[ CW ] Write a horror story with no gore or death , not even implied .

“ The bugs! They ’ re everywhere! I can ’ t get them off of me. Ah… they ’ re… they ’ re crawling inside me! Under my fingernails! Oh god, please help me someone! I can ’ t bear the pain much longer, I can ’ t, I can ’ t… ” 
 
 “ Can she hear us? ” Kendall said over the woman ’ s ravings. 
 
 “ It doesn ’ t seem that way ” Sean replied, “ but we need to be sure. ” Sean pressed a button and with a soft click the intercom into the woman ’ s holding room turned on. “ Michelle, if you can hear us I need you to respond. We know nothing about your condition outside of what was found inside your purse. We have contacted your primary physician and she is on her way here to offer her assistance. ” 
 
 While Sean spoke, Michelle turned to face the intercom speaker but not even pause in her ongoing and frantic speech. “ The bugs are worming their way through my veins! ” She now seemed to be directing this towards the intercom as opposed just the empty room she was in. “ I need help, please help me. ” This last was in a pleading tone that lacked her previous urgency. “ I need… I need… where am I? ” 
 
 Kendall stepped to the intercom, “ Michelle can you hear me? ” 
 
 She looked startled and hesitated. She eventually replied with a meek “ Yes. Who are you? ” 
 
 “ My name is Kendall Thomas and I ’ m the Project Lead at a medical research facility. Can you tell us the last thing you remember? ” 
 
 “ Why am I here? Where is my son? ” 
 
 “ Michelle, all we know about you is what we found in your purse. You dropped it when you assaulted one of my co-workers. He is here with me. ” 
 
 Sean stepped up to the microphone, “ This is Sean, the man you tried to murder a few moments ago. I was walking back from lunch when you all but tried to kill me. You tried to gouge out my eye with a ball point pen. I avoided your attempt to kill me and restrained you, and then you fainted. We thought it best to place in the room you are in while we contact the police. Apparently your problem is fairly widespread. We contacted your physician, Dr. Kassine, to help diagnose your condition. The police will be here in a few hours, as they understand we have you detained. What the hell were you trying to do? I don ’ t even know you! ” 
 
 Michelle looked dazed and muttered “ Ball point pen? ” 
 
 “ Yes, not even a nice one. ” 
 
 “ I… where ’ s my son? ” 
 
 “ Well, I was sort of distracted by the insane bitch trying to take my life to worry about any children that are in the area. ” Kendall put a hand on Sean ’ s shoulder to calm him and move him away from the microphone. At this point the phone toned in the security room that Kendall and Sean were in. 
 
 “ Mr. Thomas? ” The receptionist asked through the phone. “ Dr. Kassine is here. ” 
 
 “ Thank you, Julia. Please show her in. ” 
 
 Shortly after Dr. Kassine entered and glanced at Kendall, Sean, and finally the monitor at which Michelle could be seen. Michelle was now sitting with her back against the leg of a table, legs out in front of. She was tracing a circle on the tile floor. 
 
 Kendall stepped forward, “ Dr. Kassine, I am Dr. Thomas. We spoke earlier on the phone. I would say it ’ s a pleasure to meet you but the circumstances don ’ t seem to allow that. This is Sean, the man that Michelle assaulted before she became unconscious. ” Dr. Kassine briefly regarded Sean and then turned her attention to the monitor. Michelle now seemed to be fascinated by her hand. 
 
 Dr. Kassine cleared her throat, “ Has the situation changed from what you explained on the phone. ” 
 
 Sean spoke up and said, “ She interrupted her ramblings with what appeared to be a brief moment of lucidity. We could not get any information out of her, as she was concerned for her son. ” 
 
 Kassine glanced away from the screen and without much emotion said, “ She doesn ’ t have a son. This is taking me some time to process. Michelle has no history of mental illness, not personally or in her family. She is 35 years old and she had a checkup with me last month. Absolutely nothing that would give me any leads. ” Just then Michelle started with her screaming again. 
 
 “ They ’ re in my head! ” She said, jumping to her feet. This was emphasized with her starting to tap her head against the surface of the table. “ They ’ re in my head, they ’ re in my head, they ’ re… ” With each iteration she would increase the force with which she was slamming her head into the table. 
 
 With wide eyes and an urgent tone, Kassine said “ We need to restrain her! ” 
 
 Sean said, “ Doctor, that woman is incredibly erratic and dangerous to not only herself but others. We can ’ t go in there. ” 
 
 She glared at him and said “ Get me someone with some backbone and either a sedative or something to restrain her with. ” 
 
 “ We don ’ t carry any sedatives, but I can help you restrain her with some materials we have ” Kendall said, with a sigh. Kendall turned to Sean, “ Stay here and monitor her to see if there are any changes. ” 
 
 Sean nodded and with that Kendall and Kassine left the room. Sean slumped into a desk chair in front of the monitor and put his head in his hands. *What a mess*, he thought. *You go out to grab a sandwich and a lady tries to stab you in the face with a Bic pen*. He raised his head and looked at the monitor. A red and puffy face with icy blue eyes stared back at him. 
 
 Sean started and almost fell out of his chair. Michelle kissed at the camera, turned and waved her hand at the table. It *flew* against the wall, leaving the chairs standing there. Michelle carefully sat herself into a chair. Just then Kassine and Kendall entered the room, carefully. 
 
 Sean slammed down the button to the intercom and yelled, “ Kendall, get out of there! She just threw the table somehow! You need to look at this! ” Kassine and Kendall continued the careful gate towards Michelle with what looked like rope. Sean repeated his message, all but screaming into the microphone. They couldn ’ t hear him. Sean glanced around and saw the speaker lying in the corner, detached from the corner it was supposed to be in. Kendall hadn ’ t noticed. They couldn ’ t hear him. 
 
 Michelle glanced at the camera with a smirk, then stood. Kendall and Kassine froze, Michelle slowly approached them. Kassine started with a slow, calm voice, “ Michelle, we are going to help you. Please just sit down. ” Michelle held her slow approach. Kendall tried to flank her, seemingly just in case Michelle did decide to become violent. 
 
 Sean jumped out of his seat. *What am I doing? I need to get down there and warn them*. Just then, Michelle very casually, but quickly brushed her fingertips across Kendall ’ s eyes. Kendall looked startled, but unharmed. Then he fell to the floor, scratching at his arms. 
 
 “ What… What are they? Get them off! They ’ re all over me! ” 
 
 Sean stood rooted in place, unable to look away as Michelle continued her walk toward Kassine, who had a look of fear, confusion, and interest. Apparently, fear was the superior of these as she turned to run for the door, but it was locked. How was that possible? 
 
 Michelle made the same motion to Kassine ’ s eyes as she did with Kendall ’ s, with the same result. Kassine devolved into frantic screams as Kendall was. Michelle dragged Kassine over to where Kendall was frantically trying to get whatever it was off of him. Their screams faded and they lapsed into unconsciousness as Michelle loomed over them. 
 
 Sean was transfixed, with shaking fingers he reached for the phone. He looked down at his hand and saw what looked to something similar to a centipede, but with tiny eyes that looked almost intelligent that were on tiny stalks. It had small pincers that it was resting on Sean ’ s skin. Sean flailed and sent it flying across the room. It landed on the wall and made its way back towards Sean. Sean stomped on it and then looked at the remains. There was nothing there. 
 
 He looked back at the monitor Michelle, Kendall, and Kassine gazed back at him. They simultaneously raised their hands and pointed at the door. With a quick motion they pulled their arms away. The chunk of wall that held the door ripped itself from the wall with a concussion that made the building shake. 
 
 Sean turned to run. When he turned, what he saw stopped him in his tracks. The floor, the ceiling, and the walls were all covered in the centipede-like insects. Every surface was covered. Then they started to move towards him. 

