(This is overdue. My apologies.)
Part IV
“Dottie?” Winifred stammered as Monique worked to help her out of her clothes. “Dottie, I don’t want to drown!” She seemed conflicted between becoming undressed and facing the interior of the tank.
“I’m sorry, miss,” Mr. Rick told her kindly. “But if you did not wish to drown, you shouldn’t have played the craps table. The rules were explained to you, but you took the risk anyway.”
“You can’t drown her!” Dorothy protested. “You’ve… I’ve… I’ve lost two sisters already! I can’t lose a third! What will mum and dad say?”
“You really should have thought of that before you started to play,” Mr. Rick told her sympathetically. “But rules are rules, ladies. My hands are tied. Right, Monique?”
The attendant smiled and nodded as she walked a naked Winifred over to the tank. “But I don’t want to drown!” Winifred yelped again as they disappeared for a moment behind the back. Then the metal wall was opened and Winifred was gently pushed inside.
Again she became aware of her nudity as she tried to cover her breasts and crotch. Then she frantically pushed her hands against the glass. “Dottie, get me out of here!”
Dorothy stared in horror at her sister’s plight. Then she turned back to their host. “Mr. Rick, you’re not really going to drown her, are you?”
As if in answer, water began shooting up from an opening in the floor. Winifred let out a yelp as it bubbled up in a fountain. “DOTTIE, DO SOMETHING!”
“Mr. Rick, isn’t there anything I can do?”
“Perhaps for your sake you should leave while you still can. I’d hate to see anything happen to all four of you.”
“But I can’t just leave?? She’s my sister!”
“You’re certainly welcome to stay and watch if you wish.”
“DOTTIE???
“Mr. Rick, isn’t there anything I can do?” It was alarming to see the water now covering her sister’s bare feet. At that rate it wouldn’t take long for the tank to fill.
The Club co-owner looked at Monique who once again shrugged her shoulders as though it was up to him. “I hesitate to put you at risk, miss. After all, your sister played and lost.”
“Can’t I win her back? Can’t I play something else? How about that roulette wheel over there? How does that work?”
“DOTTIE, WOULD YOU HURRY IT UP??” Winifred was stomping in place as though trying to stomp the water back down from whence it was coming.
“Normally I would spin the wheel and you would bet on a number or color. I suppose I could make it easier by having you bet on whether a number comes up odd or even or whether the color comes up black or white. That would even the odds. Of course you would have to guess correctly.”
“DAW-TEEEE??” Winifred banged on the glass with her palms, growing more and more frantic.
“One spin and I could win her freedom?” Dorothy asked hopefully.
“Not so fast. We can’t make it that simple. I believe you had to win three rolls of the dice in order to free your sister in the chair. Of course we all know how that turned out.”
Dorothy glanced over at Emily and immediately wished she hadn’t. Her dead, naked sister sat there with eyes wide and vacant. There were still little tendrils of smoke drifting up. Nearby Zilpha’s severed head still rested on her corpse.
“DOTTIE, GET ME OUT OF HERE!” The water was now climbing Winifred’s ankles.
“I’M BLOODY WORKING ON IT!” she hollered back at her. Then she turned back to the Club co-owner.
“Mr. Rick, how can I win her back? Are you suggesting three wins in a row like last time?”
He looked over at Monique who shrugged her shoulders again. Then he smiled sympathetically at her. “I suppose we could do that. Would you like to guess numbers? Or would you like to guess what color will come up?”
“DOTTIE, WILL YOU BLOODY HURRY UP AND GUESS ALREADY?” The water was now starting up Winifred’s shapely calves.
Apparently the sister in the tank could hear them through the opening at the top. But there was a grating in place up above. Her tank would fill and she would eventually find herself totally submerged.
“I guess I’ll play colors, Mr. Rick.”
“I’ll give you $1,000 for each correct guess you make. But a wrong guess will cost you all the money won so far.”
“WOULD YOU JUST HURRY UP??”
“Red, please.”
“You do realize of course that if you lose, your sister will drown and you will forfeit your life to the Club. You understand that, don’t you?”
“DOTTIE, WILL YOU JUST HURRY UP AND SPIN THAT BLOODY WHEEL??”
“WOULD YOU JUST CALM DOWN AND TAKE A DEEP BREATH?? I’M DOING MY BEST OVER HERE!”
She turned to the dealer and nervously told him, “Red, please.”
“Red it is.” Then he spun the roulette wheel in one direction while the marble went rolling in the other along the outer edge.
Winifred tried to calm down and take deep breaths. Maybe she would be all right. It was getting scary in the tank. At least her sister hadn’t abandoned her to her fate. Maybe Dottie could win her back.
The wheel began to slow down. The marble started to bounce around. It settled in the black number 17 slot.
Winifred let out a yelp in the tank. “DOTTIE?? I THINK IT’S COMING IN FASTER!” Now the water was approaching her knees.
Dorothy panted for breath as she saw her sister’s plight. The sight was horrifically arousing. It shamed her the way she found herself becoming wet at the image of the filling tank.
“There are costs to losing,” Mr. Rick smiled sadly. “Would you prefer to stop playing? Or do you wish to keep going?”
“DOTTIE, KEEP PLAYING THE BLOODY GAME!”
“Will you just calm down and take deep breaths in there?”
“I’m… trying!” Winifred panted as she tried to calm her wildly beating heart. But the water seemed to be rising faster.
“I’ll try red again, please.”
Mr. Rick smiled and nodded. Then he set the wheel in motion before sending the marble rolling around the edge. Winifred whimpered inside the tank as the water continued to climb her legs.
The wheel slowed down and the marble started to bounce. Then it rattled home in red number 23. Mr. Rick smiled as he brought out ten $100 bills and placed them in front of her.
“I won!” Dorothy called out to her sister.
Winifred thought she detected less water coming in. “I think… I think the water isn’t filling so fast! Spin again, love!”
Dorothy told the Club co-owner, “I’ll take black this time, please.”
Mr. Rick smiled and nodded. He set the wheel in motion. Then he rolled the marble in the other direction.
Winifred whimpered as the water continued to rise. It was halfway up her legs now. She no longer bothered with modesty by trying to cover herself. After all, it was only the four of them in the room.
The marble began to bounce around. Then it settled in red number 3. The co-owner of the Club smiled sadly as he reached out and took Dorothy’s winnings away.
In the tank Winifred let out a yelp as water jetted in more aggressively. “DOTTIE?? I THINK IT’S FLOWING FASTER AGAIN!”
Dorothy turned to look. The water had almost reached Winifred’s crotch. She felt a shameful surge of tingles at the sight of her poor sister trapped inside the tank.
“Do you wish to play again?” Mr. Rick asked kindly.
Dorothy gulped and nodded. “I’ll take black, please.”
Mr. Rick spun the wheel before rolling the marble in the opposite direction. Winifred wanted to call out for her to hurry up. But she managed to swallow down her growing fear.
The wheel slowed until the marble began to bounce. It rattled home in red number 19. Dorothy was crestfallen. “What rotten luck,” Mr. Rick told her kindly.
“What happened?” Winifred called out from the tank as she looked down at the rising water.
“I lost again, Winnie!”
“You LOST?? DOTTIE, GET ME OUT OF HERE! I DON’T WANT TO DROWN!” Then she gasped as the water reached her crotch. Was it coming in faster?
“DOTTIE?? THE WATER’S RISING FAST IN HERE!”
Dorothy anxiously looked at her sister. Then she turned back to the Club co-owner. He kindly asked, “Do you wish to try again, miss?”
She looked at the roulette wheel in confusion. “Red… er, BLACK! No, I… red, please.”
“Is that your final answer?” he asked with amusement.
“Yes. Red, please.”
“Red it is.”
Mr. Rick spun the wheel in one direction and the marble in the other. In the tank Dorothy heard her sister hyperventilating. “Deep breaths, Winnie!” she called out to her, trying to help calm her down.
The wheel slowed. The marble bounced. This time it settled into red number 30.
Mr. Rick smiled as he once more handed Dorothy ten $100 bills. “I won!” she called out to her sister. “Only two more spins to go!”
“Hurry up, love!” Winifred called to her, trying to calm herself. By now the water was almost up to her navel.
“Well?” Mr. Rick asked softly.
Dorothy studied the roulette wheel. She was conflicted, understanding the danger her sister was in. Which color should she pick? Would it come up red again? Or would it come up black?
“I’ll… I’ll take black this time,” she said, none too confidently.
“Black it is, “Mr. Rick said with a smile. Then he spun the roulette wheel once more before setting the marble rolling along the outer edge.
Dorothy watched anxiously. In the tank Winifred tried to catch her breath. The height of the water was alarming. All she could do was hope her sister could win back her freedom.
The marble began bounding again. It bounced in and out of red number 27, causing Dorothy to gasp in horror. Then it settled in black number 8.
Mr. Rick smiled as he handed out ten more $100 bills. Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief. “I won again, Winnie!”
“You need to win one more, right?” her sister called from inside the tank.
“Three in a row; right, Mr. Rick?”
“That’s right,” he said with a smile. “Three in a row.”
Winifred looked all around the tank. Something felt different. Had the water stopped? Maybe there was hope after all.
Dorothy looked at the wheel, trying to decide. Which color should it be? Which one would come up next?
“Black, please,” she said uncertainly.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, please.”
“Black it is.” Then he set the wheel in motion before rolling the marble again.
Dorothy looked over at her sister in the tank. The water was just above her navel. She tried to give her a reassuring smile, causing her sister to weakly smile back at her.
The marble fell into the numbered section and began to bounce. Then it rattled home in red number 32. Mr. Rick smiled sadly as he reached out and confiscated all of Dorothy’s winnings.
“Dottie, what happened – NO!” That’s when Winifred felt the water flowing in again at her feet. It had momentarily stopped, perhaps with that last win. But now it was back to filling up the tank.
“I lost!” Dorothy wailed.
“Dottie, get me out of here!!”
“I’m trying!” Then she turned back toward the Club co-owner. “Black, please.”
Mr. Rick hesitated a moment. Dorothy said it again. He nodded as he set the wheel in motion before rolling the marble.
The wheel spun as Winifred grew anxious in the tank. The water felt like it was rising again. It was almost up to her breasts.
The marble fell into the numbers and bounced once. It settled in red number 16. Dorothy let out a cry of horror.
“Dottie?” Winifred called out anxiously.
“I lost again, Winnie!”
“Bloody hell, love! Would you just get me out of here?” Was the water rising faster??
“I’m trying!!” Then she turned to the Club co-owner and blurted out, “Black. It’s got to come up black this time!”
Mr. Rick nodded before setting the wheel and then the marble in motion. Dorothy watched anxiously, quietly murmuring to herself, “It’s got to come up black; it’s got to come up black; it’s got to come up black.” Then it fell and rattled into red number 19.
Dorothy blurted out, “Bloody hell!” In the tank Winifred called out, “What happened love?”
“I bloody lost again!”
“DOTTIE??”
It felt like there was more water flowing into the tank. It reached her breasts and completely covered them. Now it was rising up her shoulders toward her neck.
“Black!” Dorothy blurted out in desperation. “It’s got to land on bloody black this time!”
Mr. Rick nodded as he spun the wheel. Then the marble went rolling again along the outer edge. It grew tired before it fell into the numbers, landing in red number 12.
Dorothy let out a cry of horror. In the tank Winifred found she was starting to stand on her toes. She was about to lose the floor.
“DOTTIE?? It’s getting HIGH IN HERE!!”
“I’m doing the best I can, love!”
“Perhaps you might find more success playing the numbers,” Mr. Rick suggested kindly. “You can always choose odd or even. It’s still a 50-50 proposition.”
“I don’t know,” Dorothy said nervously as she looked at the wheel. “Maybe… maybe I’ll take odd.”
“Are you sure?”
“Odd, please.”
“Odd it is.” Then Mr. Rick set the wheel spinning before setting the marble rolling.
“Dottie; it’s getting high in here!” Winifred had lost her footing. Now she was forced to tread water. That grate above her looked like it was getting closer.
The marble fell from the outer edge and bounced off the centerpiece. Then it rattled home in black number 6. Dorothy tipped her head back and let out a cry.
“Dottie, what happened??”
“I lost again!”
“BLOODY HELL, DON’T LET ME DROWN IN HERE!”
“THIS WHEEL HATES ME, WINNIE!”
“PLAY SOMETHING ELSE!”
“WHAT ELSE TO YOU WANT ME TO PLAY??”
“HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW?”
“What else can I play?” Dorothy anxiously asked the Club co-owner.
He looked over at Monique who shrugged again. Then he thought about it for a couple seconds. I guess you could always try Blackjack. You try to get to 21 with cards without going over while trying to beat what I get.”
“Anything but this bloody wheel! I think it hates me!”
“Understood.”
He pulled out a deck of cards and shuffled them. From the tank they heard, “Dottie, hurryyyyyy!” Dorothy looked over to see her sister was not far from the top of the tank.
“How do I play?” she asked him.
“I deal two cards to each of us. You try to beat me. Three wins in a row sets your sister free and spares your life.”
“Let’s do it.”
He nodded as he dealt two cards to them both. The first one was face down while the second was face up. He showed a 6 of hearts while Dorothy showed a 9 of diamonds.
“Jacks, queens and kings are worth 10. Aces are either worth 1 or 11. It all adds up. If you think you can beat me then you stand on the cards you have. You see I have a 6 showing. If I have 16 I’ll have to draw another card. If I go over 21 you win. If you draw and go over 21 you lose.”
Dorothy checked her other card. It was the queen of spades. “I’ll stay,” she said hopefully.
Mr. Rick turned his bottom card over, the 4 of clubs. He took another card. It was the 10 of diamonds. “I have 20.” Then he asked what her card was.
Dorothy turned it over. “I only have 19. You mean I lost?” Mr. Rick nodded.
“DAW-TEEE????”
Dorothy looked over at the tank. Winifred was getting closer to the top, her legs kicking as her arms paddled. She found herself horrified as well as perversely aroused at her sister’s plight.
She rapidly turned back to the Club co-owner. “Can we play again?” He nodded before dealing out two more cards.
This time Dorothy had an 8 of hearts showing with a 6 of spades underneath. Mr. Rick showed the jack of clubs.
“I have to beat you?” Dorothy asked uncertainly.
“You have to guess what my bottom card might be. If you think you can’t beat it with what you have then you can ask for another card.”
“I’ll take another card, please.”
Mr. Rick dealt her the queen of clubs. Dorothy let out a wail. “I went over!” she gasped as she turned over her card.
“What rotten luck.”
“DAW-TEEEEEE??”
Dorothy panted for breath as she looked over at her sister. Her head was getting close to the top of the tank. She kept kicking and waving with her hands to keep herself up in the air pocket.
Dorothy couldn’t help noticing how erect her sister’s nipples had become. Hers were almost as hard just sitting there watching. Why was that? Was it because of seeing her sister about to drown? Or was it because of her own peril?
“Do you want to try again?” Mr. Rick asked kindly.
“HURRY UP!” Winifred gasped, whimpering as her air pocket diminished.
“Yes, please!” Dorothy gasped anxiously.
“You realize you are risking your life as well as your sister’s, right?”
“Yes – yes; I’ll play anyway!”
He nodded as he dealt two cards. Dorothy had a king of spades showing and a jack of hearts underneath. Mr. Rick was showing a 7 of diamonds.
“I’m good,” she panted hopefully. Mr. Rick turned his bottom card over. It was the 10 of spades.
“I have 20!” Dorothy declared as she turned her card over.
“Then you’ve won,” he told her as he reached under and put ten $100 bills in front of her. “Two more and I can free your sister.
“DOTTIE??”
Dorothy turned to see Winifred trying to brace herself near the top. Her head was starting to tip back a little. If only she could win two more.
“Let’s play again, Mr. Rick!” she blurted out.
“Certainly.” Then he dealt two more cards to them both. He was showing a 5 of hearts while she was showing the 4 of spades.
She had a 3 of hearts underneath and asked for another card. She got an 8 of spades, giving her fifteen. If he had an ace he would beat her.
She took another card. It was the 4 of diamonds. Dorothy stopped on 19.
Mr. Rick turned his card over. He had a 9 of clubs. He had 14 and was forced to take another card.
He turned over an 8 of diamonds and went over. He smiled as he gave Dorothy another ten $100 bills. She gasped hopefully.
“I won again!” she called to her sister. “One more and you’re home free!” Then she saw her sister’s desperate plight.
“Let’s play again!” she blurted out. “Hurry!”
The Club co-owner dealt two more cards to them both. Dorothy got the 7 of clubs and the 5 of diamonds. With Mr. Rick showing a queen of hearts she was forced to take another card.
She had 12 and drew the 3 of clubs. She wasn’t sure it would be enough and drew another. The next card was the 5 of clubs. She had 20 and wasn’t about to take another card.
“Twenty,” she panted hopefully. Mr. Rick turned over the ace of spades. “Twenty one,” he smiled sadly before once again removing all her winnings.
“NOOO!”
“DOTTIE, HELP ME!” Winifred was growing desperate. Was the water level rising again?
“The wheel!” Dorothy gasped in desperation. “Let’s go back to the wheel! Black, please!” Surely that damned color had to come up soon.
“As you wish.” Then he reached over and set the wheel in motion. The marble went rolling along the outer edge in the opposite direction.
Dorothy heard her sister whimpering over in the tank. “Hang on, Winnie!” she called over to her.
The poor thing had her head tipped back as she tried to breathe. But it looked like she was hanging on to the grate up at the top. It wouldn’t be much longer before the tank was full.
The marble fell from the outer edge. It bounced in and out of black number 2 before settling into black number 35. Dorothy let out a gasp of relief as once more the Club co-owner placed ten $100 bills in front of her.
“I did it, Winnie! Two more and you’re out!” Then she saw her sister with her mouth forced up against the grate up at the top. She had to win fast.
“Hang on, Winnie!” Then she told Mr. Rick, “Black, please. Hurry!”
“Very well.” Then he quickly set the wheel in motion before rolling the marble, knowing there was very little time left.
Dorothy anxiously watched the wheel. Then she turned to see Winifred struggling up at the grate. She frantically gasped, “Hold your breath, Winnie!”
The marble rolled down and bounced a little. Then it settled in black number 22. Mr. Rick smiled as he placed ten more $100 bills in front of her. “One more win and I’ll drain the tank and spare your sister.”
“You hear that, Winnie? One more…” Then Dorothy gasped when she saw Winifred fully submerged, her cheeks bulging as she hit the glass with the palms of her hands.
“HOLD YOUR BREATH, WINNIE! HOLD YOUR BREATH!” Then she turned to look at the roulette wheel.
What color – what color – what color?? She didn’t have much time to decide. Would it come up black three times in a row?
“Red please.” Mr. Rick nodded and then spun the wheel before setting the marble in motion. There was no time for questioning Dorothy’s decision as her sister in the tank could only hold her breath so long.
Dorothy turned to see her sister in the tank. Bubbles dribbled out of her nose as she beat on the glass with her palms. “HOLD YOUR BREATH, WINNIE! THE WHEEL IS SPINNING! HOLD IT A FEW SECONDS LONGER!”
Dorothy was anxious, afraid, aroused and excited. If the wheel didn’t come up red there would be no time to start over and try to make three wins in a row. Winnie wouldn’t be able to hold her breath that long.
The wheel slowed until the marble lost its momentum. It dropped in and bounced a couple times. Then it settled in black number 31.
Dorothy stared in disbelief as Mr. Rick sympathetically confiscated her winnings. She should have gone with her first instinct and chosen black. Now she and her sister had both lost.
She turned to Winifred with a look of shock and horror in her expression. Her sister looked at her and bubbled as she palmed the glass again. “Winnie?” Dorothy breathed in horror.
She saw a huge explosion of bubbles as her sister opened her mouth. Then she appeared to start gulping water. Her stomach rippled as her chest heaved, her breasts bouncing and wobbling. Dorothy let out a cry as she promptly wet herself, cumming shamefully.
Winifred hitched and jerked inside the tank, her mouth opening and closing. It was evident how much she was in agony over not being able to breathe. Her expression was one of horror as her body kept spasming and convulsing as though it might double over.
She gulped less and less, fewer bubbles leaking out through her gaping mouth as her lungs flooded. She floated there in place, her arms stretched upward as though she’d been reaching for a nonexistent air supply. Then they slowly lowered until they hung at her sides.
Winifred gently swayed inside the tank. A few stray bubbles slipped out of her gaping mouth. She had a look of shock on her face that softened until she stared with unseeing eyes.
“Winnie!” Dorothy breathed in horror. She had to choke back a sob. She’d lost all three of her sisters. But in the process she’d gambled her own life away as well.
“She drowned well; I’ll give her that much,” Mr. Rick observed with a smile. “I always did enjoy a good drowning with an attractive victim in the tank.” Then he smiled sadly at the last remaining sister.
“You gave it a good try, miss. But it seems you have gambled your life away, as well as the lives of your sisters. So I think I’ll execute you up on the Entertainment stage. After all, I think our clients deserve a good execution tonight.”
“Mr. Rick?” Dorothy stammered in horror. “You’re… you’re going to execute me??”
“Yes, miss. I believe you’ll look good hanging from our gallows. Now if you’ll undress, we can alert the Entertainment stage to your impending arrival. Monique, my dear. Would you please help the young lady out of her clothes?”
2019 (written Jan 10 ’19 by riwa)