Alex watched as the flashing blue lights of the cop car reflected off his rear view mirror. He’d been speeding, and he’d been busted. Too bad he’d been caught within a few miles of his destination.  Now he would be delayed. Not that it mattered. He would make it to the Forbidden Dish, sign his car off to the restaurant, it wasn’t like he’d be needing it now, and find a pretty girl to shrink him. He had seen advertisements on the internet about the girls who were on staff and also willing to vore a person. If he had no luck with the local female patrons he could always ask one of them if they would be willing to eat him.

But all that would have to wait until he received his ticket. He looked in the rear view mirror again. Like a typical cop, this one was making him wait while they ran the plates.

Finally the cop stepped from the cruiser and started walking towards him. It was a female cop. She had her hair pulled back into a bun and wore aviator glasses that hid her eyes.

“Know why I pulled you over?” asked the cop.

“Speeding?” asked Alex.

“Bingo. Going forty-five in a thirty-five. Is that how they drive where you’re from?”

“No ma’am.”

“It’s the same here.” She began to fill out his ticket. “Where are you headed in such a rush that you need to drive unsafely?” asked the cop without any real interest in her voice.

“A restaurant,” said Alex.

“Uh, huh. I hope you have a good date waiting for you to make the speeding ticket worth it. Which restaurant anyway?”

“You probably haven’t heard of it,” said Alex dismissively. He was embarrassed to say Forbidden Dish but didn’t know any other restaurants in this city to name.

“Try me,” said the cop, still looking at the ticket she was writing.

“Never mind. It’s nowhere.”

This stopped the cop from writing. Alex could feel her studying him from behind her glasses.

“Nowhere huh? Do you have any weapons or illegal drugs in this vehicle sir?”

“N-no.”

“Really? You’re going to a restaurant you can’t remember the name of and decided you needed to  get there above the speed limit. So what are you really doing in my town?”

Alex realized that it was time to fess up. He could be embarrassed but at least he wouldn’t be interrogated by a cop who looked like she could kick the shit out of him if he even thought of resisting.

“The Forbidden Dish,” blurted Alex. He looked at his steering wheel, his face turning red. “I’m going there.”

After a few moments he realized that the cop hadn’t said anything. He looked back at her. She was pulling her sunglasses down her nose and looking over the top of them. She was actually pretty cute.

“That’s where you’re headed?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am. Have you heard of it?”

“Half the world has heard of it by now. We get more people coming into this town just to be eaten these days.” She ripped out a sheet of paper. “Here you go. Be sure to pay this fine before you get eaten!” and stalked off. Alex watched her rear in his rear view mirror. It actually wasn’t too bad.

Alex shrugged and tossed the ticket on the dashboard. He didn’t care that he had to pay a ticket. It’s not like he was going to need the money once he was being digested in the belly of a pretty girl.

Two hours later, Alex walked into the Forbidden Dish. He had paid the parking ticket, given his car to a local charity to earn some last minute points towards a pleasant afterlife, and made his way towards the bar with the idea of getting a cold beer and shot of whiskey.

Unfortunately, it was only a Thursday night and although this meant that there were not as many people around as there would have been on the weeken. it also meant that the one barmaid was overwhelmed with drink orders as the few thirsty patrons with red or blue wristbands crowded around to get a drink. It made sense that they would serve a lot of alchohol. It would help stiffen your resolve allow the person next to you to eat you, or to eat the person next to you depending on your preferences. All in all it made for a busy bar.

 Alex hadn’t minded. He had spent his time checking out the local fauna. Although restaurant was sparce compared to the weekend, there were still some pretty girls walking around with blue wristbands. There were also guys in red wristbands but Alex was sure he could eventually meet someone who would like to eat him.

It took a full five minutes for the barmaid to finally point to him and ask what he would like. He had just placed an order for a shot of Jack with and a local ale when he felt something poke his ear. Turning he looked to see a pretty girl with brown hair smiling at him.

“Recognize me?” she asked.

“No, I can’t say I-“ recognition suddenly struck. “You’re the police officer who pulled me over today!”

The girl nodded. “Sorry about that. It was strictly professional you understand. Nothing personal. I figured it doesn’t matter. You plan on being eaten anyway right? Well then, it means points towards a quota to me. But I figured that you looked pretty tasty too.”

“You eat people? A cop?” said Alex in surprise.

The cop lifted her wrist to display the blue glow stick wristband she was wearing. “I don’t very often; only a few times a year. But you looked kind of delicious and I thought I might be able to catch you if I hurried over here right after work.”

Alex laughed. “Caught me again! That’s twice in one day officer. May I have your name?”

“Hey guy!” said the barmaid behind him. “Here’s your whiskey and beer!”

Alex paid her, left a handsome tip and turned back to the cop.

“Kate,” she said. “Nice to meet you in an unprofessional capacity Alex.”

“How did you know my name?” asked Alex, as they shook hands.

“It was on your license,” Kate smiled. “I have a great table over there and no one to sit with. What do you say we get to know each other before you decide?”

“Decide what?” asked Alex as they made their way to a booth in the far corner and sat down.

“If you would like me to eat you,” said Kate with a cocked eyebrow. “That is why you’re here isn’t it?”

“Oh. Yeah,” said Alex, holding his wrist out and shaking his red glowing wrist band.

“Well, I was hoping,” said Kate slowly, as if she were speaking to someone she considered particularly slow, “that I could eat you.”

“I think I would like that.”

“Good,” Kate said.  “It’s been forever since I’ve eaten anyone.”

Danielle sat on Quinton’s lap as they watched the Weather Channel. “…and for tonight there will be some showers so if you’re headed out to enjoy a nice Friday evening be sure to bring a rain jacket. Temperatures will be hovering in the fifties as it is October and winter is just around the corner. We’ll be back in five for your national forecast.”

The TV began to play a gum commercial. “You sure you have to work dear? You said you would have the night off this Friday,” Quinton began playing with Danielle’s hair as she leaned back into him.

“I didn’t promise tonight,” amended Danielle as she traced her fingers through the hair on the back of her boyfriend’s head. “I promised this weekend. Meghyn has me working tonight and tomorrow afternoon. We should have Saturday night to ourselves.”

“Okay. Fine. Hey look-“ Quinton said as a familiar face filled the screen. The supple form of Lindsay, Danielle’s coworker, filled the screen.

“Linz, our commercial is on!” called Danielle.

“Okay, okay,” said Lindsay, coming into the room. “I’m here. Yup. We’re on TV alright! Hey Danielle, there’s you!”

It did indeed show Danielle pull a beer for a customer. It switched to another girl carrying a bowl of tiny shrunken men, then to a crowded dance floor, finally to an intimate restaurant.

A saucy voice was adding the commentary “Come to the Forbidden Dish to have the time of your life and have your dreams come true. To see the unrated commercial, go to our website online!”

“There is an unrated commercial?” said Quinton, his eyes wide.

“Don’t worry Quinn,” Lindsay said turning towards him. Lindsay was wearing a shirt that said “Maneater,” with a logo of a stick figure inside a stomach “When is your girlfriend ever immodest? They leave that to people like me!” she winked at him.

“Stay away from my boyfriend!” said Danielle, throwing a pillow at Lindsay. Lindsay caught the pillow in mid air and returned fire. Danielle ducked and the pillow shot harmlessly overhead where it crashed into a bookshelf.

 “Well if you had been in my clutches you would have been screwed. I eat the guys who change their minds,” said Lindsay. “Good thing your girlfriend is so nice!”

“I know,” said Quinn, with a grin at Danielle.

“If you ever change your mind…” said Lindsay.

“Lindsay! You can’t eat my boyfriend!” said Danielle.

“Just kidding. Kidding. Relax Danielle. Kidding… and making an offer,” she winked at Quinton.

“Thanks but I am happy with Danielle as my girlfriend,” said Quinton. “And with you as my friend. I did the whole shrinking and being food thing. It’s not for me.”

“Yeah. Good thing she was brave enough to sneak back in, trick a guy into shrinking him to grow you back, and make an escape. It’s against company policy you know. She must really be fond of you.”

“I know she’s great. Wait a minute… Go back to the part where you said she tricked someone into shrinking to grow me back to size…” Quinton’s eyes were wide as he looked from one girl to the other.

“I told you not to say anything!” said Danielle.

“Oops!” said Lindsay, looking genuinely sorry.

“What is going on here?” said Quinton.

“Okay but you can’t be mad.” said Danielle. “It was impossible to just regrow you. I had to get the mass from somewhere. And it couldn’t be just any matter; you needed biological matter to regrow to normal size. So I tricked Cameron into a shrinking booth and used his matter to grow you back to normal.”

“So what happened to Cameron?” said Quinton.

“Well, er… He sorta was shrunk down to size. I felt bad but there was no other way to save you.”

“So where is Cameron now?” said Quinton.

“Oh come on Quinton!” said Lindsay. “You know what we do at that restaurant.”

“So you sold him to someone?” said Quinton.

“Yes, of course,” said Lindsay.

“And she ate him!”

“Yes,” said Danielle.

  “He died for me! Oh Danielle! Do you have any idea how this makes me feel?”

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t going to tell you because I knew you would feel guilty!” said Danielle. “But it was all my fault. You didn’t ask to put someone else in your shoes. Please, Quinn. I feel bad enough already!”

“It was my fantasy to be eaten by a girl. I found out I’m too scared to go through with it but it still was my fantasy. Cameron had to die that way and it wasn’t even his fantasy,” said Quinton.

“Are you mad at me?” asked Danielle.

“No. I still love you. I just feel bad is all.”

“Okay. I’m going to go make some tea,” said Danielle. She stood up and walked to the kitchen.

“She loves you, you know.” said Lindsay.

“I know,” said Quinton.

Lindsay’s phone rang. She pressed the phone to her ear. Quinn listened in to Lindsay’s half of the conversation.

“Oh hi Kate… You’re at the restaurant now? … You found a guy you’re going to eat? Yeah, I’ll be there later. Okay. See you in a while.”

Lindsay hung up. “My roommate Kate is at the Forbidden Dish,” she explained. “She is going to meet me and Danielle there. Care to come along Quinn? I already promised Danielle that I wouldn’t tell anyone about her daring rescue.”

“I guess. I have nothing better to do.” said Quinn. “It’s rainy. I’ll go get my coat.”

Danielle and Quinn followed Lindsay out of the apartment holding hands. Quinn might still be mad that she killed an innocent man to save him but she had done it for him.

Alex fell as Kate’s stomach lurched to one side again. He hadn’t the faintest clue as to what Kate was doing but her stomach contents sure were sloshing a lot. Suddenly gravity changed directions again and Alex was thrown into the stomach wall along with hot liquids and chunks of partially digested food.

Apparently, partially digested remnants of Kate’s lunch were still sliding around, slowly being digested along with Alex. 

The liquid fell away in the darkness as gravity shifted once again. Alex remained clinging to the stomach wall. He tried to climb upwards, away from the hot bubbly froth of liquids below but the stomach wall was slick and he had trouble holding on. Kicking for traction with his bare feet, he struggled as he slid down the stomach wall into the horrid mixture of digestive juices and the Red Velvet Martini Kate drank before eating him. The combined smell of the drink and the stomach juices was not an appealing mixture to smell. What was most painful, was the fact that despite being swallowed less than thirty seconds ago, Alex was beginning to regret his decision to be eaten. His eyes and mouth were itching terribly; he had accidentally swallowed a bit of the stomach juices when he was forced into Kate’s stomach from her esophagus.  He tried to grab at the stomach wall as he slid downwards into the digestive juices.

Kate smiled as she felt a particularly drawn out fluttering in her stomach. She was sure that Alex would be feeling her digestive system get to work on him by now. She smirked as she took her second Red Velvet Martini from the barmaid and sipped it easily.

“Hey there. I’m John,” said a tall, friendly looking man who sat down next to her.

“Hi John,” said Kate into her drink.

“I couldn’t help but notice you have a blue band.”

“Sure do,” said Kate.

“Well I have a red band. Don’t suppose you’re hungry?”

“Nope. Not really,” said Kate. “I just ate a guy and want to enjoy how he feels right now. He’s still wiggling.”

“How does it feel when you’ve eaten someone?” asked John.

“Amazing. Half of it for me is the knowledge that I’ve eaten someone who understands what’s happening to him. That he’s becoming part of me.” Kate stretched leisurely, like a cat that has just eaten a mouse, thought John. 

“So, will you be hungry later?” asked John.

“Maybe,” said Kate. “Do you plan to hang around? I’m meeting some friends in a while and chances are we’ll all want to eat a guy.”

“I’ll be right at the bar. If someone else asks me to eat them then I might go along with it so don’t keep me waiting,” warned John. He got up and left.

 “Hey dear!” said Lindsay, hugging Kate as she walked into the restaurant. “These are my friends, Danielle and Quinton.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Kate, shaking hands with both.

“Gotta run. I’m a bit late to show up for upstairs. Quinn, Kate, I’ll be back to check on you too okay?” without waiting for a response Lindsay hurriedly walked away.

“Can I get you a drink Kate? I’m about to go bartend,” said Danielle.

“No thanks. I’m okay with this,” she indicated her drink sitting before her.

“Quinn dear, I will be back with a rum and coke for you. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“May I join you?” asked Quinn, sliding in to the booth across from Kate.

“So,” said Kate. “You on the menu?”

“Nah, just keeping my girlfriend company.”

“Too bad. I was wondering what you might taste like. Not into the vore thing huh?”

“Quite the contrary in fact,” said Quinn. “I’m totally into it but I don’t have the guts to go through with it.”

“A shame,” said Kate. “You look tasty. Of course I suppose if you could go through with it you already would have with your girl over there.” Kate gestured towards Danielle.

“Oh. Well. I suppose so. But I’m not that brave. Do you, er, eat people?”

“Yeah. Just ate a guy about twenty minutes ago in fact. He was pretty good.”

“And. Um. Did you meet him first… or just order him?”

“Oh. It’s funny. We met first. I actually pulled him over. I’m a cop by the way. And he said he was headed here. So I met him here and he agreed to let me eat him. Caught him twice in one day, huh? Isn’t that funny?” Kate smiled with obvious amusement but seemed surprised and a little disappointed that Quinton didn’t join in. Quinton was too busy thinking back to what Danielle’s mouth looked like opening up before him. His excitement had turned to fear and his blood had turned to ice. He had realized that this would be the last thing he would ever see and soon he would be in her belly, no different than any other piece of food she had eaten, and not much more memorable.

“Did he want to be eaten?” asked Quinton.

“What?” said Kate. “Of course he did. You have to want to if you’re going to be eaten here. Didn’t you know that?”

“I mean, he didn’t change his mind at the last second or anything?”

“No. He was excited right up until I ate him. He was pretty good too.” She rubbed her belly for effect.

Quinn watched as Danielle took a man by the hand and led him to the shrinking booth. In a rare twist of fate, there was no line.

“Looks like your girl is getting some dinner,” observed Kate.

A few moments later Danielle returned to the room, alone. She stopped by to give Quinn his drink and kissed him on the side of the head. Quinn shuddered to think that those were the same lips that were about to gobble him up. He remembered what it felt like to be her food so vividly that it was hard to imagine her as the kind woman he knew her to be when he knew she had just eaten someone. To compound problems Kate seemed interested in how the man had tasted.

“Had a snack?” asked Kate.

“Yeah. He was good too. Wiggled all the way down!” With one hand, Danielle traced the path the man had taken from her throat to her belly, which was left slightly uncovered by the shirt she wore that had a caption that said “GET IN MY BELLY.”

“He’s still fluttering a little too. I love it when they flutter-“she cut herself off when she caught the look on Quinton’s face.

“Well… Um. I suppose I better be going back to work,” she said. “See you two later.” Quinn watched his girlfriend’s perfect ass as she walked away. She was beautiful but could he date someone who ate people for a living. If Quinn hadn’t spoken up and if Danielle wasn’t so kind, then he might have been the subject of a similar conversation. Just another man wiggling his way down her gullet. By now she had probably forgotten about the man who was only starting his trip through her digestive system. He would soon be a part of her beautiful body and she would go on with her normal life.

Once, it had turned Quinton on to imagine such a fate. When they had started dating, it had continued to turn him on to know that his girlfriend ate guys. Now… How did he feel now? He honestly didn’t know.

“Well, excuse me. If you’re not in the mood to be eaten I know a guy who is. Talk to you later man,” said Kate as she stood and made her way to the bar where a tall man stood drinking. She tapped him on the shoulder and they began talking. Presently they asked Danielle to bring the man some paperwork. He signed it and the two walked to the shrinking booth.

Quinton began to drink. He drank three more jack and cokes and was working on a fresh one when a stranger sat down across from hi. He was black, not a particularly tall, but his chest and shoulders were broad. Quinton got the feeling that he was sitting across from a man who could handle himself.

“Hello,” said Quinton uncertainly. He wondered what the man wanted.

“Detective Coil of the City Police,” said the man, holding out a shiny gold badge for Quinn to study. “Do you have a few moments to spare?” It was phrased as a question but Quinn got the impression that Detective Coil’s question was more of a formality. Coil expected Quinn to stay. Without bothering to hear an answer Coil continued.

“We understand you were acquainted with a man named Cameron. This is a recent photo of the man,” He slid a photo of Cameron across the table.

“Yes. I know him an acquaintance more than a friend. I haven’t seen him in weeks.”

“Indeed. He’s gone missing. I was hoping you could tell me what you know about it.”

“Well as I said…” started Quinton before the detective cut him off.

“I heard what you said. Now I want to know the truth. Let me explain;” He folded his hands together and placed them on the table. “Cameron disappeared a few weeks ago. After I talked with his neighbors the described a woman matching your girlfriends description visiting him just before his disappearance and leaving the premises with Cameron. I pulled the legal documents on if he signed a contract to be shrunk at this restaurant. Know what if found? Nothing. Still it would be awfully easy to have someone disappear in a place like this one.” 

“Now I need to know if she has told you anything. If you answer truthfully, you’ll be assisting the law. If you lie to me again, well.” The detective leaned back on his chair. “Withholding information from police can get you in real trouble. You think about it. If you remember anything give me a call.” He slid a business card across the table and without another word, got up and left.

Quinn was left alone with his thoughts. He ordered another whiskey and soda. A moment later, Kate returned.

“So how was your meal?” asked Quinton. He knew it was a mistake to keep drinking but the alcohol had begun to soothe nerves. The bigger mistake was coming here in the first place.

“Oh. I don’t know. I sent him back. He got scared at the last second,” shrugged Kate. “I had planned on eating two guys tonight. I usually do when I come here. Sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

“No thanks,” said Quinton. “Not that you aren’t attractive. And I think it’s nice that you sent him back.”

“Thanks but nice doesn’t feel as good as it would if he were wiggling down my throat. Maybe I’ll try upstairs tonight. It’s pretty slim around here. Talk to you later okay?”

“Bye,” said Quinton. He had considered asking her about the other police officer but he didn’t know Kate enough to be sure if he could trust her.

It was then that Quinton noticed Danielle carry a tiny man into a backroom. Without thinking, he drained his glass, stood and followed her. He needed to talk to her about this police business.

He pushed open the swinging door in time to catch the end of a sentence.

“-him to me! I’m hungry!” said a voice. It sounded like Lindsay.

“Fine. If you want. Just be sure to pay for him. You can’t keep grabbing these guys because we’re having a slow night.” That was Danielle.

Quinton peered around the corner. Danielle had a tiny man in her hands. With a shock of horror, Quinn recognized him as the person Kate had sent back.

The man was obviously shouting for help, inaudible over the sound of the buzzing of refrigerators in the room, but he was struggling for help.

Danielle handed the man to an obviously hungry Lindsay. Quinton was friends with Lindsay and she had always been nice to him. But he saw something else in her eyes now. It was hunger. It didn’t matter who that little man was. He was her food.

“See you later Lindsay. Enjoy,” said Danielle. She walked away and Quinton had to hide behind several packing crates to be unnoticed.

Of course he knew that his girlfriend ate people and even handled guys who would eventually be eaten against their will, but it was another thing to see it up close. Quinton peaked around the corner again and saw the tiny man’s legs disappear into Lindsay’s mouth as she tilted her head back. Then she swallowed and her throat bulged slightly, marking the passage of the man Kate had kindly sent back because he had been afraid to be eaten. Afraid just like Quinn. If he had chosen Kate to eat him a few weeks ago instead of Danielle, he would have been someone else’s dinner that night. Maybe even his friend Lindsay’s.

Quinton tried to hurry from the room. Instead he turned around and bumped into a wall of muscle.

“Hello,” said a deep voice from above him.

Quinton craned his neck back to look upwards. It was a remarkably tall, remarkably strong man with blonde hair saved into a buzz cut. He had blue eyes, several scars across his face and a flattened nose. He was also sporting quite a few tattoos on his muscular frame. He looked like an undefeated UFC fighter.

“What are you doing back here?” the man’s voice was heavily accented in a Russian dialect.

“I’m looking for my girlfriend, Danielle. She’s back here. I saw her come back here. I was going to tell her that I was leaving.”

“Your girlfriend Danielle?” said the man skeptically. “She is working. Very busy working tonight. You should have waited until she was back at bar. Then would not have met me. Now I am working because you are here where you are not supposed to be. This makes me angry. You understand, yes?”

“I-I’m sorry,” said Quinton.

“So am I!” said the Russian man. “I get in big trouble for this. Now. Must come with me.”

“Hey Quinn,” said Lindsay.

“Lindsay. Tell this man I was just looking for Danielle please!” begged Quinton.

“Oh. Hey Ivan. Yeah, he’s telling the truth,” said Lindsay.

“I’m not heppy,” said Ivan. “No more coming back here to ketchen or big trouble for me. Even bigger trouble for you. You vill be very unheppy. Understand?” said Ivan in halting English.

“Don’t worry silly. He’s perfectly harmless,” assured Lindsay as she took Quinton by the arm. Quinton allowed himself to be steered out of the kitchen and into the dining room. It was only then that he remembered Lindsay had just eaten a man. He was probably still alive in her belly right now. Amazing how she could be so cruel one moment and so caring the next. Quinton glanced down at Lindsay’s stomach. It was covered by the new t-shirt she was wearing with the band name “Who Bit Fluffy?” across the top.

“What’s wrong?” asked Lindsay.

“N-nothing,” said Quinn, pulling away from a surprised Lindsay. “Tell Danielle that I need to go. I’ll catch up with you both later.”

Lindsay stared after Quinton who was rapidly walking for the door.

Meanwhile Detective Coil was upstairs having an interesting conversation with Meghyn.

Stand by for another chapter. Please rate and review.