The Cannibals of Candyland

by Carlton Mellick III

  “The point is that the submissive would have more freedom,” Franklin says. “The submissive would lead a more happy, fulfilling life. The submissives would be able to choose their own mates. The submissive would be able to make decisions themselves. They wouldn’t need to submit to anyone.”

  “Even the weak humans choose their own mates?”

  “Of course.”

  “But what happens if the mate you choose doesn’t like your flavor?” she asks.

  “Then you find a mate who does.”

  “But what if you don’t want another mate?”

  “Then there is nothing you can do about it. Kind of like how Licorice can do nothing about taking you as his mate now that you are with me.”

  “It’s not the same,” she says. “If somebody doesn’t have a mate and you want them to be your mate you should be able to take them.”

  “It isn’t fair to that person, though. You don’t think it is fair for all women to be submissives, so why do you think it is fair for anyone to be a submissive?”

  “Some people are supposed to be submissives. Some people are supposed to be dominants.”

  “But why?”

  “Because that’s how it is,” she says.

  “But we could easily be equals,” he says. “If we could be equals then anyone can be equals.”

  “We are not equals,” she says. “I am a dominant and you are a submissive. That is how it is.”

  “But if you just open your mind . . .”

  “No,” she says. “That is how it is.”

  The infection under Franklin’s skin is getting more and more agonizing. It is like his flesh is rotting under the green candy. The swelling around his false limbs is becoming so ballooned that it feels as if the limbs are going to pop off.

  The only thing that numbs the pain is giving Jujy oral sex. Every other hour, he finds himself digging his tongue between her thighs to suck out the strawberry drug. He has become addicted to it. Whenever she is away on a long hunt, Franklin goes through withdrawal. Besides the intense aches and pains, he gets emotionally unstable, paranoid, depressed, angry. He sweats and shivers in a corner. When she returns home, Franklin attacks her like a dog. He wraps his arms around her thighs and buries his nose in her crotch, inhaling the drug feverishly.

  She says, “Just a moment. After I put the food away, I’ll let you lick me in the bedroom.”

  When they are in the bedroom, Jujy has him kneel in the doorway and wait for him. She gets on the bed and spreads her legs. Then she has him crawl across the floor towards her.

  The way she smiles when he licks her is more than just a smile of physical pleasure. Franklin can tell that she also smiles because she knows that he needs to lick her. He thinks she enjoys knowing that he suffers whenever he is not licking her. Sometimes she won’t let him give her oral sex for a while. Franklin believes that she does this because she likes to watch him squirm. She wants him to beg her to let him do it.

  When the drug seeps into Franklin’s mind, he calms down. His eyelids droop shut. He lays his cheek on the soft flesh below Jujy’s belly button and takes deep breaths as all the pain and stress dissipates from his flesh. These are his favorite moments of the day, until Jujy smacks him on the forehead and forces him to continue pleasuring her.

  One time, after Franklin gives Jujy oral sex and lays his head on the soft place below Jujy’s belly button, he notices that the flesh is much firmer than usual. It is also much more plump.

  He rubs her belly and says, “What is wrong? It’s hard.”

  Jujy looks down at it.

  “What?” she says, looking down at his face between her legs.

  Her belly is slowly expanding.

  “It can’t be . . .” she says.

  She rubs the swollen area with both of her hands.

  “It’s a baby,” she says.

  She looks at Franklin with a very serious, almost angry face. “I’m actually growing a baby inside me. Our coupling was successful.”

  Franklin watches as her belly continues to grow. “Why is your belly expanding so quickly?”

  She looks down at her pregnant stomach. “Because there is a baby growing inside of me.”

  “But why is it growing so fast?”

  “Because I’m healthy,” she says. “I make sure to eat plenty of meat.”

  Franklin just watches her belly as she rubs herself, trying to feel the being inside of her.

  Then she wraps her arms around him and kisses him gently.

  “We’re really going to have offspring together,” she says. “Now I never have to mate with Licorice. You can be my mate forever.”

  Lying in bed together, the marshmallow puppy sleeping between their feet, it dawns on Franklin that he is going to have a child with the creature who killed his siblings. He wonders what the child will look like when it is born. Will it be human, candy person, or a mixture? Will its hair be blonde or pink cotton candy? Will its skin be made of human flesh or white taffy? Will its teeth be razor sharp or will Jujy have to file them to points? Franklin decides he doesn’t want to think about it.

  “Now that we have successfully mated,” Franklin asks Jujy. “Can I be unchained from the bed?”

  She moans as if he has just pulled her out of sleep.

  “Now that I’m pregnant I’m allowed to let you go if I want to,” she says. “But I don’t want to.”

  “Why not?”

  “I want you to stay here,” she says.

  “I won’t leave. I just don’t want to be chained up anymore.”

  “You can only be unchained when I’m ready for you to leave, but I don’t want you to leave. Ever.”

  “I promise I won’t leave.”

  “I take you out on walks,” she says. “Isn’t that enough for you? No dominants ever give their submissives as many freedoms as I give you. By the time this baby is born you will have to learn your place. You will stay chained so that you can care for our child while I am away. Then we will start another mating period and have another child. Then we will do it again. It is my duty as a dominant to make sure you stay in the home and take care of the offspring.”

  Franklin doesn’t respond. He rolls over and tries to sleep. He is beginning to realize that he needs to escape as soon as he can. If he doesn’t get out soon enough he will be trapped in this life Jujy has created for him until the day he dies.

  Jujy is gone on a hunt and Franklin is on the floor, writhing in pain. The marshmallow puppy licks the salt from his ear as he sweats from withdrawal. The infection under the candy coating is worse than it has ever been. He reopens the crack in his torso and sticks a thin sharpened candy cane inside to scratch the itchiness. A foul odor creeps out of the hole. It is getting gangrenous. When he pulls out the candy cane, there are three dead ants stuck to it and one that is still alive.

  Franklin knows that he has to get to a hospital as soon as possible or else he will die from the infection. He can’t wait around for Jujy to take him on walks, mapping the rest of the cavern slowly over the course of several days. He has to find his way to the exit now. He has to free himself from his bonds and get out before Jujy gets back.

  He pushes the puppy away from his face and crawls into the bedroom. He uses his cane to stand himself up. Examining the chain that is attached to the bedpost, he isn’t sure how he’ll be able to free himself without breaking the chain. Jujy has been able to hook him and unhook him with ease, but the chain looks as if it is molded into the bedpost. He doesn’t want to break the chain because if he can’t find his way out of the cave he’ll need to be able to chain himself back to the bed so that Jujy won’t know he was ever gone. For some reason his super brain isn’t able to figure it out. He wonders if it hasn’t been working properly with all the candy sprinkled on it.

  After fiddling with the chain for a few minutes, unable to work it out, he decides that he doesn’t have a choice but to break it and just hope he gets out of here on his first attempt. He pulls the sword out of
his cane and stabs it in one of the candy links. The candy chain is much stronger than he had expected. Although not as strong as metal, it is as strong as bulletproof glass. He has to kick both of his feet against the chain as the sword cuts in the opposite direction. When the link finally snaps, the sword slams into his kneecap. If it wasn’t his candy leg, it would have created a large gash.

  Franklin hobbles out of the house on his cane. He isn’t sure which direction to go in, but heads away from the territories he is familiar with. He knows exactly where the most populated areas of community are and doesn’t want to go anywhere near them. He hopes that the exit is close to Jujy’s house.

  When he first entered the cavern, he was in a candy cane forest, so he goes in the direction of candy canes. Purple clouds swirl overhead as he climbs sugar frosted hills. A snake-sized gummy worm slithers across his path and hides in a bush of pixie sticks. His cane sinks into the chocolate mud when he puts his weight on it, causing his candy shell to scrape against the infected parts of his flesh.

  He wanders through caramel swamplands and deserts filled with fluffy pink cacti, following twisty trails through the many hills and valleys. Because of his upgraded brain, it is not possible for him to become lost, as long as it isn’t broken. But he is realizing just how big this underground world really is. According to the area he has already mapped out in his head, this cavern is at least 15 square miles. He isn’t sure he will be able to find the exit before Jujy returns.

  After another mile of exploring, Franklin decides that he will give it just another hour. If he can’t find the exit by then he’ll have to return to Jujy’s house before she realizes he is gone.

  Franklin hears a scream coming from a nearby field. It is the scream of a child. Franklin decides it would be best if he ignored the scream and headed back to Jujy’s house, but he finds himself moving towards the scream anyhow. He sneaks into a clearing that is filled with large piles of jelly donuts, stacked like pyramids eight feet high.

  Hiding behind one of the donut stacks, Franklin sees the screaming child. He recognizes him. It is Troy, the brat from his neighborhood. He is being dragged by his hair through puddles of custard by a large candy person. Franklin snickers to himself. He thinks if any child deserves to be eaten by the candy people it is Troy.

  But the smile quickly falls from his face as he sees the agonizing expression on Troy’s face and sees the blood trickling down his forehead. The candy person is not just gripping the boy’s hair, but his fingernails are digging through the skin on his scalp. Franklin doesn’t see the little asshole who used to call him a faggot and try to kill his cat. He just sees a helpless child being dragged to his death.

  Franklin steps out from behind the donut pile and approaches the boy. As he creeps up behind the candy person, he holds up his cane, ready to draw the blade and stab the man from behind. But just as he twists the crook of his cane, the candy person turns around. It is Black Licorice.

  Licorice has a curious smile on his face when he sees Franklin.

  “Sour Apple?” the words spill out of his lips like he is exhaling chimney smoke. “What are you doing out here?”

  Franklin doesn’t know how to respond. He just stands there with his cane in his hand, staring at Troy.

  “Jujube no longer has you chained to her bedpost,” he says. “I assume that means you are no longer her mate.”

  He smiles.

  “Your breeding was a failure, wasn’t it?” He steps closer to Franklin, dragging the boy behind him. “Very good. Now I can take her as my mate.”

  “No.” Franklin lowers his cane so that he can lean on it. “The mating was a success.”

  “A success?” Licorice’s smile turns into an angry frown. “Then what are you doing out of her house?”

  “I—” Franklin doesn’t know what to say. “She let me go.”

  “Let you go?”

  “She no longer needs me,” he says.

  “She didn’t want to keep you.” Licorice smiles again. “That means I can take her as my mate as soon as the child is born.”

  “That is up to her,” Franklin says.

  “She won’t be a dominant for much longer,” Licorice says. “I’ll show her that females are only meant to be submissives.”

  Licorice chuckles in Franklins face and turns to walk away.

  Franklin drops his hand on his shoulder.

  “Give me the boy,” he says.

  Licorice looks back at Franklin with black marble eyes. “What?”

  “I want to have the boy.”

  “This is my prey,” he says. “I hunted it. It belongs to me.”

  “Why is he still alive?”

  “I like to eat my food while it is still screaming,” Licorice says, licking his black lips at the child.

  “If you give me the boy I will leave this cave and never return,” Franklin says. “If you do not I will go back to Jujube and claim her as my mate.”

  Licorice’s face becomes serious. “Sour Apple . . .” He caresses Franklin’s cheek with his raven-like claws. “I am curious why you want this child so much as to threaten me. It seems unfathomable that you could possibly dominate anyone, especially Jujube who obviously was able to dominate you. Submissive males are perhaps the most pathetic life form I can name, which makes your feeble threat nothing more than a curiosity to me. So I must ask you to explain yourself. Why do you want this child?”

  “Because I am really hungry,” Franklin says. It is the best thing he can come up with, even using his big fancy brain.

  “That I do not believe,” Licorice says. Then he takes the kid by the throat. “Maybe if I break its neck and watch you eat its flesh right here in front of me. Then I will have to believe you and will agree to your terms.” He digs his fingernails into the boy’s neck. “How does that sound?”

  Franklin’s eyes widen and he reaches out his hand to stop Licorice from going through with it.

  “Just as I thought,” Licorice says. “You don’t want me to kill it. Perhaps you feel pity for this creature? Perhaps because he is one of your kind?”

  Franklin considers pulling out his sword and attacking Licorice right there. He has never been a fighter. He hasn’t won a fight in his life. But he might have an edge with his upgraded brain. He knows that several professional fighters upgraded their brains so that they could calculate their moves faster. It might not improve reflexes, but being able to think quickly can make a huge difference in a fight. Still, Franklin hesitates.

  “It might have never happened in the past,” Licorice says, “but I think it is very possible to give a human a candy disguise.”

  He looks carefully into Franklin’s human eyes, then he says, “What do you think?”

  Franklin pulls the sword out of his cane and slices it across Licorice’s face, catching the candy man off guard. Although the blade was aiming for the throat, Licorice was able to avoid a fatal cut because, unlike Franklin, he does have good reflexes. Troy screams as Licorice rips his hair backwards, stepping away from his attacker.

  “I knew it,” Licorice says. “You were human all along.” He throws Troy on the ground and points his claws at Franklin. “You were the one who killed Float.”

  Franklin holds his sword up, ready to defend himself.

  “Now I will kill you and feed you to the lemon hogs,” Licorice says. Then he attacks.

  Troy runs and hides as Licorice charges at Franklin, slashing his claws wildly. Franklin isn’t able to move as fast as his brain wants him to, but he is able to dodge the candy man’s strikes or block them with the sheath of his cane. When Franklin slashes at Licorice, his sword does not break through the candy coating. He tries aiming for the throat, but Licorice’s reflexes are too quick for him.

  Frustrated by not being able to get his claws past Franklin’s defenses, Licorice uses his armored body as a weapon. He charges at Franklin, forcing his chest against the side of the cane sword and shoving it backwards. The force of Licorice’s slamming body knock
s Franklin onto the ground. But he uses the fall to his advantage. As he hits the ground, Franklin swings the sheath of his cane sword against the side of Licorice’s knee. The candy coating pops open and his kneecap crumbles like a jawbreaker broken against pavement.

  Licorice folds over and shrieks with pain. With his upgraded brain working over time, Franklin calculates several strategies to defeat Licorice right there. But Franklin decides to ignore the calculations. Instead, he reacts with his emotions. All of the hate he has ever felt for the candy people fills him. His eyes burn red. His muscles tighten under his sour apple skin.

  Franklin gets up and beats Licorice with the sheath of his cane. The sheath is heavy and made of metal. It feels like a thin aluminum baseball bat to Franklin, or a retractable baton. He clubs the creature in the chest repeatedly with it. Screaming in a fury. Licorice screams as his candy chest cracks open. Black powder explodes into the air with every hit. A spider web of fractures spread across his body.

  Once the candy is broken apart enough, Franklin stabs his sword through the soft exposed flesh into the chocolate mud. Licorice’s eyes bug out of his head at Franklin. His fingers curling around large chunks of his broken candy shell as his blood leaks out of his wound.

  “I will kill you,” Licorice hisses.

  Then Franklin tears the blade up Licorice’s torso, cutting through the shattered candy. His intestines spill out of the gash and his heart stops pumping. His black licorice head gurgles at Franklin as it droops to the side, his tootsie roll hat rolls through the chocolate mud.

  As Franklin approaches, Troy quivers into a ball. The kid only sees another candy person.