Chapter 4 - Escaping a Artificial Nightmare

    The group of women that were in the building ran frantically away as the squeaking of the doll's bodies pressing against the glass windows and doors grew louder by the minute.  Sprinting upwards to the second floor, the six women stopped in a hallway and caught their breath.

    " What the hell do we do now?  They're out there and they know we're here...it's only a matter of time before they break in and change us all into....into...what they are!!!  We've got to get away!!! "  Gretchen exclaimed as she pounded her fist angrily on a nearby wall locker.

     " Go where, Gretchen?  Before we start making a mad dash out of this place, we have to think about where to go otherwise we'll be caught by those lethal latex ladies in no time! "  Mandy said sharply as she grabbed the hysterical Gretchen by the shoulders and shook her roughly to try and calm her down.

     " Well, we sure as hell can't stay here long term.  Despite the fact that those things are made of latex and vinyl and shouldn't have any more strength than a balloon, they managed to break through a door and window earlier.  It's safe to say that there is hundreds, or even thousands, out there and they seem to be focused on us becoming what they are.  Let's figure out now where we want to go and the best way to get there, "  Irene said to the others as she walked over to a nearby window that overlooked the building's exterior.  Peering outside carefully, she saw there was what looked like forty or five dolls gathered around the area last seen with more slowly moving forward as far as she could see.

      " Oh, yeah, sure, figure it out.... doesn't anyone see?  It's game over, man, game over!!!! " Gretchen wailed as she sagged to the floor and put her head in her hands.

      " Well, sorry, but I'm not ready to call it quits at this point.  Since we have power and other amenities at the present time, I suggest we use them to figure out how widespread this stuff really is and see if there's anyone out there we can connect with, "  Irene said as she gestured towards the offices that lined both sides

       Nodding reluctantly, the group set off to see what could be found out save for Jill, who stood near the stairs they had run up to keep an eye on things.  While she kept watch, the others were busy trying the pay phones, entering the offices lining the hallways and, in the case of Debbie, looting the vending machines of food and soda.  Judging by the loud CRASH!!!!, Debbie didn't have much money on her.

      " Iris, Debbie, everybody...get over here now!!! "  Irene called out from where she was just around the corner.  When the other women arrived at where she was, they found her looking down at what looked like the uniform of a janitor that was lying  on the floor next to a mop bucket.  A few of the women knew there was a janitor named Gus who worked cleaning the campus buildings and helped them out if asked.  However, there was no sign of Gus anywhere but there was a thin piece of yellow plastic sticking out where his neck would be.  Sitting on the floor next to the shirt was a pair of dark rimmed glasses that looked to be Gus' from what the young women remembered.

       Grabbing the mop out of its' bucket, Debbie used the wooden end to gently pull the plastic free from the shirt.  The group of women were surprised to see what looked like an inflation pump emerge from the garment.  With hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of love dolls beating on the doors of the building they were in, the realization that this whole transformation aspect was not just limited to women only heightened their anxiety.

        " Ok, enough gawking and standing around.  It's time we got the hell out of here before those freakish things find a way in here.  Grab all the supplies and anything else we might need in the next ten minutes and we'll meet at the end of this corridor.  There's a staff elevator we can take directly into the underground parking garage and grab a car to get us the hell out of here, "  Jill said with a commanding voice.

        " Ummmm......... and then what?  We just decided we shouldn't pile out of here willy nilly and now you just want to grab a car and drive off to somewhere else. "  Irene said as she started stuff items into a duffle bag she had found.

        " Well, we get the hell out of this city if this stuff is everywhere and head for the suburbs.  We find someplace fairly easy to hole up in like a shopping mall and wait for the army or someone important show up.  If there isn't any mall around that looks safe, my uncle owns a summer camp out by Lake Pyrite that we can use.  No one has been there in years since the night that the caretaker, Willie something or other, died after being run over by a bus driven by escaped convicts.  That whole story was so strange......."  Jill murmured before trailing off.

         " HEY!!!  I think those damned dolls have got into the building!  Look over here!!  "  Gretchen called out from area near the staircase.  The young women all ran over to where she was and saw that Gretchen's proclamation was indeed true.  Although they were on the second floor, they could see that the living sex toys were slowly making their way up the stairs albeit in a more awkward way than the women had seen before.  Nevertheless, they were moving upwards leaving the women little time to debate their next step.

         " Let's get to the elevator while we still can!  Let's go now!!!!"  Irene shouted as she grabbed a couple of bags and sprinted in the direction of the elevator.  The others quickly followed her down the hallway except for Debbie, who paused in front of one of the open office doors.  She saw a computer monitor that had been left on by the staff and judging by the images flickering on the screen, it was still connected to the internet.  However, there was something out of place with the images she saw though she couldn't quite place it.......

         " Debbie!  Get your ass in gear! "  Irene called out from around the corner.  Hearing the slapping of latex feet on tile floor growing louder by the second, Debbie quickly resumed her sprint to the elevator. 

         Once they were all in the elevator, Jill jabbed the button for the garage level and the doors slid shut.  Irene and Debbie stood in front of the door with plastic knitting needles in their right hands in case the elevator opened on the wrong floor or if any of the living love dolls awaited them in the garage area.  As the elevator slowly descended, the group were relatively silent save for the occasional whimper from Gretchen and the crackle of a candy bar wrapper as Jill took the opportunity to eat a little during the ride downwards.

         When the elevator arrived at the garage level, the car halted and the doors slid open to reveal a deserted parking area that looked relatively peaceful with no sign of the love dolls anywhere.  Making their way quickly from the elevator, the women discovered that the garage was almost completely deserted with no vehicle in sight.

          Frantically, everybody started looking for a car.... any car that they could get use to get away from this nightmare.  Running quickly around the corner on the far right, Irene came across, to her relief and amazement, a Forvelet HUMVR sitting by its' lonesome in a parking spot near the back.

          " Jill, Debbie, get over here right away.... I've found a car we can all use!!!"  Irene shouted as she pressed her face against the driver's window and was happy to see the doors were unlocked and there was a set of keys lying on the passenger seat.  Normally, she would have looked around for the owner but Irene was determined to get away from the insanity that was going on.

         Just as Gretchen and the other women ran over to where they heard their friend shout, they were startled by a scream of pure terror from Irene.  Pulling up just a few feet from here, they saw Irene saw pointing with a twitching right index finger towards the back of the HUMVR.  Moving a step or two closer, the women saw what Irene was frantic about and to some it was unsettling.

         Propped up against the window was a blonde woman that looked to be in her late 20's- early 30's wearing an outfit that indicated that she worked at the university.  However, she was clearly in distress and for the group of women gathered around the vehicle, it was obvious to them the reason for it.  The woman had clearly encountered at least one, if not more, living love doll and although she had managed to escaped from the clutches of the latex zombies, it hadn't been a blemish free escape.  Her clothes were torn and ripped and there was a definite glossiness evident on her bare shoulders and neck.  Her body seemed to be halfway through the transformation with her mouth formed into the familiar O shape of a sex doll though she still had teeth and a tongue.  From what Irene and the others could see, the rest of the woman's body was in a similar state of flux.

        " We haven't got time to play nurse maid with anyone.  Gretchen, toss a jacket around that woman while everybody else throws their stuff in back.  Once we drive the hell out of here and find a place to hole up or somebody who can help us, we'll help whoever this is.  LET'S GO!!!!"  Mandy snapped at the others.

         Jill quickly jumped in the driver's seat after lobbing her stuff in the car followed quickly by the others.  Gretchen and Irene wrapped their jackets around the partially transformed doll carefully fearing that they might come in contact with the parts that had been changed.  With the slamming of the car doors, the women were all inside and judging by the fact that the ominous sound of latex feet slapping on cement, it was not a moment too soon.

         " Let's burn rubber, ladies!"  Jill shouted as she floored the accelerator.  The HUMVR quickly sped out of its' parking spot and towards the exit.  The women gasped as they saw what looked like close to fifty dolls standing in the entrance and slowly shambling forward.

         " HANG ON!!!"  Jill shouted as she accelerated even more with the others ducking down.  Moments later, the car plowed into the dolls with a mighty THUMP!!!! and, with the sound of breaking glass, it managed to go through the latex crowd.

         " Geez, they're everywhere!!! "  Irene shrieked as she glanced out the car windows with the others.  Inflatable love dolls seemed to be clustering around every building on the campus pressed against the doorways and windows in tight formations.  As the HUMVR sped down the deserted road leading off campus, the women spotted signs that there had been other people caught up in the madness that they had seen.  To the right, there was a compact sitting halfway on the grass with the driver's door hanging open and no sign of the occupants.

          Once the women got off campus, Jill immediately turned down the road that led to the outer edges of town.  She slowed down at times to avoid colliding with a crashed vehicle or a mob of dolls but when she got onto the highway, things went much smoother.  As they drove along, the partly transformed woman started to moan in a gradually louder voice that was starting to grate on everybody's nerves.  Irene and Mandy tried to get the woman to quiet down and she did after a bit though she still moaned and writhed a bit.

          After tense driving that seemed to take forever, the women found themselves pulling into the parking lot of the Swasworth shopping mall.  The lot was mostly deserted and the group, as a whole, exhaled for a respite from the insanity they had left behind.  Pulling up closer, they saw what looked to be several pick-up trucks and larger vehicles blocking the main entrance of the mall.

          " Look!  Look at that!  There has to be someone inside who can help us!  We're saved!  "  Debbie shouted as he jumped out of the HUMVR before it had completely stopped.  The other women got out after Jill had stopped fully and gently maneuvered the partly transformed woman out of the vehicle.

          Glancing around, Gretchen spotted what looked like a security guard's uniform lying on the ground in front of the parked cars.  Bending down, she spotted a set of keys hanging from a belt loop that she immediately figured had to be for the doors to the mall.

           " Hey, guys, go take a look inside for anybody while I....uhhh... try and get these stupid keys off, "  Gretchen shouted as she started to tug on the belt for the keys while being careful not to touch the pump lying inside the uniform.

           The others quickly agreed and started to clamber over the barricade in front of the doors.  They were just about to pear through the glass doors when they heard an earth shattering scream come from Gretchen.

           " Gretchen, what's wrong...... NOOOOO!!!!"  Debbie said as she turned to see what the commotion was.  When she saw the reason for the scream, she started to scream herself joined quickly by the others.......


           Elsewhere......


            Hovering in orbit over Earth, a silver and gold spaceship observed the events unfolding on the planet below with much interest.  Its two occupants, a male and female humanoid, seemed to be quite pleased by what they were seeing through their view monitors.

           " Soon, Kayla, the rays we have trained on this planet will have transformed every living being into forms incapable of stopping our conquering it for the Empire,"  the man said as he rubbed his bearded chin in satisfaction.

           " Yes, Mongo, soon it will be known as the Planet Of The Dolls,"  the woman replied as she continued to glance through the view screen with the brightness reflecting off her shiny skin quite noticeably.......



           To be continued..........