Note: The end at last. Thanks to everyone who's been following these stories. While I know that all I've done is write about people being gunged in increasingly silly circumstances, this series has taken a huge amount of effort over a very long time, so it feels good to have finally completed it. I'm grateful to anyone who's taken the time to follow along. The second half of the epilogue is, it's fair to say, not my most subtle work. There's basically no plot, it's just ludicrously messy.

If you read the comments on the finale, you may have spotted mention of some characters' appearances being inspired by celebrities from the mid-2000s, when this story was first being dreamed up. Their personalities are entirely ficticious, of course, and in many cases the names were changed. I've been loading these stories to a Wordpress blog by way of a backup, and in the next few days will be posting who I modelled those characters on. If you're interested, you can find this and a few other background details at https://thesplatterdome.wordpress.com/

Lastly, I want to give a shout-out to someone who's been instrumental in this series being completed. A while back, having recognised me from an unconnected story I posted years ago, they contacted me to ask about the Splatter Dome. We ended up becoming friends, and they even created an app to help me format my stories for posting. Knowing that there might be people out there who remembered this series helped me get through my writer's block. If they hadn't reached out, it may never have been completed. They wanted to remain anonymous, but you know who you are - sincere thanks.

Epilogue II: Splat Vat

In the timber outbuilding not far from the dome's exit, Sarah finished styling her hair and reapplied a little waterproof makeup. It was almost time. Having towelled herself down and dried her hair, she'd changed into a little sky-blue string bikini - the same design as the one she'd worn that morning. The choice had been deliberate. Back at the beginning, in the changing room before the game began, she'd almost opted to wear only this from the very start, but in the end had covered up - at least for a while. Looking back, she realised that she'd been annoyed at herself for misunderstanding what the event entailed, and had locked-in on the idea of vindicating herself by staying clean. With hindsight, though, it was really more like stubbornness, and had served only to put needless pressure on herself. She wanted to finish things in the outfit she should have worn from the outset.

She studied herself in the mirror. Nervous anticipation shivered down her spine. "This is it," she murmured.

Her thoughts turned to a certain someone. Have I stalled long enough for her to be ready? Guess it's time to find out.

After a final check to make sure all the knots were secure, she approached the door. Peeking out, she saw Jo return to the control panel beside the silver escape pod. Immediately Sarah shrank back, beset by a sudden pang of nerves. Pressing her back against the wall beside the door, she looked up, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, embarrassed by her reaction. It was strange, it was one thing to end up messy from being caught, or by activating some sort of trap, but quite another to know what awaited and still walk up and submit to it.

For a moment she squirmed on the spot. Sweeping her hands up into her golden hair, she stared into the middle-distance. Slowly her mind cleared. I've come this far, I won't back out now.

Steeling herself, she strode out into the sunlight. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. A small voice in her head still screamed for her to save herself from what was coming, but she walked on.

Arriving at the throne, she grinned at Joanna, sidestepped, and after a momentary pause settled elegantly into the chair, grateful to find that it had been washed down while she was changing. The padded blocks had been removed, revealing the tracks that curved back around to disappear over to the left, back into the dome.

Jo studied her with admiration. "You actually came back. I'm impressed." Her hand moved to the control panel, where it hovered over a large red button. "You're certain about this? Last chance to back out."

Sarah stared at the tracks, then back at the arena she had so recently escaped from, then finally down at herself, now clean and spotless. She made her decision.

"Do it," she said quietly.

"Hmmm?"

She looked Jo in the eye. "I want you to do it. Push the button."

Jo smiled. "Sarah, you've been awesome. I mean that. Now let's find out what's in store for you."

The red button clicked. Red warning lights flared around the pavilion, accompanied by a brief wail of warning sirens, and then the throne began rolling again.

Head shaking as though still not quite understanding why she'd let herself in for this, Sarah hi-fived Jo as the throne rolled past, then gripped the armrests as it picked up speed. After curling in a wide semicircle, it approached the dome, this time to an ominous portal where the tracks descended underground.

The platform rocked gently on ascending a short incline before the drop. Sarah murmured excitedly, her heart pounding, as the pod crept to the edge.

"Here goes," she whispered.

With a high-pitched yell she rocketed down the slope. Before she could enter full-on screaming-rollercoaster mode, though, the track flattened. Now she was moving through what looked like an ancient mine, the grey-painted walls sculpted to resemble stone and broken by occasional stretches of dingy machinery, all sparsely lit by lamps that hung from the ceiling. On she went, twisting and turning, eyes aflame at the thought of what might lay in wait for her. The escape pod - a somewhat ironic name, she now realised - descended ever deeper.

There was, she noted, an unexpected lack of nozzles on the walls or tanks on the ceiling. Still the throne rumbled on.

"Uh... I guess I assumed this would be messy. Was that wrong?" she said wryly. "Am I about to show up in a bathing suit to, like, an award ceremony or something?"

Though someone was doubtless monitoring her from the control room, there was no response.

She was about to speak when the throne took a sharp right turn, lurching her sideways. Something waited up ahead. The lamps came to an end, leaving only a dark void. The throne was slowing to a crawl, the platform creaking with each turn of its wheels, until at last it came to a halt. Consciously controlling her breathing, Sarah's fingers tapped in anticipation as she stared into darkness.

Silence. Sarah realised she was holding her breath and let it out slowly, soothing her jangling nerves. Seconds passed. "Hello?" she called. "Am I meant to be here? Is this thing stuck?"

As though reading her mind, dim lights flickered in the dark, revealing a grimy industrial hatch bordered by flaking hazard lines and bearing a faded sign that read 'Danger Ahead' in large red letters. Sarah gulped. The tracks lead right to it. More black and yellow hazard lines threaded down the hatch's centre, marking where the two halves would open. Above it a flashing red light suggested that the hatch was sealed... for now.

Shifting with anticipation, Sarah almost jumped when the man in black spoke over the intercom. "Congratulations, Sarah - the first person to ever escape the Splatter Dome. I was beginning to think it would never be done."

Looking up in an effort to spot the hidden cameras, Sarah smiled proudly. "No biggie. It wasn't even that hard," she teased.

Distorted by the speakers, the man's chuckles sounded rather ominous. "I see. So, what you're saying, then, is that you need something more challenging? Perhaps you'd like to see what's beyond the hatch?"

Sarah tilted her head. "Why do I get the feeling you're about to slime me?"

"What? Me? Slime people? That doesn't sound like something I'd do. In fact, I can promise that you're beyond the control room's reach. What happens next isn't up to me."

Sarah paused. What's the trick? "Really?"

"Really. One final test awaits. I won't decide the outcome... and neither will you."

"Huh?"

Vapour blasted from around the hatch. A buzzer sounded, and the red light switched to green. Accompanied by a metallic rasp, it began to open.

There was a click below her. The seat had disconnected from the rest of the platform, the wheeled dais separating into two halves and the chair's armrests peeling away, leaving her perched on what was now little more than a stool attached to a single rail that ran down the middle of the floor. Baffled, Sarah stared about, her hands fidgeting as the chair began gliding forward through the opening hatch.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the words faded on her tongue. The chair had halted the moment it passed through the hatch, which slid shut behind her. Once again the gloom was all but impenetrable. Faint flickers from lamps high on the walls hinted at a vaguely rectangular chamber, about the size of a double garage, but everything else was lost in shadow. Humid air wafted slow and languorous around her.

Sarah peered around, unsure what to do, but then a sign illuminated on the opposite wall. It read simply 'Please Remain Seated.'

Bewildered, Sarah sighed. "Seriously, what the hell is going on?"

Something caught her eye. There was something about the floor that wasn't quite right. Placing her hands on her knees, she leaned forward for a better look.

Wait, is that...?

The glow from the sign had cast faint, silvery light on the ground ahead of Sarah, which seemed to be noticeably higher than at the back of the room. What was more... it glistened.

They wouldn't....

The sign flicked off. For a moment darkness returned, only to be replaced by a sudden bright spotlight. Sarah gaped in awe. In front of her was a circular pool, at least ten feet in diameter and filled to the brim with lurid multicoloured slime. She was suspended right above it.

"No way!" she laughed. "This is... No way!"

Babbling, she wobbled on the swaying seat. For a second it seemed she was about to be tipped in, but instead she squeaked on feeling the seat shudder. It was on a hinge, and had angled a fraction forward before catching on some mechanism. She knew what that meant: she could be dropped at any moment.

Shivering with anticipation, Sarah bit her lip. Hands bunching in her hair, she forced her eyes up and away from the vat of gloop, only to then groan on finding a flared, gramophone-like pipe looming above her. More pipes jutted down above the vat, while batteries of sprayers and foam blasters guarded its perimeter like gargoyles. Beyond, it looked as though the chamber's walls were infested with the strange violet vines and goo-filled nodules that had corrupted the research station.

The man's voice returned. "Enjoying the view, Sarah?"

"I immediately regret this decision." Shivering with nervous laughter, Sarah tucked her hair back. "I'm going to be dunked, aren't I?"

"Perhaps," replied the host, his voice calm. "For reasons that I imagine are becoming rather obvious, this is a game we like to call The Splat Vat." Sarah peeked warily downward. The slime's surface was a chaotic whirl dominated by pea green and bubble-gum pink. Her feet dangled mere inches above its surface. "But like I said," the man continued, "what comes next won't be up to either of us. In fact, right now it looks as though you're going to get away clean."

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, Sarah placed her hands on her hips. "As if. You seriously think I'll believe that?"

"It's the truth. This game only works if there's a challenger. If nobody arrives to take you on, you'll be going home clean and dry. In fact, there's only twenty seconds or so remaining before we officially declare you safe. Just sit tight. We'll bring you back through the hatch once the timer runs out."

Eyebrows rising, Sarah folded her arms and tilted her head. She knew full well that there was zero chance that they'd show her all this for no reason, but decided to play along.

"Wow, you're right," she said with exaggerated chirpiness. "I'm home and dry. Yay me! You hear that, whoever's listening? I'm staying totally clean. I mean, it's not like there's anyone out there who'd want to see me slimed."

Grinning, she looked expectantly to the room's far side, which remained swathed in shadow. Seconds ticked by. She licked her lips, becoming a little nervous. Surely they wouldn't really just let her go without some final contest? She'd psyched herself up to get this far. Whatever this last game involved, she wanted to see it played. Still the seconds passed. Sarah's smile began to fade.

Then came footsteps. Eyes gleaming, Sarah sat straight. Someone was approaching the chamber.

Please let it be her.

The steps came closer. Nibbling her lip, Sarah ran her hands through her hair and rubbed one foot atop the other. Below her the slime slowly swirled. Suddenly a rectangle of orange light appeared on the opposite wall. A door had been thrown open. An alluring silhouette stood framed at the entrance: female, long haired, smaller than average and with an hourglass figure, she seemed to radiate an easy confidence. Without a word the newcomer stepped inside, then disappeared into darkness as the door swung shut behind her. Sarah waited with bated breath. Slinky footsteps approached, coming to a halt at the shadow's edge, just opposite the vat.

Sarah felt warmth in her cheeks. "Is that who I think it is?" she called. Muffled tittering was all the answer she needed. She never could keep a straight face for long. "I knew it. Hey Jen."

More lights came on, illuminating the beaming brunette. Jen wore a thin pale bathrobe that clung to her still-wet body, revealing the white bikini underneath. Her chestnut-brown hair was still damp, and Sarah noticed a greenish smudge lingering above her elbow. She must have cleaned up in a hurry. Sarah's lips curled into a nervous smile on noticing Jen's gaze drop to a set of five coloured levers that stood poised like sentinels amongst the sprayers at the vat's edge. The largest one, painted gold, stood directly opposite Sarah.

Jen's eyes glimmered with mischief. "Hey, Sarah," she said teasingly, "good to see you. It's been.... Hmm, when were we last together?"

"The pit," Sarah whispered. Like you'd forgotten.

"Ooh yeah, I remember." Jen began idly tapping the gold lever. "Y'know, it's funny, I seem to recall something happening there." She touched the side of her mouth as though struggling to recollect the scene. "Something about you dropping me into a big pool of goo? Ooh, look at all these levers. I wonder what they do."

Sarah's eyes drifted down to the shimmering slime. She found herself imagining what it would feel like to be pitched into so much mess.

"I like your bathing suit," Jen went on, batting her eyelashes. "I'm guessing that means you want to go for a swim?"

While Sarah giggled, squirming on her precarious little seat, the speakers crackled once again. "And so our challenger appears," said the man in the control room. "Jen, do you want to send Sarah for a dip?"

Jen looked Sarah in the eye. "Absolutely, positively, one-million per-cent yes."

A low chuckle reverberated over the speakers. "I'm sensing some enthusiasm there. Good. Jen, I'm sure you've spotted those levers?" He waited for her to nod. "Sadly, they're all disconnected at the moment. You'll see all manner of tubes and gadgets around each one. Connect them properly and you'll see the lever light up. Pull it once it's lit, and things might get a bit colourful for Sarah. Better still, once you've activated the four smaller ones, you'll unlock the gold one at the centre. Sarah, what do you think happens then?"

Shaking her head in amused resignation, Sarah sighed. "I go into the slime." She grinned on seeing the way Jen's eyes lit up.

Low laughter emerged from the speakers. "Well, we're about to find out. Jen, you'll have three minutes to connect all five levers. And, because we're generous, for each one you activate we'll stop the clock for ten seconds to let you enjoy the results. Sound good?"

"You bet!" Jen bounced with excitement.

"Excellent. Two things before we begin. One, I take it you've heard about Sarah's little request?"

Sarah had been staring into the lake of slime, contemplating what was about to befall her, but the man's words made her snap out of it. She smirked on seeing the look Jen was giving her.

"Yeah, I heard about that," Jen said with playful reproach.

All innocence, Sarah extended her hands, palms outward in a 'Who, me?' gesture. "What? All I did was point out that, y'know, playing against me is kinda like betting against me, don't you think?"

Arms folding, Jen tutted and tapped a foot on the ground, pretending to be annoyed, but couldn't help but grin as her bright brown eyes drifted to the ceiling above the final lever... where a large spout jutted downward.

"That's right, Jen," the man went on. "If you want to dunk Sarah, I'm afraid you're going to have to get messy. That brings me to point number two. We haven't mixed up all that gunge to let it go to waste. One way or another, someone's going in. If you run out of time, Sarah gets to escape and it'll be you up on that chair. Knowing that, do you still want to do this?"

Throughout the explanation, Jen's gaze had remained fixed on Sarah. The brunette's smile widened as she leaned against the vat's edge. "What do you think, Sarah? Are we doing this?"

Returning Jen's gaze, Sarah placed her hands on her knees and leaned forward, golden locks slipping over her shoulders. "I think we both know the answer to that."

Jen giggled, and then with an exaggerated sigh shrugged off her bathrobe and tossed it to the room's edge. "Guess I won't be needing that," she murmured. Now in just her white bikini, she shook out her hair. Seeing Sarah's expression, she pointed to the vat. "Yeah-yeah, laugh it up. It'll be worth it to see you get dunked."

"You're forgetting something, Jenny," purred Sarah.

"What?"

"I always win."

Jen's voice dropped to a teasing whisper. "Not this time."

Again the voice issued from the speakers. "Ahem, if I might interject, there's one last thing before we commence."

Immediately suspicious, Sarah glanced around. "Huh, what?"

"I think this deserves an audience."

The door opened. Equally perplexed, Sarah and Jen shared a glance before looking over to find the other contestants trooping into the room. They'd washed themselves down but hadn't had time to get fully dry. Wet sheens glistened on bronzed skin as they approached, fanning out across the room. There was obvious amusement on each of their faces once they saw Sarah's situation.

Sarah planted her hands on her hips. "Hey there, girls. Come to laugh at me?"

It was then that she noticed the nervous anticipation in the air. In addition to the three scientists, Belle and Joanna were with the group, too. This seemed unusual - Sarah had expected them to be back in the control room. Jo in particular must have dashed in order to be here in time. She noticed Nikki give Louise a reassuring pat on the shoulder as they took position opposite the vat. The longer Sarah looked, the more out of kilter things appeared. The floor was padded and textured to make it non-slippery, with drains at regular intervals. Also, while some of them had donned bathrobes or t-shirts, most were still in swimwear. In fact, Holly had changed out of her shorts and top and into a turquoise bikini.

They don't expect to stay dry.

Sarah tipped back her head and chuckled. "Right, I see where this is going."

The man in black pretended to cough to hide his laughter. "Welcome, ladies! So glad you could all join us. We like to end every event with a get-together. Normally we'd have the team decide who goes on the chair, but in this case there was really only one candidate. I suppose there's just one last question - do you want to see Sarah in the gunge?"

Amid roars of agreement, Sarah feigned outrage. "What? Haven't you splattered me enough?" She laughed on hearing the crowd noisily disagree.

"Jen, are you ready?" asked the host.

Brown eyes shining with excitement, Jen took position. "Ready."

"Sarah, are you ready?"

Sarah looked down at herself, at her smooth skin and gentle curves, at the silken strands of gold hair weaving around the straps of her bikini top. Her toes wiggled, and beyond them the expanse of slime seemed to wait impassively. Whatever happened, she wasn't going to escape this clean, of that she had no doubt. Nervous excitement shivered through her, but was replaced by a strange sense of calm. She felt almost weightless. Savouring the moment, she exhaled.

"I'm ready."

An expectant hush fell. Motionless, Jen and Sarah remained smirking at each other until at last the man spoke. "Ladies," he said, "whatever happens, this will be extremely messy. Your time... starts... now."

The noise from the crowd was immediate. Instantly Jen leapt into action, jumping in front of the yellow lever and fussing with what Sarah could only guess was some kind of switchboard of coloured tubes. From the way the others called out tips, she seemed to be trying to solve some kind of puzzle. Sarah couldn't see what kind, exactly, but it didn't really matter - it was the results that she cared about.

A strangulated beeping noise sounded. Jen must've made a mistake. Sure enough, jets of lurid pink slime came jetting from sprayers on the vat's right side, away from where Jen stood, and splurged over the spectators.

Sarah flung her arms up in the air. "Haha! That's what you get."

Looking over in confusion, Jen giggled apologetically. "Oops, sorry."

Lucy and Kelly had taken the worst of the splattering. Now with pink blobs drooling over their matching silver swimwear, they reeled back in momentary shock before simply laughing at each other. Holding the other's hand to make sure neither of them tried to avoid the gunge, they resumed their cheering.

Biting her lower lip as she tried to concentrate, Jen struggled on. She was bobbing up and down in excitement, hair fluttering, curves bouncing, but seemed to be having no luck.

Again the man's voice emerged from the speakers. "Oh, I forgot to mention - it seems we were remiss and forgot to place a clock in the room. Poor Jen won't know how much time she has. Not to worry, though, I'm sure we can mark time in a more, shall we say, visual manner. Oh look, it's been thirty seconds already."

Foamy yellow gunge spurted from rows of nozzles mounted high on the walls. Hailing from left and right, they splashed randomly over the spectators, prompted high-pitched screams and a flurry of movement as everyone cavorted around, trying to work out what was happening. Some tried to dodge or huddle down to find cover, but there was no escape. Sarah giggled on seeing the state of Kirsty and Holly, who had been stood in the centre at just the right spot to be hosed from both sides.

Relaxing on her rickety seat, a sense of soaring exhilaration stole through Sarah. There was no pressure anymore. Her fate was out of her hands, and she intended to revel in seeing everyone else get messy trying to bring her down. Feet wiggling, she fussed with her hair and adjusted her bikini while playfully jeering at the others.

Still Jen struggled. More pink gunk erupted out into the crowd. Liz squealed as spinning blobs painted the side of her neck and dappled her pristine white bathrobe. Muttering in annoyance, the tall blonde stepped back, arms lifting in an effort to shoo the gunk away, only for her expression to soften once she spotted Annabelle giggling at her.

"Nyah-nyah, you can't get me!" called Sarah. "Hey, look how clean I am! Jen, you're doing great. Just keep doing whatever the hell it is that you're doing."

Just then a chiming sound rebounded through the room. Sarah gasped, a nervous smile flickering at the corners of her mouth, on seeing the yellow lever light up. Jen grabbed hold of it with both hands, winked at her, and pulled.

Facing her friend, Sarah grimaced. "Oh no."

Jen's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Oh yes."

Just as Sarah risked a peek up at the funnel-like spout above her, a random sprayer at the pool's edge issued a burst of pink gunk. This time, however, it wasn't aimed at the others. Arcing gracefully through the air, it landed with a squelching splash upon Sarah's right leg and splurged outward, leaving an oozing tidemark on her lower stomach. Murmuring in shock as gunk flooded down into her lap, submerging the front of her bikini bottoms, she was left totally off-guard when the overhead spout activated.

Sarah shrieked as custard poured down, the glistening yellow column landing at the back of her head and splattering outward while a gloopy avalanche slithered down her back. Sarah's mouth dropped open on feeling it pool around her hips before sloshing out at the sides of her legs. Its force very nearly sent her slipping into the vat, but she stopped herself just in time, managing to lean back and grip the seat with both hands. As she moved back, though, so the last of the custard rained over her front, great wobbling globs sliding down her forehead and drizzling into her cleavage with a series of delicious splat sounds.

Opening her eyes as the downpour eased, Sarah ran fingers through her soaked hair and fixed a jokey glare on Jen, who hopped and punched the air before skipping to the blue lever. She'd barely reached it when the one-minute marker arrived, this time in the form of hails of translucent green muck that issued from sprinkler-heads all around the ceiling.

The crowd's screams were music to Sarah's ears. She was about to tease them when, much to her surprise, green gunk sprayed over her, too. It didn't last long, but it was enough to brocade her with squiggled splashes that oozed out like melting musical notes. Feeling the stuff slide down her cheek, cool and gelatinous, Sarah gazed down into the now-polluted pool. She was beginning to comprehend just how messy this was going to get.

One saving grace was that Jen hadn't been spared. Now she had to solve the puzzles with slippery hands and with gunk dripping from her bikini top and onto the switchboard. Grinning, the brunette casually swished back her wet hair and redoubled her efforts.

Seconds ticked on. A baffled smile emerged on Sarah's lips as she surveyed the mayhem, yellow dregs still pattering atop her head. The halfway mark was approaching, and Jen had only activated a single lever. A peculiar mix of hope and worry stirred within Sarah. At this rate Jen might not get to dunk her after all. Just then a burst of pink ooze struck the back of Sarah's shoulder. The impact made her sputter with surprised giggles, arms lifting to try and swat the mess away. It seemed that now both she and the audience were subject to random squirts that could come from almost anywhere.

Now with a fresh helping of pink slime streaked through her hair and drooling down her front, Lucy turned to Joanna, who stood at her right. "You know this would happen, didn't you?" she said. "You know we'd all be gunged, and you still came in with us." Seeing the blonde nod, Lucy leaned sideways and hugged her.

"Wait, there!" cried Belle. Having worn a loose-fitting t-shirt over her bikini and done her best to hide behind Melissa in an effort to avoid the gunge, with limited success, she now bounced on the spot, pointing to the controls around Jen. "See? Move the yellow one to the right, the green one down, and you can get the blue to connect."

Tracing the instructions with her eyes, Jen beamed. "You're right! Thanks."

Sarah pointed in accusation. "Hey! No fair!"

It didn't matter, of course. None of it did. Sarah knew this was all just an excuse to slime everyone. As the blue lever lit up, though, she decided that justice needed to be done. "Girls, would someone mind splatting Belle for me? Thanks."

Belle shrank back, trying to hide behind Melissa again, but it was no good. While Holly marched up to her, scooping puffs of foam from her own body to use as ammunition, so Melissa turned on the spot and draped a friendly arm over Belle's shoulder, gently preventing her from getting away as Holly gleefully daubed handfuls of gunk over her face and hair.

Hah, serves her right! Just then she noticed Jen standing at the blue lever. Oh no.

Pretending to be a damsel in distress, she fluttered her eyelashes and waved her arms in a needlessly dramatic fashion. "No, wait! You can't do this to me! I'm supposed to win." She cowered, nose crinkling with giggles, as Jen smiled wickedly and pulled the lever.

Sky-blue gunge came splurging down. This time it landed in her lap. Oddly, her first thought was that the colour matched her bikini, but then she squirmed, legs kicking into nothing, as slime engulfed her hips. The ensuing splash exploded out from her lap, waves of glistening mess breaking beneath her breasts, while a few drops freckled her chin and lips, bringing with it the faint taste of citrus and blueberries. Smooth and thick, the stuff went gushing down her legs before draining into the pool below. Surprise made Sarah lean a fraction forward, which inadvertently brought her head into the cascade. Gunk domed out around her. Cerulean rivers spilled past her field of vision, a few stray locks of hair becoming caught in the current and swaying in front of her face, while each heaving intake of breath brought the front of her bikini top into the falling slime. She whimpered with anticipation, knowing what would happen when the flow began to weaken.

Sure enough the flows closed in, advancing like liquid stockings up her thighs. Dampening hair flattened before the bombardment, saturated locks hanging heavy at her back and clinging to the sides of her face. Still the bell-shaped downpour closed around her, creamy tides sweeping over her face and chest. The blue veil seemed to disintegrate as the torrent faltered, thick globs pattering atop her head, to reveal Jen laughing hysterically on the other side.

"Having fun up there, Sarah?" called Jen, cupping her hands around her mouth for effect. She gestured to the cheering spectators. "Because we sure are."

Jen's celebrations were rudely interrupted by the ninety-second marker, which arrived in the form of bright orange gunge that fountained out from sprayers mounted along the vat's edge. Jen reeled, squeaking in playful laughter, as sprays swept up her midriff, licking against the swell of her bikini top, or else angled outward to leave flame-like patterns up her arms. As she straightened, eyes gleaming with mirth, a stronger spout splurged up beneath her jaw, the gunk curling up past her temples and sending locks of hair fluttering. More of the stuff erupted all along the vat's far side, dousing the other contestants. It was worse over on the left, where Lena, Nikki and Tasha were stood in a row. The three of them staggered back, yelping in shock, as huge welters of gunk sprang up to bathe them. Straightaway Tasha crossed her arms over her chest to make sure her top stayed in place.

Despite being covered in slime, Sarah threw up her arms and laughed rapturously. It felt incredibly satisfying to watch the people who'd cheered for her to be gunged being doused themselves.

Sarah's triumphant yell dissolved to a scream as batteries of sprayers rotated and fired - this time in her direction. Jets of green slime arced toward her, the pool churning where stray globs trailed behind, and then they were crashing on and around her, colliding with the blue dregs that still rained from above, to form a glistening slime-storm that left seeping webs all over her. Jolting back into her seat, Sarah closed her eyes, too shocked to speak. It was all too much. A melody of startled squeals and helpless giggles played around her. All was chaos. Nobody was being spared. Rivers of goo slipped over her contours, dripping from her toes to feed the pool below.

"How's it going, Sarah?" called Jen, who was working on the next puzzle. "You're, hah, you're looking kinda gooey up there."

Sweeping back her sodden hair, Sarah wiped her face and blew stray blobs away from her lips. "It, uh, it's getting a little messy, not gonna lie."

Eyes gleaming with mischief, Jen pointed to the pool. "Just wait 'til we get you down into that."

Quiet giggles sent threads of slime drooling from Sarah's bikini top. "You mean if. Time's running out. Maybe it'll be me dunking you."

Jen was about to retort when a blast of custard against the small of her back made her squeak in shock, but almost immediately she refocused on her task, her face a mask of mirthful determination. Another mistake sent vibrant purple goo splurging up her chest, while beside her a second spout curled out and hit Kelly directly in the face, blobs spinning out around her to dapple the women further back. Staggering backwards, Kelly almost slipped - until Lucy stepped up to help steady her.

"You know what, Jen?" said Sarah.

"What?"

"It's kind of scary how much I love watching you get slimed."

"Haha! Same."

Jen jabbed at some unseen control as she spoke. There was another strangulated beeping noise, and then Jen squealed, tossing her head, as pale blue muck shot up in front of her, painting her left side before flying up into her hair. Grinning up at Sarah, she gestured to her gunk-spattered figure, as if to say 'enjoy,' and then resumed the puzzle.

Feeling herself start to slip, Sarah emitted a quavering murmur and gripped the seat with both hands. Slime dripped from it in drooling ribbons to feed the ever-growing vat. Again she pictured herself being dropped into that churning morass.

The two-minute mark was announced in the form of nodes and vines rupturing all along the walls, spraying foamy lilac and yellow ooze over everyone. Sarah watched slithering bands of the stuff war across her front. The feel of so many textures oozing over her was almost hypnotic. Each movement of her body made one flow or another change course. From the corner of her eye, she watched one yellow globule descend a sodden lock of hair, drip down onto her breast, ooze forward to tumble from her bikini top and land atop her thigh, then slide sideways and down into the pool. Dozens of similar journeys were taking place all over her.

One minute to go. Seeing Jen struggle, Sarah found herself conflicted. Much as she wanted to see her friend on this chair, she couldn't stop imagining what it would be like to go in. Part of her wanted to find out.

Exhilarated, taking in great lungfuls of air even as dregs still dripped and spattered down onto her, Sarah switched her attention to the crowd. The action held an almost dreamlike quality. All was noise and motion and bursts of colour. The fairground music had returned in the background, as though the mayhem itself had willed it into being. Spotlights swished in haphazard patterns, illuminating glistening bodies that writhed and danced, small splashes blossoming over them basically at random. As Sarah watched, so brief vignettes coalesced from the chaos:

Louise was peering down at her now-filthy shorts and t-shirt. She seemed overwhelmed, and at first stared blankly as Nikki and Lena stood to either side of her, whispering encouragement while at the same time subtly preventing her from taking cover...

Nearer the centre, Liz was striking a particularly statuesque pose. Slowly her look of affronted indignation morphed to a whimsical grin. Looking down at her slime-streaked bathrobe, she shook her head, mouthed "to hell with it," and then discarded it to reveal the pink bikini underneath. As the first gooey spatters began arriving on her body, she let out a carefree whoop and lifted her arms...

Ellie, her artfully styled blonde hair now streaked green and purple, grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it out, peering down to stare, mystified, at its new pattern of splat-marks...

Tasha squeaked, her feet fishtailing in the slush that now coated the floor, before losing her balance and sprawling down onto her backside. Her attempt at getting back up left her sliding around in a puddle of goo. Seeing her struggle, Kirsty knelt down to try and help, only to fare no better. With a self-deprecating laugh she crouched behind Tasha, wrapped her hands beneath the other woman's armpits, and tried again to haul her up. This time Kirsty's feet skidded forward, her legs flying out beside Tasha's, as with a laughing squeak she landed in a sitting position behind her...

A buzzing sound interrupted Sarah's reverie, and was followed by a flash of light. Realising what that meant, she jerked her head around to look at Jen - and found her already reaching for the pink lever.

"Come on!" she wailed, quickly wiping her eyes and lips with the back of her hand, "at least give me time to-"

The world turned pink. Cool and viscous, it clung to her curves, oozing slowly over her contours. Giggling, Sarah curled back, hunching slightly as the slime cast a melting shawl around her shoulders, some of it slipping down the furrow of her spine to form a ticklish pool at the back of her bikini bottoms. Blobs beaded the hair above her forehead while slow rivers crept forward from her shoulders or down the sides of her face. Still hunching forward, Sarah brought her hands up into the flows of slime, watching in baffled fascination at the way it slipped between her fingers.

Hisses sounded, and again the crowd's cheering devolved to shrill screams. Sarah blinked as green and purple sprays suddenly crisscrossed her front, then chuckled wickedly. Shaking slime away from her face, she looked at Jen. The brunette stood frozen at the pink lever, shaking with silent laughter, slime dripping from her curves. They exchanged a knowing glance.

Thirty seconds left. It all comes down to this.

Racing to the last set of tubes, Jen worked frantically. Behind her the cheers and yells reached fever pitch. Swept along, Sarah found herself willing her friend on, but couldn't resist slipping back into villain mode.

"Mwa-ha-ha! You can't get me, Jen. I always win!"

White foam billowed from vents above the spectators, creating a gentle snowstorm that dappled all of them. A few stray puffs blew like tumbleweeds over the vat, eventually sticking in place like icebergs on a psychedelic sea. Still Jen struggled, yanking out and reinserting tubes in a desperate effort to link up the green ones.

Seconds ticked by. Jen grew ever more frantic, but it seemed to do no good. The cacophony of voices yelling advice or encouragement probably wasn't helping.

Cackling playfully, Sarah bounced on her seat. "Haha! Accept it, Jen - you're going in the goo! I am so going to enjoy pulling that lever."

Jen paused, her hands in her hair, seemingly at a loss. Emotions warred in Sarah's mind. Would they really let me escape after all this?

Catching Jen's eye, she winked. "Come on, Jen," she whispered. "You can do it."

Jen's smile widened. Taking a breath, she relaxed and stared down at the knot of tubes. Sarah gasped in excitement on seeing the brunette's eyes light with sudden inspiration.

"Wait!" she cried out through helpless giggles. "I wasn't serious. You can't..."

A celebratory chime reverberated through the chamber. For a moment all was silence... then the green lever lit up. Sarah's mouth dropped open. She didn't know whether to laugh, scream, or both. Jen danced on the spot, whooping with joy, while behind her the others roared their approval. Practically skipping to the lever, she grabbed it with both hands, smiled at Sarah, and pulled.

Down it came, a seething verdant downpour, tepid and smelling faintly of kiwi fruit. Sarah squealed as it domed atop her head. The angle sent the initial impact spraying out behind her, drumming against the hatch, leaving her able to see the others' reactions - and them hers. As slick tendrils began streaming down her face, she sputtered with bewildered laughter and tried to speak.

"Oh my God, what are we doing? Look at us. How is this real life?" She paused, her face screwing up with helpless giggles as the green torrent twitched forward, painting the right side of her face and then slithering down her chest. "Eww! Haha, what have you done to me?"

The pool swirled and roiled as gunge cascaded into it. The waves it kicked up spilled over the side, swamping Jen's feet, but she was too busy celebrating to mind. At the centre of the messy downpour sat Sarah, her arms waving, her hips wiggling. The deluge threatened to sweep her off the already slippery seat, but somehow she stayed in place, balanced at the very brink.

Slowly the emerald torrent dwindled. Sarah writhed and twisted as far as she dared, shaking away oozing blobs and peering down at herself. Noticing Joanna issuing instructions, she wiped her eyes and looked out to see Jen being directed to the now-lit golden lever.

"Oh no-no-no-no! Haha, don't you dare! Don't you dare dunk me!"

Stepping up to the lever, Jen peeked up at the spout lurking above it and turned to the others. "Oh no," she said wryly, "I might get messy if I do this. What do you think, girls, should I do it?"

The answering roar of approval made Sarah tip back her head and laugh. Beaming with horrified delight at the realisation of what was about to happen, she lifted her arms above her head and tensed her core to ensure she didn't slip out of the seat too soon.

"I guess you know what this means," sang Jen. Stepping fearlessly beneath the spout, she grasped the golden lever with both hands and grinned at Sarah. "What was it you said earlier? About getting your comeuppance at the end?"

Moaning cheerfully, Sarah nodded. "Jen?"

"Yeah?"

"On a scale of one to five, how messy am I about to get?"

After a moment's consideration, Jen released the lever long enough to hold up both hands, fingers splayed. Sarah fidgeted with nervous excitement, toes wiggling, and stared down into the vat.

"Ugh."

Jen cleared her throat. "Sarah," she proclaimed, suddenly sincere, "you've been a great sport." Again the twinkle returned to Jen's eyes. "But I think you know what happens now."

Sarah gulped theatrically and nodded. Resisting the urge to wrap her arms around herself for protection, she kept them held above her head as Jen began a countdown.

"Five!"

The other contestants joined the chorus. "Four! Three!"

Squirming on her slippery perch, dregs still raining lazily from the overhead spout, Sarah joined in. "Two! One!"

Klaxons roared. Arms aloft, Sarah tipped back her head and screamed.

Cheers erupted as Jen tugged the lever. Immediately the overhead spout activated, spewing thick green slime all over the giggling brunette. At the same moment, though, dozens of small sprayers ignited behind Sarah's seat, streams of blue and orange gunge hissing forth like liquid fireworks that painted her back and formed a flickering aurora at her sides.

For a moment she and Jen stared at each other, laughing at the sight of the other being slimed, but then she saw that the golden lever had only descended one out of three notches. Jen bobbed her eyebrows and yanked it to the next notch, prompting a renewed downpour onto herself. As Sarah watched, aghast, a burst of orange slime descended on her head, splattering out like overripe fruit and prompting a bewildered squeal.

Jen was shaking with laughter. Green gunge spilled down her in slurping rivers, making her grip on the lever ever more slippery, but her eyes never left Sarah. The lever had only one more notch to go. "You ready for this?" she called.

Not sure whether to laugh or cringe in embarrassment, Sarah nodded.

Smirking, Jen cupped a hand to her ear. "What was that?"

She wants to hear me say it. Shaking her head, Sarah grinned. "Ugh, fine. Do it."

"Louder!"

Squirming amid the spattering ooze, Sarah directed a pretend-frown at her friend. "Haha, I said do it! Dunk me!"

Bouncing with joy, blobs skittering around her, Jen pulled the lever the last of the way. A final helping of green slime came gushing down, but she seemed barely to notice. Instead she threw up her arms and cheered as clanks sounded from beneath Sarah's seat.

More orange sludge rained down. Laughing hysterically, Sarah felt it splatter off her outstretched arms and already-soaked hair. Despite knowing that this last downpour was designed to distract her, she still shrieked as, with a loud snick, the seat folded inward on its hinge, tipping her forward.

Time seemed to slow. Another falling torrent arrived - pea-green this time - perfectly placed for her to fall into. Arms waving, eyes wide, she went sprawling into the downpour, the green gunk slathering her back as the vat's swirling surface rose to meet her. For a moment she felt the strange sensation of being in mid-air, and then her hands and knees touched the goo. At the last moment she squeezed her eyes shut. The impact came suddenly, gloop squirming around her as she plunged beneath its surface. Immersed in slime, she thrashed and wriggled, feeling the bizarre sensation of heavy ooze sweeping like ocean currents around her body. All sound became muted. It was oddly serene. On feeling her knees touch the bottom, she propelled herself up, slime squelching as she wriggled through the mess. She felt her arms break the surface first, and then light returned to the world. Laughter was all around her. Writhing, she cheered and splashed, having surfaced into the middle of the massive green downpour. Already smiling, she wiped her eyes and blew mess away from her lips.

A surreal sight greeted her. The others were crowded around the vat's edge, laughing and cheering. With her chin hovering just above the pool's sloshing surface, she was now looking up at them. At the centre, her bikini-clad body coated in bright green slime, Jen whooped with delight.

After jokily sticking out her tongue at her tormentors, Sarah giggled and slowly straightened, her shoulders and breasts emerging from the goo, then lifted her arms above her head as though in triumph. All around, the other girls were clapping, whistling and hollering their approval.

"Okay, you got me."

Playing along, Sarah pretended to slip, and with a high-pitched squeak let herself topple backwards. The pool rushed back in to claim her. Planting her feet on the bottom, she straightened her legs and slowly brought herself upright. Plastered with multicoloured gunk, she re-emerged from the swirling pool, the surface receding until it sloshed just below her navel. Scanning the rapturous faces around her, she lifted her arms skyward and shrieked with mirth as the sprayers activated. Mounted all around the edge of the pool, at least twenty nozzles inundated her, creamy blasts of pink, yellow and blue shooting in from every angle.

The gunge was everywhere. Whirling and splattering, it soaked her hair and squirmed through her bikini - which was somehow clinging on to preserve the tattered remnants of her dignity. As the sprayers subsided, so the roars of laughter redoubled. Sarah shook her eyes clear only to scream, having spied the buckets in everyone's hands. Hatches had opened on the room's sides, and now everyone stood waiting to add their own contribution.

"W-wait," she sputtered, laughing. "No! Look at me, haven't you - argh!"

Yellows, pinks, blues and purples arced through the air, turning the surface of the pool into a roiling tempest. With her upper body covered in a shifting patchwork of splashes, Sarah groaned and let herself slip back into the gunge, her head bobbing under for a second before she re-emerged, beaming and wiping her face.

Slowly regaining her senses, she peered, wide-eyed, at her companions. Seeing their expressions, she once again found herself tittering helplessly, imagining how she must look to them.

"Hey, wait a sec. Don't I get a 'Sarah has been eliminated' thing?"

Jen approached the tank and gestured to a spot just in front of her. "Come on over," she beckoned.

Sarah tilted her head quizzically. "Is this a trick?" She gestured to her gunge-slathered body. "Because we couldn't possibly have me getting messy, you know."

"No tricks, promise."

Sarah shrugged. "What the hell. Okay." With that she waded slowly through the mess, creating a miniature bow-wave that trailed out behind her. It took a surprising amount of effort to cover the short distance, the ooze resisting her every movement and sliding treacherously beneath her feet. Slipping, she giggled as her breasts and shoulders dipped briefly into the muck before she managed to wiggle upright.

Arriving at the edge, she planted her hands on the rim and stretched upward until the knots of her bikini bottoms bobbed in and out of the rippling gunk. Opposite, Jen matched her pose, the pair grinning at each other with only a foot or so separating them.

Big green eyes peered up at Jen, who smiled sweetly and whispered, "This isn't an elimination."

With a snort of disbelief, Sarah gestured to the slimy devastation all around. "Well you could've fooled me."

Shaking her head, Jen crouched down to collect something. When she stood, something glinted in her hands: a tiara. A cheap, plastic tiara, but a tiara nonetheless. Confused, Sarah found herself bowing her head as Jen placed it upon her, then felt herself blush as a wave of heartfelt applause rolled around the chamber.

"I... I don't understand."

Jen gestured up to the dripping pipes. "This is a coronation, silly. You beat the Splatter Dome. This is your reward."

Sarah looked at her aghast. "My reward?"

"You had fun, right?"

Sarah's mouth narrowed as she readied a cutting remark. As the seconds passed, however, her expression softened. "You mean... you mean this is what happens when you win?"

Jen giggled. "See, what have I been telling you all along? There's one last thing, though."

She barely heard. All her efforts had been bringing her to this. "Huh? What?"

Jen turned to Joanna, who handed her a pair of custard pies, and then promptly sandwiched Sarah's head between them. Gasping at the feel of cool custard engulfing her face, Sarah wiped furrows around her eyes, watched in a daze as globs spilled down into her cleavage and landed softly in the slowly-calming pool, then looked questioningly at Jen.

"There," declared Jen. "Perfect."

Utterly gunged, Sarah sighed and offered her hand. "Hi-five?"

Jen immediately clapped her hand against Sarah's, then paused, confused, as Sarah's fingers interlocked with her own, holding her hand in place.

"Ah, Jen. You really don't learn, do you?"

With that she stepped forward, wrapped Jen in a gooey embrace, then allowed herself to swan-dive backwards. Realising too late what was coming, Jen had time for a laughing squeak before being pulled into the vat. For a moment they disappeared beneath the surface, thick slime surging all over them, and then emerged hugging each other tightly, their foreheads touching.

For a few seconds they just stood there, swaying contentedly. At last, nose crinkling at the feel of slime squirting out of her bikini top, Sarah leaned back from the hug. With the pool lapping around their waists, she turned and draped an arm around Jen. Around them the room was descending into a chaotic free-for-all, squeals and splatters filling the air as the others began scooping up gooey detritus and smearing it over their teammates.

Tearing her gaze from the unfolding mayhem, she glanced over at Jen. "Hell of a day, am I right?"

Though still dazed, Jen looked at herself and chuckled. "Right." She reached an arm around Sarah's waist, pulling her close. "So, what's the final verdict? Did you enjoy it?"

With a gentle sigh, Sarah rested her head against Jen's. "I did. Thanks, Jen. Seriously. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I needed this."

"See? I occasionally have good ideas."

"Occasionally." Pausing, she watched threads of slime drool between her fingers, then an idea came to her. Head tilting, her wet hair collecting atop one shoulder, she whispered into Jen's ear, "In fact, come to think of it, maybe one day I'll need to return the favour."

Eyes gleaming, Jen turned and hugged her. "You promise?"

"Promise."

Locked in the embrace, feeling Jen shiver with giggles, Sarah felt oddly tranquil. She couldn't remember when she'd last had this much fun, and she had Jen to thank for it. Already her mind whirled with possibilities. One day, when she least expected it, Jen would have a reward coming her way.

The End