Bucky's

Chapter 15: Revenge is a Dish

Patty was puzzled. Her foot was healing far faster than she could have ever dreamed of. She suspected the pills had something to do with this miracle. She didn't know how the pills worked, since their qualities seemed almost magical by nature, but she noticed every time she took one her toe wounds healed more, and the pain reduced. Her theory was that the pills were some type of ultra-powerful steroid that regenerated tissue faster than it could be destroyed. She worried about the side effects of such a powerful drug, but she had no choice but to take them unless she wanted to be digested alive, a gruesome prospect. After the effects wore off, she always did feel tired, hungry, and oftentimes nauseous, though the last reaction may be the result of marinating in churning gastric juices for hours. Either way, she couldn't deny that her foot was improving at a fantastical rate. She stopped wearing her bandages, since she didn't seem to require them any longer, and she was forced to take them off every time she was added to a dish regardless.

The days were beginning to blend together, with how repetitive the routine was. The humans never got a day off, since the restaurant was always open morning to night, breakfast to dinner. Humans disappeared to the horrific catastrophe that was fatal ingestion all too often, but new humans swelled the ranks just as quickly in the absence of their lost comrades. As usual, Patty had difficulty keeping straight all the names and faces, especially when they seemed to randomly disappear. Some were innocents who had been kidnapped and trafficked, while others were death row inmates or murderers. Most were only guilty of petty crimes, and had been tricked into a shorter lifespan rather than a shorter sentence, just like Patty.

Patty found her life at Bucky's, besides being terrifying and depressing, extremely boring. Bucky did not provide his human stock with any entertainment whatsoever. They had no books, games, paper or pens, or electronics. Patty wished she could write or call home to let her folks know what happened to her, but she had no means to do so. When the humans were in the tank on display, they had nothing to do except talk to each other, stare into space, or watch their comrades get eaten. Getting to know people too well was a hazard, since nobody knew who was going to get picked to die next, or when.

Most days, Patty was chosen to be eaten at least once. She could never truly acclimate to the experience or get comfortable with it. No matter how many times she was eaten, how many mouths and gullets and viscera she toured, she was always afraid, particularly when she envisioned all the ways she could be hurt, or what could go wrong. A customer could accidentally bite into her or injure her. A customer could spontaneously change their mind and decide they wanted to try fatal ingestion. Additionally, it would be easy for a customer to dine and dash, and leave the restaurant with her still inside his stomach. The customers could be quickly found and hauled back, since the trackers telescoped their location, but the risk was real, and there was no guarantee that the human inside would be saved in time.

The experience of being eaten was highly varied, with some Giants being worse, or even far worse, than others. Some were cruel and delighted in tormenting their prey. Others had rotting teeth or bad breath. Unruly Giants at the bar drank too much, and their insides reeked of alcohol enough to make the human inside feel drunk. Patty had one notably bad experience with a rowdy group of college-age Giants at the bar who were taking shots. She was ordered up in a drink, of all things, and imbibed in a single gulp. Regrettably for poor Patty, she was vomited up in a trash can not long after. The Giant who expelled her didn't want to own up to his mistake, so Patty was trapped in the trash can, with walls too tall to climb, stewing in vomit for at least an hour. She got buried in trash, crying for help, until Bucky had to locate her with the tracker.

Another time a couple madly in love had ordered a human on an ice cream sundae to share. Patty was the unlucky choice to be plopped onto a mountain of ice cream, covered in sprinkles, caramel, and whipped cream. She had to listen to the two gigantic lovebirds coo at each other sweet nothings, gagging to herself, until the Giantess picked her up with her spoon and sucked Patty into her mouth. Then, the Giantess was so overcome with lust she just had to make out with her lover, then and there, and Patty was disgusted to find herself in the middle of a passionate kissing session. She was swapped back and forth between the two cavernous mouths a few times, saturated with spit and disoriented by intertwining slimy tongues and lips. When she was finally swallowed, she wasn't even sure whose belly she ended up in, until she identified distinctively masculine breathing and the bass rumble of a Giant man's voice.