Lena's hair brushed silkily against her almost-bare back. Above her, warm sunlight streamed through the dome's crystalline shield, illuminating the scatter of tumbled walls and canted columns that lay before them. The entrance tunnel had brought them to the ruins of an ancient city, or at least an extremely low budget approximation of one. White stone blocks swathed in lichen lay dotted about, while here and there a marble pillar rose defiantly from the rubble.

Lucy appeared beside her. "Not what I was expecting," she noted.

Still struggling to take in the peculiar surroundings, Lena nodded distractedly. The bravest of the bunch, she and Lucy had been first to venture into the dome. Having burst through the entrance as though they were in a SWAT team, their battle-cries had dwindled to embarrassed mutters on realising they were alone.

By her reckoning, which was by no means reliable, they were at the arena's southern edge. She noted with wry amusement a somewhat kitsch mural of a spacecraft painted on the dome's inner side, cunningly arranged so that the craft's landing bay was positioned over the entrance. Nice touch.

"So," Lucy continued, "how long do you reckon we'll last in here?"

Lena tossed back her head and tittered. "Not long. Looking forward to it?" Lucy thought for a moment before nodding. "Me too. I see you've gone for the Princess Leia look. I like it."

Adjusting one of the little gold triangles that made up her top, Lucy grimaced bashfully. Even so, having looked terrified when Kelly had talked her into wearing it, she seemed a bit more at ease now. "Hah, thanks. I like yours, too."

Lena smiled modestly. She'd been in and out of the changing rooms in a few minutes, having selected a very simple but very flattering black bikini. Physically she and Lucy were quite similar, though Lena's features were an alluring fusion of east and west. Almond-shaped eyes, caramel skin and sleek black hair bore witness to the far-eastern influence in her heritage.

One by one the others emerged from the tunnel - all save Sarah, who slyly used the others as human shields while scanning the arena with hawk-like intensity. Lena had shared Sarah's suspicions, even if their reactions had been leagues apart. After what had befallen Lisa in the briefing video, she'd half expected a ghoulish firing squad to be laying in wait. Sadly that hadn't been the case.

"Wow." Nikki was advancing into the ruins. "Wow," she repeated, "would'ya look at that."

The bronzed American was gesturing to something in the middle distance. Padding forward a few paces, the rubbery floor warm against her bare feet, Lena peered northward. A few seconds of squinting transformed a hazy smudge on the horizon into a drum-shaped tower. This looked to precede another, still larger structure, but try as she might she couldn't quite bring it into focus. Typical, I knew I should've worn my glasses.

"This is... insane," Nikki said with a grin. "Awesome, but insane."

Annabelle marched past, a determined look on her face, and gestured to where twin rows of pillars, in varying states of decay, formed a rough avenue leading toward the tower. "Well at least they've left a path for us," she declared. Turning back to the team, she clapped her hands together. "Right, so what are we waiting for?"

Lena watched approvingly; Annabelle's enthusiasm was visibly perking up the others. Initial nerves were beginning to melt away.

"Nothing, I guess," agreed Tasha, her shoulders rolling in a languid shrug. She seemed a little more energetic since her recent doze, though for Tasha that wasn't saying much. Lena hadn't thought it possible to be so laid back without actually falling over.

"Then let's go." With no further ado, Annabelle set off down the avenue, the ties of her powder blue bikini fluttering as she went. Amid much fidgeting and murmuring, the others made to follow... until a voice sliced through their excitement.

"Hasn't everyone forgotten something?"

Sarah was leaning against the tunnel mouth. It had been she who'd spoken. Swathed in shadow, her eyes gleaming pinpricks, she sighed melodramatically and made a show of examining her nails. "The ghouls?" she continued, a tinge of sour mockery to her tone. "You remember, the ones hunting us like animals? Any sign of them?"

"Ooh, good point," chirped Lucy. Shading her eyes with one hand, she scanned the landscape. "Nope. Anyone else see anything?" The appeal was met with shrugs and shaking heads.

Jen moved beside Sarah. "Please, Sarah, try to relax," she said, doing her best to sound reassuring. "I think you're safe for now."

Sarah scowled. "For now," she muttered with barely concealed bitterness. Pouting, she finally emerged from the tunnel, her hair shining like burnished gold where it caught the light. Remaining at her friend's side, Jen offered a supportive hand which Sarah grudgingly accepted. "Alright then, let's get started. Just everyone keep your eyes peeled."

*****

Unseen watchers monitored their every movement, tracking their progress with mischievous intent. Cameras swivelled smoothly behind two-way mirrors, while spotters relayed updates from hidden vantage points, their commands whipping back and forth to teams of ghouls lurking in the dome's substructure. Others, already ensconced behind camouflaged panels inside the arena, waited patiently for the signal to pounce.

In sunken chambers levers tilted, pistons groaned and sluices opened. Pumps gurgled into rumbling life. Colour blossomed through rattling pipes. Surging and slurping, sloshing and gurgling, the gunge began to pour.

The man in black stood in the control room. Tapping his chin, he glowered at a nearby monitor. One by one the status reports came in. Everything was online. Satisfied, he nodded curtly and turned to Joanna, who was flanked by a few of the more experienced ghouls. "They're all yours," he drawled. "Happy hunting."

With a wolfish grin Joanna turned on her heel and stalked out, her lieutenants in tow.

*****

They proceeded in a ragged column. Sarah, having safely positioned herself at the middle of the herd, glared derisively at her surroundings. The ruins, upon closer inspection, were less than impressive. Everything was just sculpted polystyrene with a painted-on stone effect; nothing but a flimsy veneer, a crude parody of ancient grandeur. Nothing here is what it seems, she reminded herself.

All was unnaturally still.

Try as she might, she couldn't get used to the idea of being under surveillance, however benign. Every few paces she peered up, trying to spot the cameras that had to be lurking somewhere or other. The pipes didn't help her mood. Suspended in mid air, an elaborate network of chutes and guttering snaked like arteries through the dome. The largest shadowed the main avenue, with capillaries coiling out to cover any alternate paths. There was no escaping them. Spouts and sprinklers dangled like overripe fruit from each stretch of pipe. Sarah didn't need to be told what they contained.

The realisation that she could be slimed anywhere, at any time, was an unnerving one. Even at the best of times she never much liked relying on others, but here she seemed doomed to always be at the mercy of some faceless controller, who with the merest flick of a switch could ruin all her hard work. Against this, all she could do was pray they played fair... not that she had any intention of doing likewise.

Though she alone had dressed at least half sensibly, the benefit was more psychological than anything; it wasn't as though her top and shorts would provide much protection should the worst happen. Nerves began to rattle as the gothic tower drew closer. Things had been too quiet for too long. The bastion loomed over them now, its gnarled surface making it resemble a huge, misshapen tree stump. Around it a curious collection of low walls stood in serried ranks. Sarah almost hissed in frustration. A labyrinth.

Winding passages, narrow spaces, dead ends... Okay Sarah, keep calm. You can do this.

Think.

A decoy, that was the answer - someone to stick with, to take the slime instead of her, but who? It had to be someone willing. Lena and Lucy seemed obvious candidates, both looked positively eager to get gooey. Kelly was another option, as well as... Of course!

Jen strolled a little way ahead. As though sensing Sarah's regard, she glanced back. "Hey, you're smiling! Good to see you loosening up."

"Let's just say I thought of something that cheered me up."

Buoyed by Sarah's lightened mood, Jen nodded happily and resumed walking. For a few moments Sarah watched her. They'd met several years previously, on the set of their first major acting gig back in their late teens. Even now, after all this time, she sometimes forgot just how startlingly gorgeous Jen was. Moments of breath-catching realisation served to remind her, and now was one such moment. It wasn't merely that Jen was wearing so little, it was something else, something unquantifiable... a radiance. Picturing that stunning figure dripping with slime, a wicked smile bloomed on Sarah's lips. Jen was going to pay.

*****

Tasha folded her arms with what looked like disapproval. "Not much of a maze," she remarked.

The labyrinth, Jen had to admit, was hardly a challenge. Fringing the tower like an apron, it was only thirty yards or so across. Charting a correct route had taken all of thirty seconds. Holly advanced to the entrance - a tall archway whose keystone sparkled like diamond - and nodded confidently. "I can't see this being much of a problem," she surmised.

"Maybe," said Ellie, "but it doesn't need to be all that tough. Think about it, if we're being chased, one wrong turn and that'd be it. Besides, look up."

The others did so. As one, they groaned. Several pipes converged above the maze, sprinkler heads jutting down like chandeliers. It was slowly dawning on Jen just how full of tricks this place was.

Seeing no real alternative, they began to stalk through the narrow passages. Jen knew full well what a tempting target they made, strung out in single file with blind-spots everywhere. There could be ghouls all around them and they'd never know until it was too late. Ahead of her, Tasha was trying to adjust her top as discreetly as she could. Jen resisted the urge to chuckle - that skimpy yellow bikini would struggle to contain someone with Tasha's... attributes.

The realisation that she was tiptoeing prompted a self-deprecating shake of the head. Why am I trying to be stealthy? It's not like they don't know I'm here.

The atmosphere had become tinged with tension, the chatter dying away as they picked their way through snaking lanes. They were nearing the heart of the arena, yet still there was no sign of their pursuers. Each minute that passed ratcheted up the anticipation. They had to be close, so what were they waiting for?

At the column's head, Lena halted abruptly. An arch marking the end of the maze was only a few paces distant. "I don't like this," she whispered. "We're all too clean. Where are the ghouls?"

Louise licked her lips. "Maybe they all called in sick today?" she joked, her expression somewhat strained.

"Or got caught in traffic?" added Annabelle. "Or went on strike?"

They began moving again, though Jen found herself stuck with the image of a bunch of ghouls, in full regalia, trying to man a picket line. The labyrinth ended, yet still their opponents declined to make an appearance. Putting it to the back of her mind, Jen surveyed her surroundings. A fragrant clearing extended from the tower's south side, dotted with small poplars and a few sun-loungers, and over to the right a pool of crystal clear water shimmered enticingly.

"Now this is more like it," Sarah enthused, eyeing the pool.

Jen, meanwhile, had circled around for a better look at the eye-popping building beyond the tower. And what a building it was. Almost hypnotically bizarre, the partially ruined complex sprawled across the northern skyline, resembling a jumbled conglomeration of palace and factory. Gothic turrets - complete with flying buttresses - rose around dour industrial silos from which gasping vents protruded like toadstools, threading around slanted minarets and great misshapen blocks of machinery. Gargantuan cogs and camshafts studded the facade, as though a preposterous parody of a cathedral had fused with the innards of some monstrous clock. The only thing it didn't have, it seemed, was a door. Hearing voices, Jen tore her gaze back to the tower, which now seemed quite drab by comparison.

"Whatever this place is," Liz declared while striding to the tower's entrance, "it has to be important. We should go in."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," purred Sarah. The words stopped Liz in her tracks.

Though all eyes were on her, Sarah nonchalantly rearranged her hair before deigning to elaborate. "This is the heart of it all," she stated, letting the words hang before adding, "I'm just saying, if I were a spider, I'd let my prey get deep into the web before I struck. Besides, we wouldn't want Liz's bathing suit getting messed up so soon. It was so lovingly selected, after all."

Liz hesitated, cheeks reddening slightly at the mention of her changing time. It didn't help that the outfit she'd finally picked, a pure white string bikini, had been the very first thing she'd tried on. Glancing again at the tower, Jen had to admit that Sarah's logic was undeniable. The door was a clear plastic panel, but the chamber beyond was lost in shadow. Whoever went first would be stepping into the unknown.

Seeming to realise this, Liz edged back. "Now that you mention it, anyone else care to do the honours?"

Almost instantly Nikki's arm shot skyward, beating Lena by half a second. "Me! I will."

Liz stepped back and waved courteously. "Be my guest."

Without a moment's hesitation Nikki strutted to the door, tapped the release button, and stepped inside. The door slid shut with the barest of whispers. Everyone crowded as close as they dared, desperate to listen yet not wanting to get too close. Jen's fingers tapped excitedly against her thighs. This is it. Now the game really begins.

Seconds passed, but then from inside the tower Nikki shrieked. "Oh my God, they're here!"

Amid cries of alarm, the contestants milled around, unsure what to do. Several flinched back as the yelling grew more urgent, interspersed now with playful squeals. "They've got me! Eww, so much slime!"

"Let's get out of here!" yelled Sarah, already fleeing back to the maze. Louise and Liz seemed poised to follow, though Lena was actually approaching the door, albeit warily.

The shrieks ceased as suddenly as they'd begun. The eerie silence that followed left everyone frozen to the spot.

"Gotcha!" crowed Nikki. "Come on in, it's all good."

Inside, lights flicked on to reveal Nikki standing beyond the door, a goofy grin on her face. She was spotless. Tanned and toned, she had a demeanour that was one part prom queen, one part biker chick. The sequins that bedecked her cherry-pink bikini sparkled under the spotlights, which brought a lustrous gleam to the mane of dark brown hair that reached halfway down her back.

There was a collective sigh of relief, followed by snorts of laughter and embarrassed chuckles as the team filed inside.

*****

A few seconds after the last contestant stepped into the tower, heads popped up from behind the maze walls as a pack of ghouls rose silently to their feet. Eager eyes shone from faces bedecked with garish war paint. After a quick flurry of hand signals the hunting groups made off, stooping so as to move unseen through the labyrinth. Their plans were set. The attack was coming.

*****

Jen blinked, letting her eyes adjust now that she was out of the sunshine. The tower contained only a single room, its roof an interlocking knot of pipes. Despite looking tattered and decrepit from outside, the inside walls were smooth and off-white in colour. Doors to east and west, identical to the one they'd entered by, faced onto other parts of the maze. A wider opening to the north led to a semi-circular tunnel that seemed to connect to the strange building they'd seen from outside. Tiered lattices of garish pink bars, however, blocked the way.

While the others bantered with Nikki, Sarah made a beeline for the eastern wall, where a set of headphones dangled from a stout cable beside a stencilled map. Donning the headset, she stood attentively, listening to whatever instructions the organisers had left for them while her sharp, inquisitive gaze studied the map, methodically scanning every salient detail. Before long she straightened, glanced at the blocked passageway, and with a satisfied nod shrugged off the headphones, allowing them to clatter against the wall so as to catch everyone's attention.

"It all looks simple enough," Sarah began. A slender arm gestured to a point at the map's centre. "I'd say we're here, right in the middle. The research place we're supposed to get to is up here." Standing on tiptoes, she strained to reach. "Okay, I'm too little for this. Liz, you're tall - would you mind? It's that splodge at the top."

Liz obliged, sashaying over and indicating a shaded-in area. Sarah ran her gaze up and down Liz's figure as she did so. "You're far too pretty," she sighed with mock indignation, before launching back into her analysis. "It looks like the only way to the outpost is through this big complex, the palace, and that means getting past those kind-of-girly pink barriers."

Ellie had been testing the blockade, to no avail. She looked back over her shoulder. "Those heavy, immovable, girly pink barriers," she corrected.

Sarah grinned proudly. "Right. And how do you open a locked door? With the key, of course."

"Keys?" echoed Jen. Looking again at the blocked passage, this time she noticed oddly-shaped alcoves beside each set of bars. "Oh, right. Did they say where we find them?"

Sarah waved her hand in a so-so gesture. "Not in so many words, but they gave us an idea." She pointed again to the map. "See that mark on the left? Apparently that's a temple."

"We saw that!" called Holly. "Me and Kelly, we saw the top on the way here. It's like a weird pyramid thing."

Sarah arched an eyebrow. "A pyramid? Seriously? Well whatever, there's a symbol right on top of it." Her finger tapped authoritatively on points south, then south-east of their position. "Looks like there's another in the maze, and one out in a... bakery? God, this is stupid."

Kelly started suddenly. "A-ha, I get it! So we just need to find the keys and bring them back here?"

Sarah gave her a quizzical look; clearly she'd expected everyone to have deduced that already.

"Sounds like a plan," said Holly, clapping her hands together. "Right, I suppose we should split up?" Heads bobbed in assent. "So who wants the maze?"

Liz got in before anyone else. "I do. And I intend to begin the hunt with a painstaking search of that pool."

Lena giggled. "Maze for me too, please."

Another voice spoke up. "And me."

What the hell? That had been Sarah. Jen's brows knitted together. This made no sense - why the sudden eagerness? There had been something in Sarah's tone, something Jen couldn't quite put her finger on. Surreptitiously she glanced at her friend, but Sarah was giving nothing away. What is she up to?

Jen raised her hand. "Me too."

Sarah's gaze flicked to her. The look lasted scarcely a moment, yet Jen could have sworn she caught the beginnings of a smile.

Annabelle rolled her eyes theatrically. "Great plan," she declared, bursting with ironic enthusiasm. "If horror films have taught me anything, it's that splitting up is always a good idea."

*****

Tasha was feeling rather pleased with herself: she'd been in the arena almost twenty minutes and still hadn't been eliminated. Quite frankly she'd already exceeded her expectations, though the total lack of any kind of opposition may have helped just a little.

The four of them were back in the maze. Using the tower as a landmark, they meandered in a vaguely south-westerly direction. Besides Tasha, the group consisted of Kelly, Nikki and Louise. Apparently they were off in search of some pyramid-shaped thingummy, which supposedly contained a key of some kind. She hadn't really been paying attention.

Up front, Nikki was setting a brisk pace. Hee, look at her, she's so eager. It wasn't that Tasha was especially worried about the slime. Indeed she was under no illusions, and fully expected to get a little messy today, she just saw no need to rush. Ambling along, she brushed her light brown hair behind her ears and adjusted her outfit yet again. Damn thing. In retrospect, something that offered a little more... well... containment might have been in order, but the sunny yellow bikini with its pattern of white petals had been far too cute to resist.

Weird though it was, agreeing to this event had been a no-brainer for her. Besides raising money for charity and getting to hang out with a cool bunch of people, this was her first time outside the States, so effectively she was a getting a free vacation out of this. For all that, a bit of slime seemed a small price to pay. True, she'd missed what happened in the intro video, but surely there couldn't be that much mess? It'd probably just be a few little squirts of coloured water, maybe a bit of foam on a paper plate. Nothing too bad. Surely?

Was that movement in the corner of her vision? Tasha paid it no mind. Whatever. We've been through the maze. We know it's safe. Has to be the wind or something.

Lost in daydreams, Tasha sauntered on, heedless of the glugging pipes that shadowed her path.

*****

Humming cheerily, Nikki stepped free of the labyrinth. The tip of the pyramid was visible now, though dense vegetation thronged the way ahead. Totem poles marked winding trails through the lush undergrowth. It felt like a different world, though in truth they hadn't travelled all that far. In fact they could still make out the murmur of conversation from the other teams. A distinctive laugh rang out from near the gatehouse.

That's the classy one, Liz, the one who took forever to get changed. She paused, hoping to hear a sliming in progress, but it wasn't to be. Too bad.

The path twisted and turned. At times the foliage grew so thick that it merged into a lush canopy, creating shadowy tunnels broken by dappled sunlight. Several times the path forked, but since every track went in roughly the same direction, they simply picked whichever route seemed brightest. Totems watched them like glowering sentinels, but Nikki passed them with scarcely a glance. The slime would come, of that she was positive. It wasn't a case of if, only when and how much. With her imagination conjuring ghouls in every shadow, she expected goo to splash against her skin at any moment.

The black pyramid towered over all. Though scarcely a pebble compared to the ones at Giza, which Nikki fully intended to see one day, it remained impressive. It was as though an immense spearhead of polished obsidian had been thrust up through the earth. Not far now. On reaching a small clearing, her eyes narrowed. A number of lesser paths merged here, forming a broad concourse which ran to an opening at the pyramid's base. Man-sized totems lined the approach, their carved faces glaring inward.

Nikki looked back at her companions. "Y'all, something tells me we've found our temple."

"You know what?" Kelly replied jokily. "You might just be right."

Chatty and ebullient, with an hourglass figure clad only in a minimalist green bikini, Kelly was the quintessential glamourpuss. Fearlessly she strode between the statues, flowing locks of wavy brown hair bobbing with each seductive step.

Following rather more warily, Louise glanced at the totems with obvious trepidation. "Do those faces remind you of anything?" she said in that delicate voice of hers. Now that she mentioned it, the detail on the carvings bore a striking similarity to the makeup worn by the Gunge Ghouls.

At the entrance Nikki paused. Above her the black pyramid loomed across her vision. Taking a deep breath, she stepped across the threshold. "Here goes," she muttered to nobody in particular.

A dingy passage stretched ahead, lit only by a handful of guttering torches. They should probably have stopped to organise a proper search, but Nikki was happy to just blunder along. It seemed silly to take this game too seriously. After a few minutes of stalking through the tunnels, she became aware of Louise falling behind. Even Tasha had overtaken her, a feat Nikki hadn't thought physically possible. Looking back, she found Louise scanning her surroundings with a frequency that bordered on paranoia. The doe-eyed beauty had the look of a startled deer.

It took a few seconds for Tasha to notice Nikki's glance, but then, understanding her meaning, she gave a slight nod. The pair slowed their pace until Louise walked between them. "So how's it going?" asked Nikki, sounding as casual as she could.

Louise forced a smile. "Me? Oh I'm fine, really." She licked her lips again, hazel eyes darting to every shadow. Nikki and Tasha had cajoled her into donning a pale peach bikini, though Louise had insisted on bringing along a sarong, which she'd tied securely around her hips. Her hair, a warm shade of honey-blonde, reached just past her slender shoulders.

"So you're scared of getting slimed?" said Tasha, direct as always. Her words were more a statement than a question.

"Goodness no. Well, not scared, exactly, just a bit on edge."

Nikki smiled reassuringly. "It's cool, I get it. It's all kinda weird, right? I mean look at this place...."

The resulting grin returned a little colour to Louise's cheeks. Even a cursory glance revealed how ridiculous this place was. Everything was gloss paint and wobbling walls, with idiotic little lights meant to represent burning braziers. It bordered on self-parody.

"Come to think of it, you're right. Still, I guess it's only a bit of fun." Louise fell silent, contemplating her own words.

Nikki watched approvingly as a twinkle returned to her companion's eyes. Louise walked a little taller now, her gait becoming looser, more fluid. Even so, Nikki sensed apprehension lurking not far below that demure surface. "Tell you what," she said, "I'll stick with you. If we get slimed, we'll get slimed together." Seeing Louise grimace gratefully, Nikki lowered her voice. "And look on the bright side, we stand a better chance than Tasha."

The tension melted from Louise's face. "You have a point."

Tasha, who'd been adjusting her bikini top for the umpteenth time, looked up. "What was that?"

"Nothing important," said Louise, her face admirably straight. "So, are we ready for this?"

"Hell yes!"

"Absolutely."

"I thought I heard my name?"

"We'll take that as a yes," declared Nikki, offering Tasha a wink. And so the four contestants advanced deeper into the temple. None expected to get out clean.

*****

Once she was sure they were all inside, Kate sighed with relief. That had been close. At one point the tanned American in the cherry bikini had seemed to look straight at her. Kate hadn't been a Gunge Ghoul for long, and as a spotter she was an absolute novice.

This costume took some getting used to. Resembling a wetsuit, it contained gallons of pressurised gunge that could be shot from nozzles mounted beneath her wrists. The weight was distributed as evenly as possible, so as not to impede her agility too much, but Kate could see why her colleagues were so athletic. Running in all this was a workout in itself.

Emerging from her hiding place, she scuttled to a gnarled tree and flipped open a hidden panel. Leaning close, she whispered into the intercom link, "This is position seven. They've just gone through the main entrance." Doubt darkened her expression. Am I meant to say 'over'?

Thankfully a reply hissed from the trunk. It was Belle, one of the control room technicians. "Message received. Follow them."

Phew. Retrieving the hair band she always kept around her wrist, she began to sweep her amber locks into a ponytail. Showtime was fast approaching.

*****

Before long the passage twisted to the left, cutting off the last glimmers of sunlight. Artificial torches flickered in sconces along the walls, their feeble bulbs leaving much of the passage shrouded in gloom. The quiet was becoming ominous.

Kelly, not wanting the responsibility of trying to navigate, had ceded the vanguard to Nikki. Having done more than her share of photo shoots, she was almost certain that Nikki had modelled before; pageants or bikini contests, most likely. She certainly had the figure for it, but it was the way she moved that gave it away - that slight hint of a catwalk strut, combined with an easy confidence even when wearing so little.

Coming to a fork in the path, Nikki paused. The widest path branched to the right, leading deeper into the pyramid, while the other stretched out dead ahead. Uncertain, Nikki gestured to what was presumably the main thoroughfare. "This way?"

"I guess so," Kelly replied without really thinking. The others nodded acquiescence.

"Cool." Their choice made, Nikki led them onward, but before long came to a sudden halt. Pointing, she said in an excited murmur, "Look, there's something up there."

A chamber lay ahead. Pale luminescence tinged the end of the hall, where the walls opened out into shadowy gloom. Kelly thought she saw darker columns lurking in the murk beyond, but before she could investigate, Louise jolted to a standstill. "What's that sound?" she whispered.

The group hushed. A few moments passed, but Kelly heard nothing. "What sound?"

"You don't hear it? It's there... distant. I'm sure I'm not imagining it."

"Oh yeah, I hear it too," drawled Tasha, casual as ever. "From underground, I think."

Brushing back her hair, Kelly listened intently. Finally the sound registered - a slow, steady susurration which seemed to emanate from deep within the pyramid. She rubbed her hands together. "I think things are getting started."

Nikki's teeth gleamed in the half-light. "This is going to get messy, isn't it?"

"Count on it."

"Let's be careful," Louise advised, "we've got a key to find, remember?"

Treading cautiously, they moved on and soon found themselves in a circular chamber. A vaulted ceiling soared overhead, supported by pillars thick as oak trees, and between these columns lay a disc-shaped dais, ten paces across and tiered into three low steps. A silver plinth rose from its centre, but whatever it contained was obscured by a ceramic cone that dangled from a frayed rope. Arrayed in front of this altar were three levers of carved ebony, each tilted inward as though offering supplication.

Kelly watched, amused, as Louise appraised the scene with a solemnity it scarcely deserved. Something about the way the blonde tutted and tapped her jaw reminded Kelly of her local plumber. We could probably do with him around here, what with all these pipes and all. He might not look so good in a bikini, though. Wait, ugh....

While Kelly shuddered, beset by a horrific mental image, Louise gestured to the cone. White light glimmered enticingly from beneath it. "I'm guessing the key's under there."

Nikki nodded. "Guess so. Look, that rope's on a pulley, one of those levers must lift it."

Which one, though? While Nikki and Louise examined the levers, something caught Kelly's eye. Curious, she wandered closer. Several other tunnels fed into this chamber, and in the curtain of shadow between two of them, Kelly could've sworn she'd seen something glisten. She moved closer.

What on Earth....

"Hey, come look," she called. "What do you reckon's though there?"

A portcullis of riveted iron waited in the darkness. Kelly judged it to be half again as tall as her, though the space beyond the bars was impossible to gauge. Ignoring Louise's warning, she approached the rusted grille. Each bar was as thick as her arm, but tapping one produced only the hollow clunk of cheap balsa wood. Not iron after all. Sparing a smirk for the flimsy fortifications, she peered into the blackness beyond.

"See anything?" asked Louise, her voice almost a whimper.

It was no good, all was pitch black. "Not a thing," Kelly replied with a sigh. On returning to the dais she found Nikki on her knees, staring at the ceiling. Locks of dark hair had slipped forward from Nikki's shoulders, the tips brushing against the cherry pink triangles of her top. "No luck with the levers, then?"

"I give up," exclaimed Nikki. She stood, dark hair swishing. "Hell with this, there's only three of them. Let's just pull 'em all."

"Except," Louise countered, "if one lifts the barrier, what do the others do?"

Again Nikki peered upward. "I don't see any pipes up there, we should be okay." Approaching the nearest lever, she took a moment to psych herself up. "Alright, here goes. You guys ready?"

"You bet."

"I suppose so."

Nikki glanced at the one person who hadn't answered. "Tasha, ready?"

"Hmm? Sorry, I wasn't listening." Tasha was still at the doorway, adjusting her top. The flickering torchlight cast alluring shadows over her curves. "I so wish I'd picked something different."

"But you look fantastic," Kelly assured her.

Smiling in thanks, Tasha finished her wrangling and joined the others on the dais. She clapped her hands together. "Okay, ready. What are we doing again?"

"Darned if I know," chuckled Nikki. With that she pulled the lever.

Silence.

They stood motionless, eyes fixed on the shimmering altar. Seconds passed. Tasha cleared her throat. "I'm guessing that didn't work?"

From beneath them came the rusty groan of turning cogs, followed swiftly by a series of wooden creaks. The floor lurched underfoot. Stumbling drunkenly, Kelly noticed the pillars rotating around her. No, not the pillars, it was the ground itself that was moving. The dais was one big turntable.

Tottering a few paces before finding her balance, she waved wildly. "Quick, pull another one!"

Obliging, Nikki yanked the central lever. The rope twitched through its pulley with a dry hiss, spraying dust as the cone lifted skyward. White light flooded the room, shining like a beacon from a cluster of kite-shaped crystals on the altar. Finally the dais stopped spinning, allowing Kelly to take a proper look. There on the plinth, nestled between the crystals, was an oversized key encrusted with glitter.

Yes! That was easy. Now to just go and collect it....

*****

Nikki had secretly expected a shower of goo to accompany each incorrect lever. It was important to her that she get messy before Louise, that way she could prove it wasn't so bad. Now, with Kelly approaching the altar, she noticed Louise turn to her, a look of consternation on her face. "Um, Nikki, have you ever seen that Indiana Jones movie, the one with the ark?

Weird question. "Uh... yeah."

"You know the beginning, when he moves that statue?"

It took a moment for Nikki to comprehend. The two looked at each other, then at Kelly. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Both opened their mouths to shout a warning.

Too late.

The glow from the crystals flickered the instant Kelly lifted the key. As she turned toward them, brandishing it overhead like a trophy, they could only watch helplessly as the crystals sank smoothly into the plinth.

A grinding of gears, a sharp click, and then Kelly squealed in shock. Concealed nozzles had erupted all around the altar, flinging neon-pink ooze up her midriff and leaving vivid squiggles where it splashed off the underside of her bikini top. Frozen in place, Kelly gaped in confusion as more gunk arrived, this time from above, unfurling like pink petals from the overhead cone. She ducked, nose crinkling, as blobs peppered her hair and face. Hearing a gurgling roar from on high, she had the wherewithal to dive away just before custard crashed down right where she'd been standing. With the sloshing tide in hot pursuit, Kelly rolled smoothly down the dais' steps. Coming to rest on her side, she propped herself on one elbow, gaped at the others, and was about to speak when the messy wave crashed against her, sending her sliding onto her back with a bewildered gasp.

With the last of the pink and yellow slime trickling down the altar's sides, Kelly clambered to her feet and peered in wonderment at her gunk-spattered form. Wet hair lay plastered to her left cheek. Noticing the others guffawing, she grinned and waved the key aloft. "Uh... Success! Sort of."

"Nice job," said Nikki, giving her teammate an ironic round of applause. "I guess that means...."

The words trailed off. Everyone's attention was suddenly elsewhere. Dull thuds reverberated through the lofty chamber. A shiver of excitement ran through Nikki, who knew those sounds for what they were: Footsteps. Lots of them.

Louise had gone pale. Springing over, she looked beseechingly to Nikki. "What now?"

There had been desperation in that voice, Nikki realised. This put her in a dilemma. She didn't want Louise getting slimed while she was still so jittery, but the ghouls would be upon them any instant.

It was then that she saw the newcomer. A woman, spindly and with a face daubed in orange war paint, had appeared at the end of one of the connecting passages. Realising she'd been spotted, the Gunge Ghoul stepped into plain view and offered Nikki an evil smile.

There was no time for fancy plans. "Run!" she cried.

Grabbing Louise's hand, Nikki rushed to the nearest exit. Suddenly wide-awake, Tasha overtook them almost immediately. Nikki hadn't thought her new friend capable of such haste, especially as her arms were clamped to her chest in a bid to keep her top from straying, but Tasha was already haring down the tunnel. Kelly shouted something, but the words were lost amid the excitement.

*****

"Wait! You're going the wrong way!" It was no use, Kelly realised - they were gone already. It was then that something caught her eye; the third lever had shifted to match the other two.

Hmm, so what does that one do?

Just then a metallic clanking sounded behind her, at which point all other thoughts vanished. She'd had her back to the portcullis.

Something hissed, and then suddenly cool liquid doused Kelly's back, provoking a girlish yelp. Thick and slimy, it surged down the groove of her spine before spilling over her bikini bottoms. Back arching as the stream moved higher, she watched pink sludge shoot past her shoulders, sending locks of hair fluttering while slimy globules rained onto her bosom. For a few seconds she stood aghast, lips pursing into an astonished grin. Something bulky was behind her, its motions jerky and uncoordinated. Worse, female figures had emerged from the tunnels opposite, several of whom were now stalking towards her. The ghouls had finally arrived.

She waved an accusatory finger at the newcomers. "Hah! You're not getting me that easily. You'll have to catch me first!"

Clasping the key, Kelly dashed for the nearest exit. She reached the dividing arch in a few bounds, but stopped to risk a quick glance back. Her curiosity was rewarded by a brief glimpse of a huge, amorphous shape in the shadows where the portcullis had been, its surface wet and glistening. Transfixed, she scarcely noticed the monstrosity issue another jet of pink gloop. She watched it billow like a windblown banner as it sailed through the air, then jumped as it made contact a few inches above her navel, bursting into a star-shaped splash that sent slippery fronds wrapping about her flanks while still more mess exploded out over her arms and thighs. A few tickling blobs even made it to her chin. The shock of it sent Kelly staggering backwards.

Eww! Serves me right for looking.

Pawing at her stomach, she made her escape. It was a surreal sensation, the goo drooling slick and oily over her bare skin. Gunge dribbled down her legs as she ran, while attempts at wiping her face left pink smears across her cheek.

Behind her, the ghouls broke into a run.

*****

Suddenly uncertain, Tasha stopped at a crossroads. Nikki and Louise scurried past, hand in hand, and disappeared down the left-hand passage. Nikki gave a muffled call for Tasha to follow.

"This isn't right," Tasha muttered. Running footfalls were closing behind her. Hell, what do I know? I'll just follow the others. Rounding the corner, she saw her companions make another turn. Rushing to follow, she yelped as a pair of ghouls emerged from the gloom ahead. They were certain to reach the turning before she did.

Panicking, she turned and rushed back to the crossroads. There was no time to think. Spying more foes in her peripheral vision, she dashed straight across the junction and made off, laughing ghouls snapping at her heels.

*****

Wait a sec... Was this here on the way in?

All too late Nikki realised why Tasha had hesitated. Having darted down another short passage, she and Louise had arrived at a small square chamber. Nikki paused to take in her surroundings. Rimmed by diminutive, amateurishly carved totems, the opening was little larger than a kiosk. On the far side was a dressed stone archway through which the corridor began anew.

With scampering footsteps fast approaching, Louise tugged at her, eyes wide with a mixture of exhilaration and alarm. "Come on, we have to hurry!"

Just as Louise was about to run, Nikki took hold of her shoulder. "No, not that way." Instead she ushered her companion to a gap in the totems. "Quick. Through here."

Hugging one another tightly, the pair huddled in the darkened alcove behind the statues. Their breath caught as a ghoul padded into the chamber, joined quickly by another. Nikki could feel Louise's pulse quicken. The ghouls were almost close enough to touch. One of them paused, bunching her hair, and straightaway Nikki spotted the ripcord on the woman's costume. Pulling it would mean one less foe to deal with. Slowly her arm extended, reaching between the totems, to where the ghoul stood, still blissfully unaware of the danger. It was so close. Her hand hovered at the shadow's edge. Do I risk it?

She glanced at Louise, who shook her head frantically. Nikki hesitated. Before she could decide, the ghoul moved out of reach. Wistfully she withdrew her arm. It went against Nikki's nature to hide like this - it somehow felt like cheating - but she couldn't be sure how Louise would react to being slimed. She didn't seem the prissy type, so hopefully whatever doubts she harboured would be forgotten once the mess began to flow. Still, it was a gamble, and Nikki didn't want to upset anybody.

As the ghouls moved off, Louise rested her forehead on Nikki's shoulder and gave a relieved sigh. Amidst the gloom, though, Nikki thought she caught a hint of a smile.

*****

Tasha soon established a respectable lead on her pursuers, who despite their athleticism were weighed down by gallons of gunge. She, on the other hand, was burdened only by her meddlesome top, which prevented her from running full pelt if she wanted to stay decent. That aside, another minor disadvantage was not having the slightest idea where she was going. Every junction looked the same to her, while the ghouls knew every nook and cranny.

In keeping with her philosophy of never expending more energy than was absolutely necessary, she slowed her pace to somewhere between a jog and her usual leisurely amble. The corridor stretched on, though small booths now dotted the right-hand wall like cells of a honeycomb. One of these might prove a good hiding place, if she could gain a little more ground.

Elongated shadows appeared, dancing like marionettes on the wall ahead. More ghouls, and they were about to cut her off. Cursing, Tasha skidded to a halt. She was cornered. Racking her brain for a means of escape, all she could think about was the insanity of it all. Here she was, thousands of miles from home, in a huge glass dome, wearing a bikini that could barely contain her, running from a bunch of actresses in slime-filled wetsuits. What the hell have I gotten myself into?

Out of options, she sidestepped into one of the booths. Realising she'd no doubt be discovered in seconds, she fiddled with her hair and adjusted her outfit one last time. "Tasha," she muttered to herself, "you're gonna get gooey."

Then she noticed the innocuous red button. It was too much to hope for, but she pressed it anyway, reasoning there was nothing to lose. Waiting with eyes shut and shoulders tensed, she half expected a slimy torrent to come gushing down. Instead a faint grating reached her ears. One eye peeked open.

"Yay!" Tasha jumped for joy as a wheel-shaped slab began to roll across the entrance, sealing her hiding place from the ghoul-ridden passageway. Already the opening had narrowed to little more than a slit. She danced on the spot, arms aloft and hips wiggling. Admittedly, the 'stone' barrier looked to be made of cardboard, but it would be enough to keep her clean a while longer.

Finishing her little spin, she was just in time to see a single ghoul slip through the gap at the last possible moment. The grating ceased. The stone was in place. Now it was just the two of them.

Uh-oh.

The interloper straightened, stretching her lithe body with deliberate casualness before slowly facing Tasha. Blue eyes gleamed brightly, surrounded by stripes of jade war paint and framed by a mop of blonde hair tied into a ponytail.

Tasha tried to retreat, but almost immediately felt her back press against the wall. The booth was little bigger than a closet. There was no cover, nowhere to dodge and nowhere to hide. Her arms reached sideways, fumbling for something she could use, but her fingertips brushed bare walls. The ghoul matched her stance, the two women facing off with barely a yard separating them. Tasha found herself staring at the nozzles on the ghoul's black and green bodysuit.

Mouth moving wordlessly, Tasha ran fingers through her hair and grinned, not quite sure what to say. This was unlikely to end well. Finally she managed a nervous, "Hey there."

"Hiya," the ghoul replied amiably, "hope you don't mind me joining you."

"M-make yourself at home," Tasha replied. They both knew what was about to happen.

Just then a click sounded from the wall on Tasha's left, opposite the bulkhead. A letterbox-shaped hatch had opened, from which a row of cream pies slid out to nestle on a thin ledge. Tasha's smile broadened; it wouldn't just be her getting messy. Still the ghoul did nothing, content to smirk at the inevitability of it all. Slowly and deliberately, Tasha lifted one of the pies. Almost immediately another slid down to take its place.

The ghoul stood with an almost feline poise, limbs rigid and fingers curling to the pressure pads on her palms. "Ready for the gunge?" she enquired, her tone mocking yet affable.

Tasha lifted her free hand in a conciliatory gesture. "Come on, can't we can make some kind of-" She threw the pie in mid sentence, the creamy disc hurtling into the ghoul's face with a satisfying splat. The paper plate fell away a second later, leaving behind an unbroken sea of cream which still somehow contrived to look shocked.

"Ha! That told you!"

Tasha was reaching for another pie when bright green slime spurted from the ghoul's wrists, provoking a shocked yelp as it swept down her right side from shoulder to hip. Attempts at swatting the spouts away only managed to deflect the stuff everywhere. Feeling globs spatter her cheek, Tasha yelped and turned her face away.

Gloop drooled down her body. It was a weird sensation, but Tasha's thoughts soon turned to payback. Her answering throw was wild, the pie breaking into fragments in mid-flight, but the pair stood so close that most of it struck home anyway. The ghoul simply grinned, cream dripping from her chin, and then retaliated in kind. Tasha found herself hooting with laughter as thick green gunk banded her from left knee to right hip, globules spraying across her yellow bikini bottoms and sliding down her inner thigh. Two pies flew in response, one plastering the ghoul's chest, the other skittering from her hip.

Ha! This isn't so bad!

Seeing the bespattered blonde stagger back, Tasha seized the opportunity to rearm. Tittering, she twisted to the shelf and tried to collect as many pies as was humanly possible. She'd badly underestimated her foe, however. Again the gunge came from the right, spraying off her upper arm and tickling her side. The cream pies perched in her arms seemed to burst as shooting gunk tore through them. Tattered wisps drifted through the air like shredded paper, while a mass of white muck erupted over her abdomen, cool and smooth where it clung to her skin. Beaming at the insanity of it all, Tasha faced her opponent and tried to retaliate. The sole surviving pie glanced forlornly off the ghoul's shoulder and exploded against the wall. Perfectly composed, the ghoul levelled her sprayers.

"Oh no-no-no!" squealed Tasha, waving her hands imploringly. The ghoul just smiled. Slime sprayed, slick wetness dappling Tasha's chest. Her eyes closed as the jets moved higher, the smooth concoction squirting first her face, then her hair. She was an absolute mess, her body half covered in verdant continents of slime. The right triangle of her bikini had been virtually obscured, buttercup yellow buried by emerald green.

Appalled yet gleeful, Tasha placed a hand on her hip and pointed defiantly. "I hope you know - this means war."

Tasha pounced. Seizing a brace of pies, she closed the gap in a single bound, arms moving in broad arcs to sandwich the ghoul's head. Cheering as squirting tides met across her opponent's face, she scooped slime from her cleavage and smeared it onto the reeling ghoul.

"Ha-ha, see how you like it!"

Twisting away, Tasha fumbled for something else to throw. Fresh blasts hosed her back, sending her tottering against the wall. It seemed no matter what she did, the ghoul would bounce back almost instantly. Thick sludge engulfed the flimsy knot between her shoulder blades, the loose ends dancing like streamers in a gale. Feeling the yank on her bikini, Tasha hesitated to make sure everything was secure. The ghoul seized the opening and sprang forward, collecting two pies as she did so. A mass of custard burst high on Tasha's shoulder, gelid slop spilling down her curves while the second pressed against the top of her head. Custard oozed thick and slow down her face. Flicking away the paper plate, which had perched atop her head like an absurd hat, Tasha gaped at her exuberant foe.

"See? Two can play at that game," said the ghoul.

Both women moved at once. Their arms a blur, they grabbed more pies and splattered each another in perfect unison. The ghoul, however, had the presence of mind to activate her sprayers at the moment of impact. Tasha was really having fun now. Tipping back her head, she howled as slime banded her torso. Much of it rebounded onto the ghoul, who recoiled in shock.

As she wiped custard from her face, Tasha allowed herself a chuckle at her opponent's plight - leaving her completely off-guard when the blonde lunged in to hug her.

Having dozed through the briefing, Tasha hadn't known about the spongy panels set into each ghoul's costume, nor what they did. She was about to receive a first-hand demonstration. Arms coiled around her back, and then slime erupted from the ghoul's wetsuit where their bodies pressed together. Speechless, Tasha squirmed helplessly in the gooey embrace. The more she wriggled, the more mess spewed down her front, pouring between her breasts and raining onto her toes. Slithering tendrils spilled over her shoulders and on down her back.

"Haha! Oh my God, what the hell?"

The pair sank to their knees in a giggling heap, a glistening green puddle spreading around them.

*****

Much to her embarrassment, Kelly too had gone the wrong way. Skipping through twisting passageways, she tried in vain to regain her bearings, the precious key held tight against her chest. There'd been an alcove with a shower a bit further back, where she'd risked a brief pause to rinse off the worst of the gunge. For all that, pink smears still clung to the sides of her skimpy green bikini, while slimy trails threaded her flowing brown hair like ribbons. Another shower passed by to her left, but she dared not stop again. The ghouls couldn't be far.

She dearly wished that somebody else had taken the key. This newfound responsibility had left her in a quandary. People often judged her by her looks, taking her for nothing but another scantily-clad bimbo, but she could, in truth, be surprisingly shrewd. Indeed, perhaps more than anyone else, Kelly knew what this game was really about. Not merely the rules or the pitiful excuse for a plot, she understood the true purpose behind the Splatter Dome. They hadn't been sent here to defeat the ghouls, nor rescue the scientists, or any other clichéd sci-fi hokum. No, their objective was to scamper around, look silly, have fun and get messy. This, then, was precisely what Kelly intended to do.

The dome detached them from the outside world, both figuratively and literally. The almost comical ineptitude of the set design and monsters could only be intentional, a way of preventing them taking things too seriously. There was a reason this place was used for team-building events; everything was arranged to induce them to lower their defences, to release their inhibitions and forget the stresses of the real world. For someone to allow themselves to be gunged they had to free themselves of so many preconceptions - of how they ought to appear, of how they measured dignity, of how they were expected to behave. So much emotional baggage had to be jettisoned.

Catharsis through slime: a peculiar concept, but one Kelly was willing to try.

And so she would stay true to the spirit of the game, which meant trying to avoid elimination for as long as possible. This, given the circumstances, probably wouldn't be long. Ultimately though, her mission was simply to get eliminated in the most spectacular manner possible. The key complicated matters. If she were caught now, she'd feel like she'd let the team down.

Flitting across a junction, Kelly yelped to find herself running through beams of pulsing sludge. Yellow stripes spattered her left side, purple her right. Running on, she chuckled softly as squeals rang out behind her - the ambushers had managed to gunge themselves in the crossfire.

With goo coursing down her flanks, Kelly dashed on. Soon the corridor angled upward, and suddenly she was on a mezzanine overlooking a veritable Aladdin's cave. Intrigued, she paused atop a broad flight of stone steps. The cavern below was crammed with heaps of polystyrene antiquities and stacks of plastic currency. All the wealth anyone could ever want, and all completely worthless. At its centre, upon a small platform, rose an elongated chair of ornate design, something between a throne and a chaise longue. Descending the steps, she noted the tank above the chair.

No prizes for guessing what's in there.

With nobody chasing her for the moment, Kelly slowed to get her breath back. Aisles of gleaming trinkets came and went. To an onlooker it must have looked as though she were wading through a sea of gold, its waves tipped with sparkling gemstones. Amidst all this finery, though, it was a single low table that caught her eye. Upon it lay a piece of parchment, weighted by an inkpot and a few large coins bearing the Splatter Dome logo. A feathered quill rested nearby. Something had been written on the parchment, a list of some sort, and the way it had been placed suggested it was meant to be noticed. Nonetheless, Kelly would have passed by had she not spotted her own name. Angling her head, she stepped closer. The contestants' names had been listed neatly on the left. Opposite this was another column, this one headed by Joanna - presumably a register of the ghouls. Scanning the list quickly, something made Kelly pause. Her eyes zipped from one list to the other, then back again.

No, that can't be right. Why would-

A beautiful, brown-haired woman stood up from behind the table. Mesmerising grey eyes peered from a face bedecked with war paint. "Notice anything interesting?" she enquired.

While Kelly gawked, two more ghouls popped up. They too had been concealed by the treasures and were already shockingly close. Taken aback, she could do nothing as orange goo sprang from somewhere to the right, spattering her shoulder. She tittered as more whizzed overhead, raining emerald droplets into her hair. The thought of making a stand then and there was awfully tempting, but again her thoughts returned to the key.

With ghouls rushing in from all sides, Kelly dodged away and zigzagged through the aisles. Jets of gunge strafed the shelves behind her, filling the air with the clatter of falling coins. Trinkets scattered as she vaulted over an antique desk. Moments later it was festooned with slime. Statuettes tumbled to the floor as she scrambled over, under and around the heaped junk. Muck spurted all around, coloured blobs blossoming on her skin as more and more found its mark. There was no lack of exits - tunnels coiled out from all sides of the cave - but ghouls were pouring through all of them. It seemed hopeless.

Then she saw it, the answer to her problems. It wasn't an exit as such, but it solved her dilemma. A solitary shaft of sunlight slanted across the room, meaning there had to be an opening. Kelly tracked its origin. An arc of custard slapped suddenly against her bosom, making her gasp, eyes shining, as her curves directed the gelid mess inward to begin oozing down the middle of her stomach. Kelly smiled but refused to be distracted. Spotting the light's source - a small loophole high on the far wall - she made towards it, dodging foes as she did so.

A glimpse in a bejewelled mirror along the way prompted bursts of giggles. She wouldn't say she'd been properly gunged yet, but the mess was certainly accumulating. Ducking, she dashed through a hail of blue sludge, the long-range spray scattering grape-sized gobbets over her hair and back. Keeping her focus, she zigzagged cleverly through the cramped aisles, concealing her intentions for as long as possible. The tactic worked; ghouls darted this way and that in futile attempts to head her off.

Arriving at the loophole, Kelly beamed proudly and stretched up. She knew she must make an easy target, and sure enough viscous liquid began spattering her back, with any that missed drumming against the wall around her. Hips wiggling amidst the spray, she lifted onto tiptoes, gunk sliding down the backs of her legs as she strained for the opening. Locks of once-lustrous hair became saturated, falling lank and heavy at her back. Still she reached upward, nibbling her lip as stray squirts tickled her armpit. Finally the key disappeared through the hole. Hearing it land somewhere on the other side, she exhaled with relief. She'd done it. Assuming she'd corrected her bearings properly, of which she was by no means certain, it ought to fall close to the pyramid's main gateway.

Right, I've done all I could do. Time to get messy.

Smiling playfully, Kelly turned and made a quick check of her surroundings. Where was it? Purple slime glanced off her clavicle and dripped down the side of her top as she peered past the milling ghouls. Ah, there it is.

The game of cat and mouse resumed, though this time not for much longer. Using the scenery to shield herself from the worst of the bombardment, Kelly made for the chair. While running, she wiped herself off as best she could. There wasn't much time, the ghouls were getting wise to her constant changes of direction and were beginning to close in. They were almost upon her now.

At the foot of the chair she turned at bay, face brimming with laughter. Perfectly on cue, multi-coloured gunge pelted her from three sides. It splattered everywhere, streaming from her arms, oozing down her face, sliding down her chest and legs, but Kelly took everything they could throw at her. Lifting her arms, she let out a laughing scream. Some ghouls, having exhausted their slime supply, gathered cream pies from conveniently placed hatches and merrily added them to the barrage.

At the centre of the storm, Kelly cleared her eyes. She wanted a good view of this. The barrage was relentless, colours bursting over her curves one atop the other in great undulating bands that spilled and slithered all over her.

Staggering back, she flopped down onto the lounger. The ghouls wasted no time in surrounding her. "Ha-ha, do your worst!" she called to the assembled faces.

Smirking, the ghouls extended their arms above Kelly, who squirmed gleefully as the grey-eyed woman began a countdown. "Three! Two! One! Gunge her!"

A liquid rainbow materialised above her. Kelly watched, enthralled, as it transformed her body into a living kaleidoscope. Slick and slippery, gunge surged through her bikini and gushed down her sides. Colours blended and merged, layering one atop another as more and more rained down. Then, when the cascade finally began to ebb, hands reached in to slather her with pies, adding helpings of whipped cream to the oozing concoction.

Eyes closing, the ghouls' laughter mingling with her own, Kelly rested her head against the now-soggy cushion, luxuriating in the gunge. She cooed on feeling the downpour intensify suddenly. The rectangular tank that loomed overhead had begun to disgorge, green sludge cascading down in multiple smooth plumes that twitched like twisting tornadoes - the first over her ankles, the second her knees, then her lap. Even the ghouls made sympathetic eww sounds as the next torrent slurped over Kelly's breasts, the ensuing splurge reaching as far as her forehead. Able only to stare down at herself in shock, Kelly felt sudden wetness at the crown of her head, where a fifth plume had descended on the headrest just behind her. In seconds it had soaked her long hair and slid on downward. A puddle was forming in the chair, the collected gloop lapping around her back even as gallon after gallon tumbled onto her front.

Wriggling beneath the deluge, Kelly dissolved into fits of laughter even before the secondary sprinklers activated, merrily spraying goo over both the ghouls and their writhing victim. She knew she couldn't possibly get any messier, so when an automated voice spoke over the intercom it came as no surprise.

"Kelly has been eliminated."

Exhaling deeply, she slumped back in the chair. The tank was almost empty now, the final dregs spilling onto her with a series of delicious splats. There were cheers from the ghouls, whose motions sent droplets flying in all directions. A glance down at herself sent Kelly into another fit of giggles, which only grew worse once the ghouls helped her up and showed her to a mirror. Despite being the first contestant eliminated, as far as Kelly was concerned it was mission accomplished.

*****

Meanwhile, in an enclosed booth not so far away, Tasha was cornered. Embracing her, Kate could feel the contestant's arms flailing at her back. Not that Kate was complaining, but she couldn't understand why Tasha hadn't even attempted to grasp the ripcord dangling from her collar. If anything she seemed to be ignoring it entirely, content merely to laugh and wriggle.

The pair slipped and slithered in a puddle that now carpeted the booth. A point-blank blast of green slime lanced up Tasha's side, spattering the laughing American from thigh to elbow. Kate could feel her own movements becoming lighter, a sure sign that the reservoirs stored in her costume were starting to run low.

More verdant gloop began to dribble from the ceiling, pattering onto Tasha's back while she bent forward, trying desperately to keep her bikini in place. Satisfied that the contestant was sufficiently occupied, Kate glanced up to one of the hidden cameras and shook her head. The dribble ceased immediately. Green gunk pouring from the scenery meant someone was about to be eliminated, but she wasn't finished with Tasha just yet.

Kate took a moment to admire her handiwork. The curvaceous brunette was coated in slime, the delicate white petals that graced her bikini having long since been obscured by layers of emerald slop. A dancer by training, Kate had initially seen becoming a Gunge Ghoul as no more than a well paying part-time gig, but at moments like this she really loved this job.

"I didn't know you could do that thing with the hug," sputtered Tasha. "Is that outfit, like, uh, a sponge or something?"

"Didn't they tell you at the briefing?"

"Oh, that." Tasha glanced away, suddenly sheepish. "I... uh, I kind of missed that." Absently she scooped up some pie detritus from the floor and smeared it onto Kate's forehead. Then, while wiping her hand in Kate's hair, her fingers brushed the cord. "Huh? What's that?"

The two were only inches apart. Kate could feel her opponent's chest press against hers with each intake of breath. Tasha's hair hung in slimy strands across her forehead, but she was still smiling. It's no good - I can't lie after what I've just done to her.

"This whole time you didn't know?" said Kate, managing to bite back her nerves. "Pulling that cord is how you beat us."

She watched, intrigued, as Tasha's expression veered from confusion to shock, then anger, and finally to amusement in the space of a few seconds. "You know what? Somehow Nikki and Louise forgot to mention that. I'll deal with them later. For now, though...."

Kate grimaced on feeling the tug at her collar. Shuddering dramatically she stood, her costume already starting to react. This was her first time being vanquished and she intended to milk it for all it was worth. As it turned out, no overacting was needed. Bands of elastic in her outfit closed around balloon-like chambers filled with gunge, bursting them against Kate's body and filling her costume with goo. Exactly as they were designed to, patches on the surface tore open to release the spurting mess, transforming her into a human fountain.

While Kate flailed and shrieked, Tasha struggled to her feet, convulsing with laughter despite being pelted by the sprays. Elated, slime oozing from her majestic curves, she repeated her victory dance from earlier, this time adding a little chant. "Oh ye-ah! Oh ye-ah! Oh ye-ah!"

Okay, now it's time for some overacting. Still thrashing wildly, Kate staggered to the booth's edge and slumped against the wall. With the last of the gunge draining from her costume, she let out an exaggerated moan and slid to the floor, 'accidentally' nudging the red button as she did so.

Tasha froze in mid-dance, arms still poised above her head, as a grinding of gears sounded from the bulkhead. Her lips began to move, but no sound emerged. Slowly, inexorably, the stone slid back - revealing a crowd of ghouls lining the doorway. Still grinning, Tasha arranged her plastered hair, styling it as best she could, and then adjusted her troublesome top one final time, the motion sending a wave of green sludge slipping down her stomach.

"Oh shi-" she concluded, the last syllable mercifully drowned out by the hiss of a dozen sprayers.

Whooping playfully, Tasha flung her arms skyward. The ghouls pounced. From where Kate sat, Tasha seemed to disappear entirely, engulfed by a knot of writhing bodies. Gunge flowed in torrents over the helpless contestant, whose squeals rose in pitch as a green waterfall descended from the ceiling.

An announcement rang out across the Splatter Dome. "Tasha has been eliminated."

Kate grinned in triumph. A decent start. Now for the rest of them.

To Be Continued.