The Riddle (Remastered Edition)

Story by Andlat on SoFurry

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Four years ago, an ambitious fox set out to write a diaper story that would be different from all the others. The result was The Riddle. Now I've gone through and made a few arbitrary edits to produce an edition that keeps all of the fun of my 2008 writing style, with a bit of 2012 flow.


Part 1

He slowly woke up, his head pounding. He slowly opened his eyes, surprised by the bright colors of the room. The walls were painted in cheery pastels, certainly not the normal look of a room for someone to be imprisoned. Jeremy slowly sat up. He heard a quiet crinkle, causing him to jump. He was wearing a diaper and nothing else! He stared down at the white plastic wrapped around his waist. At least he hadn't wet it. He looked around the rest of the room, searching for any clue as to why he was here. The room was bare except for the small mat he had been laying on. He sat on the mat for a while, wondering what to do. He figured that it would be best just to wait and see what the kidnappers would want. He was confused though. He could hardly remember actually being kidnapped. All he knew was that he had been kidnapped. He lay back down impatiently, closing his eyes. The mat was actually kind of comfortable. Soon enough, he fell asleep.

He awoke again. He had no idea how long it had been since he had fallen asleep. He scanned the room again, searching for any change, even the slightest, but there was none. He sighed. No competent kidnapper would even keep him waiting this long. He continued to lie there, beginning to feel bored. He rolled over onto his side, hearing the diaper crinkle. The diaper was still dry, most likely because he hadn't had anything to drink. He stared at the diaper. It looked ordinary enough, but why would he have been put in it? He was a teenager, after all. He decided after a few minutes that his kidnappers must be perverts. He continued to lie on the mat, unsure of what to do. He was surprised as he began to feel drowsy again. Soon, he fell asleep again.

When he woke up, he wasn't alone. A man stood in a corner of the room At least; Jeremy assumed it was a man. The newcomer's face was concealed by a mask that looked like nothing Jeremy had ever seen. It looked like its owner had killed several people and sewn parts of their faces together to create a strange motley of flesh. The rest of the man's body was covered in a simple green outfit. Jeremy cautiously stood up. He stared into the man's eyes. The eyes seemed to be the only part of the man that was alive.

"Who are you?" Jeremy asked hoarsely. The man's head tilted to the side as though he were trying to figure out what Jeremy was.

"Vinco." The man said quietly. His voice was difficult to describe. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant.

"Vinco?" Jeremy whispered. He wasn't sure if it was a name or a title. The way the man had said it made it seem as though it were a title. "Why have you brought me here?" The man was silent for several moments. His eyes stared directly into Jeremy's, and Jeremy was unable to break his gaze. The gaze was not malicious, it was merely hypnotic. At last, the man spoke again.

"I have a proposition." He said calmly. Jeremy frowned. This was not what he expected. "I suppose you would consider it more of a challenge." The man continued. Te way he had said "you" made Jeremy feel like he was inferior to this strange man.

"What is this proposition or challenge or whatever you want to call it?" Jeremy asked impatiently. He was becoming quite cold due to his lack of clothing.

"As soon as you become fed up with this life, I will explain it to you." The man said. Jeremy scoffed.

"What do you mean this life? I've been here for God knows how long and all I can do is sleep. You haven't even fed me!" The man chuckled.

"If you want more excitement, you've got it. When you awake, your new life will begin." Jeremy once again felt strangely tired. He retreated to the mat and fell asleep. The last thing he saw was the man's strange mask.

Part 2

When Jeremy awoke again, everything was the same. He sat up, ignoring the crinkle of his diaper. "What is this, Vinco? Everything's the same!" He shouted. "I'm fucking hungry!" A whir to his left caused Jeremy to leap up in surprise. Out of the wall had come a robot of sorts.

"Uh-oh! It sounds like my baby's cranky!" The robot said. Jeremy stumbled backward in revulsion. The robot had a silver body but its face was covered with a mask similar to Vinco's, except this one seemed to be rotting. The robot neared Jeremy quickly, and grabbed his wrist. It pulled out a bottle and shoved it in Jeremy's mouth. "Drink baby." The robot said mechanically. Jeremy had no choice but to begin to swallow the sweet liquid. As soon as he finished the bottle, the robot had a second bottle all ready. It shoved the second into his mouth and forced him to drink it too. This continued until Jeremy felt very full. The robot began to pat him roughly on the back until he burped. The robot made a clicking sound and retreated into the wall. Jeremy shook his head in shock.

"What just happened?" Jeremy muttered to himself. He sat down on his mat. Only about ten minutes later, he felt a familiar urge. He groaned, knowing what he was expected to do. The urge grew stronger and stronger very quickly, but Jeremy continued to fight it. He had sat there fighting it for what he assumed had been nearly half an hour when suddenly the robot reemerged. This surprised Jeremy so much that he lost control. As he stood up, his diaper was sagging. The robot walked up to him and inserted its finger into his diaper.

"Looks like I've got a wet baby." The robot said quietly. It picked Jeremy up and carried him over to a changing table that had just emerged from the wall. It strapped the boy down and began to remove his soaked diaper. It lifted him up to remove the diaper from under him, giving Jeremy a look at his crotch. It was completely hairless! The bastard had shaved him! The robot grabbed a new diaper and placed it underneath the teenager. It powdered his crotch liberally and then folded the diaper over his crotch. Soon, Jeremy was fully diapered again. The robot picked Jeremy up and patted him on his diapered butt. "My baby's all set." The robot said, leaving once more. Jeremy looked around the empty room. He was beginning to understand what Vinco had meant by a new life. He walked calmly over to his mat and sat down. He almost wished Vinco would come back. He found this strange because he had only been in this "new life" for a short time. Why would he want to see that strange man again? He shook his head, trying to get the strange thoughts out of his head. The now familiar whir caused Jeremy to snap back into reality. He looked to his left and saw that there were now two robots. They both advanced toward him, causing him to panic. As the two of them picked him up, he began to fight. His attacks were in vain, however, against the robots' superior strength. They dragged him over to a bathtub filled with water and bubbles. One of the robots removed Jeremy's diaper and the other lowered him into the tub and began to thoroughly cleanse him. Jeremy decided that it would be better not to struggle, and so, he allowed the robot to wash his body all over. The robot soon lifted him out of the tub and began to dry him with towels. Once he was dry, he was carried over to the changing table where the robots had set up a thicker diaper. Jeremy was lowered onto the diaper, and one of the robots lifted his legs to powder his bottom. The robot stopped for a second and then shoved something into Jeremy's anus, causing him to wiggle. The robot then lowered his legs and pulled the diaper up between his legs, taping it securely. The robots then revealed several bottles and feeding began again. By the time the robots stopped, Jeremy felt stuffed. The robots put him on the floor and Jeremy tried to walk. The diaper was so thick between his legs he had to waddle. Both of the robots clicked repeatedly. Jeremy suddenly realized that their clicking was laughter. He glared at the robots. One of them turned around and pulled a large crib out of the wall. Jeremy sighed.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." Jeremy said. As though to answer his question, the robot shoved a pacifier into his mouth and then placed him into the crib. The robots left Jeremy alone. He felt silly lying in a crib in nothing but a diaper and sucking on a pacifier. He didn't feel the least bit tired, and so, he began to search for a way to get out of the crib. He slowly stood up, trying not to let the robots know what he was trying to do. His diaper crinkled loudly, causing Jeremy to wince slightly. When he was satisfied that no robots were coming, he tried to climb over the bars. Sadly, they were too high for him to get over, especially with his overly thick diaper. Suddenly, he felt his bladder release, flooding his diaper. He frowned. I didn't even realize I did that! He thought, feeling betrayed by his body. He sat back down with a loud squishing sound. How can this get any worse? He wondered. One of the robots emerged from the wall.

"Why is baby still awake? Babies need their sleep." Jeremy spat out the pacifier.

"I'm not tired!" He snapped. The robot calmly grabbed the pacifier and put it back into Jeremy's mouth, this time tying it around his head with a piece of string.

"Baby needs to go to sleep." It said. Jeremy scoffed, but he began to feel as though his head was full of cotton. His eyelids began to droop and he yawned around the pacifier. He lied down and closed his eyes. He was about to fall asleep when he felt his guts twist up violently. His eyes snapped open as he realized what he needed to do. He stayed still and tried to stifle the urge, but his attempts were in vain. Within a few minutes, his diaper was both wet and messy. He moaned around the pacifier, and tried to go to sleep. Sure enough, sleep came quickly.

Jeremy assumed it was morning when he woke up. The diaper around his waist was cold and clammy. The stench rising off of it was one of the worst he had smelled in a long while. He moaned slightly, the pacifier still secured in his mouth. His stomach grumbled, adding to the chaos. Jeremy sat up, releasing another stream of urine. Why the hell am I unable to hold my pee? Jeremy wondered. He stared down at the diaper. It had clearly absorbed a great deal of urine over the course of the night, because it was yellow. This caused Jeremy to blush. He hadn't wet the bed in ten years, and now over the course of a few days, he had become a toddler. The now familiar whir was a godsend for Jeremy, because he would finally be changed and fed. The robots came smoothly over to Jeremy and released him from the crib. One of the robots picked up Jeremy and carried him over to the changing table.

"Smells like we've got a little stinker!" The robot said, its twisted face pressed close to Jeremy's. He stayed still while the robots restrained him again and changed his diaper. As the robots cleaned his genitals, he was shocked to find that he became aroused. The robots clicked when they saw this. "Baby likes this!" The robot said sarcastically.

Sarcasm? Jeremy thought. These robots can't be real! One of the robots grabbed another of the very thick diapers and placed it under Jeremy. Jeremy watched as the robots quickly powdered him and taped the diaper around his waist. They then turned toward him, and Jeremy assumed that they would bottle feed him again. But this time, they pulled a large bag out of the wall, and attached a hose to his pacifier. As Jeremy sucked on the pacifier, the sweet tasting liquid flowed out of the pacifier and into his mouth. As Jeremy swallowed mouthful after mouthful, it occurred to him that whoever or whatever this Vinco was, he had full power over Jeremy. After all, in a matter of only a few days, Jeremy had been changed from a teenager into a baby. Who knew what else this man was capable of?

Nearly ten minutes later, Jeremy had finally finished his "breakfast". The robots unbuckled him and placed him down on the floor. "Run and play, little one." One of the robots said, clicking. Jeremy waddled away from the robots, certain that he would see them again quite shortly. Already he could feel the liquid working its way through his system and he knew that he would not be wearing a dry diaper for long. He soon noticed that there was a small basket of toys in one corner of the room. Next to the toys was a mirror. Jeremy stared into the mirror, seeing himself for the first time since this had started. Staring back at him he saw a young man with vibrant blue eyes. He was wearing nothing but a diaper and in his mouth was a large pacifier. Jeremy smiled at himself, the only normal person he had seen in a while.

"Do you like what you see?" A voice asked. Jeremy spun around.

"Vinco!" Jeremy said, ripping the pacifier from his mouth.

"Right you are. I just wanted to check up on my little one." Jeremy glared at the man, despite his creepy mask.

"This is all some game to you, isn't it?"

"Of course."

"What purpose does all this have?"

"Why question the purpose? You have been enjoying yourself." Jeremy scoffed.

"No, I haven't. This is torture!" Jeremy knew that his words sounded hollow, but he didn't care. He kept the look of defiance on his face. Vinco's eyes stared directly into Jeremy's.

"Your insolence is useless. You know very well I have control." Jeremy scoffed again.

"Your arrogance amuses me." He replied calmly. Vinco laughed, a sound that chilled Jeremy to the bone.

"You think I am arrogant? You confuse arrogance with a sense of victory."

"Victory? You have done nothing!"

"Haven't I? I have imprisoned you!" Jeremy laughed.

"Oh, what a victory! You have imprisoned a sixteen year old! All should applaud you!"

"Is that all you think I have done? Look at my face!" With that, Vinco turned around and vanished into the wall. Jeremy was left alone to ponder what Vinco had meant.

Part 3

Jeremy sat on the floor, thinking. He had no clue what Vinco had meant by his face. He had never even seen Vinco's face. Jeremy moaned slightly as he felt his diaper fill with urine. This whole thing was getting old. He knew that he had a way out, but that involved dealing with Vinco again. Then, it occurred to him. The question is not what Vinco has done, but rather who he is! Jeremy smiled, feeling proud. He had to figure out who Vinco was. Let's see. He kidnapped me, an average teenager. He wears a mask made up of different people's faces... Jeremy suddenly realized what Vinco had meant. A chill ran down his spine. Vinco had called it a game, but this was no game. A whir caused Jeremy to jump. One of the robots approached the boy. It picked him up, and carried him over to the changing table. Thinking quickly, Jeremy reached up toward the robot's face. Fighting his revulsion, Jeremy ripped off the robot's mask. Underneath, he found something far worse. Where he had expected metal, he found a skull. The skull smiled eternally, causing Jeremy to squirm. He could see within the skull a mess of wires, but he could not bring himself to rip the wires out. The robot clicked, but not like it had clicked before. This click sounded stern.

"Naughty baby!" The robot reprimanded. "Baby shouldn't do that!" The robot turned away from the changing table and instead carried Jeremy to a chair on the opposite side of the room. Jeremy stared at the chair, wondering what was going to happen. His eyes soon came to rest on a smooth wooden paddle beside the chair. He began to squirm, trying to escape, but the robot's grip was strong. The robot sat down on the chair and deftly removed Jeremy's diaper. It laid him over its lap, and lifted the paddle into the air. "Naughty baby's get spanked." It said as though it were stating a great universal truth. Jeremy braced himself for the initial strike, but it still startled him. The pain radiated throughout his body, but he resisted the urge to cry out. I won't give him the pleasure. A second, then third strike soon came. Jeremy soon discovered that the pause between smacks made it all the more painful. Soon, tears poured down his face and he lost count of the number of assaults on his backside. By the time it was over, he had been reduced to a sobbing two year old. The robot calmly taped his diaper back up and left the room. Jeremy was alone again, wearing a soaked diaper. Yet, he had learned something. Vinco was even more of a monster than he had originally thought. Jeremy gingerly tried to sit down, but found the pain too much to bear. He waddled around for a while, bored out of his mind. The toys in the corner were too juvenile for him and the room was bare, except for the mirror. He avoided the mirror, not wanting to see a sniveling child looking back at him. He just waddled around, waiting for any change.

A while later, the pain in his backside began to dull. With nothing else to do, he made his way over to the mat and lied down. He closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep.

When Jeremy awoke, he felt strange. He looked around the room, but saw no difference. He slowly got up and waddled over to the mirror. He stumbled backward in shock. His face was mutilated! He gingerly traced the scars all over his face, trying to figure out where they had come from. There was no way he could have gotten these without noticing! He began to sob, mourning his face. Though he had never been arrogant, he still felt empty. He heard a chuckle behind him. Jeremy turned, but before he could see who it was, he awoke. "Just a dream." He muttered, feeling his bladder empty itself once again. He was slightly annoyed by this, but quickly deemed it to be an unfortunate side-effect and nothing more. It would do nothing to stop him from getting answers. He got up off of the mat, and wandered over to the toys. His diaper was now so full that he had trouble walking. He slowly examined the toys, searching for anything that could be used as a weapon. The majority of the toys were plushies, most likely so that a baby would be unlikely to injure itself. However, near the bottom of the bin he found several wooden blocks. He picked one up and examined it. It would be perfect to throw at Vinco. He allowed himself a slight smile, but that was soon interrupted by the return of the robots. One of them quickly picked him up and carried him toward the changing table. Jeremy wondered for a moment whether or not the one carrying him was the one he had removed the mask of. The two looked exactly the same, so he had no idea. The robot laid him down on the table and inserted a pacifier into his mouth. He watched as it hooked the hose up to the pacifier. Jeremy began to feed. He expected the robots to change his diaper, but they did no such thing. They simply stood there and waited for him to finish. Jeremy moaned around the pacifier, realizing that he was doomed to more hours in the increasingly sagging diaper. As he drank, he felt his bladder once again release itself. He groaned in his head. This was going to be fun.

After what felt like an eternity, the bag overhead was finally empty. The robots disconnected the hose and put Jeremy on the ground before leaving, clicking quickly. Jeremy rolled his eyes, and then focused on his current predicament. The diaper between his legs was extremely thick due to the urine. He cautiously took a step forward, and then another. He was glad that he was alone, as the waddle was extremely noticeable. He returned to the toys that he had been at before. He once again picked up a block. He studied it, trying to figure out which would be the best way to throw it. Suddenly, he felt his gut twist up and then release. Whimpering, he felt an enormous load of diarrhea flow into his diaper. The diaper sucked up the waste, but the smell remained. Jeremy groaned as the stench attacked his nose. He quickly plugged his nose, silently praying that the robots would come to change him, but all around him was silence. He moaned again. This was his true punishment; the spanking had been nothing but a façade. He looked around the room, searching for something, anything that would hold his attention for more than a few minutes. He sighed as he realized that his search was in vain. Vinco and the robots were dedicated to keeping him in an infantile mindset. Jeremy picked up a small stuffed mouse, his slight squeezing eliciting a squeak from the mouse. Jeremy chuckled in spite of himself and squeezed the mouse again. Another small squeak. Over and over again he squeezed the mouse. Each time, he became more and more cheerful. But then, he stopped. He looked around the room. That's strange. I would have thought Vinco would choose this moment to show up. He returned his attention to the mouse, squeezing it again and again. Eventually, it grew boring and he began to dig through the toy bin, searching for something new. All he found were more blocks, and so, he decided to build something. He gathered up all of the blocks and carried them into the middle of the room. Setting them down, he sat down quickly, assuming his thick padding would protect him. Having forgotten about the contents of his diaper, Jeremy landed with a disgusting squelch. Jeremy moaned as he caught a fresh whiff of the diaper's contents. The smell soon faded, however, leaving Jeremy free to focus on his tower. He began to stack the blocks one on top of the other, but found this design to be insecure. So, he began to build around the initial setup, thereby securing it. The task became so enveloping that he failed to notice when he wet his diaper yet again.

After a long time of working, Jeremy deemed his tower complete. He backed away from it slightly, gazing in awe at his wonderful creation. The plain wooden blocks were a stark contrast against the bright yellow walls. He smiled. Now it was time for his favorite part. He eyed the final block, grasped firmly in his hand. He stared at the tower one last time. He raised his arm, and watched as the block flew towards the tower. With a loud crash, the tower collapsed. Jeremy giggled as he watched the blocks tumble to the ground all around him. Wanton destruction was so much fun! His elation was soon gone as he surveyed the enormous mess he had made. Jeremy sighed. Somehow he knew that he would be the one to clean up the mess. He began the arduous task of collecting all of the blocks in the bin.

Just as he finished putting the blocks in the bin, he heard the familiar whir of the approaching robots. He looked up and saw one of the robots rapidly approaching him. It picked him up and carried him over to the changing table. It quickly removed his diaper and then carried him over to the tub. Jeremy sat still as the robot quickly cleaned his body and then carried him back to the changing table. Sure enough, he soon found himself in a new diaper and being fed. The formula was starting to taste bland from gulp after gulp of it. In fact, Jeremy realized that he was getting bored of the monotony of being changed and fed. Once he finished his meal, the robot placed him in the crib. Almost instantly, Jeremy felt his eyelids grow heavy. Just before he fell asleep, he heard the robot whisper something to him.

"Goodnight, little one. Tomorrow we're going to the park."

Part 4

It wasn't until he woke up that the robot's words truly sunk in. With a loud crinkle, Jeremy sat up in his crib. They were going to go to the park? Wasn't that dangerous? He could call for help or try to run away! If the opportunity presents itself, I will escape today. Feeling proud of himself for making the decision, Jeremy sat calmly and waited for the robots to release him. While he waited, he found himself once again wetting his diaper, but this had become commonplace and so was not a crucial concern. Jeremy was surprised to find that he was not as uncomfortable as he should have been trapped in a crib and wearing nothing but a wet diaper. This realization was promptly followed by a mental reassurance that he was not enjoying wearing a diaper or being treated like a baby; he was merely acclimating to the situation. He sat in silence for what he estimated to be about ten or fifteen minutes before the robots entered. He watched as they bustled around the room as though they were toying with him. Finally, one of them came and lifted him out of the crib. It carried him to the table, and their daily routine began. Jeremy was fed as they changed his diaper. However, today there was a difference. Rather than simply waiting for him to finish his breakfast, the robots seemed to be in some sort of argument. Amused, Jeremy watched out of the corner of his eye as the robots conversed quickly. He could not understand what they were saying, but it had a certain tone that proved to him that they were indeed arguing. At last, they stopped and vanished for a few seconds. When they returned, Jeremy was surprised by what they had. One of the robots had what a yellow onsie and blue shorts, while the other held a bright pink party dress and bonnet. Once Jeremy finished eating, the robots removed the hose.

"Now then, little one. Before we go, you need to choose which outfit you want to wear." Jeremy pretended to ponder for a moment, but then pointed directly at the onsie and shorts. The robot holding the outfit stepped toward Jeremy and began to dress him. Everything ran smoothly for a moment, but then, the robot tried to put the shorts on Jeremy. The robot made a strange noise, causing Jeremy to look down. He gasped as he realized that the shorts were not big enough to go over his diaper. He groaned as he realized what this meant.

After several minutes of fighting and squirming, they were ready to go to the park. Jeremy grumbled to himself as he stood in front of the mirror in the dress and bonnet. The dress was so short that his diaper was clearly visible. His thoughts were far darker than any little girl's could ever be, and he wished nothing less than full dismantling to the robots for doing this to him. They obviously meant for this to happen! He thought acidly. He continued to glare at the mirror for a few more minutes until one of the robots walked over to him.

"Come, little one. It's time to go to the park." It grabbed Jeremy by the hand and led him towards the wall. This is my first time leaving this room. Jeremy realized. For a moment, Jeremy entertained the whim of waving good-bye to the room, as he had no intention of returning. Beyond the wall, he found himself in darkness. He instinctively grasped the robot's hand tighter. After a few minutes in darkness, Jeremy noticed an approaching light up ahead, the brightness of sunlight. As they emerged into the light, Jeremy had to squint to be able to see. He glanced behind him and saw the large house that they had just emerged from. It looked so innocent, as though it could never hold the evils that it did. Jeremy brought his attention back in front of him. So far, he hadn't seen anyone who would help him escape. They walked along the sidewalk toward some trees in the distance. Jeremy kept glancing around, hoping to see someone, anyone, who would help him. After walking for a few blocks, Jeremy found his chance. He saw a woman standing on her doorstep, gazing out at everything around her.

"Help!" Jeremy yelled. "Ma'am! Please help me!" One of the robots calmly put a pacifier into Jeremy's mouth. As they walked by, Jeremy stared at the woman. She hadn't reacted in the slightest. In fact, she hadn't moved at all. Suddenly, the realization hit Jeremy like a raging bull moose. She was a mannequin. They had thwarted his plan without him even realizing it!

By the time they reached the park, Jeremy had slipped into a funk. They had passed many more mannequins and Jeremy had grown more depressed as they passed each one. The robots sat down on a bench. "Run and play, little one. We'll check up on you in a few hours." Jeremy reluctantly waddled over to a sandbox. He had been somewhat excited for the park, but this was just torture. He halfheartedly began to build a sandcastle, using a shovel and bucket that had been left in the sandbox. Soon, he began to become fully engrossed in the castle building. Jeremy had almost finished his castle when he heard voices behind him. He turned around and saw not two, but four robots. The two newcomers looked very similar to the two that Jeremy was used to, except for one difference. His robots were nude, but the newcomers were wearing outfits that looked like grey jumpsuits. Jeremy waddled over to see what they were talking about. However, when he got close, one of his robots got up and quickly picked him up and carried him over to the swings.

"I bet my baby wants to swing, huh?" Jeremy stared at the swings. He had never liked swings. There was something about going back and forth between thick metal poles that he had never liked, especially since the kids around him would twist and turn in their swings, as though daring the fates to injure them. His attempts to escape were in vain, however, as the robot forced him into one of the baby swings and began to gently push him. The swing was set up in such a way that Jeremy's dress was pushed up, revealing his diaper to the world. As though the robot sensed Jeremy's discomfort, it pulled out a camera and began taking pictures of Jeremy. Feeling overwhelmed, Jeremy began to cry. The robot quickly put away the camera and rushed to its baby. As it released Jeremy, it made quiet soothing sounds. The sounds, however, were blocked out by the loud sound of laughter. Without even looking, Jeremy knew who it was.

Part 5

Vinco continued to laugh as Jeremy turned around. "What?" Jeremy said coldly.

"Nothing. You just look adorable." Vinco said sarcastically. Jeremy growled.

"Why are you here?" Vinco laughed again, spreading his arms.

"Can't I enjoy a little sun every now and again?" Jeremy scoffed.

"What sun? This is as fake as the last room." Vinco stumbled backward.

"You think the playroom I made for you is fake?" He asked in mock shock. Jeremy glared at the man's mask.

"Why do you wear that thing?" Jeremy asked. Vinco chuckled.

"Why do you wear that dress, bonnet, and diaper?"

"Because I'm made to!" Jeremy shouted.

"Exactly. You wear that outfit because it is the role you play in this. My mask is my role."

"How poetic." Jeremy said drily. Vinco chuckled.

"You think I am a poet now? I'm flattered." Vinco bowed mockingly.

"Look, why are you here?"

"Why are any of us here?" Vinco asked innocently.

"Just answer the question!"

"My, my. You're always so irritable when I visit. Perhaps your caretakers aren't letting you get enough sleep." As Vinco said those words, Jeremy felt himself growing tired. Within seconds, he had fallen asleep.

When Jeremy woke up, he was back in the crib of the playroom. He sat up slowly, noticing that he was now wearing a pink onsie, the chest of which proclaimed in big white letters "Little Princess". He decided that at least this was better than the dress, and then looked around the room, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He smiled in spite of everything. He had assumed that Vinco would have added another wrinkle to the plot. In fact, a small part of him had wanted it to happen. Shrugging, he waited for a robot come to liberate him from his prison. Sure enough, he soon enough heard the wall slide open. Not wanting to seem eager, he sat there without looking at the newcomer. When the newcomer entered his line of sight, however, he couldn't stop himself from staring. The person standing in front of him was just that: a normal person. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses and headphones. Jeremy could just barely hear some sort of strange music coming from the headphones. The man leaned over the side of the crib and stared at Jeremy. Jeremy stared back, trying to see the man's eyes through the dark lenses. The man seemed to sense Jeremy's intention and reached up to remove his glasses. As the glasses came off, Jeremy gasped. Where the man's eyes should have been was skin. He moaned in fear as the man smiled. "Io atík foli, lalin? Cé ono a sinohaf nik kuifé nun?" The man said hoarsely. Jeremy whimpered. The man's words made no sense! The man laughed as he watched Jeremy squirm. "Kuina nun, lalin doka. Eta a dik ofhreda nun!" Jeremy began to cry as the man leaned closer to him. Jeremy suddenly awoke, sitting up quickly. He looked down at himself and saw that he was really wearing the pink onsie. He moaned, wondering if this was another dream. He began to squirm from discomfort. The onsie was holding his thoroughly saturated diaper right against his skin. The diaper had grown cold and clammy while he slept and the feeling was not pleasant. He began to silently pray for the robots to come change him. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Jeremy heard the sliding of the wall. He looked to ensure that it was not the eyeless man. He sighed in relief when he saw one of the robots. It rolled up to him, clicking happily.

"Baby looks excited to see me!" The robot said gleefully. It lowered the side of the crib and carried Jeremy over to the changing table. Before he knew it, he was taped up into a fresh diaper. Without a word, the robot connected the feeding hose to Jeremy's pacifier and walked away. Jeremy stared up at the feeding bag. It looked twice as big as the normal ones. His eyes bulged. The normal-sized bag filled him up, so how was he supposed to finish this one? Thinking quickly, he spat out the pacifier, but before it had even stopped moving from his lips, the robot had returned and shoved the pacifier back into Jeremy's mouth, this time tying it around his head. Jeremy groaned around the pacifier as mouthful after mouthful of the formula poured into his mouth. As he continued this, he realized that the formula tasted slightly different from the previous meal. He tried to figure out exactly what the addition was, but the taste was like nothing he had tasted before. He eventually reduced himself to simply aiming to finish off the formula as soon as possible. After awhile, he began to feel full but the bag was nowhere near empty. He began to moan uncomfortably as he felt his stomach swell. He began to feel as though he would explode if he finished the formula. But then, sweet salvation came in the form of an enormous bowel movement. His diaper filled with feces and he soon added urine to that. The pressure lessened in his stomach and he managed to finish the formula. As he drank the last drop, he just laid there, too full to even move. The robot returned to his side and picked him up. Jeremy felt it gauge the size of the mess in his diaper. After a few moments, it deemed the diaper not full enough and brought Jeremy over to the toys. With its free hand, it pulled a large playpen out of the wall and put Jeremy into it. Jeremy was soon left alone, his diaper reeking to high heaven. He looked around the playpen. There were a few stuffed animals and a rattle. Jeremy crawled over to the stuffed animals, noticing that his diapered butt waved back and forth as he crawled. He soon reached the toys and chose a little stuffed fox. Jeremy smiled at the little fox in his hand. The fox was wearing a little diaper and had a smile on his face. Jeremy hugged the fox, marveling at how soft his fur was.

Jeremy played with the stuffed animals for the next few hours, but the fox remained his solid favorite. Over the hours of playtime, Jeremy decided that he was going to name the fox Chris. Feeling that the fox now had a personality, Jeremy began to guard the toy even more carefully, making sure he always knew where the little fox was. By the time Jeremy had done everything he could think of with the stuffed animals, his diaper was on the verge of leaking. Jeremy squirmed about in the playpen, trying to find a position that wasn't uncomfortable. "The problem with a diaper," Jeremy said to Chris, "is that you can always feel it. You always know you're wearing it." Jeremy smiled at Chris, imagining that he had agreed. The whir of an approaching robot caused Jeremy to look up. Sure enough, he saw two of the robots coming towards him.

"I smell a little stinker!" The robot on the left said. Jeremy blushed. The robots clicked as he was picked up. One of the robots took Chris from Jeremy and put the fox back into the playpen. The robots carried Jeremy over to the changing table and rapidly removed his diaper and onsie. They then carried the naked boy over to the bathtub. As they lowered him into the tub, Jeremy noticed that the tub was now full of bubbles. Rising out of it was a flowery scent. Great. Now I'm going to smell like a baby girl! However, he knew better than to struggle. Deciding that it was best to just endure the bath, he allowed the robots to wash him in the bubbles. They then brought him back to the changing table and double diapered him. One of the robots produced a bottle and gently placed it between his lips. Glad to have an actual bottle, Jeremy eagerly sucked on the bottle's nipple. Within minutes, Jeremy had finished the bottle. The robots helped him sit up and produced a pink babydoll nightgown. Jeremy obediently put his arms up and allowed them to pull the nightgown over his head. He was then placed into his crib and the lights dimmed. Jeremy laid in the crib for a few minutes, feeling like something was missing. He suddenly realized what it was: he missed Chris! He carefully stood up, wincing as his diaper crinkled. The side of the crib came up to Jeremy's chest, and so he knew that there was no way he could get over them. He shook the side, trying to get it to release, but his attempts were in vain. Suddenly, the lights turned on and one of the robots entered the room.

"Bad girl! Go to sleep!" The robot scolded him. Jeremy whimpered.

"I just want my foxy." He said quietly. The robot began to click softly.

"Well that's fine." The robot went over and grabbed the little stuffed fox. It handed the fox to Jeremy, who immediately lied down, cuddling the fox. Within minutes, he fell asleep, his newly-found friend in his arms.

Part 6

The next morning, Jeremy woke up and was momentarily worried. Chris was nowhere to be found. However, Jeremy soon became aware of a lump beneath him. He sat up and reached under himself. He pulled out a cute, albeit slightly flattened, fox wearing a diaper. He smiled at the little fox, silently marveling at the toy's ability to make him forget about everything. Jeremy shuddered as he recalled the tormented dream he had just escaped from.

* * *

Jeremy was walking down a street. He looked around him, seeing many houses, all of which were dark. He continued to walk, heading for a park in the distance. The night was so quiet he could hear every breath he took. Then, sirens broke the silence. Jeremy turned and watched four police cars speed by. Almost without thinking, Jeremy began to walk quicker. When he saw them turn into the park, he broke out into a complete run. When he reached the park, he saw the policemen standing around... something. He slowly moved towards them, trying to figure out what was going on. He could barely hear the police officers discussing what they had found.

"Another one, sir?" One of them said.

"Looks like it. Damn! It's the fifth one we've found!"

"I know we've been denying it to the press, but do you think..."

"I don't know what to think!" The officer paused. "Let's just get it out of here!" Jeremy watched, his lip quivering, as the police officers carried a naked body towards a waiting ambulance. Jeremy stared at the body. The body was naked, and looked to be fourteen or fifteen. A hand on Jeremy's shoulder caused him to turn around. He screamed as he saw the man without eyes. "Ono a sekfa dezka." The man said quietly.

* * *

Jeremy shook his head, trying to get rid of the frightening images. He stared intently at Chris, trying to drive all other thoughts from his mind. He finally managed to purge the dream and settled into playing with Chris. He had gotten very involved in his game when one of the robots came and lifted him out of his crib. Jeremy then realized that his diaper was sagging quite a bit. He blushed slightly, causing the robot to chuckle.

"You don't need to be embarrassed. That's what it's for, silly!" It strapped him down to the table and efficiently changed his diaper. "Now then. What does my baby girl want to wear today?" It asked him. Jeremy tried to explain that he wanted to wear boy clothes, but the pacifier in his mouth made it quite difficult. The robot watched his attempts for a while and then turned away. "I have just the thing." It left the room, and Jeremy was alone for a while. He lied on the table, feeling the chilling material on his bare back and dreading the robot's return. He knew that whatever the robot had would be very feminine. Sure enough, the robot returned with a frilly dress, this time in white. Working quickly, the robot unstrapped Jeremy and slipped the dress over his head before he could struggle. The robot then left him on the floor. "Have fun, little one!" Jeremy rolled his eyes. They weren't even going anywhere today? He waddled over to his crib and pushed his hand through the bars. He grabbed Chris and pulled him out of the prison. He hugged the fox, happy to be reunited with him. Carrying the fox, Jeremy wandered over to the toys. He was surprised to find a small bag that he hadn't seen before. He cautiously opened it and found a whole bunch of outfits and diapers just the right size for Chris. He smiled at the fox and began to dig for something for the fox to wear. His search, however, only turned up outfits for girls. Shrugging, he decided that Chris could survive in just a diaper. He then searched for something else to do, and his eyes fell immediately on the blocks. He smiled as he recalled his tower from a few days ago. For a few moments, he toyed with the idea of rebuilding the tower, but deemed that idea repetitive. Instead, he decided to build a castle for the newly-crowned King, Chris. Placing the fox in the middle of the floor, Jeremy began to build a base around his friend. After a while of careful construction, Chris had a wonderful castle and Jeremy had a wet diaper. Jeremy gazed at the castle in awe, but then realized that there seemed to be less blocks than the last time. He wandered over to the toybin, but stopped when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He was shocked to see that he looked a bit like a baby girl! His pink diaper peeked out from underneath the white lacy dress, and although Jeremy had always considered himself masculine, his face had a feminine touch to it. A whir behind him caused Jeremy to jump, but he soon calmed when he saw one of the robots. It came up to him and inserted a finger into his diaper.

"Well, you can last a little longer before a change. In the meantime, how about I do something about your hair?" Jeremy stared at himself in the mirror. His hair was a bit long, just the way he liked it. He didn't want the robot to do anything about it, especially not the most likely alternative. But by the time he had thought of arguing, the robot had grabbed a little chair and had navigated the boy into it. Jeremy, his dress riding up to reveal his diaper, was unable to do anything as the robot put his hair in pigtails with pieces of white ribbon, thereby forcing him further into femininity. He began to sob slightly, feeling completely helpless. The robot picked him up and placed him on its shoulder. It began to gently rub his back while making soothing sounds. "It'll be okay, baby." The robot said calmly. Jeremy had trouble believing a robot that only spoke in monotone. The robot gently put Jeremy back on the floor, and was about to leave when it noticed the diapered fox on the floor. It picked the fox up and turned to Jeremy. "You know, this little one is going to catch cold if you leave him in just a diaper." The robot went over to the bag of clothes and pulled out an identical dress to the one Jeremy was wearing. The robot handed the newly-dressed sissy fox to Jeremy. "Now you two are twins!" The robot said as it left. Jeremy stared down at his friend. It seemed to him that Chris's smile was a little less of one. How did the robot even know Chris's name? Jeremy returned his attention to the girl in the mirror. He glared at the reflection, and began to attempt to remove the hair ribbons.

"You know, I don't think your caretakers will like that." Jeremy rolled his eyes as he turned around.

"You know," He said mockingly, "I don't care." He continued to try to untie the ribbons, but found them tied very tightly.

"Don't you like being a baby girl?" Vinco asked sarcastically. Jeremy scoffed. "You know, I can end this, if you wish."

"Like I would ever trust you!"

"Trust is a peculiar thing. If you have it, it's easy to lose. If you don't have it, it's nearly impossible to get."

"Not that you've tried." Vinco chuckled.

"I've given you shelter, food, clothes, and all of the other basic needs. What more do you want?"

"Freedom. No matter how you sugarcoat it, I am your prisoner, your plaything." Vinco picked up Chris.

"I've given you your own playthings. Why aren't you happy?"

"I want answers. I want to know why the hell you're doing this!" Vinco was silent for a second. It seemed to Jeremy as though he had finally stumped the man. Then, Vinco spoke again, but his voice seemed to have lost the air of confidence it had before. "You are the one who can end this." With that, Vinco left. Jeremy pondered running after him, but decided that that would not have been wise.

Part 7

Jeremy was pretty sure that it had only been about an hour since he had seen Vinco, but it felt like an eternity. He sighed forlornly. Lately, he had begun to feel the need for other people. He spent the majority of his day with robots and he didn't consider Vinco to be human in the slightest. He just lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling and wondering what to do. The ceiling was tiled, much like the ceiling at his school. It hadn't occurred to him before, but the ceiling was actually pretty low. Looking around the room, he tried to find anything that he could stand on to reach the ceiling. The only thing he saw was the toybin, but he estimated that he would need to be a few inches taller to reach the ceiling. He sighed, disappointed that his plan didn't work. He stared at the blocks again. Had it only been a few days ago that he had planned to use them as weapons? He chuckled. It had seemed like a pretty good idea at the time. He stared around the room, wondering what to do. He sighed. The room was boring. "I am sick of this." Jeremy muttered to himself. Even the whir from the wall didn't excite him. The robot came over and kneeled down in front of him.

"So, what do you say we try to potty train you?" The robot said.

"What?" Jeremy asked stupidly.

"It occurred to me that you're a little old to still be in diapers, so what do you say? Want to become a big kid?" Jeremy nodded, eliciting a laugh from the robot. It helped him up and, for the first time since he had gone to the park, Jeremy went through the wall. This time, however, the darkness did not worry him. He was a little worried, however, when they came into a new room. This room was decorated like a toddler's. The robot led Jeremy over to a dresser. It pulled open one of the top drawers, and Jeremy saw two piles. One was diapers just like the one he was wearing, the other had pink pull-ups. Jeremy groaned as he realized that he was going to remain a girl. "Go sit down on your new bed for a minute." Jeremy obeyed, sitting down on the bed. The robot shortly came over with a pull-up. "The diapers are just in case." The robot explained as it removed Jeremy's diaper. He smiled slightly as the robot pulled the pull-up onto him. Even though the pull-up was still pretty thick, it felt like real underwear compared to the thick diapers.

"When can I dress like a boy again?" Jeremy asked. The robot clicked its laugh.

"When you're older, you'll be able to dress yourself." It explained. Jeremy sighed. He had expected such an answer. "Now then, how about we get you some lunch?" Jeremy nodded half-heartedly, and so, the robot led him down the hallway and into a kitchen. The other caretaker was there, dashing around the room. Jeremy found himself maneuvered to a booster seat in front of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cut in fourths. Even though Jeremy normally didn't like grape jelly, this was the first solid food he had seen since his abduction, and so, he quickly dug in. At first, it felt weird to chew, but he soon fell back into the old habit. Halfway through the sandwich, one of the caretakers placed a sippy cup full of milk in front of him. "Remember, little one, that if you need to go potty, just tell one of us and we'll take you! Try not to wet your pull-up!" Jeremy scoffed, doubting that it would be a problem. But then, biting doubt appeared. He had been unable to control his body the last few days, so maybe... He returned his attention to his food. Once Jeremy had finished eating, the robots made him stay sitting until he finished his milk. After Jeremy had finished, one of the robots escorted him back to his room. Jeremy looked around the room, wondering what to do. Most of the toys and things seemed geared more to toddler girls. He eventually settled on a coloring book and began to color a picture of a castle. That soon got boring, and so, he decided to explore his new surroundings. He first went to look in the dresser and found it to be full of dresses and other feminine clothing that a three year old girl would love to wear. He even found a few little girls' swimsuits, causing him to wonder if they were planning on taking him swimming at some point. This, in turn, led him to wonder how long this charade would last. After all, he had spent quite a while as a baby. He then turned his attention to the closet, in which he found a rather large dollhouse. He decided that it would best for him to return to his coloring. He sat down and was about to continue coloring when he felt a slight pressure in his bladder. It took him a moment to realize that he had to pee. He quickly leapt up and dashed for the door. Almost as if it had read his mind, one of the robots appeared.

"What's wrong, little one?" The robot asked.

"I gotta pee!" Jeremy shouted. The robot grabbed Jeremy's hand and quickly led him through the hall. They emerged in a bathroom. Rather than a toilet however, there was a training potty. Not even hesitating, Jeremy pulled down the pull-up and sat down on the potty. As if on cue, his bladder erupted. He sighed contently as he felt the pressure decrease. The robot clicked happily.

"You did it!" It helped Jeremy stand up and pull up his pull-up. "You might get this yet!" Jeremy rolled his eyes. The thing was acting like he had been trying to use the toilet for weeks! He allowed the robot to lead him back to his room.

"How long before I can wear clothes that fit my age?" Jeremy asked, more to himself than to the robot. The robot clicked, looking down at him.

"You are wearing clothes that fit your age, silly!" Jeremy rolled his eyes again. The robot was programmed to see him as a three year old girl, it seemed. Jeremy returned to his coloring, but this was rather boring. Instead, he went over to the bed and laid down on it, making sure his dress was pulled as low as it could be.

"Enjoying the change in scenery?" Jeremy looked toward the door.

"Not really. It's ultimately the same anyway." He said sourly. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I came to explain why you are now growing up, of course." Jeremy sat up. This was actually unexpected.

"And?"

"I don't know if you recall earlier today. You were alone in the playroom, and you said that you were sick of "this"."

"So what? You felt charitable?" Vinco laughed in a way that made Jeremy nervous. The laugh had the note that someone's voice had when they knew that, in a short while, they were going to get what they had been waiting for.

"No." Vinco paused for a second. "Now, I want you to remember back a bit further. Back to when you and I first met." Jeremy nodded. "I proposed to you a challenge of sorts."

"You never really explained it." Jeremy said. Vinco pointed at Jeremy.

"Exactly! I said that when you were fed up with the life I had given you, I would explain the rules of the challenge!"

"So, you're going to now?"

"No." Jeremy stared at the man in front of him. Something about his voice struck him as strangely familiar. There was a sound to his voice that reminded him of something he had heard before. "You see, I do not feel... comfortable with challenging a little girl." Jeremy growled at the insult, eliciting a chuckle out of Vinco. "Rather, you will progressively grow up until you are back to the way you were before."

"Progressively grow up?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes. First you were treated as a one year old. Now, you are three. Next, you'll be six, then ten, then thirteen. Finally, you will return to seventeen."

"Well, what then?"

"Once you are seventeen again, I will explain my proposition." With that, Vinco turned around and left. Jeremy, thinking quickly, leaped up and followed him. But as soon as Jeremy got out the door, one of the robots grabbed him.

"There you are, little one!" The robot said. Jeremy tried to see where Vinco had gone, but he had no luck. "How about we go somewhere for dinner?" Jeremy stared up at the robot.

"No, I don't want to." He said simply, recalling his last trip outside.

"Oh. Alright then. Let's go to the kitchen and get you something to eat instead." The robot led Jeremy by the hand to the kitchen where he was presented with a small plate of macaroni and cheese and another sippy cup of milk. "After you finish eating, you can watch some TV before bath time, okay?" Jeremy nodded slightly and began to eat. The mac and cheese wasn't too bad and the milk was at least better than the formula he used to be force fed. Within ten minutes, he had finished eating. The robot then led him to another room. It positioned him right in front of a TV and turned it on. Jeremy was astounded to see that the show that was on seemed to star none other than Vinco. The Vinco on TV seemed to be explaining the alphabet along with a group of puppet animals. A fox with an F on its shirt reminded Jeremy of Chris. He began to wonder where Chris was now. Seeing that Jeremy was not paying attention, the robot quickly scooped him up. "Since you aren't watching the show anymore, it's time for your bath." Jeremy allowed the robot to carry him to the bathroom. "While I'm filling the tub, why don't you try to pee again?" Jeremy obliged, sitting on the training potty. Finally, he got up the courage to ask.

"Where's my fox?" The robot turned and stared at him.

"I'm not sure. I bet I could find out though." It stood up just as the other robot appeared. Jeremy smiled secretly. He had just learned something valuable. The newcomer robot nodded, turned around, and left the room. "Don't worry. We'll find your fox."

Once Jeremy had finished peeing, the robot stripped him and lowered him into the bubbles of the bath. Jeremy was less than thrilled about smelling like a little girl again, but he soon lost his grumpiness and played with the bubbles. Quite shortly, the robot lifted him out of the tub and dried him off with an enormous fluffy pink towel. It then led him naked to his room where it handed him a pull-up. Glad to have even the smallest bit of independence, Jeremy pulled on the pull-up. He watched the robot as it turned and grabbed out of the closet a nightgown. Jeremy groaned, but allowed himself to be dressed in it. The robot then walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers. Jeremy crawled into the bed and was soon tucked in. Just as the robot was about to leave, the other one appeared, holding in its hand a little stuffed fox wearing an identical nightgown to the one Jeremy was wearing. Jeremy smiled as he was reunited with his friend. The robots then bid him good-night, shut off the lights and closed the door. In the soft glow of the nightlight, Jeremy hugged his friend close, hearing a crinkle. He lifted up the fox's nightgown and saw that he was now wearing a pull-up, just like Jeremy's. Chuckling in spite of himself, Jeremy rolled over, hearing the bed crinkle as well. He was puzzled by this, but decided that he could find out in the morning.

Part 8

"Wake up, little one." Jeremy slowly opened his eyes, jumping involuntarily as he saw the masked face of one of his caretakers. "It's time for breakfast!" The robot helped Jeremy get out of the bed and led him down the hall to the kitchen. Jeremy sniffed the air, pleased by what he smelled.

"Pancakes!" He said happily. He hurried to the table, completely undisturbed by the fact he was wearing a feminine nightgown and a wet pull-up. In fact, Jeremy didn't notice anything except the food in front of him until he was halfway through his fourth pancake. At that time, the food-laden ecstasy began to dull and he became aware of his outfit. He put down his fork slowly, embarrassed that he had eaten without noticing his otherwise-humiliating situation. "Can I go change?" He asked. Without a word, the caretaker led Jeremy back to his room. Once there, the robot removed Jeremy's nightgown.

"Looks like you're having trouble staying dry at night, little one." The robot mused. Jeremy ignored the robot, preoccupied with his drooping pull-up. "Let's get you to the potty." The caretaker said with a dry pull-up in its mechanical hand. They walked through the dark corridor and into the bathroom. Jeremy marveled at the fact that none of the light from the bathroom, or really any room, spilled into the hallway. The robot navigated him onto the potty chair, and Jeremy sat there, staring up at the robot. He didn't feel the need to go, and sure enough, nothing happened. Yet the robot made him sit there for ten minutes. Finally, the root allowed him to stand up and put in the new pull-up. The two then returned to Jeremy's room, where the caretaker began the task of finding Jeremy a dress for the day. Jeremy sat on the bed with Chris, dreading the robot's decision. He gazed down at Chris, who was still in his nightgown. The fox seemed to be taking everything in stride. Jeremy had to remind himself that the fox was just a stuffed toy, but part of him refused to believe it. The robot turned around, holding in its hands two bright yellow dresses, each having a plethora of petticoats. The only difference between the two was that one was far smaller than the other. Jeremy sighed, fully aware that he had no choice in the matter. He obediently raised his arms into the air, momentarily blinded by a sea of yellow fabric. His head emerged at last from the dress as the root began to focus on the little adjustments required. The robot soon finished, handing Jeremy Chris's dress. Without a word, Jeremy changed the fox's outfit, well aware of the watching robot. The robot soon left the room, reminding Jeremy to call if he needed to go potty. At long last, Jeremy was left alone to his thoughts.

He sat on the bed for a few minutes, not sure of what to do. Monotony certainly seemed to set in quickly. He got up and walked over to the toybox, having nothing better to do than to dig in it. The majority of the toys were clearly geared towards toddler girls, and Jeremy was struggling to stay interested in digging in the toybox. Near the bottom, he pulled out a black cube, about the same size as a Rubik's Cube. It seemed to be made of metal, and as he examined it closely, it began to change colors fluidly. Jeremy watched it for a few minutes, hoping it would do something else. When nothing more happened, he tossed it aside and returned to his digging. At the very bottom, he found a plastic doctor's kit, and so, he decided to play doctor with Chris. Picking up the kit, he turned toward the fox, and was surprised to see that he was gone! He frantically looked around the room and soon spied the fox sitting on the table next to a sippy cup of juice. In spite of himself, Jeremy giggled. He walked over to the table and picked up the cup.

"As soon as I finish my juice, I'll take care of you." He told the fox. He began to drink the juice, finishing it in a few minutes. He then set down the doctor's kit and opened it up, selecting from it a stethoscope. He stuck the end in his ears and then put the other side against Chris's chest. His vivid imagination soon provided a faint heartbeat. Jeremy nodded slightly as he removed the stethoscope. "That sounds healthy." He said absently. He then selected a syringe. "However, we need to give you a shot for rabies, just in case." He gently rolled up the fox's sleeve, and placed the syringe on his arm. He pretended that the fox was scared, so he gently grabbed the fox's other hand. "It'll be over in just a second." He quickly pushed down on the syringe. "There! All done!" He put the syringe away and carried the doctor bag back over to the toybox. He dropped it in, and just stared down into the toybox for a while. I wonder what mom and dad are doing right now. They're probably panicking. There have been so many people my age who have disappeared that they probably think I'm dead by now. He felt guilty for not thinking of them sooner. He wandered back over to the bed and lied down. He sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. "There's nothing to do around here!" He moaned.

"If you're that bored, little one, you can come run errands with me." Jeremy looked over and saw one of the caretakers in the doorway.

"Okay." Jeremy got up and walked over to the caretaker. The caretaker, however, led him back over to the dresser.

"Let's get you some cute tights to go with your pretty dress." The robot quickly dug in one of the drawers, pulling out a pair of white tights. Jeremy found himself maneuvered over to a chair, where he watched as the robot pulled the tights up his legs. "Stay here while I get you some shoes, little one." The robot said, walking away. Jeremy stared down at the tights. Why do I have to wear these? No one is going to see us! The robot soon returned with a pair of small white shoes and a large bag on its shoulder. The robot kneeled down and put the shoes on Jeremy's feet. It then helped him up, and led him into the dark hallway again. Jeremy once again felt the twinge of fear. It was so dark that he couldn't see a thing, and all he could hear was his own breathing and the clicking of his shoes. After what felt like an hour, they emerged on the same street that they had walked down to go to the park. This time, however, they walked the other way. Jeremy cautiously looked from side to side, nervous as more and more mannequins appeared. Does Vinco think that this makes it seem more realistic? He slowly became aware of a change in the scenery from houses to shops. The caretaker led him first into a grocery store, where they bought the ingredients for spaghetti. Jeremy licked his lips, as he loved spaghetti. As they were leaving the grocery store, Jeremy heard a quiet growl come from his stomach.

"I'm hungry." He said quietly. The robot absentmindly nodded, leading Jeremy to a restaurant across the street. They sat down in a booth and a few minutes later, a robot waiter came walking along. The caretaker quickly ordered food for Jeremy, requesting a bib. The waiter nodded and hurried away. Jeremy sat quietly, staring out the window.

"What's wrong, little one?" The robot asked.

"I'm not a baby!" He muttered.

"I know you're not."

"Then why did you ask for a bib?" The robot laughed in its clicking manner.

"That was so you don't stain your pretty dress, silly!"

"I'm not a girl either!" Jeremy said, but the robot seemed not to hear him. A few minutes later, the robot waiter returned, placing in front of Jeremy a plate of chicken strips. Jeremy grabbed one of the strips and was about to eat it when his caretaker stopped him.

"You need the bib first, little one." Before Jeremy could protest, the robot forced a plastic bib over his head. He stared down at the bib, on which was written in big red letters "Messy Eater". He decided that he could bear eating with the bib around his neck, and so he focused on the strips before him. After a few minutes, his plate was clear. Secretly, he was glad for the bib, as the barbecue sauce that had come with the strips was rather runny. In fact, his dress had taken some damage from the sauce. However, his caretaker quite quickly wiped away the sauce and they left the restaurant.

"Where to now, freaky robot thing?" Jeremy asked, feeling strangely rebellious.

"What was that?" The robot asked, actually sounding angry. Jeremy immediately felt guilty.

"I'm sorry." Jeremy muttered.

"Not as sorry as you will be! We're going home right now!" The robot grabbed Jeremy's hand and began pulling him down the street. Jeremy struggled to keep up, but the robot was too fast. The robot stopped for a second and picked him up, throwing him over its shoulder. Jeremy knew better than to struggle, feeling as though he were heading toward his doom. He felt like it only took them seconds to make it to and get through the dark corridor and they soon emerged into his bedroom. The robot sat down on the bed, placing Jeremy on its lap. Even before the robot lifted up his dress, Jeremy knew what was coming. Yet, he still cried out when its hand hit his bare bottom. The hand made contact twenty more times, and by the end, Jeremy was sobbing loudly. The robot slowly pulled Jeremy's pull-up back up and navigated him to the corner. "I want you to stand here for fifteen minutes and think about what you said! Do you understand me?" Jeremy nodded meekly, gazing up at the robot with tears in his eyes. The robot left the room, but Jeremy knew better than to even think about leaving. From his corner, he could just barely see the clock. Time seemed to pass so slowly that Jeremy began to suspect that it had stopped altogether. He had only been standing in the corner for five minutes when he felt a pressure in his bladder, causing him to groan.

"Of all the times to need to piss." He muttered, glancing towards the door to make sure that the caretaker hadn't heard his choice of words. By the tenth minute, Jeremy began to rock slightly from side to side, focusing on holding in his pee. "There must be drugs in the food!" He whispered to himself. He mentally kicked himself for just realizing that now. After all, he had lost complete bladder control while in diapers! He quickly derailed his train of thought and returned his focus to his aching bladder. A glance at the clock revealed that he still had four minutes. He swore under his breath, certain that the clock had stopped. "Damn it!" He said. "I'm seventeen years old! I should be able to hold my pee for fifteen minutes!" That's when it dawned on him. The caretakers had told him that whenever he needed to pee, he should call them. He walked over to the door, and called out. Almost instantly, one of the robots was at the door.

"Uh-oh! Someone left time-out!"

"I-I need to pee!" He said.

"A big girl would be able to hold it another... seven minutes."

"What? I only have two minutes left!"

"Leaving time-out gets you five extra minutes, little one." The caretaker forced him back to the corner and stood there, guarding him. Jeremy muttered under his breath. "What was that?" The robot asked.

"I love you?" Jeremy said sweetly.

"That's very nice, but it won't get you out of time-out." Jeremy sighed. Come on! You can hold it for six more minutes! For some reason, his mental reassurance filled him with an indescribable warm feeling, especially around his crotch. Then, what just happened sank in. Jeremy moaned in anguish as he finished emptying his bladder into the pull-up. "Okay! You are now out of time-out!" The robot said happily.

"I wet myself." Jeremy said sadly.

Part 9

The robot stared down at Jeremy. Jeremy was terrified, not so much from the robot's mask, but more so about what his punishment was going to be. His mind told him that he was a boy of 17, but by all outer appearance, he was a little girl in a dress and a soaked pull-up.

"Don't worry, little one. These things happen. However, be warned. If you wet yourself one more time today, you will be put back into diapers until tomorrow morning, understand?" Jeremy nodded. The robot walked over to the dresser and pulled out a new pull-up, handing it to Jeremy. He silently removed the old one and pulled on the new one. The robot nodded, leaving the room.

The next few days were like a blur for Jeremy. Every morning, he woke up to a wet pull-up, and on most days, he had at least one accident. However, by the time he had spent a week and a half as a toddler, he began to get control back. He even woke up dry every once in a while. By his count, it was day thirteen when one of the caretakers came up to him.

"Little one. We have decided that if you can stay dry without any accidents during the day for a week, we will give you big kid's underwear." Jeremy found a slight ray of hope in the fact that the caretaker had said kid instead of girl. Smiling enthusiastically, he swore to work even harder at achieving control over his rebellious bladder. Over the next week, Jeremy was constantly vigilant to ensure that he knew when he needed to pee. Even though it felt like an eternity to Jeremy, in retrospect, he felt like the week flew by.

That morning, he woke up to the Caretaker's entrance. "Are you wet, little one?" the Caretaker asked. Jeremy smiled.

"No!" He said happily, ignoring the fact that he should not be surprised to wake up dry. The robot nodded absentmindly.

"Well then. After you eat breakfast, I have a surprise for you." The robot led Jeremy down to the kitchen and placed in front of him a big plate of scrambled eggs. Next to it, the robot placed a regular glass of orange juice. Jeremy stared at it. Things were getting back to normal. Neither of the robots were around while Jeremy ate and he suspected this was because they were remodeling his room. Just as Jeremy finished eating, however, he felt the urge to pee. Quickly leaping out of his chair, Jeremy hurried out of the kitchen. He found himself in the dark hallways that he had gone through many times, albeit always accompanied. He tried desperately to find his way, but within a few minutes, he was hopelessly lost. He began to panic, making crazy turns through the hallways, forced into this frenzy by his aching bladder. Finally, he stopped. He panted nervously, trying to figure out what to do. Smiling mischievously, he decided on his action. He carefully pulled up his nightgown and pulled down his pull-up. Facing the wall, he relaxed his bladder. The quiet hiss from the urine hitting the wall was almost like music to his ears. Just as the stream ended, Jeremy heard a clanking in the distance. He gasped as he realized that the noise was footsteps. The caretakers were looking for him! Quickly pulling his pull-up back up, he turned away from the sound and ran_. If they catch me here, I'm going to be in big trouble!_ He continued to run away from the noise, but soon discovered that the hallways distorted sounds. Every once in a while, he'd think that he was running away, when, in actuality, he found that he was running towards the sound. Either they know some shortcuts or these hallways go in circles. As Jeremy continued to try to avoid the caretakers, he suddenly realized that there was a worst thing he could find. He stopped, and slowly backed against the wall. No matter what, he had to avoid being caught by Vinco. He began to slowly move along the wall, searching for any door. He had to stop himself from shouting triumphantly when he found one. He carefully turned the knob, and slipped into the room. As the door closed, he realized that the room was just as dark as the hallway had been. He began to feel along the wall, searching for a light switch. He involuntarily jumped as the lights came on. He looked around the room, feeling very disappointed as he realized that it was just an ordinary office. He walked over to the desk and looked at some of the papers on it. Every single one was completely blank. He quickly paged through them, unable to find any writing. He then turned his focus to the computer. He carefully turned it on, but was defeated by a small box that popped up, demanding a password. Sighing, he turned away, searching the rest of the room for any sort of evidence of a way to escape from his pursuers. Try as he might, he couldn't find anything that would even function as a weapon. He was about to leave the room when he heard footsteps outside the door. Thinking quickly, he turned out the lights, hiding in the closet. He tried to quiet his breathing as he heard the doorknob turn. It was odd, the footsteps didn't sound like one of the caretakers, but he knew that if it were Vinco, he wouldn't have heard him coming. Jeremy wanted nothing more than to peer out the door as the lights in the room came on, but he resisted the urge. He heard the mystery pursuer walk over to the computer. He had left it on! Jeremy silently swore at his own stupidity. The pursuer turned off the computer, and Jeremy prepared to be caught. He waited for the pursuer to head for the closet next, but he heard the person leave, turning out the lights on the way. Jeremy waited for a few minutes, and then quietly slipped out of the closet, praising his luck. He sneaked over to the door and gently pulled the door open. The hallway outside was as dark as it had been when he had left it. He slipped out and headed to the left. After about ten minutes of wandering in the dark, he noticed a light ahead. Silently weighing his options, Jeremy decided to avoid the light if at all possible, but he found no other way to go other than forward or backward. Not wanted to head back to where he had almost been caught, Jeremy slowly moved forward.

After a few more minutes of walking, Jeremy found himself in a doorway. He looked out of it and saw before him a large room, filled with strange beings that looked like people made completely of smoke, save for their faces, which seemed to be mirrors. Trying not to be noticed, Jeremy slipped into the back row of the seats. All of the mirror beings seemed to be focusing on a red velvet curtain at the front of the room, and so, Jeremy decided that he too should look at it. Jeremy sat there for a few minutes, disturbed by the complete silence of the room. The silence was suddenly broken by strange music that sounded like someone washing a cat while using a rusty saw.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the event of the century!" A loud announcer's voice said. The music swelled to a cacophony that made Jeremy cover his ears, grimacing in pain. The curtains parted and on the stage stood Vinco. He was wearing a black suit and on his head was a top hat. He stepped forward, bowing as though the entire crowd were applauding.

"Welcome one and all to the greatest show you will ever see!" He proclaimed majestically, holding out his arms as though he wished to embrace each and every one of the audience members. Jeremy, however, was more astounding by the mask that Vinco was wearing. Rather than his usual mask, this one seemed to be one complete face that had been distorted so that one side of the mouth was turned up in a smile while the other side was pointed down in a frown. "I will be doing only a few illusions tonight, but you will remember each and every one of them!" He waved his left hand in a wide circle and a long jagged knife appeared in his hand. He bowed again, and then held the knife high up into the air. "A common, or not so common, knife!" He produced a carrot and placed it on a table beside him. He stared out into the crowd for a moment and then in the blink of an eye, chopped the carrot in half. "Sharp enough, wouldn't you agree?" He said overdramatically. He put down the knife and rolled up one of his sleeves. Jeremy stared at the pale arm that had been revealed. He watched in shock as Vinco took the knife and began to calmly saw at his own wrist. The man just stood there without a sound, sawing away at his own arm, blood splattering everywhere. As he plunged deeper, he began to laugh in a way that Jeremy had never heard before. It was desperate and seemed to have no joy behind it. Vinco suddenly stopped sawing and pulled out a black handkerchief. He threw it over his wrist, whipping it off half a second later. There was no mark left on his arm! Jeremy almost had an urge to applaud, but convinced himself not to. Vinco tossed the cloth aside and stared into the audience. Just as the silence was fully enveloping the room, Vinco snapped his fingers. Jeremy watched as one of the caretakers wheeled a large cage onto the stage. In the cage was a large tiger, growling menacingly. Without even the slightest hesitation, Vinco stuck his hand into the cage, patting the tiger on its head. "Isn't she beautiful?" He said softly. "Beautiful, but deadly. Who would like to take their chances with my darling Natasha?" Jeremy looked around slightly, noticing that no one was volunteering. Suddenly, Jeremy felt himself yanked up. A man in a jester's costume was holding him by one of his arms.

"Here's a volunteer!" The man yelled cheerfully. On stage, Vinco laughed as Jeremy struggled to be free.

"My, what a spunky young one! He'll do perfectly!"

"And you thought you could get away." the jester whispered in Jeremy's ear as he pushed him toward the stage. With no chance to escape, Jeremy had no choice but to go up on stage. Vinco stared at him for a moment.

"And what is your name?" He asked.

"You know my name!" Jeremy snapped. Vinco stepped back, laughing.

"Ah! My reputation precedes me! You have heard of my psychic abilities!" With a dramatic flair, Vinco placed a hand on his forehead. "Focus on your name, and nothing but. I will read your mind!" Jeremy rolled his eyes as Vinco allowed for dramatic suspense. "Your name is... Harry!" Vinco announced it with all the flair of a salesman. Jeremy scoffed.

"Of course not! My name is..." He tried to say his name, but he found himself unable to. Vinco stared at him.

"Well?" He paused for a moment, but Jeremy just couldn't spit it out. Vinco shrugged. "Oh well! I don't need to know your name! Now then, please follow me." He grabbed Jeremy's hand and led him over to the tiger's cage. The tiger growled loudly, causing a shiver of fear in Jeremy. "Don't worry. She won't hurt you!" Vinco said, but Jeremy had a hard time believing him.

"What do you want me to do?" Jeremy asked.

"It's simple. Just stand right beside this cage and wait for further instructions." Vinco properly positioned Jeremy and then turned back to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen! In just a moment, I will cover both my assistant and Natasha. And then, the magic will happen!" Vinco snapped his fingers and out walked the jester, carrying a large silk cloth. With the help of Vinco, the jester covered both Jeremy and the tiger. Vinco then returned to the front of the stage. "And now, the magic begins!" Suddenly, Jeremy felt the floor drop out from beneath him. He plunged into darkness, but soon hit the ground. As he lost consciousness, he could hear Vinco laughing.

Part 10

When Jeremy woke up, he was lying in a bed. He looked around. The room was once again different from the one he had last slept in. The walls were green and he saw on the other side of the room an enormous dresser. One side of it was painted pink, the other side painted blue. He sat up slowly, feeling a dull ache in his back. Just as he pulled off the covers, he realized that he was completely naked. He quickly threw the blanket back over himself, blushing slightly. He looked around the room and his eyes fell upon the most interesting part of the room. There was a window. Casting aside both the blanket and his modesty, Jeremy walked across the floor to the window. He stared out it, but saw nothing more than the fake world that he had gone out into a few times.

"Ah, I see you're awake. Do you like your new room?" Jeremy smiled.

"Yes, I do." He said happily. The caretaker clicked happily.

"Good. Now then, get dressed. Breakfast is almost done." Jeremy smiled even more broadly. He was allowed to dress himself! He approached the dresser and paused for a second to consider which side he should go for. Naturally, his mind wanted the blue side, but he wasn't sure if they had reversed them to trick him or not. Shrugging, he went for the blue side. Pulling open the top drawer, he was delighted to discover boy's underwear, albeit cartoon briefs. Grabbing a pair, he pulled them on. He stared down at the Power Ranger underwear that he was now wearing. It felt strange to be wearing real underwear. He dug in the other drawers and found a Pokémon t-shirt and jeans. Putting them on, he then followed the caretaker into the kitchen.

"So there's our little boy!" The other caretaker said as Jeremy walked in. Jeremy smiled. Things were becoming right in the world again. He sat down in front of a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon and began to eat. "Now, Jeremy, there are a few new rules that we have to go over." Jeremy looked up from his food.

"What sort of rules?" He asked apprehensively.

"Well, now that you're six, we expect you to go to the bathroom on your own. Also, we feel that you're too old to wet the bed at night, so until we are confident in your abilities to stay dry, you will not be allowed any drinks within two hours of bedtime. Okay?" Jeremy nodded. "Also, if you wet your bed, we will have to look into... other means of prevention. Do you understand?" Jeremy nodded again. He knew full well what they meant. "However, being six also gives you certain privileges. For instance, as you can tell, we are allowing you to dress yourself. As long as you do it well, we will allow you to continue to do that."

Jeremy finished eating, and handed the plate to the caretaker. The caretaker, however, did not take it. The two sat there for a moment before the caretaker spoke.

"You're six. You can take your plate to the sink yourself." Jeremy got up and walked over to the sink, placing the plate in.

"What are we doing today?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could go to the park. Would you like that?" Jeremy thought for a moment, and then decided that it would be better than hanging around the house all day, so he nodded. The caretaker rose. "I'll go get a few things ready. You run back to your room and get some socks and shoes on." Jeremy left the room and walked to his bedroom, too nervous to even think of going exploring again. As he entered his room, it occurred to him that he had no idea where his shoes might be. He looked around the room, eventually settling on the closet as the most likely place. Sure enough, as soon as he opened the door, a pair of blue tennis shoes was there. He picked them up, and examined them.

"How does he do this?" Jeremy wondered aloud as he pulled on the shoes. A light from the closet made him stop and walk over. He gazed into the back of the dark closet. Sure enough, it looked like there was a small door back there. He crawled over to it, discovering that it was open. Although he was slightly apprehensive, he began to wonder where it led.

"Will you take the temptation?" Jeremy sighed as he crawled out of the closet.

"I might have." Vinco chuckled.

"Who said that that door was the temptation?"

"Fine. What is the temptation?" Jeremy asked. Vinco was silent, but then revealed a small book.

"I have a gift for you." He handed the book to Jeremy, who stared at it.

"A bible? You don't seem the religious type."

"Oh, I assure you. I merely thought that you would like to try for some divine intervention." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Tell me," Vinco said, his voice smooth as velvet. "Did you enjoy my performance?" Jeremy scoffed.

"I wasn't aware that you were a magician." Vinco laughed again.

"You have no idea what I can do."

"Look. I have a question. Why exactly did you choose me of all people?"

"Choose you? How do you know you didn't choose me?"

"I'm not in the mood to play games."

"You never are. If you would just lighten up a bit, you might enjoy these talks as much as I do."

"I'm sure insanity helps." Jeremy muttered.

"I am just as sane as you are, dear boy. In fact, some would consider me more sane. After all, if I were in your position, I would have escaped by now."

"Do you just show up here to mock me when you're bored?"

"Are you so arrogant to believe that I actually think about you when I'm not here? I do have other things to do."

"Like what?" Jeremy asked coldly.

"Oh, I wouldn't dare tell you. It might ruin our fun." Vinco said simply. "Now then, as to my reason here." He pointed at the Bible in Jeremy's hand.

"What about it?"

"Open it to the page that is bookmarked. A certain passage should be marked. I want you to read it aloud." Jeremy opened the Bible and found the passage that Vinco had mentioned.

"'And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.' What does that mean?"

"Simply put, I hereby make a covenant with you. In one week's time, I will bring the riddle to you and you shall attempt to solve it."

"And if I fail?" Jeremy asked. Vinco chuckled coldly.

"Exodus 22:24." Before Jeremy could look it up, one of the caretakers entered the room. It completely ignored Vinco, walking right up to Jeremy.

"Ready to go, little one?" The robot asked. Jeremy half-heartedly nodded, putting the Bible next to his bed. He followed the robot out of the room and they were soon on their way to the park.

All the way there, Jeremy was deep in thought. Vinco was clearly planning to trick him in some way. He knew that Vinco would not make this riddle an easy endeavor. Jeremy glanced around him every once in a while. Perhaps he could escape into the town. Surely they couldn't be everywhere at once. The thought, however, made Jeremy apprehensive. They had tricked him into being caught last time, and he was certain that they would be able to capture him again. He also couldn't get over the fact that something had seemed off about Vinco. It was almost as though he was being rushed by something.

"What's the date today?" He asked the caretaker. It looked down at him.

"July tenth." It said simply. Jeremy nodded. The date meant nothing to him. When they reached the park, the caretaker sat down on a bench and Jeremy wandered off. He amused himself for a while on the jungle gym, but he eventually tired of it. He was about to head over to the monkey bars when a slight flash caught his eye. Turning, his eyes found that the flash was coming from the bushes. Curious, he wandered over to the bushes. He gasped as he realized what it had been. He carefully picked up the small knife that had been lying in the bushes. Its blade was quite shiny, which explained the glint in the sun. Looking over, he saw that the caretaker was not paying attention at all, so he carefully slipped the knife into the waistband of his jeans and walked slowly over to the caretaker.

"Can we go back home?" Jeremy asked. The caretaker stared down at him. Jeremy was getting used to the decaying mask, but it was still creepy. The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before the robot spoke.

"Not yet." Jeremy sighed melodramatically and wandered back over to the jungle gym. He sat down and pulled the knife out again. He examined it. Why exactly was this left near a playground? He immediately came to the conclusion that Vinco or one of his cohorts had left it there. Do they want me to attack Vinco? Is this already part of the riddle? Jeremy decided that no matter what, it would be best to take the knife back with him.

"I'm sure that I can find a use for you." Jeremy said to the knife, smiling. Ever since he had been young, Jeremy had liked weapons of every sort. But the knife had a special place in his heart. A knife could be used for a myriad of tasks, while a gun was meant to be a killing machine and little else. As macabre and cheesy as it sounded, the knife was so personal. The sound of approaching footsteps caused Jeremy to quickly but carefully return the knife to its makeshift sheath. He looked toward the location of the footprints, expecting to see the caretaker, but was a bit more surprised when he saw, of all people, his father.

"Dad?" Jeremy said, suspicious that this was nothing more than a trick.

"Jeremy!" His father said in relief. Jeremy began to cry with happiness. It really was his father. He just knew it. "Don't worry, son. We're going home!"

Part 11

"Dad? I don't understand. What's going on?"

"There's no time to explain now. Let's just go." Jeremy's father walked quickly and Jeremy quickly followed. His dad was walking so quickly that Jeremy almost had to run to keep up. After about ten minutes, they came to a group of people. One of them broke from the group and ran toward Jeremy. Just before she reached him, he realized that it was his mother.

"Hi, m" The breath was knocked out of Jeremy's chest as his mother tightly embraced him. Her tears poured down onto his shoulder, saturating his shirt. Finally, she let go and pulled back slightly.

"We thought we had lost you." She said, staring into his eyes. Jeremy stared into his mother's blue eyes. It felt so good to see another person's eyes. "What happened to you?"

"It's a long story." Jeremy said, relieved to be free. Yet, part of his mind was nagging him. How convenient that right after you plan your escape, your parents show up to rescue you. His parents seemed to notice that something was bothering him.

"What's wrong?" His mom asked. Jeremy smiled.

"It just feels weird to see you two again." He said, trying to believe that that was all that he was worried about. Jeremy's dad smiled, but then looked up.

"Well, there's Lieutenant Smith. I better go talk to him." Jeremy watched as his dad ran off to talk to one of the cops.

"Mom? Is it really you?" Jeremy asked. His mom frowned.

"Why would you ask that?"

"It's just that... after all this, it feels a bit weird that you came to rescue me." She nodded.

"I understand. I still can't believe that we actually found you." Jeremy smiled.

"It's so good to see you again!" He said, hugging her.

* * *

After a while, the police allowed Jeremy and his parents to go home. As they drove, Jeremy stared out the window. Walking on the sidewalk were so many people. It just felt so weird that after everything, he was home.

"I suppose that the cops will need to talk to me again?" Jeremy said. His mom looked back at him.

"Well, they told us that they already had enough information to arrest the guy that did this to you, so I don't think so." Jeremy nodded.

"The cops were very good about the investigation." Jeremy's dad said quietly. Jeremy once again nodded. He really didn't care about the cops' process. All he cared about was the fact that he was finally free.

As they pulled into their driveway, Jeremy stared up at the house. It looked so strange to him. He recognized it as his house, but something felt almost alien about it. The feeling of uneasiness soon disappeared as he walked through the door. He just stood in the entryway for a while, just taking in the familiar feel of his home.

"Do you... want anything to eat, honey?" His mom asked awkwardly.

"No, I'm just going to go up to my room." As he ascended the stairs, Jeremy began to cry. He wasn't sure why he was crying, but it felt good. Once he got up to his room, he flopped down on the bed. He sighed as he gazed around his bedroom. Everything looked the same, so why did he feel different? He got up and walked over to his mirror. He stared at the young man staring back at him. His blue eyes looked the same, as did his blonde hair. His face looked the same, except for the look of confusion on it. He moved down his body, chuckling as he saw the outfit that he was wearing. Walking over to his dresser, he found some of his normal clothes. Stripping down, he soon replaced his juvenile outfit with one more age-appropriate. But, when he returned to the mirror, he still could not shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. He went back downstairs and sat in the living room.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jeremy's mom asked. He nodded. They both just sat there for a second, but then Jeremy spoke.

"It's just weird. I was trapped for weeks and then suddenly, I'm free. This guy had been toying with me for so long, and now, I just feel like there's no way he would just let me go." His mom nodded.

"I understand. But don't worry, the cops arrested him and now, everything will be alright." Jeremy looked at his mom.

"What? They arrested him?" He said, terrified. His mom stared at him.

"Of course they did. Why wouldn't they?"

"Mom, you don't understand. That guy is dangerous! He's killed so many people! Do the cops know what he can do?" Jeremy's mom looked at him in shock.

"Honey? I know that you don't want to talk about such things with your mom of all people, but did this guy... do things to you?" This time, it was Jeremy's turn to stare at his mother in shock.

"No! Well, kind of. He just messed with me mentally. Nothing physical."

"Mentally?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah. He humiliated me, treated me as his plaything. Pretty much, he exerted complete control over me." Jeremy said quietly. The images that raced through his head were terrifying. He tried to get rid of the thoughts, but they continued to run rampant through his mind. He shuddered when he realized that Vinco still reigned in his mind. Jeremy's mom could see that there was something wrong with her son.

"Honey? Would you like it if... we got you, you know, some help? Would you like someone to talk to other than us?" Jeremy carefully considered it. It might help. But, he wasn't sure if he was ready to dive back into his memories.

"Can I think about my answer for a little while?" He asked. His mom nodded. Jeremy slowly rose and went back up to his room. As he laid on the bed, he felt exhausted, almost as though he had just run a marathon. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

His dreams were strange. In the first dream, he was back in Vinco's grasps. Vinco towered over him, laughing. Jeremy stared up at the man, shivering in fright. Vinco slowly reached up toward his face and pulled off the mask. However, rather than a face, there was nothing but a mirror. Jeremy stared at his own face. In the second dream, Jeremy was walking down a path in the woods. It was a bright sunny day and birds were singing in the trees. However, he suddenly found himself gripped by terror and he began to run from a dark shape behind him. But, try as he might, he kept finding himself running towards the pursuer. In the blink of an eye, he found himself right in front of the creature. It had no distinct shape, looking more like a cloud of acrid black smoke. "You must face me." The voice came from the cloud, but it sounded strange, almost as though it were coming from a great distance.

"No!" Jeremy shouted. "I won't!" He began to sob and once again tried to run away. This time, however, he ran into something far worse: the man with the sunglasses.

"Your fear will get you nowhere. The riddle must be solved." The man said nonchalantly, with the air of one discussing the weather.

"What riddle? He never gave me a riddle!" Jeremy argued.

"Then the game is not over." The man said simply. After this, Jeremy's dream shifted to a third, the most vivid of them all. This time around, he was in his bedroom. Except, rather than wearing jeans and a t-shirt, he was wearing a thick diaper and a pink sailor suit top. In his mouth was a pacifier.

"Is my little sissy boy all ready for his walk?" Jeremy recognized the voice before his mom entered. She looked at him, smiling. "Look at my little boy!" Without hesitation, she shoved her finger into his diaper. "You're still dry, for now." Jeremy whimpered quietly as his mom grabbed his hand and led him downstairs. Jeremy whimpered more as he noticed his distinct waddle. "What's wrong, baby? I thought you'd love to go for a walk." Jeremy was so confused. Why was his mom treating him like this? He allowed her to lead him into the living room, where she sat him down. She then put little white socks with pink lace around the ankles on him, followed by the kind of shoes that only little girls wear. From head to toe, he was a little sissy. His mom then helped him up and away they went. As Jeremy walked down the street, he noticed that nearly everyone was stopping to laugh at him. He stared down at the sidewalk, entirely humiliated. Am I really happy at home? He thought. I wish I could go back to Vinco. At least he wouldn't take me out in public.

Jeremy woke up, panting. He couldn't believe that he had actually thought that, even in a dream. He shook his head to rid himself of the last few remnants of his dreams, and glanced at the clock. It was just after two in the morning. Groaning quietly, he laid back down. This was going to take some getting used to.

The next morning, Jeremy slowly wandered downstairs. It still felt weird to him to see his parents.

"Good morning, sweetie." His mom said. Jeremy smiled half-heartedly.

"There's pancakes." His dad said, gesturing with his fork.

"Don't you guys have work?" Jeremy asked, noticing their pajamas. His dad chuckled.

"You haven't been back for twenty-four hours and you're already trying to get rid of us!" He said cheerfully. Jeremy smiled. He had really missed his dad. He sat down and began to voraciously eat.

"You act like you haven't tasted pancakes before." Jeremy's mom said gently. Jeremy thought back. The caretakers had made good pancakes, but there was something special about his dad's pancakes. He just continued to eat.

"Jeremy." His dad said. "There's something we wanted to ask you." Jeremy looked up cautiously. "You see, Lieutenant Smith called earlier and he said that the man who did this to you wanted to see you. Now, understand that you would be protected and he wouldn't be able to touch you at all. Your conversation would even be recorded. What do you think?" Jeremy sat there in silence. Part of him wanted to see Vinco defeated, but another part was terrified of having to see that monster again.

"I suppose I could. Would one of you come with me?" His dad nodded. "Of course, son. I want to have a word with this creep too." He paused. "But, it will be a few weeks before you can see him. However, there is something else that we should discuss. Lieutenant Smith is a psychologist with the police and he wanted to talk to you on Friday. He'll pick you up here and then you'll go to lunch or something. Does that sound fine?" Jeremy nodded. Lunch with a cop, even a psychologist, could be interesting.

"Do you know if I'll have to testify at that guy's trial?" Jeremy asked. He found that he was unable to say Vinco's name. He felt almost as though if he spoke his name out loud, he would find him. His dad sighed.

"I would be surprised if you weren't expected to. The prosecutor will want you to, but I'm not sure if they really want to put you through the stress." Jeremy nodded. After last night's dreams, he wasn't too sure if he could take any more stress. He finished eating and then put his plate in the kitchen. He was about to leave the kitchen when he heard his mom's voice.

"Just because you got back yesterday doesn't mean you can't rinse your plate, young man." Jeremy sighed. Parents never changed. He returned to the sink and rinsed his plate, trying to hide his smile. It really was good to be home.

Part 12

Even though it was obvious that his parents wanted to talk, Jeremy chose to go upstairs and sit in his room. Nothing had been moved in his absence, which he was happy about. Before the incident, his mother always seemed to meddle in his room, which annoyed him to no end. He stared at himself in the mirror. He still couldn't get over the feeling that something about him had changed since the incident. He looked relatively the same, but there was still something... off about him. He had this feeling of almost emptiness inside. He sighed and decided that he needed a shower. He walked into the bathroom and undressed. He smiled, noticing that his pubic hair was beginning to grow back. His crotch woke up from the sudden attention. He laughed quietly. Well, he now knew that there was nothing wrong with his libido. He pondered whether or not to do something about his body's request as he stepped into the shower. As the warm water poured down his body, he smiled and sighed contently. No matter what, a shower felt so cleansing of both the body and the spirit. He just stood there for a few minutes, letting the water flow over his body's natural curves. Finally, he set to cleaning himself. He thoroughly scrubbed himself, washing away his haunted memories. He knew deep down that this was silly, but he did feel a bit better as the water moved down his body. He smiled slightly as he realized that this was the first shower he had taken since before that day when he had woken up, completely naked except for a diaper.

He remained under the water for another few minutes, sighing contently as the warm water saturated his flesh. Water really did have a healing quality to it. He closed his eyes, allowing the water to cleanse both his body and soul. He eventually decided that he had been in the shower long enough and so, he got out. Grabbing a towel, he dried himself thoroughly, wrapping it around his waist. He grabbed the pile of his clothes and headed back to his bedroom. He closed the door behind him and allowed gravity to remove his covering. He looked at himself in the mirror again. He smiled to himself, amused by the thought that he was masking his arrogance with a feeling of relief that he was free. He walked over to his dresser and opened the top drawer. In spite of everything, the thing that surprised him the most was the drawer filled with boxers. He grabbed a blue pair and pulled them on. He then threw on jeans and a t-shirt and laid down on his bed. Staring up at the bland ceiling, he tried to force himself to face the frightening memories. But try as he might, he could not convince himself to do so. Sighing, he rose from the bed and walked over to the door. He could always go downstairs and talk with his parents, but even that sounded... less than ideal. Part of him was shocked, though. He had been alone nearly all of the time during the ordeal, so why was he seeking solitude now? His eyes fell on a book on his desk. He picked it up, inspecting it closer. It was a Bible with a post-it note on it. "Just in case you need some guidance. Love, Mom." Jeremy read aloud. He scoffed, putting the book back on his desk. Suddenly, he remembered the last thing Vinco had said to him. Picking up the Bible again, Jeremy quickly flipped through the pages until he came to the verse. "And my wrath shall wax hot and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children shall be fatherless." Jeremy shrugged. Whatever Vinco had meant was moot now. He put the Bible back down and decided that the time to face his parents had come. He walked downstairs with the same emotions as a man going to his execution. His parents were sitting on the couch in silence and they both looked up when he entered. "Mom? Dad? We need to talk."

Over the next hour, Jeremy described what Vinco had done to him. After he finished, the room was as silent as the grave. After what seemed an eternity, Jeremy's mother spoke.

"Well, I understand why you would be... reluctant to tell us about all that. It seems this Vinco was a very sick man. I'm glad that he is finally getting justice!" Jeremy was amazed by the viciousness in his mom's voice. He nodded slightly.

"What I don't get," Jeremy's dad said slowly, "is how this guy got away with this for so long. I mean, he's confessed to five murders before your abduction. How did he do it?" Jeremy shivered. He hadn't even given it thought, but his dad was right. Vinco was even more disturbing than he had thought. The three of them returned to silence for a few moments, each person consumed by their individual thoughts. Suddenly, Jeremy's dad made a sound and looked at Jeremy. "Oh! I almost forgot! Lieutenant Smith wanted me to remind you about him wanted to talk with you on Friday. It's still a few days away, but just in case..." Jeremy nodded. He had actually forgotten about Lieutenant Smith.

Part 13

The week flew by uneventfully. Jeremy mainly sat around the house, undisturbed for the most part by his parents. Jeremy had hoped that his feelings of uneasiness and depression would disappear in a few days, but they didn't. He began considering taking up his parents on their offer of a counselor. Friday rolled around before Jeremy knew it.

That morning, Jeremy sat on the couch, not looking forward to going with Lieutenant Smith wherever it was that they were going. At exactly eleven thirty, the doorbell rang. Jeremy's father went to answer it, returning a moment later with Lieutenant Smith in tow.

"Are you ready to go?" Lieutenant Smith asked, smiling somewhat comfortingly. Jeremy nodded. He wasn't sure if he really was ready, but he figured that there was no time like the present. Lieutenant Smith led Jeremy out the door quite shortly and they climbed into his police cruiser.

They drove through the streets for about ten minutes in silence. Jeremy just stared out the window, but every once in a while, he glanced over at Lieutenant Smith. He had dark brown hair and was wearing a pair of sunglasses that covered his eyes. His uniform was cleanly pressed and he looked like the kind of person who took great care in his appearance. As they continued to drive, Jeremy noticed that people tended to drive better when a cop car was around them. He hadn't seen a single speeder, and in fact, most of them seemed to be going considerably under the speed limit. That is, until a car came speeding around the corner. Jeremy saw Smith slam on the brakes, but it was too late. The last thing Jeremy heard before he blacked out was the sound of shattering glass.

* * *

When Jeremy woke up, he felt sore all over. "Where am I?" He muttered.

"You're in the hospital." A soft voice said. Jeremy carefully opened his eyes and sat up. As he did, he heard a soft crinkle but ignored it due to his surroundings. He was indeed in a hospital. A beautiful nurse was standing beside his bed. On her chest was a name tag that said "Vicki". Jeremy smiled at her and she smiled back. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Sore." She laughed, a light sound like bells.

"The doctor will be here in just a second to do something about that." She left the room and not even a minute later, the doctor walked in.

"How are we feeling?" He asked, turning his back to Jeremy to close the door.

"Sore." Jeremy said.

"Don't worry. I have just the thing for that." The doctor said, turning around. Jeremy gasped as he saw that the doctor was Lieutenant Smith!

"So, you're a doctor too?" Jeremy asked. Smith smiled.

"They wouldn't let a cop in here." He said simply. He opened a folder. "I have just a few questions for you. I suppose you wouldn't know the date, would you?" Jeremy shook his head.

"Today is July 17th. When was your last day in the custody of that man?" Jeremy thought.

"July tenth." Smith nodded and wrote something down in the folder.

"So, it's already been a week. How do you feel?"

"Still sore. What happened?"

"A car accident, nothing more. Now, then, as to my reason for coming today." Smith walked up to Jeremy and leaned over him. "There is the small matter of our agreement." He whispered. Jeremy stared in shock as Smith chuckled. "Oh! You didn't think that I would be able to find you. I told you that you had no idea what I can do."

"What about my parents? Won't they know what happened?"

"Your parents went to work, don't you remember? They left an hour after we did." Jeremy gasped. Vinco had succeeded in getting him alone. "Now then, you have twenty-four hours to solve this riddle." Vinco waved an envelope in the air. "You cannot open it until I have left the room. I will return in twenty-four hours to receive your answer." With that, Vinco left the room. Jeremy slowly opened the envelope, terrified of what he would find inside. He first pulled out a group of polaroids. The first was of a kid that looked like he was a little younger than Jeremy. Under the picture was written "8905". The second was of a girl, under which was written "2906". The third and fourth pictures were the same, except on each one, a different one of the two boys' faces were circled. The first picture had "121206" written on it, while the second had "1207" written on it. The fifth picture was yet another kid, but this one looked only fourteen. Under his picture was written "101907". The last picture was of Jeremy. It looked like it had been taken a few months ago while he was walking to school. Nothing was written under his picture. Looking back in the envelope, he found a smaller envelope. He pulled it out and discovered that it had bright red writing on it.

"The Riddle." Jeremy read before opening it. He pulled out a small slip of paper.

"You thought your world was benign... I.O.U. one riddle." Jeremy said. He groaned. Leave it to Vinco to screw with him again! He laid there for a while, unable to focus on anything. Then, he had a strange revelation. Why did Vinco go through all of this to get me back? Maybe he does get some sort of satisfaction out of this. Jeremy immediately dismissed the thought. Vinco didn't have emotions like anyone else. After all, he had killed every one of these kids and now he was going to kill Jeremy. He lay in the bed, trying to prevent himself from crying. After a while, he realized the futility of trying to stop himself and let the tears flow. He just sobbed for a few moments, hoping to feel better afterward, but to no avail. "I really am going to die." Jeremy whispered quietly. He gazed tragically down at the pictures spread on his lap and then threw them on the floor. "I won't let him do this to me!" Jeremy yelled angrily, crumpling the envelope into a ball and hurling it across the room. The door opened and Nurse Vicki walked in, smiling sweetly. Jeremy tried to avoid smiling as he heard the sharp clicking of her heels on the tiled floor.

"Are you alright?" She asked, mock concerned. Jeremy rolled his eyes. He knew quite well that she was in league with Vinco, so there was no point in begging her for help.

"What do you think?" He asked bitterly, contempt dripping in his voice. Vicki laughed.

"Trust me. Life can't be that bad." Jeremy scoffed.

"Do you even understand what Vinco is going to do to me?" Vicki smiled.

"Kill you." She replied with the air of someone discussing the weather.

"Exactly! How can I relax when I'm going to die?" Vicki just pulled back his covers and inserted a finger into his diaper. "What are you doing?" Jeremy yelled. Vicki smiled.

"Just checking to see if I have to change you." She pulled her finger out. "You're still dry, so I will leave you to your thoughts." Before she walked out, she picked up the pictures. "How rude of you to throw Mr. V's gifts on the floor." She placed the pictures on the table beside Jeremy's bed and walked out, humming a cheery tune as she went. Jeremy waited a few moments and then cautiously got out of bed. It was hard to stand on his feet at first, but he soon recovered. He slowly made his way to the door. Opening it, he peered out into a stereotypical hospital corridor. He slipped out the room and began to make his way through the hall. Every door he came to was locked, so he continued to navigate his way through the building. All the way, he felt a strange uneasiness as though something were missing. After the sixth door, he recalled what it was: there was silence. Most hospitals had some sort of noise, but this one was completely silent. He continued to try every door he came to, and made a small noise of victory when a knob turned. He slowly slipped into the room and closed the door behind him. To his surprise, he heard the lock click. He turned to escape but then the lights came on.

"If you wanted to stay in the nursery, you just had to ask me." Vicki said as Jeremy turned back around. Sure enough, the room was a hospital nursery, complete with stainless steel changing table and a large crib. He groaned as he looked directly at Vicki's smiling eyes. Her blonde hair seemed almost sinister when coupled with her cruel smile.

"Who are you?" Jeremy wondered aloud. "No sane person would let Vinco do this." Vicki giggled.

"My name is Victoria Arlecchino, but you can call me Vicki. I help Mr. V because he... well, I love him." Jeremy gasped.

"How can you love him? He's a monster!" Vicki shrugged.

"Love's a peculiar thing. Besides, he's not that bad." Jeremy scoffed again.

"Not that bad? He is a murderer!"

"He's never been convicted. Therefore, he's well within the law." Jeremy moaned. This woman was just as insane as Vinco.

"You can't really..." Vicki interrupted.

"I'm done talking. You're clearly cranky, so let's get you a bottle and then it's into bed with you." Without waiting for a response from Jeremy, Vicki walked over to him and grabbed his hand. Jeremy tried to fight, but Vicki's grip was much stronger than he had expected. He tried to strike her with his free fist, but she agilely caught it. "Baby! Don't hit!" She said angrily. She dragged him over to a wall and pushed a hidden panel. A slot opened in the wall from which Vicki pulled a baby bottle. Forcing Jeremy to sit on the floor, she knelt and held out the bottle. "Open your mouth." Jeremy defiantly kept his mouth shut. Sighing, Vicki plugged his nose. "If you want to breathe, open your mouth." Jeremy tried to hold out as long as possible, but his body demanded oxygen. Opening his mouth with a theatrical gasp, Jeremy soon found it invaded by the large nipple of the bottle. Glaring, he began to half-heartedly suck on the bottle, tasting and feeling the warm milk in his mouth. About halfway through the meal, Jeremy began to wet his diaper. "You're more of a baby than I realized." Vicki mused as she heard the hiss of urine. "The hiss of piss." Vicki mused, giggling slightly. Jeremy rolled his eyes, finishing the bottle. With surprising strength, Vicki picked the teen up and carried him over to the crib. Jeremy found himself shortly laying down in the crib, with a little fox laying next to him.

"Chris!" Jeremy declared in surprise. Vicki smiled sweetly as she pulled a large pacifier from her pocket.

"Baby's so cute." She said, gently putting the pacifier in Jeremy's mouth. She kissed him on the forehead. "Good night, little one. You have a big day tomorrow." She whispered before leaving him alone in the dark. Jeremy, thoughts of his impending doom far from his mind, drifted to sleep.

* * *

Jeremy opened his eyes and sat up. He heard the squelch of his diaper. "Ew..." Jeremy moaned as the stench of poop filled his nostrils.

"Good morning, darling." Vicki said sweetly as she walked into the room. She came up to him and scrunched her nose. "Smells like I've got a big stinker." Jeremy blushed. With another show of great strength, she picked Jeremy up and carried him over to the changing table. "Let's get this stinky diapee off of Mr. Poopypants." She said cheerfully. Jeremy groaned under his breath as Vicki began to untape his diaper, causing the stench to assault his nostrils anew. He groaned as he heard Vicki giggle. "What a mess!" She said loudly. She quickly set to work cleaning him up and he soon found himself taped into a fresh new diaper. However, this diaper was twice as thick as the one that he had previously been wearing. "You're such a heavy wetter that I figured you could use the extra protection." Vicki said by way of explanation. Jeremy carefully got off of the changing table, dismayed to discover just how thick the diaper was. Vicki smiled at him. "Now, baby. I want you to wait right here while I go away for a quick second, okay?" Jeremy grudgingly nodded. He watched Vicki leave and then was left to his own devices. He grabbed Chris and sat on the floor near the changing table. He stared at the fox, wondering how long it would be before this all would end. Suddenly, he felt a foot connect with the side of his head. He fell over, screaming in pain as the assailant kicked him in the stomach. He looked up through his tear-filled eyes and saw Vinco standing over him, his mask covering his face.

"You didn't believe me, did you?" Vinco asked. His voice was completely level as though he were doing the most natural thing in the world. "Yet, here we both are." He kicked Jeremy again, causing Jeremy to howl in pain.

"Why me?" Jeremy asked in between sobs. Vinco knelt down.

"Because you're here." Vinco whispered. Jeremy used the opportunity to punch Vinco right in his manhood. Vinco groaned in agony as Jeremy crawled away, desperate to escape. Vinco slowly stood up, growling.

"You've still got some fight in you." He said in surprise. "That makes it fun." He pulled out a knife and tossed in from hand to hand. He was panting and there was a hunger in each breath. Jeremy crawled desperately toward the door, praying for the nightmare to end. "There's no use praying. You're mine, boy!" Vinco yelled. Jeremy was nearing the door when it suddenly flew open with the return of Vicki. She looked down at Jeremy and gasped.

"You started without me, sugar?" She asked, pouting. Vinco growled.

"I need fun." He explained. Jeremy stared up at Vicki. He knew that she was stronger than she looked. There was no way that he could get past her. He struggled to think of a way out, involuntarily wetting his diaper as he did. This caused Vicki to giggle, which gave Jeremy his chance. Quickly rising, he charged the woman, hoping to knock her back with sheer force. Sure enough, he managed to stumble out in the hall, dashing away before Vicki could grab his leg. Waddling quickly, he tried desperately to find an exit, but this place was clearly as convoluted as the first place that Vinco had trapped him in. He checked every door he could find, but they were all locked. He could hear Vicki following after him.

"Come back here, you fucking brat!" Jeremy groaned as he realized that there was no way that he could outrun them wearing the thick diaper. He lowered his hands and quickly unfastened the diaper, letting it drop to the floor. With a sudden burst of speed, he raced forward, free of the hindrance. Hardly a minute later, he heard Vicki. "Oh, my! The baby's au naturale!" Her shrill giggles echoed through the vacant halls, chilling Jeremy. He continued to run, desperately looking left and right, searching for a way to escape.

"Why are you running?" Vinco asked, standing in the hall in front of Jeremy. Jeremy skidded to a halt, gazing at Vinco in the same way a deer eyes the wolf. Vinco chuckled maniacally. "Did you really think that you could win, boy? You saw the pictures! Even when you were away from me, I still controlled you. Your fear still controlled you." Jeremy fell to his knees, moaning. He watched as though in a dream as Vinco approached him. The pain was excruciating, but it faded.

I won. I escaped.

The End