15 for 15 Contest --- Closed

Janice could hear them moving around above her. She wasn't sure what they were, but some kind of insect with dozens and dozens of legs. Their tiny feet made a skittering noise on the lid of the box and she found herself having to hold back a scream. It didn't matter if she screamed. Nobody heard her and nobody came, but since she heard the bugs, she had been terrified that one would come through the breathing holes in the wooden box and slither into her ear or mouth. Just the thought was enough to move her to tears.

Janice wasn't normally squeamish about insects, but after what seemed like weeks of confinement in this wooden box, she was terrified of everything. The last thing she remembered was sitting at the bar flirting with a hot guy. She was flattered at his attention. Guys didn't normally pay much attention to her in bars. She had plenty of male friends, but at 36, she was still a virgin and would likely remain one. She laughed at the thought. She was certain that whoever left her in this box wouldn't be concerned with her sexual status.

She hadn't been saving herself for anyone special, although that is what she told her friends to save herself the embarrassment of admitting that no man had ever been interested. Not even the drunk and desperate ones. She pushed her head back away from the breathing hole as the skittering of the insects came closer. She pictured a pile of them up there following her scent and wanting a taste. Bile rose into her mouth and she moaned in fear. She was tired of waiting for the end and wished it was over already.

Screaming hadn't helped. Prayers didn't change her situation. Crying and pleading didn't sway her captor, if he was even out there to be swayed. She realized it had to be the guy at the bar. Why else would he talk to her? She was easy prey; desperate for attention.

A millipede stuck its head into the box. Janice screamed, "Let me out! Please, please, let me out!" Unable to contain the fear any longer she rocked back and forth against the sides until she could feel her arms bleeding. One after another, the millipedes dropped into the box. Now she could feel them on her legs and arms and was certain they would start feeding on her flesh any moment.

Geoff sat outside the box and listened to the girl scream. His notepad, titled "Fear Experiment" was filling up rapidly and he had just inserted the seventh tape into the cassette recorder. He thought this one would die faster than the others. His hypothesis was that the more sociable the subject, the longer it would take for them to die as they had been in more mentally stressful situations than those who were more isolated. This one was the most introverted yet so she should prove his theory quite well. He smiled as her screams increased. It wouldn't be long now.