You open your eyes slowly, blinking to clear your blurred vision.
>A vast expanse of reddish-brown was laid out before you, a tumbleweed or two the only movement for miles.
>Gigantic stone formations dot the horizon.
>Kind of looks like something out of the old Roadrunner cartoons.
>You half expected him or Wile E. to show up and go through their antics.
>Your head kind of hurts too, so you figure you’ll go over the basics in your mind.
>You are Anonymous, or Anon for short.
>You're rather imposing in terms of height at a whopping 6'4”.
>You're a gentle giant though, not the kind to get into fights usually.
>You’re pretty strong though.
>You work out, but you’re not a crazy jock or a roid’ junkie.
>DEFINITELY not some stupid greasy haired Jersey-Shore wanna-be.
>Mind intact, you slowly rise and hit your head on something.
>It’s an overhang and a short one at that.
>You crawl out into the hot wasteland sun.
>The good news is your clothes are still intact, shorts and a t-shirt.
>First time in your life you were glad for Summer.
>Okay, time to see if your usual items are with you.
>You check your pockets.
>Your wallet and phone are still there, along with your earbuds.
>Okay, that’s good.
>Maybe you can call for help.
>You check your phone.
>A big fat zero bars.

“Hmm... weird.”

>Your watch beeps.
>At least that’s still working.
>You sigh and scratch your head.

“Where the hell am I?”

>Well, no service so no GPS.
>You can’t just SIT here.
>You pick a direction and head that way.
>You lose track of the amount of times your watch beeps as you walk.
>You’re growing tired, sweat soaking your clothes.
>What’s worse, you’re thirsty and there isn’t any water as far as the eye can see.
>You don’t have any survival experience either; finding food and water is not likely.
>Your vision blurs again as you see a dust cloud on the horizon with flashes of black and blue.
>You don’t know what it could be, but at this point it doesn’t really-
>You pass out.

>You groan and slowly open your eyes.
>No longer did the sun assault you with its harmful rays.
>Instead you are in some kind of cave.
>Maybe someone found you?
>No, then you’d probably be in a car or hospital.

“Where the hell am I..?”

>Seems that question’s going to pop up a lot in the near future with a few variations.
>A noise reaches your ears.
>Something like an insect's wings buzzing.... except louder.
>A chill runs down your spine.
>You're an Entomophobe.
>As you sit up, two black creatures with glistening wings appeared before you, hissing.
>Your heart beats faster.
>Two giant bugs flank your front.
>Your eyes widen and you scream like the pussy you are.
>The bugs recoil at the volume of your scream.
>You attempt to scoot away, but back into two more sets of legs.
>You curl into a ball on the floor in a fetal position.
>For all your size and strength, bugs were your Achilles’ heel.
>You close your eyes and pray for it to be a nightmare.
>You’d rather have the unforgiving heat of the wastelands than deal with this shit.
>“So you're the hairless monkey my subjects brought in. Spineless as well it seems.”
>A female voice?
>Weird.
>You look at the source and soon wish you hadn’t.
>The voice was coming for a giant bug-like creature with a long, oily mane and large, tattered wings.
>“I was hoping you’d remain asleep. You’d be less noisy when I ate you.”
>Did it just say it was going to eat you?
>Shit.
>Bad, bad, BAD.
>You weren’t really a violent person.
>In fact, despite your build you were more often than not the guy at the front desk of the UPS Store you worked at, a smile on your face and good manners abound.
>Still, you liked your space from time to time, so shifts in the back room doing behind-the-scenes work balanced that out.
>You were an enigma to a lot of people.
>Tall, strong, decent looking, but you weren’t a party animal nor did you aspire to be.
>You had a group of friends you hung out with but that was about it.
>You weren’t one to go to any large events.
>In fact, that’s what your last girlfriend broke up with you over.
>You still thought it was stupid, and it still hurt some.
>Now’s not the time for that.
>Do or die anon.
>It’s you or the bug.
>You rise up, even causing the being to take a small step back.

“I… am going to deck you in the snauz.”

>You manage, turning your terror into a drive to feed.
>“What?” it replies, confused.
>You pull your arm back and punch the thing, sending it to the ground.
>Bad idea.
>You find yourself weightless and flying into a wall, the smaller bugs moving out of the way.

“Ow....”

> “Perhaps I misjudged you. Not many would have the gall to strike me. Do you know who I am, you monkey?”
>You groan in response.
>“I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.”
>Changelings?
>The word is familiar; history is a favorite subject of yours, and that name is from old lore.

“That doesn’t make sense. You’re a bug, not a demon.”

>The big bug thing looks at you like you're out of your mind.
>“What are you talking about, ape? We Changelings feed off of emotions, but lacking that we can feed off of flesh and bone as well. Besides, fear is only alright; it isn't very satisfying. Not only that, but you'd only make a suitable meal in terms of meat for a fraction of my subjects if that many.”
>So the Changelings here are giant quadripedal bugs that feed on emotions.
>Well, you ain’t in Kansas anymore.
> Your thirst is now joined by its brother, hunger.
>Now you might not be the ultimate survivalist, you did enjoy the TV shows about the guys who WERE.
>And what did they all say was good for eating?
>Bugs.
>You couldn’t believe you were about to do this, but you weren’t going to die of starvation.
>She wasn’t very well built so overpowering her wasn’t an issue.
>Besides, SHE wanted to eat YOU.
>You rise and recompose yourself before making a lunge at the Changeling Queen, bearing your canines.
>You're more hungry than you are scared.
>You find yourself on the ground again, thrown by that same strange force.
> “So it seems that you're just as hungry as we are! Whatever you are, your survival instinct is strong.”

“What can I say? Humans are a bitch to kill off. I’d know, our species has done a fine job of trying to off each other.”

>You rise again with a groan.
>”You're pretty gutsy for a hairless monkey; impressive given your prior cowardice. Not many would attempt to kill me, and not so boldly. You were coming at me like a rabid animal.”
>You take advantage of the situation and make a break for it.
>Good, out of her range now.
>Uh-oh.
>Here come the smaller bugs again.
>You turn and manage to find an exit.
>Scrambling out you find yourself in a valley.
>You take off to the East, but those bugs aren’t far behind.
>You swiftly duck into a nearby gap in the rock face out of panic.
>Thankfully they aren’t all that bright.
>You needed a minute to process everything that’s happened.
>Okay, so you wake up in the middle of barren wastes.
>You start walking.
>Pass out.
>Wake up in company of giant bug things.
>Run.
>You can’t stay here or you’ll starve.
>Time to concoct a plan, Anon.
>What do we have to work with?
>They’re sentient.
>Well, the biggest one is.

“A hive mind maybe?”

>Yes, that makes sense.
>A hive mind would require the smaller drones to be easily ordered around.
>She called you a monkey.
>Perhaps she isn’t aware of humans?
>If this isn’t Earth, than that’s quite the possibility.
>She isn’t aware of human intelligence.
>And you didn’t give a very good show of it back there.
>Your stomach aches again.
>There’s the hunger.
>You spot some mushrooms on the ground.
>Food.
>Eat those, find help!
>Great idea!
>Or not.
>You ingest them and your heart begins to race.
>Well fuck, that isn’t good.
>You start to sweat and pass out.

>You wake up with a gasp.
>Sparks jump from your body.
>”You ate the mushrooms found in this valley, didn’t you? They’re poisonous you stupid ape.”
>It’s that same voice from before.
>The big bug.
>Well, now that you think about it they look more equine than insectoid.
>Four legs, not six.
>Ears of some kind.
>Hell, the big one… Queen Chrysalis wasn’t it…She’s got a slick, oily mane and tail.
>No compound eyes either.
>Not very insect like at all except for the wings, shells, and armor plating positioned on their bodies.
>Even then it was matte for the most part.
>Back to your own body.
>Sparks meant some kind of electricity.
>You got defib’d by a horse-bug.
>You had DIED.
>But they were trying to eat you not too much earlier.
>Does not compute.

“Why did you save me?”

>”Because I thought of another way you could be useful to us.”
>Of course.

“And what might that be?”

>“Simple. You’re going to dig. You’re going to dig until either you drop dead or I tell you to stop.”

>Now you’re upset.
>Well, more than you were before.
>You’re no slave!
>She has no right to order you around like that!
>Time to grow a pair.
>Imagine them not as giant bugs but as horses with wings glued on or something.
>Much better.

“Make me.”

>You rise to your full height and you note she has to force herself not to step away.

“Go on. Make me.”

>Horses with bug wings and horns.
>That’s all they are.
>You aren’t scared of horses.
>She’s confused as to your newfound courage.
>And scared; you can see it in her eyes.

“I’m not a slave. I’m a human being. I have a fully functional brain capable of rational, intelligent thought. I am grateful that you saved my life, but if you think for ONE SECOND that I’m going to be your slave because of it, you can think again.”

>Now she’s taking steps back, matching each you take forward.

“I’ve been put under more stress in the past…”

>You check your watch.
>Fuck, you still didn’t know what time it was before you ran off.

“…however long I’ve been here than I have in my ENTIRE LIFE! I wake up in the middle of a wasteland without food or water, pass out, wake up surrounded by bug-horse hybrid things, attempt to be eaten by and subsequently EAT said bug-horse things, run off, eat a mushroom that KILLS ME, get brought back to life by the bug-horse things and-!”

>Wait.

“How DID you get my heart started again? I don’t see any electronics. No cables, no defibrillator, no nothing.”

>” I don’t even know half of what you just listed. To answer your question though, I used magic.”

“Oh great! Giant bug-horse things that can use MAGIC! Still, I’m not going to let you push me around! I’ll rip those wings right off of your back!”

>She smirks.
>”Do it then.”
>You reach for them, and the instant you feel them you release them and return to your fetal position.

“OhmygodIcantbelieveijusttouchedagiantinsectwingthisissogrossohshitohsshitfuckfuckfuck!”

>Looking at them?
>You’ve got that under control.
>Touching them?
>Well, they certainly not glued on.
>Very real.
>Very disgusting.
>That whole tough guy thing you were going for?
>Out the window.
>However, something is going through her mind.
>You catch a glimpse of her… face… out of the corner of your eye.
>A devious expression, plotting.
>”Very well. You’ll be given compensation for your work in the form of shelter and the sustenance you require.”
>Now that’s more like it.
>However, there was something about the way she phrased that last statement that made you think back to what she’d said earlier.
>They fed on emotions.
>Hang on.
>Adding two and two…
>Wait for it…
>”Actually, there is ONE more little thing…”
>There it is.

“What might that be?”

>Your voice is a bit shaky, knowing what’s coming next.
>”Love us.”

>Bug pone just asked you to love it and all of its little freak show children.
>Bug pone just tried to KILL YOU, EAT YOU, AND ENSLAVE YOU.
>And it just asked you to love it.