed into her car outside the warehouse was an entirely different person than the girl who'd climbed out less than an hour before... assuming someone without a will still qualified as a person at all.

Master had ordered her to bring him a friend--a young, attractive, female friend. That was now her sole purpose in life, subject only Master's instruction that she conceal her transformation into will-less thrall.

Vanessa paused momentarily to consider which of her friends was most suitable for her master. The answer came quickly: Erika. Vanessa pictured her lithe Asian friend. There was no doubting she fit the bill. From her warm, brown skin to her perky breasts and athletic ass, she was undoubtedly a beauty. Vanessa remembered feeling jealous of Erika on more than a few occasions, but she was no longer capable of jealousy. All that mattered now was that Erika would please her master. Vanessa felt no guilt about stripping Erika of the passion, spontaneity, and moxie that made her who she was. Master wanted a new thrall, so she would bring him one. It was as simple as that. Her close bond with Erika was relevant only to the extent that relationship would aid in luring her into the trap.

Vanessa pulled out her phone and texted Erika. "Hey girl! I've got an idea for the rave. Meet at the cafe in an hour?"

"Sure!" Erika replied quickly.

Vanessa started the car and began the drive back to campus.

___________________________________________

Erika was already there when Vanessa arrived, sipping a latte and staring at her phone. She'd clearly just finished a workout. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and she wore black yoga pants and a pink crop top. The form-fitting outfit accentuated her curves and showed off her flat midriff.

"Hey!" Erika said, glancing up and spotting Vanessa.

Vanessa forced her face into smile, feigning excitement. "Hey!" she replied as she took a seat at the table.

"So... don't keep me hanging. You found somewhere new for the rave?"

Vanessa hesitated. "Actually, no. I was thinking that old warehouse might still work."

Erika scrunched up her mouth. "The warehouse? That place gave me the creeps. Even Michael felt weirded out there, though he'd never admit it to anyone else." She grinned, happy that Michael felt comfortable sharing his feeling with her.

Vanessa watched her friend's full lips form a smile.

Master will be pleased.

"It wasn't that bad," she responded casually. "I was actually hoping you'd go back with me and take another look. It'd be easier to scout it out in daylight, and that part of town is so dead I don't think we've got to worry about getting caught."

"Sorry, Vanessa. No way. It wasn't just the dark. That place felt... off. Like we were being watched or something. I'm not going back."

Vanessa let a slight frown creep onto her face before she caught herself and played off Erika's response as no big deal. "Okay, okay," she agreed. You're right. Not worth it." Erika smiled, nodding along. "While I've got you hear, can I get your opinion on something else?" Vanessa asked, reaching into her purse.

"Sure." Erika furrowed her eyebrows as Vanessa pulled out a sheet of paper and unfolded it onto the table, unveiling a hand drawn replica of the graffiti from the warehouse. Vanessa had drawn it from memory before their meeting, her hand seeming to guide itself.

A poor copy,

she thought to herself, remembering the beautiful script in its unearthly green. Still, the copy worked.

Erika stared at the paper intently, her lips slightly parted. " What... what is it?"

"It's..." Vanessa began before Erika cut her off. "It's beautiful." She'd already forgotten she'd asked a question.

"Yes," Vanessa encouraged. "Very beautiful. Study it closely."

Erika's jaw hung open now, her eyes glazing over. Vanessa watched as Erika pressed her thighs together.

She's horny already.

"You'll come with me back to the warehouse," Vanessa instructed.

Erika frowned. "But..." She began to object.

"You'll come with me back to the warehouse," Vanessa repeated.

Erika slipped a hand under the table and began to gently rub herself through her yoga pants. "I.. I'll come with you to the warehouse."

"Good. Oh shit." Vanessa saw Michael walk into the cafe. "What's Michael doing here?" she demanded.

"I asked him to meet me for lunch," Erika replied distractedly.

Fuck.

"Quit masturbating." With a whimper Erika placed her hand up on the table. "When Michael comes over, tell him you have to cancel. We had plans you forgot about." Vanessa glanced up at Michael. He'd spotted them and was grinning as he approached. She thought quickly. "Tell him you'll make it up to him tonight."

That should shut him up.

"Hi!" Michael announced himself cheerfully.

"Hi!" Vanessa responded. Erika stared at the paper and struggled to keep her hand away from her crotch. Michael gave her an odd look.

"What are you up to today?" Vanessa interjected, breaking the silence.

"We're going to grab lunch after you two wrap up, right Erika?"

"We have to cancel. Vanessa and I have plans I forgot about," Erika answered, her voice emotionless and her eyes still glued to the paper.

Look up, you idiot,

Vanessa screamed internally.

"Oh..." Michael sounded dejected. "What's that?" he asked gesturing toward the paper.

She had to risk it. Vanessa kicked Erika's leg under the table and hissed "Look up at him and smile when you speak." She prayed Michael hadn't heard her over the noise of the cafe.

As instructed, Erika looked up from the paper and grinned at Michael, "I'll make it up to you tonight."

Michael's face lit up immediately. "That sounds fun," he said, beaming.

"Alright, Michael," Vanessa interjected, seizing the opportunity. "Save it for the bedroom. We really do have work to do. I promise I'll give her up before tonight."

"Alright, alright," agreed Michael. "See you later," he winked at Erika, but she was already staring down at the paper again.

___________________________________________

Michael walked away confused. Erika was definitely not acting herself, but he was tempted to let it slide. It sounded like he could have Erika's pretty lips wrapped around his cock tonight if he played his cards right, and he was in no hurry to screw that up. But instinct told him something important was going on, so he risked pissing off his girlfriend and tailed Erika and Vanessa. He didn't feel great about it. They'd only been dating a few months and this felt... stalkerish. If he got caught, he might ruin everything. Still, he couldn't help feeling it was right move.

He watched from across the open square as Erika and Vanessa emerged from the cafe shorty after he left. Erika trailed behind Vanessa seeming kind of spacey and only vaguely aware of her surroundings.

Is she high?

he wondered. It wasn't like her to be high during the middle of a weekday, especially in public with a sober friend.

He followed a safe distance behind the two as they made their way to a parking lot and climbed into Vanessa's car.

Shit.

By sheer luck, he'd parked his own car in the same lot, but three rows away. He sprinted to his car, jumped in and started the engine, hoping he could still catch them. His worry was needless. As always, traffic was backed up getting out of the lot, and he ended up only two cars behind Vanessa and Erika when the light changed and let traffic flow out.

For a long time, it wasn't clear where the girls were heading. It wasn't until Vanessa exited the freeway in the industrial part of town that Michael hazarded a guess.

They're scouting for a rave location again? Why wouldn't they want me to come?

It was harder to follow their car discreetly through the empty streets in the largely abandoned part of town. His car crawled around the corner of a building and Michael abruptly slammed on the brakes. Their car was parked 100 yards down the alley.

Shit.

Fortunately, they didn't seem to notice him. The girls exited the car and walked straight into the the nearby warehouse. It wasn't until then that Michael realized it was the same warehouse from the night before.

Why would they come here again?

He shivered. That place gave him the creeps. But his curiosity was greater than ever, so he backed his car around the corner and parked it, then followed on foot.

Michael was slow to approach the open warehouse door. There wasn't much cover in the daylight and he worried the girls might come back out any second. After all, how much time could you spend in an empty building. When he finally reached the door, he hesitantly peaked through. What he saw left him even more confused than before.

Erika and Vanessa both knelt on the ground near the far wall of the building, facing away from him. Erika was staring up at some weird graffiti while Vanessa leaned in close to her ear, as if whispering. He watched for what seemed like an eternity while they just knelt there, unsure what to make of the situation. Then the girls abruptly stood and began making their way across the room. The warehouse was dimly lit, even during the day, but from what he could see, Erika looked more spaced out than ever.

It has to be drugs. What else could it be? Did they come all the way out here just to have somewhere private for a trip?

The girls passed through the doorway to the stairs and Michael considered his options. The stairway didn't lead anywhere, he and Erika had checked. Surely, the girls would be back soon. But five minutes later, there was still no sign of them. In the end, curiosity got the better of Michael. He entered the warehouse and made his way to the door.

At least if they see me now, I have a good excuse for following them. Erika looks completely out of it. I'm her boyfriend; I've got to look out for her.

Along the way, he glanced over at the graffiti. For a moment, he felt a sudden urge to go inspect it more closely. But he shook the feeling off and continued to the door. He had enough puzzles to deal with already.

Michael entered the stairwell and froze. The staircase was littered with clothes. He saw Erika's pink sports bra a few steps down, and her yoga pants lay on the ground near the bottom of the steps. Vanessa's clothes were scattered along the staircase as well.

What the fuck? Did I stumble into some kind of tryst? Is Erika bi? Are they both bi?

It seemed implausible. He remembered the dazed expression on Erika's face.

Did Vanessa drug her to take advantage of her?

He didn't think Vanessa was capable of that. But rational explanations for what was happening seemed off the table at this point.

Michael pressed forward, less certain than ever about what he would find, and unsure if he wanted to find it. But there was a legitimate question about Erika's safety now, so he had to go on. He reached the bottom of the stairs and found the trap door open. He could hear the muffled sound of voices below, and his heart sank at the realization that one was a male voice. He crept quietly down the stairs into the basement.

What Michael found gave him a lot to unpack. A flashlight sat on its end, shining up at the ceiling and dimly illuminating the room. Erika was on her hands and knees. She faced away from Michel, at an angle that gave him a partial view of the side of her body. Behind her, fucking her doggy style, was was a man. Michael's heart sank further.

She's cheating on me.

Even with his obscured view, he could see Erika was clearly enjoying herself. Her mouth hung open, and she was so caught up in the experience to notice that a thin line of drool had escaped her lips. Her body rocked back and forth with each of the man's thrusts. "Fuck Master's cock," she mumbled over and over.

Master? What the fuck is this?

Only then did Michael notice Vanessa. She knelt on the floor a few feet away from the pair, watching them fuck. One hand massaged a breast while the other rubbed furiously at her clit. For a brief second, Michael felt guilty. He'd never seen Vanessa naked, and it felt like a violation her trust to spy on her. But he quickly returned to his senses. Seeing his friend naked was by far the least weird part of this situation.

Michael stood frozen. Part of him wanted to tear the man off Erika and bash his face in. Another part of him thought he should just cut is losses. If she wanted to fuck other men, she could go be a whore, and they were finished together. But the biggest part of him was just confused.

Why here, in the basement of an abandoned warehouse? Why some strange old man? Why is Vanessa here?

None of it added up. Unable to decide what to do, he simply stood and watched.

It was then Michael noticed what looked like a tattoo on Erika's side. Some kind of writing in a foreign language he didn't recognize. It had to be brand new, it hadn't been there when they'd have sex the day before. Another oddity. Then he saw the tattoo move. It crept along her torso like a snake before disappearing under her body near her breasts.

What the fuck?

Erika's face scrunched up as if disgusted, but she said nothing.

A moment later Michael saw the strange script reappear on Erika's neck. "No," Erika muttered, quietly at first. Then she shouted it. "No!" She sounded suddenly panicked. "Stop! Please stop!" she sobbed. Vanessa watched, unmoved by her friend's pleas, still masturbating.

It was too much to Michael to bear. Whether she'd come here willingly or not, she clearly didn't want to be here now. He couldn't stand by while she got raped. He sprinted forward and dropped his shoulder at the last second, slamming into the man and throwing him away from Erika. Michael landed on top of the man, who lay face down on the concrete floor, groaning. Michael grabbed the man's hair, lifted his head, and slammed it down with a horrible crunch. He spied shards of broken glass strewn across the dusty floor nearby and grabbed one, barely noticing as the sharp edges cut into his fingers and palm. In a rage, he slammed the shard into the man's neck. The man lay still, blood pouring from the wound.

Oh god, what did I do?

Michael asked himself, his rage fading into panic. He reached down hesitantly and felt the man's neck for a pulse. Nothing.

I... I killed him. Oh fuck. I'm going to jail. I'm--

A line of the foreign script leapt to Michael's arm. It did not slowly creep up his body like it had done to Erika. Instead, the writing surged onto him, spiraling up his arm like a tornado. Michael clawed at it in shock, but he could feel noting there besides his own skin. The script disappeared beneath the sleeve of his shirt. Soon, he could feel it twisting its way around his torso. It was revolting. His skin crawled as if thousands of insects marched across his body. Then the pain began. Intense, burning pain. It was as if the script were branding itself onto his chest and back. Michael screamed in agony. Darkness clouded his vision and his consciousness faded. He collapsed to the floor.

Michael woke to the sound of Erika sobbing. "Michael... Michael please get up. Please!" He lifted his head and looked around. Erika was kneeling next to him, still naked, tears streaming down her face. "Oh thank god you're alive." she sobbed. "We have to get out of here, Michael. There's something wrong with Vanessa." Michael looked over at Vanessa. She knelt motionless on the floor, staring ahead vacantly, apparently unconcerned that she, too, was still naked. Then Michael realized he was laying next to a corpse. Michael scrambled to his feet.

Fuck!

It all came back to him--Erika and the man fucking, killing the man, the writing going up his arm...

It was then Michael noticed how different he felt. He knew things that he shouldn't. The strange, foreign script was... alive. And old. Very old. It had been called many different things by many different people--a curse, a monster, a demon. He also knew that the... entity... fed on the wills of women. Michael glanced sympathetically at Vanessa, knowing his friend was gone. She was no more than a hollow shell now.

It was all so clear to Michael. Sexual pleasure was the entity's means of attack. It lured prey in, then weakened their defenses, allowing the entity to penetrate their mind and strip them of their will. Sex had the added benefit of enticing its male host to cooperate.

Host... That's what I've become,

Michael panicked.

A host to some kind of evil parasite.

He realized that knowledge could only have come from the entity itself. It was sharing this information with him freely. Unlike the mindless thralls it left behind after feeding on women, it needed a host with a mind of its own. Someone who could help it navigate the human world. It had a limited ability to influence the minds of men.

It wants my help,

Michael realized.

You think I'll help?

he demanded in his own mind, hoping the entity understood.

Help you destroy innocent lives? Help you after what you've done to me?

He clawed his shirt off revealing green lines of script swirling around his body. "After this? he screamed aloud. "I'd rather die!"

It was then he noticed Erika. His gorgeous, naked girlfriend knelt on the floor, staring up at the script swirling across his body. Her eyes were wide and her jaw hung open. She stared intently ahead as she tucked her arms behind her back and thrust out her chest for display.

God, she's hot,

Michael thought, swallowing hard. He stared at her--at the breasts he'd squeezed, the nipples he'd licked, the lips he'd felt wrapped around his cock. She was his, he suddenly realized. Anything he told her to do, she'd do. He could have those perky tits, those plump lips, that round ass whenever... forever. She could belong to him. His slave. His plaything. He was breathing heavily. His cock was so hard it felt like it might explode. He felt a hunger unlike anything he'd experienced before.

"On your back," he found himself saying. He watched as his girlfriends lay back on the concrete floor. She kept knees raised, with the flats of her feet on the floor. "Spread your legs," Michael felt as the someone else had spoken the words. He stared at her as she spread her knees apart, opening herself to him. She was the hottest girl he'd ever been with, and she was offering herself up on a platter. It was more than he could stand.

In a flash, he was on her. His chest pressed against her breasts, his lips locked with hers. He reached down and slid a finger along her slit. It was already wet with arousal. He had no patience for foreplay. Not now. He reached down and guided himself into her. "Fuck me," he growled into her ear.

Erika wrapped her legs around him, drawing him in closer and bucking her hips against him as she thrust back. "Fuck you," she mumbled under her breath between heavy pants.

Sex had never felt this good. Michael was enraptured. The physical sensations blended with newfound feelings of power and control, creating an experience beyond anything he had imagined. "You're mine," he told her. "I'm yours," she agreed.

Michael felt Erika start to squirm and looked down. The strange script was once again creeping up her body. He paid it no mind. Anticipation filled him to the brim. He could feel himself building to climax. Nothing else mattered.

The script again reached Erika's neck and fear again broke through the entity's hold over her. "No!" she pleaded. "Michael, you have to stop! Please!" But her pleas did not even register with Michael. He was fixated on a new sensation. The entity was tugging at something, prying it from Erika. Michael needed it, whatever it was. He craved it more than any he'd ever wanted.

The script reached Erika's temples and she screamed. Michael exploded inside her at the same time that he felt the entity finally rip the thing free. Her will, he realized, as it surged into him. He should have felt guilty, terrible about what he'd done. Instead, he just felt good. Not simply "just had sex" good, but great. Amazing. He felt energized, like he could run a dozen marathons or bench press 1,000 pounds. His mind felt sharp, his senses heightened. He'd never felt better in his life. He looked at his arms and was startled to find them bigger. He'd put on muscle. He climbed off Erika and inspected his body to find it transformed. He was as fit as any movie star. His skin was flawlessly smooth and vibrant.

We share the rewards.

He thought to himself. Parasite and host alike drew strength from consuming a new will.