The four young people stood around a wooden table, one per side.
Heather had red hair and curves, Jason was stick thin with long hair and chin scruff, Cara was petite with purple hair, and Lorin’s head was buzzed. The table was bare but for thirteen apples, all arranged in a neat row.
“You’re first,” Heather nodded to Cara, and Cara picked up an apple, stealing herself before taking a bite. The others watched closely as she chewed and swallowed.
Heather said: “You gotta lose something,” and Cara slipped out of her tennis shoes, putting them aside before passing the apple to Lorin on her right. Lorin looked around at the others, and bit into it, chewing it up.
“Nope,” she said, and handing it to Jason, stripped her shirt off, revealing a pair of pierced nipples.
Jason hesitated, and then bit into the apple. He immediately winced and slammed it down onto the table, holding his bleeding mouth. Out of the apple protruded a half-inch of shining razor blade.
“We have a winner,” Heather smiled and took Jason’s face in her hands, looking at his mouth. “It’s not bad—looks like it went through your tongue. Here:” She raised her own mouth to his and they kissed deeply. Cara and Lorin both came ‘round the table and one after the other they french kissed Jason as well, licking his blood, before again reassuming their places.
“We all done making out with my boyfriend? Okay, my turn.” Heather picked up a random apple and bit into it with gusto, disappointed to not find a razor in it. “Too bad,” she said, and unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them off.
“Back to you, C.” she passed the apple to Cara and Cara took a slightly more timid bite this time, and yelped in pain. She felt around her mouth with her thumb and it came out bloody.
“It went into the top of my mouth!” she moaned.
“Here, let us kiss it better,” Heather smiled, and did just that; followed by first Lorin and then Jason.
Lorin went next, and once more avoided a razor, so had to drop trou. She was now naked except for an orange thong, which bulged in the front.
“Is everybody enjoying this as much as me?” Heather asked, and then nodded to Jason. Jason’s bite was safe this time, so his shirt came off. Just a few sparse hairs dotted his narrow chest.
Heather chomped into his apple next, and in a flash was bleeding profusely:
“Oh… oh dude… oh, that really hurt…” she fought back tears as Cara peered into her mouth and confirmed for everyone that the razor had sliced a big chunk out of the inside of her cheek. Cara then pulled Heather close and made out with her for a long moment. Jason was still bleeding from his previous bite, so blood ran freely down his and Heather’s chins when they kissed. Lorin came last, and Heather’s hands explored her bare body as they made out, teasing and tugging at the thong’s straps.
When they came up for air, Heather looked around: “Shit, who’s turn is it? I’m all light headed.” Cara raised her hand, picking up a fresh apple and biting into it. Nothing. So she slipped the straps of her dress off her shoulders and let it fall. She was now wearing only a black bra and a low-slung pair of black panties.
Lorin had been lucky so far, so it wasn’t a big surprise that she got a razor on her next turn. The apple fell and rolled under the table, and Lorin cried out and had to grab the table for support. Jason was immediately at her side to hold her up.
“This might… we might be in stitches territory, here,” he murmured, holding Lorin tightly as her shoulders shook. It took Lorin a moment to regain their composure, but she did, and there were deep kisses all around with the group.
There were now eight apples left on the table. Heather grinned through bloody teeth:
“Hot damn, we’re really getting into it now. You’re next, love.” She nodded to Jason, whose tongue was still bleeding from two turns ago. He picked up an apple from the middle and bit in, escaping without harm again, and now his pants came off. The other three could clearly see that the game had him turned on.
“Yeah I’ve been waiting for that,” Cara muttered. Heather took her next turn with no razor as well, and stripped off her shirt. She’d purposely not worn undergarments tonight, so now she was the first to be completely naked—and seemed quite happy about it.
“I’m kinda hoping Cara doesn’t get one, guys,” she said, and laughed when it proved to be prophetic. Cara seemed a little embarrassed to reveal her small breasts, but once free of her top, she settled in to watch Lorin take her next bite. Lorin was still bleeding freely, but gave it an honest go—no razor. The orange thong came off and the others saw that Lorin was extremely well hung.
“Wow,” was all Jason could say.
“Six apples left,” Heather looked at the bloodied players. “Razor blades were inserted into seven of them, and so far we’ve encountered four. So there’s three safe apples left, and three not-so.”
Jason picked the apple furthest from him, and put his teeth into it, lucking out and getting a clean bite.
“I don’t have anything more to take off, what happens now?” he looked at Heather, who shrugged:
“Maybe you can pick someone, if there’s no razor,” Lorin offered, and the others nodded. Heather winked at Jason, but he went immediately to Lorin. The two kissed for a moment, and then Jason went down onto one knee, and Lorin gasped in ecstasy.
“Well then,” Heather all-but rolled her eyes. She grabbed up Jason’s apple and took a bite, gasping in pain, and then letting out a little shriek that made Jason turn around—Lorin’s genitals were covered with his mouth’s blood.
“What? What is it?” He asked. Heather was holding her mouth open, waving her hands.
“It’s stuck in her gums!” Cara was there in two steps and took the razor blade between her fingers, gently rocking it back and forth until it came free from between two of Heather’s molars. She drooled blood down her chin and over her chest. Her legs almost gave out on her, but the others helped hold her up.
“Do you want to stop?” Cara asked. “Maybe we should stop.” The three looked at each other, unsure.
“No…” Heather mumbled. “Thereth two more appleth…”
Cara was next. Before picking one up, she stared at the remaining apples for a good long while.
Lorin spoke up: “Are you gonna go, or—?”
Cara snatched one in a hurry and bit, and didn’t scream. She handed it to Lorin and began pulling down her underwear, when Heather came ‘round.
“Hang on… I want to:” and she slowly slipped Cara’s undies off, helping her step out of them, and running her hands up the smooth skin of her thighs as she stood back up.
“You okay?” Cara asked her, and the redhead nodded, smiling even as the blood on her face dried. The two kissed.
Lorin ate a piece of Cara’s apple, and likewise met with no sharp objects. Jason smiled, expecting her to come to him, but Lorin went immediately to the other side of the table, taking Cara’s tiny body in her hands. The two kissed passionately, and Cara gasped as Lorin’s hand dipped between her thighs.
“Guess we’ve passed third base,” Heather said. She took a big bite with no ill effects, and padded over to lie down on the table in front of Jason, pulling him down on top of her. In a moment the two were going at it.
Trying to concentrate while Lorin’s hand touched her, Cara took a bite of a new apple, and winced as it cut her lip.
“Shit.”
“C’mere, let me taste,” Heather offered, and Cara leaned over the table to kiss her, which gave Lorin the invitation to take her from behind. She gasped, and she and Heather kissed passionately as Jason and Lorin both thrust into them.
“Two. Apples. One razor blade.” Was all Heather could manage to gasp. Lorin and Jason each picked one up and bit: Jason hollered in pain. Blood ran down his face.
“Don’t stop! Don’t stop!” Heather begged, and he didn’t, working to a climax even as he drooled blood all over her stomach and breasts, which Cara lapped up as she finished as well.
***
An hour later, all four sat in the emergency room waiting area, their faces wrapped in bandages. There would be stitches, and scars.
And there would also be another game sometime soon.
— Jim Towns is an award-winning filmmaker, artist and writer. His short fiction has been published in print and online by Burial Day, Switchblade Magazine, FunDead Publications, Castle of Horror, Hellhound Magazine, and many more. His first book American Cryptic was released in 2020 by Anubis Press, and November 2021 will see the publication of his Depression-era vampire novella Bloodsucker City. He lives in San Pedro CA with his wife and several mysterious cats.