Debbie seals her fate

“What are you looking at?” she snaps through tears. “Oh, look at me, I’m a mannequin in a fancy clothing store.”, Debbie mocks its empty stare, lifting the device unconsciously.

*Click*

The sound barely registers before something feels wrong.

“Wait—” Debbie gasps. “What’s happening?”

Shocked, she jumps up from the bench as a strange warmth washes over her, starting at her fingertips and spreading inward. The air around her shimmers faintly, like heat rising off asphalt.

“I feel… strange,” she whispers. Panic seeps into her voice. “No, no, no—” - Her body stiffens.

The world twists violently. A sudden pull yanks at her center, and a silent vortex snaps into existence around her. Colors blur. The bench vanishes. The mall dissolves into light—

And then it’s gone.

Debbie isn’t by the bench anymore. She's inside the clothing store...

Inside the display!

“Where am I?” she tries to say, but nothing comes out.

She tries to move her arms. Nothing happens. Her legs won’t bend. Her fingers won’t flex.

“Why can’t I move?” she screams internally.

Panic explodes in her mind as sensation drains away. Her skin feels wrong — smooth, cold, unyielding. She can’t feel her heartbeat. She can’t feel herself breathing.

“I can’t… speak either.”

Her thoughts race as she stares straight ahead, eyes locked open. She realizes, with dawning horror, that her reflection in the glass no longer looks human.

Plastic skin. Painted features. A perfect, lifeless pose.

She understands now.

That woman back then did not just pee herself. Jake did not betray her trust. It was all her fault! It was the little device she was still holding in her hand! And not it had changed her...

Turned her into exactly what she mocked.

Debbie stands motionless in the showcase window, transformed into a mannequin — silent, on display, exactly as recorded.

Time passes. People walk by outside the glass. Some glance at her briefly, others stop to admire the outfit. A child tugs on their parent’s sleeve and points. Someone remarks on how realistic the mannequins look this season. Debbie hears everything. She feels every second stretch endlessly onward.

Hours crawl by. The mall grows quieter. One by one, shop lights flick off. Storefronts darken.

Finally, the overhead lights dim.

Then go out completely.

Darkness settles over the mall.

Debbie remains standing — frozen, unseen, unheard — alone in the silent display window as night falls around her plastic body.

Author's note: This is the end of Chapter 01 of the comic. You can read that comic chapter for free on my homepage. I hope you enjoyed the story so far, and I have to see when I have time to sit down and start transcribing the second chapter into story form. (Small Teaser: It will be about the shop attendant who finds the dictaphone on that new mannequin's hand and accidently bimbofies herself!) In the meantime, maybe you wanna check out my page - I create 8 comic chapters each month, and there is already an extensive backlog.