THE POOPTRIX

A Tea Party Hell © Production
Chapter 2

Jennifer sat on a bench in the park minding her own business. The sky was a nice shade of robin blue. It had been a week since the Count had showed up at her door, and she was starting to feel like whatever madness he was likely to have brought with him was out of the way for good. There weren't any menacing beings around the corner that would beg her to do something stupid, and furthermore, it was a weekend. She whistled and eyed the glistening lake down the hill by the flower path, until a marching figure came into view. It was a man in a trench-coat, a serious stern hawk by appearance, with a dark leather suitcase, and shiny work shoes. He stopped in front of her, and peeked out from over his shades, holding a side with his fingers. "I don't think you understand Poop." He muttered.

"What?"

"I said. I don't think you understand Poop."

"Uhm…o-"

"You don't understand Poop." He insisted.

"O-okay." He fumbled around in his pocket- it worried Jennifer that another set of blue and red pills were going to pop out, but instead it was a syringe. He mindlessly popped the cap and swung it towards her- digging with a single prickly feeling into her upper arm.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Jennifer screamed. Everything faded into black- she saw the face of the man with no expression in his shade-covered eyes slip away from all light, but growing higher and higher as if her body had become rag-doll size and was plummeting to the Earth. But this was no Earth that would break her fall, it was…it was…

……………………..

She felt like a baby cradled in a bubble- sleeping soundly in a bundle of blankets. There was something of very strange texture surrounding her body, but she couldn't quite make out her surroundings with eyes closed. For some reason she was so tired; almost too lazy to open them and simply see where she was…It…it must have been at home. Yes- she was dreaming all along, and there had been no Count, no man in shades, no nothing. Those were extremely illogical things!

She gathered enough energy to slide her arm up to her face to brush away some strayed hair, but the moment it rose over her head, a goopy substance slapped onto her forehead. "AH!" This caused her to shoot her eyes open and spring up from her resting place like a jack-in-the-box, but nearly hitting her head on the glass lining of…of a sphere. The sphere was half full of this same substance- it was a mix of brown, bronze, and even olive green- different in texture, though mostly thick and liquid-like. She was seated in the middle of it, rising her hand from inside, but surfacing a clump of it between her fingers. She dropped it nervously, staring down to her lap. The only thing covering her were some scraps of fabric around her chest and thighs- they were stained and damp, and there was a smell about them. For the first time in that instance, she let the scents of her atmosphere waft through her nose- it took just a couple of moments to recognize it before she screamed in blood-curdling horror, attempting to shoot up to the side of the sphere in any attempt to get away from it. It resulted in her feet slipping loose, and a face-first splat back into it. She rose immediately, still crying so desperately it was like she was ripping her vocal cords. "GODAMNITTTTTT!! AAAAAAAAAAGGHHH!! WHAT AM I DOING HERE?! WHAT IS THIS?!" Again, with failed efforts, she scrambled up and down the walls, and all she was really doing was spreading the feces further up the glass. She realized this after it was too late, falling back into the mud-like pool and sniffling with disgust. "Oh God…What is this…" Her eyes slowly wandered up the glass, peering through a place that had yet to be splattered with her struggles. She was in an endless dome of other captured victims, all in their own separate spheres, all sleeping or searching, or screaming just as she was, but she could not hear them. Frantically, her hands beat against the glass, her screams were like calls in space. Fists continued in a rhythm- her only thought was to be free! Nausea nearly set in as she felt the clumpy liquid between her toes. With continued blows, it took her just another between a crack in the glass appeared like a sliver. In inspired her to keep at it- creating even more and more until there was a spider-web appearance to the freedom seeping inside. "Yes! Hah-yes!" She shrieked psychotically. Her knuckles pounded once more into the center of the web, and a chip of glass came loose and tumbled down the contraptions beneath her, and over other glass spheres, until finally it hurled silently into darkness. The whole grew bigger with further efforts- though the sides of her hands were now dripping with blood. It became apparent to her by the spiky edges of the hole she'd created that it would be impossible to climb out on top and see where to go. However, on the other side, she wasn't willing to sit in this pile of…of…well you know…any longer. She flung herself through the hole and curled into a spinning girl with hair that whipped through the hair, joining the tiny piece of glass' fate. Her eyes were closed- she didn't know what to believe anymore! With arms like a mummy's over her chest, she fell through a black sky.

She landed, with seemingly no damage under a piercing bright light in the darkness. She was no longer an escaped prisoner of feces in scraps of clothing- she had been changed again, this time suiting black stretchy pants, a pair of sleek leather boots, and a flowing leather jacket to match. Her hands ran over the various new garments of clothing, her face contorted in confusion. She shouted desperately up to the light. "WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Slowly, other lights appeared around her- both near and far- there were even specks in the distance over this continued grid. The lights created large blocky shadows of buildings- all long and rectangular, with no windows or doors. Everything was in shades of grey- her eyes searched desperately through the shadows, settling with a halt on a figure stretched by a light in a far away hall. She was almost too afraid to step out of her circle of light, but decided to jump from each one to the other. The figure stayed stationary in the hall- while Jennifer approached it carefully, peering from behind a faceless building. It was still merely a silhouette, with a long pointy nose and a cigarette in hand. The smoke traveled towards her as she exposed herself from behind the corner. Still, it did not look towards her. "H-Hello?" She stepped forward. "Hello. Who are you? Where are we?" While her steps led her towards another light, it showered over his profile, and she knew immediately. "COUNT?!"

"Hello." He responded casually. She clutched her fists together.

"What do you mean 'hello'?!! Where are we?!"

"We're in the Pooptrix. Just like I told you."

"I told you I didn't want any part of this! What's going on?!! Why am I here?! Who was that guy that-"

"Silence. There will be many things that will confuse you, Jennifer. It's better to take them all without question and focus on the issue at hand."

"No! I want answers!"

"I am sorry. I honestly can't even answer most of your questions anyway. I've only been here a few times." Jennifer grunted under her breath.

"This is a real shit-hole, you know that?" She leaned against the opposite wall and stared the Count in the face. "Well?"

"Well what?" He asked apathetically while puffing the cigarette.

"You're supposed to agree with me! I am very uncomfortable right now. Don't you have any feelings about where we are?!?"

"Agh…women and their questions…" He shook his head tragically as a small line of smoke escaped his purple fabric lips. At this, Jennifer grew aggravated, narrowing her brow, and sauntering with a cringe towards the puppet.

"Listen, asshole, I'm not in a very good mood right now. I was already dealing with enough trouble without this Pooptrix stuff and your attitude." At this, the Count blew a raspberry.

"Yeah?! Well I'm not in a very good mood right now, either! You left me!" He yanked the cigarette from his mouth and pointed his index finger at her dramatically.

"Oh come on. You're a freak! How was I supposed to react?!" Just then he cut in with a prolonged gasp.

"HhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHhh! I am not a freak! I am a normal human being!"

"You're a puppet! From Transylvania! A-a-a-and you have a goatee! Those are ugly!" He clutched his goatee, gasping yet again.

"You did not just go there!"

"Hey you two!" A male voice shouted in the distance. The Count casually averted his eyes to behind Jennifer, while she flung her shoulders around to the disembodied voice in surprise. He was tall, lingering in and out of the lights towards them. Each time he hit them, she saw a bounce to his hair- his shoulders were slouched and his body seemed lanky. With each step closer, Jennifer's mouth dropped a little more. "How's it going?" Jennifer said nothing.

"…Josiah…uhm…" He was sporting a formal suit and necktie, and tipped a black top hat when he stopped in front of them. "W-w-w-what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you with your mission!" Her features grew further into a disgruntled overwhelmed contortion.

"What mission?!" He seemed surprised that she was still in the dark- he turned to the Count expectantly.

"Oh. You don't know? Well I guess we'll have to talk about it." The Count crossed his arms, sucking his face in like a hand was clutching it from the inside. "Count…do you have any ideas where to go?"

"I don't know." He spoke after a pause. "Maybe you should ask that bitch where to go. She clearly doesn't trust me since I'm such a fre-"

"Don't listen to him- he's in a grumpy mood because his tactless plan to get me here earlier failed. And I was kidnapped instead and apparently have no reason to be unhappy about it!" She shrieked into Josiah's face.

"Uhm…okay…well…I guess we could go rent a room somewhere-"

"I never said you didn't have a reason to be unhappy about it! I just said that you should deal with what is happening and realize that it's not even under my control! But instead of taking my words into consideration you personally attacked me!" He laid a hand over his heart, his mouth falling to the ends of his chin in grief.

"You had it coming, and you know it-"

"I get enough of this at home!"

"Well, maybe you just make it that easy to be picked on!"

"I am sensitive!"

"Uhm, excuse me." Josiah cut in. "Can we please get going?" Jennifer quickly stuck her tongue out at the Count, causing Josiah's brow to gather agitatedly. Jennifer noticed it and straightening her posture. "Okay. Uhm. Geez…just a second. I'm not very good at this." He raised his arms to the lights and closed his eyes, then twirled around girlishly. The buildings began to stretch and twist into the air, swirling into a tornado of grey hues. They landed swiftly in an apartment living room. Its colors were rich with deep red and chocolate- there were several love seats and a bar, with a plush king-size bed in the corner, surrounded with tall candles and a heart-shaped headboard. Jennifer grimaced with discontent. Josiah simply shrugged his shoulders. "Whoops. Penthouse level."

"Sure this wasn't intentional?…" She muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing." Josiah eyed her skeptically.

"Well…as long as we're here…wanna light some incense?" Jennifer wasn't sure who was the biggest creep at the moment. She contemplated inching towards the Count and holding to his arm, but simply backed up into a loveseat and seated herself awkwardly at the edge. The Count grumbled under his breath and sat at the other end. Meanwhile, Josiah skipped merrily to a cabinet by the bed, expecting a lovely selection of incense. His smile quickly wiped off his face.

"Jennifer?" She sighed heavily, crossing a leg and turning to stare at the wall.

"Yes?"

"Diarrhea or Shit'n'Roses?"

"What?!"

"The incense."

"Oh…uh…Shit'n'Roses…"

"Yeah, I know…not the best options here in the Pooptrix. But I think we'll live." He took out the wooden incense holder and set them neatly on the counter, preparing it optimistically and returning to the loveseat between Jennifer and the Count. "Sooo…" He tried to break the silence, lacing his fingers together over his lap. The two said nothing. "What've you two been up to, today?"

"Minding my own business and having my own life. Why?" Jennifer asked exasperatedly. Josiah inhaled, about to respond-

"I have my own life too, you know!"

"I don't care. Anyway-"

"Well you should. I never expected such absurd behavior from-"

"I am not acting absurdly! You're just being completely apathetic!"

"This is business, Jennifer- I-I-I can't just-"

"Business, oh yeah, right. I'm sure it is."
"You don't even-"

"Whatever!" Jennifer crossed her arms and plunked back into the seat to intentionally block the Count with Josiah. The Count paused, his eyes dropped to his lap, but hesitantly, he turned his face towards Jennifer's direction.

"I wish I'd never come he-"

"Oh shut up, you little shit." Josiah placed a hand over his mouth and coughed nervously.