Chapter 1 - I.

Ben opened up a bottle of beer before he dragged his way over to the couch and collapsed backwards into the cushion. To put it simply, Ben's life hasn't been active lately. In or out of the bed. He was a feeder and had a liking to women of the more plumper form but never really brought it up during dates or conversation. He dated a girl named Emily and they hit it off pretty well. They shared interests and took a liking to their other hobbies. Emily was a little under 200 pounds when they started dating. He never used weight gain supplements or anything nefarious but he would keep the fridge stocked with chocolates, order more food than needed, the old 'I'm stuffed, want the last slices?' kind of excuses. She gained over a hundred pounds over their four year relationship. Then it happened.

Emily found his porn stash. Pictures, videos, stories and art covering women well beyond the fat stage and verging over obesity. Emily always found it difficult to lose weight and to know Ben was somewhat supporting a lazier lifestyle upset her greatly. They argued, she cried, he pleaded, and that was the end of it.

She left him.

That was around a year ago. Ben tried getting back in the game again but it wasn't the same. His depressed state had him overclocking on work hours. In the past year he tried on two occasions to get a date with women but each one slowly began to ghost him. Whether Emily had a hand in it he couldn't say. Tonight was another end of the work week where he would lay back, drink some beer and play some video games.

In the darkness of the kitchen, hushed giggles flitted about.

"What's he doing now?" one of them asked.

"Having himself a high-calorie brew!" another answered. More hushed giggles.

"He looks ready for something greasy. I tell you, this might be too easy!" one of them whispered as they all observed their target.

"Someone get his next drink ready. We may need to keep the flow steady!" another declared to a chorus of more hushed laughter.

Two of them bounded over to the fridge to retrieve Ben's next drink and returned to the group with an unopened bottle.

"So whaddaya say? Is it time to greet him?" one of them asked the others.

The one that seemed to be the leader nodded with a grin before saying: "It's time he knows who's going to feed him!"

They all bounded into the living room, two of them carrying Ben's fresh beer, laughing and giggling and swarming the poor guy. They surrounded him and positioned themselves at his feet, on the coffee table, and on the back of his couch.

"Hello Ben! How are you?!" one of them shouted.

"We are here to bring you food!" another sang, placing the beer on the end table by the couch. They popped it open and offered it up to him.

"What in the hell are you things?" Ben said eyes wide open as he lifted his feet off the floor as if the grey blobbish skin of the creatures were toxic to the touch. He heard movement from behind and turned his head to see more leaning belly down on the top of the couch. Ben leaned forward in order to stay away from whatever these things were before two of them grabbed each shoulder and pulled him back down on the couch. The portly beings grabbing him only made Ben more worrisome. This wasn't a dream, it clearly wasn't a hangover. What were these things? "Who the hell are you?" Ben asked again.

"We're the Munchies!" they all cheered in unison as they lifted their chubby arms in the air. Ben would soon learn along with others who had the unfortunate chance of interacting with these monsters that that would be the only phrase the creatures would utter without following it in rhyme.

"Munchies??" Ben said as he felt the empty beer bottle knocked out of his hand. He turned and saw one of the grey forms continue to tap the newly opened bottle against his fingers. Ben grabbed it from the base as he looked around the surrounding group. "I don't understand. What's a 'Munchie'?"

"We make you munch even if you're not hungry!" they replied in unison.

"We can tell your heart's been torn!" one of the Munchies said as it extended a bowl of chips towards Ben. The Munchie behind it continued: "We help those who appear forlorn!"

"And the quickest way to mend the pain..." another Munchie began, carrying in a tray of brownies from the kitchen, comically wearing pink oven mitts and an apron with a cute cartoon pig on it.

"Is to eat till you can't move without a crane!" the others completed together.

The pan of brownies was slid onto the coffee table within Ben's reach as he took in his current situation with concern.

"So whaddaya say, ol' Ben, ol' pal! Are you okay if we hang around?" the lead Munchie asked, with a devious smile.

The lead Munchie grinned his toothy smile as he stood with his hands pressed together, as if pleading Ben to accept their generosity. The lead Munchie stood about half as tall as all the others while still looking similar to the rest. Ben sat still as he quickly pondered the situation. 'Heart's been torn. Mending the pain. How do they know what I'm going through?' he wondered. Though he didn't question it for long. After all the biggest question facing him was what these things were. Yes yes, they were the Munchies but they weren't animals or people. He'd never heard of them before. These things were shaped like some ancient cartoon characters and spoke like they were wanna-be Oompa Loompas.

The Munchies didn't act like they wanted to hurt him or drag him to hell. After all, they were offering him free food. He raised the beer bottle to his lips and took a swig before gulping down the contents and reaching for one of the freshly cut brownies. "I guess a few couldn't hurt. I didn't really feel like cooking anyway." He shrugged as he sunk a bite into the treat.

"Hooray!" the Munchies cheered as they watched Ben willingly accept the fattening treat. "It'll just be simpler if you comply, while we help you grow in size!"

"We can manifest any treat! All you have to do is eat!" a Munchie sang solo, causing the others to giggle.

The lead Munchie grinned sinisterly before asking, "Call me Doodle, don't be nervous. We are here at your service! Are you feeling any sort of craving? We can provide it while you're lazing!"

"Ghrow?" Ben asked as he chewed on another brownie. He didn't really understand what they were going on about. He grabbed another brownie as the other two Munchies made their comments. He took another sip of beer before wiping his mouth off with his arm and took a breath. "Anything I want and you'll make it huh?" Doodle nodded but Ben didn't really need confirmation for speaking his mind. "I was thinking of just tossing in a pizza for tonight but if you can make anything... how about a cheeseburger and fries? Maybe a few chicken strips on the side?" Doodle could only silently giggle to himself at the word 'few' and 'burger' without an 's' at the end.

"As you wish, it shall be done! It's time to have a little fun..." Doodle rubbed his hands together as he glanced at the other grinning Munchies. A faction of them scurried off to the kitchen to prepare the requested meal, just as two Munchies marched from the kitchen into the living room with two more beers.

"We're so glad to have gained your trust! Now it's time you came with us," Doodle declared as some Munchies took a hold of Ben at his legs and back and lifted him off the couch. He squirmed in confusion and fear, but was at the mercy of the Munchies marching him into the kitchen.

The light flicked on as they brought Ben into the kitchen, dropping him into the chair by the table in the dining area.

"Give us a moment to prepare your feast! But waiting doesn't mean you cannot eat!" one of the Munchies declared, revealing a basket full of garlic bread and placing it on the table. Ben reached for it without thinking as he watched the Munchies work together in some sort of Rube Goldberg arrangement as they fired up the stove and began preparing pink meat patties for Ben's hamburgers. Another pan of grease sizzled to life as breaded chicken breasts were splashed into it, causing a boiling ruckus of hissing grease as it fried the delicacies.

Eventually, the basket of bread was empty and a Munchie swiped it from Ben's reach while other Munchies replaced it with a plate of four huge bacon, mushroom, and swiss cheese burgers. The thud of the plate as it landed on the table was an indication as to the load it held. It was soon accompanied by a plate bearing a mountain of fries and another basket of fried chicken strips with cups of ranch dressing, honey mustard, and bar-be-que sauce.

"Don't be shy! Gorge away! We want to help you increase that weight..." one Munchie whispered into Ben's ear as he drank the last swig of his current beer.

"Huh?" Ben said as he set the empty bottle on the table as a Munchie reached its pudgy arms and took it away. Ben felt a bit woozy with all the beer catching up to him. As he laid eyes on dinner, he began to retort. "Are you guys crazy? I said I wanted A burger, a FEW fries. I can't eat all of this!" A few of the Munchies rolled into balls as two lifted them as they somersaulted on top of each other. A stack of three grey pudgy creatures moved behind Ben as the top one massaged his shoulders.