You decided that the chamber was your only real hope of slipping away from the canine unseen. The cow and the bear were already ‘full’, so they wouldn’t have any cause to attack you… right? You slipped through the secret entrance you had previously uncovered, and closed it silently behind you, moments before the canine ran hurriedly by. You tensed up, hearing her rush down the hallway, until breathing a sigh of relief when she was finally out of earshot. You silently pulled the door open again, peeking into the hallway, holding your breath as you check to see if she was really gone. Just as the tension was at its highest, you yelped in fright as you felt a hand grab your shoulder from behind. “Aaahhh!” You reacted, whipping around, only to see the bear towering over you.
“Whoa! Relax, buddy,” he said, pushing the door closed so the canine wouldn’t hear — which had the added effect of locking you in here with him. You looked up at his smiling face, stunned, as you took in every detail of his bare - no pun intended - body. Knowing that it wasn’t just a costume, you were stunned at his features. You had never seen anything quite like him before. You were about eye-level with his huge belly, too, and cringed when you saw visible hand prints from the inside. He crossed his arms, smirking as he looked down on you. “You made the right choice comin’ back here. This is actually where the key’s hidden.”
He stepped aside, to reveal the cow sitting on a nearby, dusty couch, dangling the keys in the air. “You missed them the first time! I thought you were a goner!” She giggled, waving them around, beckoning to you. A bit of hope returned to you. They may be your literal key out of this terrible place…
“You want ‘em, right?” The bear said, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. “Then let's have a seat.” You didn’t want to do as he said, but with his sheer natural strength, you were powerless to disobey. Soon, you were made to join the two nude anthros on the couch, squished up between them as they lounged around. They were about 8 feet tall each, and quite chubby, leaving you very little space on the couch — making matters worse, you were about belly-level, and their bellies were churning and gurgling incredibly loudly as they worked on the people within. You shuddered, trying to focus on your objective; the key. She seemed to have it absent-mindedly clutched in her other hand while she types away at her phone.
“S-so… w-what are you up to?” You said, gesturing to her phone, trying to figure out how you were going to get the keys from her.
“Oh, I’m just keeping my fans updated! They love seeing pics of my belly when it’s all big and round,” she smiles, giggling as she jiggles her gut up and down with a hand. “Especially when it’s filled with such a lively, squirmy meal!” You’ve deduced that Kevin is in the cow’s belly, and Maria is in the bear’s; meaning that Kevin probably has much more time before it’s too late to save him, as morbid as that thought was.
“Do you think you might…” You ask, knowing you had to come up with some way to free your friends. “Let him out afterwards?”
“Heavens, no! And give up such a delightful treat?” she waves a hand dismissively, as if the very notion was ridiculous. “Nope, your friend here’s just going to be churned up into another year’s supply of delicious milk! Maybe a little fat, too — I wouldn’t mind!”
“But that’s…” You said, tears forming in your eyes. “You can’t j-just… do that to somebody.”
“Oh, c’mon. It’s all in good fun!” The bear laughed, jokingly punching you lightly in the shoulder, startling you. “They were warned there were risks when they walked in here. That’s what makes our haunted house so thrilling; the danger is real!” The cow smiled and nodded in agreement, while you just looked at him, horrified at his logic. He frowned, seeing you still weren’t satisfied. “Hey. This is our only chance all year for snacks like this, and your friends fit the bill. How would it benefit us to let them out?” You stared at the ground sadly, unable to answer his question. Seeing you were defeated, he raised the key up in front of your face, letting you grab it with a hand. “Look. Our friend’s still out there, searching for you. She’ll probably be here any minute now. I advise you focus on saving yourself, pal.”
You clutch at the key. It was your ticket out of here, and yet… could you really justify just leaving your friends behind? You couldn’t abandon them, but… if you stayed, you’d probably just be devoured as well. How would that help anything? Once again, you needed to make a choice quickly… and this was probably the hardest choice of all...