The jungle stirred with unseen movement as the infection continued its silent expansion. What had once been aco battlefield now lay eerily still, the remnants of the fallen slowly sinking into the earth, claimed by the ever-hungry parasite. The air was thick with moisture, carrying a scent that was neither rot nor growth but something in between—something unnatural.
Beneath the canopy, the forest floor shifted as tendrils, thin and searching, wove their way through the underbrush. They crept along roots, coiling like patient serpents, testing the terrain before latching onto trees, burrowing into bark, and spreading unseen beneath the soil. Where they passed, the foliage began to change. Leaves darkened, their veins swelling with an unfamiliar substance. Moss thickened, its hue taking on a sickly sheen. Flowers bloomed with colors too vibrant, their petals pulsing as if alive.
Small creatures scuttled through the undergrowth, their movements frantic, uncertain. Some fled deeper into the jungle, sensing the disturbance. Others were not so fortunate. A rodent paused, sniffing at a vine curling along the ground. In an instant, the tendril snapped forward, latching onto its leg. The creature squealed, struggling, but the vine tightened, dragging it closer. As the parasite seeped in, the fight faded from its body, its twitching slowing until it stood motionless, eyes dull and unfocused. A moment later, it turned and vanished into the brush, its purpose no longer its own.
High above, the branches groaned under a growing weight. Structures, twisted and unnatural, began forming where the parasite had taken hold. Vines wove together into crude shapes, their surfaces slick with moisture. Some coiled around branches like nests, while others stretched downward, reaching for the ground like grasping fingers. The jungle was changing—not just growing, but reshaping itself, forming something new.
Deeper within the infected territory, a low vibration resonated through the air, felt more than heard. The pulse of the hive, a silent signal, carried through the tendrils, spreading its influence. The jungle listened, and it answered.
The infection had taken root. Now, it would grow.
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this chapters a bit of a throw away but i wanted to describe the infected plant life a bit more.