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Spine Crawler — Description

The people of this land are no strangers to parasites. In a world so full of flesh, fluid and life, there is plenty of room for them. There are those that plague man, while others focus on species outside our own. With some crafty minds, some have even been used for benefit in the hands of man. Redesigned to harvest fluids, act as weapons and such. With so many niches to fill, the variety of parasites seems quite endless. However, that doesn't mean that common folk are ready for some of the stranger species out there. We can easily say that there is a parasite for everything, but that doesn't dampen the blow when one learns about those with....unique diets. A hunger for fluids? Quite common. Those with a taste for flesh? A little scarier but not hard to find. But what about one that feeds on fear? There is something quite strange!
The insidious parasite is known as the "Spine Crawler," a fleshy centipede-like creature. Their length may vary between individuals, as it depends on their host, but the average is about two feet in length. Identifying collected specimens is quite easy, for they have pinkish skin with slits exposing inner flesh, many legs and ornate-looking antennae. However, the Spine Crawler is rarely seen in such a state, for this parasite hides within its host. Such infestation occurs when it is in its larval state, looking similar to its adult form but only the size of a pinkie finger. They slither about and hide in the environment, looking for suitable hosts by strange signals it picks up with their antennae. While other parasites may concern themselves with fluid levels or how much mass there is to feed on, the Spine Crawler is focused upon the nervous system. It wants creatures that have extensive and complicated nervous systems, things with spines and hefty brains. Large vertebrates can provide through quantity, but mankind offers wondrous quality. Thus they hang out in places where such species may pass by, dropping off of branches or hanging from hair strands to snag a ride. Once it lands on a viable host, it sneakily makes its way towards the spine.
Their small size and soft steps make them hard to detect, and they can grip on tight when an ignorant target tries to brush off this weird tickly sensation. It just needs to get near the spine and then it can get to work. Fangs inject an anesthetic to numb the area, then the same teeth cut open a small wound and the Spine Crawler burrows in. It digs through the skin and back muscles until it reaches the spinal column. There it will align its body with its length and latch on. Legs grab hold, fangs dig in and the antennae link up with the nervous system running through it. The seeking tendrils attach to nerve bundles, giving access to the host's entire neural web. Once it has firmly implanted itself into its target, the Spine Crawler will look to feed. But in most cases, its food is not present at the time, so it needs to "encourage" its host to start making it.
A linked Spine Crawler will begin to send its own pulses and information through the host's nervous system, but not in a way to take over their body. Instead, they target the parts of the brain that are linked to fear, paranoia and unease. These parasites are able to induce feelings of dread and nervousness in their hosts, turning hardened men into skittish cowards. The mind suddenly becomes flooded with paranoia, expecting an attack from any angle, jumping at every shadow and thing. They are easily scared of everything around them, and that gets the juices flowing inside that the Spine Crawler thrives on. When its host is terrified, the Spine Crawler feeds, thus it does all in its power to ensure they stay in this frightened state. Those infected may be noticed by sudden changes in personality, with confidence gone overnight and a deep set paranoia that has them avoid friends and family. Such behavior winds up working in the Crawler's favor, as it keeps its host away from those that may remove it, and also have them avoid predators that could kill their food supply.
As time goes on and the Spine Crawler feeds, it will grow to eventually span the entire length of the spinal column. This extra size and age allows it to better manipulate its host, allowing for more intricate fears and mental suggestions to have them do as it wishes. This starts reaching more towards mind control, as the Spine Crawler is so attached to the anxieties of its host that it knows exactly what buttons to push to get a desired response. They do this all to keep the host alive and their position secure, steering their victim away from those that would try to get rid of it and towards places where it can better spread its kind. Eggs are laid inside the host along the spine, where their body heat will incubate them. When they hatch, the young will burrow out of the back and drop onto the ground, ready to slither off and find more to infect. Spine Crawler infested people and animals will typically avoid their own kind during active hours, but then slink about in the dark near sleeping others to seed their young across the area.
Obviously, being parasitized by a Spine Crawler is a terrible thing, as one is consumed and manipulated by fear. Thankfully, when they are in the early stages of infestation, removal of the parasite is quite simple. The hardest part is identifying those who are actually being fed on and those who are just regularly scared, then you have to catch them and tie them down. One must feel across the spine to locate the long squirming lump beneath the skin, as that is where the parasite hides. An injection of tranquilizing Phlegm must be administered to the creature within, piercing through the skin to reach it. This is necessary to knock it out and prevent it from attacking the nervous system as it fights against removal. Once it is sedated, the back is sliced open and the worm removed. As time goes on and the worm gets bigger, the entire process becomes harder and harder. Hosts are quicker to evade capture, while the parasite is more stubborn in its removal. Usual tranquilizers will not be enough, and its long connection to the host's brain can result in ill effects when the parasite is tampered with. Trying to cut it out will have the awake worm latch on tight to the spine, with those big enough capable of accidentally crushing the bone. Sloppy removal attempts can result in permanent brain damage, paralysis from a broken back or even death. Thus it is imperative that the Spine Crawler be removed as soon as possible, to lessen such risks.
In the event the host of a Spine Crawler perishes, the parasite can actually leave the host's body and seek out another. If it has grown to a substantial size, the centipede has the strength and tools to perform more daring hunts. It will slip into homes and nests, using its numbing fangs and crushing strength to forcibly capture hosts. Due to its larger size, burrowing in becomes much more painful and crude, leading to open back wounds and disfigurement. With such difficulty and energeiai spent, the newly attached worm will overload the host with signals and literally paralyze them with fear. Victims are rendered immobile, pumping out terror in their frozen body to help satiate its new master. Only when it is full and restored will it allow them to move, but typically major damage has already been done.
Spine Crawlers are insidious parasites that have been actively hunted and purged from civilized areas, as no one wants these terror-inducing worms around. In areas where they are believed to be, regular inspection of the back is necessary to try and spot the wound where one may have burrowed in. Calming Phlegm is used for those experiencing this uncharacteristic fear, allowing others time to inspect the body and identify infestation. Due to their ability to make people incredibly paranoid and scared, the term "wormback" has become synonymous with "coward," often used by the more bullying type. Unfortunately, meaner folk have seen some use with these parasites, as they allow for victims that are easily controlled through fear and intimidation. Under some cruel reigns, slaves and captured foes would be infected with Spine Crawlers, removing any confidence or stubbornness within. Some claim that the parasites soon learned that this system benefited them, and thus they controlled their hosts to satisfy these evil masters. They have even been used during torture and interrogation, making the experience a thousand times more terrifying and breaking the will so that they spill all their secrets. These creatures are insidious indeed, but some argue that it pales in comparison to what man can do...
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Here's a weird little critter that- by gods! Its loose! Loose in this very comments section! Scream! Scream for your lives! (Don't actually do that please, just doing a reference here)