Bucky's

Chapter 9: Business Lunch

The next morning, Bucky banged on the ceiling as usual, shouting at the humans to get up for breakfast. This never-ending nightmare was really wearing Patty down. She never knew what to expect from her day. She might sit in the tank all day without being chosen, or get eaten whole, perhaps multiple times—or there was the specter of death hanging over her head that she might unlucky enough to be selected for fatal ingestion. She feared getting too close to anyone, lest she become attached and then have to witness them get brutally torn apart. She didn't think her heart could bear it.

The humans, dressed and fed but still groggy, lined up for inspection. Bucky looked over them with fastidious attention to detail, nitpicking on trivial details to keep his restaurant's food ingredients visually appealing. Graham Cracker remembered not to wear his glasses this time, and shivered as Bucky's glittering eyes passed over him. Patty was spared from any adjustments.

Instead of dismissing the humans as he normally did, though, Bucky began selecting several humans with thoughtful precision and setting them aside. Patty felt her heart jump with anxiety when Bucky wrapped his finger around her and pulled her into this mysterious grouping. She peered around and observed that all the humans he put to the side were women, for whatever reason. Once Bucky had sorted out about ten women, he dismissed the rest of the humans and corralled them into the passage that led to the tank.

Patty stood in the line of females, sweating with anxiety. Bucky leaned in close to check them all once more. His heavy breathing was noticeable, with how enormous and close he was. "Alright, all of you, listen carefully," he began. "Big Corp Inc., a very important business partner of ours, has scheduled a luncheon for their executives at the restaurant. I've handpicked you all to be in their meals. I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Otherwise, there will be dire consequences." His eyes hardened. "Understand?"

The humans nodded, and Bucky closed the ceiling and left. Patty felt like she could breathe normally again, but she was still tense. "What's Big Corp Inc.? Does anybody know?" she asked.

Most of the humans shook their heads, but one woman, Cookie, answered, "I think they're the ones who supply Bucky with the pills we take, to keep us undigested."

"Oh, I see." Patty reflected for a minute. "So, this must be like a promotional thing, for their product they sell. I guess that means none of us are slated for fatal ingestion, right?"

"Hopefully," Cookie replied, but her tone sounded cynical. She brushed back her long brown hair with her hands and sat down on one of the couches to wait, and most of the others followed suit. Patty was nervous. The idea of a big dinner party full of hungry Giants was intimidating, to say the least. Plus, the fact that they were high-ranking executives in the company worried her, since they might be wealthy enough to afford fatal ingestion, if they were so inclined. Even if none of them chose the option for their business lunch, there was nothing stopping them from coming back on their own time later to patronize the establishment. Patty felt sick just thinking about it, as she recalled the couple who ripped apart their victims last time.

The room lapsed into a tense hush as everyone retreated into their own thoughts. Nobody was in the mood for speculation or conversation. The hours of dreadful anticipation dragged out until, inevitably, Bucky and the two chefs came to collect the human entrees for lunch. Patty tried to keep calm as she was fed a pill and dropped into a bowl of soup as big as a swimming pool. The soup was hot, like a jacuzzi, but bearable with the protective effects of the pill. Although Patty was unrestrained, she didn't attempt to escape, with the promise of "dire consequences" hanging over her head. She doubted she'd have any chance to get away regardless.

One of the Giantess waitresses carried her off to the table, where all the Big Corp employees were salivating for their meals. Patty was deeply intimidated when she was set down on the table, surrounded by ravenous Giant men in expensive suits, eager to devour their human entrees. She sank down in the soup despondently and looked up at the Giant who would consume her with wide eyes. He towered above her, another huge man in a fancy black suit with a dark blue tie. He was a tall, thin man, about middle-aged, clean-shaven, with flecks of gray in his dark brown hair. He regarded his food with a twisted, inscrutable expression. He glanced over at Patty with soft brown eyes but swiftly averted his gaze, as if shy.