Voretober 2022 - SILENCE

It was Jude’s turn to host a party. His house, which meant his rules. That said he was a pretty relaxed leopard gecko. He just wanted a nice night’s sleep, that’s all. He established well beforehand, he’d be trying to get some shuteye at midnight. His friends that were coming confirmed that they all understood and agreed. Alcohol had a way of making people less understanding, however.

It was a party, of course there was going to be alcohol. He made sure they were well-stocked. It wasn’t like he was intending to stay completely dry himself. Not to mention everyone was entitled to a plus-one. The core group was three of his friends: Teri, a bat; Cabot, a chicken; and Lycus, a wolf. They were each bringing someone, which was fine, he just hoped they were all aware of the one rule. And that they wouldn’t mess up his place.

The night of the party, everyone was slamming drinks, Jude included. Although he was maintaining his sobriety a little better than the rest of them. The party started at 6 but Lycus and his girlfriend were both literally howling by 9. He had an old horror movie on, which Cabot and his partner seemed to be enjoying, but the rest were only chiming in during funny moments. Teri and her girlfriend at some point later dug up a board game of his and got some others to play too.

Around 11, to Jude’s amusement, his diet and capabilities became a point of conversation. Lycus talked about how he swallowed a whole bear one time, and made his tail huge for a month. Cabot mentioned using him as an improvised sleeping bag on a few cold nights. At that point, the group started directly asking questions such as: How many people can fit in your stomach? Can you really control your digestion? Could we go in there?

“I don’t know, yes, and... What?”

Cabot’s partner leaned forward and asked, “Can we, please? I’ve never been inside someone’s belly before!”

The rest followed with similar pleadings, until Jude was finally forced to say, “Alright, alright! You guys can hang out for the rest of the party in my belly. But you gotta get out or quiet down in an hour, alright?” They all nodded in synchrony, to which Jude just rolled his eyes. Then he laid down on the ground, flexed his jaw around, and opened his maw wide. It was a large, pink, and toothless tunnel down to a much smaller room.

Lycus was the first to climb in, tugging his girlfriend behind him. She giggled as she fell onto his tongue, and could still be heard even as she was pulled into his gullet. Cabot’s partner went in next, followed by the chicken himself shortly after. For the last two, Teri shoved her girlfriend in first and then tried to wriggle next to her. Jude groaned as he was forced to swallow the bat and cat at the same time, but it wasn’t too much of an issue. He’d had bigger.

When they finally made their way down, he lifted himself up to a sitting position. This seemed like it was pushing the upper limit of his capacity. The gecko’s belly was bulging every which way, several defined features visible from the six in his gut. He didn’t feel queasy, fortunately, but rather physically strained from how stretched he was. Not to mention he couldn’t even get off the ground or walk anywhere.

Inside, everyone was enjoying themselves. Even though they were all crowded into each other, the lack of group sobriety meant they didn’t mind. They kept slipping and sliding around, snuggling with each other, making out, laughing up a storm. Jude, in the meantime, occupied himself with his phone. He was quickly growing drowsy, even if his friends weren’t food, just by the feeling of fullness they gave him.

Midnight came around soon enough. As soon as Jude realized, he yawned and said, “Alright, it’s midnight everyone.” His stomach continued to wriggle about and chatter, seemingly having not heard him. He frowned, grabbing his belly and sloshing them around for a moment. “Hey, you hear me? Time for all of you to come out or quiet down.”

Lycus piped up first, saying, “Oh don’t be such a mood killer!” The rest all laughed along with him, then continued to be noisy and squirmy.

Between the alcohol wearing on him and his own tiredness, Jude was growing irritated. He warned, “If you don’t all calm down and let me spit you out...”

This time Teri shouted back, “Oh, lighten up Jude! It’s a party! You’re just mad you can’t hang out in here with the rest of us.” They all laughed again, including some drunken mocking of the grouchy gecko.

Jude huffed. “Fine, if you all won’t shut up on your own...” He grabbed his gut with both hands and started pushing the sides together. Almost immediately, he heard them complain as they bashed into each other. But what they should’ve complained about more was the sudden gurgling shaking the sac.

Cabot’s partner was the first to notice the juices filling up around them, but it was hard to say anything in the chaos. Especially as Jude started to shove some of them down into it. He pressed down until he heard a meaty crrrRRRUNNNCH. His belly groaned and gurgled furiously, almost loud enough to drown out the ones still alive. But Jude wouldn’t settle for anything less than silence at this point.

With his belly smaller, he stretched forward and wrapped his arms around it, then pulled in tight like a hug. He squeezed until the people in his grip suddenly stopped struggling with a cacophony of crackling. The bottom of his stomach was quickly becoming a thick slop, with the top holding only a few weak defined bulges. Jude smacked his chest a few times until a loud BOOOOOUUURP came out, shrinking his gut and silencing the last occupants.

Within just a couple minutes, the party had been forcibly stopped. Jude’s belly was still gurgling and churning, but it was a sound he didn’t mind. Not to mention now he could stand up, as his belly was half the size it was when all six were alive. There would be consequences for erasing them like that later, but he had warned them. In the morning he had to deal with the bones that survived the night and the fat they left in his tail and on his belly. But it was well worth it for a good night’s sleep.