Walk in the Woods, A

“You haven’t heard the stories?” Katie said incredulously. “I thought that was the whole appeal of the place.  Who goes camping in some random forest if it’s not haunted?” She swung her flashlight around to emphasize the point. The beam cut weakly through the clinging mist, creating monsters out of shadow as its beam crossed hanging moss and craggy rock.

Sonja shivered. “I do.” She reconsidered. “Well, I mean, it doesn’t really have to be haunted, you know, if-“

“It’s fine to be scared. I won’t hold it against you. I’d check that shadow creeping up behind you, though.”

Sonja started, whipping around, shining her light over the trail behind them. “I’m not scared,” she insisted, heart beating out of her chest. “Just cold. That’s all. I’ve probably heard all the stories, just forgot ‘em cause it’s the same old stuff.”

Katie smiled. “Oh, you’re right. Same old. Men getting lost and turning up inside-out, shadowy apparitions, bodies found with nothing but a look of terror frozen on their cold features. I heard this place in particular’s a hotspot for hanging, careful you don’t bump into anybody.” She dropped her uninterested tone. “Oh, and you know that girl that disappeared a few years ago?”

“Very funny.”

“Serious. Nobody we knew, of course. Graduation party, took a stroll into the trees, never came out. All they ever found was a pile of clothing. Hushed up, of course. Probably why you’ve never heard about it.”

“Bull.”

“Says the girl who didn’t even know these woods were haunted.”

Sonja’s grip tightened on her flashlight but her mouth remained still. After a moment’s hesitation, “Wait, if we didn’t-“

“Friend of my sister’s,” Katie cut in knowingly. “You can ask her yourself – if we ever make it out.”

“Stop that!” Sonja shrieked, jumping with a start.

“Stop what? You asked-“

“You touched me!”

“Did not.”

“Then-“

“ Must’ve been a branch or something.”

“That wasn’t any branch,” Sonja muttered, but her tone invited no response.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Katie said, breaking the silence that descended upon them. “I mean, if- the hell was that?” she traced out a patch of forest with the beam of her flashlight, squinting to recapture the shadow that flitted through the corner of her vision.

“What was what? I’m serious, don’t do that!”

“Sometimes the trees just make funny shadows! Except I don’t think– know what, let’s go back. I’m getting cold.” Sweat trickled warmly down the back of her collar.

“Good,” Sonja said, turning promptly on her heel, Katie right behind her. Hardly had the pair gone a dozen steps when they shrieked in unison, both clapping a hand to the back of their necks.

“What-“

“Shh!” Katie hissed, clapping a hand over Sonja’s mouth. “Don’t let it hear you!”

A voice that wasn’t either of theirs cut the night like a knife.

 “Too late.”

They bolted in unison, fear clamping their tongues while jolting their legs into action like an electric shock. There was no space in the panic of the moment to look back or scream or even trace the path ahead of them. Sonja dashed blindly forward, stomach taking wing as one boot plunged suddenly forward into nothingness. Her feet tangled in the foliage, world upending itself in response, and in the space of an instant she was tumbling head-over-heel down a steep incline.

She hit the bottom with a soft thud, splaying across the mossy ground, compelled by panic to jump to her feet but managing only a pained groan. Battered and winded, she lay in repose for a short time, hardly daring herself to breathe lest she reveal herself to whatever stalked the woods. No sound issued from the inky darkness, however, and she relaxed just enough to recover her presence of mind. Sitting up, she passed her hands up and down her limbs. None of them seemed to be broken. She just needed to relax. That was it. Take a deep breath, think about collecting herself and climbing back up and finding out where Katy had gone. Definitely avoid thinking about that disembodied voice, the way it cut through her like an icy razor, how it seemed to issue inches from her ear, how she could practically feel a clawed hand at the nape of her neck when…

“Sonja?”

It wasn’t loud, but she started nearly hard enough to knock herself back over. She attempted a response, but her cry fell between the cracks of her panting breath. A moment’s lull and she managed to reign in her panic enough to propel her call out of the hidden ravine.  “Ka-“

“Shh.”

Her throat seized, the attempted shout disappearing completely before she could even blink.  She whipped her head around, but the only demons in evidence were those crawling from her imagination into the twists and spikes of moonlit silhouette.  Cold sweat gathered at her temples, crept down her back as she swept her hand over the forest floor in frenzied search. A moment of frantic rustling later she found it; her hand brushed over hard plastic, made another pass and closed tightly around it. Holding the flashlight out in front of her, she flicked it and – nothing. A sigh that wasn’t the wind sounded as she found the strength to scurry to her feet. She turned back to the rise while her name in Katie’s voice sounded weakly, distantly. She’d just have to catch up, then. Shadows moved. A twig snapped. She turned her head instinctively and give a silent gasp of horror.

The succubus stood stunningly, silently, smiling as if she’d always been there.  The full moon shone over her like white flame, illuminating sleek lines of velvet black on glowing ivory skin. Curved horns crowned her, leather wings rose sharply behind her back, and raven hair fell about her shoulders. She stepped slowly forward without a single sound, slender barbed tail swishing behind her like a cat’s, biting her lower lip in a predatory smile. With the barest feeling seeping back into her legs Sonja stepped backward from the spot where she’d stood rooted, but caught her heel immediately, pitching backwards over some hidden obstacle.

She felt her feet leave the ground, body lurching backwards through the air. Her eyes clamped shut, jaw clenched for an impact that never came. Slowly she opened her eyes again, looking down to see the ground bobbing several feet beneath her. A look of amusement colored the apparition’s face, and she held one finger aloft as if it were controlling a puppet. She raised it and then folded it theatrically back into her palm as Sonja’s body pulled itself upright and then remained aloft, the soles of her boots clearing the ground by several inches.

Another step forward. With a lazy swirl of the demon’s finger, Sonja’s scarf animated like a snake, rearing up, unwinding itself, lifting gently off her shoulders and dropping to the ground below. Another step. Her boots loosened with a sharp, low zip, releasing their grip around her calves and dropping off her feet to land with soft thuds. Another step. The top button of Sonja’s coat popped open, followed quickly by another and another. Fastenings snapped to the measured rhythm of velvet boots until the whole thing lifted off her body and fell away like the wrapping on a present.

Closer still the apparition stepped. The cold night air assaulted Sonja, nipped the slice of skin above her belt, folded around her bare arms, reached from bare ankles up the flare of her jeans, but it wasn’t why she shivered so violently. Steadily the demon closed the remaining gap until Sonja could feel the energy radiating off shining skin, the gentle warmth of each exhalation.  A finger hooked around her belt buckle and her face flushed red, her heart racing ever harder if it was possible, legs trembling and toes curling. A playful giggle, and the barbed tail sprang into action, striking forward and playing a hairsbreadth from her skin. Sonja’s breathing caught as it moved up her neck; she dared not even swallow as the point held underneath her chin. A second, ten seconds, one minute or sixty and she could only quiver helplessly, staring with widened eyes at the sculpted face hovering before hers. A smile graced the demon’s perfect lips and she stirred smoothly into action, leaning forward and kissing her victim on the cheek.

A feeling of heat crept across Sonja’s skin as she blinked away her surprise. Even through her violent blushing she could feel it spreading, oozing its way outward like a thick liquid. It tickled as it went, an unnerving but not unpleasant sensation that left a peculiar sort of pleasure in its wake. Her skin seemed somehow smoother where it pulsed with newfound warmth, thicker, more resilient, almost rubbery. The flow of energy trickled down her body, washing over her breasts, rolling down her stomach, taking away the sting of cold as it wrapped around her arms. It seeped beneath her belt, streaming down her legs as the succubus watched smiling, enveloping her toes in gentle warmth. Her whole body seemed to glow now, every inch of skin transformed by the power that coursed through her, sinking to her core and building upon itself. Tendrils of heat knotted in her belly, roiling and spreading out to the far reaches of her body. She was breathing heavily, kicking and squirming in token resistance, chest tightening with uncertainty and terrible anticipation. Yet as she struggled helplessly it seemed to her that the tightness wasn’t constricted simply to her pounding chest – the fabric of her jeans felt suddenly constricting against her thighs, belt cinching in her waist, shirt tight and smooth around her stomach. A rounded shape intruded on the edge of her vision and she turned her gaze downward to discover with horror that the feeling of tightness wasn’t mere imagination; it was her own body swelling into view, belly bulging clearly, breasts tight and round, a growing stripe of skin emerging below her navel. She looked back up again, eyes widening in panic, to see the demon swooping in to kiss her other cheek.

Whatever arcane power the succubus pumped into Sonja flowed freely now, swelling within her, filling her up from head to toe until she no longer glowed with it but pulsed and throbbed with it. A moan died on the inside of her lips as the pressure built in earnest, cramming her from head to toe with terrifying, pleasurable sensation. Her very skin was stretching like rubber as it struggled to contain the bloating frame beneath.

Again the demon drew close, inches from Sonja’s burgeoning belly. Her tormentor’s tail swished like a cat’s, the razor barb drawing her intense, apprehensive gaze. The lightest touch was all it would take to pierce her drum-tight skin, to pop her pumped-up body like a cheap balloon. But there was nothing she could do now. Her arms and legs were growing stiffer by the moment, body straining hard against her clothes. The demon brought a finger to her lips, biting it with a coy smile that sent Sonja’s heart into overdrive. She swished her tail again, catching Sonja’s rapt attention, and brought the tip down to her victim’s chest.

A loud crack reverberated off the trees. Sonja opened her shuttered eyes to catch a drift of shredded fabric falling out of view - the remains of her shirt, slit open and split to tatters by the strain of her swelling belly. Her stomach bulged further outwards, free from its captivity, her bra struggling to contain her burgeoning breasts. A click and a pop and her belt sprang open, the front of her jeans ripping down the fly. Slowly too that fabric peeled away, revealing tight thighs and swollen calves, showing off her panties while her frame expanded beneath them.

Her nearly-naked body ballooned free of all restraint now, driven relentlessly by the power that roiled and splashed inside her. Bigger and bigger, tighter and tighter she helplessly grew. Every inch she gained tested the elasticity of her skin, seemed to stretch it twofold. The succubus leaned in once more, pressing her toned midriff against Sonja’s bloated frame, bringing her face inches from Sonja’s own. She breathed a soft giggle, warm air playing over swollen cheeks, nuzzled her victim softly. Sonja felt the spell binding her lips lift suddenly, but before she could yell, scream, shout, protest, the demon had locked them with her own in a long, passionate kiss.

Sonja swelled with fear, with embarrassment, with pumping, crackling energy. Vibrations thrilled up and down her overtaxed belly as the succubus broke off, her whole body quivering as it strained to contain the power surging within her. She grunted, panted, moaned as she stretched towards her absolute limit. She was so full, so absolutely impossibly full, but still she managed room for more. Her arms and legs were forced spread-eagle, stiff with pressure, spread almost comically out from her spherical belly. An ominous creak emanated from her stomach while her bra stretched heroically and finally failed, springing off her tight, round breasts. A sharp ripping noise sounded, and her panties followed suit. She trembled more and more violently, knew there was only one thing left to go. With a final desperation she summoned all her strength, poured her entire focus into holding herself together, strained and groaned and fought bitterly to contain the endless throbbing energy. Redoubling her efforts she could feel the stretching sensation of expansion begin to taper, the creak of strained rubber gradually subsiding, her trembling body forced into equilibrium through sheer concentration.

She nearly screamed at the touch of one gentle finger caressing her swollen stomach. Her skin was so thin, so tight, so unbelievably strained that the lightest contact felt positively electric. The demon brought more fingers to bear, sliding smoothly out around her shaking sides. Sonja fought the urge to laugh, to scream, to break her concentration for the briefest instant. The succubus giggled loudly as she worked her fingers, bringing tears to Sonja’s eyes. She couldn’t lose focus. She had to hold out, had to keep it all together. The tickling moved lower, then lower still. Sonja’s eyes widened with sudden realization. Soft hands caressed her hips, the join of her swollen thighs to her rounded body. A pleading expression colored her face. A little lower, the inside of her thigh. A soft, involuntary moan. The rubbing touch slid up and in, maddeningly, dangerously close. A sharp gasp rent the air as the demon moved one last time towards the pulsing, throbbing jackpot. Sonja screamed in boundless ecstasy as her body surged suddenly outwards.

Katie gave a start, heart racing as a thunderous boom rolled in through the woods behind her. She wiped a flowing tear, fought the urge to bolt again and cupped her hands to her mouth for one last desperate cry.

“Son-“

“Shh.”

She felt a kiss on her cheek, and a feeling of heat spread across her skin.