What Squirms Beneath

by Paul Alex Gray

Chunks of muck splattered Ernie as he blasted the fatberg with his hose.

“Bloody idiots,” he grumbled. “Flushing leftovers and nappies and God knows what down the drain. Here I am, swimming in it!”

He aimed the spray at a stubborn glob that hung from the sewer walls, smiling with a grim satisfaction as it peeled away. Unravelling, it drew itself up, a squirming snake of glistening fat.

“What the-?” said Ernie incredulously, dropping the hose.

The putrid fatberg lashed out, a revolting maw of muck wrapping around Ernie’s face, suffocating him as it forced its way down his throat.

Paul Alex Gray

Paul Alex Gray writes linear and interactive fiction starring sentient black holes, wayward sea monsters, curious AIs and more. His work has been published in Nature Futures, Andromeda Spaceways, PodCastle and others. Chat with him on Twitter @paulalexgray or visit www.paulalexgray.com