The Moment Everything Changed
At first, my brain refused to process what I was seeing.
Tiny black dots scattered across the lettuce were shifting.
Slowly.
Subtly.
But definitely moving.
Lauren jerked backward immediately.
“Oh my God.”
My stomach dropped.
For one horrifying second, we both just stared silently at the plate while the reality settled over us.
Those were not seeds.
Those were living things.
Tiny insects.
Larvae.
Eggs.
To this day, I still don’t know exactly what species they were.
And honestly, I never wanted to find out.
Lauren covered her mouth instantly.
“I already ate half of this,” she whispered.
Suddenly I felt sick too.
Not physically at first.
Psychologically.
That cold wave of revulsion that starts in your stomach and spreads through your entire body once your brain realizes something is deeply wrong.
I flagged down the waiter immediately.