Clues - Episode 5 Preview (Patreon)

“Hey,” Mira says, tapping you on the elbow. “What about that one?”

You follow the demi’s gaze down a narrow path between two structures. Sure enough, tucked behind the more presentable buildings lies the vague approximation of an inn. An illegible wooden sign dangles haphazardly from a single hinge over an entryway that looks poorly suited to withstand an especially strong gust of wind, let alone something with physical form. The entire facade follows a similar trend, all resting beneath a patchwork thatch roof.

“Are you sure?” you ask warily.

“Ya. I can smell it.”

“Smell what?”

Her eyes go wide. “Clues!”

Well, alright then.

Together you shuffle down the alleyway toward the seedy establishment, dodging an ambling pedestrian with a sack draped on their shoulders. You push through the loose-hanging front door to find—

A pair of flailing legs dangling from the smiling mouth of a sturdy, honey-skinned woman with a veritable mane of flowing… earthy hair… cascading…

Yeah, no. Really, the main thing you can focus on is the rapidly disappearing shins being slurped down her gullet. They squirm with startling vim, almost brushing the ceiling on multiple occasions. Not a particularly helpful motion—for their owner—but it’s still part of the spectacle.

You watch, rapt, as the woman props herself against a table and tilts her head skyward. The gradual sinking motion accelerates to a full-on plunge. A flail is restricted to a squirm, then little more than impotently kicking feet between a pair of lips. The woman pauses before the final swallow, taking a moment to remove a pair of calfskin shoes and casually tossing them aside.

The last of the victim disappears moments before a massive, rolling gulp ushers them inward, a wave of flesh descending down the woman’s neck, past her chest, then setting as a final few inches in the already-obscene swell of her stomach.

With her prey settled, the woman breathes out a deep, pleased sigh before finally regarding you and Mira.

“Oh, hello, I—Bwurp—Sorry. I didn’t see you there.” She chuckles and slaps her gut. “Just cleaning up, don’t mind me.”

You want to apologize to her, let her know that’s going to be an impossible request for you to fulfill, but words won’t come. They’re lost somewhere in the…

Glorp.

Yeah. Again, who cares?

Her stomach is just… huge. Bulging and writhing, wobbling and hanging there for all to see, a show, a feature of exposed flesh. While not quite matching Mira’s raggedy cutoff top, the woman before you is dressed appropriately for her current state; not a single rip or torn textile anywhere in sight. Which, holy fuck, means she planned—or at the very least, woke up and got dressed today intending—to eat someone.

Ask if you can touch it, a very stimulated part of your brain suggests. You could, conceivably, try to convince her you’re here on official business and need to inspect her stomach… No, wait, that won’t work.

… Or will it?

A sneak peek of what’s to come. Another Inner World Episode 5: The Hunt for Hawthorne releases on April 8th. Stay tuned!