Outside of orifices on her own body or on those of her lovers, Jack wasn’t a fan of cramped spaces. The natural light pouring in from the partially open tunnel also was a much needed escape from the darkness they’d been plunged into after Parasoul had been taken. She wasn’t sure how much ground they’d travelled since entering the sewer, but she knew it had to be enough that the monsters that had chased them underground had to be long gone. The possibility that there were other creatures waiting up above to tear them to pieces either before or after brutally raping them was strong, but every damn choice was a risk. With that in mind, Jack settled on the option that made her skin crawl the least. She passed her decision on to the others.

“Everyone keep your eyes open,” she told them. “We move slow so we don’t attract any attention, but the second anyone sees anything peeking its head into the tunnel, we haul ass.” It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was the best she could come up with. She glanced to Samus. “That sound good to you?” The second opinion wasn’t necessary, but she wanted to keep pushing the woman to just take charge already.

The problem was, although she was marginally less rough around the edges than Jack, Samus had about as much experience leading a group as the tattooed woman. She preferred working alone for the exact reason Jack didn’t want to remain in charge. Making choices that could – most likely would – get other people killed wasn’t something she regarded as fun. So she offered Jack a shrug and a simple, “Yep.” She had every intention of doing what she could to help, but she’d already barely gotten through a close encounter with the Legions. She wasn’t keen on repeating the experience to test her luck even further. She certainly didn’t want the responsibility of being held accountable for decisions when she might have to be a bit cold-hearted to ensure she stayed alive.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, bitch, Jack thought, rolling her eyes and moving into the damaged tunnel. Chunks of asphalt littered the tunnel floor. Thankfully, none of them were large enough to slow down their progress much, but there was no shortage of tripping hazards. The group’s focus largely fixed on the open air above them. After being underground for so long, the sight of the sky should have been soothing, but it only felt like a threat. With the stench of decay permeating the Necropolis, they weren’t even given the benefit of some fresh air. The sky looked clear, but each of the women knew that could change at any moment. The open top of the tunnel wasn’t large enough to allow some of the larger monsters to drop into the sewer with them, but a Hell Flyer or two would have no trouble swooping down and plucking them into their clutches.

The fleshy shuffling sound wasn’t very loud at first, but the survivors heard it. Eyes and weapons trained on the opening above them, shifting back and forth as they waited with rising tension for whatever the hell was coming towards them. A silent hope that whatever it was would simply pass them by without noticing the open tunnel permeated the group, along with a dreadful certainty that they weren’t that lucky. Their fears were proven accurate as the creature came into view, dragging itself forward towards the start of the tunnel behind them. Bringing up the rear, Supergirl was the first to spot the thing. The abomination of bulging, twisted flesh was enough to quicken her step and raise her pulse to alarming levels. She called out to the others, but they’d already seen what she’d seen.

The Doomgape wasn’t the largest of the Necropolis monsters, but it was big enough to be serious threat. But it was the creature’s grotesque design that was the most frightening. There wasn’t a nightmare in the Necropolis that wasn’t a fan of eating its prey in some fashion or another. The Doomgape seemed designed exclusively for eating. The majority of its body was dominated by a massive mouth, gnarled yellow teeth sprouting from its gums. The teeth were roughly the size of an average human’s forearm. A spear-like tongue whipped about from deep in the thing’s gullet, sweeping from side to side, tasting the air for fresh prey. Apart from the mouth, the Doomgape only grew more disturbing. Wrinkled, lumpy flesh – a sickly yellowish hue – made up the portion of its body that wasn’t used for eating. Dozens of scrawny, malformed arms grew from the thing’s sides and back, curling fingers stretching out to latch onto solid ground and drag its significant bulk along. There was no sign of eyes on the thing, but there was no doubt that it somehow could sense them.

Dragging itself over the open tunnel, the Doomgape lost its grip momentarily. Its fat bulk slid into the tunnel, blocking the way back. With a wall of gnashing teeth now behind them, none of the women had any desire to go that way. Despite the tight squeeze and the scrawny state of its arms, the Doomgape managed to keep dragging itself forward, closing the distance towards the group with gradual but persistent speed. The women with projectile weapons made their way to the rear, unloading into the thing’s gaping mouth. Despite its bulbous appearance, the Doomgape’s flesh was hardened, resisting their attacks and showing no signs of damage. Killing it might have been possible, but it wouldn’t be easy. Jack called off the attack. “Everybody move your asses!” she yelled to the others, leading by example as she pushed her way back to the front.

Outpacing the Doomgape wasn’t an issue, even with the rubble littering the tunnel floor. The problem came at the end of the open passage. The damaged tunnel terminated at a solid door, held shut by a mechanical lock. The control panel beside it had power, but it demanded an absurdly long keycode before it would allow them access further into the sewers. Jack snagged Ellie by the arm, tugging her towards the door.

“Open it,” she demanded.

Ellie gave the panel a look, frustration mixing with the fear already on her face. “I… can’t. It would take too long.”

Quorra moved in beside the pair, looking the mechanism over. “My disc,” she offered. “It should be able to brute force a solution.”

“How long?” Jack asked her.

Quorra didn’t have a real answer. “Hopefully, not long.”

Jack nodded. It was the best option they had. “Do it.” She turned back to the others. Everyone was crowded up at the tunnel’s exit. The Doomgape was still a good ways behind them, but growing closer with each passing moment. She looked over her choices, choosing fast, almost on a whim. “Taki, Supergirl, Samus,” she called to them. “Buy us some time.” She had no idea how they’d do it, but that wasn’t her problem anymore. It was theirs. Delegation, she thought. That’s what leaders do, right?

Of the three, only Samus had a gun, but that didn’t stop Supergirl or Taki from doing as they were told. The trio moved to the rear of the group, Samus staying the furthest back to resume shooting at the monster. Supergirl and Taki moved in closer, staying just out of range of the Doomgape’s swiping tongue. With nothing but their fists to fight with, Supergirl found a way to aid the distraction, scooping up a hefty chunk of asphalt and hurling it towards the creature. The Doomgape snapped its hungry jaws closed, crushing the piece of debris into pebbles. The taste didn’t seem to satisfy the creature, but it did slow its progress just a bit. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to encourage Taki to join in, grabbing up a piece of rubble and hurling it at the monster. Supergirl and Taki took turns grabbing and throwing, dancing from side to side, ducking under the long tongue as it strained to find them.

It took several long minutes for Quorra’s disc to crack through the door control’s security. The menu flashed green, confirming the code before allowing them to open the door. It slid to the side, revealing the passage beyond. Jack was very thankful that there hadn’t been a group of zombies or other creatures waiting for them on the other side. “Door’s open!” she yelled back before ushering Quorra through. She went in next, not wanting to leave the woman alone in an unexplored area. It looked safe enough, but there was no telling how long that would last. The group piled through the door one at a time. Supergirl, Samus, and Taki began to work their way back, half-focused on retreat, half-focused on keeping the Doomgape at bay. A soft dinging from the door was all the warning it gave before it began to slide closed again. “Hurry the fuck up!” Jack yelled at the three women still on the wrong side of the door.

The sight of their escape route sealing back up was more than enough motivation to get the women running. Samus reached the passage first, darting through without a second thought. Supergirl got there next. The door was already more than halfway closed, forcing her to turn to the side and slide through. She turned back, extending an arm through the shrinking passage towards Taki. “C’mon, you can make it!”

Taki reached the door, grabbing hold of Supergirl’s outstretched hand. She twisted to the side, knowing it was going to be a painful squeeze through the narrow gap but determined to make it. Her eyes lit up with horror as her progress stuttered to a stop. She looked down, letting out a groan of dismay as she saw the Doomgape’s slithering tongue looped tightly around her belly. Her hands shot out, one still gripping Supergirl’s while the other hooked around the side of the door, straining to pull herself free. The tongue tightened around her, securing its hold before yanking her backwards. Taki let out a scream as her hands slipped, legs kicking up in front of her as she was hauled towards the hungry creature. Her pleading face stared into Supergirl’s shocked eyes. The blonde heroine barely managed to yank her arm back through the closing door, saving her limb but losing sight of Taki.

Supergirl moved to the control panel on the other side, finding it locked again. She turned to Quorra. “Get it open again,” she insisted.

Quorra was just as distressed as Supergirl, but she hesitated, looking to Jack.

Jack shook her head. “We can’t,” she decided. “If that thing manages to follow us in here, we’re going to be in a much worse state.” She looked to Supergirl. “I’m sorry. I can’t let that happen.”

Supergirl looked from Jack to the door, face scrunching up with frustrated misery. “But… we’ve already lost so much.” She struggled to keep her tears in check, but it wasn’t a fight she was winning. “When does it stop? When do we make a stand?”

Jack sighed, stepped closer to the woman. I really hate this shit, she thought as she did her best to place a comforting hand on Supergirl’s shoulder. “We make a stand when it’s not guaranteed to get us all killed. Until then, all we can do is keep pushing forward. Try to make sure that none of their deaths were in vain.” The words felt clunky in Jack’s mouth, even clunkier passing her lips, but she realized something strange. She actually believed them. She’d been on the receiving end of a number of Commander Shepard’s pep talks before being snatched into the Necropolis. They’d always sounded like sappy bullshit. Now that she was the one spewing out the sappy bullshit, she realized that – sometimes – it was the only thing you could do.

***

In the time it had taken Jack to spew her sappy bullshit, the Doomgape had pulled Taki into its clutches. She still faced the sealed door, the shock of her failure to escape weighing down on her as her limbs were snared by several of the creature’s hands. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she stared hard at the closed door, hoping the others would come back for her. She wasn’t dead yet. They had to know that. Even if they didn’t, she believed they had to try to come back for her. She understood why they’d not attempted to rescue Parasoul. There’d been zombies. She’d been taken so fast, faster than she’d been taken. Getting up the vertical tunnel would have been next to impossible. But the only thing between her and potential salvation was a stupid door. And just like nearly every other creature in the Necropolis, the Doomgape seemed eager to play with its food. Which meant there was time. She could be rescued.

At least, that was the desperate hope Taki clung to, unaware that the others were already putting distance between themselves and the sealed door. The tongue loosened from around her waist, sliding along her body. She whimpered as the tip of the appendage reached her face, lapping up her tears and sweat. She gagged as it pushed into her mouth briefly, tasting the putrid flavor of its saliva on her tongue. The Doomgape sampled Taki’s flavor thoroughly, finding it enjoyed her bare flesh significantly more than the skin-tight bodysuit she wore. Sharp barbs protruded from the tip of the creature’s tongue, snagging the fabric and tearing through it. Being blind, the Doomgape wasn’t skillful in its disrobing of the woman, but it didn’t have to be. The bulk of her outfit was reduced to tatters, shallow scratches etched across the tops of her breasts and along her thighs. The barbs retracted to prevent any further damage to her body as the Doomgape resumed licking Taki’s body. It slid through her cleavage and under the mounds of her heaving breasts, enjoying the sweat it found there. It dipped into her shallow bellybutton, finding a tasty nugget of lint. But then the tongue slipped between Taki’s parted thighs and the Doomgape found the woman’s true flavor.

The tip of the monster’s tongue nuzzled into the cleft of Taki’s cunt lips, dragging back and forth with growing force. Strain crept across the woman’s face as she struggled against the unwanted pleasure of the stimulation, but she could do nothing to keep the flow of her juices from leaking out onto the waiting tongue. The taste of her cunt honey excited the Doomgape, encouraging the thing to lap across her folds with quicker strokes. Taki panted and whined, limbs straining against the grip of the hands holding her up. She gasped as the slender end of the tongue wiggled its way into her snatch, curling about to explore every inch of her tight, shuddering pussy. Taki’s nipples stiffened with arousal. Her head rolled back, eyes squeezing shut as she fought back the oncoming orgasm tightening in her loins, barely aware of the thin line of drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, horrified at just how good the thorough exploration of her cunt felt. Taki opened her eyes, staring at the door, seeing it was still shut. They had to hurry. They had to rescue her before the monster made her cum. She didn’t want to experience such an embarrassing fate. It would have been better to be eaten outright. At least there would have been some dignity in that. Not much, but certainly more than being forced to cum over the creature’s probing tongue.

But the others were long gone, already certain that Taki was dead. The woman shuddered in the Doomgape’s grip, breath quickening as her pleasure edged dangerously close to orgasm. She kept fighting right until the end. The tidal wave of ecstasy that finally ripped through her was all the more powerful because of how badly she’d fought to resist it. Taki’s mouth gaped open, howling out her release as her cunt gushed fluids across the squirming tongue. Her muscles snapped tense, breasts jiggling from the rapid thudding of her heart. Her buttocks tightened, hips jerking against the tongue fucking her snatch with animalistic motions. When the orgasm finally passed, Taki’s head drooped forward, gasping for air and drenched in sweat. She’d been beaten into a humiliating defeat, left feeling filthy and hopeless.

Taki released a weak groan as the tongue slithered free of her quivering cunt. She was still recovering from the powerful release when the hands holding her flung her backwards, into the Doomgape’s waiting mouth. She gasped, sucking in enough air to scream, but her pleasure-dulled mind reacted too slowly to release the shriek. The massive mouth snapped shut around her, teeth tearing through her soft meat and crunching through her bones. A couple of long teeth pushed through her brown hair and punched through her skull, impaling her brain before driving her pathetic face into a lower set of teeth, destroying her head completely. One outstretched arm – the same one that had been holding onto Supergirl’s hand – was severed and flung free of the gnashing teeth. Her breasts exploded under the force of the bite, spewing blood and fat onto the creature’s wildly wagging tongue. Her thick thighs were diced to gory ribbons, twitching toes sliding down the Doomgape’s gullet. Tangles of the woman’s steaming viscera became trapped between the chomping teeth, chewed into more manageable lengths before being slurped down like thick, bloody lengths of spaghetti. It took only three big bites to reduce Taki from a fully intact woman down to thoroughly masticated slop.

Swallowing down the bulk of Taki’s tasty body, the Doomgape turned its attention to the messy spatter of blood that had leaked out onto the floor. Its tongue extending, lapping through the wet pool. Finding her severed arm, it curled around the limb and tossed it into its mouth, swallowing it whole. Taki’s dead hand flopped as it sank down the Doomgape’s throat, offering a post-mortem wave to the sealed door and the survivors who’d abandoned her. With the last solid morsel of the woman consumed, the creature continued to lick away her blood from the tunnel floor, too busy enjoying the leftovers of its tasty meal to consider pursuing the rest of the women.