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Terror in the Swamp (Maidens of Might #5)

by Sigma

I

"A Dominican and a Jew from New York walk into a bar in bumfuck, Florida..." Iris Perez said as she walked into the Horny Gator, the most popular watering hole in Murky Marsh. She was a curvy, dark-haired Latina of average height, and wore a tight polo shirt and jeans that showed off her womanly curves.

Her companion was Rebecca Wilson, short and skinny, with long, curly brown hair. She looked around the bar, a lively space packed with locals and loud blues-rock music playing from the jukebox. "This place seems fine," she said to Iris. "Come on, let's get a table. I'm starving."

Almost on cue, an employee walked past her. She was a tall, curvy blonde wearing short shorts, a tank top, and cowboy boots. She was carrying one tray with drinks and another with food.

"Oh hey y'all," the waitress said. "Just grab any table y'all want and I'll be right with ya," she told them before walking off.

They did just that and looked around the bar.

"Looks like the whole town is here," Rebecca said. "You think the lady we're supposed to meet is here, too?"

"Maybe," Iris said. She then picked up a menu and began looking it over. The waitress came to their table moments later.

"All right, sorry about the wait. My name's Savannah Jean. How y'all doin'?"

Rebecca smiled at her. "A bit tired. We just got into town."

"Where you girls from?"

"New York," Iris said. "We're down here to meet someone named Peach. Do you know her?"

Savannah Jean smiled wide. "Course I know Peach! Everyone knows Peach. Hang on a sec..." She then looked around the bar and paused. "There she is. Peach!" she yelled loud enough for everyone to hear. "Couple of city girls here for you!"

Iris and Rebecca saw a burly woman on the other side of the bar raise a tattooed arm and wave.

"She'll be right over," Savannah Jean said. "Let me start you girls off with some drinks."

"Uh, yeah," Rebecca said. "Whatever draft you have is fine. Oh! We'll split some onion rings too while we figure out what we want for dinner."

"You got it," Savannah Jean said before leaving.

Just as she did, Peach slid up to the table and took an empty chair. She looked to be in her late 30s, tall and broadly built, with a denim vest over a t-shirt that didn't hide her curves. She wore a trucker hat over her light brown hair and smiled as she put her beer down.

"Hey girls. Wasn't expectin' y'all until tomorrow," Peach said. "Y'all find the the place okay?"

"Yup," Iris told her. "Is this place always packed like this?"

"Ain't much to do out here but drink and wrangle gators," Peach said with a laugh. "But we ain't talkin' business tonight."

Just then, Savannah Jean returned with their beers and gave them to her. Peach looked up at her. "Jeannie, hun...I wanna show these girls a proper Murky Marsh welcome. Bring us some Murky Marsh Moonshine."

Savannah Jean grinned and left, yelping when Peach smacked her hard on the ass. "She's a tight little number isn't she? She dances over there at Uncle Junior's Gentleman's Club if you girls are into that."

"Whaaat are we getting ourselves into?" Rebecca asked. She and Iris looked at each other nervously as Peach drained her beer.

"So...Ms. Peach," Iris said. "How are we going to track Ernesto?"

"Nah, nah, nah..." Peach said. "We got all day tomorrow to talk about Old Man 'Nesto. We're partyin' tonight, girls."

Just then, Savannah Jean came back with three glasses of a milky looking cocktail and distributed them. At Peach's urging, Rebecca and Iris took theirs, toasted and drank them. Both Rebecca and Iris immediatley broke into coughing fits at the overwhelming strength of the drink and Peach laughed, ordering another round of them while Rebecca and Iris finished theirs.

"Buckle up, girls," Peach said with a grin.

*

It was after two AM when the door to the motel room swung open and Rebecca and Iris stumbled in, dropping their bags and laughing as they barely stayed upright. Peach sat in the cab of her pickup truck and honked. "See y'all tomorrow morning!" she said before driving off.

"Everyone here's so nice!" Iris slurred, swaying on her feet. "I was – hic – worried they were gonna be a buncha racist hicks but...I like it here."

Rebecca staggered toward the bed, hit her knee on the corner and tumbled to the floor. Both of them broke into a fit of laughter and Rebecca held up her hand, wanting Iris to help her up. Iris took her hand, tripped, and fell ontop of Rebecca. She got up, but kept Rebecca pinned under her and the two drunkenly looked at each other and laughed.

"Well, look at you, Ms. Wilson, all helpless down there," Iris teased.

"Who said I'm helpless, Perez?" Rebecca grinned. She grabbed Iris' plump ass and gave it a squeeze and Iris leaned and kissed her. The curvy Latina then sat up, straddling Rebecca's waist, and took her shirt off, revealing her impressive, caramel-colored tits restrained by a lace bra. That came off within seconds and Iris massaged her own tits, moaning lightly.

Rebecca bit her lip and reached up to grab a handful, only for Iris to smack her hands away. "Nuh uh...I have something else in mind for you." Iris then got up, but stayed standing over Rebecca. She dropped her panties and panties and kicked them aside, her ass on full display. She then backed up so her pussy was over Rebecca's face, and she knelt down to sit on Rebecca's face.

Rebecca wrapped her arms around Iris' thighs and buried her face in her pussy. Iris moaned, feeling Rebecca's warmth inside of her. At the same time, she leaned forward and undid Rebecca's pants before sliding them and her panties off. She then leaned forward and began eating Rebecca out the same time she was being eaten out.

The two of them lay there, on the floor of the hotel room, eating each other out, moaning lightly as they became lost in each other. Iris squeezed her thick thighs around Rebecca's head, forcing her face in even more while she plunged her tongue in deeper and made Rebecca buck and squeal under her. She licked her friend's lower lips, gently nibbled at her clit, and lapped up the juices that were steadily building up. As she did, she grinded her hips, rubbing her pussy against Rebecca's face.

Iris laughed to herself, determined to bring Rebecca to orgasm before Rebecca did it to her. She felt she was getting close, and when Rebecca let out a sustained, muffled squeal, Iris got her confirmation. She lifted her hips and pushed her face in deeper.

"Ah...AH FUCK!" Rebecca screamed, gasping for air. "AAAHH!" she squeezed Iris' ass, digging her nails into the meaty flesh as her skinny legs twitched and her pussy soaked Iris' face. Iris sat up, her mouth and chin dripping, and she looked back at Rebecca, stretched out and on her back, her small tits rising and falling with labored breath. Iris crawled on top of her and looked her in the eye.

"Feeling helpless yet, Ms. Wilson?" Iris teased.

Rebecca looked up at her and shook her head. She then grabbed Iris' arms and Iris screamed in surprise as Rebecca squirmed from under her and rolled over, so that she was on top and pinning Iris down now.

"Oh? Now what are you going to do?" Iris asked. "Maybe we should get some sleep. We need to meet Peach in a few hours."

"You aren't getting away that easily," Rebecca told her before sliding two fingers down Iris' body and inserting them inside of her. Iris cried out, gripping the carpet under her naked back as Rebecca penetrated her and began thrusting. Rebecca took it slow, making Iris moan and whimper with each thrust. Iris clutched at the carpet, looking Rebecca in the eye. She reached up and grabbed one tiny A-cup, squeezing it in her hand while Rebecca continued riding and fingering her. Rebecca shoved her fingers in Iris' mouth, and Iris sucked them and licked the tips, moaning around them.

Iris writhed under her, her mind a drunken, pleasure-filled haze. The room got warmer, and the two women gasped and breathed heavily as they continued pleasuring each other. Their nipples were rock hard, and Iris spread her legs out under Rebecca, letting Rebecca push in deeper.

"Ah! Fuck!" Iris cried out, louder than she intended. She arched her back out of reflex and Rebecca was  in nearly up to her slim wrist. She leaned down, kissing Iris on the mouth while toying with her clit. Iris was getting wet and Rebecca pushed even harder, knowing she was bringing her friend to the brink.

Iris felt her will to resist slip away, and moments later, her meaty thighs twitched.

"AAAH!" she cried out as she erupted all over Rebecca's fingers. She bent her knees, but then her legs when limp. Their shared heavy panting was the only sound that filled the room. Rebecca licked Iris' juices off of her fingers and they looked at each as Iris ran her hands through Rebecca's hair and they simply looked at each other blissfully.

Then their quiet was interrupted by sharp knocking at the door. Both women looked at the door then each other, and then back at the door. Rebecca still straddled Iris, with her tiny hands on Iris' impressive D-cups.

"...Wh...who is it?" Rebecca asked.

"Hotel managmenet, Miss..." a man's apologetic voice came through. "Folks next door said they heard a scream. Y'all all right in there?"

"Just havin' a private moment. We'll keep it down!" Iris said before Rebecca could say anything. Rebecca glared at her but surpressed her laugh.

"I got ya, miss," the manager said. "Well, as long as y'all are okay. Y'all have a good night."

"You too!" Iris said to him. They then listened as they heard footsteps walking away. They both looked at each other and broke into a fit of silent laughter before Rebecca collapsed onto Iris' chest, laying her head on her tits.

"I'm not your bed, Becky!" Iris said in a whisper.

"Then why do you have these awesome pillows?" Rebecca asked, snuggling against her as she drifted off.

Iris sighed and grabbed Rebecca's butt as she started to drift off too.

II

"You girls ain't tired, are ya?" Peach asked as she led them down a small dock the next morning. Iris and Rebecca dragged behind her as they approached an airboat floating in the murky water.

"We're uh...hungover..." Iris lied.

"Uh huh..." Peach said with a knowing grin before climbing aboard. They followed her and took their seats while Peach walked the boat and made some checks. As she did, Rebecca went into her pocket and took out her inhaler and used it.

"You gonna be all right?" Peach asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Rebecca said, putting her inhaler away. 

"All right, I just wanna be sure," Peach said. "Because Ernesto's territory is smack in the middle of a pretty treacherous part of the swamp. What do a couple of girls from the Big Apple want with a big-ass gator like him anyway?"

"Oh, well, like we told you over the phone, we work for the zoo in Queens, where we both live," Iris started. "We got sent down here to take some photos of Ernesto after our boss heard some urban legends," she explained, raising the camera she brought. "We're redoing the reptile house and there's gonna be a whole section about popular reptiles."

"Well, they don't get more legendary than Old Man 'Nesto," Peach said, starting the boat and setting off.

"Is he really 22ft long?" Rebecca asked.

"At least," Peach told her while easing the boat into the open swamp. "And supposedly around 2500 pounds. No one knows how old he is, but my grandaddy saw him once like 60 years ago, so he's at least that old."

"Damn..." Rebecca gasped.

"He's harmless though, mostly," Peach explained. "He rarely ever attacks people, and only then when they mess with him. Ask the moron who gave him the scar he's got on his head. Now...I do gotta warn y'all...when we get out there, you might see some Swampfolk."

Iris and Rebecca looked at each other and then at her.

"Swamp...folk...?" Rebecca asked.

"Yup, they're mutants or something," Peach told her. "Y'all got mutants in New York, right?"

"In the subways, and sewers," Iris said. "Don't worry, we've seen mutants before."

"Good. I just don't want y'all to freak out and start screamin'. The Swampfolk are usually harmless too. Who we really gotta watch out for is the Parsons clan."

"Who are they?" Rebecca asked.

"Buncha lowlifes that live in the swamp so the law won't come after 'em," Peach said. "Ernesto hates the whole clan on account of Millie Parsons gave him that scar on his head 40 years ago. He ate the bitch down to the last bite, and they been at war ever since. They hunt the Swampfolk too, but the Swampfolk won't go near their compound because they keep it surrounded by fire, and Swampfolk are scared of fire."

"Shit..." Iris said.

"If we run across any of 'em, let me handle it."

When Peach said that, Iris looked at some of the cargo she carried on the boat. There was a large cooler next to Peach's seat, and beside that was a loaded rifle.

"What the fuck did we sign up for?" Iris whispered to Rebecca. Rebecca went to answer her, but caught a quick glimpse of dark figures lurking in the reeds as the airboat sped past.

*

About an hour later, Peach brought the boat to a stop in an open area of the swamp and killed the engine. She then cracked the cooler open and took out a six pack of beer.

"Is this Ernesto's territory?" Iris asked.

"Sure is. Now we gotta keep an eye out for any signs of the old man," Peach said before tossing them beers.

Iris opened hers and then glanced up at Peach, noticing the hat she wore for the first time. "Oooh, you like the Bandits, huh?" Iris asked.

Peach took off her hat, which had the logo for the Delta City Bandits, the city's Major League Baseball team. "Damn right! Let me guess, like them trash-ass Brooklyn Cyclones, huh?"

"Oh, here we go..." Rebecca groaned.

"We're just having a bad season!" Iris said.

"Y'all been having a bad season since I was in diapers," Peach taunted while putting her hat on. Iris fumed and Peach laughed and looked at Rebecca. "You like the Cyclones too?"

"She doesn't watch sports," Iris answered for her.

"You only watch because you want to fuck the players," Rebecca fired back.

Iris shoved her playfully and Rebecca laughed while drinking her beer. Peach laughed and took another drink of her own beer.

"What y'all need is all-new management. That old fucker's been running the team into the ground since the 70s."

"You don't need to tell me," Iris said. "He just needs to sell to someone who gives a shit. It's embarassing."

While they went on, Rebecca got up and walked to the edge of the boat. She looked out at the eerily quiet expanse of swamp and then down below. She stepped back when she thought she saw something underneath and some instinct scratching at her mind told her it wasn't an animal.

"What the fuck...?" Rebecca asked herself. Suddenly, she heard a motor and looked up to see two airboats coming toward them. "Hey...Peach?"

Peach looked up and put her beer down. "Shit...it's the Parsons..." she uttered, putting her beer down.

The boats got closer and Rebecca saw they carried five people between them. The boats came to a stop and a big woman in her 50s stood up. She was heavyset, with dirty blonde hair and dingy overalls on over her clothes. The other members of the family were two men and two women, ranging in age from 20s to 30s.

"How y'all doin', Peach?"

"Mabel..." Peach nodded to the woman, Mabel "Ma" Parsons, matriarch of the family.

"Wha'cha got here?" Ma Parsons asked, looking at Iris and Rebecca.

"They're my guests from outta town," Peach told her.

"And you brought them out here into the swamp?" Mabel asked. "That ain't being a very good host. Shoulda taken them to Uncle Junior's or the Velvet Palace."

"Day's still young, Mabel," Peach said. "Maybe you and your kin can go enjoy the pleasures of those fine establishments and we'll meet you there later."

Mabel smirked and looked back at her family. One was a muscular young man with a shaved head, who looked at Rebecca and Iris and smiled.

"Mitch is taken with your guests, Peach. Why don't they introduce themselves? He especially wants to get to know the little Mexican girl," Mabel said, pointing at Iris.

"I'm not Mexican, you fat hillbilly," Iris said.

"Iris, chill!" Rebecca said, grabbing her arm.

Peach got between the two sides. "That'll have to wait, Mabel. Why don't y'all take your boats and head on out. We're busy."

Rebecca got nervous when she saw Peach eyeing her rifle.

Mabel smirked. "All right. Have it your way. Come on, y'all," she said to her family as they left.

Peach watched them go and then got back in her seat. "We need to leave. Now." She then hit the engine and sped off.

III

It was a tense ride, with the engine being the only noise. Rebecca clung to her seat, looking out into the swamp when she heard the buzz of two more engines. The two Parsons boats appeared on either side, speeding up and flanking them.

"Shit!" Peach yelled while Rebecca and Iris clung to their seats. One of the boats bashed against the side of theirs. It was piloted by one of the two men, this one a skinny guy with a patchy beard. He carried two women on his boat, and they leapt from their boat onto Peach's.

"Shit!" Peach said, running to her rifle.

Rebecca watched one of the woman pull a revolver from her holster. "Peach! Watch out!"

Peach looked up just as the woman holding the gun raised it and fired. Peach's body jerk and she screamed and held her shoulder as she fell into the swamp.

"OH MY GOD!" Rebecca screamed, running to the edge of the boat. But before she got far, one of the women grabbed her around the waist and yanked her off of her feet. She heard Iris screaming too. She cried out for Peach and demanded the Parsons women let them go. Iris and Rebecca were both thrown onto one of the waiting boats, which then sped off.

Rebecca stared in disbelief at the spot in the water where Peach fell in. As they moved away, Rebecca caught a glimpse of a long, green body partially surfacing. A massive alligator with a long scar on its head came up, then dove under the murky water and swam toward where Peach fell in.

***

Hours later, Rebecca lay on a dingy wooden floor in a shack somewhere in the swamp. She had been stripped completely naked, and rough ropes hugged her body tightly. Her tiny tits poked out from the ropes around her chest, which looped back and kept her hands bound behind her. More rope ran from her wrists and looped down, connected to the ropes that bound her ankles with her legs crossed. She looked up at Iris, who had also been stripped and tied.

Iris was suspended from a beam on the low ceiling. Her bound feet touched the floor and her hands were kept above the beam. She had a panicked look on her face but tried not to let it show. "Becca,"she called out. "You okay?"

Rebecca nodded, even as she felt a tightness in her chest. "I...they shot Peach! What are were we gonna do?!"

Just then, they heard heavy footsteps outside the door. The door opened and Ma Parsons walked in, followed by her family. She looked the two captives over and smiled.

"Well now look at y'all, all trussed up like prized pigs."

"What do we do with 'em, ma?" One of her girls asked. She was skinny, with long, stringy hair.

"I don't know, Minnie," Ma Parsons told her daughter. "Don't no one know we got 'em. They come looking for Peach's boat, they might just think the Old Man got 'em all.

Ma's other daughter, Misty, this one chubby with short hair, leaned on her mothers shoulder and looked at them. "I say we ship 'em out west. Sell 'em to them slavers, you know?"

Ma seemed to consider it and looked at her other son, the one with the patchy beard. "What do you think, Maverick?"

"I don't care, as long as I get a taste, Ma," he said, licking his lips. He looked right at Rebecca. "I want the little one."

His brother Mitch walked up and looked at Iris with a very visible erection in his pants and Ma laughed. "You boys are just as bad as your daddy, rest his soul. Come on girls. We'll let the boys have their fun while we figure something out." She and her daughters then left. The brothers looked at each other and grinned, and Mitch walked over to the captive Iris. He grabbed her bare tits in his hands, licking his lips as he massaged them.

"Get off of me!" Iris screamed, trying to pull away. She loosed a tirade of curses at him in Spanish and he squeezed her throat to make her shut up.

"You cut that noise out now," Mitch threatened. "I wouldn't wanna do something I'm gonna regret."

Iris whimpered as Mitch got behind her.

Rebecca wanted to say something, but the tightness in her chest got worst and she was starting to struggle to breathe. Her heart raced and her head began to swim. She then fell over onto the floor.

"The hell's wrong with her?" Maverick asked, standing over her.

"Becca!" Iris said. "She's having an asthma attack, you idiot!"

"The fuck does that mean?" Maverick said, looking at her.

"Get her inhaler, stupid!"

"Her what?"

"It's one of them breathing things," Mitch told his brother. "It's probably in their clothes."

Maverick grumbled and went to a pile of discarded clothes in the corner and began going through them.

Rebecca tried to breath. She tried to focus on her environement and get her senses straight. She fixed her gaze on an exposed nail sticking from the wall when she felt her inhaler shoved in her mouth and breathed in her medicine. Moments later, her breathing came under control. Rough hands grabbed her and forced her to sit up.

"You okay, Becca?" Iris asked as the two Parsons brothers looked at her.

"She's fine," Mitch said. He then dropped his pants, his erect cock standing tall, and grabbed Iris' legs. He untied her ankles and she tried to kick him, but the big man simply laughed and held her thick, brown legs under his arms.

"Let go!" she demanded as he grabbed his cock and penetrated her. She cried out, trying to get free, but Mitch laughed and began fucking the helpless Latina. He leaned in, sucking on her meaty brown tits, and she grunted, protesting and trying to get free, but there was nothing she could do to stop him.

"Iris!" Rebecca said. She wanted to get up to help her friend, but Maverick grabbed her hair and pulled her back, shoving his erect cock in his face. She closed her mouth and turned away but Maverick tugged her hair harder. "Suck it, little girl, or I go over and gangfuck your little Mexican friend with my brother," he threatened.

"You piece of shit!" Rebecca hissed before opening her mouth and gagging when his cock got shoved in her mouth. She bobbed her head back and forth on the swollen cock, forcing it back as far as it would go. She was forced to lick its stiff length, taste every inch as Maverick grabbed the sides of her head and pushed back and forth, burying her face in his pubic mound time and again.

Rebecca looked to the side and saw Iris wasn't faring any better. Mitch continued fucking her, and at the same time was kissing her and squeezing her tits. As hard as she tried to push away, there was no escape for her.

Just then, Rebecca felt Maverick's body stiffen and he pulled his cock out. She yelled in surprised when he stroked himself a few times and emptied his load on her face.

"Ugh!" she gagged and spit. Maverick stepped back, smiling as his cock dripped on the floor. At the same time, Mitch, finished with Iris, pulled back from and looked upon his work as his his cum dripped from her slick thighs. The brothers laughed and then turned and left without a word.

"Fuckers!" Iris screamed at them.

Rebecca turned and looked back at the nail she saw. She scooched across the floor and put her back to it, lining it up with the ropes on her wrist.

"What are you doing?" Iris asked.

"Getting us out of here..."

***

Moments later, they were both free, and both women got their clothes back on. They ran out of the shack and onto the land outside, seeing they were behind a large house overgrown with local vegetation.

Rebecca looked around and saw a path around the side. "Come on!" she said, grabbing Iris' hand and leading her away.

The path took them around the front of the house, which led to a wooden walkway out into the swap. There was a large ring of torches at the perimeter and Rebecca remembered what Peach said about the Swampfolk being afraid of fire.

She stopped just long enough to get her bearings when she heard a door slam. "Hey!" Misty Parsons yelled. "Ma! They're getting away!"

"Fuck!" Iris said, pushing Rebecca along. Misty was right behind them, along with her sister and two brothers. Rebecca had Iris' hand in hers but felt it pulled from her. She looked back to see that Mitch had his arms around Iris' waist.

"Let me go!" she shrieked, kicking and screaming as Mitch dragged her back to the house.

"No!" Rebecca reached out for her, but the other siblings were closing in and Rebecca had no chance but to keep running as she saw Mitch dissapear into the house with Iris in his grasp.

Rebecca ran faster than she ever had in her life. She weaved between the trees, barely able to see in the dark. When she looked back, the wall of torches were gone, the house was gone, the siblings were gone. Iris was gone.

She stopped and looked back, and the tightness in her chest took hold again. She stumbled, holding herself up against a tree. She went into her pocket and found her inhaler, but fumbled with it and dropped it.

She bent down to grab it, but stopped when she heard movement. Then she saw them, lurking figures in the shadows, surrounding her on all sides. The Swampfolk had found her.

"No. No, no, no, no..." she panicked. Breathing got harder and she collapsed against the tree and slid to the ground. She brought her knees up to her face and cried as she felt grasping hands all over her body before everything went dark.

IV

"Rebecca Wilson," a voice boomed in the dark.

She couldn't see, and she felt herself floating in the expansive, pitch-black dark. "Wh...who's there? Am I dead...?"

"You live, Rebecca Wilson," the voice spoke.

"...Who are you?"

"I am the Lurker in the Mire. I have been in this place since your kind first appeared in the world."

"Please don't kill me! I have to help my friend!"

"I do not wish to harm you, Rebecca Wilson. Those who attacked you and your friend are enemies to nature. They are the ones against whom I want retribution."

"Wh..." Rebecca said. "...Why are you telling me this?"

"Be my agent on the surface. One who protects nature. I will grant you power to stop people like that."

"Are you serious?"

"I do not jest, Rebecca Wilson. Do you accept this?"

"Yes!" she said without hesitation.

"Then the pact is sealed. You will be reborn."

Rebecca floated in darkness for several silent seconds. "Hello? Mr. Lurker? Are you still there? AH!"

She screamed when something slithered up her body and wrapped around her leg. Then it grabbed her other leg and she realized from the sensation against her skin that she was naked. It felt like a tentacle, and Rebecca kicked and screamed, trying to get free. More of them grabbed her arms, keeping her from struggling, and then she felt them wrapping around her waist and slithering up her body.

"No! Stop!" she said. "I don't want to do this anymore!"

No response came. The tentacles slid between her legs, cupped her naked breasts, and began wrapping themselves around her head. She felt them slowly penetrating her, slipping into every hole they could.

"Nooo! Stop!!" she let out a muffled protest as the Lurker's tentacles had their way with her. She felt herself changing, felt something shifting within her as her mind started to become a haze and all of her senses began to fade.

*

"I don't want to be out here..." Minnie complained. "Them Swampfolk might be watching."

"Just shut up and keep looking," Maverick told her. "Ma told us to find that little bitch and we gotta do it or she's gonna kick our asses."

"Maybe the Swampfolk got her, or Ernesto," Minnie suggested.

"Maybe, but we need proof."

They pressed on, flashlights lighting their way and guns in hand. Minnie was in front when she heard her brother gag. She turned around and didn't see anyone behind her.

"Mav?!" she said, looking around. "Where'd you go." She heard rustling and looked up. Her light shone on Maverick, who was wrapped in thick vines and gagged. He indicated something behind her.

Minnie spun around and saw someone in front of her. It was a short woman, naked, with green skin and hair, standing perfectly still. "The fuck are you supposed to be?" Minnie said. She then shone her light. "Wait! You're that little city girl! What the fuck happened to you?!"

Rebecca looked up at Minnie and held out her hand. The trees around her shifted and the branches extended, grabbing Minnie by her arms and legs. She screamed as they wrapped her and lifted her up.

"No! Let go!!"

Rebecca gasped and looked at her hand, seeing her skin was green for the first time. "What...?"

Just then, all around her, Swampfolk emerged from behind the trees. They were tall and slender, covered in foliage and moving with near-complete silence.

"Oh fuck!" Minnie screamed. "OH FUCK!" There were seemingly over a dozen of them, and they fixed glowing eyes on her and her brother.

Rebecca looked at the Parsons siblings and then at the Swampfolk. "...What happens now?" she asked the one closest to her.

The creature slowly turned to her and raised an arm, pointing south. Rebecca looked and saw the path, realizing that was the way back to the Parsons house. She took one last look at the siblings before running off.

"No! Hey, shortstuff!" Minnie said. "Don't leave us with them! Please!" she begged. Rebecca ignored her screams as she ran through the swamp.

*

She arrived at the Parsons house minutes later and wasn't even winded. She looked at her green skin again, lit but the torches around the house. "Wait...is my asthma gone?" She breathed deep. "Holy shit! Yes!"  She cheered, grinning from ear to ear.

She went around the side of the house, back to the shack where she had been held prisoner. She paused and hid against the side of the house when she saw someone. It was Mitch, standing outside smoking a cigarette in the nude. His flaccid cock hung between his legs.

Rebecca narrowed his eyes, held out her hand, and focused.

"Wh...what the fuck?!" Mitch screamed. The grass opened up under his feet and he fell into the newly opened hole. Rebecca then closed it around his neck so only his head was above ground before she walked toward him.

"Who the hell are you?!" Mitch demanded. He got a look at the short, green, naked woman standing over him. "I don't fucking believe it..."

"Shut up!" Rebecca said, kicking him in the face. "Where's Iris, you prick?!"

“Becca? Is that you?” a voice called from inside the shack.

Rebecca ran inside to find Iris on her knees, chained to the floor. Her thighs were slick with cum and she had bruises on her naked body. Rebecca reached out and Iris recoiled.

“What happened to you?! Why the hell are you green?!”

“It’s a long story,” Rebecca said. She looked around and found Mitch’s clothes in a pile, along with beer cans and an ashtray with spent cigarettes. She found a key and undid Iris’ chains. Iris got up, still keeping her distance from Rebecca.

“Iris, come on…” Rebecca said.

Iris edged around her and then ran out.

“Iris!” Rebecca yelled, following her. She chased through the yard between the house and the shack and Rebecca could feel her newfound power, realizing she was faster than she’d ever been before. She nearly caught up with Iris when the backdoor to the house flung open. Rebecca saw the glint of a gun and commanded roots to come out of the ground. They grabbed Iris and pulled her down just as a shot went off.

Mabel and Misty stood on the back porch, with Mabel carrying a handgun while Misty had a shotgun. Rebecca rushed to Iris’ side and freed her legs.

“What the fuck…?” Misty asked, looking at Rebecca.

“Don’t just stand there girl, shoot ‘em!” Mabel said.

Iris screamed as the guns went up, and Rebecca shielded her just as the guns went off. The bullets deflected harmlessly as Rebecca grow thick plates of wood from her skin, forming an armor around her and protecting Iris. The two women kept firing and Rebecca shifted her armor into wood spikes that fired outward at them.

“Agh!” Misty screamed, catching one in the knee and going down. Mabel dove out of the way.

“Shit!” the Parsons patriarch said before getting up and fleeing.

Rebecca called up more roots from the ground and they grabbed Misty and dragged her off the porch, binding her to the ground and Rebecca took off after Mabel.

“Let me go!” Misty screamed. She then froze when a shotgun barrel hovered inches from her face and she looked up at to see Iris holding it.

“Give me a fucking reason, you weirdo hillbilly whore…” Iris said, keeping the gun aimed.

*

Mabel ran to the front of the house and looked back, seeing Rebecca behind her. She continued on, past the ring of fire and onto the wooden walkway that led out into the swamp. She came to a stop when the ground rumbled and swallowed some of the path, cutting off her escape. She then turned and saw Rebecca behind her.

“It’s over,” Rebecca said.

Mabel growled at her. “What the fuck happened to you? Why do you look like that? The Swampfolk do that to you?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m taking you to the cops, for killing Peach and for what you did to me and Iris.”

Mabel narrowed her eyes. “Where are Maverick and Minnie? You kill ‘em?”

“They’re out there somewhere. I left them with the Swampfolk. Maybe I need to drag you out there too,” Rebecca said.

Mabel stepped toward her. “You did what?! You left my kids with them damn monsters?!”

“You’re the fucking monster!” Rebecca fired back. She tensed up as Mabel stomped toward her. The big woman then surged forward, tackling the much smaller Rebecca to the ground. They wrestled, and Mabel, heavier and stronger, easily kept Rebecca pinned down. Rebecca put her hands in the woman’s face, trying to push her off, and she saw Mabel raise a fist to try to bring it down on her head. A branch from an tree came down and grabbed Mabel’s wrist, pulling her back and away, and Rebecca scrambled back to her feet.

Mabel grunted and ripped the branch free. “I’ma kill you!” She roared. “You and that little Mexican cunt! I ain’t gonna let some little green Thorn in my ass take my family from me!” 

Rebecca stepped back and then looked to the side when she saw something in the waters on the side of the walkway, right behind Mabel. She then saw two reptilian eyes, gleaming with primal intelligence, and a scaly head bearing a massive scar poked out of the water.

“Oh shit…” Rebecca gasped. “Behind you!”

“I ain’t fallin’ for that!” Mabel said. “What kinda idiot do you take me for?!” She then heard a deep, menacing bellow and turned around. 

“FUCK!” she screamed.

A gaping maw, full of razor sharp teeth, erupted from the murky depths and closed around Mabel’s arm and shoulder. She screamed, panicked, cursed and cried as the beast locked in and dragged her under.

Rebecca stood up, but was frozen in place. She saw thrashing in the water. She heard panicked screams. Mabel emerged for only a second, her blood spreading across the surface of the water as she swung her other arm wildly, partially trying to fight and partially trying to escape.

Ernesto then leapt up and dove down, his massive jaws coming down on the Parsons’ matriarch’s head, and they both went under. The thrashing stopped and the surface of the water bubbled.

After a few minutes, Rebecca walked to the edge, got to her knees, and looked into the water. That reptilian head popped up and Rebecca looked into the beast’s eyes.

“Hey...Ernesto...buddy…” she said, hesitantly reaching out. She touched his head, gently brushing her fingers on the scar. The beast the growled and dove back under the surface, vanishing from sight.

V

It was the next morning, Rebecca lay in a hospital bed and Iris was in the next bed over. There was a baseball game on TV but Iris was staring at Rebecca.

“Iris…”

“I’m sorry, Becca, but...you’re fucking green! Like a frog or something!”

Rebecca sighed and rolled over. “Just watch your damn game.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door and a young Sheriff's deputy entered, taking off his hat. “Morning, ladies,” he said. “My name’s Deputy Clem Jameson. I’m leading the investigation into what happened to you. I already read your statements but, I just need to hear it from you…what exactly happened to Mabel Parsons?”

“Ernesto got her, sir,” Rebecca said.

“You’re sure it was the Old Man of the Swamp himself?”

“Yes. I saw the scar,” Rebecca said.

Clem sighed. “This whole thing’s a mess. We’ve got Mitch and Misty. No sign of the other two kids, and if what you said about the Swampfolk is true, we ain’t ever gonna see them again…”

“Good riddance,” Iris said, staring at the TV.

“I don’t disagree, miss. Still…”

Rebecca sighed. “Deputy...did you find Peach’s body?”

“Peach?” Clem asked. “I don’t understand.”

“The Parsons shot her…” Rebecca said. “She fell off her boat and into the swamp.”

Clem blinked. “Miss Wilson, Peach is in another room on this very floor. She’s banged up, but she’s fine.”

Iris and Rebecca looked at each other.

“Hang on, one sec,” Clem said, leaving the room. He came back moments later, with Peach in tow. She wore a hospital gown and was covered in cuts and bruises. Her arm where she got shot was in a sling, but she was all smiles, otherwise.

“Hey y’all,” she said.

Rebecca jumped out of bed and hugged her.

“Whoa!” Peach said. She then looked at Rebecca. “...What happened to you?”

“I...have superpowers now,” she said.

“All right. Strange shit happens around here all the time. I’ll just accept that,” Peach said.

“How did you escape?” Iris asked.

Peach looked at her shoulder. “Bastards only winged me. I had to navigate my way outta the swamp with lead in my shoulder. I been running them swamps since I could walk, so it was fine. The Old Man was following me a bit. I thought he was gonna eat my ass but then he up and left me alone when I got close to where I left my truck. Are y’all all right?”

“Relatively…” Iris said.

Peach sat on her bed. “Well, I hope this don’t sour y’all to our town. First round at the bar’s on me when we get outta here.”

“Right, well, I’ll let you ladies rest,” Clem said.

“Thanks Clem,” Peach said as he left. She then sighed and looked up at the game on the TV. “Oh look, the Cyclones are losin’ again.”

“Shut up!” Iris said, turning away.

***

A few days later, Rebecca and Iris stood in the parking lot of the motel near the rented car they drove down from New York.

“You sure about this, Becca?” Iris asked.

“Yeah…” She looked at her hands. “I don’t know what this is...but I need to figure some things out. I’m gonna stick around for at least a few more days.”

“Yeah, well, I’m getting the fuck outta dodge,” Iris said. “The sooner I’m back in Queens, the better. How are you gonna get home?”

“Peach said she’d give me a ride to Delta City. I can catch the train from there,” Rebecca said.

The two of them shared a long hug.

“You smell like pine now,” Iris said. “It’s nice.”

“Peach said the same thing!” Rebecca said. She smelled her arm but couldn’t tell.

Iris smiled at her friend before getting in the car and starting it. Rebecca waved as she rolled out of the parking lot and onto the road out of town.

She let out a sigh and looked across the road to a clump of trees on the edge of some swamp. She crossed over and stood before them, basking in the sensation of grass on her bare feet. She held out her hands and watched as the tree’s branches grew, roots erupted from the ground, and the trees grew thicker.

“Holy shit…” she said in awe, looking at her hands and then back at the trees. With another thought, everything shrunk back to normal. She thought about what the Lurker in the Mire said, about being someone who protects nature on the surface. She had no idea what that really meant, but she knew her life was going to be very different from now on. She looked at her body, marveling at her green skin. She pulled the collar of her shirt and looked down at her tiny A-cups. “Even my nipples are green…” She looked around to make sure she was alone and then pulled the waistbands of her pants and underwear, and saw that she did, in fact, have green pubes too. “Well...this is my life.”

She then looked out at the water when she noticed movement. A pair of reptilian eyes looked at her for several long moments before slipping back under the water.

Rebecca turned and walked back across to the motel with a million questions running through her head. As she crossed the lot, she looked up when she heard a car approaching. It was a candy apple-red two-door coupe. She didn’t think anything of it until the driver honked at her and slowed to a stop.

Just then, the door opened and the driver got out. She was a tall, curvy redhead wearing a tank top and leggings. Rebecca noticed the choker on her neck with a gleaming red gem.

Cindy smiled and waved at her.

Just as Rebecca was about to say something, she noticed a shadow overhead before someone descended from the sky and landed next to the car. It was another woman, also tall and curvy. She wore a form-fitting black and white costume that showed off her lean arms and muscular thighs. She had white hair, pale skin, and red eyes.

Rebecca realized right away that she was looking at a pair of superheroines, and she felt a tinge of jealousy, wondering why the Lurker didn’t make her taller and give her a nice set of tits when it transformed her.

“Uh...hello…” Rebecca said to the two women.

“Hi, Rebecca,” V’lirra said to her. “Can we talk?”

The End