Detective Rebecca Marvelli ran a hand through her hair, fighting back the urge to yawn as she looked down at the list of names once more.
Rachel Clark. She'd been the first to disappear. Then Michelle Clark, almost a month after that. A few days later, Sofia Marvelli...her sister...had been the third, along with Brooke Summers - who, until that point, had been considered a person of interest in the case. And then, most recently, a girl named Lexi Vargas.
Five girls, all gone without a trace.
No ransom notes. No cryptic messages.
No leads.
She put down her pen and rubbed a hand over her face, letting out a groan.
There was no rhyme or reason to it. There was no explanation as to why it had only been one girl for nearly a month, and then, without warning, a series of girls in quick succession. Was there a link between the two, or was Rachel an outlying case? Given the close relationships between the various girls in question, it seemed unlikely that it was just coincidence. But - if it had been a targeted thing, then why the fuck hadn't anyone given any kind of demands? Unless...unless it was some kind of human trafficking ring. That was a thought she'd tried to avoid, but it kept popping up. As horrible as it was, she'd almost rather find out that Sofia was dead than to learn she'd suffered a fate like that.
"Go home Detective," a voice said.
She looked up. One of the senior detectives was heading out of the office, looking down at her. Detective Pat Nickels. He was an alright sort, if not a bit overconfident about his skills sometimes.
"I am," she said. "I...I will. I'm just. You know."
He nodded in understanding. "I know. But you're of no use to anyone if you exhaust yourself."
"I know. Thanks."
He left, leaving Rebecca in a mostly silent office.
She couldn't give up on them. No matter what. She would do her best to find answers. Sofia herself...she'd seemed to suspect something. Because she'd left a note for Rebecca, saying that she was going to Brooke's and that she was worried Brooke was acting weird and that maybe she knew something about Rachel's disappearance. Naturally, that would have painted Brooke as one of the prime suspects, despite having cleared her initially.
Except then Brooke had vanished before they could question her.
And then, when they'd asked some of the employees at the dance club about what had happened the night Michelle had disappeared, they only had some vague descriptions of Michelle being led into the bathroom by another girl. She'd never been seen leaving, but there were no windows in the bathroom or any other exits. And Lexi had been asking questions about the girl - with the name Kate, though they had no last name - before she too had disappeared.
Growling in disappointment, Rebecca stood up and walked away from the desk. She wasn't going to find any answers tonight.
It was a cool night outside. She tightened her jacket around her and started walking to her car.
"Detective?"
She stiffened, hand dropping down to her service weapon. "Yes?" she asked.
"Good. Then I wasn't too late."
Rebecca turned, frowning. "I'm sorry?" She kept her hand on the service weapon; made sure this newcomer could see that.
It was a woman - her age was hard to pin down. She looked young, but had the bearings of someone older - face full of confidence and a projected sense of authority. She wore simple, plain clothing.
"Sorry - let me start over. I'm...a friend."
"A friend."
The woman sighed. "Yeah. All right. Let's just get this over with. My name is Lydia Blackstone. I'm a witch. You're in danger. Your sister and her friends have been taken by a very ambitious local witch who's power seems to have grown alarmingly quickly for someone relatively young." Rebecca says nothing, her hand still on the weapon. "She's extremely dangerous, and I'm not sure what her next moves will be - though I have to imagine the local witches will be the next ones in danger. And if you and the others keep looking into this, you'll be in danger as well."
"A witch," Rebecca says finally. "I see."
Lydia lets out a sigh. "We don't have time for this."
"Ma'am, are you drunk?"
"No. Alright. Look - I'll demonstrate it." She begins to wave her hands in the air.
"Hold it!" Rebecca snapped, drawing her weapon, eyes growing wide.
Lydia throws out her arms - as Rebecca squeezes down on the trigger, she finds that she's no longer holding a gun. She lets out a startled gasp as a dove flaps angrily in her hands - she lets it go, and watches in disbelief as it flies off into the night.
"Wh...what..." Rebecca gasps, stumbling back.
"I'm not lying to you, Detective. I'd like your help. I need a partner."
"That...you..."
"I know. Take a moment."
Rebecca finds herself leaning against the wall to steady herself. "Okay. Well. I may be more tired than I thought. Or that...really just happened."
"It really just happened," Lydia said.
"If - if you can do that, why the hell would you need me?"
"Because in my experience, witches can often get caught up in their magic. It's not limitless." Lydia frowns, her eyes flashing dangerously. "It's not supposed to be," she adds. "You have training and experience I don't - and more importantly, a way of looking at situations that I don't. That could be invaluable. But make no mistake - it'll be dangerous."
Rebecca nodded. "Well. Maybe I've finally lost it. Maybe I'm asleep in the precinct. But. Alright. I'm in."
"Good." Lydia takes out a small leather bracelet. "Here. Put this on. It's a protection charm - it may not be potent enough to shield you from direct spells, but - better something than nothing. And it will prevent other witches from scrying your location."
Rebecca shrugs. "Sure. If you say so."
Lydia tilts her head at Rebecca. "We should probably get started in the morning. I'll come to your place and we'll get started then, okay?"
"How do you know where I live?"
"Tracking spell."
"Right. Tracking spell. Sure. Of course." Rebecca lets Lydia put the bracelet on her. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow..." She hesitates. "Wait. You know the witch that...you know the one that has Sofia?"
Lydia nods, looking grave. "I don't know her well. Her name is Kate Yarbough. I've only met her once. But...she has a reputation. She's always wanted power. And she seems to have found a way to get it."
"...What...what did she do to my sister? And her friends?"
"I don't know," Lydia says. "But...it's probably nothing good."
---------------
'You've....oh fuck, fuck, fuck....you've been stuck like this....mmmmmmmmmmmmm....... for.... over a month?? And...you haven't gone insane...?' Lexi asked. And...that crazy girl... Brooke... she... she kept you? That's... so... mmmm... why won't it stop? Make it stop... ohhhh...it's sick...'
'Yeah....' Rachel says. 'It's....been....oh, mmmm....yes.....it's been.....hell. And...has also felt...really good...but...that's it's own... shit, yes, ohhh... own kind of hell...Kate said...she wouldn't let us...go insane...shit...'
'A month... no...n-no ....shitshitshit YES! ...fuck! No! Make it stop...! Oh my god...ugh! Ohhhhhhhh....'
'I'm sorry...mmmmm.....Lexi, right?'
'Y-yeah...'
'S-sorry...Lexi...this was...oh...Brooke...no...doesn't... doesn't she ever... get... oh... oh my god... Brooke! No!! Ohhhh....ooooooooh.... oh yes...' Michelle moaned. 'Fuuuuck I hate that it feels...so...good! FUUUUUCK! BROOKE! STOP - NO, DON'T STOP...mmmm...'
'Michelle...' Rachel moaned sadly. 'I...ffffuck...hate that she... went after you... she... she saw you ... in my memories...'
'GOOOOOODDDDDD! It's not... your fault... BROOKE, YES, RIGHT THERE... shit...OH SHIIIIIIT!'
'There has...to be a way... a way we can get... mmmm ... out of this...!!' Lexi insisted.
The four sex dolls were still strapped in the chairs. The vibrators were tirelessly pounding away. The pleasure was a constant churn - no release, no reprieves. Just a never-ending series of orgasmic bliss - of orgasmic hell. Their silicone bodies shook in the chairs, silicone bits jiggling like mad. For Lexi in particular, who had been flat chested - and not unhappy about that fact - it was a particularly new kind of hell to feel the artificial weight of her silicone tits bouncing like that, and to see them constantly at the lower edge of her vision. For the past several days, Brooke had been tirelessly attending to each of them in turn. Whatever Kate had done to the girl had apparently removed any need she had for sleep, for food - for anything other than 'caring' for the dolls. What it meant was that she was constantly adding on to their already overwhelming sense of pleasure - attention from Brooke usually made it impossible to focus on anything at all - not that they had much success focusing as it was. But Brooke was...attentive. And devoted. And very eager to please.
Very, very eager.
"So...beautiful..." Brooke murmured. "Oh Michelle, your body is amazing..."
'Fucking...Brooke...leave her...alone... Mmm.... hey ...Sofia?' Rachel asked. 'You've...mmm...been kind of...quiet...'
'It...never...stops...' Sofia's voice came, sounding miserable. 'I... had no...fuck...fuck...FUCK...idea...there's no...it never stops...it feels... it never... mmmmmmmmmmm.....god...'
'I would've...warned you...oh god...if I could have...'
'There's no end...to it...' Sofia moaned.
'There has to be a way out!!' Lexi cried. 'There...there has to! Oh...ohhhhhhh......'
'What can we do?' Sofia asked. 'We can't do a fucking....fucking.....fuuuuuuck.....thing!'
'There has to be - oh no! NO! It's...no...too much...mmm....s-stop...Brooke...go away! No, no! Stop! Not again! Please! I...ohhh...oh god...she's ...no ...no ....ohhhhh ....... OHHHHHHH.....!!!'
'S-shit...Sofia! Leave...her alone...!' Michelle snapped. 'She's scared...!'
'And I'm...mmm...not??'
'We all are! But don't just...we can't turn on each other...'
'We can't TURN at all!' Sofia grumbled.
'Sofia...' Rachel cautioned.
'I just...want...a release... I want...to go home... I want... this... to end... shit...it...never ends...this...is...fuuuuuuck.....'
'OHHHHHHH MAKE...MAKE HER... YES... PLEASE... MAKE HER... STOP...YES, RIGHT THERE... no... NO...mmmm... HELP...!!' Lexi moaned.
The girls fell silent, save for their silent moans of pleasure and their unheard begging for release.
Brooke held the doll that had been Lexi close, oblivious to the girls panic within. "Mmm... I don't know you... but... you're a sexy one...you all are...and...you're all mine..."
Rachel wondered, not for the first time, when Brooke had gone completely fucking insane. Was her friend really that depraved? Or had at least some of this been caused by Kate?
Neither answer sat well with her.
---------------------------
Theresa Mooncrest had been waiting for a moment like this. A moment where Kate would finally overstep her bounds. And oh, overstep them she had. Witches didn't have many rules in their society - such as it was - but one of the big ones was not causing a wave amongst the mortals, or causing undue suffering. And Kate...well. She'd caused quite a bit of a stir recently. Five missing girls, and a hell of a lot of expended magic. The mortals were noticing alright. It was becoming a top story on the news about the missing girls - and not just locally. It was beginning to spread.
And that was all Theresa needed.
She'd called in the local coven.
Theresa and Kate were the newest in the coven - Theresa was a sophomore in college, and Kate was just out of high school. But they'd both shown lots of promise, and so, the older witches had eagerly brought them into the fold. Most of the time the coven was only called in to touch bases every couple years, and they offered training and advice.
But Kate had only been interested in one thing - power. She'd wanted to know the most advanced spells. To figure out how to increase the amount of energy they could harness. She'd scoffed at Theresa when she'd told the other witch that it wasn't about the amount of power, but how you used it.
It was now very clear Kate did not agree with that.
"She has to be stopped," Theresa said.
"I agree," Agnes said, the older hedge witch frowning. "Clearly the girl has gone too far. Kidnapping a mortal here and there, well - what's the big deal? But this much attention, this much power - it's too much."
"Indeed," Dolores said. "I'm not...comfortable with the idea of bringing her to task. But in this case - yes. I'm concerned by the amount of power I've felt stirring in the city as of late."
"Likewise," Theresa said. "It's kept me on edge for the few days. Whatever she's doing is creating a powerful nexus of energy. Too much energy for any witch. For her sake - and for ours - we have to stop it."
"Agreed," Agnes said.
"I think we should..." Theresa began.
There was a subtle rustling - but it wasn't the wind.
The hair on her arm stood up. She felt...it was power. Someone was using magic.
A lot of magic.
And it was close.
"...oh no," Theresa said. She stood up. "Kate? Is that you? You have to stop this!"
A laugh echoed from the doorway. A moment later, Kate appeared, her eyes glittering dangerously. "Do I?" she questioned.
"Yes! What you're doing - by the gods, how much power are you trying to harness? How did you get it?"
Kate laughed again, sauntering into the room. "Oh Theresa. Dear, dear Theresa. I could explain. But I think I'd rather show you instead."
Theresa narrowed her eyes. "I'll fight you if I have to - we all will."
"All of you? Are you sure about that?"
Theresa became acutely aware of how quiet the room had become. She looked around and let out a gasp. The other witches - they'd been turned to stone.
"...no...!" Theresa gasped. "How? The amount of power this would require...!"
Kate giggled. "I am well aware!" she told her. "I'm surprised it took you this long to try and poke around in my business. You've always been a nosy one. You've always resented my abilities. Well. Now you see the price for that. As though you could stop me! None of you have the power to stop me!" She began to approach Theresa, a wicked smile on her face.
"S-stay back!" Theresa protested.
She tried to fire off a blasting spell - but Kate simply waved a hand and brushed it aside as though fending off a gnat.
"Aw, I knew you liked to play rough," Kate teased her. Theresa stumbled back, but Kate's hands shot out and grabbed her around the wrist. "Good news for you - so does a friend of mine. Don't look so worried! What I have in store for you - it's going to blow your mind." She giggled.
And then, a sense of vertigo overcame Theresa. She let out a gasp, and stumbled a bit; Kate quickly whipped her around and held her firmly by the arms, keeping her standing upright. They were no longer in the townhouse; instead, they were in a dimly lit room.
The sense of energy emanating from it was enough to make Theresa fall to her knees.
"...so much...energy..." Theresa gasped. "...how?"
Kate knelt down next to her and smiled. "Take a look."
Theresa looked up - and with dawning horror - saw what the room held. Four realistic looking sex dolls had been strapped into chairs and were being relentlessly penetrated by vibrators again and again...what in the world was that about...while an entranced girl was going around and having her way with them. Theresa's vision blurred, and then she became aware of a new sense - the anguish and pleasure and fear emanating...from the dolls. The dolls. They weren't just dolls.
They were alive. The missing girls.
The missing girls...they were the dolls.
"Gods...Kate...what have you done...?!" Theresa gasped in horror.
Kate smiled. "Beautiful, aren't they?" she whispered. "And...dear Theresa... don't worry... you're about to find out exactly what I've done to them."