In the Belly of the Giant

Part 24

Warning: Violent, nonconsensual sex

Eren woke up before Trent did as the gray early morning light filtered through the blinds. She felt dejected as she stared at her gloomy prison and watched a giant roach crawl up the smudged glass. She thought Joey would've found her by now. She began to wonder, drowning in melancholy, if she was going to be trapped here for the rest of her life, at the mercy of the evil giant. The idea was too heavy a burden to bear, but she could no longer avoid it. She was a lost soul, imprisoned in the bowels of hell.

Trent's cellphone rang, shattering the silence. He picked it up with a groan and mumbled a greeting as he answered it. From across the room, Eren was able to hear the rumble of a sonorous voice on the other end, which she assumed must be Mr. Greenwood. Trent sustained a short conversation before hanging up and dropping his phone on the bed. He sat up, stretched, and rubbed his eyes.

"Man, that was one hell of a drug," he muttered to himself, massaging his head as he fried up an egg sandwich using one of his unwashed pans. Eren watched nervously as he cracked a beer and bit into his sandwich. He hadn't acknowledged her this morning, which was a good sign that he wasn't going to eat her or torment her, but he hadn't fed her either. She was hungry.

He ate the entire sandwich and polished off his beer. He pulled on some stained jeans and his black leather jacket, then pocketed his knife and stuck his gun in his pants. As he collected his things and prepared to leave, he paused and looked over at the terrarium. Eren tensed up. With a sigh, he tossed in a plain slice of bread so she wouldn't starve.

"I'll be back soon enough," he announced, as if he believed that Eren would miss him. Eren curled her lip with disgust, but the expression was lost on Trent as he turned away and left the apartment, slamming the door behind him. Eren exhaled as she was granted a brief respite from having to be around the despicable giant.

With nothing else to do, Eren snacked on the bread, wallowed in her own misery, and made friends with the roaches all day. She spent the entire day in isolation, feeling like she was slowly going insane. As the daylight started to seep out of the room, Trent returned with a half-eaten bag of fast food. He scarfed down the remainder of his fries, wiped the grease on his pants, and carelessly tossed the wrappers on the grimy carpet, as additional fodder for the roach army.

Eren observed him with consternation, waiting with dread for his next move. She hoped, since he had already eaten his dinner, she wouldn't be on the menu tonight. Trent seemed to be in a good mood. He undressed, stripping off his pants, jacket, and tank top so he was just in his boxers. He approached the terrarium, so Eren found herself staring at his pasty bare belly, as wide across as a movie theater screen. She backed up into the far wall and looked up at his revolting, leering face. He unclasped the lid and reached his huge hand inside.

"Please, Trent, no!" Eren begged, hiding under her blanket. "I can't take it anymore!"

Trent smirked and ripped the blanket out of her hands. "Relax, Eren," he said, in an unusually soft tone. "I'm not gonna eat you this time." Needless to say, Eren didn't trust his words. He scooped her up in his hand, despite her protests. She trembled in his palm as he carried her over to his bed and flopped down. Eren anticipated the worst. She wondered if he was going to torture her, toy with her, or just eat her anyway. Instead, he held her against his bare chest and petted her with his fingers. Eren tried to pull away, but he pressed her up to his body tighter.

Eren hated Trent. She didn't want to be anywhere near him, even if he wasn't actively hurting her. Hearing his heartbeat and breathing reminded her of being trapped inside his titanic body. However, no matter how much she fought against him, she couldn't win against his giant strength. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine she was somewhere else, anywhere really. She tried to pretend she was with Joey instead. Lamentably, though she could deceive her eyes, her nose was not fooled. When Joey embraced her with the warm softness of his body, he always had a pleasant scent. Joey showered regularly and sometimes even wore cologne. Trent, on the other hand, was a scummy brute that reeked of body odor. He smelled like he had been rolling around in a hot dumpster all day. Eren wrinkled her nose and tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he pushed her down harder.