Night of the Walking Ditz

Just a little horror story without any sex.

Synopsis: A group of university students are thrust into an impossible situation when their campus is invaded by a powerful entity with a penchant for dumb, busty blondes

This was originally written and posted on my now-defunct tumblr page years ago, and now I present it here, heavily modified, for your enjoyment. Let me know what you think!

Also posted on the EMCSA.

I can hear them everywhere. The clicking of their stilettos is deafening as they echo around the otherwise silent halls. I don't even know where they came from. None of us were wearing heels when we got here, not that it matters. After seeing what he did to Stephanie, I’m sure conjuring up some plastic platform heels is child’s play for him.

A tittering giggle sends a chill down my spine, but I can’t tell where it’s coming from. The sounds bounce off the brick walls at weird angles and it makes it impossible to know where they are or where they're going. I never paid much attention to the acoustics before during my countless treks through these hallways, but why would I? I always thought campus was safe. I guess I took that for granted. Now, as darkness swallows the hallway like a malicious shroud, I can hardly make out what's ten feet away from me, and I'm terrified of being found.

But why is it so dark? Aren't there supposed to be emergency lights? Or even fire exits? What the hell is going on? Why is this happening to us? Why is he doing this?

The once comfortable and safe halls of the university have become a labyrinthian hell. What was supposed to be a regular late night lab session with the group has turned into a nightmare and I just want to wake up. I want it to be over. I think I'm safe hiding under this desk… for now. I should really keep trying to get out, but both exits I've tried were locked. I don't want to keep venturing out and exposing myself if it's ultimately pointless, but I also don't want to stay here like a sitting duck. I don't think they'll find me here, but I also don't know how long I'll have to wait. How long is it until dawn? Will it even come? What time is it even? My phone is as dark as the hallway lights. I don't even know how long it's been since… since it all started.

As had become custom this semester, we were holed up in the lab working on a project. We were prepared for an all-nighter, without any plans of going home before lecture tomorrow. There were six of us: Cadence, Stephanie, Alicia, Tanis, Maddie and me. I still don't know how we managed to convince our professor to allow us to have a group of six, maybe it was because we were the only six women in our class, but regardless, we work really well together! Our only foible is that we tend to leave the bulk of the work until the last minute. Hence the all-nighter in the lab…

Alicia had left the lab to use the bathroom pretty early in the night and she never came back. I don’t know when the first of us noticed that she was missing - we had been pretty enthralled with our work - we just suddenly realized that she hadn’t come back and when she didn’t answer her phone or respond to our texts, we all became a little worried.

Our imaginations started running wild as we tried to consider what had happened to her. The school had always felt safe, even at night, but in the wake of a missing friend, the ominous darkness outside the lab set our minds on fire. I guess as a bunch of women in their twenties, we were all a little too well-versed in true crime for our own good. We decided, as a group, to go look for her. The bathroom wasn’t too far away, but we figured that the five of us going was better than just one. We wanted to have the strength in numbers just in case there was someone dangerous on campus. In retrospect, I wish it was just that.

It wasn’t until after we checked the empty bathroom and left to go search elsewhere for Alicia that we first noticed him. Even though he was standing in the middle of the hall, he still managed to be obscured by shadows, but accompanying him was a busty blonde bombshell with the most infuriating giggle - a lilting syncopation that was incessantly inconsistent. While it was hard, no… impossible, to make out any details of the man, the woman's trashy and skimpy outfit was clear as day. Even in the dark, the pink nearly hurt my eyes.

But he… he was obscured. He stood like a bad dream that wouldn't materialize and even though we couldn’t see him, it was still clear that he was facing us.

Watching us.

“H-hey!” called out Stephanie, “We’re looking for our friend! A geeky redhead girl with glasses, have you seen her?” I knew right away that it was a mistake to engage with them, but that was who Stephanie was: hot-headed and impulsive. Thinking back, I'm now sure that the only actual mistake any of us made was leaving the lab in the first place, but hearing Stephanie call out to him felt like the choice we would all regret. His responding silence was deafening and was only amplified by the giggle of his arm candy.

We looked at each other with a mixture of confusion, fear and anger, and then back at the duo. I can't explain it, but I swear they were somehow closer.

“Hellooo?” asked Maddie with a wave of her arm. Again, there was no active response. Just a teasing giggle and dead silence. This made Stephanie’s rage boil over.

“Hey!” she yelled out and stomped forward, causing her brown hair to bounce with each step. “We’re talking to you! Have you seen our friend? It’s an easy fuckin que-” It was in the middle of her rant that Stephanie just froze. She was only a couple of metres away from the couple, but seemingly frozen in place. I think at this point we were all confused and we started tentatively approaching her.

What happened next will haunt me for the rest of my life… if I even manage to make it out of here as myself. As we crept closed, Stephanie turned on the spot, but she was still frozen. It was more like somebody grabbed her from above and rotated her like a statuette. She turned to face us and plastered on her face was a wide eyed, toothy smile. It was like something out of a horror movie. Nothing could have prepared us for that.

Then the man moved for the first time: he raised his arm to chest height, outstretched like he was pointing at her, at us, and snapped his fingers. Stephanie levitated into the air, still frozen, still with the same terrifying smile. I wanted to rush over and pull her down, I wanted to be able to get her out of there, but I was frozen in terror. I think everyone else was too, because only Cadence moved at that point and she was backing away. It was probably the smartest thing to do, but you don't exactly think about things like that in the moment.

Stephanie's brown hair started moving separately from her body. It moved above her head and stood on end like she was in a giant electrical field. It wasn’t easy to notice at first, but it soon became obvious that her hair was actually changing. Starting from the tips, it was like the colour drained from them. I watched in absolute shock as inch-by-inch her beautiful brown hair took on a platinum shade of blonde.

To be honest, it probably distracted me from everything else that happened, and it wasn’t until her clothing literally exploded from her body with a deafening bang that I realized her hair wasn’t the only thing to change. Before, Stephanie had a fairly slim and athletic build, but the woman floating in front of us looked like she was designed to be a walking wet dream.

Her boobs were the size of cantaloupes, jutting out from her chest like gravity-defying orbs. A wasp-thin waist emphasized how her new boobs stood out in perfect symmetry with her now curvaceous hips and ass. She looked like a life-size Barbie doll, except she wasn't smoothed out in the places where kids shouldn't be exploring. I hardly had time to take it all in before she started descending once again. Her bare feet delicately touched the ground and her body finally reanimated.

Framed by a halo of platinum locks, Stephanie looked around with wide eyes and incredibly slutty makeup. It didn’t even look like she recognized that we were present. She looked down at her chest and slowly grabbed her globes with perfectly manicured hands.

It was Tanis who broke the silence, “Steph, are you OK?” Nothing could prepare us for what followed.

The naked vixen, our previously serious and short-tempered friend, looked up at us with a silly, dopey smile across her face and just giggled. The same lawless tittering as the other woman. It was like nails on a chalkboard, especially once the other joined in. It was then that I noticed that they had moved again. There was no mistaking it. The man and woman were right beside Stephanie now. His hand firmly grasped on her impossibly round bubble butt.

I don’t know who ran first, but it didn’t take long for everyone to decide to get the hell out of there, and so we ran. We moved together at first and I don’t even know how we all separated, but I soon found myself alone, trying desperately to find somewhere to hide.

I’ve been scurrying from hiding spot to hiding spot ever since, trying any exit I can find only to discover they're inexplicably locked. From the sounds of it, he’s found at least a couple more of my friends. It’s probably just a matter of time before he finds me too. I just hope I can make it until dawn, until people start arriving at school and I can find my salvation.

I should probably move soon. As safe as it feels, they're likely to look under this desk at some point. It sounds like I might have an opportunity. I can still hear the clicking and the giggling, but it’s faint right now. I can't see it, but I know another exit is a small dash away. I would just need to run ten yards, take a right turn and then the doors should be there. Doors with big crash bars so I can just run right through them and out of the building.

I steel my nerves and listen intently. Even with how strangely the sounds bounce around, I know they're far away. This is my chance. I scurry from under the desk and dash into the darkness, my sneakers barely squeak on the floor. Ten yards. Turn right. Doors.

Thud.

“No no no no…” The doors won't budge. Fuck. No matter how many times I push the bar, the door just won't open. Oh God. I don't know where else to go! This was the only other exit I could think of…

Is he doing this? … Are we just stuck here? Did he trap us here to hunt us like some kind of sick game?

Fuck. There’s something shuffling behind me. It's so dark, I can't see! Fuck fuck. Is it him? Come on, door, open! There has to be a way out!

A hand grabs my shoulder. I nearly scream, but a voice whispers at me and I recognize that it's Tanis. “Hey hey hey, stop. You're making too much noise.” She pulls my hands off the crash bars.

I nearly burst into tears from the pent up panic. Tanis pulls me away from the door and we both slump onto the floor. My body feels flushed, my heart is racing a million times per minute, I feel like I'm going to throw up, I just need a minute, but Tanis reminds me that we don't have time. “We have to move. There's no way they didn't hear you banging on the door.”

I wipe my eyes, nod my head and start leading Tanis back to the desk I was under - my own temporary safe haven. It'll be cramped with both of us under there, but maybe - just maybe - they won't see us when they come to check out the door.

I hear the clicking of their heels again. With how the sound bounces, it feels like there's a goddamn army of them. Maybe there is. I don't know. We both hunker under the desk. It's definitely cramped, but we can fit. Tanis is cradling my back because of how tight it is. I can feel her head pressed against my back, her breath is hot through my shirt so as not to make a sound, and her hands are resting against my ribs.

“Come out, come out wherever you are…” I hear a sing-songy voice. It's closer than I expected given how the heels echo, but then it also feels like it's coming from everywhere. I hear a gaggle of giggles respond, but I still can't figure out where they are. I'm trying to control my breathing so I can hear better… but also so they can't hear me. Feeling Tanis’ fingers dig into my sides certainly doesn't help.

Click.

Tanis's hands clutch harder against my ribs and she begins to shake. I slowly turn my head to look into the darkness and I see a dainty foot supported by a clear plastic stiletto beside us.

Click.

Another foot falls as she stops beside our table, mere inches from our cover. Did she used to be one of my friends? Is this Stephanie? Alicia?

“Where aaaare youuu?”
“Just come out and play!”
“I swear it's totes better than stupid science-y stuff!”

It's multiple voices now, like vapid caricatures of our friends. God, I wish they'd just go back to giggling. Tanis is panicking. I can feel her hands trembling and her breath is fast and shallow into my shoulder. It's taking everything I can not to join her, but I don't have anything to muffle my breathing.

I hear a muffled whimper and their taunting calls instantly stop. Fuck. Was that Tanis? Was it me?
The stilettos in front of me turn. Tanis’s fingers dig into my ribs so hard I can only grit my teeth and bear it.

“Found you!” one of them chirps - farther off, not the one standing beside us.

“No, no, no, no…” comes a rapid, panicked response. I can’t really tell who it is. Is it Cadence? Maddie? Oh God, does that mean they still don't know that Tanis and I are here? I'm horrified by my relief.

Giggling fills the halls again, like a pack of coyotes yipping and celebrating a fresh kill. Whoever is beside us takes off toward their victim. The clicking of her heels adds a percussive beat to their bone-chilling symphony.

Tanis is freaking out now. She can't muffle her sobs into my back anymore. Luckily the torrent of melodic giggles drowns her out, but who knows how long that will last. I reach back and grab her hand, pry it from my ribs, and give her a little tug - hopefully it's enough to prepare her. If we can’t get out of the school, maybe we can lock ourselves safely into another room. I know there’s a bathroom not far from here, in the opposite direction of my fr- of them. I know I can’t tell Tanis my plan; I can only hope she’ll follow.

I pull out from under the desk, dragging Tanis with me. The desk scrapes across the floor with a deafening groan. I just hope they’re too preoccupied with their catch to come after us. We run full speed down the dark hallway. I'm relying on muscle memory and pure hope not to slam into anything.

Tanis’ hand slips out of mine, but I hear her still running directly behind me. The bathroom isn’t far now. I recognize bits and silhouettes of things around me: the staircase to my left and the shuttered coffee shop just past it.

“Over here, Tanis!” I whisper and jolt to my right. My hands find the door and, to my relief, it moves. I hope that the soundI made hitting it catches Tanis' attention. I hold the door for her and…

Nothing.

Tanis isn’t there. She's just gone.

How could she not be there? She was right behind me!

“Tanis!” I hiss into the darkness, but there’s no response. I strain my ears for something, for anything, but there’s nothing. Nothing except the growing click of their heels and their simpering voices. I don't think they're distracted anymore.

“Tanis!!” I hiss.

Nothing.

They're getting closer now. I can't risk it. Fuck. Tanis, where did you go? I shut the door and flick the deadbolt. The door blocks out the noise and I collapse to the ground. It's dark in here, but a different kind of dark than out there. In here it's just pitch black. In here it's dark because there simply is no light. The dark out in the hallways feels different. Like it's a fog of shadow. I can't really explain it.

They're getting closer. I can hear their giggles through the door now. And the clicking of their heels. It's maddening. They must be right outside… maybe by the coffee shop. I should be safe here, though. If I just stay put and stay quiet, they won't be able to get to me.

Right?

The door rattles. I jump, but fight my urge to yelp. I've been in lockdown drills before, I can do this. It rattles again. They're tittering just outside. It's obvious they're trying to be sneaky, but it's like they can't contain their giggles. It'd be endearing if it wasn't so fucking terrifying.

Eventually the rattling stops. “I'm booored…” one of them says like a petulant child. The giggles fade away as they click away down the hall. Now all I can hear is my heart pounding in my ear and my shaky breath in the pitch black dark.

I stay motionless on the floor, clutching my knees to my chest. I'm just going to stay here until morning. Until I hear the normal sounds of the campus, like regular students chatting or even shoes that aren't fucking heels. God, what I wouldn't give to hear something else. Something normal.

Thud!

I scream. Fuck, I screamed. I wasn't expecting that. It was deafening, like something ran full bore into the door.

There's another thud. I don't scream this time, but whoever is out there knows I'm here. I wait for another thud, but it doesn't come. Instead, there's frantic knocking and the door begins rattling again. It's different from before. It feels rapid, desperate.

“Is someone in there? Let me in!”

Oh my God. It's Maddie! She sounds terrified and panicked.

I scramble up, feeling for the deadbolt in the dark, flick it over and yank the door open.

Nothing.

The hallway is empty. No Maddie. No Tanis. Just that awful blanket of darkness. There isn't even a noise. I can't hear their heels clicking or their-

“Found yooou!”

My heart sinks and the chorus of giggling picks up again, not far away from me.

“No!” I yell and I try to slam the door, but my body doesn't cooperate. I think I'm paralyzed by fear.

Then the darkness thins, like a fog lifting in sunshine. It isn't bright like a light was turned on, but like it stopped being oppressed. The shadows pull away revealing a sight I've been dreading all night. Three metres away, four figures stand watching.

Four perfectly blonde bimbos. Facing me. Smiling.
Giggling.

Their makeup is garish and flawless. Reds, pinks, blacks Perfectly painted lips frame dazzling white teeth. Clothes fit for a strip club tightly wrap their exaggerated curves. Their boobs project like perfect spheres from their chests, the size of bowling balls, or cantaloupes, or watermelons. They defy gravity despite only being contained by tube tops, bandeaus or bikinis. My four former friends (though I can't tell who is who) stand in their platform stilettos smiling lustfully, hungrily at me.

But wait, where is he? Where is the man? He’s not in the shadows behind them. He's not groping them. He's not fondling them. He’s not…

I feel a breath on the back of my neck. I want to turn and lash out, or scream and run away. But I can't. Or won't. I don't know which and I don't even have time to test it before I receive my answer. My body begins to turn without any movement and I'm forced to face my stalker. Even inches away, I can hardly make out any details. In the bathroom, shadows bathe over him like a cold fog. I can't see so much as an outline of his face, except for his thin lips curled into a daunting sneer. My body hovers slightly until my face is level with his. I wonder if my expression portrays any of the terror wracking my body, or if I'm stuck smiling at him with the same crazed smile that Stephanie had earlier. He chuckles, a distant, frosty chuckle, and blows a single, putrid puff of air into my face.

I’m taken back by it, but I can’t move. My body doesn’t even flinch. My eyes can't even blink. All I can do is stare as he retreats and dissipates into the darkness enveloping the bathroom where I had taken refuge.

It’s over now. I know it. I think I can feel my body changing. I can’t move my head, but I so desperately want to see what’s happening. Surely I'm not just imagining the extra weight on my chest, or how my jeans are pulling strangely around the seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a lock of my curly black hair. As if it is its own creature, it slithers away and straightens out, losing the shape that is such a big part of my identity. I watch in terror as the colour starts to bleed away, and it takes on the same platinum blonde shade as the cackling quartet behind me.

I can feel my shirt start to strain against my chest. The buttons struggle to hold everything in. I feel like it should hurt, but instead all I feel is pleasure. Sweet pleasure. Oh my God, it feels so good. I take notice again of my blonde hair. I can’t even see any …um… black anymore, it’s just, like, completely blonde. My lips feel like they’re pushing forward and I can see them move at the bottom of my periph-periph-per… at the bottom of my vision.

My belt creaks and groans as my new curvy hips fill in, and I can even hear it above the melodic chorus of giggles behind me. With a bang, my clothes, like, fly off, just like Steffie’s did! My titanic titties are free and they feel, like, so good! I see the walls raise as I lower to the ground. I touch the floor with platform heels. They feel totally perfect on my super sexy feet!

It’s completely …um… silent and I notice I can, like, move again! Oh my God! My boobies are so hot! And they feel so good to squeeze. I hear a cute giggle behind me and I look at my totally hot friends. Oh, fuck. They're, like, so sexy and I wanna have clothes just like theirs. Like a totally hot bikini top for my titties and a super sexy mini skirt so I can, like, bend over and show off with them. Obvs, they're thinking the same thing, because Madds is dangling a white bikini from her hand and Cady is showing off a totally hot gold mini skirt like she's some fancy model on a game show or something! We all break out into a fit of giggles. It’s just so much fun!

I teeter over to my sexy besties and grab the clothes from them. It's, like, such a bummer to cover up my new hot bod, but I know that I'll look fucking fabs with it on. We're all, like, so totally hot now, I can't wait to see what Tanis will think. Oh my God! I wonder what Tanis is going to look like when he ...um... changes her! She's going to look so scrumptious when he's done! We should try to find her! I wonder where she is.

“Taaaaniiis…” I sing.