Read from chapter 1 here!

Mistress Yulia let a content sigh, sinking back into the steamy water of a massive, elegant bath.  Ancient Roman flair permeated the decor, marble statues and pillars adding to the sense of grandeur.  She closed her eyes for a few minutes, taking some time to decompress and clear her mind.  After a short time, she re-opened them and stared at the enormous television mounted on her wall.

“On!”  Yulia demanded as the dark, rectangular surface lit up, segmented into over twelve different security camera feeds.  She sank into the blissful warmth with a content smirk as her eyes darted between her precious girls.  It had been a couple of days since orientation, and they would be starting their first game soon.  She immensely enjoyed watching the young women panic and break down into various crises as the gravity of their respective situations sank in.

Her smile bordered on deranged but gradually faded as she realized something unfortunate.  “You girls have been comforting one another, haven’t you?”  Yulia muttered, placing a hand on her chin as she mused over her options.  Maybe I need to build a little more anticipation.  Despite her enjoyment, when her eyes fell upon Grace sitting in her room, her gaze softened.  Yulia’s eyes remain fixated on her, no longer filled with lustful intent.

“Mistress, your White Russian!”  Beamed an incredibly soft and cheerful female voice.  A woman with a petite build, pale skin, and a feathery brunette bob-cut nearly trotted into the room, holding an ornate silver tray with a single drink.

Yulia snapped back to reality, averting her eyes from the monitor as her mood improved.  “Thank you, Lily.”  She accepted the drink as Lily leaned over and took a sip.  “That uniform looks lovely on you,” added the mistress as she admired the girl’s black cocktail waitress dress.

“Oh my gosh!  Thank you, Mistress!!!”  Lily giggled, smiling brightly.

Yulia very much enjoyed being in charge and having people fear her.  But there was something about this airheaded girl’s inability to suck up and lie that endeared her.  “Lily.  Have you heard of pre-gaming?”  She curtly asked as she downed her creamy drink and held the cup up.

The brunette furrowed her brow and thought for a moment.  “Like, ummm…  Getting tipsy right before a concert, so you don’t have to buy as much $20 beer?”  She happily accepted the cup from her mistress.

“Yes, exactly.  I think our lovely, donated darlings would enjoy the luxury of a good pre-gaming.  What do you think?”

Lily puffed her cheeks and once again cranked the wheels in her head.  “Well, hmmm…  I’m not, like, sure if you’re talking about drinking or not.  But it’s always good to do warm-ups first, right???  So pre-gaming would be like getting all warmed up!  I think that would be great!”

What an adorable, naive creature,  mused Yulia as she gave her servant a warm smile.  “You’re completely right.  I’m sure the anticipation must be killing them.  It would surely be a load off their minds if they warmed up.”  There was no going back now that her mind was set.  “Get ahold of Gerald for me.  I must speak with him immediately,” she authoritatively demanded.

“Yes, ma’am!  Right away, Mistress!”  Lily immediately responded, a determined look spreading across her face.  With that, she turned and briskly left.

“Grace….  Grace!”  A mature female voice barked.

A young, elementary-aged girl jumped, letting out a shocked yelp as she lifted her forehead from the desk.  With a red imprint on her forehead, she stared at the woman in front of her like a deer in the headlights.

“Y– Yes, Miss Ramsay!”  Grace squeaked, turning bright red as she folded her hands in her lap, resting them on her uniform’s skirt.

Children around the room giggled in response, each sitting at a wooden desk.  The classroom they sat in had a particular 1950’s flair but with modern amenities. Each child was well-groomed and wore a simple uniform consisting of a button-up shirt with slacks for boys and skirts for girls.

Miss Ramsay sighed, shaking her head before smiling.  “Miss Grace, please try to sleep properly at night so you’re not sleepy during class.  I’ll have to talk to your parents if it happens again, okay?  It’s only the first day”  She wore something akin to a military uniform, with a military rank insignia pinned over her heart and a well-fitted pencil skirt.

“Y– Yes, ma’am…”  Grace mumbled in embarrassment, sinking in her seat.

“I know history can be a dry subject, but you need to understand the sacrifices the State of Union Government has made so its citizens can live in peace,” softly responded Miss Ramsay.  “Can you tell me how long the protective wall around our lovely town of Greensborough has been here?  Do you know how many brave soldiers die each year, on average, to protect us from the horrors outside this wall?”

Grace was silent.  She fidgeted and tried to fish up the answers she needed but unfortunately drew a blank.

“I’m not upset with you, sweetheart.  The fact that you can’t answer these questions is why we’re here.  There’s no punishment for not knowing now, but you will be expected to know the next time I ask.  So no sleeping in class from now on, okay?”  Miss Ramsay didn’t wait for an answer before turning her head toward the whole class.

“Boys and girls!  I welcome you to SOU History, the most important class of your young lives.  As you are already aware, I am Miss Ramsay,” she stated simply, gesturing to her name on the whiteboard behind her.  “As you can see by my uniform, I, like the other teachers here.  Those of us who keep our lives after ten years of service are allowed to transition into other important roles.  I have seen the horrors outside the wall; I have lived them.  Like the other teachers here, and like those who now rest in their graves, I have devoted my life to ensuring all of you have a future.”

The entire room was silent; every eye was glued to Miss Ramsay as they stared at her with reverence and awe.  Her badge was proof of her claim; undoubtedly, this woman was a hero.

After Miss Ramsay confirmed she had their full attention, she continued.  “There’s no doubt that life as a citizen can still be filled with hardship.  Working long hours, volunteering to further medical science that helps civilization, and more.  However, none of you will ever know hunger.  If you are sick, we will nurture you back to health.  After a week of hard work or school, you can even engage in leisurely activities that our government kindly subsidizes just to keep everyone happy.”  She then looked back at Grace.  “Miss Grace, what is something you find fun?  Do you have any hobbies?”

“Oh…”  Grace hesitated before opening the bag under her desk.  She then pulled out a children’s book.  “I really like to read whenever I can, Miss Ramsay.”  Her words were soft and shy.

“Ah!  A wonderful hobby to have; you will certainly grow up to be a brilliant woman.”  Miss Ramsay beamed, glancing at the book cover.  “Gertrude, the Gallant.  Oh my, a wonderful children’s novel.”  She couldn’t complain about a government-approved story about a girl serving her country.

 Turning her attention toward the class, Miss Ramsay clasped her hands together.  “Remember, children.  Books like Gertrude the Gallant wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the sacrifices the SOU has made for all of you.  They toiled away and offered themselves as a tribute to build these cities– these safe havens where we can live in blissful peace.”

All around the room, children nodded and stayed laser-focused on the presentation.

“I got a little off-topic there, but it’s crucial context to have when coming into this class.”  Miss Ramsay took a deep breath and pushed her hands down to adjust her uniform top.  “We’re going to start at the very beginning.  We will be going back to a time before even your grandma and grandpa were born.”

As the child Grace watched and the class droned on, the room around her grew blurry and started to fade out.  She tried to open her mouth to talk, but nothing came out in response.

“Errrghh…”  Grace grumbled, groggily sitting up in bed as she rubbed her eyes.  “Why was I dreaming about that of all things?”  She muttered, combing through her memories.

It didn’t take long for Grace to fully recall the situation she was stuck in.  Orientation, Miss Yulia, Ella’s transformation– all of it.  She sat there as a profound numbness washed through her body, dulling her senses. “This– this is real…”  She put a hand on her forehead, taking deep breaths as she tried to regain control of her emotions.

Grace forced the pained sounds of Ella’s neighing from her head and stood up.  She winced and felt a dull pain in her upper left arm upon stretching.  It had been three days since orientation, and yesterday, they had been forced to go in for a physical exam and get their booster shots.  They said something about ensuring applicants wouldn’t get sick or be in poor health during the games.  Ugh, I feel sick.  Is my period starting?  Grace stood in front of the body-length mirror and pulled her shirt off.  A thin layer of glistening sweat covered her petite frame.  She gazed upon her reflection, raising an eyebrow as she cupped her breasts.  They were a little swollen but didn’t hurt too badly.  With a frown, she swiveled her hips to get a side-view of her rear feeling a bit more wobble downstairs than usual.

“Focus– no bad thoughts, no confused thoughts.  Just get dressed,” insisted Grace, psyching herself up as she went to her dresser.  She pulled out a pale pink pair of cotton panties and stepped into them, pulling the garment up to her hips.  The waistband snapped tightly to her waist as the thin fabric caressed her nethers.  “Oh–”  She gasped as a hot tingle shot through her pelvis.  A slight twinge of arousal stirred within Grace, leaving her puzzled.  Why is everything so sensitive tod– focus!  Come on, Grace.  She cursed her wandering mind and finished pulling on a pair of gray sweatpants and a plain white tee-shirt.

Grace opened the door and stepped out of her room, walking down the hall while concern over her body’s peculiar state slipped into her subconscious.  She wanted to find Arina and speak with her.  Whether Grace wanted to admit it, Arina’s generally cheerful disposition and soft nature put her at ease.

“Mmmm…  Nnneuuugh…”

Strange sounds flooded Grace’s ears as she turned toward the noise.  Is it coming from behind this wall?  She looked to the left and saw a door with the name “Ella” printed.  It nearly escaped her mind that Ella was still their roommate after being turned into– whatever horse thing she was now.  She tried to keep an open mind but felt disturbed in the presence of such an inhuman creature.  Ella was now a stark reminder of what could happen to every young woman forced to compete in this disgusting contest.

Grace started to walk past Ella’s room, resolving to ignore the bizarre utterances that pierced her eardrums.  After a few steps, she stopped and sighed, putting a hand over her face.  “Arina would check on her if she was in my place, right?”  She asked herself out loud, almost hoping someone would answer the question for her.  Grace shook her head, steeled herself, and moved to the door before knocking.  “H– Hey, Ella!  Is everything okay in there?

“Ooo– ooooh.. . Nneeeuuuu,” continued the mysterious sounds.

What if she’s hurt? Something might be wrong.  Grace took a sharp breath and turned the doorknob.  Thankful to find it unlocked, she cracked the door and peeked in.  “Hey, Ella.  Are you–”

Grace’s eyes widened in horror as she put a hand over her face to stifle any potential scream.  The half-horse Ella laid on her back in bed, completely naked with a hand between her legs.  Her glossy brown fur glistened in the dim lighting as her hooves dug into the sheets.  Grace trembled, staring wide-eyed and unable to turn away.

“Neeuuu!!  Neeigh!”  Ella grunted, shakily pushing her fingers through her dark, dampened folds.

Ssschlp!

Streams of hot, sticky fluid trickled from Ella’s vagina and dampened the surrounding fur.  As her body shuddered, labored moans filled the air.

Grace felt a strange mix of emotions swirl within her.  A combination of utter horror and something more primal, something nearly exciting.  She was too transfixed to notice the warm tingle permeating her loins.

After losing an undetermined length of time in her stupor, Grace noticed something that snapped her back to reality.  Tears streamed from Ella’s face, snot visibly showing on her massive horse nostrils.

“Eeeuuugh!”  Ella half wailed, half moaned in ecstasy as she rubbed her engorged clitoris in complete desperation.  “N– Nooo…  Noo–eeuuugh…”  Ella whimpered, pushing two fingers through her steamy labia as she arched her hips upward.  A strained, animalistic cry flooded the room as her fingers disappeared into her writhing pussy hole.  Two fingers became three, then four.  Before long, her previously human-like vagina greedily accepted Ella’s entire fist.

I shouldn’t be watching this.  I need to leave.  Grace shook; her breath rate picked up as she slowly closed the door and speed-walked down the hall, putting as much distance between herself and those awful noises that roused such confusing emotions.  Before entering the living room, she leaned against the hallway wall and closed her eyes.  “Come on, calm down.  Deep breaths.”  Grace calmed herself down after a couple of minutes, her adrenaline spike waning as it faded away.

Having regained some semblance of control, Grace sighed and walked into the living room, seeing Arina lying on her back with a book.  She wore a pair of pink pajama shorts and a white tee shirt.

“Reading something good?”  Grace asked, approaching the couch as she tried to glimpse the cover.

“Oh!!!”  Arina jumped slightly and sat up, smiling warmly as she patted the couch next to her.  “Why don’t you sit here?  Sorry I was hogging the whole couch.  Phoebe and Ella are still holing up in their rooms, so it gets a little lonely out here.”  She then remembered her friend’s question.  “Oh yeah– this?”  She closed the book.  “They have some classic literature here, so I’m reading Frankenstein.  If you’d like, I can give you my best impression of an asshole and rant about how ‘Frankenstein’s Monster isn’t actually called Frankenstein!’ for a while.”  Arina softly laughed.

Grace sat down while listening to Arina and gave her a look of mild confusion.  “Frankenstein?  I haven’t heard of that.  I thought I already knew the classics written during the SOU’s founding.”  She wondered how this one would have slipped her mind.



Arina paused, giving Grace a concerned look.  “No– that’s not what I mean.  It’s a book written way before that.  Hundreds of years ago when we didn’t even have electricity.  Have you never heard of Frankenstein?  What about the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe?  Or the works of William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet?  Hamlet?”  Arina didn’t mean to drill Grace like this but struggled to repress her inquisitive impulse.

Grace turned pale as her heart sank.  Something seemed horribly wrong here; was all of this supposed to be common knowledge?  “I– I am sorry, I don’t know what any of those books are,” she meekly responded, putting a hand over her arm as she stared down at the floor.  “Did everyone inside the walls of your city read books like this?”  She immensely enjoyed reading and felt shock, wonder, and embarrassment at having no idea what Arina was talking about.

Arina considered her words carefully.  Inside my city walls?  What on earth is she talking about?  She heard rumors of walled-off areas deep within SOU territory, but they were hard to confirm due to citizens not being allowed in these highly guarded zones that often spanned dozens or hundreds of miles.  “I think different towns and territories have their own culture, so we probably just have a lot to learn from each other.  Don’t you think so?” Arina asked with a friendly cadence, not wanting to make Grace self-conscious over her worrisome statements.

Grace forced a slight smile.  “Yeah, you’re right.  I will have to see what books they have for us to read.”  She now felt a profound sense of curiosity boiling within her.

“Ladies!  The time is now 10 AM!  I have an important announcement for all of you!” 

 Mistress Yulia’s voice boomed through the living room, causing both girls to jump and look around the room frantically.

“Calm your damn tits, everyone.  I’m not actually in your rooms.  I have two tidbits of exciting news for everyone!”

A pang of pure dread erupted within Grace, digging its icy claws into her heart while trying to rip it out.  “Oh god…”  She whispered, closing her eyes tightly as she folded her hands in her lap.  Why was Yulia so terrifying and cruel?  The SOU government did shady things, yes, but every officer and employee of the government she had ever met was a kind and warm person.  Surely there would be some bad people among them, but the Mistress seemed like some kind of supervillain caricature.

“I– It’s okay, we’re in this together,” stated Arina with a strained smile.

Grace felt Arina’s hand clasp around hers.  Their hands were sweaty and shaking; it didn’t matter to either one of their sweaty flesh touched.

“I don’t like to waste time, so I will cut to the chase once more,” plainly stated Yulia.   “Our first game starts tomorrow at 10:00 AM, twenty-four hours from now.  I would suggest eating a nice breakfast and being ready for an escort to arrive right at that time.”

Grace knew it was coming at some point but still felt a terrible wave of anxiety crash through her petite frame.  Oh god, please, no…  I don’t want to play these games.  She lamented her situation, putting her free hand over her face to hide.

Yulia cleared her throat and continued.  “On to the second bit of exciting news.  I know all of you are incredibly anxious.  Wondering what it will feel like when the changes start.  I fully understand that awful sense of anticipation.”  It was evident that no one liked where this speech was going.  “Lucky for all of you, I am a benevolent and kind mistress.  During your physical exams yesterday, I ensured all of you were properly pre-gamed.  I thoughtfully gave all of you, except our dear Ella, a dose of serum equal to losing one game.  Think of it as a nice little gift to alleviate that fear of the unknown; as you can likely tell, those aches, pains, and strange feelings all of you are experiencing isn’t all that bad, are they?”

“N— NO!!!”  Grace screamed, shaking as she pulled away from Arina and put her hands over her face.  So she wasn’t just starting her period or something?  They were gleefully fucking around with the insides of her body and changing her against her will.  Her psyche fell into a chasm of fear and despair.  She had no agency over her own body; Grace felt violated, terrified, and angry.

While Arina felt similar emotions and began to panic, she repressed those feelings to comfort Grace. “H– Hey!  It’s okay; we’re going to be okay!  We– we have no idea how many doses Ella received; I am sure this is n–”  She paused and closed her eyes.  Her own body had behaved strangely today as well.  “I am sure this is nothing to worry about!”

“No, no, no…  None of this is okay.  They want to turn me into a fucking animal-like Ella!  They want to turn BOTH of us into that.  Do you think any of this could ever be okay!?” Grace demanded.  Arina stuttered and attempted a response, but Grace cut her off. “I need space.  I need to leave– I…  I can’t do this!”  Grace cried out, standing to her feet as she ran to her bedroom.

She flopped into the sheets upon reaching her bed and pulled a blanket around herself while curling into a ball.  A million disjointed thoughts wracked her brain all at once. How did she end up here when she didn’t do anything wrong?  Why was Arina saying all those weird things about books?  What the fuck was she going to turn into?

Tomorrow was game day which meant she might end up with another dose of whatever bullshit they injected them with.  Grace lay in the dark, trembling in anticipation of the next day as tears fell from her face despite the day just beginning.

CHAPTER END

Read up to chapter 5 three months early for $5 on Patreon!  We just finished the first Mollusk Match game and a lot of sexy stuff has happened!  I am confident you will enjoy it.



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