Valery leaned over, helping him out of the ragged remains of the shirt and oversized pants.
After learning to operate his new feet, Cody raced for the exit, but the giant woman jumped in front of him. He squealed in fright, turning all the way around and finding a new path. He trotted through an opening, finding himself in mud along with the pink creature that looked nothing like him.
Valery closed and locked the gate, sighing.
“I hope he’s happy.”
Cody watched her until she left the barn, disappearing into a bright curtain of light.
James sounded intrigued on the other end.
“No, she didn’t change all the way,” Valery spoke, holding the speaker to her ear. “I don’t know what’s wrong. She’s halfway, a bit of both. Pig and human.”
The old house might’ve had no reception for a mobile phone to pick up a signal, but the landline telephone worked just fine. Valery kept it hidden so that no visitors would find it.
“Odd,” James said. “She’s still healthy though?”
“Yes, I believe so,” Valery said. “She’s like any other pig. The second one stays with her.”
“Interesting. I’ll have to come see her.”
Valery saw something out of the corner of her eye. Red and blue lights flashed outside, and they were getting closer. She heard the rumble of an engine and tires kicking up dirt. A door slammed shut shortly after.
“I have to go,” she said. “Someone’s here.”
“Someone who?”
“No one important. I’ll take care of it.”
Valery hadn’t seen a lot of America, but she knew what the red and blue lights meant. She rushed to the door just as someone knocked. On the porch was a man dressed in uniform, donning a wide-brimmed hat. A highway patrolman.
“Ma’am, sorry to bother you so late at night.”
Valery smiled. “Oh, it’s no problem.”
“Some kids have gone missing. It’s been more than twenty-four hours.” He showed her a few photos, each with a smiling face. “Have you seen them around here? Might be a long shot, but we found a car in the ditch not far from here. We haven’t confirmed the owner yet.”
She remembered them all so clearly, and their sweet faces. Valery would’ve loved to be their friend, to have known them better. Each of them. They were all innocent, young lives caught in a series of events beyond their understanding. None of them knew their fates when they arrived on the farm, but the end was always the same.
Valery pretended to stare at the photos, looking them over carefully. Then, she smiled.
“No, I haven’t seen them.”
The patrolman nodded. “That’s an accent I’ve never heard before. Russian?”
“Ukrainian.”
“Nice.”
He gave her one last glance before getting back into the car and driving on down the road, disappearing into the darkness.
Three months later …
Belle could hardly move a muscle. There was no point in trying; the last few days had drained her of her energy, and she just wanted to lay there, letting her body rest in the mud. Often, she’d find herself dozing off, the day and night turning into a single blur, before their little suckling lips would wake her again.
It had hurt more than anything she could remember, in the life before or this one now. Nothing had prepared her for it. Valery would dampen her dry skin with a wet cloth, but she’d still burn up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath. The heat would linger around her, sticking to her fat body, never leaving. She couldn’t sweat it away like a human.
Two pairs of eyes were watching her from the other side of the pen. One was Valery’s, and the other she didn’t recognize.
“What an unexpected litter,” the man was saying. “She was pregnant before the change. That’s what it was. That’s why she didn’t fully change. And look at that! I count eight or nine of them. All healthy piglets.”
“Yes,” Valery agreed. “All full of life. Very cute.”
“You help foster these, and I might make things a little better on this farm. Might even turn your sweet child back to human for a bit, just to remind you. Not permanently. Not yet. There is still work to be done. The debt isn’t paid.”
“Oh, anything,” Valery begged. “Anything to see her again, even for a little bit. I have to know she’s okay.”
The man rubbed his beard. “Ah, I bet she’s fine. She’s a tough one. You’ve done good. More people will be heading this way, I reckon. They stopped looking for those kids last week. No sign of ‘em.”
“They checked my farm twice,” Valery said.
“And they were right under their noses!” The man laughed.
Belle exhaled. She felt immense and bloated, even without the babies inside her belly. Her tits especially. They were each fat and plump, engorged with warm milk. The piglets would come running to feed every hour, eager to wrap their cute little lips around her teats. The milk leaving her body was soothing in a way, almost pleasurable. And she’d watch them stand there, with their little curly tails and their itty-bitty feet in the dirt. They were hungry things, sometimes even fighting over the last teat.
Now they were feeding again, and all six spaces were occupied. Belle saw the little runt of the group sitting in the back, pushed away from the buffet. He would try to wiggle his way in, but the others would squeeze the gap shut.
Belle removed the piglet from the nearest teat and grabbed the runt, handling him gently with her three fingers. The changes might’ve made her half-porcine, but she still had more control of her hand than a regular pig would’ve. She brought the runt to her wet teat. Its little lips wrapped around it instantly, working the milk out.
The other piglet tried to intervene, but Belle shoved him away. After, he went around to roll in the mud.
“Watch her closely,” the man went on. “With her being half and half, I don’t know what’ll happen. She might try and escape. If she does, that’ll be the end of it.”
Valery shook her head. “No, she won’t.”
“And how do you know?”
Valery smiled. “Just look at her. She loves those little darlings the only way a mother could. She’s not going anywhere. This is her home.”
Belle sighed, startling one of the piglets with her heaving chest—though it quickly returned to the teat to continue its meal. She petted it softly, licking her fat lips, watching milk dribble from its mouth. It was the cutest thing, so energetic and full of life. Belle wanted to be there for it, to watch it grow. These were her children, and they had all come from her womb.
Valery was right. She didn’t want to leave.
###
Ghostastic!
Pete wished he had paid more attention to the forecast. The weatherman had been going on for a whole week about the record rainfall coming, about rivers rising over their banks, about the apocalyptic doomsday flood that was going to submerge half the town and force residents from their homes.
And sure as shit it happened.
The storm was in full swing whenever Nathan arrived. He grabbed a few pairs of clothes and jumped into the car, dashing through the rain to avoid getting drenched. The man on the radio was going on and on about the flood, listing off which streets were underwater, urging residents to seek out higher ground and get out of the way. The storm wasn’t going to let up for many more hours, and the river was expected to continue to rise long after that.
“It’s all underwater a half-mile to the north,” Nathan said, throwing the car into reverse and speeding down the neighborhood road. “Just one more block down. Fuck. The water’s probably at my front door by now. I just had that carpet replaced, too. It always gets us first, Pete. Every time the waters rise.”
“Maybe we should’ve invested in some sandbags.”
“Yeah, lotta good those will do. The water would find a way in anyway. We just have to get out and wait until it goes down again.”
Nathan jerked the wheel left, avoiding
an SUV backing out of a driveway. He didn’t comment on it.
“We’re going to Skylar’s place. I already called ahead. She’s on high ground compared to everyone else. That whole area is. I guess one of her friends is there, too. Jean, or something. We might have to stay a couple nights before it’s safe to go back. Hopefully not more than that.”
Pete swallowed hard. With the mention of Skylar came an image of a beautiful blonde girl to his mind. He had known her for ten years, all the way back to middle school. Still, he wished that Nathan had said a different name. Her house might’ve been the only safe haven at the moment, but he dreaded seeing her face-to-face again. Talking to an ex-girlfriend was always awkward, no matter the circumstance—including the wrath of God himself bringing about the eternal flood to punish man.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad.
As Nathan pulled into her driveway, the rain had let up, but the wind was still howling. They rushed up to the entrance. Skylar had already opened the front door for them. They darted inside as a sudden gust slammed the door shut behind them.
“Jesus and the fucking seven dwarfs!” Nathan cried. “It’s hell out there! Thought we’d never make it.”
“That entire end of town is under water,” Skylar said. The news was on the television. “And they’re saying the rain won’t be leaving soon. It’s supposed to go on for another few hours.”
Pete glanced at Skylar. When her eyes turned to him, he moved his elsewhere. It was strange to be in her house again, to be only a few feet away when a very similar proximity a few months ago would’ve ended with them in each other’s arms and taking their clothes off. Her naked body had never left his thoughts, though a mental image of it was the last time he’d ever see it. He remembered it well—the firm breasts, the full hips, a skin so soft that he just wanted to run his fingers along it to feel every inch of her. The break-up had felt like a stab to the abdomen, the kind where the blade is broken off and remains in the flesh, keeping the wound permanently open to weep blood.
“We’ve got enough food and drinks,” Skylar said. “Parents won’t be able to fly back until the storm’s gone, so maybe tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. Until then it’s just us. I’m sure they won’t mind you staying until the water goes back down. Was it coming into your house already?”
“Not yet,” said Nathan. “It wasn’t far from it, though. Bet it’s in there now.”
Pete looked down. “Yeah, same. We live close to each other. That part of town always floods first.”
“Yeah, my house especially,” Nathan joked. “It always avoids yours somehow. Won’t be like that this time!”
Pete saw another girl on the couch. She was red-haired and gorgeous, wearing a pair of torn jeans and a green tank top. She didn’t seem to notice him or Nathan. Instead, she was just putting away a lighter and sealing her lips inside the mouthpiece of a glass bong. Fumes funneled up the chamber and into her mouth. Then, she pulled back and exhaled slowly.
“The only proper way to survive the end of the world,” she said abstractedly.
“Fuck yeah,” agreed Nathan. “But not just the end of the world. Any average day.”
“Don’t mind Jean,” Skylar said. “A flood and a sleepover is her excuse for getting high. And just ignore her when she starts talking about—”
“—the comet,” Jean interrupted, placing the bong against her lips again and inhaling. Her words were slow, as if every one of them required careful concentration. “It’s the reason for this weather. It’s causing the flood. It’s that strange purple glow. Have y’all seen it? It’s … extraordinary. There has never been another comet like it. I know this because it told me.”
Pete rolled his eyes.
“Yeah okay,” Nathan laughed. “When did that happen? On the magical carpet ride?”
“There was no magic carpet,” Jean went on. “I didn’t have to be close to it. It just told me that it was unique, and that tonight was going to be unlike any other.”
“Don’t engage her,” Skylar told them. “Not like this. Just ignore her, or you’ll be locked in a debate for thirty minutes.”
“High as a kite,” Nathan said.
Pete remembered the comet. Mauve’s Band it was called, or some silly name like that because of the purple color its tail gave off. Supposedly it was rare and no one had seen any other like it. But he hadn’t really paid attention to the news segments dedicated to the passing space rock. None of the local stations cared about it anymore, not after the record rainfall hitting the state. For the next week there’d be nothing but sensational videos of the water rising and helicopters swinging in to rescue stranded people on rooftops. The stories might even reach the national level. The town would be momentarily famous—thanks to a disaster.
When it was all over, no one would even remember the comet.
It was nearing midnight, and the news was on repeat, delivering the same information over and over again with slightly different images of the radar and the great swath of green over the state. The storm system was moving at a snail’s pace. Pete and Nathan were given a spare bedroom to stay in for the night—and perhaps a few more nights if the waters didn’t recede. Hustling to grab some clothes and flee the disaster scene had left Pete exhausted, and he imagined Nathan was the same. Though it was hard to imagine sleep while picturing the water coming into his house, slowing destroying his possessions one by one. He hoped it wouldn’t get too high.
“Man, I forgot she was your ex,” Nathan said while unpacking a backpack. “Didn’t even cross my mind until you two were in the same room again. Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Pete said before adding, “I’m completely over it. Just as long as we’re away from the flood.”
“Yeah, our neighborhood sure gets shit on. No wonder the insurance was so damn high. They know it’s going to flood! Oh, and you can have dibs on Jean.”
Pete looked at him. “Dibs?”
“Yeah, like, if you want to go for her first. I’m giving you the honor as a friend.”
“Sure.” He shook his head. “In the same house where my ex-girlfriend lives while there’s a monsoon happening outside while she’s floating up there at the altitude where commercial airliners fly. I don’t see a problem with that. What could go wrong?”
Nathan had a more complex angle. “Well, the way I figure it, you hit it off with Jean, and then Skylar gets upset because you settled for a girl who isn’t as pretty as her, and then she’ll try to take you back. It makes perfect sense.”
Pete sighed. “If I even want Skylar back.”
“What happened anyway? Why did you two separate?”
Pete didn’t want to tell Nathan. He didn’t want to tell anyone. The reason why Skylar had left him was far too embarrassing, especially for someone his age. You’d think everything would work properly down there, that all the right equipment would perform as intended in the company of a beautiful woman, and Skylar certainly was beautiful. It hadn’t been her fault. But she needed someone who could … raise the flag to full staff on sudden notice, or pitch a tent when the mood called for it.
“Sorry. Must be real personal,” Nathan said.
“It kinda is.”
“But you won’t believe what I found. Holy tits on a stick.”
While Pete had been reflecting on the constant and humiliating failures in his life—particularly those revolving around the usage of his manhood—Nathan had opened up a small cardboard box in the corner of the room. There were several scattered about. Skylar hadn’t had any time to prepare the bedroom for visitors other than clearing out a pathway around the bed.
“You know that’s private,” said Pete.
“Not listening.”
“Nathan, she won’t like that you—”
“Dude, just look!”
Inside were several photographs. Nathan had pulled them all out. They were the type you’d get developed from a disposable camera. Pete didn’t think anyone used those anymore. But the photos wer
en’t recent. And the subject and location were all identical in every single one—a poorly-lit strip club with a dancer taking her glittery bikini off. Nathan didn’t need to say who it was. Pete recognized the young woman who was totally naked in half the photos.
“Skylar’s mother,” they both whispered at the same time.
All the photos had a date listed in the bottom corner: 1999. Skylar had only been a child back then. And “Busty Betty”—her mother’s stage name—had some moves.
“Damn,” Nathan murmured, sifting through all the photos, taking a hard look at every one of them, and then starting at the beginning again. There were a few dozen in all. Skylar’s mother probably didn’t want them to be found. “I almost feel like taking these home.”
“And then she’ll know it was one of us that did it,” Pete said. “Don’t be stupid.”
“Well, she can’t stop me from taking pictures of them,” Nathan said, grinning as he took out his phone.
The box wasn’t empty. “Did you look at what else was in there?”
“Nope.” Nathan snapped a photo of the first picture and moved on to the second one. “Go ahead. Maybe it’s more good stuff.”
Pete felt around inside, moving his hand in the dark. He knew what his fingers had clasped around before he ever pulled it out. It was an old newspaper—nearly fifteen years old. He expected to see some story about Busty Betty. Why else was it in that same box? Instead, the top headline was about some misuse of education funds, complete with a photo including men and women seated at a round table. Boring.
Pete unfolded it. Near the bottom was a smaller headline circled with red marker: NEW DEVELOPMENT OVER OLD CEMETERY. He scanned the article, which included the neighborhoods announced to be going up in the next month or two at the time of the paper’s release. One of them included the very same house that they were in now.
A flash lit up the whole room. Thunder cracked overhead shortly after.
“Damn,” Nathan said. “That was a close one. We know our luck is shit if lightning strikes the house and it catches fire.”
A Gender Swap Mega Bundle 6 Page 25