Vikki Rubbervixen is copyright her creator and used with permission. *** Vikki’s life came to an end while at work on a Monday. Mere minutes before she was going to die, she was scurrying into a small duct, dragging thick cables with her. “Vikki!” “Yes Diego?” “We’ll need to hurry this up. We got a full mile of these cables to thread through.” “On it,” Vikki called back, wiggling her way through the tight, coffin like enclosure of the duct. Her thick rubber body glove squeaked against the cables already laid down. With only seconds to live, Vikki squirmed onwards, wiping some of the sweat from her forehead, dreading how dirty her white fur was going to be at the end of the day. She was going to need a long, powerful shower with lots of hot water to wash out the gook and gunk. A few floors above her, one of Vikki’s co-workers, on his first day on the job, was busy maneuvering a heavy safe into its new office. Unfortunately, he was still unused to driving forklifts, and didn’t have the experience to safely move heavy items around. It was inevitable that when he came to an abrupt stop, the momentum sent the heavy safe teetering upon its platform, then off and onto the floor. Two tons of steel and iron tore through the floor, crashing into the room below, then crashing through that as well, its progress barely slowed as it continued on. Vikki heard the safe slamming down above her, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. Then the safe hit the duct and went clean through, and the time for thinking was over. There was nothing but darkness. But that inky void only lasted a moment before a light appeared. But none of the panicking workers or supervisors saw it, or were even aware of it. Only Vikki, floating in the air, saw it. For a few moments however, she was too shocked to look at it, focused instead upon the crushed duct, and the safe that had come to a stop two stories below, her crushed body trapped underneath it, cables still clenched tightly in her dead fist. Staring at her body, Vikki was only able to say one thing. “Oh shit.” The shock only lasted a moment though, for then she was suddenly pulled into the light, going through what seemed to be a very long tunnel of light. Curious, she let the pull take her in, watching as she reached the end. The light faded, giving way to what appeared to be a world made of clouds. Looking around, Vikki tried to figure out where she was. Was this real? A hallucination perhaps? A last, desperate move by her brain to conjure a fantasy to make her last moments of existence pleasant? Looking down at herself, Vikki poked her rubbered chest. It moved. She tried pinching herself. It hurt. If this was a hallucination meant to make her happy, including pain would make no sense. The only conclusion she could come to was that this was really happening. This place was no illusion. There was a large gate nearby. Coming closer, Vikki saw that it looked like the tall, pearly gates she saw so often in cartoons and children’s books about an afterlife. It was almost too comical, actually seeing them. Yet, they were more awe inspiring than any book could ever hope to convey, for they towered over her, engraved and embedded with all manner of pearls, gems, and beautiful stones. Yet, Vikki couldn’t help but notice that, from the way the gates were constructed, it seemed that they were built to hold people in, rather then keeping them out. But still, she was curious. Just what was beyond those gates? There was a small desk in front of the gates. A human woman was sitting at it, taking some notes, humming to herself. She didn’t seem to notice Vikki. What was curious is that rather then a white robe, as Vikki would have expected, the woman was wearing glasses, a black leather bodysuit, with a matching trench coat worn over it. “Hello?” Vikki asked curiously. The woman looked up. “Could you please tell me where I am?” “The gates of the afterlife,” the woman said. Vikki noticed that she had a nametag. It read, “Elizabeth”. “Hello Elizabeth… so I take it I died?” Elizabeth nodded. “That would be a good guess. Let me bring up your file.” She turned to a computer and brought up a long list of data, scrolled through it. “Vikki RS1-2050. Died from being accidentally crushed while at work.” Elizabeth looked at the data more closely. “Curious… this says you’re a GELF, a Genetically-Engineered Life Form.” “Yes, I am. Er, was. One of the first, actually.” “Fascinating… I have yet to meet anyone like you before.” Elizabeth thought for a moment, as if caught in a trance. “Intriguing… I must learn more. But come, let us go in.” With a press of a button, the gates swung open. A mist emerged, masking whatever was beyond it. Rising from her desk, Elizabeth walked over, motioning for Vikki to follow. “Come.” Vikki nodded and obediently followed her. Walking into the mist, Vikki was most immediately struck by how thick it was. Even through the rubber suit, she could feel it press against her as she moved through it. “Where are we going?” She asked. “Heaven?” “Not quite.” Elizabeth said. “What do you mean?” “You will see in a moment.” Sure enough, the mist began to clear. It was becoming lighter, as if a powerful light was shining through it. Shortly after, it finally cleared, giving view to a landscape beyond. Vikki had been expecting something divine, fantastic, and beautiful beyond mortal comprehension. Instead, what she saw looked more like a tropical resort. It was a large land, similar to Hawaii, complete with numerous palm trees, lots of flowing grass, and beaches. The sky was overcast, clouds drifting lazily through, rain occasionally falling to the ground below. “Heaven looks a lot like Hawaii.” She said. “I do not know. Like I said, this is not heaven.” “Then what is it?” Vikki asked, curious. “I will explain as we go,” Elizabeth said, starting down a path. “Come.” Vikki wanted to look over this strange land, but she followed. “So what is this place?” “It began over a thousand years ago, by your reckoning of time. I died, and was taken to the gates of Paradise… only to discover that I was not allowed inside.” Elizabeth went slightly pale at the memory. “In addition to my own sins, the powers in charge had grown tired of the human race, with all our evil ways, so they were closing Paradise to the human race forever. Everyone, from that day on, was to head straight to the Inferno, no matter how righteous or evil they had been.” “So what did you do?” “I begged with them, and eventually made an offer. If they didn’t want humanity, I would take them. Give me a realm of my own, I said, and I’ll take humanity. They thought about it, then decided to grant me my request. I was given a realm to call my own, to rule as I see fit. So with that, all humans were entrusted to me. But there was a catch.” “What was it?” “I would be in charge of both punishment and reward for those who arrived. And virtually everyone, no matter how good they are, requires punishment for what they had done in life, from murders to stealing, to telling lies and even hitting each other.” “Even as kids?” “Even as little babes.” Vikki pondered what she had heard. “Seems awfully strict.” “Those were the terms.” Elizabeth said. “Punish humanity for what they have done, then do whatever you want with them afterwards. So I decided to create this place.” They had reached the end of the trail, and were coming up to one of the many groves of trees. They were much like the ones Vikki had seen on Earth. But she was surprised they weren’t more vibrant. “Why aren’t these more colorful?” She asked. “The true beauty of this place is in Paradise,” Elizabeth said. “This island is not meant to be too beautiful. It is meant to be a place of inner reflection.” “Speaking of which, where is everybody?” “Only new arrivals are here… them, and those suffering a light punishment.” “Light?” “My realm is divided into three areas. The island where we are now is what you would call Purgatory. The second Island would be the Inferno. The third Island is Paradise.” “Why did you create this place like that?” “I lived during the era of the Spanish Inquisition,” Elizabeth said. “I modeled this place after my own understanding. Of Purgatory and Paradise, I had to improvise, but the Inferno was all too easy to create.” “What do you mean?” Elizabeth thought for a moment. “I will tell you later. But for now, I must arrange for the latest crossing to the Inferno. There, you will be judged, and receive the appropriate punishments.” “And what are some of those punishments?” Vikki asked nervously. “There are all manner of punishments in this place, too many for me to count, for the human mind can come up with all manner of devilish means. But you will find out some of them soon enough. But while I prepare the boat, you must be restrained, for every individual here wears, at a minimum, a set of arm and leg cuffs, so that they don’t escape.” Reaching into the pockets of her coat, Elizabeth pulled out a set of handcuffs, leg cuffs, and a leather restraint belt. Vikki looked at the restraints, but didn’t object as Elizabeth knelt and clasped the leg cuffs around her ankles, cinching them tightly around her rubber suit. Standing, she took the belt in hand. “Raise your arms.” Elizabeth’s tone was firm. Vikki did so, looking down as the belt was wrapped around her waist and buckled down tightly, the large metal “O” positioned in front for the handcuffs to go through. “Arms down.” Vikki lowered her arms, offering them to Elizabeth, who took her left wrist and locked a cuff around it. “You are surprisingly calm about this.” Elizabeth remarked. “Were you sexually deviant in life?” Vikki blushed, her ears flicking. “Maybe a little.” For the first time, Elizabeth gave a smile. “I think I’ll enjoy meeting your kind here. You seen more interested in getting locked up then everyone else.” Elizabeth moved to put the other cuff on, but Vikki raised her hand. “Actually, could I?” It took a moment for Elizabeth to figure out what Vikki was talking about. She nodded, letting go. Vikki took the cuff and threaded it through the ring, then clasped it around her other wrist, locking it in place. Now restrained, Vikki patiently waited for whatever Elizabeth would order her to do next. It was a conditioned behaviour that had served her well in life and from what she’d heard so far, still applicable. “The process will not take long,” she said. “Until then, you may explore this place as you will. I will return for you when the time is right.” With that, she walked off, leaving Vikki to herself. Turning, Vikki looked around, trying to decide where to go. She eventually decided to head for the beach, to see what lay along the way. Starting down a path, she took her time, for the leg cuffs were doing their job of restricting her leg movement. There was a pleasant breeze as Vikki walked, the dim sun gently warming her rubber suit. Even if this was Purgatory, she wouldn’t mind enjoying this type of weather for centuries. With all the trees and greenery, this was a pleasant place to be. All that was out of place were the rubber covered people dangling from the trees. Vikki stopped, surprised. She did a double take and saw that, indeed, there were people dangling from the trees, hanging from vines wrapped around their necks. All were encased inside thick rubber sleep sacks. One of them, the lowest, saw Vikki. “New here?” He asked. “Doesn’t that hurt?” Vikki asked, concerned. The man shrugged. “Not really. It becomes a little annoying every now and then, but you get used to it. You don’t need to breathe, after all, when you’re dead.” Vikki nodded. “But what are you doing here?” “Doing my time. I was sentenced to one hundred years as a birdfeeder.” He indicated the small plates strapped to the bag, which had birdfeed in them. “It’s not bad, all things considered. Could be a lot worse.” “How so?” The man chuckled. “You really are new here. There are some guys buried in the beach who’ll be watching the tides come in and go out for a thousand years.” Vikki cringed. “Why so long?” “What’s one thousand years in light of eternity?” Pondering the statement, Vikki peered up at the others swaying in the breeze, noticing something. “Why is everyone so young?” She asked. “You all look like you’re… ” “Thirty? Well, everyone turns thirty when they come here. Peak of health, or something like that. You won’t see any old people here.” A few birds flew over, landed on the plates and began to peck away at the food. “Oh, could I ask you a favor?” “Yes?” “A buddy of mine named Jerry is down at the graves. Could you go and say hi to him for me?” Vikki nodded. “Of course.” “The name’s Mike. Just tell him I said hi, and I haven’t forgotten that poker match we’re going to have.” Vikki nodded again. “I’ll let him know.” Mike smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate it. And pardon me for asking, but what exactly are you? You’re obviously not human.” “I’m a GELF. Genetically Engineered Life Form.” “Hmm… must have come after my time. Well, see you around then.” Vikki nodded, “Nice meeting you, Mike.” “The graves are to your left.” Mike added as she started off down the path. “Oh, thanks.” Turning left, Vikki left the trees and the living birdfeeders behind. Continuing down the path, Vikki passed a few other people, all restrained like her. She got numerous looks, all curious. It was apparent that nobody had ever seen anything like her. “Of the hundreds of us made, could I possibly be the first to have ‘bought it’?” However, Vikki soon discovered a problem. There were numerous graveyards around this place, each one containing many graves, from which people were buried standing up, their heads sticking out of the ground. Finding one individual could take a long time. Choosing a spot at random, she walked up to those buried there. “Excuse me? I’m looking for someone named Jerry. Have you seen him?” One of the people looked up at her. “Three rows down to the left.” “Thanks.” Leaving, Vikki followed the directions and ended at a large mass grave, where dozens of people were buried together, their heads turned so that they were looking down a hill towards the ocean and the endless horizon beyond. “Is there a Jerry here?” She called out. “Over here,” A voice said. Looking to the direction of the voice, Vikki found it in the black form of a mummified head, with only the face exposed, the eyes and the rest of the face hidden from sight. “Are you Jerry?” Vikki asked. “The one and only.” It was a surprise to see someone mummified and mostly buried like this, making Vikki loose her focus for a second, wondering what it must be like to be in such a predicament. “Did you have something you wanted to ask?” Vikki shook her head. “Sorry. Mike says hi, and that he hasn’t forgotten that poker match the two of you are going to have.” Jerry smiled. “Glad to hear his sense of humor is still going.” “How long are you going to be here?” Vikki asked. “Another twenty five years.” Jerry said. “Halfway there.” “Doesn’t it get boring?” A pause. “Well, sometimes. But we get new arrivals every day, so there’s lots of people to talk to.” “Sometimes too much,” another mummified head said. A second, wrapped up to his nose, rolled his eyes in agreement. “So, when did you get here?” Jerry asked. “Just an hour ago.” “So you haven’t been tried yet?” “No.” “Hmm… well, I wish you the best of luck. If you’re really lucky, you’ll come back here and join us.” “Why is that?” “Well, those who have light punishments, or those who accept what they’ve done and don’t try to fight it, often come back here to Purgatory. Those who have medium to heavy sentences, or just plan nasty people in general, stay on the Inferno.” Jerry shuddered. “I’m so glad I didn’t stay there. It’s a really horrible place.” Vikki thought for a moment. “What are some of the things they try you for?” “How kind you were, how charitable you were, goodwill, all that sort of thing. If you’re mostly good, you come back here. If not, then it’s off to the dungeons you go, and you’re not seen again for hundreds, maybe even millions of years. If you’re the worst of the worst… then you’re never seen again.” “Wait… are you saying that some people never get free?” Jerry shook his head. “No… some souls are going to be in those dungeons for the rest of eternity.” “But what do they do in there?” “I don’t know… but apparently Elizabeth likes to get creative.” Vikki was silent as she pondered the fact. “Anyway, thanks for giving the message. I appreciate it.” “Oh, no problem.” “See you around then.” He chuckled at his own joke. Vikki nodded as she turned and slowly waded out of the graveyard, careful not to step on those watching the ocean. *** For the next hour, Vikki wandered about Purgatory’s beach. She saw a few other restrained people like herself, as well as some others in heavier layers of restraints, dangling from trees, lashed to tree trunks, or buried in the sand. The thought that there were some souls out there who would never see the sun, or feel the water, was mortifying. She didn’t have time to ponder further, for Elizabeth emerged from the trees and walked to her. “Everything is ready.” “Judgment?” Vikki asked nervously. “Yes.” “I looked around a bit,” Vikki said. “You’re a good designer.” “You’re just saying that to try and impress me so I won’t be so hard on you.” “No, it’s not that. Really.” Vikki said, her shackles clinking as she spread her hands in emphasis. “Don’t feel bad. Everyone tries that.” “I’m not trying to impress you,” Vikki said. “I just like the way this place looks. It’s actually comforting that it resembles the living world so well. Also, I must say, I was impressed with all those graves up on the hill. Their situation was… interesting. It was also considerate of you to let the people watch the ocean.” Elizabeth seemed surprised at the praise. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. But come, it is time to go. The Inferno awaits.” *** The trip across the ocean was quite fast. After going onto a huge sailing ship, Vikki joined her fellow prisoners in being bolted to the floor of the boat, watching as the island of Purgatory vanished from sight. “What if the boat sinks?” Vikki asked Elizabeth nervously, tugging at her chains. “It won’t.” Elizabeth assured her. “We have not had a single ship sink in all the time this place has existed, though I have consigned some souls to the ocean floor before.” Vikki went silent. They sailed onwards, the sky growing darker, the clouds thickening and blotting out the sun, creating the illusion of twilight. After what seemed like an hour after leaving Purgatory, they arrived at the second Island of the realm: the Inferno. It was a towering island of rock and sand, with a large volcano in the center, spewing ash and smoke into the sky. The only features on the hellish island was a huge, steel fortress, and numerous pyramids on the outskirts, some built and some in the process of rising from the ground. The boat came to a dock, where Vikki and the others were unlocked from the boat and led onto the shore. “Do not attempt to escape,” Elizabeth called out. “Attempting to do so will earn you an automatic sentence of five hundred years on the bottom of the ocean before being brought to judgment.” As they walked, Vikki looked around toward the pyramids, and more specifically, the ones being built. There appeared to be only one individual per pyramid, and that individual was dressed head to toe in black, shiny rubber, and locked up in cuffs. Sweat glistened over their outfits, making them sparkle under the merciless plume of heat and light radiating from the volcano. “Who are they?” She asked Elizabeth. “The worst of the worst. They are the souls that are totally corrupt, of which no amount of penance can save. They are to be locked away forever, and they build their own tombs before being sealed inside.” “How long does that take?” “A hundred years, without any breaks or moments of rest. The man you see has been working for fifty years. But in a way, you are lucky to see a rare event.” “What’s that?” “A pyramid has just been finished, and it’s occupants are about to be entombed.” Elizabeth looked towards the others. “Halt, and remain where you are. I will return momentarily.” The other souls stopped in place, nervously standing and waiting. “Come Vikki,” Elizabeth said. “Unless you wish to remain here.” Vikki’s curiosity and obedience were stronger than her call to conform. With barely a moment’s hesitation, she followed Elizabeth across the hot sands to a newly completed pyramid of stone. Two people encased head to toe in rubber were standing at its base, panting and wheezing from a hundred years of hard labor. “You both have done well,” Elizabeth said. “Now we must test to ensure that you did not build any escape tunnels inside.” Raising her hand, Elizabeth stared at the building, as if mentally scanning it. Once she was finished, she lowered her hand and regarded the pair once more. “Very well, it is structurally sound. You two know what must now be done.” Raising her hands, Elizabeth snapped them. Out of thin air, two pairs of armbinders appeared. The couple’s arms were quickly released from their cuffs, only to be yanked backwards as the binders applied themselves, quickly enclosing their arms and lacing them up tight. They were followed by heavy chastity belts, which promptly locked around the prisoner’s waists and groins, followed by pairs of very thick ankle cuffs, which replaced the weathered, rusted pairs the couple had been wearing. The last thing to go on each of them was a giant muzzle, which gripped their hoods tightly, latching themselves down. “It’s time for your burial,” Elizabeth said with a sinister grin. The two prisoners frantically struggled with renewed vigor, their whines, mews, and muffled yells silenced by the hoods and muzzles. “In you go,” Elizabeth said, raising her hands. “Unless you wish to bear the weight of more restraints.” Vikki watched, stunned, as the two prisoners reluctantly turned and started down a long corridor into the pyramid. Elizabeth followed, only to glance back at Vikki. “Are you coming?” Vikki reluctantly followed. They went deep into the heart of the pyramid, where a single room lay open and waiting. It was bare, built of solid concrete. There were no lights, no windows, nothing but the bare floor. The two prisoners were marched inside. A quick wave of her hand, and a thick ball and chain was added to the prisoner’s ankles. “Farewell.” Elizabeth said as the prisoners struggled in their restraints. “For the rest of eternity, you will have only yourselves for company.” With a single wave of her hand, she had the door - a giant, six foot thick block of granite, slide down, landing with a heavy thud. Vikki could hear the prisoners screaming from the other side. More and more blocks were placed in the passageway, sealing it even further. When Elizabeth and Vikki left the pyramid, one final block was put in place, and the structure was sealed forever. “Do not feel sorry for them,” Elizabeth said. “They were the genocidal dictators of a country in Africa, and brought untold suffering to millions of their own people. They were irredeemable. Their punishment is justice for all the pain they have inflicted.” Vikki only stared at the pyramid, stunned, yet strangely aroused as well. She could not help but feel pity for the people entombed inside… but the thought of wearing restraints for eternity was intoxicating. “We must continue onwards,” Elizabeth said. “Judgment awaits.” *** After rejoining the rest of the souls, the group continued on across the island, heading towards the fortress. The air grew warmer as they got closer to the fortress, yet Vikki wondered how this could be the building that judged all. If there were many people here, as Jerry had said, then how could this building hold them all? As they entered the building, Vikki was surprised to see that the only thing inside was a large, crude elevator, easily able to hold up to fifty people at once. Their group fit on easily enough, upon which Elizabeth flipped a switch. The platform went down, heading below the floor. Vikki’s puzzlement over the building’s size was answered in an instant. They had emerged into a cavernous chamber that stretched down for untold miles, the walls built from nothing but cages, coffins, tombs, and jail cells. From the ones she could see in, Vikki saw that each cage and cell contained an individual, some naked, some in chains, others in arm binders, some in straightjackets, and others wrapped head to toe as mummies. Every occupant appeared to watch as their platform descended deeper and deeper, its path lit only by torchlight. “Here lies the damned,” Elizabeth announced. “Most you see here will one day leave this place… but some never will.” Vikki looked towards a row of tombs and coffins, heard sobbing from inside each one. “Those who were previously in Hell were brought here, but every one of them shall remain locked up for all time, never to escape. Some of you will join them.” The platform came to a stop at a jutting walkway. Crosses lined the walkway, a soul crucified on each one in the many manners that Vikki had seen on the way down. And still, the chamber continued downwards, the bottom lost in infinite darkness. They went down the walkway, towards a large open room filled with individuals dangling from the ceiling, some upright, others upside down, all eyes watching the new arrivals. “Stand on the red square, and be judged,” Elizabeth said. At the end of the line, Vikki peered forward, wondering what horror they were to witness next. A soul at the front of the line nervously walked onto the square and stood, waiting. After a few moments, a scroll emerged from a slot in the wall. Elizabeth took it, and read from it. “Twenty five years in Purgatory.” She announced. The relieved soul walked over towards an open doorway, and headed through. Another soul walked forward and waited. Another scroll emerged. “One hundred years imprisonment in the inferno.” A chain shot down and latched a cuff around the soul’s neck, yanking her up into the darkness, her screams quickly vanishing. Another nervous soul walked forward, trembling. “Ten thousand years imprisonment in the inferno.” The chain returned and he was yanked upwards, vanishing from sight. And so it went, on and on, Vikki watching as each soul was given their fates. Most were going to go back to Purgatory, while a few would remain here for years, even centuries. Soon, there was only one soul left in front of Vikki, who was shaking violently as he stood on the square. A moment later, and his fate was pronounced. “Eternal imprisonment in the Inferno.” He tried to run, but a chain shot down, a manacle closed around his neck, and yanked the man into the ceiling, where he vanished from sight. Vikki was the only soul left. Elizabeth looked at her. “Come Vikki. Step on the square.” Vikki didn’t want to. Every instinct was telling her to run and get the hell away from this place. But she didn’t have a choice. She stepped on the square. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then her scroll appeared. Elizabeth took it, looked it over. Her face was blank, giving no clue as to what lay upon it. “Ten years in Purgatory.” She announced. She actually looked pleased with the announcement. Vikki breathed a sigh of relief, overjoyed at what her fate was to be. “Come,” Elizabeth said, indicating the door that would lead back to the surface. “It’s time to take you back. Because you seem to have a thing for rubber, as well as being a kink, I think I’ll seal you within a rubber doll and bury you in that graveyard. Does that sound good?” “I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Vikki said with a nervous smile. “No, not really.” As they started towards the door, however, there was a bonechilling howl that echoed through the chamber as another parchment suddenly appeared. Elizabeth stopped, confused. “It’s never done that before.” “What?” Elizabeth walked up to the scroll, plucking it from its slot and rolling it apart to read. She was silent for several moments before shaking her head. “No… ” “What is it?” “It’s an override from the powers above. They’ve never intervened like this before.” Vikki felt her throat tighten. “What are they saying?” Elizabeth was quiet before she answered. “They’re saying that you’re not part of the original designs for the world… in their eyes, you’re an abomination that must be purged.” She went very quiet. “They’re ordering me to entomb you immediately… and that you will never be released.” Vikki’s gut tightened and she was suddenly unable to breathe. “What? But that… that’s not possible.” “I cannot defy the powers that be.” The color drained from Vikki’s face. “You mean… I’m going to be buried forever?” Elizabeth was silent. “No! This can’t be happening!” “I’m sorry Vikki. I really wish it didn’t have to be like this.” Vikki stared at her, panic building, threatening to overwhelm her. The chain descended, and Vikki felt the manacle closing around her throat. With a powerful yank, she was pulled up into the ceiling, and into darkness before she could even scream. *** When the darkness faded, and vision returned, Vikki saw a stone ceiling above her. She momentarily panicked, thinking that she had already been entombed. But after feeling movement on her body, she looked down and saw that she hadn’t. But she was well on her way. Vikki was lying on a stone table, the restraint belt and cuffs lying on the floor. Elizabeth was standing next to the table, working to wrap bandages around Vikki’s body. In a flash, Vikki realized what was going to happen to her. Like the ancient Egyptians of eras long past, she was going to be mummified and buried… only she was going to be alive when the lid of her sarcophagus was locked down. She instinctively started to struggle, but Elizabeth had done her work well. The bandages she had already wrapped around Vikki’s body contained her easily, and were effective at restraining movement. “I’m sorry about this,” Elizabeth said, not even looking up from her work. “But it must be done.” There was sadness in her voice. It was clear that Elizabeth didn’t like doing this. “Well… I’m sorry I panicked,” Vikki said. “I shouldn’t have.” “It’s natural for you to do so. Everyone does.” “I was created and raised to be obedient and submissive. Not to panic and run like a coward.” “Tell me,” Elizabeth said. “Why were you created?” Vikki shrugged… or tried to, as her arms were tightly restrained. “GELFs were created to be cheap, mass-produced, tailor-made servants for a variety of tasks. In my case, I was designed as an electrical infrastructure technician… mainly a fancy way of saying I crawled around and lay cables in walls.” “Is that what your rubber suit is about?” “Yes… it was specially grown and designed to bond with my skin.” “You mean you were supposed to keep it on all the time?” Vikki nodded. Elizabeth was surprised enough that she stopped the bandaging for a moment. “Then how did you relieve yourself?” “Our bodies were designed to produce very little waste. The little we do produce is converted somehow into nourishment for the rubber symbiote.” “So you were just a living toy?” “You could have said it more politely, but yes. All in all, life wasn’t too bad.” She looked down at her wrappings. “I just never imagined it would end this way.” Elizabeth was quiet as she continued Vikki’s mummification. “Life often goes in ways we cannot imagine.” “If I may ask… why the wrappings?” “I do this to most people who get buried here. It is my favorite form of restraining people. Only the most horrible get something else. Arm binders are an efficient way to make people’s arms sore, and if they can’t escape it, imagine how awful it must get over the course of an eternity.” Vikki was silent. “I wish I didn’t have to do this,” Elizabeth said. “Especially on someone who doesn’t deserve an eternal sentence.” “If I may ask,” Vikki said. “You told me that everyone gets punished. Were you ever punished for your sins?” “No, not yet.” Elizabeth said quietly. “Mine is two-fold. I have to watch over this place and administer it without a break until the entire human race enters. Only after humanity goes extinct will I be mummified and buried for eternity.” Vikki was stunned. “Why?” Elizabeth paused, trying to compose her thoughts. “In life, I was one of the Spanish inquisitors. My specialty was torture, to break people, no matter the cost. I was constantly learning new methods and practices to get results, and my cruelty brought me damnation everlasting. I deserved to suffer as I have made others suffer, even if it was a just punishment. Creating and ruling this place is only delaying the punishment, not stopping it.” Things went quiet as Elizabeth continued Vikki’s bandaging. For almost an hour she continued to wind the wrappings around the helpless vixen, sealing her inside an inescapable cocoon. When she was finished, only Vikki’s face was sticking out from the bandages. The rest of her body was covered and tightly sealed away. Looking down at herself, Vikki tried to move, but could only manage a faint wiggle, feeling the tightness of the bandages as they compressed down on her. But Elizabeth wasn’t finished. She pulled out a tub full of clear liquid and began to dip her hands in it, then rubbing the liquid over the wrappings. It took Vikki a few moments to realize what it was… resin. She was being coated in resin, which, when hardened, would make movement even more difficult, perhaps utterly impossible. The process went on for ten minutes, until all her wrappings were coated. Five minutes later, and the resin hardened, cracking slightly as it settled. A thick neoprene sleep sack was produced, and Elizabeth began to wiggle Vikki into it. With the bag being an almost exact fit, it was difficult to get her inside, but once she was, Elizabeth pulled the zipper shut, and buckled the thick collar down, locking Vikki inside another layer of restraint. Then came the belts. Lots of black leather belts were wound around Vikki and the bag, then slowly cinched together, squeezing and compressing her body even further. Vikki could only watch helplessly as she felt herself being compressed. But when the last belt was cinched over her breasts, it was done. Picking up another roll of bandages, Elizabeth hung it from a hook on her belt. She went towards Vikki’s head and began to push the stone tablet she was on, making it rise a few inches off the ground and allowing her to glide it across the floor. They went to the elevator and rose from the depths of the tomb, leaving the screams and the weeping behind, until they were finally in the fortress, and then outside once again, making their way towards a freshly constructed pyramid. “I decided that it would not be right to force you into making your own tomb,” Elizabeth said as they got closer. “So I created it for you.” As they approached Vikki’s pyramid, she began to breathe deeper and deeper, sweat forming on her forehead, knowing that this was a one way trip. Every second she was spending outside the pyramid was one of the last seconds she would ever spend seeing the outside world. Elizabeth stopped. “You know… there is no need for this place to be so depressing. We could make it a tomb fit for a queen.” She raised her arms and closed her eyes. Seconds later, lush greenery sprung forth from the desert around the pyramid, turning it into a beautiful oasis, lush with trees and cool water. But that wasn’t all. The pyramid itself was changing, the blocks shifting from granite into solid gold, making the pyramid shine and sparkle. It was hauntingly beautiful, and Vikki couldn’t take her eyes off it. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, and it was awe inspiring, knowing that it was for her. Such an elegant tomb for someone who would only see it once. With the changes complete, Elizabeth began to push the table again, heading towards the entrance. She went slowly though, giving Vikki enough time to look around and get her last glimpse of the open, and the greenery around her. They reached the entrance. Elizabeth stopped, stood aside, allowing Vikki one last moment to look around. She did so, appreciating the gesture, trying to take in as much as she could about the sky, the clouds, the grass and the trees, trying to get them into her memory in as much detail as possible. Then the moment was over. Elizabeth began to slowly push the platform, and they went inside the pyramid. Vikki looked back for as long as possible, tears falling from her eyes. There was only a single tunnel inside the gold pyramid, and it went on for almost five minutes, until they reached an open chamber similar to the one the two prisoners had been sealed in. Like the pyramid itself, it was solid gold, but there was something that was different. There was a deep shaft at the back, just the right size for a sarcophagus to be lowered inside. “We have arrived.” Elizabeth said. “Your tomb.” “Pretty,” Vikki said, trying to be humorous, failing. “So… you’re just going to leave me here?” “No, you’re not like those two abominations entombed earlier. You will receive the burial of royalty.” She snapped her fingers. A solid gold coffin appeared. Another snap and a matching sarcophagus appeared. “So… I’m just going to be buried, and that’s it?” “Normally, yes. Buried and forgotten. But because you are a special case, I don’t believe you deserve that. I can never release you, but I can help make enduring this more bearable. Remember how you were initially going to do ten years?” Vikki nodded. “I will apply that to your sentence, so that after ten years, you’ll fall into a very deep sleep, one that you’ll never wake from. You’ll sleep forever, a fate that no one else has ever received.” Vikki felt a rush of relief. Even though she was never being released, at least she would, in a way, have an escape from her eternal burial. “But do not forget, you will still have to endure ten years of burial.” The cold realization snapped Vikki out of her relieved stupor. She watched as Elizabeth pulled the bandages off her belt and began to unwind them. “I’m sorry, but we have to finish wrapping you up.” “Before you do that,” Vikki said quickly. “I have a last request.” “Yes?” “I know this sounds odd… but could you line the interior of my coffin with rubber?” Elizabeth gave a faint smile, then waved her hands. The interior of the coffin was suddenly lined with slick, firm rubber. Reaching down, Elizabeth lifted Vikki up, letting her see the inside of her coffin. “Does that match what you want?” Vikki nodded, smiling. “Yes.” Elizabeth lowered her back onto the tablet, taking the wrappings in hand. Then, without a word, she began to wind the bandage around the vixen’s head. It was the part that Vikki had been most afraid of… .the final bandaging. She knew that in a manner of minutes, she was going to loose her sight forever. She would be encased completely, never to see, hear, or feel the warmth of touch ever again. She was afraid that she would panic, would struggle, would break down and beg for mercy. But she remembered her upbringing. She remembered how she had been bred and trained to follow orders without question, to be submissive, to be good and obedient, even when she was afraid. She would not let the fear get to her. Steeling her resolve, Vikki remained still and allowed Elizabeth to wrap her head. She did not resist as she was slowly wound up, inch by inch, the white fur of her face vanishing under the bandages, sealed away for all time. The bandages came to her mouth. Both knew what was coming next. “I’m sorry.” Elizabeth said. Vikki nodded. “I know.” She closed her mouth, and kept it shut as bandages were tightly wound around it. A few minutes later, and her muzzle was completely covered. Elizabeth then moved on, getting closer and closer to her eyes. It was obvious that she was trying to avoid wrapping them as long as possible, but sooner or later, she would have to cover them. Vikki, now silent, looked up towards Elizabeth, to the gold ceiling. She could just faintly see her own reflection in the shiny metal. It was the first time she had seen herself like this, and Vikki gave an involuntary shudder of pleasure at seeing herself so tightly wrapped up and bound as she was. There was a flicker of movement at the corner of her vision. The bandaging had reached her eyes. Elizabeth looked down at her, pausing. Their eyes looked at each other… the condemned and the executor. Leaning over, Elizabeth softly kissed Vikki’s forehead. Vikki, taking one last look upwards, saw the gold all around her… and Elizabeth’s soft, bittersweet face. She closed her eyes. Elizabeth wound the bandages over Vikki’s closed eyes. She did the job quickly, wrapping over them several times, until they were firmly in place. With the first layer done, she proceeded to wrap Vikki’s head again, this time with an additional four layers of bandages, making each roll tighter and tighter then the last, until the vixen’s head was squeezed and compressed under the wrappings. Being dead, and thus not being able to breathe, Vikki had no worry of suffocating. When the last bandage was tied down and glued in place, Elizabeth looked at Vikki’s head. She then pulled out a neoprene hood to match her sleep sack, and fit it on, covering the bandages. It was a very snug fit, with no holes for eyes, mouth, ears, or nose. That was followed by interlacing the hood with the rest of the sack, then buckling the two together, ensuring that Vikki was truly locked inside. Vikki’s chest just barely rose and fell within her restraints. She was breathing very deeply, no doubt trying not to panic. Standing, Elizabeth took the tablet and moved it next to the coffin. Then she leaned over and took the sack in her arms, lifted Vikki up and wiggled her over to the coffin. She was surprised to feel Vikki shifting, actually trying to help make the job easier, to assist in her own burial. Elizabeth was touched by the gesture, amazed that the vixen would do such a thing, rather then struggling to escape. Such high character deserved to be rewarded. Elizabeth held the encased vixen close to her, squeezing her tightly in a hug, stroking and kissing her. It was a gift to Vikki… the last, warm touch she would ever know for eternity. Elizabeth felt Vikki relaxing underneath her hug, going limp. It was on that note, that she gently shifted and lay Vikki inside her coffin, the rubber interior squeezing against her body, creating a form fitting cradle. A few belts were strapped down across the body, then cinched tightly, locking Vikki down even further. Moving quickly, Elizabeth took hold of the gold lid, lowered it onto the coffin. But she went slowly, watching Vikki’s form as long as she could, as she was swallowed by darkness, inch by inch. Then the lid was on. The latches were clasped and locked, sealing Vikki inside forever. Elizabeth floated the coffin into the air and maneuvered it into the sarcophagus, of which the rubber lining ensured a snug fit. But that wasn’t enough, for Elizabeth had to be thorough, or risk the wrath of the powers that be, by not taking enough precautions. A tub of resin was produced, and gallon after gallon was poured into the sarcophagus, burying the coffin until it was little more then a gold haze under four feet of the liquid. The lid to the sarcophagus was taken and placed on, then latched and locked down as well. Resin oozed out, dripping down the side of the sarcophagus, dropping onto the floor. Elizabeth wiped it away, not wanting Vikki’s encasement to be sloppy, for it had to be clean and pristine. There wasn’t much left to be done now. All that remained was to bury Vikki for good. To that end, Elizabeth moved the sarcophagus towards the deep shaft in the back of the room. It was quite deep, and was cut so exact, that the sarcophagus fit it like a glove. When she pushed it in far enough, it fell, plunging down the shaft with a loud whoosh, shoving air upwards as it shot down, vanishing into the depths. It would continue on, until the shaft became tighter, slowing it, eventually bringing it to a gentle stop. Elizabeth conjured several long hoses that purged cement. With fifty of them going at full bore, she poured concrete into the shaft, millions of gallons worth, filling it up until the liquid came to a stop at the very top of the shaft, whereupon she smoothed it out until there was no sign that a shaft had ever existed. She looked at the spot for the longest time. Deep down, Vikki was lying in state, entombed. To even try and dig her up would be impractical, if not impossible. It was with a heavy heart that Elizabeth left the room. Giant stone slabs, each weighing thousands of tons, were put inside, blocking up the entrance. As she walked out of the hallway, stone after stone thundered into place, cracking the ground, each one ensuring that it would take hundreds, if not thousands of years to cut through. She reached the exit, and the largest stone of all fell into place, sealing the pyramid up forever. It was done. *** Elizabeth knew she had other people to process, new arrivals who had to be judged and sentenced, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. For hours she stood, watching the pyramid, Vikki’s elegant crypt. It was the most beautiful tomb that would ever be built. None would even come close, Elizabeth would ensure that. Like all others, Vikki had done wrong, and she had to be punished. But she didn’t deserve this. She didn’t deserve an eternal sentence for the simple fact that she wasn’t human. The vixen was inside, sealed away forever. She would never know Paradise, never know anything but darkness and silence within her cocoon. In a way, her brief life had been a fraud. Her true existence was one of restraint. For the rest of eternity, even when time itself died, Vikki would continue on, sealed away and immobile, never to be released. A sobering thought. Still, Elizabeth could at least console herself with the thought that once ten years had passed, Vikki would fall into an endless sleep. She would be spared the effects of being locked in a tiny space and knowing that it was forever. Those ten years would be hard… but brief, in the eyes of eternity. Then again, perhaps Vikki might enjoy it. She had never mentioned it to Elizabeth, but she knew that Vikki had been into mummification and encasement. All that data had been in her personal file, how many hours she had spent in both situations while still alive. And now, in her last ten years of awareness before the eternal sleep, she was going to get the ultimate experience, the fantasy to end all fantasies. To be mummified and entombed… forever. Perhaps, while sending her to hell, Elizabeth had given her a taste of heaven. And in the end, that was the best gift she could give. Turning, Elizabeth walked away, leaving the golden pyramid to sparkle in the fires of the Inferno.