Zero’s Bar: Unpaid Tab (Short story for Zerowag) (Patreon)

Zero surveyed her bar with a proud smile as it quickly began to fill up with people. It was 7:45pm on a Friday evening and for the most part, ever since she opened her little pub just over a 3 years ago, Friday nights have been the nights where the little bar really came to life. People from local businesses came to unwind after a long week of work all the while other locals came to meet up with friends and exchange stories and news. Being the owner and primary bartender, Zero loved that she was the one that could host such an exchange and mixture of personalities and walks of life. 

Of course she enjoyed the fact that everyone knew her being the boss and respected her and the establishment. She had a good many regulars and was very understanding when it came to them. Only on a handful of occasions had a fight broken out or had somebody tried to skip out on the tab. In each situation Zero had subdued the offenders taken care of them personally. Sometimes she’d let them go with a warning but when necessary Zero banished them.

Few people knew what banishment from Zero’s bar really meant. Just a few of the regulars, the ones who came in daily,  have seen her in the days after banishing a jerk or two. Those few days were tough for her to move around as Zero temporarily sported a large gurgling heavily swollen belly and a larger bra size from that day forward. Those who only came weekly or on occasion knew that those who were banished, Never returned...ever. And that was enough to keep the bar a peaceful place a vast majority of the time. But there was only one other time Zero found herself in the position to banish a customer...and she wasn’t a fan of it. 

“What’s on ya mind Zero? You look like lost your cat or something.” Said Rufus, looking up at her from his dark brew beer in his half empty glass. He was a regular, and a nice guy. An old bearded man who always seemed to be wearing his brown all-weather coat no matter the weather outside.

“It’s nothing. I’m just looking at the open tab spreadsheet….a few people haven’t been paying up. Gotta be honest it’s not looking good for some. I may need to close their tabs soon...and if they don’t pay up...well, you know. “ Zero replied, shrugging and  minimizing the Tab-tracking app before sliding the tablet back under the counter.

Rufus looked at her solemnly and nodded. “Ah i see. We’ll as they say, ‘no business runs just for fun’. That reminds me i gotta pay up today too. Here ya are.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out a $50.00 bill. “Don't wanna end up where ol’ Tawny Mckenna went. Not yet anyway.” he laughed nervously. 

“Thanks, old man.” Zero says taking the bill with a grin. “I remember Tawny Mckenna. She racked up quite a bill, don’t ‘cha think?” She winked at the old man tucking the 50 bill in her bra and upon refilling is glass showed him and eyeful of her deep cavernous cleavage. He blushed wide-eyed and nodded in agreement. Just then the chime at the entrance rang again, as another group of customers came in.

“Speak of the Devil” zero said as she watched three lovely women strolled into the bar. Keisha, Janice & Courtney were recent semi-reguars now at Zero’s bar and had been coming for nearly the last four weeks, as soon as they learned they could open running tabs. They were business women who each held positions of relative importance in their respective companies. They laughed at some joke shared between them as they entered and made their way to the bar . Two tall handsome men , unknown to Zero hovered around the three of them clearly vying for an opportunity to bed whichever of the women would have them. 

“Hiya Zero!” Courtney called as the five of them came up to the bar. Looks like another good night.”

“We brought a couple of friends, to show them what a great place this is.” Janice added.

“Welcome back ladies. And thanks. . I hope you guys are ready for a good time. The Karaoke will be up and running soon. What can I get ya until then?”

They placed their orders and headed over to a table to wait for their drinks and for the show karaoke Screen and machines to be set up. Zero watched as her waitresses on staff set up for the night. 4 cute women in matching traditional barmaid uniforms bustled around the bar, filling beer mugs and taking glasses and taking orders. Once the drinks were flowing and the tv’s and karaoke song list was handed around the bar came to life of its own. Zero made a mental note to flag down the women to speak to each of them about the tab they’ve accumulated over the weeks. Not long after that behind the bar Zero was quickly swept up into the hustle and bustle of her managerial duties of the establishment on such a busy night and making specialty order drinks dealing with the occasional complaints or issues. 

Before Zero knew it  the time was past 2:00 am and many of the patrons were beginning to stumble out of the bar on the way to a new nightlife adventure or just to go home. She looked around the bar and noticed Janiece sitting back in a corner with one of the attractive young men from earlier. His arm was around her and pulling her close and her hand was on his lap as they flirted.  Sighing in annoyance,  Zero also noticed that the other three in the party, Keisha and Courtney and the other young man had left while Zero was distracted. Flagging down the waitress who was tending their table Zero asked for the list of their orders for the night and began crunching the numbers. Flagging the waitress back over, she gave the girl the check for the party. The girl stared at it wide-eyed yet silently, looked up to Zero and back to the receipt.

“Uhh...wow….that’s gonna be a big tip, huh?” the waitress joked

“For their sake let's hope it is. Tell her if there’s a problem come see me.” Zero replied gravely before returning back to to her responsibilities to prepare for closing. The waitresses dropped off the check and message with a smile and joined the others as they began sweeping up and collecting dishes and glasses. Zero figured Janice would be up soon enough to talk to her about the bill.. But time passed and Janice stayed in the corner of the bar sitting and flirting with the man. It was quite evident she was teasing him and he was trying to convince into a bed. For another 30 minutes the check sat on the table ignored while the other patrons paid their tabs or made arrangements to pay their tabs in part or later. 

With the majority of her duties done and the waitresses getting ready to leave Zero decided to approach Janice. They were the last ones in the bar and it was officially closing time. Her annoyance must’ve been palpable in the air because as she approached because the two were pulled out of their drunken flirtatious stupor and looked up at her wide eyed. She stood holding the bill towering over them in the booth they were nestled in. 

“I hope two had a nice night.” Zero said as cheerfully as possible.

“Oh yea, as alwayssh I looooooooovve thissh place. Todd and me had a grea’time. Right Toddy-tod?” Janice replied, obviously more than a little tipsy.”

“Oh yea. Great place here” Todd agreed significantly more sober.

“Glad to hear you approve. You’re always welcome to come back. Unfortunately for tonight, its closing time and we’re wrapping everything up for the night. I have the bill here. How would you like to cover it?” She handed the bill to Janice, but Todd in a gentlemanly manner took it from Zero’s hand.

“I’ll take care...of...whoa...WHAT the hell??” His eyes shot wide as he looked at the bill he held. “What is all this? We didn't order all of this tonight.”

“No, you didn't. Not tonight. But Janiece did over the last few weeks. Unfortunately you hit the Tab ceiling here and we need to settle the payment tonight.” Said Zero as Janice took the bill and stared at it gaping.

“How? What? $1,500.00. I drank $1,500.00 worth of drinks? Holy shit. I can't believe it. How?” Janice said, shocked into temporary sobriety.

“It’s all itemized Miss. Please check it out and let me know how we should settle this.” When Zero started using “Miss” with her regulars things were not looking good. Back in the storage area the waitress peaked out watching the scene unfold. 

“Oh my gawd...I can’t pay thissh...I WON’T PAY THIS!” Janice said, her anger rising suddenly. Zero knew some people were angry drunks when they got wasted and now Janice was drunk and pissed. “This is’so messshed up! You should’ve said something earlier before it got this high. THishissa a scam! I’m not paying a fucking dime!” The drunk lady bellowed.

“Look Miss, I am not scamming you. This is the bill YOU accumulatedm that YOU drank on a tab YOU agreed to.. You need to pay this. I have rules in my bar and you’ve been here long enough to know i don't tolerate disrespect in my own Establishment.. One way or another, you WIll pay this.”

“Fuck off! Come on Todd. Let’ssh get out of here. This creepy horn bitch is out of her mind she thinks i’m paying this much money.” Janice cursed angrily.

The Two stood up to leave, pushing the table out of the way and knocking over a chair. Janice was just about to take a step toward the exit when suddenly she saw a brilliant flash of red light out of the corner of her eye. A moment later she found herself frozen in place. Held in mid-step stasis field of some kind Janice was completely immobile and unable to even turn her head. Cutting her eyes over to Zero she saw that she stood poised with one hand on her hip and her other hand raised. The fingers of her left hand pointing at Jancie in an gesture of arcane magic as red demon fire glowed in her eyes and streaming from her fingertips. The flames steamed and rippled forming into a  large red pentagram hovering and spinning in front of Janice’s frozen body. 

“You’re not going anywhere.” Zero said flatly, clearly fed up with this drama of this situation. Her voice dripped with disgust. “You’re going to stay right here until I’m done closing this place up. Then you will pay your debt.” 

With that Zero turned her attention to Todd who stood frozen , eyes wide and mouth agape in shock. Janice tried to protest but all that could be heard were unintelligible muffled sounds from her frozen lips. It was only at this point did Todd actually finally acknowledge the two horns that jutted from Zero’s forehead, one cracked and broken and yet both holding a beautiful deep ebon purple hue.

“D-D-De-Dem..” Todd stutterd piteously before Zero cut him off.

“Look Todd. You seem nice enough. I recommend you pay your tab and shove on outta here. It’s closing time. I’m tired and i haven't had dinner...Yet...” She glanced at Janice’s frozen body eyeing the form up and down before turning back to Todd again.

You’ve got two choices…” Zero continued. “ You can Either pay the waitress over there and head on home. Or you can stick around for dinner and help Janice here pay off her debt. “ She narrowed her burning red eyes, still glowing and horrifying to the sensitive sensibilities of the uninitiated ,Todd. She whispered with as much sinister intent as she could muster “...I recommend you chose the first option. I’ve quite the appetite tonight and i could make room for two.”

Todd needed no more convincing. Wide eyed and horrified he spun on his heels walked up to the bar counter where one of the waitresses had come up from the back. He paid with all the money he had in his wallet (a total of $97.14 Zero would count out later) and damn near ran out of the bar. Needless to say Todd never returned to Zero’s bar. 

Zero’s stomach growled and she placed a hand on her currently flat abdomen as she looked at Janice. Shaking her head and saying nothing she left the woman frozen. Zero spend the next 30 minutes wrapping up the closing duties of the bar and rationing out the tips for the waitress. Bidding them all a goodnight and thanking them for their good work she waved as they left. In their goodbyes not a single waitress glanced let alone mentioned the frozen woman in the corner. 

The night was finally at an end and Zero was relieved. Locking the door, and closing the window blinds  Zero finally turned her attention back the last piece of business to attend to.To her surprise as she approached Janice, still bound in magical stasis was fast asleep. She was even snoring quite loudly, her inebriation clearly numbing her to the forlorn situation she actually faced. 

With a snap of her fingers the magical stasis field released all at once, dropping the passed out Janice to the floor with a hard thud. Yet despite the unforgiving drop and the impact on on the hardwood floor, Janice merely stirred, and shifted slightly and was back to snoring again. 

Zero’s stomach growled looking at the woman laid out.Zero didn't like to make it a habit of eating her patrons, especially when one owed her so much money. But she had to make a concise point of those who took her kindness for granted. Not every bar owner would deal with the hassle of extended tabs for the customers. Zero knew sometimes a person just needed a place to be, good company and a good drink to take the edge off of a long day. But for such a courtesy there had to be a hard ceiling and when that ceiling was hit...Her stomach rumbled again. It had been quite a while since she’d had a large meal such as this crammed into it and despite herself her belly was anxious. She sighed.

“hey...Janice. Wake up. “ Before she proceeded she needed to speak to Janice. Kneeling on the ground,  She reached out and curled her finger behind her thumb and flicked the snoring woman in the right nostril, hard. 

“Ah! *snort* OW! Hey!” Janice said raising her head and rubbing her nose. “Wawazat for…”

“For being an asshole. I like you... I like your friends. I just want you...HEY!” Pulling the woman into a seated position Zero shook Janice again who was already nodding off again. 

“Im up….um up…” Janice mumbled her head lolling around.

“Look...i just want to say, I’m not doing this because i’m a monster or that i like doing this...that much... I’m doing this because you broke the rules. Im saying, it's nothing personal. Okay?”

“Mm’kay...not pershennnal...got it….zzzzzz” Janice was out cold again, her head down and snoring. 

Zero shrugged. She wasn't sure Janice was cognizant enough to really grasp the situation, but maybe it was better this way. Holding the girl upright by grasping her upper arms, Zero licked her pink lips. She opened her mouth wide and felt her skin around her lips expand as she stretched it wider and wider. Then she proceed to draw Janice’s head towards her gaping maw and inside of it. Zero’s tongue and jaws slid down over the woman’s face, coating it with her stick saliva as the woman snoozed. She felt her stomach grumble awaiting its new occupant.

It wasn't until Zero’s lips were working around Janice’s shoulders that Janice began to stir, her head lodged firmly in the muscular throat. Soon the stirring turned into thrashing and full on fighting. Zero held the woman's’ arms in place with her superior stretching and proceeded rapidly shoving the woman down her throat and into her stomach. She didn't bother removing the clothing of the woman even thought she knew it would likely cause her some indigestion later. She shoved the woman's hefty silk blouse covered breasts over her tongue and into her cheeks before swallowing again. 

With  her arms now squeezed against her torso in the tight esophagus Janice realized that there was fighting a losing battle. All she could do was kick her legs arbitrarily looking for some kind of purchase or footing, but there was nothing to pull her out. She tried to scream but the tight tube made it hard to breathe and she could only feel herself being shoved further down until she reached what seemed like the bottom. In there more of her body was crammed inside and forced to curl up. It was like a sack that expanded only for the necessity of the mass of her body but gave no easy purchase for any other movement she could make. 

With Janice’s ass cheeks, swelling her own cheeks and her legs kicking wildly from her lips Zero tilted her head back to make an easier path of descent of this womanly meal into her body. With her hands free she rubbed her swelling stomach as it bulged with the movements of Janice’s head arms and shoulders. At this moment, the vest that she was wearing popped open allowing her bra-less breasts to spill out naked into the air. Ignoring the exposure in a bar where the only patron was halfway down her gullet, Zero continued her meal. 

With an effort, Zero pushed herself off of the floor and up into a nearby chair, all the while gulping down more and more of the thick stocking covered thighs into her gullet. Once settled in the chair Zero made short work of Janice’s legs sucking them down and slurping much more loudly knowing she was alone in the closed bar. Not that there was much etiquette to be had when devouring another person who’s legs flailed more desperately with less and less range of motion as she was consumed. 

Soon all that was left of janice was her wiggling and fruitlessly clenching toes. Running her toughtn over the stocking covered bits Zero licked up the last bit of taste she could before slurping them down into her mouth. With a few more deep swallows Janice’s legs were crammed down into Zero’s massively stretched belly to join the rest of the woman turned late-night dinner….or early breakfast. 

Rubbing her hands over the huge distended and writhing flesh sack Zero felt along the contours of the occupant pushing out against the stomach prision. She felt incredibly full and wondered if she actually could eat another person like she had threatened Todd with earlier. As full as she was she didnt want to think about eating anything else...But she was extremely thirsty. Swallowing a person with their clothes still on always made her throat uncomfortable and made her parched. And what was better after a great big bulging meaty meal a tall foamy mug of her favorite house brew. 

“Alright you in there. Settle down with all that... *Hurp* ...all that moving. I’ve gotta get up...” Zero huffed, as she hefted her engorged body up to a standing position. She held her hands under her active stomach steadying herself against the inner ruckus until she was confident in her balance. Zero could hear muffled sobs as yelling from beneath the surface of her tightly stretched stomach skin, but she didn't really have any interest in conversing with her meal. Especially after the ordeal the drunken woman had put her thought earlier that night.

Zero half waddled half lumbered over to her bar and sat at one of the stools. She rested her bulging mass of stomach on another of the stools to distribute her weight before she reached over the bar and grabbed herself a large 22oz mug from the other side of the counter. Placing it under the beer tap she filled it with the cold amber liquid causing the mug to perspire.

“Watch out below.” She said to nobody in particular, not caring if Janice heard the warning before she brought the mug to her lips. Tilting her head back guzzled and guzzled until the entire contents of the glass were emptied into her gullet and down her throat. She reveled in the cooling feeling soothing her sore throat and quenching her thirst with a sigh as she placed the empty glass back on the counter. Just then her swollen nearly spherical belly lurched upwards with a violent jolt as inside Janice was drenched in the cold brew. 

Trapped and sobbing in despair, Janice had begun to lose consciousness in the humid prison as the breathable air faded. The unexpected shock of the unexpected frigid beverage soaking her inside of the uncomfortably hot stomach caused her to start fighting again. The saliva and acid coated walls flexed and tensed as she fought against them all over again and yet again to no avail. Earlier she tried yelling up at Zero, pleading and trying to convince the woman to let her go to make a deal, but she doubted Zero heard her. The only responses was an occasional pat on her head or back by Zero’s hand soothing her laboring stomach, Or the swaying labored motions as zero moved herself from the floor to the bar stools supporting her and the belly Janice occupied.

*BWUUOOOOORRRRRP!!!*” A room shaking belch exploded from Zero’s mouth as the bubbles from the beer mixed with the glasses already building in her stomach. The jostling about in her bloated middle fromm Janice shook the belch free. 

“Mm...scuse me...” Zero said, smacking her lips at the mixed flavor of the Janice and the beer that was carried up in the gaseous expulsion. “...hmm...nothing compliments a meaty girl-ass like a nice amber ale.” she chuckled rubbing her hand over one of the shifting bulges across the expanse of her stretched stomach. 

Zero reached over and refilled her mug again, imbibing its contents swiftly and deeply and releasing a hearty belch afterwards. A moment later she did the same  and continued on a few more times, guzzling mug after mug of beer and belching so deeply that pieces of ambient discarded saliva drenched clothing and jewelry were flying out of her mouth and clattering to the floor. At one point one of Janice's earrings flew out of her mouth and soaring through the air landed squarely into the tip jar. Now in her own inebriated state, Zero thought to get up and see if it was made of real gold, but forgot after a consecutive belch burst from her lips.

After about her nineth or so beer Zero decided to head upstairs to her apartment. Finishing her last swig, she stood up shakely, forgetting how heavily the hunk of woman-meat churingin away in her belly weighed, along with the added sloshing of nearly two gallons of ale. With some effort Zero, was able to make off of the stools and hit the lights as she exited the bar, her stomach swinging heavily with each step as it bulged from her body as Janice gurgled away to become a layer of fat on Zero’s sizable breasts.

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It wasn't until the following Friday that Keisha and Courtney stopped by to see if Zero had seen Janice. Zero told them honestly that Janice had been banished from her bar for not paying her tab. At that moment it occurred to her that Keisha and Courtney’s tabs needed to be paid off as well...

The end