The Curse

Note: This is a story-prompt for Phat94.

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-

God, she was such a bitch.

Victor stood stiffly as Jessica went on another one of her rants.

Jessica was Victor's boss.

She was dressed in a perfectly tailored blouse and pencil skirt that showed off her curvy physique.

She had black hair that had been meticulously straightened and fell past her shoulders.

Everything about her was irritatingly perfect, from her unblemished skin to her manicured nails and the five-inch heels that clicked on the floor beneath her desk.

"You think you deserve a raise?" Jessica scoffed. "You're a joke. We almost lost the Feldman account because of you."

"Christina and I worked almost double-overtime to fix all the contract errors. And we only learned about them last minute. That deal was your responsibility," Victor responded.

"How dare you," said Jessica. "Get out of my office. A raise is the last thing you’re getting. You're lucky I don't fire you right now!"

Victor left as ordered. He didn't have the energy to fight anymore. The workplace was decidedly toxic, and with no room for growth as long as Jessica was in charge. She spent her time slacking off and blaming her employees for all the division shortfalls. Victor and his colleagues worked exorbitant amounts of overtime just to cover for Jessica’s complete disregard for work. And rarely were they compensated. On the contrary, Victor was regularly threatened with firing even when he was clearly doing far more than what he was paid for.

Victor went home late that night as usual. His apartment was cramped and in a state of disrepair, but it wasn't as though he could afford anything better. He dropped to the couch, turned on his small TV, and stared at the screen, though he didn't really see anything. His gaze drifted to some of the aged occult texts stacked in the corner. He studied them as a hobby. Just a hobby.

What if I...

No, that was ridiculous. Firstly, it would be wrong. Secondly, it was unlikely to even work. This was ancient mythology. It was fantastical and interesting, but nothing real.

That was right. It wouldn't work. So there would be no harm in doing it.

Victor went to the stack of books and withdrew one of his favorites. He returned to his seat on the couch, opened the text, and ran his fingers over the characters of his favorite spell. His eyes fluttered closed. He had the incantation memorized. He began to chant the ancient language, his hands making motions he was hardly even aware of. A phantom wind materialized and raced in circles around him, tugging at his hair and clothes, causing the text's pages to flutter, and several of his household items to tumble onto the floor.

Then abruptly, everything went still again. A reporter on the television droned on about a small chance of rainfall later that night.

Victor opened his eyes and released a long sigh.

It had been therapeutic, if nothing else.

-

Jessica was asleep in her sumptuous apartment.

She tossed and turned, unaware of the inverted pentagram that scribed itself across her skin, glowing bright purple as it circled her belly button.

Jessica got up from bed, her eyes opening part-way, though she did not wake up.
In her unconsciousness she walked slowly into the kitchen, opened her refrigerator, and proceeded to eat.

The feeding was slow and methodical without pause. Jessica worked her way through bread slices, leftover pasta, bricks of cheese, cold cuts, bottles of soda, and more. She placed solid items into her mouth, chewed and swallowed, but also gulped down jams, drinks, and even a jar of mayonnaise as well as other condiments.

She did not pause until every item in the fridge had been consumed and a visible bloat had developed in her belly. Jessica became stationary for a moment, staring off. The symbol on her abdomen continued to glow. She turned toward one of the kitchen cupboards and proceeded to pull out dried and canned foods. Hot dog buns, bread crumbs, canned vegetables, tomato sauce, jarred olives, sardines, peanut butter, and more. Oils and sauces began to roll down her chin, into her cleavage, before ultimately staining the worn sports bra she had donned for bed. Jessica ate more and more, even as her cheeks flushed and belly tightened. Only after every food in the house had been consumed was she able to stop. The symbol faded, sinking into her skin. Jessica blinked out of her trance and looked around at the mess of her kitchen.

"What on earth?" She muttered in confusion. Then she clutched her stomach and groaned.

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