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Even in the grip of an Ichor infection, Vee and Astro thrived in each other's company. They had weathered countless crises together, from cramped elevator rides to dire situations where they leaned on each other for support. Their bond seemed unbreakable, the perfect duo, admired by many—except for one. Shelly.
The mechanical hum of the elevator doors broke the tension as they slid open to reveal the next destination. Vee, remote in hand, expertly finished off the first machine, smiling at Astro’s compliments. As she moved on to the next, Astro stayed close, starting up another easy conversation. The two were inseparable, a fact that gnawed at Shelly. She watched them from the corner, her heart sinking with each word she overheard.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Vee was hers. Not Astro’s. Not that insecure idiot's.
“Yeah, that’s right!” a voice chimed in, fueling Shelly's inner frustration.
Shelly seethed as Vee laughed at Astro’s jokes, fussed over him, looked at him like he was her whole world. Each interaction felt like a dagger. Why was Vee wasting all her affection on him?
Her fist slammed into the machine before she could stop herself.
"He doesn't deserve her!" a voice shouted, frustration lacing every word.
Through the chaos in her mind—voices swirling, feeding her fears of Astro stealing Vee away—Shelly missed the sound of glass cracking beneath her fist.
"What if Astro makes Vee hate you?" another voice whispered, more anxious this time.
Shelly slammed her fist into the machine again. This time, the glass shattered. She stumbled forward, a cry escaping her lips as shards pierced her skin. Her tough exterior absorbed most of the impact, but it wasn’t enough to shield her from what came next.
Ichor.
Thick, oozing, and relentless, it covered her in seconds. Shelly tried to scream, but the Ichor choked her, flooding into her mouth and down her throat. Panic surged through her as tears welled up in her eyes. Was this how it would end? Drowned in Ichor, unseen and unheard? Each attempt to cry out only forced her to swallow more, the burning pain in her lungs soon fading as the Ichor began to feel more... comforting. Like a dark, suffocating blanket.
Shelly coughed, suddenly aware she was no longer drowning. The Ichor was gone. Had someone saved her?
“No one did. You're as forgotten as ever,” a voice replied. This one didn’t echo inside her head—it was eerily clear, almost familiar.
Rubbing her eyes, Shelly blinked and stared in shock. A doppelganger stood in front of her, identical in every way. And behind them... a hallway. Not just any hallway.
“Recognize it?” the doppelganger asked, a knowing smile curling on its lips. “This is where you first met Vee.”
Shelly’s heart pounded as the realization settled in.
Alarmed, Shelly shifted her gaze to the doppelganger. It was almost an exact replica—except for the grotesque mutations. An Ichor-formed tail twitched behind it, dinosaur-like legs planted firmly on the ground, and a strange rib stretched between the two halves of its body.
"W-who—what are you?" Shelly stammered, her voice shaking as she realized there was no escape.
The doppelganger remained silent for a moment, its twisted features unmoving. Then it spoke.
"Do you hate Astro?" it asked, though it already seemed to know the answer.
"W-what makes you think that?" Shelly’s voice wavered, panic rising like bile in her throat.
"Oh, drop the act." The doppelganger—her doppelganger—sounded frustrated.
It leaned in closer, placing an Ichor formation under Shelly’s chin. She broke out in a cold sweat as the doppelganger’s hot breath washed over her. Slowly, it dragged the abomination along her chin, effortlessly slicing through a few fragments of her shell. Blood welled up and dripped down her neck.
Shelly winced, her whole body tensing in pain.
"I'm you," the doppelganger finally answered, its voice a dark echo of her own.
"What? I—" Shelly was confused, terrified, struggling to process.
"I know you hate Astro. How dare he take Vee away from us, right?" the doppelganger continued, the words needling at her insecurities.
Shelly’s vision blurred slightly, a wave of dizziness washing over her. She couldn’t clear her mind, couldn’t push away the confusion. Something wasn’t right, but her anger flared, rising to the surface. She found herself answering without thinking.
"Yes..."
"Exactly." The doppelganger smirked, stepping back, satisfied.
"I can help you get rid of that nuisance," it whispered, venom dripping from the last word.
Shelly’s thoughts were a tangled mess, but something in her wanted this, needed this. The confusion clouded her judgment. Before she knew it, she nodded.
"Good," the doppelganger purred, clearly pleased. The hallway around them twisted and contorted, warping into a box of thick Ichor. Beneath her, claws began to emerge, curling around Shelly’s legs, their tips digging into her flesh.
Realizing something was horribly wrong, Shelly panicked. "W-wait! How are you going to get rid of Astro?" she shouted, her voice cracking with desperation.
The doppelganger grinned, its expression unsettling. "Oh, well," it said, with a chilling calmness. "Easier to assimilate than explain, anyway."
Before Shelly could react, the Ichor surged, claws pulling her under as the doppelganger watched with cold, unblinking eyes.
Ichor surrounded Shelly, suffocating her as she choked, unable to draw breath. Something was happening inside her—something grotesque and unnatural. The pain was excruciating. She wanted to scream, but her throat burned, and something seemed to be pushing at her from within, trying to force its way out. Her lower body felt as if it was being split apart, legs twisting at impossible angles. The itch was unbearable—inside and out—as if her very flesh was rebelling against her.
Shelly clawed at herself, desperate for relief. Her nails tore through skin, ripping chunks of flesh as blood and Ichor oozed out. She couldn’t stop, her body moving on instinct, shredding herself in a desperate attempt to ease the agony. Tears streamed down her face, but they weren’t tears—they were thick, black rivulets of Ichor.
Her legs buckled, and she collapsed, writhing on the ground as a sharp, jagged bone exploded through her foot, then the other. Her knees contorted, bending in ways no toon's limbs should.
"Make it stop!" a voice screamed, but it barely registered through the haze of pain.
Shelly gagged, retching violently, but nothing came out except thick clots of Ichor. She tried to scream again, but her mouth filled with the sludge, her cries reduced to gurgles as her body stretched and warped. Flesh and muscle twisted unnaturally, her skin stretching to the point of tearing. Her eyes burned, itchy and bloodshot, her eyelids slowly peeling back as she scratched frantically at her face. Her nails scraped across raw skin, but it did nothing to ease the maddening itch.
Then, without warning, her ribcage violently erupted outward, tearing through skin, muscle, and organs. Sharp bones jutted out of her chest, splintering her insides with each tiny movement. Shelly writhed, each convulsion only driving the ribs deeper into her flesh, slicing through tissue, until finally... there was relief. Blessed, aching relief.
Panting, Shelly looked down at her ruined body and bile rose in her throat. Her flesh hung in ragged strips, her chest a twisted wreck of exposed ribs and shattered organs. But even as Ichor continued to drip from her eyes, something inside her shifted. The horror she felt began to dissolve, replaced by something else.
A twisted laugh bubbled up from her throat, though no sound escaped through the Ichor still choking her. The pain faded, giving way to a sickening ecstasy, drowning out her sense of logic, her cries for help, her humanity.
All that remained was her goal. Astro.
She would kill him. Then, finally, she and Vee would be together.
A wicked grin spread across Shelly’s face, her lips curling as the Ichor pulsed and shifted around her. Slowly, she stood, her new, grotesque form fully emerging. There was nothing left of who she had been—only the burning desire for revenge.
And with that, Shelly set her sights on Astro, her mind clear and focused on a single, deadly purpose.
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Astro chuckled, leaning back against the wall. “That was probably the best prank you could’ve pulled off on your show!”
“I know, right?!” Vee replied, her voice bubbling between bouts of laughter. She could barely contain herself, still riding the high from her joke.
“You should’ve seen Dandy’s face when I asked him who was in Paris!” Vee chirped, giggling uncontrollably.
Astro grinned. “Uh, I did. It was broadcast live, remember?” He raised an eyebrow, amused at her enthusiasm.
“Oh… oops.” Vee’s laughter faltered for a moment, replaced by a bit of awkwardness. The screen on her face displayed a few streaky lines, like visual representations of her embarrassment. She scratched the back of her head sheepishly, unable to meet Astro’s gaze.
Astro couldn't help but laugh. “You’re kind of cute with that expression,” he blurted out, the words escaping before he could think them through. His eyes widened, and his hands shot up to cover his mouth, as if trying to take the words back.
“W-what?!” Vee practically shouted, her voice jumping an octave. Her screen was now flooded with digital blush lines, glowing bright red. In an instant, she turned her head sharply, her back now facing Astro, hiding the flustered display on her screen. She tugged at her collar, trying to compose herself, but her voice betrayed her flustered state. “D-don’t say that again…”
Astro froze, his mouth still covered, cheeks burning as he realized what he’d just said. His mind scrambled for a response, but all that came out was a soft, inaudible gasp. He lowered his hand, feeling a strange mix of panic and excitement. His heart pounded in his chest as he stole a glance at Vee, who was still turned away, her screen glowing with embarrassment.
An awkward silence stretched between them, filled only by the quiet hum of machinery in the background. Astro cleared his throat, trying to break the tension. “Uh, s-sorry, I didn’t mean to—” He trailed off, unsure how to recover from the slip.
Vee’s screen flickered, the blush lines still present but less intense now. She tilted her head slightly, her voice quieter, almost shy. “It’s fine… Just, um… next time, give me a warning, okay?” She let out a soft giggle, the tension easing just a little.
Astro blinked, surprised by her response. He smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Right, I’ll, uh… make sure to give you a heads-up next time.”
Vee turned her head just enough to peek at him, her screen still glowing softly. “Good… because I might, you know… not hate hearing it again.”
Astro’s eyes widened at the subtle admission, his heart skipping a beat. He felt a goofy grin spread across his face as he nodded, unsure of what to say, but feeling a warmth between them that hadn’t been there before.
Vee decided now might be the moment. Looking away to prevent Astro from seeing her blushing, Vee decided to drop a bombshell.
"D-do you want to g-go out next time? Like, just the tw-wo of us?" Vee asked shyly
"R-really? Sur-"
Astro fell silent, his voice faltering mid-word. Vee, feeling a sudden sense of unease, spun around, expecting to find Astro blushing, maybe stammering. Instead, her screen flickered in confusion, then froze in sheer horror. Her entire system seemed to shut down as she stared at the grotesque scene before her.
Astro’s limp body was suspended in the air, a massive claw impaling his skull through his eye socket. His eye had burst like a ripe fruit, blood and viscous fluid spilling down his face in sickening streams. The jagged claw twisted slightly, forcing Astro’s body to convulse involuntarily, though there was no life left in him to scream. His body twitched like a broken puppet, dangling from Shelly’s monstrous grip.
Vee’s screen flooded with digital tears, her circuits overloaded with shock, disbelief, and terror.
But Shelly wasn’t done.
A guttural, low growl escaped from her throat, more animal than human, her mouth twitching as she tried to form words. "This is what you get, f*cker!" she wanted to snarl, but all that came out was a deep, primal snarl, dripping with hatred.
Her form was barely recognizable, her body twisted and warped by Ichor. Her skin had split open in jagged tears, exposing dark, rotting flesh beneath. Bones jutted out at odd angles, and her limbs had grown long, clawed, and horribly distorted. Her face, if it could still be called that, was stretched into a grotesque grin, half her skull visible beneath peeling flesh, her eye sockets glowing with a sickly, unnatural light.
With a sickening squelch, Shelly withdrew her claw from Astro’s head, the remains of his punctured eye sliding off the sharp tip and splattering onto the floor with a wet, plop. Astro’s body crumpled forward, but Shelly caught it effortlessly, her monstrous hands gripping his limp form like a rag doll.
Vee collapsed to the ground, unable to process the sheer horror unfolding in front of her. She trembled uncontrollably, her digital tears blurring her screen as she watched helplessly.
Shelly’s deformed hand reached for a large glass shard lying nearby. Ichor seeped into the shard, turning it pitch black and enhancing its sharpness to a deadly edge. With a twisted, sadistic grin, Shelly raised the shard high above her head.
Without hesitation, she plunged it deep into Astro’s chest.
The sound was horrifying—a wet, sickening crunch as the glass pierced through skin, muscle, and bone. Astro’s blanket, the one he always kept wrapped around him for comfort, fell to the ground, stained by the blood that flowed freely from the deep gash.
Shelly dragged the shard downward, deliberately slow, savoring the wet, tearing sound as she sliced through his flesh. She knew Astro was still barely clinging to life, his body spasming weakly in agony as his organs were slowly severed. His mouth hung open, blood and saliva pooling at his lips, but no sound came out.
Shelly leaned in close to his ear, her breath ragged and hot. She whispered something incomprehensible, just for her own satisfaction, as she twisted the shard deeper, ensuring that every nerve in his body screamed before it finally gave out.
Finally, with a grotesque flourish, Shelly yanked the shard free, and Astro’s lifeless body slumped to the floor. As his torso hit the ground, his intestines spilled out in a tangled, bloody mess, slithering across the floor like slick, coiled serpents. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the sickening stench of death.
Shelly stood over Astro's mutilated corpse, her grin widening as she admired her handiwork. Her clawed feet stepped into the pool of blood spreading beneath her, staining them red. She lifted one blood-soaked claw to her mouth and licked it, her tongue flicking over the crimson, savoring the taste with a low, guttural growl of satisfaction.
Vee’s screen flickered with despair, her body locked in shock as Shelly slowly turned to face her. The twisted grin never left Shelly’s face as she took a step forward, her glowing eyes fixed on the devastated Vee.
“Now...” Shelly’s voice, though still broken and guttural, was laced with a sick joy. “We’re finally alone.”
Vee was helpless, completely frozen in place. Shelly’s monstrous form loomed over her, each step slow and deliberate as she closed the distance. A low growl escaped from her throat, dripping with malice and anticipation. Vee's digital heart raced, her screen flickering in a panic. If only she had adrenaline like humans or toons. But she didn't.
She did, however, have a different solution.
Desperate, Vee slammed her head into the wall with a loud, thud, her screen glitching as a cascade of blue lights flickered across it. Shelly paused, momentarily stunned, watching in confusion as Vee’s system seemed to short-circuit. For just a second, Shelly hesitated, her twisted grin faltering.
That second was all Vee needed.
With a burst of clarity, Vee rebooted herself and slid between Shelly’s grotesquely deformed legs, narrowly avoiding the grasping claws. “Get away from me!” she shrieked, her voice high and desperate, as she bolted past Shelly with everything she had.
Shelly let out a furious roar, her head snapping toward Vee’s retreating form. How dare she run away? The audacity! Shelly’s clawed foot stomped down with enough force to crack the floor beneath her, the sound echoing through the hallway. Bloodshot eyes narrowed, she readied herself to give chase.
An alarm blared overhead, followed by the metallic clank of the elevator door reopening in the distance. The countdown timer ticked down, and Vee ran faster, her digital tears streaming in thick lines across her screen. She was shaking, her circuits overloaded with terror. Shelly was gaining ground, each footstep reverberating louder and louder, the sound of monstrous claws scraping against the floor like nails on a chalkboard.
Vee’s breath hitched as she felt the hot, putrid gust of Shelly’s breath brushing against the back of her head. She could almost feel those claws reaching for her, ready to drag her back to a nightmare she couldn’t escape.
But then—just in time—fuzzy claws wrapped around her and yanked her backward into the elevator. The doors slammed shut with a resounding, clang, sealing her inside. Vee gasped, her whole body trembling, her screen covered in glitchy tears as she collapsed into the arms that saved her.
Shelly let out a furious, animalistic snarl and slammed her fists against the shutters with deafening force. The metal buckled under her strength, but it held. Her breath came in ragged, hate-filled bursts, her eyes burning with rage. She paced in front of the elevator like a caged beast, claws scraping at the walls, leaving deep gashes in her wake.
It was fine. She would find Vee again. Shelly’s grin returned, a wicked, grotesque twist of satisfaction. And when she did, there would be no escape.
"Then," Shelly growled, her voice dripping with malice, "we can truly be together."
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Inside the elevator, Vee clung tightly to Goob, her small frame trembling as digital tears flickered across her screen. Goob, unsure of how to help, simply returned the hug, patting her back awkwardly. Vee’s silent sobs filled the elevator as it descended, the only sound besides the faint hum of the machinery. A few floors passed, and in that time, the chaos outside grew worse—her teammates were taking hits, getting injured. But Vee stayed curled up, her grief swallowing her whole.
“Goob! We need you to distract the twisteds!” Rodger’s voice cut through, his tone sharp with urgency.
Goob hesitated, glancing down at Vee. “B-but Vee—”
“Just let her grieve alone,” Rodger snapped, offering no sympathy. There was a hard edge to his voice, cold and distant. Rodger had never lost anyone he cared about. Not yet, anyway.
Goob reluctantly untangled himself from Vee’s hug. “Okay…” he mumbled, casting one last worried glance at her before sprinting off to assist the others.
Vee was left alone in the elevator, crumpled against the wall. She stared blankly at her screen, watching as her emotions, once so vibrant and chaotic, dulled to nothing. She could feel herself slipping into a deep void, her once cheeky, sarcastic personality fading like a distant memory. Her teammates didn’t need her like this. All her emotions were doing was slowing her down, making her a burden.
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Sprout noticed it immediately when she returned. He eyed her with concern, his body tensing. There was no trace of the playful, cheeky Vee he knew. Her screen displayed only a blank expression, as if she had shut off a part of herself.
Vee made a decision, a cold, calculated one: she wouldn’t feel anymore. She couldn’t afford to. She had the ability to delete her emotions—and so she did.
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Deep underground, Astro’s lifeless body twitched in the darkness. The puddle of Ichor Shelly had left behind began to seep into his corpse, creeping into his torn flesh like a parasitic sludge. It slithered through the open wounds, taking the place of his missing organs, weaving itself into the shredded remains of his body like dark, unnatural threads.
With every passing second, the Ichor worked faster, patching up the damage, reanimating the dead flesh.
Astro’s ichored-formed eye flickered weakly, a faint spark of life reigniting.
But as soon as he stirred, he was not alone.
Standing before him, a figure materialized out of the shadows. Astro blinked, his vision hazy, his mind barely able to comprehend what was happening. The figure stepped closer, and Astro’s stomach twisted in horror.
It was himself—or, more accurately, a twisted, Ichor-infused doppelganger of himself. Its features were warped and grotesque, a perversion of his own face, its skin glistening with dark, slimy Ichor.
"I-im alive?" Astro stuttered.
"For now." The doppelganger coldly replied. "But I can make you alive, again, with Vee."
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My first time writing a bad ending! What do you think?