Charley Cheddar’s Entertainment Restaurant [Patreon Reward]

[Contains corruption, identity death, possession, living costume transformations, weight gain, fusion, horror concepts]

“I’m not waiting anymore, Olivia can meet us inside.” The goth woman of the group, Vi, said flatly. Her dark, almost arcane and witchy black dress was accompanied by long black gloves and thick combat boots.

“Come on Violet, we said we’d go in together…” Sophia insisted, pulling a lock of her golden brown hair back and over her ear.

“Just Vi, thanks.” Vi sighed, pushing her own black hair out of her eyes; ‘Violet’ always felt too preppy and feminine for her tastes. “I don’t even think she has much interest in the paranormal - or in themed restaurants, either. She wouldn’t mind.”

“I’m here!” A familiar voice called out nearby. Soon enough, Olivia came to a stop after what was evidently a long jog. Her tight workout leggings and sports bra were rounded out by an athletic ponytail, completing her athletic getup. “Sorry, I got a bit carried away at the track.” She huffed.

“Aye, we figured. You’re only a bit late.” Elspeth, the Scottish exchange student at the local college, remarked cooly. Her dyed brown hair kept blowing in her face, and her glasses were just about ready to fall off her face. “I’ve only just managed to pry open the padlock, anyway.”

“Who brought the food?” Elspeth’s identical twin sister, Brigid, asked. The redhead was here in North America visiting her sister for a few weeks, but her trip was almost over.

The five women shared silent glances with one another.

“Nobody brought anything to eat? Aw man, I’m famished…” Olivia moaned, and right on cue, so did her stomach.

“There’s a twenty-four-hour McDoubloons down the road. I can go on a snack run later if we’re getting hungry.” Sophia offered cheerily, pulling open the creaky front door of the night’s attraction: a long-abandoned arcade-meets-restaurant called Charley Cheddar’s. “Now, um, after you…” She gestured vaguely to the rest of the group.

“Finally.” Vi breathed, wasting no time as she walked inside.

Brigid took a step after her, but hesitated. After a couple seconds of indecision, she finally rushed in after Vi, followed by Olivia, Elspeth, and finally Sophia. With everyone inside, they were able to get a clearer look at their new haunt: rows of old arcade machines in varying states of disrepair were lined up in the middle of the main customer area, surrounded by worn-down booths along the walls; a prize counter had had its contents ransacked, leaving only the most pitiful prizes remaining among shattered fragments of glass; a vending machine sat next to a claw machine in surprisingly good condition; a thoroughly scavenged cash register lay in pieces just in front of the counter where one would place their order; and an empty stage with a thick layer of dust was built into the far end wall. But puzzlingly, the venue was fully powered. The arcade machines were looping their title screen animations, the vending machine was humming, and the various fluorescent lights which had survived were glowing faintly.

“It’s larger than I thought it’d be in here…” Sophia mumbled, setting down her backpack in the nearest booth. “And there’s more in the back…”

“Not very spooky with everything lit up and working, though…” Vi commented disappointedly.

“Yeah, this could be worse... -I mean better... -I mean spookier!” Brigid echoed with a wavering, hesitant giggle.

Placing a hand on the front of the vending machine, Vi hummed quietly. “Hmmm… it’s cold.” She pulled some cash out of her bag, inserted it into the machine, and selected a coke. After a moment, her bottle of pop fell into the collection area for her to grab. “Well that’s disappointing…”

“‘Disappointing’? I’d’ve said that if I didn’t get what I paid for.” Elspeth furrowed her brow.

“It’s not cursed or haunted, just… normal.” Vi responded as she left behind her drink and began to wander around the main room aimlessly.

“Ughhh, I’m so hungry…” Olivia moaned. “I wonder if there’s anything left in the kitchen…”

“Seriously? This place has been closed for years!” Sophia spat in abject horror, gagging slightly at the thought of years-expired food. “Ugh, I’m going to look around while you have fun with your snack hunt. In an hour or two we can meet back here and figure out who’s going to go and get something edible.” She emphasised the last word as she set off towards the employee rooms.

“Well, if we’re splitting up, I guess I’ll have to make my own fun somehow.” Elspeth sighed.

“I’ll go with Vi!” Brigid was quick to add, rushing over to her location. “If that’s alright with you, that is…”

“Yeah, of course.” Vi replied idly.

When nobody was looking, Brigid let loose her glee with a fistpump and a massive grin.

—

“Manager’s office…” Sophia muttered to herself as she read a door sign in the staff area. “There’s gotta be something in here…”

As much as she regretted leaving Elspeth on her own considering she had been assigned as the exchange student’s guide, Sophia knew this was something she had to do alone; it was her family’s restaurant, after all. A few years prior, all she knew about Charley Cheddar’s was that her uncles owned and operated the establishment to such success that they were in the early stages of expanding to new locations. That was before the incident, though. Abruptly and without explanation, the rest of Sophia’s family had excommunicated her uncles and immediately began acting as if they never existed. Any inquiry about them was met with a swift and curt change of subject.

When she took it upon herself to learn what had happened, the only credible information Sophia could find were a few local newspaper articles about how the restaurant was a danger to its customers. All further things she could find were speculative forum posts, local rumours, and a single Small Town Horror youtube video - all of which claimed that customers had disappeared in mysterious circumstances during or after visits to the establishment. With so little to go off of, she knew she had to investigate the restaurant herself. It was a convenient bonus that Vi suggested a haunted night trip here, so she wouldn’t have to spend the night entirely alone.

Immediately catching her eye as she entered the manager’s office was a dusty photo of her uncles together on the ransacked desk. Sophia had almost forgotten what they looked like, and couldn’t help but spend a moment simply staring.

But suddenly, a frigid draft flowed through the room. “Sssssophi…” An airy whisper echoed from barely within earshot. “Sophiaaaaa…”

The woman spun in place, goosebumps appearing on her arms and neck as she frantically looked around. The dull, if a bit disorganised, office was completely still. With a deep breath, Sophia popped her head into the hallway and gingerly looked both ways. A slight creak from her right stood her hairs on end; all she could see down the dark corridor was a door moving slowly but freely on its hinge.

“Sssss… Sophiiiaaa…”

“H-hello? Is someone there?” The shivering girl called out timidly. Sophia closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the hallway with all the confidence she could muster. Step after step, she approached the creaky door and read aloud its faded sign. “Staff ch-changing room…”

“Sophiaaaa… Pff!” A familiar voice on the brink of laughter moaned conspicuously.

“Alright, come on out now. You had me going there for a sec, I’ll give you that!” Sophia walked confidently into the room and immediately noticed Elspeth hidden poorly behind the open door of a beat-up locker.

“...Pfffff heh heh heh!” Elspeth broke out into a fit of giggles as she revealed herself. “Had I known we’d’ve split up and searched for clues, I’d’ve brought others to help spook everyone~”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to just leave you, it’s just… I just…” Sophia looked down, averting her gaze and fidgeting slightly uncomfortably.

“Don’t worry about it, Sophi~” The Scottish lady smirked. “Anyway, I’m goin’ out for a smoke. Later~” With that, she coolly walked out the way Sophia had entered.

When the sound of Elspeth’s footsteps faded away, Sophia felt another chill down her spine and her goosebumps returned. She began searching around the rows of beat-up lockers, the showers, and the washrooms for anything of note, but she couldn’t help but be distracted by all-encompassing silence - and the knot in her stomach.

“Sophia…” An aethereal echo rang through the spooked woman’s core.

“Come on, the joke’s over now. I said you got me! I thought you were heading out for a cigarette…”

“...”

“A-alright El, enough. You’ve had your fun, b-but I really need to do something here!” She clenched her jaw to stop herself from shivering. “…El? That is y-you again, right El? Elspeth?”

“Your name…” The ghastly whisper echoed into her ear, seemingly from right behind her. “...is Sophia?”

“Ah!” The spooked college student gasped, twisting to look behind her; and to her horror, there was naught but a pair of floating, disembodied gloves there to meet her gaze.

Sophia bolted past them towards the exit, but the ghostly hands immediately lunged into action; grasping their victim’s wrists, they dragged her backwards deeper into the changeroom. The door Sophia had come in through suddenly swung shut without so much as a sound just before she was swept out of sight.

‘AAAAAAHH!!’ Sophia tried to scream, but no sound passed her lips.

“Stay with me, Sophia…” The sultry, unfamiliar voice called louder this time.

But before she could even process what was happening, Sophia found herself standing practically petrified before the menacing pair of floating hands. Try as she might to run, or cower, or look away, the captured woman could barely wriggle her mostly-unresponsive body - it was as if some invisible force were holding her in place!

“Good girl~” A gloved hand gently cupped Sophia’s rosy, shivering cheek. The other hand, meanwhile, had tenderly squeezed her plump, bare naked asscheek!

To her horror, Sophia looked down to see that her clothes were suddenly nowhere to be found! ‘AIIEE!! Wh-where did my c-clothes go!?’ She mouthed, still unable to make a sound.

“Soon…” The voice cooed. “Soon, you’ll be like me~”

The hand on her cheek pressed her lips shut between its index finger and thumb, abruptly silencing her chattering teeth. As it tugged on her lips, Sophia’s face began to stretch into a new, unnatural shape. Then Sophia felt a pinch on her tailbone as the other hand dug its fingers into her skin and pulled, extending her spine out into a new tail. It was as if her body were a lump of clay, ready to be sculpted into a new form!

‘Mmm! Mmmmmm!’ Words couldn’t form in her mind anymore, leaving her unable to do anything but feel the soft, lithe, gloved fingers shape her to their will.

With her lips pulled taut, the hand smoothened down Sophia’s nose; after a moment, her skin hardened into a flat, smooth bill! Her newest appendage, meanwhile, was being flattened into a huge platypus-like tail over a meter long!

“Mhmm hmm hmm~” The voice’s giggling echoed through the empty changeroom.

Next, both hands worked together in unison to knead parts of Sophia’s soft, pliable body: her glutes were squeezed and stretched, growing to become a massive rump; her thighs were massaged and moulded as they gained mass; and her feet were pulled like taffy, growing and reforming into those of a kangaroo!

‘P-platypus… Kanga… r-roo…’ Such were the only words that could manifest in her head. She wanted to scream, to run, to do anything, but she was stuck watching her own body warp and reform as if by magic - all while coherent thought eluded her.

“Aha, hmm hmm hmm~” The ghostly voice laughed some more. “We’ll have so much fun together! You’ll be me, and I’ll be you… Together~ We’ll be together, forever~”

The spirit’s hands moved up her body, continuing to reflect their creative vision on her mortal form: one hand dug into her smooth tummy, hollowing out a pouch fit for a kangaroo, while the other stretched wider her hips; they cupped Sophia’s modest breasts as they filled up with more and more clay, growing heftier as her nipples puffed up to match; they pulled taught the skin on her hands, making them suitably webbed like a platypus; and finally, the hands brushed her golden brown locks as her hair became a head of soft fur.

With that, the hands revealed they were empty gloves the whole time by sliding over her webbed hands, themselves shifting to conform to their host’s body. Moving of seemingly their own volition now, Sophia’s hands grasped her head. A sly smirk formed on her platypus-billed face as someone else’s words passed through her own mouth. “Ahhh~ A fresh vessel at last! It was stuffy being squished in that old one with so many others, but now it’s just you and me, Sophia! Or should I say, Sophelia?~”

Finally, Sophia could speak once more, but her mind and sense of self were getting all muddled. “N-no! Get out of our body! M-MY body!! Leave me alone!!”

“Oh? But this is my body! I am you, and you are me~” Ophelia - Sophia could now remember the name of the spirit possessing her as if she had known it her whole life - continued to speak from their shared body.

“No… Noooo… I-I’m Sophel- Sophia! I’m… I’m!!” But it was too late; Sophia’s essence was blending with that of the ghost, her memories and identity blending together with Ophelia’s. “C-clothes… F-feel so… exposed… hee hee hee~ Why am I g-giggling!? Hee hee!” She dazedly searched the rundown changeroom for any clothes to wear, but stopped at the behest of her other half.

“Mhmm hmm hmm, silly me, have you already forgotten? We are our own outfit~”

Sophelia pulled her head clean off, revealing that she was naught but an empty platyroo suit!

“W-we… We’re a suit… hee hee…”

“Of course we are, me! And we’re going to have so much fun with our friends very soon~”

“Hee hee… Hee hee hee! We’re going to have fun with friends!”

“And with each other~ Mhmm hmm hmm!~”

—

“Yes… You’re very hungry, aren’t you?~” A ghostly voice (distinct from the one Sophia encountered) whispered from just behind Olivia. “You want food so desperately… you need food so bad!”

“So hungry… I need food so bad…” Though Olivia could hear the spirit’s hypnotic prompt, she didn’t register it on a conscious level - almost as if she interpreted the spirit’s words as her own thoughts.

Feeling her way through the dark kitchen, Olivia reached the warm oven and figured the easiest source of light would be the gas-fired stovetop. With the twist of a knob, a bright blue flame sprang to life and illuminated the room; despite the disrepair in the guest areas, Charley Cheddar’s kitchen was practically pristine. Not a pot or pan was out of place, simply waiting for a chef - or a hungry runner - to come along and use them again.

“You’re so hungry… look, in the corner of your eye, do you see it? A freezer! Why don’t you go see if there’s anything to snack on inside~” The voice prompted eagerly.

Without wasting a moment, Olivia moved to the heavy, insulated freezer door and pulled it open with all her might; inside were crates and crates of fast food! Burger patties and hot dogs, pizzas and breadsticks, french fries and onion rings - all food she had sworn off of, yet irresistibly tempting to her empty stomach and inner dialogue.

“Yes, go for it! Take what you want, and make some for your friends too! A treat like this every now and then never hurt anybody~” The voracious spirit hissed like a serpent as it goaded its prey to partake in the forbidden food.

“Mmm, so hungry… But it’s really not healthy… Is it even safe to eat, still?” Some part within Olivia futilely resisted the ghostly influence in her mind. She inspected the packaging and confirmed that all the food was well within their expiration dates. “Huh, I guess so… Well, a treat every now and then never hurt…”

“Yesss!~”

Olivia grabbed three frozen pizzas and brought them out into the kitchen, where she found the oven had already preheated despite having been left untouched - it was only the stove she had turned on before. Regardless, such details didn’t even cross her mind, what with her ever growing hunger and a temptatious meal in her hands.

Once she slid the pizzas into the oven, Olivia suddenly began to feel very warm and even a little itchy, making her even antsier as she awaited her food to finish cooking.

“There~ Soon enough you can eat!~” The disembodied voice cooed in her ear. “A big girl like you needs her food to stay soft and cuddly~”

At that, Olivia’s body slowly began to expand as her weight increased: her abs and biceps grew less defined until they vanished behind a new layer of fat; her thighs, glutes, and tummy gradually became softer and chubbier; and her breasts were soon straining the bonds of her tight sports bra. The first bead of sweat broke on her forehead, and when she wiped it away with the back of her hand, her skin felt unusually fuzzy - but she thought nothing of it; how could she when the delicious, distracting smell of pizza reached her nostrils?

“Mmmm… such a tease! Hurry up and cook already!” Olivia bemoaned as she idly tugged on the waistband of her taut leggings. “And then I can turn the heat off…” With that, she extinguished the stovetop’s flame, eliminating a heat source at the expense of light. Now, only the warm glow of the oven illuminated the dark room.

The sound of stretching fabric should have alerted her to something amiss, but Olivia was not in an inquisitive state of mind. As if on instinct, she kicked off her running shoes, unhooked her several-sizes too small bra, and struggled out of her leggings and panties, leaving herself completely naked and exposed. She didn’t notice the brown fur growing up and down her arms, legs, and chest, let alone the added weight which was still accumulating and stretching out her body.

“Mmm yesss, you’re shaping up nicely~” The spirit whispered approvingly. “You’ll be so soft and cuddly soon enough!”

“Nnng… Cuddles… Maybe Elspeth will want to cuddle tonight as we eat! Hmm… But I should do my push-ups and squats before bed though…”

“Noooo, cuddles! Why exercise when you already ran earlier? Snuggle up with friends! Have a snack! Curl up in a warm blanket together!!” The ghost insisted, continuing to override Olivia’s thoughts and rewire her brain.

“T-together… Snuggle…”

“They’re so small! They need to put some meat on their bones! You can help~”

“Th-they… they’re so small…”

“Yesss! You can enjoy your meals together! You’re famished, after all~”

So famished was she that Olivia began to drool a little as she watched the crust rise on her dinner. When she wiped it away, she noticed nothing odd about her pair of massive saber-tooth fangs, nor her adorable feline muzzle. She didn’t even turn to acknowledge the soft thumping sound that began as her new, spiky stegosaurus tail wagged and bumped up against a table.

Now nearly triple her original weight, Olivia was nearing the end of her transformation. Her big, round tummy and proportionally hefty limbs finally ceased expanding, and her feet had become stompy mammoth feet to accompany a full body of mammoth fur. The final addition was an adorable pair of round kitty ears, completing her new appearance just in time for her pizza to come out of the oven.

“Mmmmm!~ Come to mama~” The hybridised mascot eagerly sliced the piping hot pizzas and slid them into Charley Cheddar brand pizza boxes.

“Ahhh, doesn’t that smell so good?~ We’ll be indulging together! I can’t wait!~” The spirit said its final words as a disembodied voice before merging into the newly transformed figure. Once its soul was clinging to Olivia’s, its influence made one last change: their shared body was magically gutted to become a living mascot costume, just like Sophelia!

“Nnng… H-head fuzzy…” Olivia raised a paw to hold her hollow head; it was all she could do as her mind and soul blended with another. “V-Vianne?”

“Silly me, our name is Olivianne~” Olivianne corrected herself.

“Olivianne… mmm, we’re Olivianne~” Olivianne replied to herself.

“Yesss!~ Now, let’s hurry back with these pizzas and share them with out friends~”

—

When Elspeth returned from her smoke break, the restaurant was eerily silent - not even the active arcade machines were making a sound. She couldn’t see any of her friends in the main area, nor her sister.

“Alright you lot, out you pop. I know what you’re playin’ at and you’re not gonna frighten me~” The exchange student boomed confidently. After a moment’s wait, nobody revealed themselves. “Come on then, are you really gonna sit there in silence or are we going to get food now?”

When there was still no reply, she started searching in all the likely places: under tables, behind counters, around corners… but there was no sign of life.

“This has gotten silly now, hasn’t it? I’m hungry, you sodding yanks - and I’ll not have this joke overstay its welcome!” By now, Elspeth was actually getting a tad concerned; not of anything supernatural, of course, but nonetheless… “I’m sorry for scaring you, Sophia. I just wanted a bit of fun, I won’t do it again, promise!” She paused, and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Ughhh, if those fuckin’ cheerleaders put her up to this… Was it not enough to dare I tag along?”

Still licking the wound to her sensitive pride, Elspeth lingered on her encounter with the cheerleading team earlier that day. All it took was one little shiver at the mention of a haunted restaurant for none of them to believe she wasn’t afraid of ghosts. Well, she would show them.

But then, a faint sound broke the silence: a soft, barely-audible melody was carrying on the suddenly-drafty air, and it almost sounded like it was coming from the changeroom. Hurrying to where she left her guide from the student council, Elspeth pushed on the door to the changeroom, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Sophia? Are you in there? What’s happened? …Oh for fuck’s sake, don’t tell me you’ve locked yourself in the bloody backrooms!” With a sigh, the Scottish woman shook her head. “Ugh, I’ll get you out of there, don’t worry. There’s probably a way through there to the stage, I’ll meet you there.”

As she turned back and approached the stage, Elspeth felt a chill down her spine. The music grew ever-so slightly less faint, and a soft voice rang in her ears. “Can you hear it? The sound of your music?”

“Hah hah, very funny everyone. Had our laugh, have we? How’d you even turn on the PA system to begin with? And whose voice is that, I don’t recognise it. Since when did we have such a professional voice actor in our friend group?” She still got no response.

Elspeth climbed up on the venue’s stage and poked her head through the silky red curtains. There behind the veil was a door, presumably to the changeroom, as well as scattered musical instruments in various states of disrepair. She casually passed by the guitars, drums, and trumpet on her way to the door. When she walked through, she was disappointed to find naught but a dingy storage closet with a few more beat-up instruments inside - and none of her friends, either.

Then, the door slammed shut behind her. She turned back, but her muscles rapidly began to seize up! Her entire body felt stiff and sluggish, soon grinding to a motionless halt before she could lay a hand on the doorknob.

“Huhhh?? Hrrrnng, hmmmph! Rrrmmmph!!” She tried to speak, but not even her mouth would move as she commanded.

“Where do you think you’re going? The show must go on, as they say~”

“Rrrmmmph! Grrrrrgh!!” As swiftly as they had frozen her in place, Elspeth’s muscles relaxed and her body was allowed motion once more; but she still had no control over her movements! “Wh-what the fuck!?” At least she could speak again, though.

“Don’t you want to put on a performance for your friends? You wouldn’t want to let them down would you?~” Elspeth’s ghostly stalker asked intimidatingly. “Come, the show’s about to start!~”

Compelled by some unknown force, the Scottish lady’s body turned and walked seemingly of its own volition back towards the instruments laying about the cramped closet.

“What’s happening!? Who are you!? Let me go!!”

“You’re about to play the music in your heart for all to hear; I am you; and ummm…” The spirit feigned indecision as she dragged out her response to the last thing Elspeth said. “...No~”

Elspeth watched her body pick up an acoustic guitar and begin to strum its loose strings. The hairs on her neck stood on end from the atrociously off-beat, out-of-tune noises being produced as her body attempted to play by itself.

“Don’t resist! Let your music out! Allow yourself to simply enjoy!”

“N-no, this is wrong! Th-this isn’t happening, this isn’t h-happening!!” Elspeth stammered shakily. However, her fear was dulled as the music she’d heard before bounced around in her mind. “Wh-why make me play when th-there’s already this music playin’?”

“You really don’t know? Silly thing, the music you hear is ours!~” A cold draft ran down Elspeth’s back as the melodious voice whispered to her from behind. “The world needs our music, and who are we do refuse, hmm?~”

An intense pressure suddenly built all over the mortal woman’s body as her beautiful visage was corrupted and reshaped: her maw extended into a long, bulky snout which grew a pair of sharp rhinoceros horns; her shoes practically exploded from her expanding flat, stumpy rhino feet; her height almost doubled as the rest of her body grew proportionally, shredding her clothes in an instant; patches of striped, tabby fur popped up on her arms, breasts, and glutes that spread until everywhere was soft and furry; her hands grew feline claws and soft toebeans; and finally, a pair of floofy, swishy kitty tails formed from her tailbone and began to idly sway to the rhythm of her inner music.

As her body was magically altered, Elspeth’s guitar slowly returned to a more pristine condition and her playing grew more skillful and pleasant.

“Yes, let it out! Our friends will love us! Our audience will adore us!” As the spirit said this, its voice transitioned from an external sound to an internal monologue. Elspeth’s head was flooded with new thoughts and memories as another soul hijacked her own.

“Nnng, help! Help! Get out of my h-head!” The woman spoke to the tune of her song, which now sounded mostly professional aside from the odd musical hiccup. “Melody… Nnng… The cheers, for… us? I need them… I w-want…!”

“All for us! Thunderous applause, all for the wonderful Melspeth!~” The spirit said through Elspeth’s lips. “Two souls as one, now we’re free from the hooorde!~ We’ve only begun, now you’re begging for mooore!~”

“The cheers… The Applause! We’ve the world in our paws!”

“Eyaah ha ha haaa!~ Yes!~ YES!~”

“Look at us! Look at us and revel in our hearts’ music!” Now that she was fully transformed and hollowed out into a living costume, Melspeth was flawlessly performing the song within her hearts. With mended pride, she couldn’t wait to show everyone how foolish they were for ever doubting her strength of character.

—

“Did you really have to follow me into the washroom?” Vi asked, slightly embarrassedly. She and Brigid began walking back to the empty arcade area to find something to do.

“S-sorry…” Brigid nervously rubbed her shoulder. “I, um, w-was just kind of scared and didn’t want to be alone!” The Scottish visitor lied about her fear, though she did truly wish to stay together.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Elspeth switched to her silent inner monologue. ‘Ohhhh, why did I do that!? Maybe now she won’t like me… B-but I can’t just leave without telling her I fancy her! My flight home is tomorrow afternoon… This is the last chance we’ll have alone together, it’s now or never!’

“Hey, you coming?” Vi prompted from a few meters ahead.

“O-oh, yeah! Coming!”

The pair wandered through the rows of arcade machines in search of anything interesting, passing titles as iconic as Don Key Kong to ones as obscure as Transform Critters. Though most of them were playing their title screens on loop, not a single one was making even a sound.

“Do it!” The faintest trace of a voice - a low, sultry, feminine voice - registered in Brigid’s ears. “Just ask her out! You know you want to be with her forever~” Brigid waved it off as her anxiety getting the better of her and ignored the voice entirely.

When they returned to their little camp of sleeping bags and backpacks, Vi rummaged through her bag and withdrew a set of five candles, a box of matches, and a box of salt. Finding a clear spot on the worn, carpeted floor, the goth woman carefully drew a pentagram in salt, placed a candle at each of its five corners, and struck a match to light them up.

Brigid simply watched curiously as her crush set up and sat at her pentagram. After a moment, Vi looked up at her friend and broke the silence. “Want to speak to ghosts?”

“O-oh, um, sure…” Elspeth’s twin sister sat across from Vi and awaited instruction.

“You don’t believe in ghosts, do you?” Vi asked bluntly.

“I… Well…” She considered lying again, but Brigid decided against it. “N-no, not really…”

“That’s fine, you don’t have to.” She said sincerely. “Now, let’s-” Vi abruptly paused as she was cut off by an unfamiliar voice.

“Well, what do we have here, Brooke?~” The sultry voice from earlier cooed loud enough for both mortal women to hear.

“Hee hee hee, looks like a pair of lovebirds to me, Irene~” Another voice, this one higher and giddier, replied.

Brigid averted her gaze and scrunched up defensively as her cheeks flushed with warmth.

“Mhmm hmm hmm, I think you’re spot on, darling~” Irene echoed with her low, attractive voice.

“Huh… Usually the ghosts don’t speak up so readily.” Vi commented with equal parts confusion and curiosity in her tone of voice.

“You, the goth one! The redhead has been working up the courage to ask you out all night~” Irene murmured teasingly.

“S-stop it!” Brigid squeaked.

“Hee hee, I can feel her heart…” Brooke said softly. “Each beat thumping harder than the last, a pressure building in her bosom as if her heart were caught in a vise! She needs you~ She wants your tongue in her mouth and your hands in her panties!~”

“Eeeep!!” Brigid got to her feet, covered her beet-red face with both her hands, and rushed away. “Stop it, stop it!!”

Vi, too, was blushing at this, but she was more concerned for her friend than anything at the moment. Her own heart was racing now at the prospect that Brigid was into her, but she knew she had to push those feelings aside for the moment and help her friend feel better. “Brigid, it’s alright!” She blew out her candles, wiped her hand across the floor to disperse the lines of salt, and stood to go after her, but she stopped herself; Vi wasn’t sure if it was better to leave her alone or run after her.

“Mhmm hmm hmm, is that fear I smell?~” Irene muttered condescendingly. “Fear that someone you like will be pushed away from you again?~”

Taken aback by the voice, Vi hissed under her breath “Shut up!” But it dawned on her that normally she couldn’t commune with ghosts after defacing her pentagram. With a spirit still speaking to her, she knew there was a good chance the redhead woman was still hearing voices too. “Brigid!” She hurried across the abandoned building in the direction the Scottish twin had gone, and soon enough, Vi had found her. “Brigid, are you alright?”

“N-no! I just had my f-first paranormal experience, and was embarrassed in front of my cru- Er, in f-front of you…” Brigid was slumped over the claw machine, hiding her face as best she could.

“I’m sorry, Bri… This kind of thing has never happened to me before.” Vi took a step closer and extended her hand, but froze before she could place it on her friend’s shoulder. She looked away and lowered her voice. “I like you too, and… and I’d also like it if we could be more than friends.”

Brigid turned, revealing the glistening tears running down her cheeks. “R-really?”

Vi looked up and made eye contact with Brigid’s gorgeous brown eyes. “Yes, really. I know you’re going back home tomorrow, but… would you like me to be your long-distance girlfriend?”

“Yes. Yes!” The Scot’s lip quivered as she broke out into a massive smile. “I’d love that!”

“Awww, how adorable~” Brooke purred from seemingly inside the claw machine. “But don’t worry gals, there will be nothing long-distance about your relationship!”

Suddenly, the claw from the machine snaked out through the prize collection slot and firmly grasped Brigid’s wrist! The woman’s entire arm was quickly pulled into the claw machine and had no intent of releasing its prey!

“AAAAAAAAHHH!! V-VI, HELP MEEE!!”

Before her very eyes, Vi’s new girlfriend began to transform: her neck stretched out as her head gained horns and became more snake-like in shape; her tummy began to bulge, straining her clothes to breaking point; brown scales started forming over every inch of skin; her legs and feet grew into those of a bulky pangolin; a smooth, scaled snake tail formed on the rear of her body; and her fingers solidified into fiercely sharp talons!

“Hug-! H-help me Vi!”

Vi swooped into action, trying to help pull Brigid’s scaly arm free of the possessed claw machine.

“W-we only just became girlfriends!! Girl… F-friends… Nnng, I’m s-so scared, Vi! I n-need a hug…”

“Join us! Join us here, in your new home!” Irene commanded with a cackle, revelling in the mortals’ struggle.

But just as Vi thought she was making progress, the arm she was grasping quickly turned soft and cuddly! She froze in horror as she watched the fabricky corruption spread across the body of the pangolin-horned-snake hybrid; all the while, Brigid’s body began to shrink!

“V-Vi… Friend? Can we… be… f-friends?”

“Don’t worry Bri, I’ve got you! I won’t let go!” She choked back tears as she futilely fought the inevitable. “I’ve got you!!”

“Hug… me… friend?” Bri’s voice grew spacier as her eyes began to gloss over. “Hug… please… Hug.. friend…” But those were her final words. Brigid was now just a simple mascot plushie!

Now able to fit through the slot, the claw made one final tug that tore Brigid from Vi’s grasp! The plushie was pulled inside and deposited atop a pile of similar plushies. In all, there were five different plushie designs in the mountain of toys: pangolin-snakes, rhino-cats, sabertooth-mammoths, platypus-kangaroos, and another type that Vi couldn’t quite make out.

“NOOO! BRI! BRIGID!! BRIGIIIIID!!!” Vi sobbed, banging on the glass of the claw machine as she desperately stuck her hand inside - but there was no hope of retrieval. “HELP! EVERYONE, HELP!!” She ran throughout the entire building, but found not a mortal soul. With nothing else she could do, she ran away as far as she could.

Little did she know that soon after the ordeal a new pangolin-snake mascot had magically appeared on stage…

—

“Why!? Why why why, what do I do!? N-nobody will believe me! Nobody will believe meee!!” Vi held her knees to her chest as she sobbed alone in her rental house’s washroom. All of her roommates were gone, her girlfriend had been turned into a thing, and she had never felt more alone in her life.

Her black mascara ran down her cheeks and onto her dark dress. Every passing moment, she felt despair’s claws squeeze tighter and tighter as what had happened sunk in.

“No… No, what am I doing!? I have to go back, I have to go back…”

Vi stood before her mirror and hastily wiped away her tears and make-up. But once her vision unblurred, she realised that she did not recognise the reflection staring back at her: her ears were much too large, her nose looked much too long, and the colour was draining from her skin!

“Wh-wh-what!? No, no not me too! I have to help them, stop it!” She violently shook the bathroom door, but it wouldn’t open. “Open! Just open, gods damn it!!”

Vi forced herself to take deep breaths, in through her trunk and out through her mouth. After a moment, she worked up the courage to face her reflection once more. Now, she could see the telltale features of an elephant; big flappy ears, long wrinkly trunk, and thick grey skin!

“No! No, no, no!! I need to save her! I need to s-save-!!” Vi trumpeted wildly, but was interrupted by a sudden pressure in her panties and dress. She hastily stripped out of her clothes so she could breathe again, only to discover a big, soft udder hanging from her crotch!

Stumbling back into the bathroom wall, she yelped as she squished the tail she didn’t even know she had; it was long and scaly, almost identical to that of Brigid. Finally, as her feet shifted into solid keratin hooves fit for a cow, Vi noticed just how lightheaded she felt.

“Nnng, h-have to… save… Nnng…”

Staring into her reflection, the horrified woman saw the pattern of wall tiles visible through her body. It was all she could do to stay standing as she watched herself fade away like a ghost, only to reappear on stage at Charley Cheddar’s right beside Brigid.

“Welcome back, Virene~” The living suit spoke coyly in her ear. “I told you we wouldn’t have to worry about a long distance relationship~ Now c’mere, give your girlfriend Brookgid a nice, big hug~”

—

A month later, the small town welcomed a rebranded entertainment restaurant as it opened its doors for the first time. Not a living soul seemed to know or care that on those very premises, several people had vanished without a trace - some of which only weeks prior.

The pristine venue ran under a new name: Cammy C. Chimera’s Critter Crew. Though strange, patrons seemed to love its five unique mascots representing a combination of many beloved animal species. Occasionally, people would inquire as to why none of the five mascots were named Cammy, but none ever received a satisfying answer.

Cammy C. Chimera’s Critter Crew was a seemingly safe restaurant, especially compared to its predecessor. But after dark, as the restaurant prepared to close for the night, if the wind was blowing just right, unlucky visitors might hear the muffled giggles and whispers of the spirits inhabiting the hollow costumes within its cursed walls.