The darkness of the rural road enveloped Jorge Santos as he trudged home, his feet heavy with the weight of his own decisions. At 23, he had dropped out of college, abandoning his business major to chase a reality that seemed increasingly elusive. The stars above twinkled like diamonds scattered across the velvet expanse, a beauty that seemed almost cruel given his current circumstances.
As he walked, a sudden flash of light streaked across the sky, followed by a faint whistle that grew louder. Before Jorge could react, a small meteorite hurtled towards the earth, landing with a thud mere feet away from him. The impact sent Jorge tumbling to the ground, his vision blurring as dizziness washed over him. He felt a gash on his forehead, warm blood trickling down his face.
In his disoriented state, Jorge noticed his blood dripping onto a strange, liquid-like metal that had spilled out from the meteorite's impact. To his horror, the liquid began to squirm and crawl like a living entity, its tendrils stretching towards him with an unnatural hunger. Before he could comprehend what was happening, the liquid reached his head, and an intense, searing pain coursed through his skull. Everything went black.
Hours passed, or maybe it was minutes – Jorge had lost all sense of time. When he finally came to, the first light of dawn was creeping over the horizon. Groggily, he sat up, assessing his injuries. To his astonishment, there wasn't a single scratch on his body. The gash on his forehead had vanished, leaving behind not even a scar.
But that wasn't the only change. A dark, black liquid was oozing out of his pores, like some kind of dark, viscous sweat. Jorge's eyes widened in terror as he watched the liquid pool around him. "What...what's happening to me?" he whispered, his voice shaking.
Panic set in, and Jorge scrambled to his feet. Memories of the previous night flooded back – the meteorite, the strange liquid, and the pain. He stumbled forward, driven by a sudden, overwhelming hunger that gnawed at his belly like a beast awakened from a deep slumber.
As he burst through the door of his small house, Jorge made a beeline for the refrigerator. He flung open the door, and his eyes landed on a loaf of bread. He tore into it, devouring slice after slice without even bothering to butter them. The bread seemed to satiate him momentarily, but the hunger soon returned, more ferocious than before.
Jorge's gaze fell upon the vegetables in the crisper drawer. Without hesitation, he grabbed a handful of carrots and began to eat them raw, the crunch and earthy flavor barely registering as he wolfed them down. Next, he cracked open a raw egg and downed it in one swift motion, the viscous yolk sliding down his throat.
The hunger still gnawed at him, but Jorge couldn't eat anymore. As he stood there, panting, he began to feel a strange sense of...not exactly calm, but a sense of satisfaction. It was as if his body was finally getting the nutrients it had been screaming for.
And then, the memories began to flood his mind. Memories that weren't his. Memories of a planet, of a civilization, of a symbiotic creature that had been bound to a host for eons. The creature, a liquid-metal entity, had been designed to enhance the host's body and mind, to push them to their limits and beyond.
Jorge's eyes widened in horror as he realized what had happened. The meteorite, the liquid, it wasn't just any ordinary meteorite. It was a vessel, a carrier of this alien creature. And now, the creature was inside him, merging with his body, enhancing his capabilities.
"What are you?" Jorge whispered, his voice barely audible. "What have you done to me?"
As he stood there, frozen in shock, the creature began to assert its presence more strongly. Jorge felt his senses expanding, his reflexes quickening. He looked down at his hands, and they seemed to be...changing. The black liquid was still oozing out of his pores, but it seemed to be receding now, integrating itself into his body.
Jorge's mind reeled as he tried to comprehend the implications. He was no longer human, not entirely. He was a hybrid, a fusion of human and alien. The creature's memories continued to flood his mind, and he saw glimpses of a civilization that had harnessed this symbiotic relationship to achieve greatness.
What did it mean for him? What kind of greatness was he capable of now? Jorge's thoughts swirled with questions, but one thing was certain – his life would never be the same. The creature's presence pulsed through him, a constant reminder of the transformation that had taken place.