Life was funny. You think you have it sorted out from an early age. You know you are going to be an astronaut that will discover the first ever pizza planet. You know that you will be a world-class actress, singer, and/or dancer. Then you know in college that you will be an amazing teacher. Throughout every stage of your life, you think you have it figured out and, for the most part, people come close. They find out their likes and dislikes, they make peace that they will never discover that planet of pizza or that they should keep their singing career for only a few close friends to witness, and make strides towards what they are really meant for. However, there are those times when life throws such a big curveball, it’s almost impossible to avoid.

Agnes was sure of several things in her life: #1.) she would be a world-class violinist, and #2.) she would be happily married to the woman of her dreams. Only a year ago, Agnes was well on her way to achieve both of those things. She was engaged and she was playing music for one of the most prestigious symphonies in the world. She was achieving her dream...and then everything went to hell in a handbasket.

Rebecca Grey. She was the first love of her life, the relationship that she subconscious measured all other relationships against. They had been together for many years when they were younger but then time, opportunity, and life got in the way and they had been separated. It ate Agnes up but she got through it, she survived and started her life again. Then, upon her return to New York, fiance and job at the ready, the flare of red hair entered her life and fundamentally changed it.

So many bad decisions were made, so many done under the guise of them being in “true love”. People were hurt, Agnes had once again becoming a cheating partner, a title that she had never wanted to have under her name, and things had only continued to get worse. New abilities manifested, her life slowly fell apart, but in the end she kid herself into believe that finally, finally she and Rebecca could continue where they left off. But, again, she was only kidding herself.

The world changed for Agnes after she had left Plum Island. Though Rebecca had gone to pick her up after visiting her nearly every day, all the time, the ride home had proven to be enlightening. The argument started and it was at that point that Agnes had realized what would happen if they did end up together -- they would only keep arguing. Agnes relied too much on Becca, her life had been filled to the brim with her and she had done little for herself.

So she left. Packed her things. Ended her job. Climbed into her car and drove off into the sunset, leaving only a small note of apology to Becca and a hope that she will find happiness. She meant it, of course, but even as she wrote that, part of her had hoped, just a little bit, that they would find one another again. After all, they did it once, why not again?

Heh. Life was funny…

GOOSE CREEK, SOUTH CAROLINA

Agnes sighed. She was stretched out on a lemon yellow couch, a large kitten sprawled out over her stomach. Lilith was fast asleep, taking advantage of the exhausting waitress as she lay sprawled out over her second-hand furniture. It had been a long shift at the diner and she only wanted a few moments of rest before she even bothered to turn on her computer. She had a violin lesson over Skype to teach in a few minutes but she wanted to take advantage of the quiet for just a few moments longer. God, she couldn’t wait until the lesson was over so she could actually get a good night sleep.

It had only been a few months since Agnes had left New York City but it was a journey that she was somewhat thankful to be taking. She drove and drove, no destination in particular that she wanted, only knowing that she needed to leave and find some place to make her own. She still had some money from her time in the symphony but she knew she couldn’t keep traveling forever without a job so she had to settle somewhere -- anywhere.

Goose Creek. Really she only chose it because she found the name somewhat entertaining. That, plus the fact that her car had finally broken down after so many years of faithful service. While she had enough money to pay for the repairs, at the time, Agnes was just so tired of traveling. She decided she would stay a week or two, just to get her bearings, and start on the road again.

Those two weeks turned into months and a full-time job. She didn’t have a lot of experience as a waitress but Agnes was swift enough on her feet for a local diner to higher her. Before long, Agnes was able to afford a tiny apartment (no where near the opulence she had in New York) but it was cozy and it was someplace that she could call home. However, she still had that itch to play music so she decided she would do her best to teach violin on the side, either locally or over Skype. It didn’t pay a lot but, then again, it really didn’t have it -- it was more an outlet for creativity than a monetary need.

For as exhausted as she was, Agnes had to admit, that she was somewhat happy. Her life was not complicated but there were still aspects that she missed. Mainly, she still found her thoughts wandering back to the redhead that she had left behind. Often times, late at night, the violinist would find herself staring up at her ceiling in thought. She questioned herself -- did she make the right decision. At the time it felt right, but right now…?

She sighed, her eyes opening as she looked down at the demonic cat that was stretched out over her chest. She rolled her eyes. Reaching up, she scratched along the kitten’s nose until she opened one of her eyes yawned threatening towards the insect queen.

Agnes arched her eyebrow. ”Alright. This bed has got things to do.” She carefully pet Lilith a few beats before she started to move. The cat meowed in protest before hopping off and stretching her hindlegs. Agnes rolled her eyes as she watched the cat lazily saunter away. ”Brat.”

She sighed, standing up and stretching her back to crack her vertebrae. It was a long day at the diner but she never liked to keep her students waiting; this class was happening. But even as Agnes sat up, she frowned as she picked up her phone from a nearby table and held it up before her eyes. Quickly she scrolled to the last message she had ever received from the former love of her life:

I wish I could have said goodbye, but you're right. Find your own path and know I'm rooting for you. Please, stay safe. I love you. There's a place in my heart that will always be yours, Agnes Nicholas.

How many times had she read that message? How many times had she been tempted to just write back and let her know that she missed her terribly? How many times did she want to drunkenly message that she ruined her life? The emotional rollercoaster was so hard to navigate that there were times where the violinist was certainly sure she was going to lose her mind. The conflict was so powerful, so dividing, that in the beginning, there were many nights where she just lay away, staring at the text, trying to decipher whatever hidden meanings or codes or subtext that could be there, just beneath the surface.

The thought had crossed her mind that she was kidding herself, fawning over the idea of Rebecca, rather than the actual person. While she loved their potential, the truth was that Rebecca was a pretty sh*tty girlfriend. She broke up with her over a dream, she abandoned her in order to follow her dream (a journey that Agnes would have gladly taken with her), she tricked her cheating on her fiance, and then had the gall to get upset with her after what had to have been the most traumatizing experience of her life. In the end, your partner is supposed to stand by your side through these trials, not aid them.

At least...that was what Agnes was sometimes able to convince herself happened. These thoughts were rare, though. Deep down, she knew that she couldn’t blame the Scot for everything -- she played her own part too. But sometimes it was just easier to heap the blame on another person, even if it was only for a night so that you could feel somewhat better.

She sighed. Still staring at the text message, tonight was one of those lucid nights where she wasn’t blaming anything on Rebecca, but rather was feeling just a little bit of self loathing. Setting her phone aside, she looked down at the waitress uniform she still had on, then peered across her tiny, cozy apartment. Sometimes she liked her life, truly. It was uncomplicated. But every once and while, she had to admit it, she missed New York.

A small tear rolled down her cheek. It had been a long time since she was this confused about the direction of her life but she didn’t have the time worry about it now. Again, she had a lesson to teach. So, picking herself off the couch, Agnes crossed her living room, into the bedroom where she started to shed the waitress uniform. As the clothing bunched onto the ground, she side unfurling her sore-feeling wings. The twitched and fluttered to life, stretching outward and allowing the young woman a sense of relief. She knew she shouldn’t have to hide who she was but she didn’t want the locals to know just yet. It was something that she would contend with when the time was right.

Slipping out of her underthings, Agnes draped a robe about her form and made to take a quick shower before her lesson began. But, just a few steps towards the bathroom and she heard the faintest of knocks at her door. Curiosity took hold of her as she turned, wondering who it could be. Her upstairs neighbor, a Mrs. Dell, sometimes locks herself out of her apartment and needs Agnes to crawl in through the fire escape. Ugh, she really hopped that wasn’t the case now.

Quickly she pulled on a pair of flannel pajama bottoms, tightened her robe and headed towards her door. Once there, she peered out through the peep hole.

”Hello?” she asked cautiously of the individual on the other side. ”Can I help yo--”

KRA-KOOOMM!!

Her head was still ringing but she was completely numb to the pain. She knew she should be in pain though. The explosion that occurred just outside of her door was enough to knock her completely off of her feet and send her back against a far off wall. She tried to move her legs but something was off, broken, unresponsive -- this wasn’t good, it was panic inducing. Through her blurry eyes, Agnes looked up, weakly and watched as a pair of individual strolled into the room. Even in this state she could recognize him and she felt herself already starting to weep.

Allister Berry. It was the last man that she had ever expected to see, especially here. Besides him cowered another person, a young girl with blonde hair and glowing pink eyes. Her hands were shaking and were vibrating with kinetic energy. She, apparently, had been the tool used to open her door. Agnes gulped, tried to move, but again, her legs weren’t working. Something was very, very wrong.

The Church of the Everlasting Eye of God, her parents church, the bastards that had tried to exorcise her when she was only fourteen years old, had found her.

”N...No…” she whispered. She slowly turned, trying to crawl away. The buzzing began to erupt from her chest as insects spilled out from her lips. But, more terrifying than that, was the other sensation she was feeling. That fight or flight response kicking in, the one that brought out the worst possible side of her. Normally she wouldn’t allow the Insect Queen out but...desperate times.

Agnes could already feel her skin starting to burn and split when a firm boot was pushed down upon her lower back. Pinning her down, Allister sighed and shook his head, lowering a gun towards the young violinist’s back. She hissed, cried, and started to beg but the words were little more than a soft buzzing to the mad priest as he as he aimed the gun.

“No no, darlin’,” he whispered. “No more running.” There was a squeezing of a trigger and a rush of air. Agnes barely felt the projectile enter her neck before she was taken over a blackness.

Everything hurt. Everything burned. It seemed that even as the blackness enveloped her that she was still able to retain some sense of her surroundings. She didn’t quite know exactly what was going on, but she did understand that she was in trouble and she needed to act -- if only her body would actually respond. However, try as she might, she simply couldn’t will herself to move. Limbs were unresponsive, her breathing was shallow, it was almost as if she were asleep but she were growing more and more conscious of everything that was happening around her. It was terrifying to say the least.

Then, finally, a slit of light appeared before her eyes. It grew wider and wider until finally there was a flash of brilliance and the world came into view around her. Her eyes had opened and the sight she witness was more terrifying than she could have imagined. She didn’t know where she was but it looked abandoned by all accounts. There were a few people in the room, Allister Berry, a younger couple which looked at her disdainfully, and another, much larger man, who held the mutant who had blasted open her door, by a leash.

She tried to move but, still, she couldn’t. Was she paralyzed? What had happened to her?

“Good. You’re awake,” Allister said with a sickening smile. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking for you, Pestilence.”

Agnes cringed. She hated that name. It was what her parents used to call her, what the congregation of their church referred to her as when they tried to exorcise her. Weakly she found she was able to move her lips, just enough to form weak responses and nothing else.

”P-Please…” she begged. ”I’m...not…”

Allister advanced, his dark, wrinkled hand slowly caressing her cheek. “Shhh, child. You need to stop running from your malady. We tried to save your body so many years ago but since you ran, is only sunk in deeper and taken root. It’s nearly in your soul. But...that we can save.”

Agnes tried to shake her head but still her body wouldn’t respond. A tear managed to roll down her cheek. She watched as Allister stepped aside, turning to meet with his congregation. Whatever they were pumping into her, drugs, the effects of another enslaved mutant, she didn’t know but she did know that all she could do was listen. He preached his sermon. Announced that their flock had been dwindling and they were the last, but that they would right the one wrong they have been meaning to; they would halt the arrival of the devil by ending one of his Horsemen, Pestilence.

The small congregation cheered, they wept for joy, and Allister almost looked as if he had a halo of light about his head. She barely managed to shake her head, to whisper one last unheard plea, not to Allister but to a god that for years she denied existed. Then there was a flash of silver, a biting cold penetrating her flesh, and the slow sinking back into the darkness.

So this was it. This was death…

I don’t want to die like this.

It’s too late. We are dying.

God...no…

You should have let me out. Let me handle this.

No. You’re a monster. You would have--

Killed them? Yes. Because they deserved it. They killed us after all.

…

You know I’m right.

…

And there is still time.

What do you mean?

You’re not dead yet...but you are running out of time. Let me in. Let me take over. Let me do what you don’t have the nerve to do.

I...I don’t know. The last time…

We can’t dwell. We must survive.

You almost killed my friends!

Friends? And what have they ever done for you?

They...loved me…

Love? One brought me out. Another judged you for your actions.

Becca…

Becca let this happen to you! Where is she, your great love? She let you leave! She wanted you to leave!!

But...no...I…I’m confused…

You were ready to be happy and it seems that whenever you are happy, it is her that does this to you. She broke up with you over a dream. She broke up your relationship with your fiance. Then she let you leave, just run away from your city, your home, without even trying to find you. You love her...Agnes...but she doesn’t love you.

I...I told her not to find me…

Would that have stopped you if you were in her shoes? If you truly believed in the love you had for each other, would you have let anything stand in your way?

...no…

All these years she’s treated you like a porcelain figure. Some fragile...easy to break...weak…

Stop…

But you are not weak. We are strong. We can be powerful. More powerful than her…

I said stop!!

No! You’re almost out of time, Agnes! This is it. There’s no coming back. There’s no one to save you. There’s no one to bring you back except for me!

....stoooop…

You’ve convinced yourself there is no God. In that absence there is only this darkness and absolute nothingness. Even I won’t be here to admonish you. Are you really ready for that end, Agnes? Are you ready for an eternity of emptiness?

...I...I...I won’t be a monster…

...

...

Then we compromise...

Two Weeks Later…
The Happy Glass Company was one of those failed U.S. industries that never survived the the Depression. The buildings considered cursed, they were often found abandoned, no one ever even bothering to tear them down. They remained standing, hollowed out shells of structures that were slowly being overtaken by dirt or nature. In this particular case, the glass factory just outside of Goose Creek, South Carolina, was so overrun with nature that one wouldn’t think they were looking at a building at first. Just greenery looping over towering trees and natural stone formations. But it was there and for several days now, it housed a secret.

Billy Mitchell loved to explore the wilderness. Only twenty-five, she considered herself one of the great explorers, having already traveled to over countries to climb ruins and add photos to her travel blog. Now she was exploring America! Traveling those forgotten back roads in search of anything that had yet to be discovered or was lost to the annals of time. Today she was exploring the outskirts of South Carolina, and the fallen industries that had been abandoned to nature itself.

When she had read about this place in the local archives, Billy knew that she had to explore. So, packing up her gear, and most importantly her camera, she set off. It actually took a fair amount of time to find the building since it was so overgrown but, once she did, she knew it wouldn’t be a disappointment.

The structure was sound but definitely creaky. The door protested loudly as she pushed it open, sending the sound echoing throughout the room. A smile on her lips, Billy stepped in and immediately started to take pictures. Holding up her phone, she also took video, recording some of her own thoughts before she made her way towards the front of the large room. She set her phone down on a small stand and stepped back to try and frame herself in the shot but not before she passed a raised table and found a most peculiar sight.

“What...the hell?”

Billy stepped away from the table, ran to pick up her phone and returned. Kneeling down, she got a closer look at the massive object that appeared, as strange as it sounded, almost like a cocoon. Holding her phone up to her lips, Billy began to speak.

“Ladies and gentlemen...I have seen some truly odd things in my life but this has to be the strangest.” She turned the camera to record the cocoon. “It seems that I have found what has to be the largest...egg sack? Cocoon? That has ever been recorded. What could it be? Mothman? An alien symbiote? The glob? Truly this is a remarkable find.” She then turned the camera, grinning into it. “Take that you self-righteous Cryptozoologist. Heheh--”

CRACK!

Billy jumped. The cocoon suddenly popped, a large seam snapping along the top of it which immediately made her back up. She had seen enough alien movies to know that this was not a good thing. But, morbid curiosity, and the fact that she always wanted to be on the ground floor discovering of something like this, urged her to stay. What could even be in there?

The cocoon split, letting out a fine mist that carried into the air. The smell which followed was foul and nearly made the interloper gag, but when human fingers reached out from within, grasping the seam, she was compelled to stay. Billy watched as those slender fingers gripped one side the crack, then the other and started to push. The cocoon cracked further and further before finally it gave way to the pressure. Thick plates of the shell flew offer, scattered along the ground. For a few moments there seemed to be no other movement and Billy was certain she had forgotten how to breathe. But as the camera zoomed in, she saw something else that took her breath away.

One knee raised, followed by a shapely thigh. As the mist dissipated, the very nude figure of an extremely gorgeous woman sat up from within the remains. Slowly she stood, her body curvaceous and her eyes the most sparkling shade of sapphire. Her lips were full, utterly kissable, and she possessed a body that any man or woman would absolutely love to worship. A small arch of her leg, the woman stretched her arms outward, rolling through the cascades of her raven black hair. A small tilt of her head and the woman cooed as she finished stretching out, her arms slowly falling to her sides.

She sniffed, looking down to her hands, running her fingers across her far fuller form, before she stopped and snapped her head in the direction of someone gasping. Those soul piercing blue eyes found their mark in the hiding woman with her cell phone up still up.

Agnes blinked, staring at her, before she raised a hand towards her. ”Who...are you?” she asked softly.

The blogger gulped as she stood up, still keeping her phone aimed forward. “Umm...Billy. Billy Mitchell.” This made no sense. She was talking to a goddamn alien super model!? “A-Are you...from...here?” she tried to inquiry.

Agnes tilted her head in thought, looking over her surroundings slowly. Memories began to restitch themselves together, thoughts and ideas, everything being relearned within seconds. She arched her gaze back to Billy, where she took a slowly breath. She stepped out of the husk of her cocoon, one long elegant leg following the other. Stepping across the soiled concrete, she made her way towards the young woman, no shame be displayed upon Agnes face as she smiled softly at her.

”No…” she finally answered. ”...not from here. I...am from...elsewhere.” She blinked. It would take time but her memories would restitch themselves into this form. However, for now, there were other things she wanted to experience. She stepped closer to the woman, the fluids that had once saturated her body seemed to just evaporate with every step she took towards the other. ”Will you feed me?” she asked softly.

Billy blinked. Confusion rolled over her features before she convinced herself that she were actually talking to an alien. “Feed? Oh. OH! Yeah! I mean, I have some granola bars in my pack.” She turned around, pulling her bag off and setting it on some equipment. She started to dig through her belongings when she felt those gorgeous, slender arms wrap around her midsection. The started to roll across her, groping and touching parts that made Billy bite her lip. Quickly she stammered out. “I...I thought...you meant...food…” she groaned.

Agnes smirked, her lips flicking across the woman’s ear. ”I did…” she whispered. There was a sharp jutting sound and Billy went rigid. Stepping back, Agnes pulled away her arms, from the palms of her hands were a pair of vicious looking stingers. She tilted her head, watching as Billy slowly crumpled into a heap upon the ground. Kneeling down, Agnes turned Billy over, her face an expression of curiosity turning into earnest thanks. ”Thank you,” she whispered. ”My children...they haven’t fed for quite some time.”

Opening her mouth, Billy’s last vision before the poison finally stopped her heart was of a legion of insects pouring out of the sexy alien’s mouth and own her still body.

It was several more days before Agnes would finally leave the hollowed building, dressed in tight khaki shorts, shirt, and flannel top that Billy had gone in with. A new travel bag and a cell phone in her possession, Agnes exited the building once she gathered enough of her mental state to do so. It was still confusing but she was beginning to recall everything again only, this time, the emotions that she knew she should be feeling towards certain events seemed either cold or the opposite of what she had felt before. Part of her wanted to be upset by that but, really, she couldn’t bring herself do it. What she did know was that she needed to learn more.

The trek back to her apartment was a swift one (everyone and their mother seemed to want to pick her up off the side of the road and offer a ride), but when she returned home, she sound it mostly in shambles. Police had covered the area in yellow tape and most of the neighbors were evacuated for fear of a weakened structure. But she paid little attention to the warnings and strolled in.

Stopping at the remains of her door, Agnes walked in, noticing the shambles that were left behind. It seemed the investigators cared little about the state of her stuff, which was an annoyance, sure. Then her eyes drifted to a far corner of the room where she found the remains of singed fluff and a bone. She sighed...she almost felt something for the memory of Lilith but that was it, it was just a memory.

She saw nothing that she cared about. Nothing that she would seek to carry with her. So, setting her pack down, Agnes grabbed a few bits of clothing she might require, a leftover stash of money she had hidden for emergencies and made ready to leave. She was just about to step out when she noticed the black case at the bottom of the closet -- her violin.

With a tilt of her head, Agnes kneeled down and plucked the case up. Snapping open the lid, she opened the case to reveal the smooth instrument. Pulling it out, she felt a small pang in her heart and nearly smiled as she turned it around in her hands. However, just as she turned it, she spotted a small bit of something carved into the back. It was extremely small and utterly unnoticeable at a glance. But once seen, it was all she saw. It was a heart, and within were the initials: RG + AN.

Agnes stared at the carving for far longer than she should have but the conflict in her was clear. Setting the violin on the ground, Agnes straightened up, stared at it for another second, and then slammed her heel into the base. It cracked and broke inward, the strings snapping and curling. Removing her foot from the broken instrument, Agnes turned on her heel and headed out of the remains of her apartment.

It was time to go home and pay the ”love of her life” a visit...