Author's note: All characters in this story are over the age of 18.
The end of the world was more boring than Tori Vega had anticipated.
Of course, the world had been ending since 2018, so maybe she was just used to it. But it really seemed to be circling the drain now in 2023 and there were no flaming comets, no hot hail. Not even bodies in the streets. The latest pandemic had robbed over 95% of men of their sex drive; there were no babies being born, or at least not many.
The strident feminists had loved going without being objectified, but Tori missed it. Not just because civilization was collapsing. People used to give a shit how beautiful she was. Now it was hard to even find work, much less get laid. Thankfully she had her savings—it wasn't like she could start an OnlyFans now.
Of course, there were still men who'd had the one-in-a-million reaction to the virus and become Breeders. Hypersexual, virtually insatiable, the virus worked like a steroid on their manhood and virility. But Tori had never met one. She half-thought they were only a smokescreen by the government to keep people from freaking out.
Supposedly they were so eager for Breeders to do their thing that any woman a Breeder wanted was obliged to, well, stand and deliver. Even in the middle of the street. And Tori had plenty of girlfriends who were willing to do just that, if it meant getting a good orgasm and a baby.
You never realized how much you liked kids until they stopped being an option.
There was another dull party in Coldwater Canyon to take up the evening and Tori dressed to the nines, her body-hugging black dress baring her cleavage and tightly adhering to the svelte curve of her ass, but she got no appreciative gaze, no wanting consideration of what her body would feel like, barely even a look from anyone.
Tori didn't consider herself an attention whore, but dammit, it just seemed
wrong
for her not to be noticed! She'd gone from a sex symbol to yesterday's news, while looking as good as ever! It was like she'd done a speed-run through the celebrity lifestyle—that bitch Sharon Stone had gotten a full fade into irrelevance, while she'd just had a light switch flipped!
And now I'm drunk,
Tori thought to herself, looking at the almost empty champagne flute in her hand.
And I need to pee.
It was still early in the evening. Already embarrassed by her little nervous breakdown, she knew she'd be too flustered to ask anyone where the bathroom was. She set out to find it—it couldn't be too hard.
Tori wandered deeper into the manor. It was one of those Frank Lloyd Wright townhouses built into the Beverly Hills, with a living room that was all glass with room for an entire marching band to play. That was where the party was located. But outside of that indoor vista, with its arresting view of the setting sun, the hallways seemed dark and labyrinthine, the sounds of the festivities echoing weirdly after her as she tried one door after another.
"Frak, doesn't this guy own a toilet?" she muttered to herself. "Don't tell me he's some sort of... vegan for toilets... only goes over the balcony, like Nature intended..."
"NO! NO, NO, NO, DON'T! PLEASE! STOP! IT HURTS, IT HURTS SO MUCH, YOU BASTARD, YOU FUCKING MONSTER! AAAGH! OH FUCK, FUCK, YOU CAN'T!"
Tori heard the sudden outcry and looking around, wondering if she was totally sozzed or if she was hearing what she thought she'd heard. It sounded like someone being tortured. Tori thought of going back to the party and summoning help, but she'd already made half-a-dozen turns. She didn't think she could find her way back. She looked for a weapon and all she could find was the almost-empty champagne glass in her hand.