!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You enter the spare bedroom, flick on the light, and freeze in place.



The incubator door is partly open. You can't remember if you closed it last night.



[[> Open the incubator door completely|Open the incubator door the rest of the way]]

[[> Look around the room|Look around the bathroom]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You dry her off with a large cotton towel, the only clean one you have left. You lift her in your arms as you pat her dry. She feels warm to your touch. Her hair damp but soft. You lean down to smell her, but her scent is gone for now.



You dry off the tub with a second towel best you can before placing her back inside.



[[> Leave her alone for the rest of the day|Leave her]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You reach around blindly for a weapon and your fingers catch on the lamp beside your bed.



You swing it towards her, aiming for the center of her soft mass, but lose your conviction halfway through the movement. You can't do this to her. You drop the lamp and take a step backwards.



One of her tendrils wraps around your ankle and pulls. You jerk back.



As you fall, your head hits the edge of a table. You feel a loud crack at the base of your neck.



[[> Try to move|Ending 3]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You head to the bathroom and open the medicine cabinet. Shaving creams and perfumes and makeup and hand sanitizer and tweezers and everything she had before she left you - you kept it all.



Her lotion is in here. You squeeze some into your hand. You can smell the artificial aloe and lavender. It's how she melled after a hot shower as she climbed into bed with you.



You return to the spare bedroom with the lotion.



[[> Moisturize her with the lotion|Moisturize her]]

[[> Use the lotion on your own skin|Use the lotion]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You go into the bedroom.



Her clothes still sit where she last left them, laying about the carpetted floor and hanging over the chair. Dust has started to gather in a thin layer over them.



You will be able to find what you need here.



[[> Search the hamper for it|hamper]]

[[> Search the floor for it|pillow]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



She's heavier now and the size of a dog. She writhes against you as you carry her, her appendage investigating - searching your shirt and neck for something to grab onto. Her hair tickles your nose.



You bring her to the bathtub and place her in the white and yellowed porcelain.



[[> Lean down and pet her|Pet her]]

[[> Use the bathtub to wash her|Wash her]]

<<display "Day 5 Basic">>



You left her in the bathtub.



[[> Check on her in the bathtub|Check D]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You flip the latches. They click and slide open easily. She pushes against the lid, lifting it without your aid.



<<display "day 5 trunk description">>

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



The door swings open with her weight. She spills out into the room, a large torso of loose, squishy flesh with half a dozen unidentifiable appendages sprouting from her body. A long mane of black, curly hair goes from just above her wide, open mouth along her back, and trails along behind her.



Her body squishes itself as she moves forward like a snail. You hear the release of suction on the bathroom tiles as she moves onto the carpet.



[[> Kneel down and hold her in your arms|Hold her 2]]

[[> Attempt to put her out of her misery|attack her knife]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You reach for the shower knobs and fiddle with them until the chlorinated water pours through the rusty building pipes and through the tap.



You test the water. It burns your hands. You welcome the red marks from the scalding temperature.



[[> Wash her in the scalding hot water|Wash her now]]

[[> Change the water temperature and wash her|Lower the temperature of the water]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You sit down on the toilet and lean on your elbows, watching her within the bathtub. Her flesh is a warm pink against the cloudy porcelain.



Her skin ripples every once and a while with a shiver, but the rest of the time she moves slowly, her flesh undulating in soft calm waves of flesh. You wonder where her lungs are hiding, or if she even has any yet.



Hours pass. Your arms feel stiff. You peel your hands from your face, leaving clamming red marks behind them.



[[> Tomorrow|Day 5 C]]. Maybe it will be tomorrow.

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!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You feed her the leftover noodles covered in spices and onions and black-and-white mold.



She spits it out. Her appendage smacks your hand with surprising force and she pushes herself like an invalid away from you.



[[> Apologize to her|Apologize to her]]

[[> Shout at her|Shout at her]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You direct the water to the showerhead. Steam rises every surface the water touches, filling the room with warmth and humidity.



You spray the water over her bulbous, deformed flesh. Her body jerks and the fin hits the side of the bathtub but doesn't have the strength to move her.



Her skin turns red with heat.



[[> Clean her with soap|soap]]

[[> Clean her with bleach|bleach]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy - 2>>

You pour the remaining whiskey over her skin. You watch her flinch as the harsh alcohol hits her soft, newly formed skin.



The red in her skin deepens. The smell of the alcohol blocks out all scent of her.



You leave the empty bottle of whiskey on the table.<<set $whiskey = 0>>



[[> Place her back in the incubator|incubator close day 3]]

!!day forty-four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You drop the bags and pull a hidden crowbar from within your coat. You pull the manhole cover off and begin your descent.



You smell the sickly sweet lavender fragrance mixed with wet trash as you reach the landing. Colorful clothes stained by water and runoff, children's shoes, and backpacks lie scattered on the concrete.



"Psst." You whisper into the darkness.



Tendrils covered in pink flesh and fingernails snake forward out of the darkness, followed by a large shuffling blob of flesh that filled the entire diameter of the sewer. They take the grocery bags and tear them apart, dragging food back into the darkness.



"I'll bring you more, soon." The tendrils tug at your shirt insistently. [["I won't let you go hungry again."|the end]]<<set $ending4 = 1>>

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You sink further into your blankets and refuse to look toward the door. What does she want? What do you want?



"What am I going to do?" you ask yourself in a whisper, facing the ceiling with a blank stare.



You jump as your phone screams like a siren in the empty apartment.



[[> Answer your phone|Answer Phone 2]]

[[> Ignore it|Ignore Phone 2]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You avoid the spare bedroom and go into the living room. It is dark and musty. The brown carpet hides months of stains.



On the kitchen table lies some leftovers from earlier this week. You pick at them absent mindedly, shoving bite-size blocks of vegetable-soy meat replacement products into your mouth.



It does not settle your stomach.



[[> Go to the spare bedroom and check on her|Check on her day 4 Drink]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You slip your fingers into the corners of the incubator, between the steel wall and the warm, pulsing flesh. You sense a heartbeat.



You squeeze and pull. You can feel lumps under the skin where bone and cartilege seem to be forming. The skin is thicker than it was yesterday.



The blob of flesh slowly exits the incubator into your outstretched arms.



[[> Hold her in your arms|Hold her]]

[[> Place her on the floor|Place her on the floor]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You watch her closely as you move toward the toilet and sit upon the closed lid.



Her body twists as though it heard you, her mouth open and facing your direction and her lips smacking loudly. You see deep pink and purple gums, but no teeth. Her fin thumbs along the side of the tub and then crawls over it, longer than it was yesterday.



She does not appear to have the strength to move herself yet.



[[> Touch her mouth|Touch her mouth]]

[[> Give her something to drink|Give her something to drink]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy -1>>

You look once more at the bathtub before turning and leaving the room. You flick off the light as you leave the room, and close the door firmly. You hear the click as the door falls into place.



You sit down on the edge of your bed and wrap your knees in your arms.



It'll all be alright [[tomorrow|Day 5 D]].

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You open the cabinet beneath the sink and fish out a bottle of bleach.



You open the bottle and pour the corrosive liquid over her skin. The smell of bleach invades your senses and stings your eyes. You watch her shiver. Her flesh wrinkles.



You spray her once more with the water before shutting it off.



[[> Leave her alone for the rest of the day|Leave her]]

[[> Dry her off with a towel|Dry her off with a towel]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You delete the voicemail without looking at it. You know who it is, and what he wants. There's no way you would do that to her.



Thump.



But what are you going to do with her?



[[> Think about your options|Feelings]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

You walk carefully and quietly towards the trunk. Each step you take sounds deafening.



<<display "day 5 trunk description">>

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You pick her up off the floor carefully.



<<display "bathtub">>

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!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You pull out your only clean pan and toss fistfuls of rice in it before filling it with water, not bothering to measure it.



You place the pot on the stove, turn up the heat, and wait. The rice will incubate in there - grow, become soft. Hopefully. You were never much of a cook. Your stomach rumbles but you ignore it. The rice is for her.



The timer on the oven beeps after twenty minutes.



[[> Feed her the rice|Feed her the rice]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You sit down. You pull out a petri dish and blow the dust off of it.



You take out the vial and break the seal with a satisfying crack. With a pair of long tweezers you pull the small pink piece of flesh from the solution and place it on the dish.



You place it under the microscope. They are active and lively.



<<if $dna eq "tissue">>[[> Add her mucous from the tissue|tissue]]<<endif>><<if $dna eq "underwear">>[[> Add a piece of her soiled underwear|underwear]]<<endif>><<if $dna eq "hair">>[[> Add her hair gathered from the shower drain|hair]]<<endif>><<if $dna eq "toothbrush">>[[> Add dried saliva and food from her toothbrush|toothbrush]]<<endif>><<if $dna eq "tampon">>[[> Add dried blood from her tampon|tampon]]<<endif>>

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You return the call. The ringtone sounds like forever.



"Hey hey hey!"



"I have what you need. Come on over when you're ready."



"Right on, buddy!" You hear the phone disconnect. You look toward the bathroom door and start to cry.



You know that [[months from now|Ending 1]] you'll regret taking the easy way out.

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You see a small, round lump of flesh the size of a football. Her skin is pink and soft, like a babe's. Soft brown hairs, sparse and thin like hairs on your arm, grow in patches along the side and top of the flesh. She shudders as the cold air in the room invades her space in the incubator.



You reach out hesitantly.



[[> Stroke her hair|Stroke her hair]]

[[> Touch her skin|Touch her skin]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy - 1>>

Your fingers shake as you grip the bottle of whiskey and take a quick gulp from it. You welcome the burning sensation on the back of your throat as you swallow the corrosive liquid.



You breathe deeply and then let your eyes linger on her.<<set $whiskey = 0>>



[[> Disinfect her with the whiskey|Disinfect her with the whiskey]]

[[> Drink the rest of the whiskey|Finish off the whiskey]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You leave her there alone in the bathtub and walk out into the dusky kitchen.



Black shiny flies hover over the garbage can defensively. You ignore them. The refrigerator hums. The pantry is mostly empty except for a bag of rice and some seasoning packs.



[[> Cook the rice for her|Cook the rice]]

[[> Look in the fridge for food|Find food in the refrigerator]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



"I..." you hesitate. This is your opportunity to take the easy way out.



Thump. No, she deserves better than that.



"I got nothing, man. I was fired. No more access. You'll have to find a different supplier."



The phone on the other end goes silent for a long time. "It was nice workin' wit ya while it lasted." The phone disconnects.



[[> Think about your options|Feelings]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You reach forward, your fingers shaking, and swing the door to the incubator completely open.



It is empty.



Your heart beats faster.



[[> Look around the room|Look around the bathroom]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



"I..." you hesitate. This is the wrong way to do this.



Thump.



"I have what you need. Get over here ASAP and you can have it."



"Right on, buddy!" You hear the phone disconnect. You look toward the bathroom door and start to cry.



You know that [[months from now|Ending 1]] you'll regret taking the easy way out.

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You listen to the voicemail on speakerphone, the sharp, grating voice filling the room.<<set $call = 1>>



"Hey hey hey! You know who this is. I just wanna let ya know - got a buyer here and, well, I've been keepin' her waiting too long. Do you have what I need? Get back to me ASAP. Serious this time."



You click the phone off. You know you could end it here and now.



[[> Return the call|Return Call]]

[[> Think about your options|Feelings]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You avoid the spare bedroom and go into the living room. It is dark and musty. The brown carpet hides months of stains.



On the kitchen table lies some leftovers from earlier this week. You pick at them absent mindedly, shoving bite-size blocks of vegetable-soy meat replacement products into your mouth.



It does not settle your stomach.



[[> Go to the spare bedroom and check on her|Check on her day 4 Inc]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You sit down and lean on your elbows, watching her within the large trunk. Her white flesh clashes with the black leather.



Her skin ripples every once and a while with a shiver, but the rest of the time she moves slowly, her flesh undulating in soft calm waves of flesh. You wonder where her lungs are hiding, or if she even has any yet.



Hours pass. Your arms feel stiff. You peel your hands from your face, leaving clamming red marks behind them.



[[> Tomorrow|Day 5 A]]. Maybe it will be tomorrow.

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!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



The spare bedroom is tiny, made even smaller by the boxes on the floor stacked shoulder height. They all say her name on them like a silent chorus.



A table stands cluttered with metal and glass instruments. They all have "PROPERTY OF PrimeCUTech" emblazoned on them. A large machine sits on the left, square with a thick metal door and several dials for temperature and humidity.



[[> Sit down and begin|Sit down]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You open the incubator. You hear the hiss as the seal lifts. You feel the warm, sticky air as it hits your skin with a familiar smell.



You close your eyes to bask in her scent for a moment.



[[> Open your eyes|Open your eyes]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



"No..." you swallow but your throat is dry. "I ran into some problems and couldn't get it." The words tumble rapidly out of your mouth. "Look, I can try again in a few days. I'll figure something out."



"Make sure to call me when you do. You're my most reliable source, you know." His excitement is replaced by a cool, measured voice. A dangerous voice.



"Of course." You turn off the phone.



[[> Remove the specimen from your pocket|out of your shoe]]

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!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You sit down and lean on your elbows. Your barefeet trace lines in the rough carpet as you close your eyes and try to listen.



You imagine you hear her heartbeat. Or yours. The buzz of the lights. Creaks in the ceiling as your neighbors dance between bathroom and bedroom.



You hear a deep shuffle in the trunk. Just for a moment. And then silence.



Hours pass. Your arms feel stiff. You peel your hands from your face, leaving clamming red marks behind them.



[[> Tomorrow|Day 5 B]], maybe. You can only hope.

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You sit up in bed and rub your temples.



You love her. You miss her. You can smell her and, now, you can touch her soft skin and move your fingers through her curly hair like you always did.



Thump.



You curl up in the fetal position. It's not... quite right. You don't know what went wrong.



[[> You love her too much to hurt her|love her]]

[[> You fear what she is, and what she will become|fear her]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You check the hamper. It's piled halfway with her unwashed clothes, still waiting for her to return to them. You can smell her in them - her sweat, her perfume, her stink.



You take a pair of her old underwear. It should be enough. <<set $dna = "underwear">>



[[> Take the vial and underwear into the spare bedroom|storage room]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You let it ring out without even checking the caller. The buzzing and loud ringing pierce the silence. He sit down on the sagging couch and hold your head in your hands, wincing at the headache.



You can't afford to be distracted. Not now.



The ringing stops. It goes to voicemail.



[[> Listen to the voicemail|Voicemail]]

[[> Delete the voicemail|Delete Voicemail]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You place everything in the incubator and swing the large metal door shut. You turn the handle to seal the specimen in.



The temperature and humidity inside the machine rises. There's no way of telling when the process will be complete.



There's not much else to do now. You lean back and close your eyes thinking of her.



[[> Tomorrow|fall asleep]] you will know more.

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



Your eyes search the room wildly and fall upon a lump of pale white flesh covered in clumps of brown hair.



It's larger now, maybe ten or fifteen pounds of flesh. You reach toward it and pull it from out under the desk. Did she go there on her own for safety? Or did she fall and roll there with gravity.



She's too big to place back inside the incubator



[[> Hold her in your arms|Hold her]]

[[> Place her on the floor|Place her on the floor]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You stroke her hair softly, letting your fingertips brush along the fine fillaments. You rub your hand against the roots, feeling them tug and spring as your hand moves across the lump of flesh.



It feels all wrong.



[[> Smooth her hair out|Smooth her hair]]

[[> Touch her skin|Touch her skin]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy + 1>>

You craddle her in your arms and absentmindedly stroke her hair, now thicker and courser than yesterday. You feel the boney protrusions under her malleable flesh and wonder which will turn into hands and, eventually fingers.



You wish you could hold her hand again.



You look back at the incubator. "Can't put you back in there." You cast your eyes around the room.



[[> Place her in the bathtub|bathtub]]

[[> Pull a trunk out from the closet|trunk hands]]

<<display "Day 5 Basic">>



You recall you left her in the trunk in the spare bedroom.



[[> Check on her in the trunk|Check A]]

<<display "Day 5 Basic">>



You recall you left her in the trunk in the spare bedroom.



[[> Check on her in the trunk|Check B]]

<<display "Day 5 Basic">>



You recall you left her in the bathtub.



[[> Check on her in the bathtub|Check C]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You touch her skin. It's soft, like a baby, so soft and smooth. A babe, newly born.



You take your hands together to lift her gently and rotate her onto her side (is it her side?). You are careful not to bruise her newly formed flesh.



Dry flakes of skin fall to the floor of the incubator.



[[> Soften her skin with lotion|Use lotion]]

[[> Disinfect her skin with alcohol|Use alcohol]]

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!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You dry her off with a large cotton towel, the only clean one you have left. You lift her in your arms as you pat her dry. She feels warm to your touch. Her hair damp but soft. You lean down to smell her, filling your nose with her beautiful scent.



You dry off the tub with a second towel best you can before placing her back inside.



[[> Leave her alone for the rest of the day|Leave her]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy -1>>

You look once more at the trunk before turning and leaving the room. You flick off the light as you leave the room, and close the door firmly. You hear the click as the door falls into place.



You sit down on the edge of your bed and wrap your knees in your arms.



It'll all be alright [[tomorrow|Day 5 B]].

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You pick up a pair of scissors and lean them against the hard plastic toothbrush. You hold them over the petri dish and begin to cut at the bristles, watching them fall away into the dish.



You mix the bristles, saliva, food particulates, and culture together.



[[>Place the active culture in the incubator|incubator]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You look over the sink. Your fingers move through her various beauty products being careful to place them eactly back where they were.



Your eyes catch her toothbrush. You pick it up and peer into it. You can see some yellowed bits of old food still dried to the bristles with her saliva.



It will have to be enough.<<set $dna = "toothbrush">>



[[> Take the vial and toothbrush into the spare bedroom|storage room]]

You go into the bedroom and pull the trunk out of the closet.



You open it and hesitate for a moment. Her winter clothes are folded and packed tightly, filling the trunk. You imagine the care she took as she culled through her belongings with each season.



You upend the trunk, spilling her clothes out onto the bedroom floor, and drag it into the spare bedroom.



[[> Place her inside the trunk|Place her in the trunk]]

[[> Place her in the bathtub instead|bathtub]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You delete the voicemail without looking at it. You don't need to look at it to know who called and what he was looking for.



You do not want to be interrupted. Not now. Not with this.



[[> Remove the specimen from your pocket|out of your shoe]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You can barely breathe. You can feel your throat close to the diameter of a straw and your breathe whistles.



You splash cold water over your face and neck and hover over the sink for a moment, listening to the sink and trying to forget her.



You can't forget her.



[[> Pull open the shower curtain|Open the shower curtain]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You wake up on the couch. An empty bottle of whiskey lies overturned on the floor among the trash. Thin rays of light that have made their way past the blinds attack your eyes like daggers. You rub your temples and wish the pain away.



Your stomach rumbles.



[[> Go to the spare bedroom and check on her|Check on her day 4 Drink]]

[[> Get something to eat first|avoid her day 4 Drink]]

!!day thirty-one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You lug the messy pail of food to bedroom and open the door. You see a pile of flesh pressed up against the doorframe, completely filling the room. A tendril takes the pail and lifts it to the giant, gaping maw. She slurps up the food hungrily. You use a stained towel to clean the drippings from her flesh.



She puckers her lips. "That's all I have," you whisper to her. You can hear the wall creak as she strains against it, growing before your eyes.



<<set $ending5 = 1>>"Do you hear me?" The banging on the door increases. "You know the rules! [[No pets allowed!|the end]]"

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You place the underwear on the desk and take up a pair of scissors. You carefully cut out the crotch where the fabric is stiffer and stained with bodily fluids. You carve out a piece the size of a dime.



You place it in the petri dish and mix it with the culture.



[[>Place the active culture in the incubator|incubator]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You wake up again, this time to a knock on your front door. You check the time. It's after noon.



You wait, huddled under your blanket, for the knocks to stop. You hear them again and then wait. The feet shuffle again and then turn, growing fainted with each step.

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You lay in bed wide awake. Listening.



Thump. The sound is coming from the closed bathroom door.



Thump. Thump.



She's knocking.



You know that you need to decide what to do about her once and for all. You'll need to decide soon.



[[> Remain in bed|Remain in bed]]

[[> Look at the bathroom door|Look at the bathroom door]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You wake up but you don't feel like you've slept at all. You can taste bile and scum in your mouth. You smell of stale sweat.



You sit up from the couch and rub your sore neck. You haven't been to work in days. Did they even notice?



[[> Check on her in the bathtub|Check day 6]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You wake up in your bed, your clothes wrinkled and smelling of sweat and anxiety.



Your stomach rumbles.



[[> Go to the spare bedroom and check on her|Check on her day 4 Inc]]

[[> Get something to eat first|avoid her day 4 Inc]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy - 1>>

You pick her up off the floor.



She wriggles in your arms, protesting as you place her inside the dark trunk.



[[> Close the lid of the trunk|Close the trunk]]

[[> Sit down and Watch her|Watch her trunk]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You brush your fingers through her mane of curly black hair. "I can't keep you here, love." you whisper to her. "But I promise I'll keep you safe as long as I can."



You stand up and go into the spare bedroom. You take the largest box you can reach, her name blazoned on the side with black marker. You empty the box and bring it into the bedroom.



"Don't worry." you tell her as you lift her contorted body and place it inside the box. [["I'll visit for as long as I can."|Ending 4]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You close your eyes and answer the phone.



"Hey hey hey!" the familiar voice says to you. Thump. You make a noise.



"You got what I'm looking for? I've got a buyer here that's, well, let's just say she ain't all that happy right now."



You pause, realizing this could end it all. If you chose to. You hear her knock on the door again and wince. You just couldn't do that to her, no, never. Or could you?



[[> Tell him you have what he's looking for|Promise Johnnie 2]]

[[> Tell him you have nothing he wants|Deny Johnnie 2]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



"I miss you."



Your voice is unsteady and little more than a whisper, but you see her lips twist.



"I wish you could come back to me." You hold her fin in your hand. "I..."



You find yourself speechless as you gaze into her open maw. There's still a chance [[tomorrow |Day 7]] that it will get better.

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



"I'm so sorry," you tell her as you stroke her hair softly. She flinches at your touch and then calms down, letting you move your hand freely.



"I'm sorry for all of this. Everything." You bite back tears. "I wish..."



You find yourself speechless as you gaze into her open maw. There's still a chance [[tomorrow |Day 7]] that it will get better.

!!day one



She's dead.



You remind yourself that every day since she died. But her scent still lingers in the carpets, the blankets, the very walls of your apartment. Her clothes lie scattered on the floor, reminding you.



No matter how far you run, you can't seem to escape her.



Maybe you don't want to.



[["Today will be different,"|Day 1]] you tell yourself.

<<set $empathy = 5>>

<<set $debug = 0>>

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You drop to your knees and hold her in your arms. Her tendril wraps itself around you. You cry into her hair as you stroke it. You can feel her breathe on your arm and the clink of her teeth.



It's still her. Parts of her, anyway.



[[> Take her someplace safe, far away|someplace safe]]

[[> Attempt to put her out of her misery|attack her knife love]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You drop to your knees and hold her in your arms. Her tendril wraps itself around you. You cry into her hair as you stroke it. You can feel her breathe on your arm and the clink of her teeth.



It's still her. Parts of her, anyway.



[[> Promise her you will never let her go|never leave her]]

[[> Take her someplace safe, far away|someplace safe]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You decide to just leave her there. Her fin-like hand taps against the side of the bathtub.



You can barely recognize her anymore.



Maybe [[tomorrow|Day 6]] it will be better.

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You wake up in a chilled sweat, aware of every inch of your skin. Your palms are clammy. It takes you a few minutes to figure out where the sounds are coming from.



They are coming from the incubator.



[[> Open the incubator|Open the incubator]]

[[> Listen to the incubator|Listen to the incubator]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You decide to leave the wrinkle of pink flesh alone. It will open when it is ready, whatever it is.



[[> Use the bathtub to wash her|Wash her]]

[[> Leave her alone the rest of the day|Leave her]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You place her on a strip of plastic on the floor at the center of the room, relieved to have your arms to yourself again. You remember the feel of the boney, tumorlike protrusions beneath her skin.



You look back at the incubator. "Can't put you back in there." You cast your eyes around the room.



[[> Place her in the bathtub|bathtub floor]]

[[> Pull a trunk out from the closet|trunk]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You listen to the trunk, your ear pressed against the musky leather.



The trunk creaks as she shifts her weight around from one end to another. A thudding noise against the lid surprises you, as though she were... knocking.



[[> Unlock and open the trunk|Open the trunk]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



The door swings open with her weight. She spills out into the room, a large torso of loose, squishy flesh with half a dozen unidentifiable appendages sprouting from her body. A long mane of black, curly hair goes from just above her wide, open mouth along her back, and trails along behind her.



Her body squishes itself as she moves forward like a snail. You hear the release of suction on the bathroom tiles as she moves onto the carpet.



[[> Kneel down and hold her in your arms|Hold her 3]]

[[> Attempt to put her out of her misery|Attack her weaponless]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You go into the bathroom and flick on the bright florescent light. A pile of empty toilet paper tubs litter the floor around the toilet. Yellow and brown stains blot the white tiles. You haven't cleaned in a while.



Her makeup products are still scattered around the sink. The mirror sparkles like the night sky with dots of toothpaste and spit.



[[> Search the sink for it|sink]]

[[> Search the shower for it|shower]]

[[> Search the trash for it|trash]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy - 1>>

You drop the lip of the trunk with a loud thump. You reach down and flick the latches on the left and right side of the lid, sealing her in.



Out of sight, but not out of mind.



[[> Sit and listen to her|Sit and listen 2]]

[[> Leave her alone in there|Leave her alone 2]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You hesitate for a moment and remind yourself of what she has become.



You swing the knife with all your force down upon her mass, aiming for her center in the hopes that the tip would find her brain. She screams noiselessly and whips her tendrils and appendages, grabbing at you.



You feel her teeth tear at your flesh. Your arm bleeds.



You stab her again. And again. And again.



She stops moving. You collapse on top of her, burying your face in her thick curly hair. You can only hope you can forgive yourself for this [[one day, eventually|Ending 2]].

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You open the fridge. The shelves are mostly empty, or stained with unidentifiable liquids.



A styrofoam box contains leftovers from last week - noodles covered in spicy sauce and mold.



[[> Feed her the moldy leftovers|Feed her the leftovers]]

[[> Cook the rice for her|Cook the rice]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You run the tap water in the sink. You grab the cup you use for your mouthwash and upend it, spilling your toothbrush into the sink. You fill it with water.



You lean over the bathtub and pour the water into her mouth. She flinches as the water touches her and then seems to drink it up greedily.



[[> Give her something to eat|Give her something to eat]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy -1>>

You reach up and pull the shower curtain shut in a chatter of metal rings sliding against stainless steel.



Out of sight, but not out of mind.



[[> Sit and listen to her|Sit and listen]]

[[> Leave her alone in the room|Leave her alone]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You wrench yourself from her body, stand up, and lift the knife. You swing it towards her, aiming for the center of her soft mass, but lose your conviction halfway through the movement. You can't do this to her. You drop the knife and take a step backwards.



One of her tendrils wraps around your ankle and pulls. You jerk back.



As you fall, your head hits the edge of a table. You feel a loud crack at the base of your neck.



[[> Try to move|Ending 3]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You grab the edge of the shower curtain with an unsteady hand and pull it open.



<<display "day 5 shower description">>

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You tighten your grip around her and kiss her on a hairless patch of skin. "Don't worry, I won't ever let you go."



You cast your eyes about the room and see it. You grab the hem of her favorite dress, pull it off the hanger, and drape it over her soft mounds of flesh.



I will take care of you," you promise her. [["Forever."|Ending 5]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You get the whiskey from the kitchen and return. You hesitate for a moment, but decide now is the wrong time to get drunk.



You upend the whiskey bottle over her mouth, drowning her in the alcohol. She appears to retch and recoil from the burning alcohol, her lips sputtering and closing. Her finlike appendage waves and smacks the floor of the tub.



[[> Get her something to eat|Give her something to eat]]

<<display "Start">>

A short, thick tendril of rose-colored flesh pokes out of the side of the bathtub, peering over it, searching, feeling. You recognize a mishapen fingernail at the end. It attaches to her mound like a fin.



She's larger now, maybe the size of a dog. He body has developed some form to her shapeless mass. You can see bones stretch against her skin like knots. Her hair grows in patches of thick fur.



[[> Lean down and pet her|Pet her]]

[[> Use the bathtub to wash her|Wash her]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



She's everywhere, even in your dreams.



You look out from your childhood home and see her walking towards you, dead-eyed like her corpse on the coroner's table. She reaches out her arm.



You shut the door. You can hear her outside, shuffling and thumping against the door.



[[> Brace the door against her|sounds]].

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



"Yeah, I might have something," you tell him. Your voice is dry and scratchy. You pause for a moment, contemplating your own plans for the night. "But, there were some problems. It might not be a... viable specimen."



"Is that right?"



"Look, I'll call you back if it pans out, but give me a couple days, okay?" You cancel the phone call before you make any mistakes and give away your lies.



[[> Remove the specimen from your pocket|out of your shoe]]

!!end of days



<<if $ending1 eq 1>>[["Just $7.99/lb of Flesh"|Ending 1]]<<else>>[locked]<<endif>>

<<if $ending2 eq 1>>[["We'll Be Together Forever"|Ending 2]]<<else>>[locked]<<endif>>

<<if $ending3 eq 1>>[[One Bite at a Time|Ending 3]]<<else>>[locked]<<endif>>

<<if $ending4 eq 1>>[["I Won't Let You Go Hungry Again"|Ending 4]]<<else>>[locked]<<endif>>

<<if $ending5 eq 1>>[["No Pets Allowed"|Ending 5]]<<else>>[locked]<<endif>>

<<if $ending1 eq 1 and $ending2 eq 1 and $ending3 eq 1 and $ending4 eq 1 and $ending5 eq 1>>

You have unlocked all of the endings. Gross.<<endif>>



[[Play again from the beginning|Restart]]

[[Play again from the beginning of day six|Day 7]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You close the incubator door and lose sight of her. You place your hand on the steel door for a few moments.



You'll have to just wait until [[tomorrow|Day 4 Inc]] to find out.

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You press your ear up against the warm steel.



You hear nothing for a moment. You almost give up and then it starts again. A thud against the hollow interior of the incubator, followed by a shuffling noise, as though whatever lay inside were testing the bounderies of her prison.



[[> Open the incubator|Open the incubator]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You take a pair of scissors to the tampon, cutting off some of the outer layers of cotton soaked with blood.



You place the dried blood in the petri dish and mix it with the culture.





[[>Place the active culture in the incubator|incubator]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You pull out a single test vial with the words "PrimeCUTech" printed around the seal.. It shines even in the dim light.



A small pink blob sits in the clear liquid. The culture floats as you tip the vial. So much work for such a little thing. It has potential, but it's not ready yet. There's still something else you need.



[[> Search the bathroom for it|bathroom]]

[[> Search the bedroom for it|bedroom]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy - 1>>

You pace back and forth thinking about what to do. You cringe at the thought of touching her like this.



You look at the incubator again.



"I can't leave her like that."



[[> Pull her out of the incubator|Pull her out of the incubator]]





|Her Pound|

|of|

|Flesh|



a short piece of interactive horror about heartache





by Liz England

@lizardengland

[[about this game|About]]







CONTENT WARNING

Body horror. May contain (depending on your path) blood, self-harm, violence, and death.







!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You pet her, stroking her thick curly hair and pushing it back from her... face?



You can feel a deep but newly formed wrinkle in her skin. It's about an inch wide. You peer at it. Soft and supple and discolored with a deep red flush.



[[> Leave the wrinkle alone|Leave it alone]]

[[> Force the wrinkle open|Force it open]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You take out the hair, still slimey from gathering water and soap and bodily fluids as they pass through the shower drain. You twine the hairs around your fingers and rip it until you have only a small wad of hair knotted upon itself.



You place it in the petri dish and mix it with the culture.



[[>Place the active culture in the incubator|incubator]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



"Say something!" you shout at her, your voice quivering and breaking at the end. "Anything. Say anything."



You reach down to touch her and stop yourself, bring your hand back to wipe your tears. "I wish you could... I wish I... This is all wrong."



You find yourself speechless as you gaze into her open maw. There's still a chance [[tomorrow |Day 7]] that it will get better.

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy + 1>>

You bring your face up close to her soft skin and inhale deeply. Flickers of memories run past your closed eyes. You wish you could hear her laugh again.



You let your hand linger on her skin.



Soon.



[[> Place her back in the incubator|incubator close day 3]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You go into the kitchen and grab your bottle of whiskey. It is half empty, but enough for you. For tonight at least.



Your fingers shake as you grip the bottle of whiskey and take a quick gulp from it. You welcome the burning sensation on the back of your throat as you swallow the corrosive liquid.



Your hands begin to steady themselves.



[[> Drink the rest of the whiskey|Finish off the whiskey]]

[[> Place her back in the incubator|incubator close day 3]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



"Do you remember me?" you ask her as you reach down and hold her finlike hand in yours, letting her investigate your hand with her appendage.



"Do you remember anything? Can you hear me? See me? Can you even..."



You find yourself speechless as you gaze into her open maw. There's still a chance [[tomorrow |Day 7]] that it will get better.

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You check the shower. Gray stains mar the white porcelain and blend into the brown tiles on the wall. Her shampoo and conditioner and face wash and razor still sit unused around the rim of the bathtub.



You take a screwdriver to the drain and open it up. You dig in there with your fingers and pull out a clump of slimy hair. <<set $dna = "hair">>



[[> Take the vial and hair into the spare bedroom|storage room]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You turn in bed and cast your eyes towards the bathroom door. The light is one. Did you leave the light on? You can't remember. A shadow dances back and forth at the base of the door. What does she want? What do you want?



"What am I going to do?" you ask yourself in a whisper, facing the ceiling with a blank stare.



You jump as your phone screams like a siren in the empty apartment.



[[> Answer your phone|Answer Phone 2]]

[[> Ignore it|Ignore Phone 2]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You pull open some drawers, but don't see any disinfectant. You should have pocketed some more from work while you had the opportunity.



You walk into the kitchen, knowing your way even in the darkness. You take a bottle of whiskey, dark brown like soiled water, harsh.



You bring the whiskey into the spare bedroom.



[[> Drink the whiskey to calm yourself|Drink the whiskey]]

[[> Disinfect her with the whiskey|Disinfect her with the whiskey]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You reach down carefully and touch her lips. They are soft and full like they always were. She shivers and then opens her mouth wide, showing off her sensitive purple gums. She appears to want something.



[[> Give her something to drink|Give her something to drink]]

[[> Giver her something to eat|Give her something to eat]]

You carry her to the bathroom and use your elbow to pull apart the shower curtain to display a large deep tub stained yellow and gray with dirt. Dark black and brown mold grows in the grout along the edge of the tub.



You lean down and place her on the floor of the tub. As you move you can feel her wiggle and undulate against you.



You look down at her.



[[> Pull the shower curtain closed|Close the shower curtain shut]]

[[> Sit down and watch her|Watch her bathtub]]

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})();

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You stumble into the bathroom, rubbing your bleary eyes, and look in on her.



Her flesh has parted at the very top facing upward, two thick pink lips opening and closing and pursing themselves together. A tongue dances, snakelike, along the edge of her mouth then disappears back into the orifice.



[[> Watch from from a distance|Watch her from a distance]]

[[> Touch her mouth|Touch her mouth]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You feed her the freshly cooked rice with your fingers.



She eats it up greedily. Your skin crawls at the feel of her tongue against your fingertips as she searches for more.



[[> Tell her you miss her|Tell her you miss her]]

[[> Remind her of you|Remind her of you]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You put the phone to your ear and sit down on the sagging couch.



"Hey hey hey!" the caller says. You recognize the voice. "How ya doin'?"



You make an noncommital noise.



"So, buddy, you told me you'd have something for me today. I've got a couple buyers that are verrrry interested!" His excitement grates your ears. "You got what I'm looking for yet?"



[[> Tell him you might have something|Promise Johnnie]]

[[> Lie and tell him you have nothing yet|Deny Johnnie]]

!!day twelve <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



Your arm itches maddenly. You scratch at it, turning it red, but there's no signs of infection.



There's signs of something else, instead.



You play with the soft, dark, curly hairs that have sprouted in bunches along your inner wrist. Your palm itches.



There's nothng you can do now except hope that the itching stops.



[[> Check your arm again tomorrow|together 3]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy + 1>>



You moisterize her carefully, massaging the lotion into her skin. There are no bones, no cartilege, nothing hard, no crevices. She's a blank canvas painted now by you and her scent.



[[> Smell her and remember|Smell her]]

[[> Place her back in the incubator|incubator close day 3]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You place her on a strip of plastic on the floor at the center of the room, relieved to have your arms to yourself again.



<<display "trunk">>

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You Roughly tear as much of the loose tissue away from the heart of dried mucous until you are left with a thick yellow wad.



You place it in petri dish and mix it with the culture.



[[>Place the active culture in the incubator|incubator]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You sit down and lean on your elbows. Your barefeet trace lines in the cold tile as you close your eyes and try to listen.



You imagine you hear her heartbeat. Or yours. The buzz of the lights. Creaks in the ceiling as your neighbors dance between bathroom and bedroom.



You hear the bathtub creak. The squeak of flesh rubbing against porcelein. It goes silent. You continue your vigil.



Hours pass. Your arms feel stiff. You peel your hands from your face, leaving clamming red marks behind them.



[[T> omorrow|Day 5 D]], maybe. You can only hope.

A short, thick tendril of rose-colored flesh pokes out of the side of the trunk, peering over it, searching, feeling. You recognize a mishapen fingernail at the end. It attaches to her mound like a fin.



She's larger now, maybe the size of a dog. He body has developed some form to her shapeless mass. You can see bones stretch against her skin like knots. Her hair grows in patches of thick fur.



[[> Hold her hand in yours|Hold her hand]]

[[> Bring her to the bathtub|Bring her to the bathtub]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You peer into her mouth and realize her tongue is dry. Her lips have begun to crack. You try to decide what to give her.



<<if $whiskey eq "1">>[[> Give her whiskey from the kitchen|Give her whiskey]]<<endif>>

[[> Give her water from the tap|Give her water from the tap]]

[[> Get fresh filtered water for her|Get fresh filtered water for her]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You crawl out of bed and straight your shirt as you head into the bathroom and flick on the light. Your eyes hover over the shower curtain.



A wide, long shadow waves unsteadily behind the curtain. The thin plastic shivers at its touch and rustles against the tub. The shadow receeds.



[[> Calm your nerves first|Calm your nerves 2]]

[[> Pull open the shower curtain|Open the shower curtain]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You crawl out of bed and straight your shirt as you head into the bathroom and flick on the light. Your eyes hover over the bathtub.



<<display "day 5 shower description">>

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You crawl out of bed, not bothering to change you clothes.



The room is dark with the curtains drawn. Sometime in the night you had started to cover the windows with strips of newspaper and tape to keep the violent light out of the room.



You enter the spare bedroom.



[[> Listen to her in the trunk|Listen to the trunk]]

[[> Unlock and open the trunk|Open the trunk]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You crawl out of bed, not bothering to change you clothes.



The room is dark with the curtains drawn. Sometime in the night you had started to cover the windows with strips of newspaper and tape to keep the violent light out of the room.



You enter the spare bedroom.



[[> Look at her in the trunk|Look at her Day 5]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You walk into the kitchen. Your fingers tremble as they wrap around a large knife.



You walk back to the bathroom door and look down at the floor. A pair of tendrils, covered in pink flesh and tuffs of fur, snake back and forth under the opening.



[[> Open the door to the bathroom|Open Door 2]]

<<if $call>>[[> Return the call|Return Call]]<<endif>>

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>

<<set $empathy = $empathy + 1>>

You smooth out her hair. You wish you had a brush, but the one she left behind was large and heavy - too harsh on such soft flesh.



Your fingers shake.



[[> Touch her skin|Touch her skin]]

[[> Calm your nerves|Calm your nerves]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You use the lotion on yourself, rubbing it into your hands and up your wrists, like you've done whenever you miss her that much.



You cover your face in your hands and breathe in deeply. You feel your warm breathe against your hands and face and inhale her scent. It's still not her.



You drop your hands and look at what is left of her. Her pound of flesh.



[[> Find a way to calm your nerves|Calm your nerves]]



!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You lean down to her and take her hand gingerly in yours. It's only about a foot long, wide at the base. More like a fin than a hand. There's a single knuckle where an elbow should be.



You massage the knuckle carefully with your fingers and recall the growing pains you had when you were a teenager. Is that what she's feeling now?



[[> Bring her to the bathtub|Bring her to the bathtub]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You crouch down and start digging through the small trashbin overflowing with tissues. Everything on the top is yours. You toss them on the floor.



You unfold a tissue with lipstick smeared on it and discard it. It's not enough.



At the bottom you find another tissue with a dark red sticky stain on it. A used tampon wrapped in toilet paper. You take it. <<set $dna = "tampon">>



[[> Take the vial and tampon into the spare bedroom|storage room]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You pick up the soap from the side of the bathtub and wet it under the water. The lavender scent fills the warm, humid room. It's her scent.



You lather up the soap and then soothingly rub it into her skin and hair. She has no eyes for the suds to sting. Not yet, anyway. Soon.



You spray her with the water before shutting it off.



[[> Leave her alone for the rest of the day|Leave her]]

[[> Dry her off with a towel|Dry her off with a towel 1]]

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“Her Pound of Flesh” was made for Asylum Jam, which tasked developers with making horror games that do not use mental illness or asylums as part of the setting or gameplay mechanics. This game was made in ~48 hours.



Contact the author: lizengland07@gmail.com

Asylum Jam: www.asylumjam.com



<<back>>

!!day eleven <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



Your arm is splotchy, with patches of pale pink flesh dotting it all the way to your shoulder in deep contrast to your normal skintone. You run your fingers through a tuft of black hair that has formed over a new lump on your wrist.



Your palm itches. You scratch at it and take a pair of plier to the fingernail growing in there, but you can't get a good grip on it.



You lift your palm to your face and inhale deeply. You can smell her inside you. You smile. <<set $ending2 = 1>>"I guess [[we'll be together forever."|the end]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You flip the cold water on and wait until it feels warm and soothing on your skin.



You spray her with the showerhead. You see her fin wriggle as you cover her bulbous flesh with water cascading across her rosy skin and patch of thick, curly hair growing in tufts like weeds.



[[> Clean her with soap|soap]]

[[> Clean her with bleach|bleach]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You check your voicemail. You immediately recognize the caller. Your instestines knot up as you hold the phone up to your ear.



"Hey hey hey! Today's the day! I thought you might have something you owe me, man. I got a buy here that is VERY excited. Call me back as soon as you can."



You turn off the phone and place it on the table.



[[> Remove the specimen from your pocket|out of your shoe]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You rub the tears out of your eyes.



She is not what you wanted, but it's still her. You've brought her back. You need to do right by her. It is time.



You swing your legs over the side of the bed.



[[> Open the door to the bathroom|Open Door]]

!!day four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You take your thumbs and try to stretch the wrinkle apart, opening it before it's finished forming. You think, you hope... maybe you'll be able to look into her beautiful soft brown eyes again.



She appears to struggle as you force the wrinkle open. A knot of hair, wet and slimey with mucous comes out along with something hard. A tooth.



You recoil from her.



[[> Leave her alone the rest of the day|Leave her]]

!!day three <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You enter the spare bedroom. The incubator door is closed. You don't hear anything. You open it, releasing the seal.



Her flesh spills out in a wave of pink dotted with patches of thick, curly brown hair. Her skin is red where it had pressed itself against the door of the incubator.



She touches the sides of the incubator in all directions pressing and growing into the metal, molded by it.



[[> Do not help her|Avoid her day 4 pt 2]]

[[> Pull her out of the incubator|Pull her out of the incubator]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



"Today will be different."<<set $whiskey = 1>>



You close the door behind you and lock it, sealing yourself inside of your apartment. The blinds stand closed against the sunlight. Clothing, mail, and random artifacts of your life litter every surface. Fruit flies dance around the sink in the kitchen.



Your phone screeches and buzzes in the quiet apartment.



[[> Answer your phone|Answer Phone]]

[[> Ignore it|Ignore Phone]]

!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



Thump.



You shiver under your blankets, wondering what kind of creature she's become now, and what she'll be tomorrow, or next week, or next month.



You swing your legs over the side of the bed and stand up.



<<if $call>>[[> Return the call|Return Call]]<<endif>>

[[> Search for a weapon|get weapon]]

[[> Open the door to the bathroom|Open Door]]



!!day ninety-two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You've tried to put her out of your mind. You stroll the local market and use the vendors hawking new wares to distract you from her memories.



At least, you used to. Now you go to the market to remember her.



You pass by the food vendors grilling squash and freshly caught fish and mass-produced imitation beef. You stop before a newer stall with perfectly cubed meats grown at the local labs. The juicy pink flesh sizzles over the hot grill.



You close your eyes, inhale deeply, and continue walking. You can smell her, hot and heavy in the air.



<<set $ending1 = 1>>[["Just $7.99/lb of flesh,"|the end]] the vendor shouts as you pass.

!!day ninety-two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You try to move your arm but it doesn't react. You watch her shamble towards you. You try to kick, but your foot just lies there.



Your severed vertebrae freezes your body in position, half lying on the floor and half leaning against the bed. Her tendrils grab at your ankle to to help pull her mass closer to you. You watch motionless as her mouth widens to show glistening white teeth and a thick purple tongue.



You can't move. But you can watch her.



You can hear your bones crunch between her teeth.



And you can feel the tugging, [[one bite at a time|the end]]<<set $ending3 = 1>>.

!!day eleven <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You absentmindedly scratch your arm where you removed the thick, bloodstained gauze. It healed up surprisingly fast. You can still see the marks from her teeth where they pierced the flesh.



The soft, pale flesh.



[[>Check the wound tomorrow for infection|together 2]]

!!day thirty-one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You wake up to a knock on the front door. You groan and shut out the noise until you're fully awake. The knocking continues. It is the landlord again. You ignore it.



You roll off the couch and go to the kitchen, grabbing a large pail on your way. You open up the fridge and up-end a pot of noodles into the pail, filling it halfway. You reach in and continue to grab food, condiments, new or old, dumping them into the pail. Your fridge is almost as empty as your bank account.



[[> Deliver the pail of food products to her|deliver food]]

!!day forty-four <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



When the train stops, you push your way through the crowded subway and take a lonely staircase. The newstand headlines blare new terrors - "How Will She Lose the Baby Weight?" screams one, "Hunt For Missing Schoolkids Underway" sounds another.



You head out into the rain, hugging the grocery bags close to you. No one is on this street, not this late at night.



You walk along the sidewalk, your hood obscuringpart of your face. After about a mile, you stop and look around you to make sure you are alone.



[[> Open the manhole in the alleyway|go into alley]]

!!day one <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You start searching the floor for it. You walk to her side of the bed, get on your knees, and feel under the bed blindly with your hands.



Your fingers wrap around a crumpled up tissue. You try to pull it apart but it tears. In the center lies dried up mucous, yellowed and crusted on the white tissue.



She always had allergy problems in the morning. <<set $dna = "tissue">>



[[> Take the vial and tissue into the spare bedroom|storage room]]

!!day five <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You go into the kitchen and open the refrigerator. It's full of old leftovers, unidentifiable food stains, and mold growing healthily on the bottom shelf.



You grab a sealed bottle of water and bring it back to the bathroom.



The seal crackles as you unscrew the top and start to feed the cool water to her begging mouth. Her mishapen tongue licks the final drops of water from off her lips.



[[> Give her something to eat|Give her something to eat]]

!!day two <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You take another swig of whiskey. And then another. And another.



You welcome the burning in your throat. You drown out her smell with the harsh taste of alcohol as it numbs your senses.



You leave her in the spare bedroom, alone, and wander your bleak apartment. <<set $whiskey = 0>>



You drink like there's no [[tomorrow|Day 4 Hangover]].

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!!day six <<if $debug>><<print $empathy>><<endif>>



You ignore the phone. You let it ring out without even checking the caller, but you are pretty sure you know who it is.



Thump.



It goes to voicemail.



[[> Check your voicemail|Voicemail 2]]

[[> Delete the voicemail|Delete Voicemail 2]]