Chapter Text
It’d been maybe three days.
For three days, Tisha was stranded.
What was supposed to be an expedition for research turned into a grave mistake, leaving Tisha to fend for herself. Monsters roamed these floors, giving her barely any leisure, alongside various machines she often struggled to complete. Everything was out to get her.
Right now, she’d taken refuge in a small room off to the side – from what she observed, those monsters wouldn’t think to roam in there, other than an occasional peak or a curious wander, but she should’ve been safe if she was careful. Though, with her extreme paranoia, she couldn’t be anything but careful. Flinching at the smallest sounds, cowering in her own shadow, she couldn’t afford a single mistake.
Unfortunately for her, the safety of the small room could only do so much until there’d be a rescue party. If there’d even be one — sending a group of toons to retrieve a singular toon? Unlikely, but it was possible she’d find a research expedition that could take her back. Back to her routine, back to her endless schedule of constant scrubbing and cleaning, back to her room away from this grime and dirt.
It’s miserable here.
Just as Tisha reflected to herself, she couldn’t help but wonder how everyone was holding up – she knew that everyone had a tendency to leave messes, but it felt like she was the only thing keeping Gardenview from looking like a total shitshow. Nobody even appreciated her hard work! Nobody except..
Rrgrrrrghrr..
A tight pang of hunger shuddered through her body, she hadn’t eaten a real meal since being stranded here. Instead, she’d been reluctantly eating gumballs and various pieces of candy on the floor. The thought of having to do it again made her gag.
Besides her she had a stash of candy, reaching over to feel.. nothing. Looking over, had she really run out that quickly? There was no way- she’d meticulously had enough to last at least another day right?
But there were only two gumballs. With a heavy heart and empty stomach, she forced herself to down the two disgustingly filthy pieces. That wasn’t going to last her, not at all — especially with the fact she had only been eating candy. Her stomach was already upset enough, processing something it didn’t want would only upset it more.
Sick. She felt sick.
Sick that nobody was coming for her, sick that she had to hide and scatter from the monsters, sick that there was nothing for her here, sick.
She contemplated for a second. If she was on one of the diner floors, maybe there’s a possibility to eat real food — a slim possibility. And she was lucky, she could maybe find a can of soup or some expired crackers. Anything would do at this point.
Ghrrrrrgrr..
The hunger gnawed at her belly, reminding her of the empty pit threatening to eat her alive. Gumballs and candy didn’t satiate her need. She needed food, real food.
Every little movement, she ached. Exhausted. In the three days she’d been stranded, not an ounce of sleep. It drained her — everything from the hunger to her restless struggle. The only thing she could really cling to was her staggering hope, yet even that threatened to slip from her grasp.
Pushing her ache aside, the maid reached for the table next to herself as she hoisted herself up. Gosh- her legs felt so wobbly, was she even doing the logical thing? Zombies roamed this floor, seemingly as hungry as she was — they wouldn’t stop once they caught a glimpse of her.
But if a little risk meant she would satisfy her emptiness, she’d take it. She could handle them, maybe not as efficiently as she could with energy and proper rest, but she could. Or so she believed.
Adjusting herself quickly, she crept to the edge of the door, briefly peeking her head out. The coast seemed clear across the wooden floor, no monsters nearby whatsoever. Now’s her chance.
She couldn’t be weak, not now — correcting her wobble, she sped-walked to the nearby kitchen. It wasn’t a far walk, quite close actually, but it was a dangerous one. Just as she rounded around the counters and entered the kitchen, a blur of purple flashed out the corner of her eye.
It was a twisted, it had to be.
The maid acted fast, ducking behind a counter. She didn’t dare peak her head over, whatever it was, it probably saw her too. The pitter patter of its feet drew closer and closer to her hiding spot, whatever it was, it scurried over to its potential victim.
An indigo box dressed in a blue bandana pounced where the poor maid ducked for cover — only to find.. nothing. She’d vanish? Unlikely! He investigated the spot just a little more, a low growl escaping his lips as he eyed the cupboards. In a quick lunge, the box tore open the cupboard’s door — nothing. He tore another door — a bag of flour and several other ingredients. Two doors later and there wasn’t any sign of her, just an assortment of various kitchen items, frantically stacked on top of one another.
With a disgruntled snarl, Boxten backed off, continuing to roam the rest of the kitchen. If she wasn’t here, she had to be somewhere else. It just made sense — or so in his mind.
A few minutes passed, and underneath the pile of cooking utensils and dirty rags came a quiet sigh of relief, followed by shuffling. Out of the clutter came Tisha, revolted that she even grazed the unwashed equipment. As she crawled out the cabinet and got back on her feet, she dusted herself the best she could. While the fear slightly subsided, hunger overcame her — it almost made her sympathize with the twisteds; they seemed far hungrier than her.
Yet, they’re predators at heart, they didn’t kill just to satisfy their hunger.
She didn’t have time to think this over. (Get a grip, Tisha.) Quickly raiding the cupboards, she could only find kitchen utensils: pots, pans, spatulas, whisks, ANYTHING but food. ( Maybe it’s somewhere else?) She edged from the kitchen to the shelving room, maybe there was something good in there.
Twisting and turning around corners, she found where the supposed stash was supposed to be, but she wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to find.
Scouring the shelves, what did she find? Garbage. It was disgusting how anyone let it get this bad — she almost thought of blaming herself before her eyes lied on something — a box of canned stew. Gardenview’s chefs used them as bases for bigger soups, it’d last Tisha long enough to survive ‘till an expedition party came.
Squatting down to the box’s level, her arms hoisted it upwards in a tired jerk — over the past three days, her loss of strength took its toll on her body. Almost quaking, Tisha dragged herself back to her hideout. However, she wasn’t as careful as she should’ve been.
A can dropped from the box, the clattering sending Tisha into a panic, how could she be so careless?? What if someone heard it?? Just like she dropped the can, she dropped any caution she had and sprinted across the floor.
With the box in hand, she made it to the room and ducked behind the desk. Most twisteds wouldn’t even think to check in here — but she couldn’t afford to mess up. Paranoia kicked in as Tisha strained to hear something, anything.
… Nothing.
Now paranoid and hungry, Tisha popped one of the cans of stew — a hearty smell escaped the tin. Her mouth watered instantly, absolutely desperate. She didn’t even bother trying to find a spoon or anything, throwing her head back as she pressed the can to her lips.
Scarfing down the stew in a few seconds, she sighed, wiping her lips with her once pristine cravat. (God, I’m a mess..) Tisha set the can aside, letting herself rest. An onslaught of various thoughts ran through her mind, naturally. As she entered a half-lucid state of mind, her brain wandered.
Help would be coming soon.
She’d make it.
She’d reunite with everyone.
Shelly..
Her mind, suddenly seized by the thought of her best friend, wouldn’t let go of the girl. Before she knew it, fantasies of holding her friend close — her warm arms, bright smile, captivating eyes. Everything about her, it kept Tisha yearning for even a moment with her, just one would be enough.
…
Across the diner, one of the monsters, much larger than the others and obscured in darkness, approached the spot where there’d been loud clattering. Heavy feet kicked the can, but stopped in their tracks. Suddenly, tail lashing, it sniffed the air — hearty.
Dropping low to the floor, its silhouette became a little clearer. Beige arms, slick with an inky black, held up the creature as it tracked down where this scent went. Flexing its claws, it lurked closer and closer to Tisha’s hiding spot.
“Rrrrrr…”
…
Something was off. Even if she was half-asleep, she could sense the small vibrations of something, SOMEONE, nearby. Quietly screaming at herself to move, she jerked out her short-lived slumber, pushing herself up to the wall.
Nothing. Nothing she could see.
But every hair stood on end. Immediately arming herself with one of the cans, she readied herself to make a break for it — if anything, it was probably Boxten from earlier. It’d pass and go like everything else, right?
No. She couldn’t be any more wrong.
The same tall, monstrous creature brushed through the doorway, tracking the scent straight to her hiding spot. But this time she was picking up something else — something living.
With a curious chuff, the creature crawled towards the desk, sniffing out what it could possibly be. However, when it rounded the corner..
Fearful eyes.
It recognized this girl, faltering for a second. A small, tense moment of silence followed. Where had she seen her before?
“..Shelly?” Tisha spoke meekly, her grip on the tin loosening. A crack in her resolve. Her hands trembled, weak with emotion.
Tisha, in a desperate attempt to protect herself, mustered up the courage to swing the can aimlessly. Anything to discourage this monstrous version of Shelly from harming her — yet sorrow muddled her strength. In a quivering voice, she quietly wailed, “Stay back.. please.”
Shelly, on the other hand, was unfazed. In a quick swipe, the can flung across the room and clattered to the floor. Right as the tin hit the ground, almost like a gunshot, Shelly leapt from her spot and pounced directly on to Tisha.
One hand on her chest, the other on her wrist — Tisha was trapped between the floor and this .. creature. She wasn’t even sure if it was Shelly. HER Shelly. Her sweet, precious Shelly was nothing like this — she hoped.
“..S-Shelly, please,” Tisha whimpered, her quivering shifting to quaking. One look at her glossy eyes and anyone could tell the maid was fighting back tears. Absolutely terrified.
Once Shelly opened her jaws, Tisha panicked, squirming and writhing. The poor girl squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the worst of the worst — this was the end, she was going to die. Torn to shreds by her best-friend turned twisted. Mauled beyond recognition. An absolute bloodbath of-
*Shllickk!*
Something wet dragged across her face, warm and slick. Flinching, Tisha reluctantly peeked at the monster above her — Shelly was licking the bits of stew off her cheek, corners of her mouth, and chin.
Her tongue traced over the stew staining her skin, lapping up the flavors. Being honest with herself, Tisha expected a twisted as aggressive as Shelly to completely tear her apart limb by limb, so it shocked her to see her act so.. weird?
But her thoughts cut themselves off as soon as Shelly started licking her collar, the slick tongue tickling her neck. Uncontrollably, Tisha nervously giggled, “..No, no, bad- aha.. bad dinosaur thingy- ehehe, stop!” She wiggled, but Shelly kept lapping at her neck.
Tisha protested in giggles and yelps, unable to relax. Soon, licking turned to nibbling, which only made Tisha even more nervous. “..E-Easy big girl,” she murmured, failing to pull herself out from Shelly’s grip on her. The twisted practically lied on top of her, she wasn’t moving anytime soon.
Shelly’s tongue was unrelenting, practically covering Tisha in saliva. “..Do.. Do you recognize me?” Tisha mumbled, easing up slightly. ( Any other twisted would have killed me by now, so maybe she was different..?) Tisha looked for any sort of emotion in her face, yet she couldn’t find anything past those red eyes.
Except a flash of remorse, only a twinge. But in a second, it was gone.
Tisha’s heart dropped as Shelly shifted, completely towering over her now. Despite the sound being muffled, Tisha could hear the soft, almost inaudible grumble of Shelly’s stomach. Eyes widening, Tisha kicked and struggled to no avail — nothing she did was strong enough to deter the creature.
The dinosaur’s sickly hot breath tickled Tisha’s skin, threatening to overtake her. Just then, Shelly’s jaws opened agape, drawing out the ichor-slick tongue — Tisha’s throat tightened as she saw it glisten in the dim light. One look into Shelly’s exposed maw told Tisha everything she needed to know.
Shelly’s hunger tore her from the inside out, and Tisha was the next best thing to fill that emptiness that ached in her gut.
Dragging one final lick across her protesting prey’s face, she slowly shoved the maid’s head into her mouth. Tisha’s screams were immediately stifled by the slick walls, she was screaming to no one. The walls tightened around her, squeezing her down the hatch.
Shelly’s tongue grazed down Tisha’s neck, bringing her collarbone in slowly. She had to maneuver around the girl’s squirming shoulders, but she got them in eventually. Practically drooling, Shelly eagerly gobbled up the girl in front if her. Despite Tisha’s best struggles, Shelly had the upper hand — gulping up to her waist.
Tisha, on the other hand, couldn’t muster any counter, not when almost half her body was already down Shelly’s throat. Shelly’s muscles contracted effortlessly to suck her writhing body towards her hungry, yearning belly. Her legs, which were only part not constricted by the inky maw, flailed desperately. Tisha didn’t even have a plan, just trying anything that would work.
*Glrk!*
Like she was slurping a spaghetti noodle, Shelly tilted her head back and downed the last of Tisha. In a final gulp, gravity did the rest of the work, clearly visible outside as the bulge of Tisha’s body worked its way through Shelly’s esophagus.
Inside, however, was uncomfortably tight. The flesh around Tisha rippled and wobbled as it worked to suck Tisha deeper inside Shelly, closer to her ultimate destination. The journey felt like its entire purpose was to break Tisha, break her hope, break everything she fought for. She did everything for what? To last three days just to become a measly snack to some creature reminiscing her best friend?? Poor Tisha could feel herself tear up, completely defeated.
Tisha’s head popped into a stretchy, slightly roomy chamber, she could only assume this was Shelly’s belly. Feeling her own stomach tighten at the thought, she fought throwing up — it would’ve only made her situation even worse. Slowly, the rest of her body was pushed into this space. It was nowhere close to how cramped Shelly’s esophagus was, but Tisha feared for her safety.
Tisha could only assume the liquid pooling around her body was ichor. It didn’t burn or hurt her, but she knew the effects of ichor were a slow burn — countless times before had she been lectured on ichor, how it’d slowly dissolve toons to their key component, back to ichor. By the time a rescue team would find her, she’d be nothing but ichor. The thought terrified her.
Kicking and screaming, she stretched and wobbled Shelly’s tummy. It mildly annoyed the twisted, but she just lied on her side, watching her meal helplessly struggle. As Tisha wore herself out, nothing changed. She wasn’t anywhere closer to getting out than she was before her outburst.
She felt her face get hot, uncontrollable tears streamed down her cheeks. Silently sobbing, the maid brought her knees up to her chest, holding herself as thoughts flooded her head. The uneasy churning of Shelly’s stomach was the only other sound accompanying Tisha’s sniffles.
“..Please, I don’t want to die..” Tisha pleaded, curling up in defeat. The slippery flesh squeezing around her brought no comfort. Her plea held no power, no control, she couldn’t help what would and wouldn’t happen.
There was barely a response, basically unheard. Tisha knew her words were simply an empty prayer. Nobody would help her, nobody would save her. Just another casualty to Gardenview. She’d never seen outside Gardenview before, and now that hope was a dead dream. In a silent defeat, she went quiet, almost like she was accepting her fate.
“…” Shelly went quiet, seemingly responsive to Tisha’s distress. Even if she could, she didn’t need to say a word, curling her tail protectively around her abdomen’s bulge. It was a faint gesture — a confusing, yet gracious gesture.
“…Hhrrrhrrrmmhffr..” a small chuff escaped the ammonite’s throat, gently twisting her body around her belly in a small cradle. A weird, sick way to comfort her prey. Which brought Tisha to question why Shelly was even bothering to comfort her — she clearly didn’t object to devouring the poor girl whole, why does she care about her comfort?
Reaching out to the walls, Tisha pressed her hand against it; firm, yet gentle. In response, Tisha received a tiny rumble deep within Shelly’s body — potentially a growl? The girl’s thumb rubbed the moist flesh beneath, a strange, unsettling texture. Yet that growl grew deeper, gaining a rhythm.
… That wasn’t a growl, instead.. a purr? Shelly could do that? In a soft pat, Tisha brushed the inside of her captor’s walls, the vibrations getting intense. She was torn between if it was a sadist purr or perhaps a way to assure her that she wasn’t in harm’s way.
Regardless, she knew something was clear. Shelly wouldn’t bother getting her out — she was stuck in here. But she wouldn’t let Tisha suffer, oddly.
.. Tisha felt herself start to sniffle again, rubbing the inside of Shelly’s belly slowly. She really was going to die.
She supposed it was better than dying to the gory aftermath of another twisted, yet this felt far more emotionally draining. The maid sluggishly stroked the chamber walls, looking for an ounce of comfort with the ammonite.
As defeat edged into exhaustion, Tisha closed her eyes and settled into the squishy walls cramped around her. Her lower body was engulfed in the ichor, slowly but surely breaking her down into the same inky liquid beneath her waist. In a shaky sigh, she succumbed to the fatigue; her body went slack.
The girl listened to the distinct thump of Shelly’s heart, irregular and inhuman — something was cold about the twisted’s heart, faint thumps every so often. Being honest with herself, it was unsettling how she could hear everything going on with Shelly. Her heartbeat, Shelly’s ragged breathing, the near inaudible churning of Tisha’s steady digestion, the rumble of the twisted’s purring, everything.
Tisha barely clung to her last bit of energy draining away, reflecting over everything. If only she was quicker, or maybe if she didn’t hesitate, or if she just avoided this entire situation and didn’t strand herself in the middle of Gardenview; so many things could have been different.
“..Rrrrrrr…” The purring never stopped, lulling Tisha into a slumber. Getting roomier, stomach muscles unclenched around Tisha — providing her with the space to breathe. It’s weird: the less she fought, the gentler Shelly was with her.
“..Shells, if you.. even remember that name, can you promise me that I- .. I won’t die feeling alone?” She muttered, feeling her consciousness slip from her. Obviously, there wasn’t any conversation, but she could feel a small pressure as Shelly shifted. It was the fossil’s head, Tisha immediately knew she was resting her head on her swollen belly.
Dying in your closest friend’s embrace.
Oddly, this could’ve been worse. It can always be worse. Tish thought to herself.
Maybe this isn’t a terrible way to go out..
In acceptance of her fate, Tisha let herself surrender to the ichor. Her mind was elsewhere, however, unable to tear away from her life before this catastrophe — what will be her legacy? Just Gardenview’s maid? A sweet girl that everyone burdened with their messes? Would anyone see her past her role?
Nobody would find her body, nobody would know what happened to her, and .. it hurt. But Tisha made her peace with that, letting her thoughts gradually spiral into nothing.
…
She was nothing.
—-
In a massive yawn, Shelly rolled over onto her back. Her once bulging, firm gut was now just pudge. In a small stretch, the twisted let out a small, unreadable huff.
Almost regretful.