Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“This virus is quite interesting, how it changes the body so drastically, leaving all it infects identical to one another”

“You are a flawed being. Join us and achieve perfection. Resistance is futile anyways~.”

“You promise to buy me a milkshake once this all blows over? That is, if society hasn’t totally collapsed.”

”Maybe I should try seducing the target, as we both recognize each other, and I can still remember how we used to flirt with one another.”

“My head’s spinning, but nobody’s home. Where’s my medicine?”

”They were right…this feels so great…I’m so warm…I need to share this with others, eliminate their individuality and connect our minds, so we can all realize just how good this is.”

“I just saw two of the infected kiss each other. It was so cute, but I’ve gotta try to avoid letting myself be infected”

“We are both pleased with how the new me has turned out during assimilation. He doesn’t even seem to care about his memories slowly fading from his mind.”

”I love when it rains outside honestly, especially when it rains late at night ~”

“All I can think about is finding Mr. Anderson. He must be eliminated as quickly as possible”

”Oh god, they broke in!”

”It is inevitable~”

Chapter Text

We all thought that the virus that eradicates humanity would kill us

Or turn us into monsters

Or reanimate the dead

Well, this is definitely something else

There's only about 500 people left uninfected in my hometown, me and my old friend moved in together

Her father and one of her brothers is still alive

At least she has a family left

She took two of the cats over to my place

She was only gonna take one, but I missed that pretty black cat that lurked in the basement more than the big dumb oaf of a cat she calls Mittens After all, I have a cat just like her

Well, I used to have one

Today, I learned that the virus affects animals too.

Somehow.

You see, this virus turns everyone into copies of a very familiar man

I know because he's everywhere to me

On my walls

On my favorite tee shirt

And in the ragged old plushie that's falling apart with age

Held together by glue

And tape

I didn't know he could turn animals too

It must be a very jarring change, having your mind filled with thoughts incomprehensible to a small animal brain

Especially when most of the voices of the Collective are that of a different species

But cats believe all other animals are just weird looking cats

Can they differentiate now?

Back to what happened today,

One of the cats escaped the house

It was Frankenstein: of course it was Frankenstein

He always ran away when given the opportunity

Although he was loved so sincerely by all of us

Unlike most times, he returned on his own

But not as a cat

As one of them

He maladroitly crawled to our front door

Pawed at the window

And tried to utter what I'm sure was "Mr. Anderson."

But it came out as a garbled, wheezing mew

With only a small hint of English making its way to the surface

He's being absorbed, but he's too stupid to realize it

But it's okay

Frankie was my stupid idiot cat

And now he's my stupid idiot clone boy

He hasn't spoken a word to me

Probably because of how hard it is to adapt to being a new species

I'm surprised he hasn't gone on an assimilation spree yet

And I'm surprised I'm laying curled up on his lap

Just like he used to lay on my lap

Even I question why I do this

Am I really putting my life in danger

Just because I'm tired

Or maybe I want to join them

This clone that used to be my sweet little Frankenstein seems to be sleeping

But do the infected really sleep?

My head presses up against his soft stomach

My hand on his thigh, dangerously close to that spot

And I feel myself drift into unconsciousness

But Frankie begins to stir

He notices me

So comfortable

So calm

So careless

And he is disgusted by me

But instead of getting off my lap like he'd usually do

He just pierces his hand into my neck

It's the end for me too

When Phoenix wakes next morning to see both of us gone

What will she think?

Will she regret not staying up tonight?

Will I be able to recognize her?

Maybe if I'm lucky

I'll get to keep a little bit of my personality