Chapter 6

6.
For most employees at Kazyr Industries, the next couple of weeks went by like any other. There were grumblings about possible layoffs, talk of how badly the merger had been botched, and the usual water cooler chit chat. For Rodrigo and Kumar, though, it felt like they were out on bail. They had both turned in their resignation slips and told their teams about their transfer. Jess instructed them both to use the opportunity to relax before their "important assignment." Every time Rodrigo heard that phrase, he had to grimace.

"Important assignment... more like indentured servitude."

The two weeks flew by. It almost felt like a farewell. Everyone Rodrigo knew would be horrified at his continued transformation. People understand when friends get a little fat, less so when they swell to three hundred and fifty pounds. Rodrigo figured that his life, as he knew it, was over. He drank and partied the two weeks away, leading to his present hungover state, following Kumar to the elevators one last time.

Kumar grunted as he lowered his box of office knick-knacks and pressed the button. Rodrigo frowned as he looked him over. Kumar already had to change how he moved to deal with all his fat, and he was only at 280. Instead of mindlessly bending to put the box down, Kumar needed to adjust his pants around his rear to prevent his pants from splitting. There was no way he was getting his arms around all that belly in that position. He had to jut out his ass as far as he could to get the boxes close to the ground. Not to mention how the movement had emphasized Kumar’ love handles, more like saddle bags, that pooched grotesquely over his belt. Rodrigo poked his own sides, knowing what was in store for them. The thought was dizzying, and not in a good way.

As the elevator chimed, Kumar shook his head.

"Beats prison, right? And we’ll still have our old salary. I hear this job isn’t too hard. Maybe this won’t be so bad?"

Rodrigo rolled his eyes. Being stuck with this blob for eight hours a day would be bad enough. Putting on an additional hundred and fifty pounds of blubber was a nightmare.

The two got in the elevator and hit LL, the lowest level, even below the parking garage. They exited to find a hall of blueish fluorescent light and white tiled floors. Jess was waiting ahead, beaming.

"Welcome boys!" she cried, giving each of their bellies a slap, "I’m so excited. Let’s get to it."

Rodrigo held back his tongue. Jess was as happy as he had ever seen her. This was just a game to her, all the destruction she was causing for her own pleasure.

"You know all about that, don’t you?" Rodrigo thought, remembering all the careers he had ruined for his own.

Jess pointed a thumb to a room at the back of the hall behind her.

"I figured you would want some exercise before each day’s activities, so I made sure to put our room at the very back. C’mon. Let’s get you acclimated. "

Rodrigo rolled his eyes again and followed Jess as she marched down the hall. Each of Jessica’s high-heeled footfalls echoed harshly around them. The single corridor was mostly barren, but anytime a head poked out they instantly retreated. And Jess wasn’t joking; it was a long hall. Rodrigo felt his pits begin to dampen as they neared the end. He cursed his decaying athleticism, until he turned to see Kumar. Instead of the big-bellied man, Rodrigo saw empty wall. He looked back to find Kumar half a dozen steps behind, nearly drenched in sweat. Rodrigo’s eyes went wide.

"Is that going to be me? Is Jess going to march us down the hall each day until we’re too fat to? Or-"

An image of himself, impossibly huge, flashed before Rodrigo. Of his belly, absurdly wide, preventing him from walking down the hall. He shuddered, trying to wave it off.

"Here we are!" Jess sang, "what do you think of your new pen?"

The two men looked at each other and frowned. Kumar went in first, then Rodrigo. They didn’t expect much, but what they got was somehow more unnerving than anything they could imagine. Two reinforced gaming chairs that looked like they were meant for giants. Desks on opposite sides. Zero items of decoration on the tan-yellow walls, save one. A curving metal track extended from one corner of the room, wrapping in a half circle to the next. A slot was closed above either entry point, a screen above displaying what looked like a scoreboard. It read, "K. Chadha: 0 | R. Tortella: 0."

"What do you think?" Jess said. Both men turned to her, wanting to say exactly what was on their mind. Instead, after the last two weeks of training, they mumbled their now-memorized reply.

"Thank you, Mistress." Jessica put a hand to her chin.

"Hmmm, that didn’t sound enthusiastic. Mistress saved both of you pigs from the big house, and all she asks in return is total control of your bodies. She even rewards her best, most gluttonous hog, something she does not need to do. Now then."

"Thank you, Mistress!" Both men cried. Jess cracked a smile.

"That’s better. Now then, as for what you’ll be doing here."

Jess turned on the two computers and introduced Kumar and Rodrigo to their new job responsibility. And it truly was singular. All that was on the display was a virtual light bulb and a button that said, "NOTIFY."

"And all we have to do is hit the Notify button whenever the lightbulb comes on?" Kumar asked. Jess nodded her head.

"Well done! Piggy is really picking this up quickly."

Rodrigo had to hold back a groan. He absolutely hated how smarmy and condescending Jess had gotten. It was obvious this was some sort of sick fetish for her; it made his skin crawl.

"But what about the slots and the metal track?"

Jessica Parson’s smile didn’t falter, but Rodrigo felt he could see the smugness radiate off of her.

"I’ll let you figure that one out. Now then, have fun. Your next weigh-in is a week from today. If you don’t progress the way mistress wants you to, then let's just say things will become uncomfortable."

Without another word, Jessica spun and flew out of the room, slamming the door. Kumar and Rodrigo shrank back, then exhaled. Kumar immediately sank into his new chair and accessed the computer. Eyes that had been stained with dismay suddenly lit up. The former IT director tapped away at the keyboard. It was like he had forgotten Rodrigo was still in the room.

"This is so degrading, I had no idea what a monster Jess really was." Rodrigo moaned.

Kumar blinked a few times and turned his head.

"Hey! This setup comes with a state-of-the-art graphics card and Steam pre-installed. And it looks like the Kazyr firewalls don't apply down here."

Rodrigo blinked back at him.

"So?"

"So, I’m going to kick back and play video games until all this is over. This "job" is a piece of cake." Rodrigo glowered.

"It’s mind-numbing. And this is one step above kidnapping. How are you ok with this?"

Kumar shimmied his ample ass cheeks, a sheepish grin carving into his face.

"I mean, sit in this chair and try to complain. I requested a reinforced one like this one for a half a decade, now I finally have it."

Rodrigo sighed and sank into his own chair. It was comfy, but Rodrigo felt he was a little boy dwarfed by the giant seat cushion. For a moment, the two sat in silence, punctuated by Kumar’s mouse and keyboard clicks. Their new reality was here, and they were just going to have to deal with it.

Before Rodrigo’s mind could wander, the slots on either end of the metal track opened. He heard the sound of a small engine, and the track began to move. Within seconds, two large plates overburdened with fried food whirred to the middle and stopped. A voice sounded from a speaker in the corner of the room.

"Eat!"

Rodrigo looked at the plate, then at the screen above the slot.

"Rodrigo: 0," it read. Now it made sense. Rodrigo heard a rumble from his now cellmate's gut. In an instant, he shuffled over to collect his prize, his bulk shifting and wobbling. Kumar must have been starving, because the heavy meal of a dozen boneless tenders, a basket of fries, and a dozen mozzarella sticks vanished in minutes. Kumar sighed with contentment and leaned back, rubbing his stomach. Rodrigo plucked the empty tray from his desk and put it back on the track. A "ding!" sound rang from the speaker, and the 0 after Kumar's name changed to a 1.

Rodrigo furrowed his brows. There had to be a way out of this.

---------------------------
To gain early access to chapters, exclusive one-shot stories, and more, check out my Patreon!

https://www.patreon.com/kyzarburne r