Under the Weather

I think I'm sick.

Two weeks ago, my roommate came home looking pale; she struggled to maintain a smile. After she got settled into bed, I asked her what happened. Apparently she was at a party and someone slipped something into a lot of drinks.

I woke up that night to the sound of her retching. The retching turned to groaning, which quickly turned into screaming. "Are you okay?!" I yelled, scrambling out of bed to see her. "Don't come in!" Her voice was shaky and there was desperation. If I had known at the time, I would have done something, anything! I went back to sleep.

The following morning I went to see the bathroom; fortunately, it was spotless. My roommate, on the other hand, looked terrible. Skin pale, eyes tired, mouth stained with...pink? She gave me a tired smile and said she didn't want to go to work today. I went out to work and let her rest.

The cycle continued for the next few days. Every time, she would retch, groan then scream. She threatened me if I dared to go near her; come morning, her skin would be a shade paler and eyes darker. She drastically lost weight, at which point I grew even more worried. Looking back, I think her hair had started to thin as well?

I came home early one day. I could hear her be sick once again; I didn't say a word as I thought it would be a good opportunity to see her. As I walked through the living room, I noticed something. There was a cube on the coffee table; a white cube with a rubbery texture and what seemed to be objects sealed inside. Was this something from online?

I went to my room to freshen up. When I came out, the cube was gone and my roommate was there with a nervous smile covered in pink. Something wasn't right.

That night, things were the same. Retch, groan, scream. Once I was sure she was asleep, I snuck into her room. In the corner of her room, I saw a mound of cubes. Different sizes, but all rubbery with something inside. I took one out and carried it to the kitchen; I grabbed a knife and cut into it.

Out came organs, meat and bones.

The next day, she flew into a frenzy. Searching high and low for "something". "A rubber cube?" I asked. "About...this big?" She stood there, stunned. "Sam, please! What is going on?!"

"Come with me tonight. But don't touch anything, not even me."

Night came and the two of us were in the bathroom; I sat on the toilet while she was hunched over the sink. After five minutes of silence, her eyes widened; she threw up shortly after. Instead of a chunky earthy mass of stomach acid, a clear pink liquid stained the sink. This wasn't right.

Without warning, she doubled over and groaned. She lifted up her shirt to reveal a large incision spanning from the centre of her chest to her stomach. All I could do was stare in disbelief; did she do this to herself? Her groans turned to screams as the gash convulsed.

She slowly forced out a large cube from the wound, stainless. The moment it fell to the floor, she collapsed next to it. I carried her to bed, tucking her in. I went back to the bathroom to clean up the mess. Before I washed it away, though, I dipped a finger into it without thinking. It had the consistency of melted cheese and smelt strongly of rotten meat.

The next few days were awkward. Every day, my roommate became dull-looking and withdrawn. She barely spoke and looked like death: abnormally thin, balding, eyes sunken in and almost pure white. I wanted to help her, really. I tried. But ultimately, it was a failed cause.

One night, I woke up in pain. My chest felt so tender, as if a cat had clawed it at such depth. I slowly began to realise that something was wrong. Silence. No retching, groaning, screaming; it felt unsettling. I went to check up on her, but her door was locked. In my tired state, I couldn't do anything to help. I gave up and went back to bed.

She didn't show herself the next morning. Her door was still locked. Despite my banging and yelling, there was no reaction; I had to resort to breaking the door down. I broke a meat cleaver trying to get in. By the time I got in, I was nowhere near ready for the sight.

My roommate sat on her bed, surrounded by cubes. Hairless, white, black eyes, thin like a sapling... It was as if I was face-to-face with a living cartoon character. She just stared at me, nothing said or done. Not even a blink or mouth movement.

My roommate was gone. All that was left of her was a walking corpse. I was devastated.

Hours later, I went back to see it. Not a single movement. Or so I thought; the gash on its torso had expanded, revealing a mass of pinkish blobs where...

...bones, muscle and organs should be. Oh god.

That night, I woke up to a piercing pain. I tried to get out of bed but I collapsed on the floor from the intensity. I had never felt so much pain until that point. The moment it stopped, I went to a mirror and looked at myself. A large gash, spanning from my chest to my stomach, had appeared.

It has been a week since it has begun. My hair is falling out, my skin is turning pale and every night I wake up nauseous and go back to sleep with a new cube by my bed. My former roommate, after experimentation, bleeds the pink liquid and has no brain; how it is alive,  I don't know.

I don't know how long I may have or who else might be infected, but please. If you know anyone who has been going through this situation, leave before it's too late.