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Do you know what a Cordyceps is? I didn’t either until 20 minutes ago. It’s a family of thousands of different types of fungus, grows all around the word in various rainforests and jungles. The awful thing about them is they’re parasitic, they grow on other animals. An ant happens to run into some spores, and then it starts to colonize his insides, starting with his brain. At some point, the ant starts to act visibly ill; standing in place and shivering, or walking in circles. If a fellow colony member sees him in this condition, he will be dragged to the border of the colony and exiled.
Then, when it’s almost over, the ant weakly climbs as high as he can up the vines, and locks his body on tight. Finally, he dies, and the fungus emerges from the back of his head, bursting forth like a long and foul fruit. After a short time, the little stalk spews forth its own spores, leaving the mummified and broken ant clinging to the stalk, his eye cavities filled with drying fungus.
I mention this because last night, when I was up on the roof of my apartment complex, I found my brother’s body.
He’s been back from 18 months on duty in the Philippines for less than three days. This was the first I’d seen him. My parents called me up the day before yesterday to tell me that he was on his way up. They told me he’d stayed in his room since he got home, and then suddenly got up and announced he was on his way to see me. They thought he was drunk, I’d thought he’d never made it.
He must have come straight up to the roof and died, by the smell of it. I was just finishing a cigarette, all torn up with anxiety and head throbbing, and when the acrid smoke vanished I caught a whiff of rot on the hot wind. It took me just a few minutes before I’d found him; face down behind the vents and fans. A slimy gray column rose up obscenely from the base of his skull, and a frozen waterfall of roots and tendrils was dangling from his eye sockets and mouth. At the top of stalk was small arrangement of feathery wisps, a white powder drifting idly from it tips.
The spores must have drifting over the north side of the building all day. My side of the building. I came down to my apartment to try to call up the police, and my headache was rising to a feverish throb. I got through the door, and the moment I reached for the phone, pain flared in my head, so bad I almost passed out. I’ve since tried three times and I can never get my hand up on it.
The same thing happens when I try to get up and leave the room; I feel spines of ice tunneling up into my skull and my limbs lock up and shudder.
The ants, in their last moments crawl as high up the vines as he can climb. This is so the spore will spread over more of the colony below. In the end, the parasite controls the ant with an almost intelligent drive. God help me.
The pain is almost blinding now, and a new thought has been rising up rhythmically in my head, like a record skipping. Up. Up. Up. It’s joined by an image of my office tower. It’s taller than my apartment, the tallest place I can think off and although the bulge on the back of my neck is the size of a peach, the skin stretched shiny, and I’m dizzy and my eyes are cloudy, I think I can make it there. Up.
No. I’m sick. I need help.
The building pulses again in my mind. The cold wind. The roof and the sky. These images and concepts dull the pain momentarily as they pass through my mind. I think I can get there. Up. Up.
If you live in downtown Chicago, I would get the fuck out.
Posted in Beings & Entities, Insanity & Madness, Murders & Deaths
September 13th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I quite like this one.
September 13th, 2008 at 8:00 am
BUT WHO WAS CORDYCEPS?
*phew* Thank goodness I live in Australia
One kinda nagging thought annoyed me. He was unable to call someone for help on the phone… but he had enough time to write this on his computer, and send it to somebody? Logix = Whaaa?
September 13th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Ooo. I quite liked this one. Creepy, with very well-done visual effects.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:26 am
thank god i live north of chicago.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:52 am
I live in Mississippi, so I think I’m safe, as long as it doesn’t get on the trains. The train from Chicago is a straight shot to where I live.
September 13th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
that is a scary thought O_o it kinda reminds me of that movie the ruins a little.
one thing i’m wondering is if he couldn’t even leave his house than how was his brother able to drive over?
September 13th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
impossible. i don’t like it that much. she’s saying how there’s no strength to lift up the phone but yet, she can type or write this whole thing out. and get the strength to go all the way to her apartment building.
September 13th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
this one is based off of an older creepypasta, but it only described what the fungus does,(with the ant example). this one is much better, but yea if he couldnt use the phone or leave, why could he warn everyone else on computer?
September 13th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
O.O i don’t live downtown but i do live very near Chicago!
September 13th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Oooh, I liket his pasta.
It’s interesting.
September 13th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
well its a good thing i died in Canada. Now way am i screwed. But this was a seriously good story, not really scary but it makes you think.
September 13th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Awesome.
Too bad that fungus s only capable f growing on the outside of a human.
Im not sure about other animals, but humans had all sorts of acids and antibodies that kill fungus if its on the inside. The funguses on the outside we can kill off with Gold Bond Atheletes Foot creme, or and expensive antifungal medication.
September 13th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
This was the one that gave me an appetite for pasta. I saw it on /x/ earlier this week, and now I’m hooked. Thanks for posting it.
September 13th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
…cordyceps?
For some reason, I really can’t take this one seriously.
…it could be because the entire time I was reading it, I kept thinking, “He’s being eaten from the insides by Grunty food.”
-shameless dot hack fangirl-
September 13th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
HOLY SHIT I GOOGLED IT. IT’S REAL.
September 13th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Maybe cordydeps don’t recognize computers as a threat…they’ve been around a long time, but mostly in poorer regions and lower creatures (like ants, apparently), so they probably would have had time to develop an understanding of phones meaning a call for help…but computers are probably not old enough to be ingrained in the natural danger processes of the cordyceps yet. I imagine he could havw written, too, and gotten away with it.
September 13th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
This one is more graphically disgusting than scary. Still good though. The descriptions are very well written.
September 13th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
OMG! i know a guy in downtown Chicago!
September 13th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
And just in case some one doesn’t know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCOQ0VU24xw
Cordyceps is fucking real.
September 13th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
very nice. i enjoyed it. reminded me of the flood in halo.
September 13th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
This one would have scared me shitless, if I didn’t know what a Cordyceps really is. Yes, it indeed exists. But it doesn’t do anything like describe in the story, as far as I know.
In fact, one species, Cordyceps synensis, or Chinese Caterpillar Fungus, which uses vegetable catarpillars as hosts, is used for medical purposes. It’s been used since ancient China in rejuvination treatments, to treat conditions such as impotence and fatigure, as well as increase fertility, bolster the immune system, and, especially in older men, revitalize the mind and body. Cordyceps also shows promise a treatment for Hepatitis B, malaria, and exposure to certain toxins. It also shows promise as a stress reliever, and pomotes heart and lung health.
In fact, there is absolutely no known lethal dose of this stuff. In fact, I’d be much more worried about being allergic to the stuff than anything like in this pasta happening in real life. At most, you can expect a dry mouth, upset stomach, and nausea when taking cordyceps tablets.
I’m rambling, aren’t I? Knowledge of Cordyceps aside, this pasta was worth a read. Not an awfully original concept, but well-executed.
September 13th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
I’m from the Philippines and I’ve never heard of cordyceps before @_@
September 13th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
I really like this one, the end was excellent.
As for all the questions about the narrator being able to type on the computer - maybe it was a loophole? I got the feeling that the fungus was stopping him from using the phone or leaving and getting help.
September 13th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
thats kinda creepy, the fungus like, takes control of the ant. eek o.o
September 13th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
lol @ Bitterdone. I thought the same ;_;
September 13th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Well, I’m glad I live in New England. XD No seriously, this one is good. Detailed, and well-written.
September 13th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
The story about the ant and the parasitic fungus was actually the inspiration for an episode of The X-Files. I think the episode is called Firewalker if anyone wants to check it out.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
This was amazing.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I feel safe in Iowa.
September 13th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
I live in Chicago…..
September 14th, 2008 at 1:22 am
mmm, if u ask me the last sentence ruined it.
it was ok i guess, if i hadn’t known about the fungus before maybe i would have been spooked [i like animal planet]
the description was very well done though i must say, but left me feeling nothing. i didn’t much care for the main character.
good try though.
September 14th, 2008 at 1:55 am
Eerie and very well written. Nice work.
September 14th, 2008 at 2:48 am
I don’t think the computer could have been a loophole, as it is implied when they think of their office building, the “highest place they know”, that the fungus is controlling them at a primitive level, while they provide the real thought. Also, the reason the brother could leave, while he couldn’t leave the apartment, is the same reason the ant could move to the top of the plant. I imagine the fungus would need time to incubate before using the host to infect others and continue the species.
September 14th, 2008 at 4:01 am
Wow, great pasta. Detail is fantastic. I also love how it’s based on a real thing, even though I agree with Miss Betterdone that the name cordyceps sounds ridiculous.
September 14th, 2008 at 6:45 am
>.<
First creepypasta-nightmare I have, and it’s about cordyceps? That’s disappointing.
Obviously shows that the ‘pasta’s effective, though.
September 14th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Watch the video from post 19; specifically, 1:55 to 2:16.
And considering 3:02-3:10, how long until a human-targeting Cordyceps comes around? We are rather numerous…
September 14th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
If you like this, read Blood Music by Greg Bear- very similar premise and feel to it. Yes, it’s on bookchan.
September 15th, 2008 at 8:23 am
This was a well written pasta and I like the concept but the first thing I did after reading the shorter version was to google cordyceps.
Like Random Passerby says, it loses its effect when you know about it. It totally relies on the hype effect of finding out it’s real but not having all the information… Kind of like most news stations these days :O
September 15th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Actually, there are several types of fungus that are already capable of colonizing human beings. Some are quite commonplace (such as athlete’s foot, for instance). Aspergillus can take root and grow in your lungs, and requires surgery to remove…
September 15th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I’ve lived all my 30 years here in our lovely Philippines and I never got those cordyceps.
AFAIK, the spores don’t affect human beings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps
Nice read though.
September 15th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
“I mention this because last night, when I was up on the roof of my apartment complex, I found my brother’s body.”
I would have liked it better if it had ended at this line.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
it is real but it cannot affect humans, the only parasites that do are ring worms and such.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Hurr hurr! I liked this one alot! It reminds me of the TERRIBLE movie about plants…I forget what it’s called.
September 17th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Yeah it’s real. You can youtube it. Fucking creepy as hell videos, but it’s true.
September 17th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
That;s why you need FAST ACTEN TENACTIN!!!!
September 18th, 2008 at 1:51 am
One thing’s for sure though. Madagascar sure as hell wouldn’t have to worry about cordyceps infected people entering the country.
September 18th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
OH HAI.
SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, ANYONE?!
Some mushrooms in one of the books…They grow inside of you, but…They don’t burst out the bottom of your skull, they just asphyxiate you.
September 19th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Dude, I live in the Philippines. All we have here is foot fungus. *staaare*
September 19th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Just in case anyone is doubting that Cordyceps is in fact a REAL fungus, here is a British man talking about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCOQ0VU24xw
September 19th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
hahahaha
awesome
September 21st, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Some Cordyceps species are able to affect the behavior of their insect host; Cordyceps unilateralis for instance causes ants to climb a plant and attach there before they die, assuring maximal distribution of the spores from the fruiting body that sprouts out of the dead insect’s body.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 am
Cordyceps rock. I saw that video a while back, and yeah. This pasta was not diminished in creepyness by me knowing that its real. If anything, I read it, got to the first few lines, and went, “Oh shit… thats a scary thought.”
September 24th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
@21: There actually is a species of cordyceps that does exactly as described in the ant analogy. It’s called Cordyceps unilateralis.
Naturally though, it doesn’t attack humans.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I’m glad I don’t live there! XD
September 28th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Ah fuck I live in Chicago.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:18 am
this one brought me here, and i like it a lot! I think its one of the best around
September 29th, 2008 at 1:19 am
oh and yeah, the ant-story is true, just check out wikipedia/youtube
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Damn it. One of best friends lives in downtwon Chicago…
October 11th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
LOL they’re all fucked, good thing I live in minnesota! XP you guys R screwed!!!
October 12th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
@2.
Yeah.
B]
October 15th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Actually, I got the impression that the thing that infected the main chaaracter was a different species to the ant-cordycep? I thought he was just likening it to something more familiar :p
October 27th, 2008 at 2:06 am
knowing that these tings actually exist makes it WORSE.
their might be a species of cordyceps out there that can affect humans, only they havent come across it yet.
October 30th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
GOD. DAMN.
Brix have been shat. Well done.
October 30th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Also, I just randomly noticed this, look how many times he says “up”. The frequency increases as the story nears it’s end.
October 30th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
@64 You’re the first person to notice that, I think. I added the word into any sentence I could fit it in. Kudos.
November 2nd, 2008 at 2:56 am
“He’s being eaten from the insides by Grunty food.”
Lol, I thought the same thing.
*also a Dot Hack fangirl* xD
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
@65:
I has Kudos.
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 am
I find it ironic that people on a creepypasta website are complaining about a ‘lack of realism’. I mean, like anything on this website is actually real. The Cordyceps is a good starting point because it is an actual fungus that has thousands of subtypes, each that attacks a certain type of insect. The ’scary’ of this story comes from the implication that cordyceps has clearly jumped the species from whatever it was to humans (which wouldn’t be very hard,as, from what I rmeember, the cordyceps mostly attacks at/around the spinal column, where there are few anti-bodies). honestly guys.
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I concur with Anon_2.
November 9th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
It was a good story, not nightmare material though.
We just learned about a typre of parasite that takes over ants and, makes them attach themselves to the tips of grass blades. You dont really want to know the rest of the process though ^^;
@2, 7 &, 8
Why does it have to be written? If its from her (or his i forget ^^; hehe) perspective it doesn’t have to be written. Sort’ve like a book in first person.
Sorry i just dont beleive it has to be taken as -SHE- wrote it. Or anyone else in the story because it’s made up. I mean this -is- a made-up story… Right?
~Peace ‘n Love
Bagel-chan
November 12th, 2008 at 1:44 am
…. How easily do you think it would spread to North Chicago? <..> ‘Caaaause if it can travel that fast… can anyone give me a lift outta here? XDD
I enjoyed it very much. I read about the virus, but I thought it couldn’t effect humans or anything else except it’s own species [depending on the infected]? Hmm..