The Underbelly

[Aerial-Rave]

I a story again! This one...I wanna say it is new territory or at least some new venture in someway. Evil Within, Resident Evil and even Eternal Darkness were three HUGE influences for this piece, so expect monsters, lovecraftian try-hard references and fat chicks, oh my!

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“Stop! Stop damn it!” A woman cried out, running through the populated city streets. The female officer was in an on foot pursuit. One would find it ironic given her physical disposition. No doubt the butt behind a few donut jokes, Officer Kimberly Ghutt heaved as she chased the hooded perp around the corner.

The dark skinned cop wasn’t so out of shape that it would hinder her job, but the notable spare tire shaking with each paced step was ever present. With more of a casual detective look that included a white button up shirt, blue vest and brown pinstripe slacks, the officer wasn’t really dressed for this type of activity. In fact, this spur of the moment chase was initiated by a botched purse snatching.

She chased the criminal to the less favorable part of the city. Those who stayed in the more shanty houses and apartments minded their business as this was not a new phenomenon. However, even they were cautious at the two newcomers as it seemed they were heading toward a rather taboo area…

“Stop, or I’ll shoot!” Kim threatened but didn’t mean it. This guy must have been running on pure adrenaline as she was since this chase lasted much longer than expected. The woman’s thighs were heavy and burning and to her dismay, distance between them was growing. Though against her training, she teased the thought of simply shooting him in the leg, but this was some petty criminal, not a serial killer.

The two came to a place that was caution taped off but the yellow straps and black text had faded since then. Kim stopped for a moment to catch her breath, witnessing the criminal escape into one of the hollowed out, concrete buildings. She looked down, seeing many religious paraphernalia along the taped border, looking around curiously as no signs of life was present. Taking a moment, the officer motioned for her radio, only to find it missing. She slapped her forehead at her foolishness of leaving it in her patrol car and turned to retrieve it. Only, what stopped her was a loud bang and what was assumed to be the runner, screaming.

Now with her morals in question, she did what she thought was right and passed the barrier. Neighboring bodies then started to appear as she went inside the hollowed estate, silent prayers were spoken by the older ladies who watched her go in.

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Shattered rocks and concrete creaked under the woman’s shoe, echoing into the empty corridors of the unfinished building. With her pistol at the ready, Kim hugged the walls and surveyed her surroundings. “Hello? Is anybody there? This is Officer Kim Ghutt and I need a response!”

Nothing answered her command and the dark skinned officer went ahead, gun still equipped. She traversed down a few halls, able to clear them in just a few minutes. Stairs were out of the question as it appeared none were finished. Kim pondered this but concluded that the machines that were once were were responsible for the construction of the other layers but the absence of an elevator was just as alarming.

‘No stairs or elevator...did these guys ride the crane or something...or-?’ Kim’s train of thought was broken when she spotted a gaping hole in the ground. No doubt this is where the perpetrator fell but the hole appeared to lead into a chasm too dark too see with the naked eye. She knelt before the hole and flashed her hip light from her belt to no avail as the light was swallowed, trying to shine in the lower levels. Officer Ghutt pouted her lips, growing frustrated with the situation. The drop would no doubt break her legs as she assumed that’s what happened with the runner.

“H-Help me...some...somebody…”

Kim gasped, hearing the voice from below. No doubt in her mind it was the perp who sounded injured. “Hold on! I’ll-! I’ll-!” The officer panicked, getting off her knees and began fanning herself. ‘Come on Kim, think!’ As luck would have it, an exceptionally long ladder was placed on the far wall within the same area. Obviously used to traverse this hole, Kim quickly grabbed the tool but found it awkward to managed as the weight caused her to stumble while she gripped it.

“Help...help...someone...please…”

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” Kim assured, gritting her teeth as she placed the ladder against the rim of the chasm. She smiled as a confirmation bump echoed, signaling solid ground below. After fastening the top of the later to the rim of the hole with pegs, Kim descended into the darkness below.

Cavern lights were hung on the dugout walls of the vertical tunnel. Kim was amazed how far deep this thing was. She didn’t remember the ladder being this tall, or even people having the capability of digging this far down...Nonetheless, the chubby cop had finally hit solid ground. The hanging lights provided minimal sight but her hip light made up for it. Wet drips echoed in the now cavern setting and Kim cautiously moved forward.

“Hey there! Guy, you still there?!” Officer Ghutt called out. A faint scream then sounded, urging her to move forward with a quickened pace. A blood trail soon appeared, causing the woman’s heart to race, expecting the worst. She came to a pair of hospital double doors, shoulder bashing through to find herself now in a tiled hallway.

The facility now resembled a horror theme hospital/laboratory. The walls were mildew green covered in grime and smelled of filth. The chubby cop grew more worried, following the blood trail with the atmosphere not getting any better. The hanging ceiling lights flickering, the empty stained gurneys followed by cracked windows and dim observatory rooms, this place had ‘monster movie’ written all over it and she was heavily considering turning back.

Next, the blood curdling sound of carnivorous chomping plagued her ears. Kim grunted, covering her head and she stumbled backwards in the corridor. That was more than enough to convince her there was no point in remaining. She exited the facility, back to the cavern to find…

“Wait!” She cried out, seeing the ladder being pulled up. She raced to the cavern wall but it was already out of her reach. Still, she made an ill attempt with a jump, not even close to the lowest point of the rising ladder. “Fuckers! You think this is a joke! I’m stuck down here!” She scolded to the unseen culprit. “If you’re that fucking runner, I hope you burn in Hell!”

There was no answer to the woman’s threats, only a snapping noise as the lower half of the ladder was then tossed down. Kim got the hint; Whoever that was now pretty much had her dead. Whatever was in that place...would eventually find her. The feeling of fear and hopelessness started to sink in. She collapsed on her knees, utterly lost for words. Who...who would do this? Why did she deserve to die like this? Officer Ghutt began to recount her life, hoping to find some nefarious, corrupted thing she did that would warrant this treatment. Was it someone she pushed on the run here? Was it someone she pissed off back at the department? Human sacrifice for some unseen monster?

Right now, the laboratory/hospital was the only place she could go. She could starve to death but that would be slow and painful. Perhaps...whatever was munching in the halls could give her the sweet mercy of death…

The potbellied woman walked back inside with a blank stare. She was truly done with life and awaited for the Grim Reaper to take her. Her gun was holstered near her armpit with no intention of it being used and the hip flashlight was there to hopefully attract whatever was inside. Kim wandered about for a minute until the sound of bones being crushed caught her attention. The woman followed the source of the sound, cracking a bit of a smile as it became louder.

Eventually, she came across a rather grotesque sight.

There it was, the monster. Feminine from its physical appearance, soft and cherubic face, large mammaries that sat on its engorged belly. Long, flowing, unkempt hair and a bulbous figure that favored its hips and front that put Kim’s slightly pudgy build to shame. The gray behemoth was sitting against a blood splattered corner, stripping the flesh from its newly caught prey. Kim quickly examined the carnage; Black hoodie, torn denim jeans and blood stained tennis shoes...it was the runner who was caught. This discovery made her realize that it wasn’t him who trapped her down here. This revelation actually snapped her out of her suicidal mindset but it may have been too late.

The gray beast grunted and snorted, looking at Kim undoubtedly as her next meal. The Officer had recovered from her initial shock but the sight of an actual monster was another surprise she didn’t want to see. Turning away, she high tailed it through the corridors of the facility, avoiding the path she entered in and into foreign territory within the depths of the strange, decrepit place. Not too far behind, the bulbous creature was moving its fat engorged legs, knocking every ounce of debris from its path. The curved hips of the monster swayed with each stomp, occasionally hitting the tiled walls, cracking them from the sheer force. Its panted howls signaled how hungry it was and how desperate it wanted Kim’s flesh.

The thought of fighting this abomination was out of the question in Kim’s mind. Her concern was losing the creature but in her panicked state she had no other plans than to run. Unfortunately, the fact that she was out of shape soon came into play. Furthermore, the fatigue from the earlier pursuit and the drain from the adrenaline rush were piling on. Her body started aching again and she couldn’t keep up her pace. She would have to think of something quick, or else be in the teeth of that fat fiend.

Finally, shoulder rushing into one of the laboratory rooms, she scanned the area and found a syringe filled with glow green ooze. The monster tried to burst in as well, but its girth had it stuck in the doorway. It roared with frustration but pressed on, bending the frame in hopes of bursting through to get its prey.

Desperate, Kim open fired with her pistol, now having a place where the monster couldn’t move much. But another surprise came as the thing’s belly split apart, revealing a giant maw with a set of teeth and an extended tongue. The large extension whipped Kim in the face, flooring her as she fell over a tool table. She dropped the syringe as she fell but the tongue then wrapped around her ankle and began to drag her toward the torso mouth. Fighting against the strong pull, Officer Ghutt managed to retrieve the needle just as she was yanked across the floor and hoisted above the belly maw. With one good stab, she lodged the needle into the creature’s mouth, causing it to spasm and toss her away.

Pained gurgling then sounded from the fat fiend as its skin began to boil, bubble up and melt. With one last horrific cry, the belly beast became a pile of pink ooze and nothing more. Completely drained from the experience, Kim Ghutt rolled around on the floor, dazed. She was coming from another adrenaline rush that was no doubt taking a toll on her body. Soon however, She got up and knelt before the slime pile with the empty syringe in the middle of it. Wasting no time, she gave the monster a proper eulogy by spitting in its remains and continued on through the laboratory.