“The brood grows because of you.” Alex stopped fighting it, his defiance crumbling under the weight of the hive’s pull. He glanced up, expecting Pete or one of the other grizzled lifers who haunted the lounge during breaks, but the figure who stepped through was anything but familiar. Gay sex He stood in a cavern, vast and organic, its ceiling arching high above, studded with stalactite-like growths that dripped a viscous, amber fluid. Sweat beaded on Alex’s skin, trickling down his chest, and the air grew thick with the sound of their ragged breathing, the faint slap of flesh against flesh.Minutes stretched on, the slow build driving Alex insane. John offered vague scraps in return—said he was from “up north,” a non-answer that didn’t invite follow-ups, and mentioned he’d worked warehouses before, though he didn’t elaborate. Alex caught that scent again—woodsy cologne, sharp and clean, but undercut with something raw, like freshly turned earth or the musk of an animal. The metal door creaked as he pushed it open, the sound echoing down the narrow shaft, and he hesitated, one foot hovering over the first step. When it stopped, he slumped forward, moaning in ecstasy, his swollen belly swaying, wriggling with life. “The brood grows because of you.” Alex stopped fighting it, his
