They always scream. Eventually. Not at first. At first, when it drops into the room, they stare. They see a gaggle of limbs and spikes, two great thin wings. It doesn't wear the mask it does for Marlene, so they see the open mouth and the appendages on each side of the fang-lined maw reaching to them.

Once their brains register the presence, they scream. But the quills, the pale barbs that it fires at them, silenced the screams. They grow quiet and still. In their minds, his voice commands their nerves and muscles just as their brain would. Their consciousness is sent to the other place, to the forest.

To one, he will say "stay." This one remains as a sentry. The rest will march to the center of the hive, the home it shares with Marlene and the drone Meeks. Behind their home is a small barn, basically a shed, painted the same color as the house itself. They will march inside. Preparations must be made for the big sleep. Preparations for their growing family.

It marvels how no one else sees, as it follows along on the rooftops and watches the rest of the family march in single file in the early morning light. Heading to the house and walking through it, continuing to the backyard. How does no one ever see?

He left a small turquoise-colored teacup on the front porch of the house. A piece from a set he took from the first house, each one marking a home under its thrall. The hive continued to grow.

* * *

It found Mr. Meeks leaving the house, stumbling down the steps and shielding his eyes from the rising sun. The effects of the quills are waning, lasting less time as its body redirects its energies, preparing for the hibernation.

It slipped behind him, administering another quill to the base of his skull. Mr. Meeks cried out and collapsed. He then stood again. It guided Meeks inside and when the door shut being it, it placed a hand on the top of Meeks' skull.

The creature closed his eyes. He entered the forest.

A place where he stored them, their consciousness. Trees towered, so tall their canopies couldn't be seen with the naked eye. Shadows of great flying things shaded them. The ground was stone and dirt but nonetheless roiled as others traveled beneath the surface. The forest was alive with the sounds of life, crying out and singing. The world the others inhabited, where Marlene lived, had not seen life so abundant in centuries.

He could see Meeks stumbling down a game trail. He rested against a tree.

"Meeks."

The old man stopped. He turned around to see the creature, its wings wrapped around it like a long coat.

"How long have I been here? What is this place?" Meeks stuttered.

"My home."

The creature glided closer to Meeks, who lowered himself to the ground and put his palms against the side of his head.

"How am I here?"

"Where is Marlene?" The creature asked.

"The girl? Her room I believe. How long have I been here?"

"I need to ask you. Birthdays."

"That... that's when we celebrate our births. We have cake and presents."

"Cake?"

"A desert. With a message one it."

Meeks smelled the rot from the creature's breath as it leaned close. Meeks heard the click of the interlocking mouth pieces, all moving rapidly.

"What message?"

"Happy birthday... I love you... we need to hear that," Meeks said.

"Humans must hear it. My kind, we say it through touch. But I feel nothing from her, and she feels nothing from me."

Meeks swore he caught sadness in the creature's voice. Underneath him, the ground rose and dropped. He scrambled closer to the tree.

"You have to get me out of here, I will do whatever you want! I'm not alone out here!"

"Of course not," the creature said.

Meeks tried to run, but tripped. One of his palms struck a rock. He looked at the shaking hand, blood oozing from the small wound.

"Is this place real? This isn't a dream?" Meek asked, never looking away from the blood trickling down his wrist.

"No. Your kind has forgotten this place. You don't even realize when you cross into it. That's why so many of you disappear in wild places. Thank you, Meeks. I will procure a cake. Until then, use your instincts. Don't sit still for too long."