Kieran had been hiking through the woods for hours, his boots crunching against the brittle leaves that have fallen astrewn along the path. The sun setting low in the sky, casting a pale orange light over the terrain, painting shadows through the tree trunks that stretched like fingers across the ground. He’d heard rumours of this place—whispers in town about ancient pools of inky black tar that were home to devilish monsters. Curiosity and horniness brought him here, but now, a creeping unease twisted in his stomach as he neared his destination.

It wasn’t long before Kieran spotted something up ahead, a glossy patch breaking up the landscape. He thought it was water at first, a shallow pond reflecting the twilight sky. But as he drew closer, he felt the air change. It was denser here, as if the forest was holding its breath. The surface glistened, not with water but with a thick, almost syrupy darkness. A tar pit.

His heart raced with excitement as he realized he had found what he came looking for. The tar bubbled in spots with small, sluggish bursts of trapped air surfacing and popping like bubble wrap. Kieran knelt down, his fingers almost brushing the edge. He didn’t even realize he was so close until he felt the warmth rising from the pit. The warmth was inviting but deviously intentioned.

As Kieran admired the tar pit, his footing slipped.

He didn’t even have time to gasp as his leg sank in up to the knee, the thick tar clinging to him like glue. He struggled, yanking his leg up with all his strength, but it was no use. The tar clutched him tighter, drawing him down, inch by inch. His heart pounded as he tried to grab onto anything—rocks, twigs, even patches of grass—but nothing held. His other foot sank in too, and suddenly he was waist-deep in the inky black tar.

Panic flared, a cold rush against the heat of the tar, and he screamed for help, though no one was near enough to hear. Every frantic move only served to sink him deeper. His hands, desperate and shaking, slapped against the surface, trying to pull himself out, but he could feel his strength slipping, his energy draining with every movement.

The tar bubbles and slurped around him as it hungrily sucked him in deeper. Kieran’s fingers were practically glued together by the gunk, and when he tried to lift an arm out of the tar it merely stretched before pulling him back in.

While he struggled in his predicament, Kieran felt a slight movement near his feet underneath the heavy tar. It swirled up his legs and around his waist and chest, squeezing and constricting him.

Suddenly, a black tentacle emerged from the sticky tar, it had coiled itself around Kieran’s struggling body beneath the surface, and now it wrapped itself firmly around his neck above the surface. Kieran struggled and gasped for air as the tentacle dripped tar onto his face.

“Hrrk—“

“Huff!”

“Wheeze…”

Kieran squirmed and writhed helplessly as the tentacle tightened its grip around his body and neck, snatching away his breath and leaving him hungry for oxygen.

“H-help….Huff…” Kieran meekly sighed as the tentacle continued to construct him. “P-please… help-HRK!” The tentacle gave a string squeeze around his neck, cutting off his pathetic plea for help and starving him for oxygen.

It was at this moment that end of the tentacle slid itself over Kieran’s face and mouth, coating it in a thick layer of tar. The thick goop sealed off his mouth and nose, causing him to thrash and panic as his lungs burned for air.

“GASP!”

“HACK!!”

Gluck!”

With every feeble attempt to suck down air, the tar covering his mouth merely pulled inward, coating his tongue and throat. Eventually Kieran was able break through the layer of tar by forcefully exhaling and blowing a bubble.

Kieran gasped for air as the syrupy tar dropped from his face. With what little strength he had he struggled and squirmed, but the tar pit monster held him tightly.

Suddenly, the tentacle pushed Kieran’s face down into the murky tar pit, and when it lifted him back up, his mouth was sealed again, once again leading to a panic induced struggle for air.

As Kieran hopelessly gasped and gagged with a mouthful of tar, the tentacle coiled itself completely around his head, costing him entirely in tar. Kieran was at the point where he could no longer struggle, and just as he was about to give in to the tar, the tentacle forced itself into his mouth and down his throat.

Aaron gagged at first, but to his surprise, he felt a cold rush of air fill his burning lungs. The creature was supplying him with oxygen. Now that he was immobilized and at its mercy, the creature began pulling its prey under the surface.

The last thing Kieran saw before the darkness swallowed him completely was the sky fading to night, silent and indifferent, as he was pulled into the inky black abyss.