Holder of the Immaculate Corpse

On a sunny day, long before the dawn of history, a nameless man fell over on to the ground, and breathed once, twice, thrice, and no more. His heart stopped, and his body began to cool.

The worms, they crawl from the ground. In a writhing mass, they pool. As one, they open upon the world. And a million serrated teeth are exposed to the sky.

And the cadaver said: "Wait."

And they paused, for this had never happened before. He was theirs, by right. Chattel had no right to say anything.

And the body smiled, and lurched upright, teetering precariously on the barest edge between mobility and instability. It spun, and twirled, dancing as only a corpse can. And at last, it came to a stop.

The worms considered, and then spoke as one: "We hunger. Breathe, live, die, you, ours. WE HUNGER."

And the empty shell smiled, and began a new dance. Another dance. A secret dance. It told of the silent things in the dark beyond night, of the vast empty rulers of the voids beyond reality, of the Grey Lord sitting in his throne atop the Remnant. Finally, it told of the worms, they, The Eaters of All Things, and of their role in the circle of cycles, what they were doing, would do, had done, and how their actions would shape the world.

And the worms watched, and for once, their hunger was truly forgotten, so absorbed were they by what the had seen, what they had learned.

And they spoke in unison: "What... are... you?"

And the vessel answered: "I am a drain, though which all must flow."

And so the worms knew fear.

In any of the ancient cities, in any of the countries that are truly old, simply speak to the air. Ask for The Holder of the Immaculate Corpse.

Get a hotel. Wait a few days. It will come.

But if you ever find yourself a-walkin', and a man falls down in front of you, gasping for breath...

Don't think. Don't pause. Don't go for help. Don't try to help.

Run.

Any dead body may or may not be Object 2347. The only requirement of the Immaculate Corpse is that it be fresh.

Credited to Cen2