It was a sunny, mid-June day in Southern California. Thomas Kirkland stood outside of his English class at his community college. At 19, he was a young African American student who stood at 5' 11", had his hair trimmed short, and wore glasses. He considered himself to be fairly attractive; however, most females he had come in contact with in his life showed little to no interest in hooking up with him. Of course, this may have had something to do with that fact that most women considered him to be a geek.

Because of his failures with the fairer sex, Thomas decided to forget about love and just focus on himself and his studies. He even made vow to himself to work for the highest grades he could achieve.

However, he soon found the temptation to break that vow. It came in the form of his English classmate Melissa Cruz. She was a young woman of Dominican descent, though with her dark skin, Thomas mistook her for a Black woman when he first saw her. She stood at 5' 7", had shoulder-length black hair, and was gorgeous. At least, she was in Thomas' eyes. She seemed to be a pretty sociable person, someone who looked like she loved to party. Someone like her would never be interest in someone like Thomas.

Yet, he had to try.

She stood halfway down the hall, reading a small book. He took a deep breath, and slowly approached her. In his mind, he was preparing himself for the guaranteed rejection that would soon befall him.

"Uhh..." Thomas said as he reached her.

She looked up from her book, and looked into his face. "Oh. Hi, Thomas."

"You know my name?"

"Of course. Remember, we had introductions at the beginning of class."

"Oh, right."

"So, did you need me for something?" She asked while closing her book, though leaving a finger on the page that she was on.

Thomas became a bit nervous. "Uhh... Well..."

"Well?"

"I was wondering if you're free on Saturday." This was a line that Thomas had spouted many times before. Each time had been met with failure.

"Saturday?" Melissa asked. "Hm..."

Thomas watched as she thought over what he had asked her. Was she actually considering it? Or was she just getting his hopes up?

"Alright." She smiled. "Sure!"

Thomas' face lit up. "Really?!"

"Yep! I mean, you're pretty cute, and you seem intelligent in class. You're just what I want in a man!"

Thomas blushed. Though inside, he was trying to hide his joy.

"Come to my house on Saturday at 11am," Melissa said. "Can you make it?"

"Of course!"

"Good." Melissa then dug into her pocket and pulled out a small blank card and a pen. She then wrote something down on it, before handing it to Thomas. It was her address. "You're not going to find me without this."

Thomas chuckled. "Thanks." He then placed the card into his pocket.

The two stood before each other for a few seconds. Things were starting to become a bit awkward.

"So..." Thomas said finally. "I guess I'll be going now."

"Did you stay here just to ask me out?" Melissa slyly asked.

"Uh..." He scratched the back of his head.

Melissa laughed. "It's okay! I bet you have somewhere to be, anyway. I guess I'll see you then?"

"You bet! Bye!"

He walked away from her, waving back at her. She waved back with a smile on her face, before returning to her book.

Thomas soon reached the main hall of the college. He turned to his right and made his way for the Commons area.

He still could not believe what had just happened.

~~~

It was nearly 2:30pm as Thomas walked into his 3rd floor apartment. He stepped into the living room, dropped his bookbag on the floor besides the couch, and then plopped down on the couch. There, he let out a satisfied sigh. He was still ecstatic that a girl, a very attractive one at that, had accepted his invitation.

He looked towards the television in front of him, and the Nintendo Wii console that was connected to it. ...Nope. He did not want to even play Super Smash Bros. Brawl or Pokemon Battle Revolution, something he always found himself doing after school, nor did he want to play Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn to make more progress in the Hard mode that he had been struggling with over the past month. No. He was much too excited for that.

Saturday seemed so far away, despite it being Wednesday. The class they shared only met on Mondays and Wednesdays, and according to his best friend Robbie, she interned at a law firm on Thursdays and Fridays, so he would not even see her until Saturday.

In his Computer Technology class, he told Robbie about his success. Robbie could not believe it at first, and accused him of fabricating a lie. Soon, however, it became clear that Thomas had indeed succeed in asking out Melissa. Then, Robbie called him a "vow-breaker." Thomas laughed. It was too sweet a deal to pass up, he said.

"I guess I should get my homework out of the way," Thomas said, before standing up and grabbing his bookbag, and then heading towards his bedroom.

While he was fairly intelligent, Thomas did have a bad case of procrastination. If he did not complete his assignments by the weekend, chances were that they would not be completed at all. Since there were about 5 days between now and his next class on Monday, there was no excuse for those assignments not to be completed.

He walked into his bedroom, and then headed to his desk. He pulled out the chair underneath it and sat down in it, and then placed his bookbag beside him. He pulled out his English textbook, several sheets of paper, and a black ink pen.

He open his textbook to the page assigned to him, and began to read its text.

Even then, he found it hard to focus.

~~~

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Saturday finally came, as Thomas awoke to his blaring alarm clock which read 9:30am. After shutting off the alarm, he immediately rose from his bed and headed for the bathroom, where he relieved himself, showered and brushed his teeth.

Then, he returned to his room and threw on a red and black T-shirt, grey jeans, and black sneakers, as well as properly grooming himself. Afterwards, he was ready to go. He grabbed his wallet and keys, and soon made his way out of his apartment, completely neglecting his empty stomach. He would get something to eat at the mall, he figured.

Soon, he walked out of the complex itself, and headed towards the bus stop. He had no car or license, so he had no choice but to use buses. Though he had been doing so since he was in middle school, so he knew how to get around with them.

The bus ride to Melissa's house would take nearly 30 minutes, give or take 5 minutes, and that was not counting the time it would take for him to wait for the bus to arrive at the bus stop.

However, he knew that it would be worth it.

~~~

Thomas looked out of the bus window as he rode near the front of the bus. He found it odd how there were less homeless people in this particular area, which used to have quite a few of them.

He soon remembered one such man named Barry. He would usually try to lecture Thomas on ways to become rich "in no time at all." Thomas pretended to be interested, though ultimately did not pay much attention to his ramblings. He just gave him a few dollars and went on his way. However, like the other Homeless, Barry had also went missing.

Perhaps he moved onto another spot, one where he could get more money from the civilians. That's one way to get rich.

~~~

Finally, after getting off of the bus and walking several blocks, he had arrived. Melissa's house stood before him. It was rather large, and had while walls with a grey roof. Oddly enough, it had no other houses around it. It was fairly isolated. Thomas felt a slight pity for Melissa, though maybe she prefered it that way.

"Whoa..." Thomas said as he was mesmerized by the house. "I may end up dating a rich girl."

He came to his senses and approached the front door. He took a deep breath, and then reached out and knocked on the door three times.

Soon after, the door opened, revealing his date Melissa. She wore a black, short-sleeved button-down shirt with its top two buttons left unbuttoned, black pants, and black flip-flops. As this was Southern California in the middle of June, her choice to wear dark colors baffled him, but he kept silent about it.

"You're late," Melissa said with a smile.

Thomas rubbed the back of his head. "Well, the bus arrived a bit later than usual, and it made more stops than I'd hoped..."

"Well, you made it, so that's all that matters. Come on in."

Thomas walked inside as Melissa closed the door behind him. He looked around. The house seemed bigger from the outside, but the interior was still quite large. He stood in the main hall, in front of him were stairs that led to the second floor, which also had a balcony that looked over the hall. To his left was the entrance to the living room, and to his right was what looked like a media room, though it was fairly empty. The living room and media room had carpeting, though the main hall did not.

"What a big house..." Thomas said in a state of amazement.

"Yep. It sure is," Melissa responded. "And it's all mine."

Thomas looked towards her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, my bitch of a mother left my father when I was 3. That just left me with my father, who never remarried. He's a researcher and inventor, and he gets paid a lot. Unfortunately, his job keeps him away from here for long periods of time. In fact, I haven't seen him in nearly three years." She sighed. "Talking to someone over the phone isn't the same as seeing them in person, you know?"

"I'll guess..."

"He sends me a check every month, though I only use it to pay for the house and maybe groceries. I use my own money to pay for any extra stuff I need."

Thomas chuckled. "You are rich."

"Oh, stop!" Melissa playfully nudged him.

Thomas blushed as she withdrew her hand.

"Anyway, before we go out," Melissa said, "there's something I want to show you. Interested?"

"Sure, why not?" Thomas answered.

Melissa smiled. "Follow me!"

She then walked past Thomas and began to climb the stairs. He followed her.

Halfway up the stairs, Thomas' stomach growled. Quite loudly. Melissa stopped her ascent on the stairs and faced him, with a somewhat curious look on her face.

"I... skipped breakfast this morning," Thomas said in an embarrassed tone.

"Why would you do that?" Melissa asked.

"Well, I was running late, and I figured that I would get something at the mall..." He looked downward and noticed something on one of the steps. It looked like a red splatter. "What's that?"

"What's what?" Melissa asked.

"That." Thomas pointed towards the strange splatter.

Melissa stared at it for a few seconds before giving her answer. "Nail polish. I must have accidently dropped some. I can be careless sometime."

"I see..." Thomas looked at her hands, and then her feet. She was not wearing any polish on the nails of either one, or at least not colored polish.

"Hey, I'm up here." Melissa had apparently noticed him looking at her feet.

"Oh! Sorry..." He laughed a little.

Melissa rolled her eyes before she continued up the stairs. Once there, they made a right and headed for the room at the far end. As Thomas walked inside, he marveled at the size of her room. It was rather big, with a queen-size bed, a dresser near the door, a large cabinet near the window, and a computer desk besides the cabinet across from her bed. There was no computer there, however. The room also had no carpeting, with only a rub on the floor between the desk and the bed. There was also a colsed closet door towards the back of the room.

Once both were inside, Melissa closed the door behind her, and locked it as well. This baffled Thomas. Was it possible that she didn't want to go out at all? That she just wanted to stay in and do some kinky things with him? If so, why was she so dressed up? That would have been a lot of effort for something that did not require her leaving the house. He figured that a bathrobe would have done well.

"Could you stand over there, please?" Melissa pointed towards the side of her bed.

"Sure." Thomas was confused, but did as she said.

"Oh, and turn around, too. Don't face me until I say so."

"Okay."

He stood facing the wall in front of him, near her closet. He heard her open a drawer and start to rummage through it. Condoms, perhaps? Thomas smiled to himself. Sure, it was a longshot, but it was also a longshot that he would have even managed to ask her out.

~~~

It took no time at all. Melissa found what she was looking for. As she pulled the device out of the drawer and turned it on, a sadistic smile appeared on her face.

She definately had to have her own special fun with this guy.

"Okay, you can turn around now!"

~~~

Upon hearing this, Thomas turned around, and nearly jumped out of his skin in fear because of what he saw. Melissa was holding a gun. He could not believe it. Was she going to shoot him? Why?

...Then again, this did not look like any gun he has ever seen in his life. It was a greyish-purple color, with what looked like a satellite dish on the front of it's barrel.

"W-what is that?!" Thomas asked, still unnerved.

Melissa giggled. "I told you that my father was an inventor, right?"

Thomas nodded.

"Well, in January, he sent me this."

"Yeah, but what is it? It doesn't look like any gun I've ever seen."

"That's because it's not a gun you've ever seen. At least not in real life. This is a Shrink Ray."

Thomas did a double-take. "Wait, what?!"

"Shrink Ray." Melissa repeated. "I can shrink things down to bug size with this."

"You're joking..." Thomas could not believe what he heard.

"Why don't you let me show you a demonstration?"

"Uh..." Thomas pondered over it a few seconds. This was not something one would show before their first date. His gut started to become a bit uneasy. He sensed that something was wrong. However, he was curious of whether this "Shrink Ray" would even work. His curiousity got the better of him. "Alright, fine."

"Excellent," Melissa said.

"What are you going to shrink first?"

She giggled. "You." She pointed the ray towards him.

"Say wha-"

The next thing Thomas knew, he was blinded by a bright flash of light.

Thomas came to lying on the floor. He dusted himself off and stood up. He then realized his surroundings. Everything seemed so far away. The bed he was standing beside rose above him like a high-rise office building. The ceiling was as high as the sky itself.

"No. Freaking. Way..." Thomas said in amazement.

Soon, the floor started to shake. He nearly fell to the floor as giant feet approached him. He looked upward and saw the distant but large face of Melissa looking back down on him as she stopped in front of him.

"Amazed, are we?" Melissa asked. Her voice seemed to boom all over, since she was so large compared to him.

"Yeah!" Thomas answered. "This really is something!"

"Yep! You really look like a bug from here! I'm almost want to step on you!" She laughed.

Thomas shuddered at this remark. Of course, she was joking. She wouldn't be the kind of person who would kill someone.

"So, I guess we should get going!" Thomas said. "Can you unshrink me so we can start out date?!"

Melissa smiled. Then she walked forward and placed her feet on both sides of Thomas as she was looking down on him.

"Yeah..." she said. "I don't think so."

______________________________________________________________ 

Thomas could not believe the situation he was in. Barely 5 minutes ago, Thomas stood a well 4 inches taller than Melissa. Now, due to unforseen circumstances that he never thought were possible in real life, he barely reached her ankles.

To think that he came over here, expecting a date out of her. As he started to become terrified of the giantess that stood over him, he realized that she seemed to have other plans in mind.

"W-what do you mean?" Thomas said in a nervous tone, while backing away from her. "Quit joking around. Unshrink me."

"I'm not joking," Melissa said as she pressed a button on the Shrink Ray, which powered it off, before placing it on her bed. "You're not going anywhere. You're mine, little man."

"But what about our date?"

Melissa laughed. "Date?! With you?! Puh-LEEEEZE!! It was all a trap, and you fell right for it."

Thomas got a very disappointed and horrified look on his face as his arms hung limp. He could not believe that not only had he struck out again, but this time, he had been tricked into coming into her room where she shrunk him. If he had only left her alone on Wednesday, he would not be in this predicament. Hell, he could have tried run out of the room when she brought out the Shrink Ray.

"Melissa, please," Thomas begged.

She shook her head. "No."

Thomas backed away from her again. "Melissa-"

"Shut it." Her tone became curt. "Before I make you a stain on the floor."

Thomas' mouth dropped in horror. "What?! You wouldn't..."

He cut his sentence short as he saw Melissa raise her foot above him. His heart sank as he stared into the black sole of her flip-flop sandal.

"I wouldn't what, now?" Melissa said.

Her foot then began to drop down on him. Wasting no time at all, Thomas turned around and ran as fast as he could out of the growing shadow around him. Luckily, he managed to avoid being flattened, but he did so narrowly, as her foot slammed down right behind him. The force of her foot hitting the floor brushed up a gust of air that blew Thomas a few feet away (his scale) and knocked him face-down on the floor. He staggered to his feet and turned around, and looked into the face of the giant woman. She was looking back down on him, with a smile on her face. Except it was not a sweet, sincere smile he had known her for. No, it was a much more sadistic and malicious one. One that shot daggers into his heart.

"Y-you just tried to kill me!!" Thomas exclaimed.

"Of course I did," Melissa calmly said.

"You can't do that!!"

"The hell I can't."

"What?!"

Melissa stepped closer to Thomas. "Right now, you're not in any position to protest. You know why?"

Thomas stared at her in sheer horror as she stopped right in front of him.

She smirked. "It's because you ARE a bug. A pest. And what do people do when they see pests in their house? Simple. They kill them."

"But... That's crazy... I'm not a bug. I'm a human."

Melissa scoffed at this notion.

"Besides, I can't be a pest if you brought me here."

Thomas soon realized that making that statement was a grave mistake, as, before he could react, Melissa kicked him, sending him to slide across the floor and impact the wall behind him. The combination of such a big kick to his tiny chest and the force at which he hit the wall caused him to cough up blood. Even more, during his sliding, his glasses flew off of his face, and laid on the floor well out of his reach.

Despite the pain he was in, he tried to pick himself up from the floor and try his best to flee. However, before he could even move, he found himself pinned against the wall by the front of Melissa's right foot.

"Ugh..." Thomas struggled to free himself, but she was just too strong. "Please..."

"Let me correct myself," Melissa said. "You're not completely a bug, but you're nowhere near a human, either. You're a bug with emotions. ...I love seeing the faces of each of you 'Bugmen' as you realize how hopeless things are for you. Right before I crush the life out of them. You can't get that from ordinary bugs."

"W-what?" Suddenly, he remembered the red splatter on the stairs. He knew that it was not nail polish as she said it was, and that it was blood. He assumed that she merely cut herself. However, to think that it was the remains of another unfortunate soul who crossed paths with Melissa...

Then, he put two and two together. The strange disappearances that the news had been talking about for several months... The dwindling number of homeless people on the streets... This woman... Melissa... She was the one behind it all! If only he'd known sooner...

Suddenly, she pressed her foot against him. The force caused Thomas to once again cough up blood. Some of the blood landed on her big and second toes.

Melissa smirked. "Oh? Is that too much for you?"

She giggled as she removed her foot away from Thomas' body. He fell to his hands and knees, and started to breathe heavily. He looked towards Melissa, though as he shifted his head in the direction, he saw the shine of his glasses, on the floor behind Melissa. However, they were soon unknowingly crushed underneath her foot as she stepped back a little.

"Come here," Melissa ordered. "Come, or I'll kill you right there."

Thomas struggled to his feet and staggered towards the sadistic giantess.

"You see this mess you made?" She pointed towards the blood that had been splattered by Thomas on her right foot. "You're going to clean this up." She smiled. "And guess how you're going to do it?"

Thomas stared at her.

She slipped her right foot from its sandal, and then stepped it down right in front of Thomas.

"Lick. Lick it off."

As Thomas stared at the blood of her giant foot, he was horrified over the thought of him doing such a degrading task. Unfortunately, he knew he had no choice, as if he refused, she would kill him with no remorse. He reluctantly bend down onto the blood on her big toe and began to lick up his own blood.

"C'mon, you can do better than that," Melissa taunted. "You ARE hungry, aren't you?"

It took 10, maybe even 15 minutes for him to cleanse the blood from her two toes. Afterwards, he fell back onto the floor, looking up at Melissa. In all of his life, he was never more afraid than he was at this very moment.

Melissa drew back her foot, and placed her hands on her waist, shaking her head in disappointment as she looked down at her right foot.

"Sad..." she said. "You didn't even get all of the blood. There's some underneath my toes too, stupid."

Thomas shuddered.

"But I'll let it slide for now." She reached over to her desk and pulled out a sheet of tissue from a small cardboard box. With it, she wiped off the remaining blood and the thin film of saliva that Thomas also left on her toes. Afterwards, she threw the tissue into a nearby trash bin.

Then, she stepped in front of him and knelt down.

"You have no idea how fun this is," she said in a calm yet cold tone. "I really love my dad for sending me the Shrink Ray. ...He gave me the ultimate playtoy. You have no idea... You don't know how fun this is... Shrinking people... hearing their screams of agony as I crush the life out of them... their bones cracking underneath me... It's like some kind of drug I can't explain."

"But..." Thomas said. "Why?"

Melissa stood back upright. Thomas prepared to stand up himself. However, Melissa pressed the big toe of her right foot onto his body, pushing him back onto the floor.

Thomas tried to push up on her toe, but it was just too big and heavy for him to do anything. That did not stop him from flailing his arms frantically.

"Like a fly in a spider web," Melissa said with a smirk. "It would take me no effort at all to pop you like a grape."

"Melissa-"

"No, shut up. Or I'll-"

Suddenly, a rap song started to play. Melissa sighed and dug into her pant pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She looked at the Caller ID display and sighed, before flipping it open and bringing to her ear.

"Hello? ...Hey, Lauren!" She removed her foot from his body. "...Oh, just here with my date. ...Uh-huh, he's a really nice guy."

Thomas watched as she walked towards her window. There, she looked out of the window as she talked to whoever was on the other side of the line. Thomas knew that this was his chance. He quickly got to his feet and made a dash for the door. It may have been closed, but he figured that he could squeeze himself underneath it. Though it would be quite a task getting out of the house itself, Thomas knew that it would be a risk worth taking if it meant that he could escape from this mad woman.

Unfortunately, he barely made it to the door at all, as he found himself snatched up from the floor.

~~~

Melissa looked down at the tiny man that she caught with her right foot. He was struggling between the big and second toes.

Did he truly think he could escape her domain? It was clear that he still did not know who he was dealing with.

"Hey, let me call you back later," Melissa said into the phone. "He's ready to go to the mall now."

"Ohh!!" said Lauren in an excited tone. "Let me know how things go! If he's a good one or not!"

"Oh, yes. I can tell. He is a good one. One that I'm going to try to keep around for a long time." She laughed. "Anyway, I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Gurl!"

Melissa flipped the phone closed and, to make sure that there would not be anymore interruptions, turned it off before placing it back into her pants pocket. Then, she focused her attention back onto Thomas.

"Well, little man. I didn't think you had the balls to try to escape like that. Unfortunately, that's grounds for punishment."

As soon as she said that, she began to clench her toes together.

~~~

Thomas screamed in pain as her big and second toes closed onto his body and squeezed on him. He felt as if his insides were being squeezed out of his body. This was the worst pain that he had ever experienced in his life.

"Please stop!!" Thomas pleaded between screams.

After a long 10 more seconds of this ordeal, Melissa finally released his now limp body back onto the floor. He did nothing but lay there, staring up to the distant ceiling, which was blurred. Was it because it was so far away? Or was it because of the loss of his glasses? Or maybe it was because he could feel them tearing up. Was he about to cry? He had not cried in a long time, not since his grandmother's funeral 8 years before. Now, here he was, crying not over the passing of a loved one, but over the searing pain of his body as well as the fear that he was to be killed at any moment.

Why now? Why did fate decide to bring his life to an end now? He had so much to live for. Unfulfilled ambitions. His own recreational activities. His friends. His family. Even worse, he would join the many others before him who disappeared without a trace, and his fate would never be found out; therefore his family and friends would never have peace-of-mind.

He closed his eyes and let the tears flow down the sides of his face.

"Look at how pathetic and helpless you are," Melissa said. "Maybe I should just kill you now. Yeah, that's what I'll do..."

Thomas opened his eyes, and saw the bare sole of her right foot descending onto him. He screamed as it rested on to of his body. He found himself struggling underneath the ball of her foot. His face was buried into the flesh of her sole. He tried to scream, but soon tasted her flesh as he opened his mouth. It was truly hell.

Soon, her foot lifted off of his body, and she brought it back to join her other leg. Thomas sat up, breathing heavily and wiping the tears from his face.

"I changed my mind," Melissa said before slipping her right foot back into its flip-flop. "I don't actually want to kill you off so quickly. No... I want to keep you alive for as long as I can. No fun breaking your toys as soon as you get them, right?"

Thomas stared at her as he stood. He was still terrified, but now that feeling was joined by another: hatred.

"You want something to eat?" she asked, giving him a sincere smile, not unlike one she gave him on Wednesday and when he first arrived here.

Thomas could not help but wonder if this was just another trick. He knew that it was, but his stomach growled loudly. It had apparently made its own choice. And yet... "Even if I said yes, you wouldn't give me anything to eat," he said.

"Oh?" Melissa walked to her desk and grabbed a bag of barbeque potato chips from it. She opened it, pulled out a single chip, broke off a small piece, and tossed it near Thomas.

"Eat up," she said with a smile.

Thomas stared reluctantly at the chip in front of him. He did not know what to think, so he did not. He walked towards the chip, grabbed it in both hands, and started to munch on it, all the while keeping his eyes on the watching Melissa. Not a fitting breakfast at all, but what else could he do. He was lucky to get even what she had given him. After finishing up the chip, he was overcome by another sensation: thirst. Understandably so, as the chip was particularly salty.

"Could I..." He said. "Could I get something to drink?"

Melissa walked closer to him. "A drink?"

Thomas nodded.

"Here." She then spat onto the floor beside him.

He was disgusted at what she just did. He stared at the saliva. The thought of actually pulling this filth into his mouth nearly made him vomit. It was worse than him having to lick the blood from her toes. Unfortunately, he had no other choice. He gulped, and reached into the slimy mass, and then pulled out some of it. He then brought it into his mouth, and tried his best to keep the lukewarm liquid down his throat.

"Ewww!!!" Melissa exclaimed. "I can't believe you did that!!"

She then walked to her desk and then pulled out a small bottle of iced tea.

"If you had just refused, I would have been more than happy to give you some of this. But I guess you like my spit better, so I'll keep this to myself."

She then twisted the top off of the bottle and began to chug the contents inside. Thomas was still thirsty, so this sight infuriated him. Even worse, once she was done, she let out a satisfying "Ahh!", as if to taunt him even more.

"You bitch..." Thomas muttered under his breath. Before this moment, he has never called any woman a bitch, partly thanks to his home-training on part of his mother. He intended it to stay that way, but then today happened. He was lucky that Melissa did not hear this, or she would have subjected him to worse punishment and torture than before.

"I'm hungry myself, now," Melissa said. "I only had a breakfast bar, and it didn't help at all." She walked closer to Thomas and knelt down. "That means that I'm done with you for now. Time to put you away."

He flinched as her hands wrapped around him and lifted him off of the floor. She stood upright and then began to carry him in one hand through the room, before reaching the closet door. With her free hand, she opened the door and walked inside.

There was a rack of clothes not too far from the entrance. She shoved the rack aside, revealing more of the closet: a dimly lit lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and four glass cages. Three of them had quite a few people in them. Thomas could barely make them out as people at all though, because of the light and his blurred vision.

She walked to a cage that sat on a chest against the farthest wall. There, she placed him inside. This cage was empty. He was the only life inside of it.

Melissa smiled at him. "Now behave, and I might give you some decent food."

She then turned around and walked away from the cage. She moved the racks of clothing back into place. Afterwards, Thomas could hear the closet door close.

Thomas looked around. The cage he was in had no covering, though since it was so high up, it did not need one. Escape was already impossible for any prisoners inside.

He gave a deep and depressed sigh as he sat onto the glass floor.

This was it. The end of the line. There was no chance of escape. He was stuck here forever, or at least until Melissa decided to put him out of his misery. ...He would rather be dead.

He laid down and began to weep. Though at the very least he would be able to rest his aching body.

"Hey, you!"

Thomas quickly rose and looked around, searching for the source of the voice.

"I'm up here! Above you!"

Thomas turned his head upward.

"If you want to live, climb up!"

Suddenly, a white rope-like fabric fell down from high above into the cage. It was obviously a string, but to him, it was a rope. He stood and started upward for a few more seconds. He did not know what to expect on the other end, but it was better then living in here. He tightly gripped the string and started to climb it as fast as he could, completely ignoring the pain of his body. This must be what an Adrenaline Rush feels like.

~~~

In one of the other cages, the prisoners inside had heard the voice from the ceiling. They started to talk amongst themselves about it, though in contempt.

"Just as you said, they got him."

"Those rats! They take the good and young ones, but leave us down here to suffer!"

"Yeah! Why can't they rescue all of us?!"

"Stupid. Think about it. We're Homeless. Those people don't want to associate with us."

"But that was when we were on the streets. Now, we're all trapped here. We should be looking out for each other, but they ignore us."

"Damn, you're naive. That's how the world works. They look after their own. We need to do the same."

Two hours later, Melissa walked into her closet. After shoving her hanged clothes aside, she peered into the top glass-cage, the cage in which she had dropped Thomas inside. It was empty.

She gasped, and placed both of her hands on the glass. "What the hell?! Again?!"

She frantically searched around the floor, and through the clothes as well. He was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had vanished without a trace.

"How does this keep happening?" she asked to herself. "There aren't any holes in this cage. I check every day. ...That's it... I should have did this a long time ago, but I'm moving it."

She turned to the other cages below. After asking them questions, and becoming enraged, she grabbed four of the tiny victims inside, and carried them out of the closet.

Thomas had finally reached the top of the rope-like string that was dropped in front of him minutes before. He used the last of his upper body strength to pull himself up to the floor before.

Breathing heavily, he fell to his back to rest a little. However, a bright light shone right in his face. He brought up his arm to shield his face.

"Don't stop now," a male voice said from behind the light. "Follow me."

Thomas sighed and struggled back to his feet as the light drifted away from his face. What that a flashliht this enigmatic man was holding? How did he come across that? More importantly, who was this man? Did he truly have his best interests at heart? Such questions raced through his mind as he followed the man through the darkness.

"Is that... a flashlight?" Thomas asked.

"Yep," the man replied. "It gets pretty dark in here, so these things are pretty handy."

"I see..."

As the two walked, they came across an opening in the wall on their left side. The man walked past the hole, which, thanks to the light that shone in, allowed Thomas to at least see the backside of the man: a tathered jean jacket, and his blond hair tied in a short ponytail. He must have been trapped here for a while.

The man walked out of the light, and Thomas walked into it. He glanced into the hole, which, to him, seemed more like a window. Through it was Melissa's room, though she was not in at the moment.

"So," Thomas said as he stepped out of the hole's light, "are you gonna get me out of here?"

The man did not answer.

"...Well?"

The man sighed. "That's... not on the cards at the moment."

"Wait, what?" Thomas could not believe what he heard. "I don't get it. If you're not going to get me out of here, then why'd you rescue me?"

The man stopped walking and turned around to face him. "Did you want to wait in there, waiting for Melissa to pull you out, torture you in unimaginably painful ways, and then kill you?"

"Umm..." Thomas scratched the back of his head. Why was this man so flusted so suddenly? Not to mention that, between the darkness and the blinding light that once again shone in his face, Thomas could not make out the man's face, or his current expression at all.

"I rescued you because we could use you."

"'We'?"

"Yes. There a colony of us in here." The man started to walk again. "Anyway, we could use as many people as we can get, and your endurance against Melissa impressed us. ...Most of us, anyway."

"Well, I tried my best. I honestly thought that she was going to kill me."

"Yeah... Most new people think that... and half the time, she does kill her victims. But she left you alive. That means that she... likes you."

"What?!" Thomas' eyes widened. She liked him? Even after all that she put him through?

"People like you... people like us... she wants to keep us alive as long as she can. We're her... prizes."

"...What about those other people? In those other cages?"

"She doesn't really care about them. They're just appetizers to whet her hunger for blood. ...That said, everyone she shrinks partakes in what she calls 'Bugman Games'."

"...'Bugman Games'?" Thomas repeated. "That sounds..."

"Yeah, I know. The name is kind of stupid, but it's basically what it says. We're small as bugs, and we play her cruel ordeals."

Thomas could not believe what he was hearing. The cute, intelligent, and seemingly kind girl that he had desired to date, and perhaps even get serious with, ended up being a cruel sadist, who literally held the lives of many poor souls in her hands.

"We're here," the man said as he turned off his flashlight.

Thomas ran up to him, and was amazed at what he saw. Before him was what looked like a campsite, though with tents made of what looked like discarded paper. More flashlights hung from a board overhead, giving some much-needed light to the area. The people there turned their attention to the two. Thomas looked around at them. Despite his blurred vision due to the loss of his glasses, he could make out about 15 to 20 people here in this colony, some of whom looked vaguely familiar.

With what he was now seeing, what he deduced earlier was confirmed: Melissa WAS responsible for the strange disappearances that plagued the region in the past months.

The man began to walk into the colony, and Thomas followed. With so many eyes watching him, Thomas became nervous. Much like when he had to give improptu speeches in front of his class, or when he had to present his research to them.

"By the way," the man said, stopping under a hanging flashlight and turning around to face Thomas, "my name is Shawn Crawford."

For the first time, Thomas could get a more clearer look at Shawn's face. He looked to be in his early 20s, though his facial hair seemed to be growing back.

"I'm Thomas Kirkland," Thomas said. "Pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure's mine." Shawn smiled at him, which, for a second, took Thomas by surprise.

As the two walked deeper into the campsite, Thomas looked around at the faces watching him enter the colony. He could have sworn that he had seen a few women among the people here. He also noticed that the people here seemed to be no older than 24.

"Umm..." Thomas said. "I lost my glasses, so I'm not sure, but did I see some women here?"

"Glasses, huh?" Shawn said. "I don't need mines anymore, so I could lend you them. Though I doubt that they'd match your perscription."

"Thanks. That sounds good."

"As for the girls," Shawn continued, "There were times where she asked one of her female 'friends' to help with her homework. If they so happened to dig through her drawer and find the Shrink Ray, well, then you can probably guess what happens next."

Thomas was silent.

"Though she prefers guys. She'd easily go after girls if they provoke her, but she prefers to use her charm to lure unsuspecting men into her room, and the rest... is history."

"So, is that how she got you?"

"Not exactly." Shawn stopped walking. "I'm actually gay. I was a part of the Homework crowd, but since I'm a guy, she pulled the Ray out on me."

"I see..." This revelation took Thomas by surprise.

Shawn started to walk again. "Her 'tactics' don't apply to the people in the closet. She just shrinks down any homeless person she finds, regardless of sex. They're practically just cannon fodder, if you will."

"What do you mean?"

"I believe that she knows that we're still around, though I know that she doesn't know where, so she kills off the Homeless, as we call them, to send us some kind of warning."

"...Doesn't she ever run out?"

"Of course not. I just said that she shrinks down any homeless person she finds, and you should know that, in this town, there are homeless people all over. She has a nearly endless supply."

"Yeah, I suppose that's true..."

As they continued to walk, a voice to their right called to Thomas. "Hey! Hey, you!"

Thomas and Shawn looked towards the source. It was a man, sitting against the paper wall of his tent. He had reddish-brown hair, and was shirtless. Thomas was also taken aback by the fact that there was a large piece of tissue where his left arm was supposed to be.

"Come here! I wanna talk to you!"

Shawn let out a chuckle. "Oh, man... It's him. This oughta be good."

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked.

"Go and see."

The two then walked towards him. The man seemed to have a smile on his face, though it looked somewhat like a jealous one.

"You're one lucky son of a bitch!" The man said as the two stopped in front of him.

"What?!" Thomas exclaimed in shock. "What are you talking about?!"

"Listen," the man said. "You can call me Dawson. She got me here through the 'Net."

"The Internet? Was it an online dating site or something?"

"No." Dawson shook his head. "It was through a GTS forum."

"'GTS'? What's that?"

"An abbreviation for 'Giantess'."

"You mean like giant women?"

"Yep." Dawson chuckled. "Anyway, I loved to roleplay there. I'd pretend to be 1 inch tall, maybe less than that.I managed to RP with several women while I was there, too. There were several scenarios, but in the end, I'd end up dead under their hot and sexy feet."

"Uh, okay..." Thomas was a bit disturbed at the last sentence. This guy had an obvious foot fetish.

Shawn noticed Thomas' reaction, and let out a short laugh.

"So," Dawson continued, "soon, she ended up joining the forum, and we shared many fun sessions together."

"You mean Melissa, right?"

"Yep. Anyway, at one point, she said that we should meet in person. I agreed, and it helped that we both lived in So-Cal, too. So we made arrangements for a meeting place, which was at a coffee shop; not too far from here, actually. I had to drive a long way from where I was, but I didn't mind. When we met, we just clicked right there. My God, was she beautiful! Her silky black hair, her chocolate skin, her boobs, and, best of all, her feet. She wore these cute flip-flops that showed off her magnificent feet, and her toes. Ohh!!" Dawson had lost himself in his story. "I melt just thinking about them wiggling like that. I wanted so badly to suck them-"

"Umm... Can we move on?" Thomas said, becoming annoyed by Dawson's fetish.

Dawson let out a short laugh and calmed himself. "Yeah, alright. Anyway, after our meeting, she asked if I wanted to come to her place. I should have known right there that something was wrong. After all, how many girls take a guy that they met on the Internet back to their house after meeting them in real life less than a hour ago? But she said that we'd roleplay, and she had a special 'tool' that would make the experience more realistic. I just couldn't resist that! After all, I was lost in her looks, and her fee- lower assets."

Thomas rolled his eyes. He had never seen anyone so obsessed with feet his entire life. He almost wanted to believe that the stereotypes of foot fetishists he'd seen on several TV shows were true.

"So, we came to her room, and soon after, the shit hit the fan..."

~~~

I came to while I was laying on the floor. The room I was in, Melissa's bedroom, had grown huge! The bed, the desk, the cabinets, everything! I stood to my feet and noticed Melissa looking at me from across the room, who was also gigantic. I was awestruck. I couldn't believe that my deepest fantasy, one that I had long since deemed impossible to fulfill, had come true right before me.

She then smiled at me. "So, what do you think? Perfect for roleplaying, right?"

"Hell yes!" I then made a mad dash for her feet. Once I reached them, I fell to my knees in astonishment. Seeing feet up close like that was much more exciting than watching videos on the Internet.

"This is... just... I think I'm going to cry, because you're so beautiful!" I said.

"Why, thank you!" Melissa responded.

"And I just want to kiss your toes! Every one of them! They're all so hot and juicy!" I was becoming excited... in more ways than one.

"I bet," she said as she slipped her right foot out of its flip-flop and pointed its sole in my face. "I bet that you want to be under my foot, right?"

"Of course! It's my dream! ...Oh, but as long as you don't kill me. Though I wouldn't mind dying like that, I'd like to enjoy this over and over again!"

Melissa laughed. "You're too cute!" She slipped her foot back into its sandal. "Too bad I have other plans."

"What do you mean?" I was a bit disappointed when she put her foot away. Little did I know that that would be the least of my worries.

She croutched down and picked me up with her right hand. Then she stood back up, holding me at her chest and looking down at me. Her smile was gone. ...Well, not exactly, but she seemed to have a more wicked and cruel expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, little Dawson," she said, "but I'm afraid that you won't be leaving here. Ever. Not alive, at least."

With that, she began to squeeze my body. Man... I had been in all sorts of pain before, but this took the cake. With my body crushed by a ton of force, I started to scream. Loud. And do you know what she did? She laughed! The bitch laughed at my suffering! She was relishing this!

"I know the perfect way to torture you," she said as she flicked me in the face with her left index finger. "By not using my feet!"

I could feel blood coming from my nose. I think she broke it. It certainly felt like the bones in my face had been shattered. All the while, she was still squeezing me, so I had to endure both the pressure she was putting on my body, AND the pain on my face!

Then, as quickly as it started, it was over. She stopped squeezing me. But that was just the first part. She then walked to her bed, and dropped me onto it. I fell face-down onto the cushion, but immediately tried to crawl away. That was stopped pretty quickly, as I felt something heavy drop on my legs. I looked back, and I saw her ass. She was sitting on me!

"Sit tight, okay?" she said as she looked back at me. "I want to read this article. I've been putting it off for a while."

She reached over to her desk and grabbed this fashion magazine. I couldn't see anything from where I was, but I assumed that she was reading like she said, or at least faking it, as I heard the pages flip a bit too rapidly. Unless she was a fast reader, but still...

All the while, I was struggling to free myself. I actually think that she enjoyed feeling me squirm like that. Though every time I even slightly pulled my legs further out, she would increase the pressure on them. In fact, I think they were becoming numb.

Finally, I yelled at her. "Why?! Why are youdoing this to me?!"

She turned her head around again. "Just for the hell of it."

She then lifted her ass slightly, and dropped it back down on my legs, this time with more force than the last one. Of course, I screamed. Thank god for that cushion, or I believe that my legs would have been a crushed, mangled mess. Well, more than it was at that point, at least.

Finally, after 10 minutes I think, though it seemed longer, she stood up. My legs were free, but they were a mess. I couldn't move them at all at the time. She dropped the magazine on the bed beside me, and picked me up. She then carried me to her desk, and dropped me onto it, face-down again. I didn't even try to crawl away that time, though I didn't even have time to attempt it. I saw a shadow appear around me, and then felt my body being pinned against the desk. It was her palm.

"Let me go!!" I pleaded. "Please!!"

Well, she didn't answer with words, but she answered with force. She began to push down on me even harder. I swear, I could feel my bones cracking. Once again, I started to scream, and at that point I heard her laugh again.

"Oh? Is that too much for you? Here, let me help you."

Then, I felt a sharp pain on my backside. She had slammed her palm onto my body. Man! That shit really hurt, being smacked between her hand and the hard desk. I was lucky that I wasn't splattered that instant, but I guess she held back some of her strength. Though I did end up coughing up some blood.

"Dammit," she said as I felt her hand withdraw, "right on my desk, too. Can't you control your vomit?"

I didn't move or answer. At that point, I just gave up and decided to play dead. Like that last blow had crushed the last ounce of life out of me. I figured that she would grow bored with a corpse and just... finish me off.

But things didn't go like I'd hoped.

"Oh, stop playing possum," she said. "I know you're not dead."

Inside, I cursed myself, but I still didn't move. Maybe if I tried hard enough...

After a few minutes, Melissa finally said, "So, you wanna play like that, huh?"

My eyes were shut, but I felt her hand wrap around me, and I heard her footsteps. She was taking me somewhere, but I had no idea where.

Soon, she has stopped moving. Then, I felt my left arm being squeezed between what felt like her index finger and thumb. I tried my hardest to not flinch at this.

"Would you respond if I did this?"

As soon as she said that, things went from bad to worse. She pulled on my arm, and with the force she had over my small body, ended up pulling it right from my body. Oh, yes, I responded. With the loudest scream ever. I finally opened my eyes. It looked as if I was in the bathroom. I looked below me, and could see the blood from where my arm once was pouring into a sink below.

Melissa laughed manically. "I forgot how fragile you 'Bugmen' can be."

What did she mean by that? Did she do this to other people before me? She must have, no doubt about it. Either way, I didn't care. With my arm gone, I just wanted to die. The pain was too unbearable. I was almost crying, though, being the man that I was, I held back the tears. Though I was still screaming.

"Be quiet." She then pulled off my shirt. I'm not sure why, but she started to treat the wound that she had given me. Though I saw her drop my arm into the sink, and let the water carry it away with it. The bitch.

She then placed me on the edge of the sink, and walked away from me. She soon returned, with some alcohol and tissue. She laced the tissue with some of the alcohol, and pat it onto my wound. That crap stung like hell. Yeah, I know that it's supposed to do that, but when you have a wound as big as mines was, it really stung.

She then grabbed tissue after tissue, wiping some of the ever-flowing blood from it. It seemed like an hour before the blood flow even seemed to stall. She sighed and grabbed one last piece of tissue, placed it on the wound, and then got some tape or whatever and wrapped at around my chest, pulling the tissue tighter onto the wound. What was this, a cast or something? It was a pretty bad one, though, but I don't think she cared.

Then, she carried me out of the bathroom, and back into her bedroom. She then went inside of her closet, and placed me inside of the uppermost cage.

"Don't go anywhere," she said, smiling at me. "I'll be back soon. I just have to clean up the mess you made."

With that, she walked out of the closet, closing the door behind her.

~~~

"At that point," Dawson said, "I laid there for 15 or so minutes before they came for me." Dawson placed his right arm across his chest and held onto his cast. "Of course, I couldn't climb the string with only one arm, so they had to pull me up while I held on with all of the strength that I had left. ...And I've been here for the past 2 or so months."

Dawson then pointed his index finger at Thomas. "You're still a lucky bastard."

"Okay, how exactly am I lucky?!" Thomas asked, now annoyed.

"Geez, man." Shawn dropped his face into his right palm. "You haven't figured it out? It's not that hard if you think about it."

Thomas thought for a moment, before giving his answer. "Because she used her feet on me?"

"BINGO!!" Dawson gave him a thumb-up gesture. "You got the royal treatment, while I got screwed!"

"That was anything but royal..." Thomas lamented.

"Anyway, what say you and I be friends?" Dawson suggested.

"Sure. Nice meeting you, Dawson."

"No prob... Thomas, was it?"

"Yep."

Dawson chuckled a little. "I hope Bruce likes you."

"...Who's Bruce?" Thomas asked.

"Our leader," Shawn answered. "Or rather, our self-proclaimed leader. But he's the strongest out of all of us here."

"He's also the guy who's keeping us in here," Dawson added. "He's been saying for a while that the time isn't right for our grand escape."

"Well, I kind of see where he's going with that," Shawn said. "Even if we successfully escaped from here, we'd still have to deal with the people of this city. We'd be sitting ducks, trampled under the unsuspecting feet of those people."

"If I were to die that way, I'd want it to be by a cute girl in sandals or flip-flops..." Dawson was losing himself again.

"Not again..." Thomas sighed.

As the three were talking, Thomas heard footsteps approaching the group. He turned, and saw a young woman coming from the darkness. She looked to be Hispanic, with semi-long dark brown hair and tan skin. She also seemed to have a vertical scar on the left side of her face, one that went through her eye.

"I saw her eat someone before," she said in a thick Mexican accent.

"What?!" Thomas was stunned. "She actually eats people?!"

"...She only did it once, though. Oh, and I'm Gloria." She grabbed Thomas' right hand and shook it.

"...I'm Thomas." Thomas pulled his hand from her grip. This woman seemed even more enigmatic than Shawn was at first. "Why would she eat someone?"

"I don't know, but it happened a few weeks ago," Gloria said. "I was watching from a hole high up near the ceiling of the bathroom. She has stripped a female Homeless of her clothes, and rinsed her body off through the faucet. Then... she swallowed her."

"What the..." Thomas dropped his mouth is disbelief. "She's a cannibal, too?"

"Well, not exactly," Gloria continued. "Not more than 5 minutes later, she rushed back into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet. I heard her say that she's never doing that again, and then flushed the toilet. My hole is directly above the toilet, so I could make out the partially digested remains of that woman as she spun down the toilet."

"Unbelievable..."

"Yes, I know." She then turned around and began to walk away. "It was nice meeting you, Thomas. I'll tell you some more stories of our evil goddess later." With that, she disappeared into the darkness.

"Well, that was weird," Thomas said as he turned back to Shawn and Dawson.

"Gloria is a bit of a loner," Shawn said. "That hole she mentioned? She spends most of her time there, and only really comes here to get food. When we have any, that is."

"Why?"

"I don't know. You can ask her yourself the next time you see her. Though don't count on her telling you."

~~~

Thomas sat in one of the paper tents, one that had been set up a while ago, but never used. His eyes were straining from the glasses that Shawn had given him. They definately weren't the same perscription as his, but at least he could see better now.

He laid down onto his cot, a make-shift bed made from shredded cloth and discarded cotton and dust. His body was still aching from his earlier ordeal. It wasn't as comfortable as his bed back home, but it would have to do.

Home. Would he ever see his house again? His family? Would he ever be able to indulge in his favorite hobbies again? Such question raced through his mind.

He also thought about the people he had met here in these walls: Shawn, Dawson, and Gloria. Despite their quirks, they seemed like nice people. They had pretty much accepted him, and he knew that he could go to them if he ever needed anything.

Thomas folded his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes.

~~~

The Homeless were going through their usual routines in the cages, which included sitting around, talking, sleeping, and even crying for freedom. They were interrupted when they heard the closet door open, and saw the clothes move aside. They looked in horror up at Melissa as she moved further into the closet.

Melissa looked into the top cage, and gasped, placing both hands on it in shock. "What the hell?! Again?!" She frantically looked around on the floor, through the clothes, and even among the Homeless. The captive that she was searching for was gone.

"How does this keep happening? There aren't any holes in this cage. I check every day. ...That's it... I should have did this a long time ago, but I'm moving it."

She then turned to the Homeless. They flinched as they saw her frustrated face. "Do you roaches know where he went?"

"Where who went?" A male defiantly said.

"You know damn well who!!" She snapped. "Where is he?!"

"We don't know!" Another male said. While they knew that he had been rescued, they didn't want to tell Melissa that. It was their way of getting revenge, though they knew that they would be paying for it very soon.

"That's it." Now enraged, Melissa grabbed four captives from the nearest cage, a female and three males. She then carried them out of the closet.

The Homeless watched the door close behind her, shaking in fear.

A female came out from hiding, and looked around. "...Where's Barry?"

~~~

"Hey, Thomas! Wake up!"

Thomas opened his eyes and saw Shawn standing in front of him.

"C'mon. She's at it again."

"What? How long was I out?"

"An hour, I guess. Now, let's go!" Shawn said in a hurried manner. "Melissa's back, and she's about to kill some of the Homeless!"

"What?!" Thomas stood to his feet and followed Shawn out of the tent. Several of the Refugees, as they call themselves, were rushing towards the hole that Thomas and Shawn passed on their way to the colony. The two then followed them towards the hole overlooking Melissa's room.

Melissa's twisted Bugman Games were about to begin.

_____________________________________________________ 

Thomas and Shawn arrived at what had been dubbed "Melissa's Hole." Many of the other Refugees were already crowding the hole, which, to them, was the side of a small window. They were vying for a good position so that they could get a better look at the events that were about to unfold outside.

"Why are they getting so excited over this?" Thomas asked. "I wouldn't think that you all would want to see Melissa kill those people."

Shawn folded his arms. "Obviously, there's no TV or radio here. So this is our 'entertainment,' if you could call it that."

"Were you all watching when it was me?"

"Yep. Bruce tells up to watch as many of those games as possible, because it would remind us of what would happen if she caught us. That is, if we disobeyed him and went out there without his permission."

"Ahh..."

Thomas watched as Shawn walked closer to the hole, taking a spot next to Dawson. Shawn looked behind him, and motioned for him to come closer. Thomas was reluctant to do so.

Dawson turned to face him. "Scared that she might see us? Don't worry... This hole is high near the ceiling. So, unless she looks REALLY hard, she can't see us."

"You sure?" Thomas asked.

"Positive."

Thomas gulped, and walked to join the two men, as well as the other Refugees.

Melissa stood in the center of her bedroom. On the floor in front of her were three of the homeless people, two men and a woman. She held a third man in her right hand. The tiny people on the floor shook in fear as they looked up at the giantess.

"Alright," Melissa said. "You all didn't answer my question, and now you're going to pay. Your goal? Survive."

"But," said the woman who was foolish enough to speak. "No one ever survives..."

"Well, maybe this time will be different," Melissa said. "Of course, I doubt it heavily!"

"You can just kill me now!!" yelled the man in her hand. "Anything to get out of this bullshit you call 'games'!"

Melissa brought him in front of her face and looked at him with a scowl on her face. "What was that?!"

"You heard me!" The man remained defiant. "I never repeat myself! Not to an ugly nigger bitch like you!"

This last remark sent Melissa over the edge, as she then brought the index finger and thumb of her other hand over his head and squeezed on his head, crushing it like a grape with no effort at all. She then dropped his decapitated body onto the floor and stamped on it with her foot.

She sighed as she turned to the remaining three people. "If you're going to call me a racial slur, at least use the right one. I'm not Black. I'm Dominican."

The three seemed to become more horrified.

"Well, I'll give you three a minute to talk over your 'strategy' to live." Melissa made a quotation marks gesture with her hands as she said the word "strategy."

~~~

All three of the Homeless standing before this giant woman were terrified. They had just witnessed the death of their comrade before their eyes.

The woman turned to a man with a long grey beard and hair. "What do we do now?!"

"Nothing," the man responded. "There's nothing we can do, because she's just going to kill us. We just have to endure what she does to us until Death takes ahold of us in his arm."

The other two people stared at him.

"Anything's better than what we've been through here."

"Well, you're right, Barry," the other man spoke up. "I'd rather be dead, too. I guess it's nice that she's giving us that opportunity."

The woman shuddered at the man's remark.

Barry laughed. "So, we're all a pack of suicidal nutjobs! Man... If I wasn't scammed out of my home and fortune, I could have given this world hell! But that doesn't matter anymore. Now it's time to accept our fate!"

"Barry..." the woman said. "Are you sure about this?"

Barry smiled. "Yeah. We'll be free from this soon, Linda."

Linda gulped, and looked at him nervously.

"Okay!! Time's up!!" The voice of the gigantic woman boomed over them.

The three turned towards the woman as she walked towards them.

"Did you come up with some kind of plan?" she asked as she stopped in front of them. "Something to save your lives, or at least stall the enivitable?"

Barry stepped forward. "We don't have a plan! Just kill us and get it over with!"

The giant woman got a look of surprise on her face. "Oh? So you're just giving up?"

"Yes!!"

The woman laughed. "Fine! That'll make this easier for me."

Barry glared into the face of the giant woman, his fiery eyes locked with her's.

"I'll try to make this painless, but no promises, alright?" the woman smiled.

"Just do it!" Barry yelled. "What are you waiting for-"

The air in Barry's gut quickly escaped him as the giant woman's foot collided with his body and sent him flying across the room. He crashed into the wall behind him and fell to the floor, clutching his chest in pain.

Linda covered her mouth with her hands as she became more worried about the situation. The man besides her merely gritted his teeth in anger.

The giant woman waved her finger at the fallen man in a mocking tone. "That's for yelling at me like that. Just for that, I changed my mind. I'm going to make your's a slow and painful death."

She then turned back towards the two tiny people below her. "Now, which of you will go first?"

~~~

The Refugees were all quiet. They were looking closely at the events outside, at Melissa as she decided on which of the two tiny people to kill first.

"That other guy," Thomas said as he turned towards Shawn beside him. "The one that was kicked... Any idea on what kind of torture she's going to put him through?"

"Nope," Shawn responded. "She does something different every time. Either way... I kind of feel sorry for him."

An obnoxious laugh sounded from one of the Refugees to Thomas' left. He turned and saw the person responsible: a young man with what looked like green hair, though he could also see the black roots growing out of his head.

"They're the Homeless!" he said. "No one with half a brain gives a flying fuck about them! You don't have to feel sorry for them!"

"But isn't that kind of cruel?" Thomas asked.

This question caused several of the Refugees to turn their attention towards him. They did not see none too happy at what he had just said.

"I mean..." Thomas nervously continued. "They're still humans, right? Just like us?"

"You did NOT just compare us to them!" said the green-haired man in contempt.

"Maybe we should throw him out there," a male commented.

"Hell yeah!" agreed another.

"I don't think we need him, anyway!"

Now daunted at the hostility towards him, Thomas tried to back away from the group.

"¡Callate!" said a somewhat familiar voice with the Mexican accent.

Thomas looked behind him, and saw Gloria approaching the area. With the light from the hole, Thomas could see that she was wearing a black sleeveless shirt, a black mini-skirt held up with a white belt, black fingerless gloves, black boots, and a golden necklace with a crucifix on it.

"Listen," Gloria said. "Leave him alone. He's new, so he's not as well versed on our ways."

"Bah! Whatever!" said the green-haired man before turning back towards the hole.

"Hey." Gloria addressed Thomas. "Be careful of what you say here. You could get crucified."

"Thanks..." Thomas humbly said.

"Late as usual," Shawn said.

"...Eh." Gloria made her way between Thomas and Shawn and looked through the hole and into the room outside.

~~~

"You." The giant woman pointed towards the man besides Linda. "You're gonna go first."

Linda looked towards the man, who lowered his head and closed his eyes. He was standing the best he could through his shaking. Was this man truly ready to die?

Linda began to back away from the man. She wanted to seperate herself as far away from him as she could.

"Don't go too far, little woman," said the giantess, who was looking towards her. "I'll get you next."

Linda shrieked and began to run away.

"You baby." The giantess said.

Linda ran towards the woman's gigantic bed. As she ran, she looked towards the giantess, just in time to see the giant woman drop her foot onto the man. Linda gasped as she witnessed the woman twist her foot on what was once her companion, no doubt grinding and grounding his body into a fine pulp. Finally, the woman slid her foot back, smearing any remains of him along the floor.

The woman then lifted her foot and turned her sole towards her. She seemed to be examining any remains that were on the bottom of her sandal.

"That's two down," she said.

The woman then looked towards Linda. She screamed and tried to increase her running speed towards the bed. However, she heard loud footsteps that seemed to draw closer, and felt the floor rumble beneath her feet with each step. She once again glanced behind her, and saw the woman standing right behind her. Linda screamed as the giantess reached down and grabbed her off of the floor. She was brought up to the woman's face, which how looked horrifyingly huge to her.

"I told you not to run away," the giantess said. "You're pretty disobedient."

"Please!!" Linda pleaded. "Don't kill me!! Kill him instead!!" She pointed towards Barry. "Barry's the one who really wanted to die, not me!"

"Barry, huh?" Melissa said.

"Yes!" Linda brought her hands together and interlocked her fingers. "Please!! Spare me!! Have mercy!!"

"So you want me to kill Barry instead of you, and send you back in the closet with your friends? Interesting..."

~~~

"Did I just hear that right?" Dawson said. "Did she just sell out her friend?!"

"Ha!" The green-haired man laughed. "I told you that they were worthless!"

Gloria shook her head. "That kind of behavior isn't exclusive to the Homeless. Hell, I bet that some of you would sell us out if you were in the same situation."

Thomas was shocked for another reason. "Wait... Did Melissa just say 'Barry'?"

"Yeah, she did," Dawson answered. "Why?"

"If it's the same guy I'm thinking about, then it explains some things..."

"Like?"

"Wait..." Thomas noticed that Melissa started to walk back towards the center of the room. "She's doing something."

~~~

Melissa carried the tiny woman in her hand to the center of the bedroom. She was perplexed over what she just heard, that this woman would go as far as to sell out her own companion. While she did not particularly care for these people, what the woman did disgusted her.

"You're pathetic," Melissa said, before releasing the woman from her grip and letting her fall to the floor below.

The woman fell on her back, and seemed to be badly hurt from the fall. Yet, she still tried to get away. Melissa would not allow it. She walked towards the woman, and stepped onto her lower body, crushing her pelvis and legs underfoot. She heard the woman's screams of agony as she stepped off of her body.

"I changed my mind about you too," Melissa said as she looked behind her, towards the woman on the floor. "I think I'll give you a painful death, too."

She then continued towards the wall, where the man she had kicked earlier was still laying, still holding his chest. The man that was called "Barry." Not that it would matter soon. She knelt down and picked him off of the floor and then turned around and made her way towards the door.

She walked towards the incapacitated woman. She saw her cover her face in fear, as she believed that she was going to crush the rest of her body and end her life. However, Melissa merely stepped over her. She still had a few ideas left for the woman.

Before she walked out of the bedroom, she suddenlt had a realization. She slipped her feet out of her flip-flop sandals and then left the room. She did not want to stain the carpets downstairs with the blood of these pests.

~~~

As Melissa walked out of the room, a sigh of disappointment was let out by the Refugees.

"Aw, man! Now we're not going to see how she kills that guy!"

"Thomas," Dawson called. "Now tell me about this Barry guy."

"He was a guy I saw several times out there," Thomas said. "After the third or so time, he introduced himself as 'Barry.' I didn't ask for it, but he told me anyway."

"And you actually remembered his name?" Dawson asked. "Most people would forget it."

"Well, like I said, I saw him many times during my commute to work. He would ask me for money, and they try to tell me how I can get rich. He did not seem to be short on 'get rich quick schemes'."

"Shouldn't he have been using those 'schemes' for himself?" Gloria asked. "Maybe then he wouldn't have been so homeless."

"Yeah. No kidding, right?" Thomas chuckled. "Anyway, other than that, he's a nice guy. He disappeared for a while, so I assumed that he moved to another spot. But to think that he was here of all places..."

~~~

Melissa stepped into the kitchen, and onto the cold tiles that felt relaxing to her bare feet. She walked towards the stove, which upon it was a pot of boiling water that she had prepared before. She turned the dial on the front of the stove, intensifying the flame underneath the pot.

"You're filthy," Melissa said towards the tiny man in her hand. "It's time for your bath, Barry."

She then dropped Barry into the boiling water. He started to scream in agony as the water began to scald his skin.

"Don't forget to wash behind your ears." Melissa smiled. "You dirty, dirty man."

She then turned around and walked out of the kitchen. She then made her way for the stairs and then climbed them onto the second floor.

From there, she walked into the bathroom, and knelt down at a small stand in the corner of the bathroom. She pulled out a small box and opened it, revealing sewing supplies; yarn, strings, and needles. She picked out two needles, before closing the box and leaving the bathroom.

From there, she made her way back into her bedroom. She looked onto the floor, and saw the disabled woman on the floor. As she looked closely, Melissa could see that she was still breathing.

Melissa knelt down over the woman, and reached down to stretch her arms out to her sides. After turning the palms upward, she took one of the needles and pushed it into her right hand. The woman screamed as the sharp needle penetrated through her skin, and pierced into the floor. She then took the other needle and did the same with her left hand.

Melissa giggled. "You look like a female Jesus!" She then stood upright. "Now, don't go anywhere. I'll be right back." She smiled at the woman, before leaving the room.

~~~

After witnessing the latest events, Thomas had decided that he had seen enough. He turned away from the hole and began to walk away from it.

"Thomas," Shawn called. "Where are you going?"

"I can't watch this anymore," Thomas responded. "This is horrible and sick. I'm going back to my tent."

"Are you sure?" Dawson asked.

"Yes." Thomas was adamant on his decision.

Shawn sighed. "Fine."

Thomas continued to walk away, before he was interrupted again.

"I'm coming with you," Gloria said.

Thomas' eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

Gloria turned towards Shawn and Dawson. "What about you two?"

Shawn and Dawson glanced towards each other.

"I want to see how this woman dies," Dawson answered.

"You just want to see if she gets stepped on," Gloria remarked.

"...Maybe," Dawson slyly replied.

"I'm staying, too," Shawn said.

"Suit yourselves."

Gloria then followed Thomas as he walked further away from the hole, and made his way for his tent back at the campsite. He looked behind him once more and saw the other Refugees still peering expectantly out of the hole. He could not believe that they were so eager to see such a gruesome display.

Just what had he gotten himself involved in?

~~~

Melissa walked back into the kitchen and made her way to the stove. She turned the knob on the stove to the right, causing the fire to die down and eventually stop. As the boiling was brought to a halt, she peered into the pot of boiling water, and saw Barry's lifeless body floating on its surface.

She opened a nearby drawer and pulled out some clamps. With those in hand, she plucked Barry's corpse out of the water, and then walked to the trash bin. Once there, she stepped on the lever at the bottom, causing the lid to open. She then dropped Barry into the bin and then stepped off of the lever, closing the lid.

She placed the clamps onto the counter, before grabbing the pot of the still hot water by its handle and carrying it out of the kitchen.

Within a minute, she was walking back into her room. As she did so, she slipped her feet back into her flip-flops, and the headed towards the woman she had literally pinned into the floor. She seemed to be trying to free herself, though her efforts were in vain.

"I'm back!" Melissa greeted as she knelt down over the woman.

The woman looked towards the pot that Melissa was holding. "...W-what's that?"

Melissa smiled. "Your drink."

"What kind of drink...?"

Melissa answered by slightly tipping the pot to its side, which caused some of the scalding hot water to pour over onto the torso of the woman. She screamed as the water fell onto her. No doubt that, due to the combination of the hot water and her size, her skin cells were being cooked underneath the clothes she was wearing.

"Oops," Melissa said, shaking her head in feigned disappointment. "I missed your face."

"NOOOOO!!!!" The woman screamed. "PLEASE DON'T!!"

Melissa grinned. "Open wide!"

She then tipped the pot completely to its side, pouring the entire contents onto the body of the tiny woman. The screaming of the woman soon stopped as the water settled on her. The hot water had apparently made its way inside of her mouth, which probably completely cooked the insides of her mouth, as well as her throat. Not to mention that now her entire body was burned, so much so that she stopped moving completely.

"Enjoy that?" Melissa asked as she placed the pot on the floor to her side.

No response. Either this woman was dead, or was just outside death's door. Melissa shrugged and started to blow on the woman's body, trying to cool down the water. After a few minutes, after she figured that the water was not as hot as it was before, she stretched out her thumb towards the body and crushed the woman's head underneath it.

She stood upright and looked around the room. There was blood in three different places, in each of the spots that she had killed three of the tiny people. Not to mention the water that she had poured onto the floor.

"I hate this part," she said as she shook her head. "Having to clean up the mess they made."

~~~

With the latest display of Melissa's power over, the Refugees started to walk away from the hole.

"I think I get what Thomas was getting at," Dawson said as he and Shawn were walking back to the campsite. "That WAS pretty brutal."

"Yeah," Shawn agreed. "But it's one of the rules Bruce made, that we need to watch her 'games' to have a better understanding of what we're up against."

Dawson sighed. "Poor kid. He's new, so he doesn't quite understand how things work here."

"I guess I'll have to tell him the rules that Bruce made for us. Maybe even try to calm his nerves a little."

Dawson nodded. "Though I am disappointed."

Shawn glanced towards Dawson. "Why's that?"

"It would have made more sense for Melissa to step on the woman. At least her feet were protected."

Shawn chuckled. "Have you ever seen a shrink for that?"

"Why should I? I got my fetishes under tight control."

"Really..."

~~~

Thomas sat on the cot inside of his tent. Gloria stood across from him, against the paper wall with her arms folded.

"This is just too much," Thomas said in a melancholic tone. "I thought that I could get this one to work. That Melissa and I would get married, have kids, and grow old together."

Gloria did not respond. She merely stared at him.

"Now, here I am, hiding in her walls. I can't step out, because she'll kill me, or at least leave me wishing for it. I'm surrounded by people who only care about themselves, and get a kick out of seeing Melissa kill people. No one seems to know when we're supposed to leave. And worst yet, I may never see my family and friends again." Thomas dropped his face into his palms. "This... fuckin'... sucks!!"

"If you want to get out so badly," Gloria said, "talk to our 'leader'. Bruce could put you on a food scavenger team, and you could, like, leave when no one's looking. Though the position has been filled already..."

"Yeah, but even if I were able to do all of that, and even if I got out of the house, I'll still be small. The people of this town have no idea of what's going on in this house, so they won't exactly be looking for shrunken people. No, they'll be walking with their head up high, not caring what or who they step on."

Gloria smirked. "I bet the foot perv out there would love that, though."

"But you are right about one thing." Thomas rose his head. "I think I WILL have a talk with this Bruce guy. Where is he?"

"In the Lower Levels," Gloria responded.

"'Lower Levels'?"

"According to Bruce, it's really dangerous down there, so he tells us to stay away from there. Up here, we've taken several precautions to keep real pests such as mice and bugs out of our domain. But down there, it's a different story."

"I see... When will he be back up here?"

Gloria shrugged her shoulders.

"Great..." Thomas laid down onto the cot, and looked towards the coned ceiling of the tent.

~~~

An hour had passed. In that time, Melissa had cleaned up the blood and other remains of those hapless people. It was as if the gruesome event had never taken place.

She walked into the closet and made her way for the class cages in the back.

"Well," she began to address the dozens of people inside. "Sorry to inform you all, but your reps lost. Again."

The tiny people merely stared back at her.

"As punishment, I'm reducing your food supply. If you all get too hungry, I'm sure you could just cannabalize someone!"

She laughed as she turned around and walked out of the closet, closing the door behind her.

In a way, she felt a deep satisfaction over what had transpired that day.

In a dark corner in one of the glass cages, a young woman by the name of Sheryl was laying in one of the many boxes that had been placed inside of the cage. At a meager 33 years of age, she was the youngest Homeless in this cage, and possible the entire closet. Like the others, she hated being confined inside of this cage, but at least she did not have to deal with the weather.

She used her long since tathered jacket as a cushion for her head as she tried to sleep. Unforutunately, a nearby conversation was keeping her awake.

"I still can't believe that Barry's dead!" one male said. "He was a good man, but I guess that don't amount to shit with her!"

"...I think it's time we got ourselves a leader," said another.

"A leader?! Why?!"

"We need someone to make some of the hard decisions. How the food is divided, who goes out there to play with that crazy bitch, stuff like that."

"Alright... Any ideas on who we should get?"

"...Her."

"Who? That woman?! Why?!"

At this point, Sheryl raised her head so that she could hear better.

"She's the youngest in here, and I get she's the most down-to-earth out of all of us."

"But how strong is she?"

"Well, I remember seeing her running from some punks back on the streets. She left those kids in her dust."

"Who's the leader of those... other people?"

"Remember that big guy that dropped into that cage that one time? The guy that proclaimed himself as Bruce, and the leader of the 'Refugees'?"

"Oh yeah... We're fucked, then. If he's the leader, then what hope would we have if we were to ever get into a war with them?"

"War? I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself."

"Either way, the one thing we'd have in our favor is numbers. It's a case of Quantity vs. Quality."

"Stop it. No one's going to war. Right now, we need to decide on our leader."

Sheryl laid her head back onto her jacket. "Me? A leader? They can't be serious..." She closed her eyes, and dozed off.

It has been several hours since the last 'game' that Melissa did with the homeless people. The sun was now setting, casting an orange hue into the room. The blood and gore from earlier had since been cleaned up, as if the gruesome display had never taken place.

Melissa laid on her bed, holding her opened cell phone to her right ear.

"...Yeah, I thought that he'd be something special, but I got a bit ahead of myself," she said. "We didn't click as I'd hoped."

"That's too bad," said Lauren on the other line. "You think he'd like me?"

"I don't know. He took of pretty fast after I let him down. He probably wouldn't want to be seen with someone as close to me as you are."

"Aww... Well, I guess it's back to going after Rodney!" Lauren laughed.

Melissa giggled. "Well, I should get back to my project. I'll get back with you later, okay?"

"Okay, Gurl! Sure!"

"Alright! See ya!"

She then flipped the phone closed and placed it on the bed beside her. She then sat up.

"Not sure if I'd call him a project, though."

She then jumped off of the bed and walked to the cabinet at the wall to her left, which had its doors chained together with a combination lock. She twisted the knob on the lock back and forth, 27-34-10, and then pulled on the lock, snapping it open. She then pulled off the chains and opened the doors. Inside was a hamster cage under a dim lightbulb, complete with mulch, a small plastic house, and a water bottle.

"Hey, you. Come out here. I want to talk to you."

After a few seconds, the person she called for walked out of the house. He was a man of Japanese descent who looked to be in his late 20's. He had dark brown hair, wore a dirty brown button-down shirt, black casual pants, and black sneakers. Melissa could see that he had a drowsy look on his face, which suggested that he had been asleep.

Melissa smiled at him. "How are you doing, Taro?"

"Fine, I guess..." Taro answered. "I guess you had another one of your games today. I heard quite a few screams even from in here."

Melissa laughed. "Yeah. It was fun. There was one woman who deserve every ounce of torture I gave her."

"...So, what is it that you need with me?"

"Oh... Just to talk." Melissa leaned closer to the cage. "You know tomorrow's Sunday, right?"

"I kept track of the days, yes."

"So you know that your sister will be coming over here. I hope she cooperates. I would hate to have to do away with you." She smirked, which seemed to send a shiver down Taro's spine. "That Sayuko... She can be such a pushover. She won't kill any of them unless I tell her enough times. She's a bit too nice to them."

"Well, that could be because, unlike you, she values human life."

Melissa laughed. "Careful now. That kind of talk will get you killed."

Taro gulped.

"But don't worry... Since you didn't run away from me, you get special privileges. You can question my style... But it's not like there's a damn thing you can do about it!" She laughed again.

"Lovely. Can I go back to sleep?"

Melissa sighed. "That's all you ever do. Sleep, sleep, eat, shit, sleep. You're no fun."

"It's not like there's anything to do around here..." Taro began to make his way back into the small house.

"Fine. I'll talk to you later. Good night, my favorite Bugman."

Melissa smiled as she closed the cabinet doors, before wrapping and locking the chain on them. She then stood upright and made her way to her bed, grabbed her cell phone off of it, and then walked out of the bedroom. She then flipped her phone open and pressed a few buttons, before bringing the phone to her ear.

After a few rings, the voice of a young woman answered. "Hello, Melissa..." She did not seem none too happy to have received a call from her.

"Good evening, little Sayu!" Melissa greeted. "You know why I'm calling here, right?"

"...Yes..."

"Great! If you want to see your brother, come over here at 2pm sharp!"

"...Am I going to have to kill while I'm there?"

"Of course!"

"...How many?" Melissa could hear the distress in her voice growing.

"About two... or three."

At this point, Sayuko let out a cry of despair and anguish.

"Stop crying over bugs!" Melissa yelled in frustration. "God! You can be such a Mary-Sue sometimes!"

"Oh..." She still seemed to be weeping.

"Just be over here by 2 tomorrow! Got it?!"

"Yes..."

"Good. Now..." Melissa's tone became calm and sweet. "Have a good night, Sayu."

Without hearing Sayuko's response, if there was one, Melissa flipped the phone closed and shoved it into her pants pocket.

She shook her head in dissatisfaction. "That girl can be such a nuisance. Maybe I should shrink her down, too. At least Taro would have someone to keep him company." She then smirked. "Or I could play a little brother-sister survival game with them." She laughed at this thought as she made her way downstairs.

~~~

Inside of Thomas' tent, he laid half-asleep on his cot. He was barely listening to the conversation that Shawn, Dawson, and Gloria, who were all inside of the tent with him.

"Hey," Dawson said. "If Bruce were to up and die all of a sudden, who would become the leader?"

"...Ray," Gloria answered.

"What?!" Dawson exclaimed. "Why that cocky bastard?!"

"He's the leader of the group that get our food. That's a pretty high position here. C'mon... You should know that."

"Yeah, but-"

"You're hopeless."

"You may not like him," Shawn said, "but Bruce does. And we all know that what Bruce says goes."

"How'd even get the position in the first place?" Dawson grunted.

"Hell if I know. All I know is that I woke up one morning, and he was the Food Squad Leader."

"I should have volunteered while I had the chance..."

"You would bring ruin to the whole colony," Gloria said. "If you had your way, you'd probably have all of the girls here walking around barefoot."

"...Perhaps."

"You're hopeless."

"Will you stop saying that?!"

"You can't silence the truth."

There was several seconds of silence. Thomas felt that he would finally be able go to sleep, if the others were to keep quiet, or at least talk quietly.

"Thomas."

Thomas opened his eyes, and saw Shawn sitting besides him.

"You've been quiet for a while now," Shawn said. "Anything wrong."

Thomas shook his head. "No. Just tired... I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything that's happened to me today. That, and the rules that you told me about."

"Oh yeah..."

Thomas sat up. "Rule Number One: No one leaves this floor or these walls, unless you are in a Food Squad; Even then, you can only do so at the appointed time. Number Two: Watch any and all games that Melissa does, as they will remind you of what can and will happen to you should you get caught. I'm not sure if I can follow that rule..."

"Well, you better start," Dawson said. "If you miss any more, you're going to get it from Bruce if he finds out."

"I'll try. Anyway, Number Three: No sympathy is to be given to the Homeless. I don't understand the logic in that one. They're people, too."

"Careful, Thomas," Gloria warned.

"Number Four: No sexual contact without the consent of both parties; even then, intercourse is prohibited. That's... understandable."

"Yeah," Dawson said. "No one wants to bring a baby into this hellhole. Isn't that right, Gloria?"

"...Why are you asking me?" Gloria asked in annoyance.

"Well, you ARE a gir-"

Before Dawson could finish his sentence, Gloria elbowed him in the gut. Air escaped from him as he kneeled down, clutching his chest. Shawn let out a short laugh as he witnessed this event.

"Heh..." Thomas chuckled a little as well. "Finally, Number Five: Anyone who is deemed a traitor or Homeless sympathizer is to be thrown out of the colony. A beating by members of the colony may also be in order."

"That's exactly why I'm telling you to watch what you say," Gloria said to Thomas.

"Bruce's rules are absolute," Shawn said. "You may not agree with them, but you damn well better follow them."

Thomas laid back down onto the cot. "I... I don't know..."

"Oh, and there's more. Rule-"

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion outside of the tent, as the Refugees out there seemed to become excited.

"Hey! Bruce's back!"

"What?!"

"Oh shit! He is!"

Shawn stood up and held his arm out to Thomas. "Let's go meet him."

Thomas grabbed his hand, and was pulled up to his feet. Along with Dawson and Gloria, they then walked out of the tent and looked towards their right. The other Refugees were surrounding something... or rather, someone. The four walked in that direction, towards the crowd, and then once there, making their way through the crowd to the forefront.

Standing in the middle of the crowd was a rather large and bulky African American man who looked to be about 6' 4" by their standards. His hair was grown into a wild afro, and he had a beard growing on his face. He was shirtless, revealing his rather ripped chest. In his left hand was a pin needle, which somewhat resembled a lance at his size compared to it. No doubt that he had it for protection, for when he trekked through the alledgedly dangerous floors below.

"Okay, everyone!" the green-haired man from earlier yelled out. "Our great leader is back, so give him the proper respect!"

Dawson leaned in towards Thomas. "That's Ray."

"Oh, really?" Thomas was somewhat surprised that that man he had seen earlier was the next in line to become the leader.

Bruce let out a hearty laugh. "Yep, y'all! I'm back! Sorry that I've been away for so long, but I've been distracted by something I found down there!"

"What was it?" someone from the crowd asked.

"Oh, now that's a secret. I'm afraid that I can't tell you guys what it is. At least, not yet."

Bruce dropped his pin needle onto the floor and looked towards Gloria. A smile appeared on his face.

"Gloria, baby! C'mere!"

Thomas looked towards Gloria, who sighed as she made her way towards the man.

"How's my favorite mami doing today?" He asked, before kissing her on the cheek. She flinched as he did so, however.

"I've been better," Gloria answered, without a shred of interest on her face.

"You always say that. No need to be depressed all the time. Lighten up."

"Considering the current circumstances, I- no, all of us have a right to be depressed."

"Whatever."

Bruce then began to look around the crowd. "Well, I'm going to stay here for the night, so-" He then stopped on Thomas, and stared at him for a few seconds. "Who are you?"

Thomas became a bit unnerved as all eyes in the group were turned onto him.

Dawson put his arm around Thomas' shoulders. "This is the new guy! Thomas, meet Bruce!"

"Uh... Hi there," Thomas said.

"New, huh?" Bruce said as he began to walk towards him. "You know the rules?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you follow them, you shouldn't have any trouble." Bruce then looked at Thomas' arms. "You look kinda skinny. Have you ever worked out before?"

Several of the Refugees laughed at this remark.

"Bruce, stop it," Gloria demanded. "Leave him alone."

"Alright," Bruce responded. "Anything for my favorite Latina."

Gloria rolled her eyes.

"Can I ask you something, Bruce?" Thomas asked.

Bruce turned his attention back towards Thomas. "What is it, newbie?"

"You've been here the longest, right?"

"Yep."

"So, in all of that time, you never once tried to escape?"

"I did a few times, but found it useless without a crew backing me up."

"So, I guess you have your 'crew' now."

Bruce's calm and somewhat cheerful face transformed into a more sour one "What are you trying to say?"

"The people here have family and friends that are missing them. It's been in the news. Parents are frantic, wondering why their kids seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth. ...I think you all should have escaped a long time ago."

"Look." Bruce folded his arms. "Even if we'd escaped, what would we do then? We would still be small, and I doubt anyone in the city would help us. Also, if we did escape, you wouldn't have been rescued, have you?"

"Um... I suppose that's true, but-"

"See? It all worked out for you, kid!" Bruce laughed. "Anyway, right now I'm working on a plan to get the Shrink Ray from Melissa. We could the grow ourselves big again, and also give Melissa a taste of her own medicine."

After this comment, the crowd began to cheer.

"We'll squash HER like a bug!"

"No! Let's do it slowly like she does!"

"It doesn't matter how we do it, she'll be dead in the end!"

Thomas looked around him at the Refugees in the crowd. Judging from the comments he was hearing, they did not see too much different from Melissa.

"But..." Bruce said. "That's a while away, unfortunately."

"How long is 'a while'?" Thomas asked.

Bruce glared at Thomas. "Maybe a month. ...Or two."

Shawn stepped forward. "But we'll be in darkness by then. The flashlights you found are nearly gone."

"If it ever gets to that," Bruce responded, "We'll just bust a hole in the wall."

"Is that even wise?" Thomas asked. "Do you even have the right tools or anything for that? Plus, making a new hole would be like placing a big red X that would show Melissa-"

Before Thomas could finish his thought, he was punched in the gut by Bruce. The air escaped his lungs as he held his chest and fell to his knees.

"Thomas!" Shawn called as he, as well as Dawson, rushed to his aid.

Gloria also ran toward him. After examining Thomas, she turned towards Bruce. "That was uncalled for! You as a leader should be able to answer the hard questions!"

"Why have you been defending him, anyway?" Bruce asked.

Gloria paused before answering. "Because I've decided to look after him."

The Refugees looked among each other in surprise. Some began to chatter quietly amongst themselves.

Bruce looked at Thomas, and then back at Gloria. "Why?"

"Just because," she said nonchalantly.

Bruce grunted and shook his head. "Fine." He then addressed the crowd. "No one messes with Thomas here! He's with Gloria, so if you mess with him, you mess with her! And if you mess with her, then you mess with me! And I know you know what happens at that point!"

Bruce then turned around and began to walk away from the crowd, followed by Ray. The remaining Refugees took one last look at Thomas, before dispersing in their own seperate ways.

Gloria knelt down to Thomas. "Are you alright?" She seemed to have a bit of a worried look on her face.

"Yeah," Thomas answered with a weak smile. "Compared to Melissa, that was nothing."

With Gloria's help, he stood back on his feet. Shawn then moved closer to Thomas, and leaned in towards his ear.

"Rule Number Six: Bruce has the right to throw out anyone he does not approve of, even if they are not traitors or Homeless sympathizers."

Thomas was silent. Could Bruce be that petty?

"Let's get you back to your cot," Gloria said, before all four began to walk back to Thomas' tent.

~~~

Bruce had arrived outside of his tent. It was further away from the other, and a bit larger as well. He turned to Ray, who was standing behind him.

"I want you to keep an eye on Thomas," Bruce said. "I don't like him, so I'm going to have to find a reason to get him outta here."

"Why don't you just throw him out?" Ray asked.

"Didn't you hear what just happened? Gloria likes him." Bruce shook his head. "I can't risk losing her over him. I gotta find something to make her turn on him."

"I see... Well, I'll keep watch on him. I don't really like him, either."

"Great." Bruce smiled, before walking into his tent.

Ray stared at the tent's entrance for a few seconds, before turning around and making his way back towards the campsite.

"Maybe I could get one of the other girls to seduce him," Ray said to himself. "I bet Gloria'd dump him then."

~~~

It was nearly three in the morning. Melissa's house is dark, with every light turned off. Suddenly, the front door opens, revealing Melissa, dressed in a black bodysuit and black skull cap, and carrying two bags. She closed the door behind her, and then made her way for the stairs, eventually climbing them.

After arriving in her room, she placed the bags on her bed, and opened one of them. In that one was the Shrink Ray, which she pulled out and placed back into the dresser's top drawer. After covering it with her clothes, she closed the drawer, and then grabbed the other bag and walked into her closet.

~~~

The Homeless watched as the giantess returned, making her way towards their cage and holding a bag. They already knew what was inside.

"Here." Melissa placed the bag inside and turned it upside-down, pouring the contents into the cage: ten more homeless people.

"I'm doing a game tomorrow, so have 5 people ready," she said. "Can you do that for me?"

No one in the cage responded.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear anything." She became annoyed. "Maybe I wasn't clear enough. I repeat: Can you do that for me?"

"Yes!" A male shouted out.

"Wonderful!" Melissa smiled. "Now, I'm going to sleep. Good night, you all!" She then turned around and walked out of the closet, closing the door behind her.

The ten new homeless people looked around in confusion, at the nearly three dozen people that were already inside.

"Hello," Sheryl greeted as she stepped towards them. "My name is Sheryl, and I guess you can call me the leader of this merry group."

The ten newcomers turned towards her.

"Welcome to Hell."

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon, as Sayuko Takei walked down the sidewalk after getting off of the bus she had just ridden. She was a young woman of Japanese descent with semi-long dark red hair, and today had chosen to wear a white blouse, violet mini-shirt, and red platform sandals that added two inches to her short stature of 4' 10". She also carried a red purse.

A generally shy and quiet person, she had relatively recently come to live in the United States to live with her brother Taro, the only person in the world that she could open up to. Sadly, he had disappeared.

Or rather, enslaved. Held hostage by a mad woman by the name of Melissa.

She nervously made her way down the sidewalk as she made her trek towards Melissa's house. The main reason why she was so nervous was because she knew that she would have to kill more of those tiny people, something she had been forced to do the two weeks before. A task that she hated with every fiber of her being.

Yet, doing this heinous task would ensure the safety of her brother. She could not bare the thought of losing him, especially not for something she did, or did not do. If she disobeyed Melissa's orders, no matter how petty they may be, it would mean the end of Taro. Of all things in the world, that was the one thing she did not want.

"Excuse me."

Sayuko was suddenly brought out of her deep thoughts and turned towards a man that she was passing.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You look kind of nervous."

"I'm fine," she answered. "I'm just going to a friend's house. She has a present for me."

"Oh, I see." The man smiled. "Have a nice day." He then continued on his way.

"Arigato gozaimasu. You too..." Sayuko then continued her walk as well.

This would be anything but a nice day for her.

Melissa stood before the glass cage of the Homeless. With the sun's light shining in behind her, it was clear to them that it was now afternoon.

"So, have you gotten the five that I requested last night?" she asked.

Sheryl motioned behind her, and five males stepped in front of her.

"These five," Sheryl said.

"Thank you," Melissa said, before addressing the men. "You five are about to do your people a favor. Think of yourselves as martyrs."

She then scooped them out of the cage with her hand, and then walked out of the closet.

Sheryl sighed as an older man approached her from behind.

"Sheryl," he said. "Weren't those guys just dropped in here last night?"

"Yeah," she answered. "I didn't want them to go through what we have to deal with."

"Ahh..."

"That, and I personally didn't want to deal with them."

"Huh? That's kind of-"

"If you need me, you know where to find me." Sheryl then walked away from the slightly dumbfounded man, who seemed to be trying to figure out of she was being merciful or cruel.

~~~

Sayuko had finally reached Melissa's house. She gulped, and slowly reached out and rung the doorbell. After several seconds, the door opened, revealing Melissa, who wore a grey tank top, blue capris, and black flip-flop sandals.

"Hello, Sayu!" Melissa greeted with a cheerful smile. "Please, come in!"

Sayuko slowly walked inside, after which Melissa closed the door behind her.

"I see you're wearing a mini-skirt," Melissa said while examining her clothes. "I guess it'd be a perfect view for those pervs, huh?" She laughed.

Sayuko said nothing.

"But hey," Melissa said. "You're shaking."

"I am?" Sayuko said. "I... didn't notice."

"You got the chills on a hot day like this?"

"No..."

"Then what-" A look of realization appeared on Melissa's face. "Oh I see..."

She then stepped closer to Sayuko, and brought her face very close to her's.

"Don't let them bother you. They're just bugs; bugs who must be killed. Or do you want you brother to be killed instea-"

"NOO!!!" Sayuko screamed as she backed away, with a look of fear on her face.

Melissa smiled. "I knew you's see it my way! Let's go, then."

She then made her way towards the stairs and began to climb them. Sayuko inhaled deeply as if to calm herself, and then slowly followed after her. In her mind, she was preparing herself for the task at hand. It was for Taro's sake, and for him, she would do anything.

As she reached the top of the stairs, she turned to her left and saw Melissa standing outside of her opened bedroom door, waiting for her.

"Why do you always have to be so slow?" Melissa asked.

"I... don't know..." Sayuko answered.

"Well, whatever."

Melissa then opened the door and walked inside. Sayuko did so as well. As soon as she entered the room, she saw a jar on the floor in the middle of the room. Inside were four... no, five men standing inside. More than what Melissa had told her over the phone yesterday.

"I thought you said I only have to kill three of them..." Sayuko said to Melissa, as her nervousness began to rise.

"What's the harm of adding a few more to the mix?" Melissa answered. "After all, should it matter? After all, it's four your brother, right?"

"...Yes..."

"Then let's get started!"

~~~

Gloria walked out of Bruce's tent while pulling her shirt on. Bruce walked out after her, while zipping up his pants.

"You were great as usual," Bruce said to her. "I think I should keep you to myself."

Gloria rolled her eyes. "I'm heading back now."

"Aww... I'm going to miss you, Mami." Bruce then leaned in and hugged her.

"Yeah..." Gloria broke out of his hold. "I'm sure you are."

"No, I mean that I'm going back down there for a while."

"Oh. Have fun."

Gloria then began to walk away from him, not even so much as glancing back at the man behind her.

She had already decided that she would not lower herself to being a mere pleasure slave much longer. Especially not for a man like Bruce.

~~~

Thomas and Shawn stood outside of his tent, looking off to the distance as a Refugee male ran towards the colony. He seemed to be yelling towards the rest of his comrades.

"Hey! She's starting another one, and that Asian girl's back!"

Without a word, many of the Refugees stood and started to dash towards Melissa's Hole.

Thomas turned towards Shawn. "'Asian girl'? Melissa got someone else to do this with her?"

"You could say that," Shawn answered. "Though that girl isn't what you're probably thinking of."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's go, and you can see yourself. You ARE coming, right?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?"

Thomas and Shawn quickly made their way towards Melissa's Hole. In a matter of minutes, they had arrived, as the other Refugees were already crowding the hole. They located Dawson, and headed towards him. Upon seeing them, Dawson moved slightly to the side, and Thomas moved closer to the hole. As he looked out into Melissa's room and the two young women that were standing in there, Thomas noticed something familiar about the second woman.

"...Wait a minute..." Thomas said. He then looked closer, and then became surprised as he realized who the second woman was. "I know her! That's Sayuko!"

"What?" Dawson was surprised as well. "Another person out there you know? You must get around!"

"Thomas," Shawn said from behind. "Could you explain?"

"Well," Thomas started. "The first time I really talked to her was in my Calculus class..."

~~~

It was the Tuesday in the third week of May, and the third week of classes. I was sitting on my Calculus class, working on the assignment that we have been given. It was a breeze for me, since I did most of the stuff back in high school. To my left was Sayuko; she and I only ended up sitting besides each other because of a seating chart that the teacher made. Believe it or not, I never talked to her.

Well, that changed.

"Umm... excuse me."

I turned to my left, and saw that Sayuko was looking at me.

"Do you understand this?" She asked me.

"Yeah," I answered. "This is pretty easy stuff."

"I see..." She sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm having trouble."

"On what?"

She smiled weakly. "Everything."

"Oh."

"Do you think you could help me? Please?"

I couldn't believe that she was actually asking me for help. Plus, she was pretty cute, too. There was no way that I was saying "no" to her.

"Of course," was my answer.

I spent the rest of the class period helping her with her work, covering everying that we had learned so far. Before we knew it, class was over, but our session didn't end there. I was still explaining things to her as we walked out of the classroom.

"I think that should be everything," I said as I was showing her a few problems in my textbook. "Got it?"

"Barely," she gave me that half-smile again.

"Oh... Well, you'll get it soon."

"I hope so. But, this was a nice start." This time, she gave me a real smile. "Arigato gozaimasu... Um... I'm sorry, but what's your name?"

"Thomas Kirkland," I said.

"My name is Sayuko Takei," she said. "Pleased to make your acquaintance!"

"Same here!" I smiled back. "What are you going to do now?"

"...I'm going to go home now. I don't have anymore classes today. What about you?"

"I have Psychology in two hour." I let out an exaggerated sigh in a joking manner. "It's the most boring class ever."

Sayuko chuckled. "Well, don't die of boredom. That wouldn't be any good."

"I'll try not to."

"Good. Anyway, I have to go now. I'll see you next class?"

"Of course."

I smiled, and she smiled back, before she walked away from me. Before she disappeared down the hall, she waved back at me, and I waved back.

At that point, I started to contemplate asking her out, but I decided against it. Yeah, I may have been stupid to not pursue her, but earlier I had made a vow to hold of on romance until at least after I graduate.

~~~

"We had a few more study sessions after class," Thomas said. "And for a while, she started to improve."

"Well, that's ironic," Dawson said.

"What is?" Shawn asked.

"An Asian who's confused with math, and a Black guy who's a wizz at it."

"Isn't that kind of stereotypical?" Shawn asked.

"...I guess..." Dawson chuckled.

Thomas turned back towards the events outside of the hole. Was Sayuko also a heartless killer like Melissa was? Did she also put on a "nice girl" facade at school? Thomas felt his stomach churning as he thought about this.

~~~

Melissa held one of the tiny men pinned under her right foot. The remaining four stood at Sayuko's feet, half of them looking up at her and the other half looking towards Melissa.

"Look at them," Melissa said as she folded her arms. "They're just begging to be stepped on."

Sayuko shuddered.

"Why do you still hesitate? You should be used to this by now."

"But I could never get used to killing an actual person..."

"C'mon... It's easy. Watch."

"No!" Sayuko quickly covered her eyes and turned away. However, she could still hear the tiny man underneath Melissa foor being crushed to death. His screams were soon silenced as the sound of his bones crunching replaced it.

"Look at this. Look." Melissa ordered.

Sayuko slowly turned back towards Melissa and opened her eyes. She looked towards the floor, and saw the flattened bloody corpse of the man plastered onto the floor besides Melissa's right foot. She covered her mouth wih her hand, and her eyes began to tear up.

"It's as simple as just lifting your foot, and dropping it on them," Melissa said. "Now, get to it."

~~~

Thomas could not believe what he was seeing. Sayuko was hesitating.

"What's going on?" Thomas asked.

"Sayuko doesn't seem to want to do any of this," Shawn answered. "At all."

"Then why'd she come here?"

"Because she's being blackmailed," Gloria said as she approached the hole.

"What?! How?!"

"Melissa is holding her brother hostage," Gloria said.

"You didn't rescue him?! Or did he get thrown out by Bruce?"

The other Refugees were silent.

"Well?!"

"Here's the thing," Dawson said. "We couldn't rescue him."

"What?! Why?!"

"Rule Number Seven," Shawn said. "Bruce can refuse the aid and rescue of anyone based solely on his initial feelings of the person."

"...I don't get it," Thomas said.

"Bruce is prejudiced against Asians."

Thomas' mouth dropped. "You gotta be kidding me."

"When Melissa saw that he had not left the cage she put him in," Shawn said, "she decided to, well, 'upgrade' his living conditions."

"What do you mean?"

Shawn pointed towards the cabinet. "You see that cabinet over there? He's inside of there. Melissa actually gives him decent food and drinks that she shrinks down for him. I bet that it must be luxury compared to what we got."

"Once Melissa found out that he had a sister," Gloria said, "she decided to lure her in here and trap her. Ever since then, Sayuko's had to come over and do these killfests. The whole thing seems to be taking its toll of her."

"...When did this start with her?" Thomas asked.

"Three weeks ago."

"I see... That explains some things..."

~~~

Just this past Tuesday, Sayuko and I were the last two students in the classroom. I was standing by the door as Sayuko got the results of her most recent test. It wasn't good. I believe I saw a 56, which was a drop from the 81 she got on the previous test.

"I'm disappointed," our teacher Mr. Evans said to her. "I thought you had a grasp on the content."

"I-I'm sorry!" Sayuko apologized. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately..."

"Well, there are four more tests in the semester. You still have a good chance of passing this class if you do well on them."

"Yes, I know! I'll study harder! Thank you, Mr. Evans!"

She then quickly walked away from him... and then walked past me. I was perplexed.

"Hey, Sayuko!" I called as she started to make her way down the hall. "What about our study session?!"

She stopped and turned towards me. "I'm sorry, Thomas, but there's something I have to do at home. Maybe next time." She then continued down the hall and was soon out of sight.

I sighed. I really wanted to help her get refocused on the content, but she seemed out of it.

~~~

"Even before that," Thomas continued, "she did not seem all together in class or during our study sessions. She also missed a few days of class." He shook his head. "Never in my wildest dreams would I think that she was involved in this..."

"Yeah," Dawson said. "You never know."

Thomas nodded, and then focused back on the two young woman outside in the bedroom.

~~~

Sayuko had been staring at the small men for nearly two minutes now. She still had not made a move, though she was shaking nervously. The tiny men at her feet must have sensed that she was not a threat, as they have now become a bit relaxed; they probably felt safer to be near her than near Melissa.

Melissa moaned heavily. "Sayuko."

"Y-yes?" Sayuko answered.

"What... the fuck... is taking you so long?"

"Umm-"

"Will you just fuckin' kill one already?!" Melissa had lost her patience. She then walked towards the cabinet and grabbed the lock. "Or do you want me to kill him instead?!"

"N-NO!!" Sayuko yelled. "Please..."

"Then do it. Now."

Sayuko gulped, and looked down at one of the men below her. She closed her eyes, and lifted her foot over him, before dropping it down onto him. She fully prepared herself to hear his death screams, and then the sound of his body breaking underneath her foot.

Instead, she heard nothing. She opened her eyes, and saw that the man had dodged her footfall. She had apparently moved too slowly.

She looked towards Melissa, who was shaking her head in frustrated disappointment.

"Goddammit, Sayuko." She slapped her palm on her forehead.

Ten minutes have passed. The four remaining men have all been bound by their arms and legs to the floor with scotch tape, each one seperated a foot between each other. They were trying desperately to free themselves, but their current sizes made it a futile effort.

"Alright," Melissa said as she backed away from the men. "They can't get away now. There's no excuse for you to not kill them now."

Sayuko whimpered.

"I mean... This is the third time I've had to do this. It's kinda pathetic." Melissa shook her head. "Most normal people are able to stomp running bugs."

Sayuko slowly made her way to the beginning of this trail of men. She stared nervously at the first man, who stared back at her before he started to scream.

"They're ready for you," Melissa said. "Are you ready?"

Sayuko did not answer.

"ARE-YOU-READY?!" Melissa repeated.

Sayuko nodded slowly. "Yes..."

Melissa smiled. "Atta girl."

Sayuko gulped and looked down at the first man in the line. She lifted her foot over the man, but hesitated to drop it onto him.

"Go on," Melissa ordered.

Sayuko exhaled, and then finally stepped down on the man, ending his screaming. She flinched as his entire body crushed under her foot. Upon seeing this, the three other man began to scream and intensify their struggling. Sayuko closed her eyes and whimpered as she slowly walked forward, treading on each of the men as if they were indeed bugs. Each of their cries for help were snuffed out with their lives.

After the final man was killed, Sayuko opened her eyes and looked on the floor behind her. Upon seeing the flattened bodies of the men she killed, she fell to her knees, dropped her face into her hands, and began to cry.

"See?" Melissa said as she approached her. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

~~~

"Well, I guess that's all," Dawson said, before turning to Thomas. "Let's go-"

Thomas seemed to be enraged at what he had just witnessed.

"I can't believe it," Thomas said. "I can't believe that Melissa put her through that, and made her cry..."

"Hey, are you alright?" Dawson asked.

"No, I'm not. I'm pissed off. At Melissa... and Bruce."

At this remark, several of the Refugees glared at Thomas.

"Screw Bruce's prejudice!" Thomas said. "He should have rescued Sayuko's brother anyway. At least Sayuko out there wouldn't have to deal with this shit that Melissa's doing to her!"

"Thomas, cool it," Shawn urged.

"I can't, okay?!" Thomas snapped. "I wish I could do something! ...No, I WANT to do something! I want to stop Melissa from doing this to anyone else! You all may be content with sitting here and rotting away, but I'm not! I'm-"

Suddenly, Thomas was punched in the back of the bed. He fell forward, though Gloria rushed to catch him before he hit the floor. She examined him. He was unconscious. She then looked up towards the assailant: Ray.

"You son of a bitch!" Gloria yelled towards him. "Why did you do that?!"

Ray shook his hand as if to ease the pain from the impact. "If he got any louder, Melissa would have found us. Besides..." He smirked. "I'm sure you all got tired of him blabbing his mouth anyway, right? None of us are 'content' with being here, but we don't have a choice. Not until Bruce decides that it's time to leave. You all trust Bruce, right?"

The majority of the Refugees voiced their agreement with Ray.

"Excellent." Ray smiled. "Now, let's get outta here. Show's over."

With his address done, the Refugees began to disperse from Melissa's hole. Gloria and Shawn pulled Thomas to his feet and threw his arms over their shoulders, and then began to slowly make their way back to the campsite.

Ray prepared to follow suit, until Dawson called out to him. "Ray."

Ray turned around. "Mmm?"

"Why did you have to hit him?" Dawson asked.

"Hey," Ray answered, "Better I knock him out than it is for him to be lynched by them, right?"

"You..." Dawson gritted his teeth and balled his fist.

"Anyway, tell him to stay out of my way, and Bruce's way. Or else I'll see to it that he gets kicked out."

"Not as long as Gloria's got his back."

"Hm... Maybe... Unless he screws up." His smirk returned.

"What do you mean?"

Ray turned back towards the campsite, and began to walk away from Dawson.

"Hey!" Dawson yelled. "I'm talking to you!"

"Don't tell your friends about this talk," Ray said as he was walking. "Or I'll get you tossed out of here, too." With that, Ray continued walking before he disappeared in the darkness.

Dawson threw his fist downward. "Goddammit! What is that guy planning...?"

~~~

Sayuko sat on Melissa's bed, still weeping as Melissa cleaned up the bloody mess on the floor.

"Are you done yet, you big crybaby?" Melissa asked as she stood upright.

Sayuko looked towards Melissa.

"Your face looks like an ocean." Melissa chuckled. "Well, it took you like a million years, but you did kill those things, so I guess you can talk to your brother."

Sayuko stood from the bed as Melissa walked towards the cabinet. She then unlocked the chains that surrounded it, and then pulled them off. She opened the doors, revealing the hamster cage that Taro had been contained inside.

"You're awake for a change!" Melissa said in a surprised tone.

Sayuko slowly walked towards the opened cabinet.

"I have your sister here for you," Melissa said. "She wants to talk to you."

Sayuko reached the cabinet, and looked upon her shrunken brother in the cage. It was a sight that she still had not gotten used to, and she began to cry once again.

"Sayu-chan..." Taro called out to her.

Melissa walked towards her bed, and sat down on it. "I'll give you two a minute to chat. You know the rules. Don't try to take him from me, or you know what will happen."

"How have you been?" Taro asked, in Japanese.

"...Horrible..." Sayuko answered, also in Japanese. "I have horrible nightmares. My appetite has diminished. My performance in school is dropping. I... I don't know how much more I can take..."

"Look... Sayu-chan... Just forget about me. I don't want you to lose your mind for my sake. Next time Melissa calls you, refuse to come here."

Sayuko's mouth dropped in disbelief. "Brother... How could you even suggest that I do that?! I could never turn my back on you! I can't live without you!"

"Sayu-chan... Please..."

"I want you to stay alive! Even if I have to... Even if I have to kill this entire town!"

"No! Are you crazy?! One life is not worth millions!"

"Yes it is! Your life is! You're the only family I have! I already lost mother and father in that terrible accident, and I can't bare to lose you as well! I would have no else to turn to!"

"What about... Thomas, was it? He sounds like a nice person."

"I don't think would want anything to do with a girl like me."

"How can you be so sure of that? Try to bond with him."

"But I-"

"Then, could you go on without me?"

"No! I could never go on without you! Our's is a bond that I could never replace!"

Melissa jumped off of her bed and walked towards the siblings. "Okay, time's up."

"I'll see you next week, Brother!" Sayuko said as Melissa closed the cabinet doors.

Taro shook his head. "...Sure..." He then disappeared behind the closing doors.

Sayuko stared at the doors for a few seconds, and then glanced at Melissa. Then, she ran towards Melissa's bed, grabbed her purse off of it, and then dashed out of the room.

"You gotta stop running like that!" she heard Melissa yell after her.

Before long, Sayuko had exited the house. She closed the front door behind her and leaned her back against it. She then exhaled deeply, before wiping the tears off of her face and regaining her composure. Then, she started to walk away from the dreaded house, making her way back to her house.

What pained her deeply was that she would have to do this again next week.

The sun is nearly setting in the sky, as Thomas throws a football to a young boy: his younger brother Kyle. The two are in a park, right across from the local mall. It was a nice spring evening, with a slight breeze blowing in from the Pacific Ocean.

Kyle tries to catch the approaching football, but he fumbles and drops it. He then pouted and stomped his foot.

"No fair! You threw it too fast!" Kyle said.

Thomas laughed. "So? When I was your age, I could have easily caught that!"

"It's hard to think that you could catch anything..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Kyle picked up the football and threw it back at him.

~~~

As the sun was now setting, Thomas and Kyle were making their way towards the bus stop. It was time to go home.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Thomas asked to his brother.

"Kinda," Kyle answered.

"What do you mean, 'kinda'?"

"You keep throwing the ball to hard! It's no fun!"

"You say that every time, but then you always beg me to bring you out here. ...But I guess you WILL be seeing less of me in a month or so."

"Why do you have to leave?!" Kyle whined. "It's going to be boring with just Monica and mommy and daddy!"

"It's better if I get a place of my own right now, so I'll be closer to my job... and my college when I start."

Kyle sighed. "Are you leaving forever?"

"Of course not! I'll visit as often as I can, and you all can visit me."

Kyle got a wide grin on his face. "Yay!"

~~~

Thomas awoke to the sight of the cone-shaped ceiling of his tent. He sat up, and then looked around himself. He then let out a sigh.

It was just a dream. A dream of happier times.

Thomas walked outside of his tent, and saw that many of the other Refugees were quite busy. Dawson was standing outside of the tent, when he noticed that he had finally awakened.

"Well, look who's finally up!" Dawson said. "That was a serious blow you took yesterday."

"Yeah..." Thomas rubbed the back of his head. "Wait... It's Monday?"

"Yep."

"So, what's going on?"

"Well, with Melissa out of the house, the Food Crew over there uses this opportunity to find any shred of anything remotely edible out there."

"So, it's a food hunt."

"Yeah."

"What kind of food? I mean, I know that there was some bread, but anything else?"

Dawson shook his head. "We're lucky to get even that. I wish that he'd find some meat or something. I'm tired of bread and water all the time..."

"Yeah, I'd get tired of it, too. Especially that lukewarm water from that dripping pipe. I wish we had some cold water..." Thomas sighed. "And I had some lemonade, and two slices of pizza in the fridge back at home, too."

"Hey!" Dawson exclaimed. "Please don't mention pizza around me... I love pizza..."

"You and I both."

~~~

Ray stood impatiently at the center of the campsite, twisting his green hair around his index finger. A taller male with brown hair walked towards him, carrying three backpacks and a flashlight in one hand, and a pin needle in the other. It was nearly as large as his body.

"I got the stuff," the man said.

"Resourceful as always, Joe," Ray said, as he was given one of the backpacks and took the pin needle and flashlight from Joe's hands.

Joe looked around. "Where's Hunter?"

"I don't know, but he better hurry up. Before the Giant Bitch comes back."

Joe turned towards Ray. "Must you call her that?"

Ray grunted. "Damn your chivary. You know she's responsible for all of this, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then keep your mouth shut!"

Joe sighed, as Ray started to pace around the campsite, as if to try to pass the time. After a few minutes, he let out a cry of frustration.

"Goddammit! Where is he?!" Ray asked loudly, before turning towards Joe. "And don't scold me about 'using the Lord's name in vain.' I don't give a crap about that."

Joe shook his head as Ray continued his pacing.

After several more minutes, a shorter man with black hair approached the area. He seemed to have a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Hunter," Joe said.

"It's about time you showed your face!" Ray said. "What were you doing?"

Hunter snickered. "You know that girl Megan? Well, I must say that she has the mouth of a Goddess! My dick was in heaven!"

Joe twitched as he heard this. Ray merely lifted his eyebrow.

"I'll keep that in mind," Ray said.

"Here." Joe threw one of the backpacks towards Hunter, who caught it and then strapped it onto his back.

"Let's hurry up and get back," Ray said. "Then we can deal with Public Enemy #1."

"...You mean that guy Gloria likes?" Hunter asked. "Thomas, I think?"

"Yeah, that's the one. We gotta figure out a way to do away with him."

Hunter laughed. "I'm with you there!"

Joe sighed heavily, before the three began to make their way down the dark corridor. Their trek downstairs had just begun.

~~~

Thomas and Dawson watched the three of them walk away from the campsite.

"So, who's in this Food Crew?" Thomas asked.

"Well," Dawson started. "You already know about Ray. Hunter's the short guy, and is a raging pervert, and proud of it. I hate him so much. ...Though I don't think I'm in any position to call anyone a perv."

"Depends on how bad he is compared to you."

"Oh, he's really bad. ...Anyway, then we have Joe. He's a bit of a religious fundie, but he's actually a pretty nice guy. He's one of the few people that even Gloria likes. I think you should try to become friends with him, too."

"I see... Well, when he comes back, I'll introduce myself."

"Great." Dawson smiled.

~~~

Gloria sat in her usual spot, at the hole dubbed "The Bathroom's Hole." A rather introverted person, while she had been spending quite a bit of time with Thomas and the others over the past two days, she still prefered to be alone with her thoughts.

She also wanted a cigarette. Back in her normal life, she would light up several times a day. She had been here for quite a while, so she had since overcome the withdrawal symptoms of going cold-turkey.

"Dammit," she muttered to herself.

She started to once again go over how she had been tricked into coming to Melissa's house. How the professor of one of her classes had made her and Melissa work together on a project. A joint venture that she knew would be trouble, though never did she think it would come to this.

The two had never been too fond of each other. In fact, one could say that they hated each other. Therefore, once Gloria was inside of Melissa's room, Melissa wasted no time in pulling out the Shrink Ray and reducing her to bug-size. It was a wonder how Melissa restrained herself from killing her during the ordeal she put her through. No doubt that she was going to finish the job later, but she never got the chance, as Gloria had been rescued from the closet by the time she returned.

"Hey."

Gloria looked to her left, and saw Shawn approaching.

"I thought you would be with Thomas," Shawn said as he reached her.

"I need time to myself every so often, you know," she responded.

"Which is every day, I guess."

Gloria chose to ignore this comment. "So, did Joe and the others leave yet?"

"Yep."

"Mm."

"...Why don't you come back to the campsite with me? Some socializing will do you some good."

"Not now. Later."

"Suit yourself. I guess I'll head back, then."

"I'll see you later."

She watched as Shawn turned around and walked back the way he came, before he disappeared in the darkness. Then, she turned back towards the hole.

She had no idea why she always looked out there. It was not as if anything interesting ever happened in the bathroom. Except for the time when Melissa vomited up one of the Homeless she tried to eat, the bathroom is a fairly boring place.

Yet, she would rather be here than to be at the campsite, where she would have to put up with the complaints from the other Refugees.

~~~

In the community college Commons area, Melissa sat at a table, sitting across from her friend Lauren, who was a young African American woman with short, blond-dyed hair. They were both eating food that they had bought from the Subway stand in the Commons.

"Ooh, Gurl!" Lauren said after swallowing the piece of sandwich she had been chewing on. "I haven't seen Thomas here today! Don't you share your English class with him?"

"Yes, I do," Melissa answered, while picking at her salad with her plastic fork. "And it's weird. He never missed a day before."

"You didn't break his spirits, did you?" Lauren said with a sly look on her face.

"I only said that I didn't think it would work out between us. I don't know what happened after."

"Maybe you let him down so bad that he went and killed himself." Lauren chuckled.

"Lauren," Melissa said, now with a serious expression on her face as she addressed her friend. "Don't joke about that. Thomas is a bright guy with his whole future ahead of him. Why the hell would he kill himself over me?"

Lauren sighed. "Sorry, Miss Killing-is-Wrong..."

"Anyway, it's just one day. He could be sick or something."

"Maybe..." Lauren looked towards the salad that sat on the table in front of Melissa. "I couldn't eat that. I'd be hungry a minute after finishing that."

Melissa laughed. "Of course! Because you're fat!"

Lauren grunted. "I'm not fat! I just like things with more flavor!"

"Well, this salad has enough flavor." Melissa pulled a leaf of lettuce on the fork from the salad and shoved it into her mouth, before chewing and swallowing it. "The italian dressing helps alot."

Both of the women let out a laugh.

~~~

Ray and his group had emerged from the hole that led into Melissa's kitchen. It was pretty big on its own, but to them, it was like a vast city, with the stove and counter rising over them like skyscrapers.

Ray turned back towards Joe. "How are we making on time?"

Joe looked at his watch. "It's 12:37."

"Good." Ray smiled. "We have plenty of time."

"Can we get something other than bread this time?" Hunter asked.

"Can you open the fridge?"

"No, but-"

"Then shut up!" Ray snapped. "And just follow my lead as always!"

Ray began to walk forward, towards the counter, with Joe and Hunter in tow behind him. At their size, it took them nearly thirty silent minutes to cross the kitchen floor and reach the large counter.

As they arrived at the foot of the counter, Ray looked upwards towards the top.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to go climbing again," he said. "The sooner we finish with this, the sooner we can deal with our unwanted guest."

"Okay," Joe said with an annoyed tone. "Just what do you have against Thomas? He seems like a nice guy."

"So?" Ray responded. "He talks too much. I don't like him, and neither does Bruce! So anyone Bruce doesn't like, I don't like!"

"Get off Bruce's cock," Joe responded. "Let's go get this mission over with."

"You don't tell me what to do!"

"...Were you responding to me telling us to start, or the Bruce's cock thing?"

"You know which part I was talking about!"

"Actually, I don't."

"Whatever!" Ray said in humiation. "Let's-"

"Hey," Hunter called as he was looking to his right.

"What now?" Ray asked, annoyed.

"I think I see something over there." Hunter pointed towards the corner of the counter.

Ray and Joe looked in that direction. Indeed, something did seem to be there. This object seemed to be tan in color.

"What is it?" Joe asked.

"Let's go find out," Ray said.

"Are you sure? Do we have time?"

"Sure we do! The Giant Bitch won't be back for at least three hours!"

Ray then began to walk towards this mysterious object, followed by Hunter and then Joe. As they approached it, the identity of the object started to become more clear. Once they reached it, they found themselves standing in front of a slice of bread, one that had been laying on the floor.

"Well, that makes our job easier," Hunter said.

"Are you sure?" Joe asked. "It's not like Melissa to leave stuff like this just lying around. I'm a bit uneasy."

"Maybe she dropped it by accident, and didn't notice it."

"Who cares how it got here!" Ray said. "Let's take out share of it!"

The three began to tear off chunks of the bread and pack them into their backpacks. They made sure to fill the backpacks to the brim, as they wanted to make sure that they had enough food for the entire colony; including the newest addition. It was this last detail that frustrated Ray, that he would have to find food for the person he now hated the most in the colony.

With their bags were full, the three strapped them back over their backs, and then began to make their way back towards the hole.

"So," Ray said. "Back to Thomas."

"Not this again..." Joe lamented.

"Yes, this again!" Ray exclaimed. "Any ideas, Hunter? Since Joe is going to be of no help whatsoever?"

"Why don't we knock out one of the girls," Hunter started, "and then put her head on Thomas' crotch while he's sleeping? Then, we'll tell everybody! Gloria would be pissed, and drop him right there! Then, she'll go back to Bruce and then we can send Thomas to the dogs!"

"Only would would come up with an idea like that," Ray said. "...And it just might work."

"You two are pathetic," Joe said in contempt.

"Whatever." Ray flailed his hand behind him.

As the three were halfway across the floor, they heard a sound. A terrifying sound. The sound of the house's front door opening, and then closing. There was no other explanation: Melissa was back. FAR earlier than expected.

"SHIT!!!" Ray exclaimed in fear as he heard this sound. "She's back already?!"

"We're fucked!" Hunter was also horrified. "There's no way we can reach the hole before she comes in here!"

"We can try! Run! Now!"

With Ray's words, the trio made a sprint towards the hole.

~~~

Melissa walked into her kitchen, wanting a bottle of iced tea. However, she then caught sight of the two, no, three small creatures that were running across the floor.

She gave a sinister smile as she walked towards them and stomped her foot into their path.

They were trapped. They looked up at her, with both fear and anger expressed on their faces.

"Well, well," Melissa said. "It's so nice to see you all again!"

She croutched down and scooped them into her hand. She then stood back upright as she held them in her palm.

"W-what are you doing home so early?!" The man with the green hair asked.

"My last class was cancelled," Melissa answered, "so I came home, and I'm glad that I did!"

She looked towards the torned and ravage slice of bread on the floor besides the counter.

"You all took my bait," she said.

The face of the brown-haired man lit up as if he was overcome with a sudden realization.

"I knew that it was you all stealing my bread," she continued. "Do you know how much money I spent on it, only to have you all mess it up? It's pretty annoying."

At that point, she noticed something in the green-haired man's hand. It looked like a pin needle.

"What is this?" she asked as she pulled it from his grip. "Where'd you get this?"

The man did not answer. He only folded his arms and looked away in anger. Almost like he was a child.

"Well?" Melissa said.

"I don't have to explain anything to you," he responded. "You giant, sadistic bitch."

Melissa glared at him. "You have some mouth on you, little man. I'm really going to enjoy having fun with you."

The other two men looked towards him, with fearful expressions on their faces.

"Ray, you idiot," the brown-haired man said in frustration.

"She's going to kill us!" said the black-haired man.

"Damn right I am," Melissa said.

She then walked out of the kitchen, and made her way upstairs into her room. Once there, she placed the three men on her desk, and then croutched down onto the floor to look under her bed. She soon found the glass jar she was looking for, and then stood back up and placed the men inside of the jar, before setting it onto the desk. Finally, she grabbed a dark cloth and covered the jar.

Melissa usually did not torture these people during the week, but since her class was cancelled, she needed something to fill that void. She had just the game in mind for these three thieves. She walked out of her bedroom to make the necessary preparations.

Sayuko sat in her Calculus class, barely listening to the lecture that the teacher Mr. Evans was giving. Not that she could grasp the concepts, anyway. Not without her brother, or Thomas. It was Thursday, and Thomas had not been in class since the week before.

That past Sunday, Taro had asked her to try to bond with Thomas, and she decided to at least try. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to contact him. The two had never exchanged phone numbers, though before Taro was kidnapped, she was considering it.

As the class ended, and the other students began to exit the classroom, Sayuko approached Mr. Evans, who was sitting at his desk and sorting papers. He looked up towards her as she reached his desk.

"Umm," she said. "Mr. Evans?"

"Yes, Sayuko?" he answered.

"Have you seen Thomas?"

Mr. Evans looked around the room before focusing back on her. "No, I haven't. That is odd, though, for him to miss two consecutive classes. Though he's one of my best students, so I'm sure that when he returns, he'll catch up in no time at all."

"I hope so."

"He was helping you with the material, wasn't he?"

"Yes. I'm thankful to him for that."

Mr. Evans placed the papers he was holding on the desk in front of him. "...So, what happened?"

"Excuse me?"

"Your grades have been slipping since the beginning of the month."

"Oh..."

"...Is there anything wrong?"

"...I'm just going through some emotional things right now." Sayuko sighed.

"I see... I hope they all get sorted out soon, so you can presume to excel."

"I hope so, too."

"And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to let me know."

She forced a smile. "Thank you. I'll see you next week, then, Mr. Evans!"

Mr. Evans smiled. "Take care, Sayuko!"

Sayuko then walked back to her desk, grabbed her belongings, and then walked out of the classroom.

It was a shame that with what she needed, Mr. Evans could not help her. Neither could Thomas. How could she expect them to believe that Melissa had taken her brother hostage by using a Shrink Ray? Also, unfortunately, she saw no forseeable end to what Melissa was putting her through, so her grades would continue to sink.

She soon walked out of the college, and made her way back towards her lonely house.

Thomas laid on the cot inside of his tent, looking towards the "ceiling" of his small enclosure. For once, his friends were not in the tent with him, he opted for some alone time. Not because of Monday's events, but of what happened earlier that day, when Bruce finally returned and was informed of the unfortunate news.

~~~

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Bruce threw his pin needle to the ground in rage. "Those fucking idiots went and got themselves caught?!"

Many of the Refugees jumped at his outburst, even if they had expected it.

"Yes," Shawn said. "Unfortunately, it's true. Hunter and Joe are dead, though."

"We tried to see if we could rescue him through the closet hole," Dawson said, "but it seems Melissa moved some stuff around in there..."

Bruce slapped his palm on his forehead. "Goddamn..."

"So who's gonna get the food now?" A male Refugee asked.

Bruce's palm moved downward, covering his eyes as he started to think.

Thomas turned to Gloria, who stood beside him. "He's gotten calm all of a sudden." He whispered to her.

"Yeah... Bruce may be short-tempered, but he calms pretty fast." She responded before stepping towards Bruce.

Bruce removed his palm from his face as he saw her approach. "Gloria! My favorite mamicita!"

She rolled her eyes. "The smart thing to do now is to form a new team."

"I agree," Shawn said. "If we don't, we'll all starve."

Bruce pondered for a few seconds. "Alright... Let me think about who to put on the new team."

"Let me make your life easier," Gloria said. "I volunteer."

"What?!" Bruce was shocked. "But mi amor... it's too dangerous out there..."

Gloria sighed, apparently tiring of Bruce's Spanish terms of endearment. "I'd rather be out there doing something and sitting around here and listening to these people bitch about the current situation."

"I agree." A man stepped forward. He looked to be Latino, with Black hair, a black moustache and a growing beard. "I also want to be on this team."

"You too, Carlos?" Bruce shook his head. "Fine, but if anything happens to Gloria, it's your ass! You got me?!"

"You can count on me," Carlos confidently responded.

Dawson stepped forward. "And I make Number 3! I'm going, too!"

"Oh please!" Gloria snapped at him. "Your one arm would only be a burden to us!!"

"That's not true!" Dawson fired back.

"Yes it is," Shawn said to Dawson. "You're better off staying here with the rest of us."

"...Dammit, fine. I'll stay..." Dawson lowered his head in obvious disappointment.

Bruce turned around. "I'll let you all know tomorrow who the last guy will be. You all can go do whatever now."

As Bruce and the other Refugees began to go their seperate ways, Thomas felt a need to speak up.

"I'll do it."

Suddenly, all of the dispersing Refugees stopped cold in their tracks and focused their attention towards the "new guy." A look of surprise and shock overtook the faces of Shawn, Dawson, and Gloria. Bruce turned around, looking for this volunteer before locking eyes with Thomas, who was staring fiery at him.

"What did you say?" Bruce asked, flabergasted.

"I said that I'll be the third guy," Thomas said.

"Thomas, no!" Shawn pleaded. "You haven't been here long enough for that kind of danger and responsibility!"

"Yeah!" Dawson agreed. "Plus, no offense, but you do look kinda skinny."

"I just don't feel like sitting around here and doing nothing," Thomas said. "I was never that kind of person, especially in urgent times."

"Interesting..." Bruce said, rubbing his hand on his chin.

"Are you sure about this?" a concerned Gloria asked.

"Think about this!" Shawn said. "You saw what happened to the last team. That could be you!"

Thomas closed his eyes for a few seconds, thinking over his decision once more, before opening them again to look at his worried companions.

"My mind is made up," Thomas said. "Please, let me do this."

Shawn let out a sigh, as Dawson shook his head in either disappointment or amazement.

"If that's your decision, then we won't bother you about it anymore," Gloria said, before turning to Bruce. "Thomas will be our third person! I hope you're okay with that."

Bruce nodded. "Fine. Just make sure he doesn't fuck up too badly." With that, he resumed walking towards his tent.

Gloria walked towards Thomas, giving him a proud smile on her face, something that he thought was a rare sight. She placed her hand on his shoulder, as she walked past him and continued along her way.

Dawson walked up to Thomas and nudged him with his fist. "I hope you know what you're getting into."

~~~

Truth is, Thomas did not know what he was getting into. All he knew was that they had to find food somewhere in the large house and return, without running into Melissa. He had no idea what else to expect. On the floors below could be many pests such as mice and insects, such things which would be like wild beasts and monsters in his current state.

He wondered if he had made the right choice, but those doubts quickly faded. He was determined to serve the team well, and hopefully gain some kind of respect among the other Refugees.

~~~

Lily could not believe this was finally happening right now. Actually, she knew this day would come eventually, but she also expected to be dead. Her screams of agony filled the glass cage as several of her Homeless brethren surrounded her.

"She IS! Shit!"

"Hey guys! Get over here! It's happening now and we may need some help!"

Another contraction. Lily squeezed the hand of the man that kneeled beside her on her left, who was trying to comfort her. So tightly that she almost crushed the bones.

"She's going into labor!"

Sheryl stood in front of the woman, directing the other Homeless. "Grab whatever you can so that we can get this thing out of her!"

Lily was 4 months pregnant when she was kidnapped off of the streets and brought into Melissa's house, and by a stroke of either good or bad luck, she had avoided being taken out to be slaughtered by her captor. Of course, now this means that she will be giving birth to a child that she will not be able to care for at all.

A male held a blunt knife he had on him when he was brought in. Another pulled on some dirty gloves, not wanting to get his hands dirty with "baby scum." Sheryl moved to Lily's right and kneeled down beside her.

"How are we gonna hide this thing from her?" Sheryl said to herself as she grabbed ahold of Lily's right hand.

Lily screamed again. The contractions were getting closer.

"Pull her pants off," Sheryl ordered. She heard the snickering of other males. "Be quiet and get your minds out of the gutter if you're not going to be of any use!"

The male with the gloves laughed as he positioned himself in front of Lily. "I've never delivered a baby before. You sure you want me doing this?"

"It's not like we have a lot of options," Sheryl said. "How are you doing, Lily?"

"I'm going through the worst pain in my life! What do you think?!" Lily snapped.

"Well, sorry!" Sheryl sarcastically responded, before turning her attention towards the man at Lily's legs. "Do you see anything yet?"

"No," he responded.

"Ah... Listen, Lily," Sheryl said in a calm, reassuring voice. "We're going to get you through this."

Lily, taking deep breaths, turned towards Sheryl, and saw her smiling face. A sight that seemed to give her a little confidence.

Another contraction. Lily began squeezing the hands of Sheryl and the other man again. Sheryl bit her lip to endure the hard squeeze. The other man yelped in pain.

"I think I see something," said the man at her legs.

"Really?" Sheryl looked towards the man, and then back to Lily. "Listen, Lily, I think it's time for you to push."

"Oh god..." Lily moaned.

"You don't have much of a choice now, do you?"

After taking a deep breath, Lily began with all of her might to push out the child. With her eyes closed and sweat pouring down her face, she screamed, as if to motivate herself to push harder and harder. The squeezing on her companions hands became ever more hard, even causing Sheryl to let out a cry of pain. She kept pushing, not stopping for even a second, for the entire 3 minutes before that familiar sound was heard: the crying of a baby.

"Pull it out," Sheryl ordered.

The man in front held the child's head and slowly pulled it out while Lily pushed one last time.

"It's here!" he exclaimed. "I think it's a boy!"

Finally, Lily's ordeal was over. The man with the knife walked over and cut the umbilical cord off of the child, despite the possible risk of infecting the child from using such a dirty blade. Lily released the hands of her companions and reached for the child. Sheryl used a piece of cloth to wipe the sweat from Lily's forehead as the child was given to her.

"Welcome to the world," Lily said, smiling at the child. "Too bad you were born to me..."

~~~

From his jar in the corner, Ray looked towards the glass cages. He heard all of the commotion, and the screams, but all of that seems to have died down. Had someone been killed over there?

Wait... He heard a faint sound. A faint, somewhat familiar sound. He stood and pressed his ear against the glass.

"Is that a baby?" he wondered.

~~~

As Sheryl watched Lily and her new child, she started to wonder what was next. Melissa had not known that Lily was pregnant when she was brought in, and Lily stayed in hiding all of this time. But how were they going to hide a crying baby? More importantly, what would Melissa do to the child? Surely Melissa is not heartless enough to murder an infant, right?

"Move her back to her hiding place," Sheryl ordered. "I gotta think of something."

Three males assisted in moving her and her child back to her hidden corner in the back of the cage. Sheryl walked away from them, thinking to herself.

If Melissa didn't kill the baby, he would still starve to death. She doubted that Lily was healthy enough to breastfeed it, and the child obviously could not eat solid foods.

"Maybe it's better if the child left back out of this world," Sheryl said to herself.

~~~

The setting sun cast an orange glow on the environment as Melissa drove back to her house. Today had been an especially tiring day for her; the law firm at which she has in internship always seemed to work her to the bone. She couldn't wait to get home and just drop on her bed and rest. For once, she hoped to not see any "Bugmen" that night, because then she would be obligated to go after them. No, she just wanted to rest for the night.

But first, she had to feed the Homeless in the closet. What a bother. While she wanted them to live just a little longer, she did not feel like dealing with them that night.

No. She hadn't fed them since last week. As disposable as they were, they were her "pets," and pets need to eat. Or at least, often enough to not starve.

Her mind was made up. She was to make a beeline to the kitchen and grab about 3 slices of bread for each of the three cages to feast on.

~~~

The door swung open as Melissa walked into her room, 3 slices of bread in one hand, her black heeled pumps in the other. After walking to her bed she dropped the heels on the floor and placed the bread on her bed. She then took off her black suit jacket and untied her hair. She now stood in her white blouse, black skirt, and brown nylon stockings, far more comfortable not than she had been just mere moments ago.

"Much better."

She grabbed the bread and walked into the closet. With her free hand, she moved the hanged clothes aside and made her way to the glass cages. The faces of the people inside looked up at her, some in fear, others in anger. Without saying a word, she dropped a slice in each cage before turning around and leaving the closet. However, before she could leave, a voice called out to her.

"HEY!! HEEEEEEYYYY!!!!"

She turned back around and looked for the source of the calling. She then spotted the jar in the dark corner, the small green-haired man inside with his hands cupped over his mouth as he was calling out to her.

She sighed and walked toward the jar, kneeling down to be closer to his level.

"I'm tired, what do you want?" She said, slightly annoyed.

"I think one of them had a baby," he said.

Melissa's eyes widened in curiosity. "Oh? Is that right?"

~~~

Melissa approached the Homeless' cage. "Is that true?"

"Is what true?" Sheryl asked.

"I hear one of you had a baby."

Sheryl's heart sank, as the many of the people in the cage flinched.

Melissa shook her head. "I was going to go to bed, but that is simply unacceptable."

"No, it's a lie," Sheryl said. "There was no such thing."

"Then explain why all of you just jumped just now."

Sheryl found herself unable to respond to the question. "Shit..."

"Where is it?"

A male stepped forward. "And why would we tell you?! You're just going to kill it, you heartless bitch!"

"Damn right, I am," said Melissa said, annoyed and slightly angered. "And don't start with me right now. I'm in no mood to deal with you all. Just give me the baby, and I'll leave you alone."

Many of the captives began to express their anger at the Giantess. For once, they didn't care what she did to them. They could not let her kill an innocent child, though they knew that there was nothing they could do to stop her. Melissa's anger began to rise, but all of the commotion stopped when a loud voice commanded them to cease.

"STOP IT!! JUST STOP!!"

Sheryl turned behind her and saw Lily walking out of her corner, holding the baby who had been awakened from the noise. She whispered to the child, before bidding a tearful farewell before offering him up to Melissa.

"Lily..." Sheryl murmured, her eyes also watering.

Melissa lowered her palm into the cage, letting Lily place the baby in her hand. Melissa then brought her palm closer to her face, examining the infant that she could probably barely see due to its size and the dim light.

"Thank you." Melissa gave the small weeping woman her trademark smile. "I'll be back for you in a bit after I rest a little."

Melissa then walked out of the closet as Lily fell to her knees and covered her face, crying loudly as some of her companions tried to comfort her. Others glared at the jar in the corner, containing the green-haired man who was laughing loudly at the whole situation.

~~~

It had been about an hour since Melissa left the closet. Lily's face was still stained with tears, but thanks to Sheryl's comforting, she had calmed down. The whole day had left her physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. However, deep down, she knew that her child, whom she had named Ivan, was in a better place after having only spent mere hours in the world.

But she still felt saddened about losing her one and only son.

The closet door opened, revealing Melissa as she walked inside and toward the cage containing Lily. Without a word, her eyes scanned back and forth through the cage, as if she was seeking someone. After her eyes locked on her, she grabbed the woman out of the cage as the other Homeless called out to her, and walked out of the closet, closing the door behind her.

Lily watched as she was carried out of the bedroom, and through the hall before being brought into the bathroom. Melissa closed the bathroom door behind her, and walked toward the toilet.

"Time for your punishment," Melissa said

Lily looked up toward the Giantess. "What do you mean?"

"You're going to go the same way your kid did. Maybe you'll meet him down there."

Melissa lifted the seat on the toilet and dropped Lily into the water. Lily struggled to stay on the surface, flailing her arms haplessly. As she looked up, she saw the Giantess waving at her before flushing the toilet. Lily was spun around in the swirling vortex before being dragged down with the water. In her final thoughts, she considered that this was not much of a "punishment," compared to the other ordeals that she heard about.

In fact, if she met her son in the afterlife, then Melissa actually did her a favor; she was free from the hell she was in for the last 5 months of her life, and she would spend the rest of eternity with her newly beloved son.

She faded out into darkness, awaiting to welcome the face of her son in the afterlife.

~~~

Melissa dropped the seat back onto the toilet and walked out of the bathroom. After walking back into her room, she plopped onto her bed and closed her eyes.

"What a day..." She sighed. "Damned slut, getting pregnant like that..."

She then dozed off, now finally able to rest after a long way of work, among other things.

~~~

Melissa sat in the driver's seat of her car. The infant was in the back seat, normal-sized, sucking on a pacifier, and strapped in a baby's car seat; both of which were found in the basement.

She could not do it. Despite indiscriminately killing countless people before, and just did not have it in her to end the life of this baby.

She pulled out of her driveway and then drove down the street, back towards the downtown area, where she had come from less than an hour ago. The sun was nearly gone from the horizon, and night was falling.

"You're killing me," she said to the child as she drove. "I wanted to rest for the night, but now I have to deal with you. Maybe I should've just killed you like I had originally planned..."

The child was barely awake. Not that he could understand a single word she was saying, anyway.

"I've always had a soft spot for babies. They're just cute and adorable. Most of them, anyway."

Melissa shook her head, stopping at a red traffic light. "If I had known that woman was pregnant, I wouldn't have taken her in the first place. I gotta think of a way to deal with her when I get back."

The light turned green, and she stepped down on the accelerator.

"If I had anything to give you, I would feed you. But I don't have any baby milk, and I don't want my breasts touching the mouth of a ugly baby such as yourself." She let out a short laugh.

She drove for ten more minutes without a word. She was drawing closer to her destination.

"I have an idea. Why don't you seek me out when you turn 18? After this, you owe me big time. We're going to have lots of fun! You like fun, don't you?"

The child had since fallen asleep.

"Of course you do."

Finally, she arrived at her destination: the local orphanage. Melissa pulled into the parking lot, and then got herself and the infant out of the car. She then walked towards the front door and knocked on the door.

Seconds later, a middle-aged woman opened the door. She seemed surprised that someone had come this late. She also seemed surprised that a dark-skinned woman such as Melissa had with her a much lighter-skinned baby.

"How may I help you?" The woman asked.

"Someone left this poor kid on my doorsteps," Melissa said, faking a worried tone and appearance. "I'd keep him, but I don't have the money for that. Plus, I'm in school, and-"

"Say no more," the woman said. "Come in. I'll get the papers, and we'll give this little guy a home. He doesn't look too old at all."

"I know! He must've JUST been born. And his parents just abandoned him like that... How cruel..."

Minutes later, after filling out the necessary papers, Melissa walked out of the building, waving back at the woman who was standing at the door and holding the sleeping infant in her arms.

"Thank you so much!" Melissa said. "Take good care of him!"

"I will, and hopefully a good family will take him in," the woman said. "Thank you for your concern over this little guy! Have a good night!"

"You, too!" Melissa waved before getting into her car and then driving off.

After driving a few blocks away, she let out a sigh, before chuckling.

"I think I'd be a great actress."

She drove down the now dark road as she made her way back to her house. There was one last thing to deal with before she could finally rest for the night: the woman who had given birth to the child would surely have to be punished for her promiscuity.

Standing outside of his tent, Thomas looked out towards the campsite, watching the Refugees mingle amongst themselves. He would have liked to have been among them, but he knew that he was not exactly the most popular guy in the colony, at least not yet. Perhaps his endeavors with the new Food Squad would net him some glory...

Just then, he noticed Carlos walking by. "Hey, Carlos!" He called.

Carlos turned towards him. "What is it?"

"When are we supposed to be going out there?"

"We always do it on Mondays."

"Even though last Monday's attempt was botched?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"It's the only consistent and most convient time we have for Melissa's absence." Carlos sighed. "...At least, it was before this happened..."

"I think I see now..." Thomas said to himself.

"Is that all you wanted to ask?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, for now."

"Hm." Carlos nodded, before continuing to walk in the direction that he was headed.

As Carlos departed, Thomas wondered why they were not going to be deployed to find food sooner. Due to Monday's incident, the Refugees were very low on food. Lower than usual, that is. Common sense would say that they should try to get food as soon as possible to make up for Monday's incident. Must be another one of Bruce's crazy rules, Thomas figured. Not that it would have mattered in the least, however. It was Saturday, and therefore Melissa would be home for the entire weekend.

He could not believe that it had been a week since he was imprisoned inside of this house. No doubt that his family was starting to worry, as they had not talked to him since the middle of last week. He wished there was some way for him to contact them, to let them know where he was.

Of course, some wishes go unfulfilled.

Ray laid half-asleep in his jar; his prison. Though he estimated that it was late in the morning, there was nothing else he could do. Escape was impossible, and it was not as if Melissa had left him anything for his enjoyment.

He suddenly felt his small world being shaken. He groggily fully awoke to see that he was now in the air: His jar was being carried out of the closet.

"Great..." he lamented.

The jar was placed onto the desk of the room outside, and Ray soon found himself staring at the face of none other than Melissa.

"Looks like you're up," she said. "Today may be your lucky day, little man. You could die."

Ray let out a short but audible laugh. "About to play another one of your games, huh? Well, screw it! I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of an easy kill!"

"Oh? You had a change of heart all of a sudden?"

"If you want to kill me, you'll have to earn it!"

Melissa laughed. "That shouldn't be too hard. And of course, you won't be alone."

"What will I be playing this time?"

"A game of cat-and-mouse, you could say. There's also going to be a newcomer, if all goes according to plan." She smiled, and then walked out of the room.

"...Newcomer?" Ray looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first; but then he noticed the vacuum cleaner near the bedroom door.

A cold sweat dripped down the back of his neck.

~~~

As he reached the door of Melissa's large house, Tyler reached out and pushed a button near the door. A 6-foot-tall young man with short brown hair, he had met Melissa several times over the past few months; they both were regulars at the same night club and danced with each other quite often. Having also exchanged phone numbers, Melissa had called him to come over to her house, as she had something to show him. He agreed, and made the trek over to her house.

His mind was wandering through all of the possibilities as to why she had called him over. No doubt that there was a bond growing between the two; a mutual attraction. Tyler especially had a bit of a weakness for ethnic women, so the idea that this house call could possibly become sexual excited him.

Soon, the front door opened, revealing the very woman that was on his mind: Melissa. He quickly scanned her outfit with his eyes; she wore a purple T-shirt, blue capris, and black flip-flops. A rather nice outfit for a day such as this, he thought.

"Tyler, you made it," she said with a smile.

"Of course," he answered. "You said you had something important to show me."

"Yep! Come on in."

She led the man inside, and then closed the door. He looked around the house; it was even more impressive on the inside. He could not believe that this house belonged to her and her alone. Not only that, but the house itself was rather isolated. Not that he was that type of person, but if he were to attempt to overpower her and have his way with her, he doubted if anyone would be able to stop him in time.

"You have a nice house," Tyler commented.

"Thanks," Melissa responded. "Sometimes, I can't even believe that I've been blessed with a house like this. Do you want anything to drink? I have tea, lemonade, and soda."

"No thanks."

"Mmm."

"So, what did you want to show me?"

Melissa's face lit up. "Oh, you're going to love it!"

"I am? What is it?"

She winked at him. "Don't be too impatient. It's upstairs in my room. Follow me."

"Okay."

With Melissa leading the way, the two made their way upstairs and eventually entered Melissa's room. He was impressed by her rather large bedroom, too; he wished that he had one of this size.

Melissa closed the door behind her. "I know I live here alone," she said, "but I just feel that I'd have more privacy if the door's closed, y'know?"

"That's alright," Tyler said. Privacy? Perhaps his wild imaginations were going to come to fruition. Though it was still too early to be sure, his body started to become warm from anticipation.

He then noticed a jar sitting on her desk, with a small bug contained inside.

"You keep bugs?" Tyler asked.

Melissa giggled. "Why, yes. Yes I do."

Tyler then stepped toward the desk to take a closer look at the jar, to see just what kind of bug it was. The bug inside did not look like any he had ever seen before. Nor did it look like a bug at all. It almost looked... human.

Tyler's mouth dropped in disbelief.

It was human.

Tyler jumped back i shock. "What the hell is that thing?!"

Melissa stepped closer to him, holding her right arm behind her back. "I found him in my yard. I couldn't believe it, either. I decided to take him in, because the poor guy could have been eaten by an animal, or squashed by a heartless person."

Tyler heard what sounded like a laugh come from the creature within the jar.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" Tyler started to becalm himself.

"Kinda. There is something else, though."

"Oh, really? But still..." He looked back towards the small human, and began to marvel at yet another surprise today. "This is pretty incredible. There are actually little people in the world. And I don't mean midgets. I mean actual little people." He moved his head closer to the jar to examine the tiny man closer; he looked to have green hair, but he could see the black roots growing from his head. "Are there more?"

"I haven't found any."

"Oh... Because I'd love to have a tiny little girl like this." Tyler looked towards Melissa. "I'd do many things to her"

"Like what?"

"I don't know... like..." Tyler started to become a bit aroused during his sentence. "Drop her in my pants or something."

"Oh my god, you pervert!"

"Kidding, kidding..." Tyler lied.

"Really...? Well, whatever. If she consents to it, then I guess I don't have anything to say about it." Melissa sounded somewhat discontented.

"Anyway, what is this other thing you wanted to show me?"

"Oh, that? It's something that you're just going to lov-"

At that point, the small man in the jar let out a loud laugh, louder than the one before. This got Tyler's attention.

"What's so funny, little man?"

The small man looked at him with what looked like a smirk on his face, and said, "You're fucked!"

"What?" He started to turn towards Melissa. "What does he mean-"

As soon as he did so, he was blinded by a bright flash of white light.

~~~

The Refugees--obviously having been told of the events outside in Melissa's room--watched as Melissa pulled her Shrink Ray out on yet another unsuspecting victim.

"She's got another one," Carlos said. "What a shame..."

"Her vacuum is right there," Dawson said. "What does she have planned for today?"

Thomas silently watched. It was almost as if he was watching himself a week ago, when she has similarly lured him to her house before he was trapped in her web.

~~~

Tyler awoke, dazed and laying on the floor. He looked upward to the ceiling, and noticed that it was much higher than usual. Almost as high as the sky. The desk and bed that he towered over mere seconds ago now overshadowed him.

And then he noticed Melissa, who appeared to be dozens of feet high. She looked down on him, smiling and holding a strange-looking gun.

"W-what is this?" Tyler asked.

"This is what I wanted to show you," Melissa said as she powered down the Shrink Ray.

"But... what did you do? Why did everything get so big?"

Melissa shook her head. "No, little Tyler, you're wrong. I didn't do anything to make everything grow. I did, however, make one thing in here shrink..."

Tyler backed away from her, with fear growing within him. "You can't be serious..." He then remembered what the man in the jar said to him, right before he was blinded. Then he realized just how she found him; or rather, what she did to him.

"Tha's right. And I have big plans for you today," Melissa said as she walked to her dresser and placed the Shrink Ray in its top drawer. "The fun will be seeing you try to survive."

"'Survive'? What?" Tyler did not want to know what she had planned for him. He had to find a way get away from this seemingly mad woman.

"Don't move, little man," Melissa said. "I'll be right back." She then walked toward her closet, and then entered inside.

Tyler knew that this was his only chance. As her attention was obviously away from him, he made a quick sprint towards the door. He had to get out. There was no way that he was going to remain in this room with this woman who was turning out to have more than a few screws lose. He had never run as fast in his entire life as he did in that moment. The door, which seemed to stretch into the heavens, slowly drew closer. He figured that he could squeeze underneath the door and then make his way outside to find help. Though that would take a miracle. Who would notice such a tiny man running around on a public sidewalk? He would be treaded on in an instant. However, just getting away from Melissa was his first priority.

Suddenly, he felt the floor vibrate beneath him. And again. And several more times. His heart dropped. He looked behind him, and saw a giant leg looming right behind him. All the while, he continued to run, and so he did not notice the giant foot that was now blocking his way. His escape attempt came to a crashing end as he ran into the heel of Melissa's foot. He was knocked onto the floor from the impact.

"Tsk, tsk." Melissa shook her head. "Didn't I tell you not to move? You're pretty disobedient."

She slid her foot back, pulling the defeated man with it.

"I just want to play with you, that's all," she said.

Tyler managed to look upward to the giantess, and saw that in both of her hands, she was holding something. Unfortunately, because of his size and angle, he could not see what it was that she held.

Minutes later, Tyler stood in the middle of the room, now joined by the green-haired man from the jar and eight other men. As he looked around at them, he noticed that they looked somewhat dirty and rugged, and wore ragged clothes; this suggested that they may have once been homeless men who were captured from the streets. He also noticed some of them glaring at the green-haired man beside him.

"Okay, here's what you all are going to do," Melissa said, standing before them. "This is going to be a survival game. You have 20 minutes to try to stay alive. If you survive for that long, I'll spare your lives. However, if only one person is still alive before the 20 minutes are up, that person will be the winner, and I'll spare him."

Tyler was confused at what she said. He turned to the green-haired man. "What is this?"

"It's just like she says," he answered in a somewhat annoyed tone. "A game of survival. You gotta stay alive by any means necessary."

"Is this a joke?!"

"Does this look like a joke?! If you're not good enough, you'll get flattened!"

"Are you serious?! Tell me you're not-"

The floor vibrated violently as Melissa stomped her foot down hard. "Did I say any of you gnats could talk? Speak out of line again, and I'll kill you right now."

Tyler immediately shut his mouth. She could not be serious, could she? Was she truly willing to murder these men? The very woman who seemed so nice before? There was only one logical explaination for these events: That they were all just a dream.

"Now, are you all ready?" Melissa asked. "On the count of three, I'll cover my eyes for a minute or so, and you all will run for your lives. Ready? Okay, then! One... two..."

Several of the small men started to prepare themselves to run on the count of two. One man had actually prematurely bolted for her bed.

"Three!" Immediately after the count of three, as the other men began to spread out across the room, she turned her attention to the small man who made the preemptive dash towards her bed. She lifted her foot above him and slammed it down, obliterating the unfortunate man underneath her sandal. "That's one down. That's what you get for breaking the rules."

"Holy shit!!" An unnerved and shocked Tyler blurted out, before he too bolted off from the center of the room. He could not believe what he had just witnessed; she had actually killed someone. Just then, he became sure of one thing; she was dead serious about the survival aspect of this "game."

Tyler looked back again, and nearly vomited at the sight of the man's remains plastered to the bottom of her flip-flop as she lifted her foot from the ground, as well as blood on the floor underneath her.

True to her word, Melissa brought her hands up to her face and covered her eyes. Some of the men--having ran in different directions--actually came very close to the giantess herself, perhaps beliving that they had a slightly greater sense of security for those few seconds that Melissa blinded herself.

Tyler arrived at one of the wall. He looked around, trying to find somewhere to take cover, to take himself out of Melissa's sight when she reopens her eyes. He saw the green-haired man, who had been running behind him beforehand, squeeze behind the dresser, which now seemed as large as the Sears Tower. Without another thought, Tyler followed behind the man.

~~~

Melissa uncovered her eyes, and watched as the Homeless scattered themselves around the room. Some under the desk, some managed to do what their fallen comrade could not and run underneath the bed. Two actually tried to run back in the closet. Unfortunately, they found that they could not squeeze under the closed door. Her first two victims.

"Okay, ready or not, here I come," she said, before turning toward and walking to the men at the closet, and kneeled down over them. "Looks like you two are out of the game, too." She said, with a sly smile.

The men screamed as Melissa weapped her hand around them and grabbed them from the floor. She stood back upright and examined the frightened men in her open palm for a few seconds. She smiled and mouthed the word "Bye" to them, before turning her palm to the side and letting them fall back onto the floor. After hitting the floor, their bodies twitched in what looked like pain; they did not seem to make any effort to stand back up to get away. As such, they could not even try to avoid Melissa's foot descending onto them. After stepping on their small frames, she twisted her foot from side-to-side, grinding them into a bloody splatter on the floor. Afterwards, she removed her foot from the spot, leaving behind a flattened mess of blood, flesh, bones, and shredded clothing.

Melissa turned her attention elsewhere. "Now," she said, eyeing the vacuum cleaner near the room's door. "Let's have a little fun..."

~~~

As Tyler made his way into the area behind the dresser, the green-haired man in front of him turned around to face him. The look on his face told that he was not all too pleased that he had followed behind him.

"What are you doing in here?!" The green-haired man angrily asked. "This is my hiding spot! Go find your own!"

Tyler glared at the man, and said, "Why don't you make me? You look scrawny. I could probably take you in my sleep."

The man gritted his teeth in anger. "You arrogant son-of-a-"

"Anyway," Tyler said, cutting off the man while looking back towards the outside floor. "Is that really Melissa? She's not acting anything like how I know." He turned back towards the man. "Why is she doing this?"

The man let out a loud sigh. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Tyler. What about you?"

"Call me Ray."

"Hmm."

"So, are you prepared?"

"For what?"

"If you live through this, you'll be trapped here for who knows how long, and you'll be forced to play whatever sick, twisted games she comes up with."

Fear began to cross Tyler's face. "Are you serious?! You can't be serious!"

"Yep. So, whatever life you had out there, you can kiss it goodbye right now!" Tyler could almost see a smirk on Ray's face as he said this.

Tyler could not believe Ray's words. However, considering that she had a reserve of homeless men in her closet, he knew that there was some sort of truth to what Ray was saying. To spend the rest of his life at the mercy of a woman as sick in the head as Melissa? That was something that he did not want. However, he also did not want to die, and what other choice did he have?

At that point, he heard what sounded like something being rolled through the room outside. Perhaps the vacuum that he had seen earlier. The thought of potentially having to face that mechanical monster made him shudder.

~~~

Melissa rolled the vacuum cleaner to the middle of her room. With its tube in hand, she got down to her hands and knees and began to look around on the floor, under her bed and desk. She barely spotted one underneath the desk, croutching in the far corner with his back turned against her. A foolish move. Perhaps he was afraid to see his impending doom.

"You idiot..." Melissa reached for the switch on the vacuum and flipped it on. The roar of the vacuum filled the room, causing the man to jump and looked behind him. He saw Melissa, and the tube drawing closer to him. He had to time to react any further, as the strong force of the vacuum effortlessly pulled him inside of the tube, his screaming drowned out by the noisy appliance.

"I think that's five... no, six left," Melissa said to herself.

She crawled on the floor, searching around the desk. Soon, she found another man behind the desk; he had apparently crawled through a hole at the bottom of the thin cardboard backside. This was a much more wise hiding spot than the man before him had chosen, but it ultimately proved to be useless.

The man screamed in horror as Melissa reached out her hand and grabbed him out from the crevice. She stood upright, clutching the screaming man in between her finger and thumb. He flailed his arms and kicked his legs, trying to free himself, though his attempts were futile. Melissa simply laughed, and released him into the tube.

"That's five," Melissa said. "This is almost too easy..."

Dropping back down on her hands and knees, she crawled underneath her bed. There were a few shoeboxes underneath, which would obscure her view of her "Bugmen". With her free hand, she swatted a few of the boxes away, revealing two more men. As the men started to run, she simply pulled the vacuum tube in front of her and aimed it towards the men, who were then sucked into the loud device. She spotted a third man, who was nearly out on the open floor; he must have began to flee as soon as he heard Melissa push the boxes aside. She simply smiled and pulled herself out from underneath the bed.

After standing back upright, she shut off the vacuum and placed the tube back into its slot on the appliance. The man was fleeing further from the bed, no doubt looking for another hiding spot. She was not going to let that happen.

She quickly stomped her foot down in front of the man's designated path. He immediately came to a stop and looked upward at the menacing face that looked back down at him. He yelped, and then turned around to head back for the bed. Melissa likewise turned around and swung her foot towards the fleeing man, kicking him back towards the bed's direction. He crashed into one of the boxes, now set just outside of the bed's edge, and afterwards tried to crawl behind the box. However, his endeavor, as well as his life, came to a complete stop as he was then crushed underneath the black sole of Melissa's flip-flop.

"Two more left..." She said. "I wonder where they are..."

She slid her foot back to smear the man's remains on the floor, and walked around the room.

"It hasn't even been ten minutes yet. Maybe twenty was a bit too much for them..." She sighed.

~~~

Tyler slowly peeked out from behind the dresser, careful so that he wasn't spotted by Melissa.

"This is crazy..." Tyler said in disbelief. He was still trying to come to grips with the current situation. Part of him still believed this to be a dream. "I can't believe she killed all of those people..."

"What is she doing now?" asked Ray, who was standing further inside.

"She's walking around the room," Tyler answered. "She looks like she's looking for the rest of them."

Just then, she looked right in Tyler's direction; he felt his heart sink into his chest as their eyes seemingly met, and he quickly pulled himself back behind the dresser.

"Oh, I swear to God, I hope you aren't behind my dresser..." Melissa said.

Then, Tyler heard her giant footsteps drawing closer.

"Is she coming?" Ray asked.

"Y-yeah!" Tyler responded as he backed away from the dresser's edge. "What do we do now-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a heavy force from behind shove him out from the dresser's backside and out onto the open floor. He stumbled a little, before he regained his bearings. ...And found himself right in front of the cruel giantess herself.

"My!" Melissa said. "How nice of you to come out and meet me, little man. You saved me a lot of effort."

Tyler started to fearfully back away, and looked back towards his former dark sanctuary, where Ray gave him a devilish grin and retreated further inside.

"You son of a bitch!" Tyler turned around and started to give chase at his traitor, but soon found himself being grabbed and lifted off of the floor by a gigantic bronze hand. Soon, he found himself staring into the giant face of Melissa.

She gave him a smile. "You're victim number nine."

"Please, don't kill me..." Tyler begged. "Don't kill me..." At this point, he could do nothing but hope that she would spare his life.

"Oh? And why not? Give me a good reason."

"I have friends and family who love me..."

"So did everyone else I killed," she said rather heartlessly. "Try again."

"Please!!" Tyler yelled. "I'll do anything! Just let me go, and I'll never tell anyone what you did!"

Melissa's eyes widened. "'Anything'?"

"Yes! Please!!"

Melissa looked as if she was pondering his pleadings for his life, before she then lowered the man onto the floor. She then slipped both of her feet out of their respective flip-flops.

"I want you to kiss my toes," Melissa said. "Every one of them."

Tyler's stomach churned at the thought of pressing his lips against her feet. Of all the things he hated, what he hated most was feeling inferior to a woman. And to him, this was the ultimate act of domination on Melissa's part. He let out a moan and slowly walked toward her giant right foot. After a moment of hesitation, he headed for its pinky toe and pelted it with kisses. He then made his way down the line, kissing on each toe that he passed. During his demeaning deed, Melissa let out several giggles; perhaps to taunt him, she wiggled her big toe on her left foot as he was kissing it, knocking him back a few inches. Melissa laughed, while Tyler let out a scowl before continuing his "job."

After kissing the final toe on the other foot, he backed away while wiping his mouth with his arm.

"Good. Very good," Melissa said, appaulding. "I like you. I think I might keep you."

Tyler contested, slightly angry. "But... you said I could go."

Melissa shook her head. "Oh, no no no no. If I let you go, who's to say that you'd keep your word about staying quiet? Not that it'd matter, anyway. I doubt anyone would believe you. After all, shrinking is science-fiction, right?" She winked at the man. "So, you're going to stay with me."

"Let me go." Tyler's anger was growing. "Please."

"No. And that's final."

Tyler became enraged. "Listen! I'm not going to stay here with you! I have a life! And I'm not going to stay here and be some crazy bitch's slave! So, you better unshrink me or else!"

Just then, he thought that he saw Melissa's mouth twitch.

~~~

Ray heard Tyler's angry outburst, and then laughed to himself. "Idiot."

~~~

Despite calling her a "crazy bitch," Melissa remained relatively calm. She took a deep breath, and then exhaled.

"Well, I WAS going to keep you and kill that Ray guy," she admitted, "but I don't feel like moving that dresser so you'll have to do now."

The look on Tyler's face changed from defiant anger to panicked fear. "Wait... Don't..."

"You should have just kept your mouth shut and became my little man, little man," she said as she lifted her right foot over him.

Tyler turned around and began to run away from her. Before he could make any headway, Melissa dropped her foot down on him, pinning him between the floor and her bare sole. Tyler squirmed and struggled underneath her foot, his screaming and yelling drowned out by her flesh. She simply laughed, relishing in the sensations of the man trying to free himself. A fruitless endeavor, if there ever was any.

"I don't know if you can hear me," Melissa said to him, "but I bet you're regretting snapping at me right now, aren't you?"

As if in response, the struggles from the man intensified. This seemed to excite her more.

"Oh yeah. You want out? Why don't you just try to free yourself, you pathetic little bug? Go on! Fight harder!"

She stood on the man for a few more minutes, taunting him and enjoying the sensations of the squirming man. Soon, she stepped off of him, revealing a sweating, gasping, weakened man laying on the floor. Melissa smiled as Tyler looked up at her; she could just barely make out the hatred in his eyes burning bright.

"Oh, look at the little bug," she taunted in a somewhat childish tone. "Bugs have no place in my house. Time for you to go squishy."

She knew that Tyler knew what was coming. Despite his weakened state, he quickly rose to his legs and began to run. Unfortunately for him, he did not run fast enough, as Melissa slammed her foot down on the man, much harder than before. This time, she felt his bones crack under her sole, as well as a warm sticky liquid. She then twisted her bare foot on the corpse, letting the ball of her foot grind the man into a pulp. The feeling of crushing a man barefoot was much more satisfying than crushing them with footwear; as such, she reserved such an end for her more "special" victims.

"That's the end of that," she said.

She then walked toward the vacuum cleaner, leaving a fading bloody trail from her right foot with each step. She opened the vacuum, and removed its bag from inside. More than likely, the men inside--the men she had sucked up beforehand--were still alive. She set the bag on the floor, and began to stomp all over it it with both of her feet for several seconds; each of the men inside were now more than likely dead. Afterwards, she picked up the bag with one hand and the handle of the vacuum with the other, and walked out of the room with them.

~~~

As Melissa exited her room, the Refugees began to walk away from the hole and back towards the campsite. Thomas and Shawn followed suit, with Dawson closely behind them.

"It's sad," Shawn said with a sigh. "We could have used him."

"Really?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah. He looked strong enough, and he had good endurance."

"I... agree," Dawson said. "But man... He was lucky that he got to kiss Melissa's sweet toes."

Thomas sighed. "There he goes again," he whispered to Shawn.

Shawn chuckled.

"And how she stomped on that bag, too..." Dawson continued. "I know she's evil and all, but I can't help myself. Especially since I love evil giantesses..."

"Maybe we should throw you out there," Shawn joked.

Dawson cringed. "No way. Not unless she herself finds me."

"Fuck that!" said a male Refugee ahead of them. "It's better if she kills those Homeless guys!"

A few of the other Refugees agreed with him.

"I guess you're right..." Dawson said.

"This Homeless hate is getting old..." Thomas muttered to himself, apparently loud enough for Shawn to nod in agreement.

~~~

Having exited from behind the dresser, Ray stood over the red splatter that was once Tyler. To think that had Tyler had cooperated with Melissa, this could have been him instead. In the end, things worked out for him.

He heard Melissa reenter the room, and before long stood over him.

"I won, right?" he asked.

"Yes, you did," Melissa smiled back. "But I gotta ask: did you push him out from there?"

"Yeah." Ray looked at the barely recognizable Tyler on the floor besides him. "Survival of the fittest, man."

Melissa chuckled a little. "I guess you're right."

She walked to her desk and grabbed the jar that sat upon its surface. She then scooped up Ray from the floor and dropped him inside.

"You like Doritos?" she asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

She opened a drawer on her desk and pulled out a near-empty bag of Nacho Cheese-flavored Doritos. She poured the contents--small bits on her scale but large enough to hold in his hands on Ray's scale--into the jar, crumbling the empty bag into a ball afterwards. "Consider that your reward. I'll get you something to drink later."

Without a word, Ray began to munch on the food as he was returned to his dark corner in Melissa's closet. After setting the jar down, she turned her attention toward the Homeless in the cages.

"Do I even need to say it?" she asked.

The Homeless did not answer in any way that Ray could hear.

"I didn't think so." She then exited the closet, closing the door behind her.

~~~

As Melissa cleaned up the bloody messes left behind in her room by the men that she had killed, she suddenly had a thought, an idea come into her head. Sayuko would be coming over tomorrow.

She thought about how good it felt to crush Tyler, as well as Hunter earlier that week, barefoot. She would never go "all-natural" with the Homeless. She felt that they were simply not worth it. However, she could have Sayuko do it instead. She wanted to see the look on Sayuko's face when she's being forced to do the deed.

"This is going to be fun," Melissa said to herself, while giving a rather evil grin.

Sitting with her legs crossed on her bed, Melissa held Taro in her palm and watched as he indulged himself on shrunken food that she had bought from a nearby fast food restaraunt. Taro bit into the cheeseburger that he held in his hands; while he savored this meal, he was hiding his contempt for the evil giantess that literally held his life in her hands.

"You know she's coming over, right?" Melissa suddenly asked.

Taro did not answer; partly because his mouth was fully, but also because he knew that she already knew his answer. It was just past noon on Sunday, which meant that his sister Sayuko would indeed be making her trip to Melissa's house.

"I don't know what you two talked about last week," Melissa said, "but she certainly didn't sound too happy to hear what you said."

Taro looked up at the woman. "I just told her to forget about me. Of course, she didn't listen."

"Of course she didn't. You ARE her brother, after all."

"Mm..." He took a bite out of the now half-eaten cheeseburger.

"I hope she doesn't chicken out, though. I don't want to have to kill you, and cause her even more grief. There's no telling what the girl might do then."

Taro felt Melissa's palm shake underneath him; Melissa stood from her bed and then started to carry him to his cabinet, his dark prison. Once there, she placed him and his food in his cage.

"Whelp, you enjoy your meal, while I go find some bugs," she said.

Taro looked up towards her. "Don't you already have a whole closet of them?"

Melissa laughed. "No, silly. Not those kind of bugs."

Without another word, Melissa closed the cabinet doors, leaving Taro to ponder over her words in the dark.

Knowing that the show outside in Melissa room would be starting at any minute now, the Refugees were already crowding around "Melissa's Hole." Thomas and Shawn made their way towards the front, joining Dawson who was already there, a look of hunger on his face as he watched Melissa close the cabinet doors outside in her room.

"Man..." Dawson said. "She gave him some Burger King. That's totally not fair. I haven't had a nice cheeseburger and fries in ages..."

"I know how you feel," Shawn said to him. "But there's nothing you can do about it, so you just have to make do what we have here. Just imagine that you're eating McDonalds or Burger King or whatever."

Dawson sighed. "It's not the same."

Thomas watched as Melissa left out of her bedroom. "So, Sayuko is supposed to be coming over here, right?" he asked.

"More than likely," Shawn answered. "She's been here for the past three weeks, and considering what's at stake, I doubt she'd stop now."

"She really does care about her brother," Thomas said, before shaking his head. "And I understand how she feels, but really... What cost is it having on her?"

~~~

Donning a pink T-shirt, white shorts, and pink and white tennis shoes, Sayuko walked down the sidewalk that would eventually lead to Melissa house. It was a rather hot Sunday afternoon, though the heat did not stop her trembling; for she knew that once arriving at the dreaded manor, she would have to slaughter more of those poor miniature people.

Even though it had nearly been a month since this whole ordeal started for her, she still found it very difficult to coldly end their lives as easily as Melissa. Their final screams haunted her nightmares, and the images of those murdered victims dominated her thoughts, so much so that she had closed herself off from the few friends that she had; not to mention her dropping performance even in classes that she originally excelled in. She was certain that she was losing her sanity.

However, losing her sanity meant nothing compared to the well-being of her brother. As long as Taro was safe, she did not care what happened to her. That was why, as cruel as it may sound, she was willing to kill anybody just to ensure her brother's safety. That was why she once again was making this trip to Melissa's house.

That still did not make it any less horrifying for her.

Soon, she arrived at the doorsteps of Melissa's house. Her shaking arm reached out for the doorbell, and her finger slowly pressed the button. However, seeming even before the bell sounded through the house, the door opened, revealing the mistress of the house with a greeting smile on her face: Melissa.

"You made it," Melissa said. "I knew you would."

Without a word, Sayuko walked into the house, and Melissa closed the door behind her.

"So, how are you doing today?" Melissa asked, seemingly trying to make smalltalk.

Sayuko turned towards Melissa. "...Fine..."

"Don't lie to me." Melissa's smile suddenly faded, and she got a more serious look on her face. "You're shaking like you're at the South Pole. I know you don't want to kill any of them."

"But I have to..." Sayuko replied.

"Correct!" Just as suddenly, Melissa became perky. "You're finally learning, little Sayu. And I have a bit of a surprise for you, too! C'mon!" She then made her way for the stairs, and started to climb them.

Sayuko took a deep breath, and followed after her. She was not looking forward to whatever "surprise" Melissa had to show her, but what other choice did she have?

~~~

The Refugees peered into the empty room, until they heard two sets of footsteps approaching the area. As expected, Melissa walked into the room, followed by Sayuko.

"They're here!" shouted a male nearby.

"Sayuko..." Thomas' attention was focused more on Sayuko than anything else. At that moment, he wished more than ever that he could help her somehow, like his did many times before in their Calculus class.

~~~

After entering into Melissa's room, Sayuko looked around the floor, expecting to catch sight of the men whose lives would be ended by her. She did not see any; perhaps Melissa had not brought them out yet.

"Okay, for today, we're going to do something special," Melissa said. "You're going to kill some bugs."

Sayuko looked at Melissa. "But I do that every week."

Melissa laughed. "No, no. Not those kind of bugs." She then walked to her desk and picked up a cloth-covered jar that was set upon it. "They're in here. Wanna see?"

Sayuko shivered, but nodded.

"Alright then." Melissa kneeled onto the floor. "Let's take a look at these pests now, shall we?"

She tipped the jar to its side and removed the cloth from its opening. Sayuko was surprised to see not the small men that she had expected, but instead actual bugs; two shiny black beetles, a green grasshopper, and a dark brown garden centipede.

"Surprised?" Melissa asked. "Not the 'bugs' you were expecting, huh?"

Sayuko watched the creeping bugs on the floor below her as they crawled around with no prediction in their movements. In a way, she was relieved, but also suspicious; while she had no qualms over killing bugs and such, she could not shake the feeling that Melissa was planning something else. After what she had to endure in the weeks before, this seemed a bit too odd.

"So, I just have to kill these?" Sayuko asked.

"Of course." Melissa stepped back, and placed the jar back on her desk.

Sayuko took a deep breath, and then stepped forward. Eyeing one of the beetles, she lifted her foot over it and prepared to stomp down, to end its life just as easily as she had done many times before with the small people.

"Hold it right there!" Melissa suddenly spoke, holding her palm out towards her. "Before you get to killing those things, you have to do something else."

Sayuko pulled her foot back to her body. "What is that?"

"I want you to take your shoes off."

Sayuko was appalled. "WHAT?!"

"Your socks, too."

Suddenly, Sayuko's fear resurfaced. "But why...? As long as I kill then, why does it matter?"

"I see you still don't understand..." Melissa placed her hands on her hips while shaking her head. "This is my house, and what I say goes. After all, you don't want your brother to pay for your insubordination, do you?"

"N-No!"

"Then you better do what I say, little Sayu."

Sayuko, now sobbing a bit, sat down on the floor and began to unlace her shoes, before pulling them off of her feet. Afterwards, she pulled off her white socks, and then stood back up while wiping tears from her face with her hand.

"God, you are such a baby," Melissa said. "Now, you can step on them."

Sayuko shivered. The idea of crushing anything barefoot disgusted her, be it these bugs, or even food. However, for her brother's safety, she had no choice but to go through with this. She slowly stepped forward, towards the same beetle from before. She took a deep breath, and lifted her right foot over the beetle, and lowered it onto the insect. She winced as she felt its shell collapse underneath her weight as she applied more and more pressure to the bug. As its body gave in, she also felt a moist sensation under her sole, perhaps the beetle's blood.

Melissa applauded. "Bravo. That didn't take too long. If only you were like this with them."

~~~

Watching the events unfold outside, the Refugees were expressing a mix of disgust and amazement at what Sayuko was being forced to do. A few were even disappointed that none of the Homeless were being executed this time.

"She's making her crush those bugs barefoot?" Dawson asked to no one in particular. "...That's kinda hot."

"No it isn't," Thomas responded. "This is just cruel. It's like Melissa just keeps finding new ways to torture her."

"Would you rather her kill the bugs or the Homeless?" Shawn asked.

"If it's uncomfortable for her, neither," Thomas answered.

"I see..." Shawn said. "But why bugs? This is odd..."

~~~

Sayuko removed her foot from the now flat bug's body, and placed it back down on the floor beside her other foot. She then looked back towards where the other bugs were on the floor inbetween them, and noticed that they were not there; they had finally seperated and scattered around the room. Melissa also noticed this, and started to look around on the floor.

"Damn," she said. "I knew I should've made a wall or barrier or something." She then took a step back. "Listen, help me find-"

Suddenly, there was a crunching sound from Melissa's direction. Melissa looked on the floor behind her, and Sayuko saw that she had crushed the other beetle underneath the heel of her left foot.

Melissa sighed. "That's one less of these guys you have to kill."

Sayuko breathed a slight sigh of relief, and then watched as Melissa searched the room for the remaining bugs. Before long, she found the grasshopper underneath her bed. However, it seemed that the centipede nowhere to be found.

"That's one fast son of a bitch," Melissa said as she stood to her feet while cupping the grasshopper in her hands. "I guess I'll just have to replace them."

"Replace them?" Sayuko asked.

"Yep," Melissa replied. "But first, deal with this guy here." Melissa released her hands from around the grasshopper and let it fall to the floor in front of Sayuko.

Sayuko gulped, before she lifted her foot and stomped down on the insect below her. The grasshopper was larger than the beetle that she had killed before, and therefore its mess was larger as well. She shuddered at the feeling of the bug's body compressing beneath her, as well as its fluids oozing out. Finally, she removed her foot and slowly looked down at it. The grasshopper was completely flat, laying in a pool of its own blood.

"Good work," Melissa said. "Now, hang tight, and I'll be right back." Melissa turned around and walked towards her closet.

At that point, Sayuko's anxiousness rose even higher. She instantly knew what Melissa had in store for her.

Moments later, Melissa returned from inside of the closet, clutching two of the small rugged men in hand. Sayuko backed away, once again shivering in fear. Melissa noticed this right away.

"Oh, come on," she said. "I already told you that I was going to replace the other bugs, right? You'll be using these bugs." She then placed the bugs on the floor in front of Sayuko. "They're all yours."

Sayuko did not move in the slightest; she merely stared at the men who were likewise shivering in fear while looking back at her. As cruel as it sounded, she wished that she had her feet were shod with her shoes at that moment; she was more willing to snuff out these men with them on than without. Crushing the insects barefoot was bad enough, but the idea of doing the same to these men was nearly too much for her to handle.

"N-no..." Sayuko muttered.

"What was that?" Melissa started to grow aggrivated. "Don't start that shit again. The sooner you kill them, the sooner you can be out of here and do whatever it is that you do."

"But... I... I..." Sayuko backed away slightly, clenching her fists close to her body.

"Dammit, Sayuko!"

An angered Melissa rushed towards her--nearly trampling the tiny men in her rage--and then grabbed Sayuko by the hair. Sayuko yelped in terror at the tight hold that Melissa had on her, and tried to pull herself free, but to no avail.

"You better do this!" Melissa barked. "Or I will kill Taro right in front of your eyes! I mean it! You got that!?"

Sayuko nodded rapidly. "Yes!"

Melissa gave a devilish smile. "Good."

Melissa released her grip from Sayuko's hair, though in a forceful way that caused Sayuko to fall onto the floor. As Sayuko stood back up, she watched as Melissa walked towards the two men in the center of the room, and kick one of them clean across the room, until he collided with the far wall. As Melissa continued to pounce on her victim, Sayuko turned her attention to the remaining man, who looked back up at her; he was just as scared as she was, so much so that he seemed to not even move.

Sayuko quietly apologised to the man, before lifting her right foot over the man. It was at that point that he finally decided to try to run away. She lowered her foot down on him before he could get far, and pinned him to the floor. She then turned her attention to Melissa, who was toying with the man that she had kicked minutes earlier and not paying much attention to her. She felt the man squirm underneath her foot; the ticklish sensation of which caused her to wince.

Now with her prey underneath her foot as well, Melissa finally turned her attention back to Sayuko.

"You didn't kill him yet, did you?" she asked.

Sayuko shook her head.

"Well, at least you have him under your foot now, so that's a start." Melissa was much calmer now than she was before; a testament to her bipolarity.

Sayuko looked at the man underneath Melissa's foot. "Are you going to kill that one...?"

Melissa looked down at the man. "Maybe. I don't feel like sitting around and waiting for you to spend hours just to kll one pathetic little bug." She sighed. "Anyway, finish the job."

Sayuko gulped and then closed her eyes, before slowly pressing down on the small man under her foot. Like the insects before him, his body began to compress. However, unlike with the insects, she heard his muffled screams of pain, which served to increase the guilt that she already had. Those screams soon came to a stop, as his bones crushed under her weight and his blood spread outward from his flattening body. She opened her eyes after she was certain that the man was no more.

"Excellent," Melissa said, applauding once again. "See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Not responding to Melissa words, Sayuko dropped onto the floor and began to sob into her hands. Melissa let out a sigh.

"You need to grow up," she said.

Seconds later, Sayuko heard a loud scream. She looked up from her hands and towards Melissa, or more specifically, the man that she had pinned underfoot. She was crushing and grinding the man's waist and legs underneath the front end of her flip-flop. His arms flailed wildly while he screamed in agony; Sayuko could not imagine the pain that he felt, and how cruel Melissa was being to him by prolonging his death.

Then, Melissa stepped off of the man's demolished legs and made her way to his head. The man looked up at her face in horror, but she simply responded with a sadistic smile. Then, she lifted the tip of her right foot over his head, and then lowered it onto his cranium. She stepped down, crushing it like a grape, and then twisted her foot to shred and grind it on the floor. His once wind arms lifelessly plopped onto the floor.

Melissa then turned her attention back to Sayuko, and took notice to the mess that was on the sole of her foot.

"Look at that. Blood and bug guts," she said. "That's nasty."

She then walked to Sayuko, grabbed her by the shoulder, and pulled her onto her feet.

"Let's go, missy! Into the bathroom with you! And hop on your clean foot. I don't want you tracking blood all through my house."

With Melissa supporting and guiding her, Sayuko was escorted out of the room, all while doing as she said and not stepping with her bloodied right foot.

~~~

"Well, looks like the show's over, folks," Dawson said, before the rest of the Refugees began to head back for the campsite.

"I'm going to hurry up and head to the bathroom hole," Thomas said.

"Oh really?" Shawn said. "Why?"

"I just want to see what's going on there," Thomas answered. "I gotta hurry though, I don't want to be late."

"You just want to make sure that your girlfriend isn't hurt anymore," Dawson slyly said.

"Shut up," Thomas replied, though he knew that there was some truth in Dawson words; not that he could do anything to help her anyway. "I'm surprised that you don't want to come watch. She is about to get her foot washed."

"Nah, man... I already have enough mental material for today."

"Mental material?"

"Yep." Dawson laughed. "I'll be in my tent for a while; don't disturb me."

"Okay, that's TMI." Thomas shook his head, before rushing away from Dawson and Shawn, but not before hearing their last words before they were out of his audiable range.

"That's sick," Shawn said.

"Hey, a man's gotta take care of himself, right?" Dawson replied.

Thomas hasted his pace. He did not know how long the two women would be in Melissa's bathroom, and hoped that he was able to reach its hole in time to even catch a glimpse of them as they were exiting.

After a tiring run, Thomas could finally see light in the distance flowing through an opening in the wall. He could also just barely make out a figure sitting near the hole. As he drew closer, he could see that this figure was none other than Gloria, who was looking out into the bathroom outside. Hearing his fast footsteps approaching, she turned towards his direction.

"Thomas," she greeted as he reached her and stalled to a stop. "I wasn't expecting you to come all the way over here."

"Yeah," Thomas responded while catching his breath. "I want to see what's going on in here."

"Oh. You're not missing much. The bitch is just washing that girl's foot."

Thomas turned towards the hole, and saw both women sitting on the bathtub's edge. Melissa was holding Sayuko's right foot in hand, while scrubbing it with a washcloth.

"I see..." Thomas sat down besides Gloria. "Hey, why weren't you watching all of that happen back there?"

"You mean the slaughterfest?" Gloria replied. "I didn't feel like it."

"Is that right? Hm..."

Thomas turned his attention back out into the bathroom.

~~~

The both of them sitting on the bathtub in the bathroom, Melissa held Sayuko's right foot in hand as she cleaned it with a soap-covered washcloth. The faucet in the bathtub was running, and the water in the tub was a slight red from the blood from Sayuko's foot. The running water also helped to drown out Sayuko's sobbing.

"You really made quite a mess," Melissa said. "You always do."

Aside from her sobbing, Sayuko remained silent; she merely stared at the water flowing from the faucet.

"And since I'm nice, I'll let you talk to Taro after this." She smiled at her. "That sounds good, right?"

Sayuko nodded. "...Arigato..." She said weakly, which was barely audiable over the sound of the water.

"Girl, we speak English in this country." Melissa focused back on her foot. "Anyway, tell me... Is there someone you like?"

"What?"

"You know...? Is there a guy who's always on your mind? Besides Taro."

"Umm..." Sayuko was confused; she had no idea where this question came from all of a sudden. "Is there a point to this question?"

"Just curious. Sheesh..." Melissa sounded annoyed.

Sayuko sighed. "He's not as you say always on my mind, but there is someone in my Calculus class who helped me alot."

"What's his name?" Melissa asked.

"Thomas. I believe his last name was Kirkland."

Melissa looked up at Sayuko; for a split second, her eyes widened in what looked like shock. "Thomas? I... don't think I've heard of him."

"Oh. Well, he wasn't in class last week, and without his help, I'm going to fail the class. I'm so ashamed of myself. I'm going to disappoint my family..." She whimpered.

"Well, maybe you should study harder," Melissa bluntly said while focusing back on her foot.

"But Calculus confuses me, and I can't study it on my own with all of this happening to me..."

"...You are a weak woman, Sayu."

~~~

Thomas listened as Sayuko talked about him and their class together. "Poor Sayuko. I wish I could do something to help her."

"You sound like her knight in shining armor," Gloria slyly said.

"I wouldn't say that." Despite this, Thomas blushed slightly.

Gloria stared at him for a few more seconds, before she turned her attention back to the bathroom.

"There, I'm done," Melissa said, before standing up and turning off the water in the bathtub.

Sayuko examined her now spotless foot, before standing up as well.

"Let's go," Melissa commanded, before walked out of the bathroom.

Thomas and Gloria watched as Sayuko took a deep breath, and followed after her.

"They're gone now," Gloria stated.

"Yeah..." Thomas stood up.

"Hey, are you planning to do anything today?" Gloria asked.

"No, not really."

"Then would you mind staying here for a while?"

Thomas was surprised; he did not expect to hear such a request from Gloria. Though he did not have any reason to turn her down.

"Sure." He sat back down besides her.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Gloria asked.

"Huh?" Thomas was confused for a few seconds, before he understood what she was referring to. "...Oh right, the food hunt. Yeah, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"I hope so. I have no idea where Ray found all the food that he did have, so we could be out there for a while."

"I just hope that we don't go the way of Ray's group..."

"Yeah..."

Afterwards there was a few minutes of awkward silence, before Thomas finally broke it.

"So, where are you from?" he asked. "You live here in town?"

"Well, I DID live here before this shit started," she answered. "But I was really born down in Tijuana. My family crossed the border when I was 12. And no, we aren't illegals."

"I wasn't thinking it."

"My family... Looking back, I can't believe what I put them through. I was the rebel of the family; I didn't care about school or anything like that, I joined the 'Morena Chicas' when I was 14, and I dropped out of high school soon after."

"What's the 'Morena Chicas'?"

"A gang."

"Oh."

"Anyway," Gloria continued, "at some point, I asked myself, 'What am I doing with my life?' I went and got my GED, and I was able to at least get into the community college. But I didn't want to end up dying and not doing anything with my life, you know? But it looks like that might happen here..."

"I'm sure that we'll be able to get out of here someday," Thomas said, trying to comfort her.

"I thought so, too, but each day I lose hope."

"Also, if you don't mind me asking..." Thomas focused a bit more on the scar on her eye. "Did you get that scar from Melissa?"

"No," Gloria answered. "This was way before Melissa. I got into a fight a few years ago with this girl who was spreading shit about me. I confronted her, and we got into it. I was kicking her ass, but then she pulled a knife out on me and... well, you see what happened."

Thomas winced at the thought of his own eye getting slashed in a similar fashion. "Wow... I can't imagine how that felt..."

"It hurt like hell and there was blood everywhere. Lucky for me, my girls were there to get me away before the bitch did any more damage." Gloria sighed. "Angela... Dulce... Yesenia... I wonder how they're doing now...?"

Thomas could tell that she was becoming nostalgic at the moment, and he did not blame her. He too often wondered about his family and his life before this ordeal started. However, he was also wondering why Gloria had wanted him to remain with her. Perhaps she wanted to build a bond with him. Either way, Thomas figured that it was nice to have allies in a place like this.

~~~

Taro heard the lock surrounding his dark prison being unraveled, before he was blinded by the light from the cabinet doors opening. As his vision became clear, he saw Melissa standing over him. She smiled at the man, and turned her attention to her right.

"Here, come talk to your brother," Melissa said. "You know the deal. You can't take him, or else you'll be sorry."

Seconds later, Sayuko appeared in front of him. The two siblings stared at each other for a few seconds; just by looking at her Taro could tell that Sayuko was suffering on both the inside and outside.

"Brother," Sayuko said in Japanese. "How are you doing?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Taro responded, also in Japanese. "I heard some yelling and a thud earlier. Did Melissa do anything to you?"

"No... I just tripped and fell."

Taro knew that she was lying. "Are you okay?"

"Yes..."

"Sayu-chan... What did I tell you last week? I told you not to worry about me and build bonds with someone else."

Sayuko's eyes began to water. "Why do you keep trying to chase me away?! I told you I can't ever abandon you! You're my brother!"

Taro sighed. "I understand how you feel, but this is not healthy for you. What about Thomas?"

"I... I didn't see him all week..."

"Oh. Well, don't give up on him just yet. Next time you see him, offer to spend some time with him. Or if not him, then someone else. I know you have friends, right?"

"My friendships are withering because of all of this..."

"Build them back up. Seriously, this is too much for you. There are times where you just have to let go of the people you care about the most in order to move on with your life."

"'Let go'? Brother, how could you...?"

"Sayu-chan, listen to me." Taro walked closer to Sayuko. "I'm afraid of your mental well-being. I don't want you to end up in a psych ward after all of this is done. You need to just... never come back here. You can use all of the money left in my account to substain yourself for a year or so."

Sayuko burst into tears. "NO!! I just can't!! I love you!! More than anything in the world!! Whatever it takes, I'll make sure you're safe!! Please, Brother!!"

"Even if you're still killing people when you're an old woman?"

"Yes!! As long as you're safe..."

"Sayu-chan... you're being irrational. Living like this... living a life where you're forced to kill countless people just to delay the death of one is... it's just wrong. Just let her kill me. At this point, I would welcome death with open arms."

"Brother!! No!!" Sayuko was becoming more manic.

"It's the truth. I love you, Sister. I mean it, I do. But I've made peace with my demons. I'm ready any day now. I'll be seeing Mother and Father again soon."

"I won't let that happen!" Tears started to pour down Sayuko's face. "Even if I have to, I'll become just like Melissa! I'll kill as many people as I need to. I'll make sure you stay alive for years to come!!"

Taro jumped at this statement; her words shocked him to his core. "Sayu-chan, no! Didn't you hear a single word I said?!"

"See you next week, Brother! I'll keep you alive and safe!" Ignoring his last words, Sayuko turned and quickly ran out of the room, leaving behind a bewildered Taro and Melissa.

Melissa stood and walked to the opened cabinet. "Running again. You must've really upset her. But I do feel sorry for her."

"What do you mean?" Taro asked.

"In the bathroom, she told me about the guy she liked: Thomas Kirkland."

"What about him?"

"I've already shrunken him. Last week."

Taro's mouth dropped in disbelief.

"Though, he's gone now like the others. I almost feel guilty about taking away her crush, as well as her only chance of passing that class that she said she's failing. Almost." Melissa laughed. "Oh well... That's life for you."

Taro spoke in Japanese under his breath. "You evil woman..."

As she closed the cabinet's doors, she adressed Taro one last time. "I don't want you telling her about that little tidbit, so let's keep that between you and me. Alright?"

"...Sure..." Taro reluctantly agreed.

"Good."

The last thing Taro saw was Melissa's smile, before it disappeared behind the closing doors. He heard the lock and chain being placed back around the doors, to ensure that no one but Melissa had access to him.

Taro sighed, and sat down on the soft ground.

"Melissa, how many lives must you ruin to satisfy your sick pleasures?"

It had just passed 7:30 in the evening, as Melissa sat on her bed while preparing herself for the night ahead. Donning a white singlet top and black mini-skirt, she held her cell phone aat her ear against its shoulder, while using both of her hands tie the straps of her black stilletto sandals.

"The club isn't that far from the school, actually," Lauren said on the other side of the line. "We're going to meet up with Kate there, and go from there."

"Oh?" Melissa sounded slightly surprised. "Kate's going?"

"Yep. She sounds eager to try and find a guy this time."

"I hope so." Melissa finished tying the straps on her shoe, and released the phone from her shoulder, only to grab it with her right hand. "The guys around here like those Barbie-looking blondes. Sometimes I wonder why, if she's so desperate, why she doesn't just dye her hair."

"She's proud of being a ginger."

"Uh-huh, and how's that working out for her?"

Lauren laughed. "Not too well."

Melissa stood up and grabbed her purse from her bed. "Well, I'm about to head out, so I'll meet you at your house in a few."

"Alright, gurl! See you soon!"

"Bye!"

Melissa closed her cell phone and started to head out of the bedroom. Before exiting, she looked back behind her. It would be a fun night, no doubt, but not even the club could compare to her newfound passion. Perhaps she herself would be lucky enough to bring home an unsuspecting guy. She hoped that to be the case as she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Several hours had passed since Thomas had joined Gloria at her "special spot". The two had talked for a while, though now they were both tired, as Thomas' head was bowed down half-asleep and Gloria was resting her head on his shoulders.

He was awakened from his drowsiness when he heard footsteps from his left. He looked in that direction and saw that it was Shawn who was approaching them. Thomas lightly nudged Gloria's head with his shoulder, and turned her attention to Shawn.

"Well, this is a surprise," Shawn said. "I can't believe you were here all this time, Thomas."

"Yeah," Thomas replied. "We just chatted, that's all."

"That's good, though. Good to talk to people, get to know them, get things off your chest. And you two aren't the only ones spending time with someone else right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Dawson is with Jenna."

"Are you kidding me?!" Gloria exclaimed. "He actually got someone to pleasure him?!"

"Yep," Shawn answered.

"Pleasure?" Thomas asked. "You don't mean..."

"He managed to get one of the girls to let him play with her feet?!" Gloria was disgusted almost to the point of anger.

Shawn nodded. "Exactly."

"Ugh..." Gloria slapped her palm against her forehead.

"Dawson once told me how the girls here didn't let him do it to them because they thought it was weird and disgusting," Thomas said. "I wonder what changed?"

"Well, he pretty much begged," Shawn said. "I guess Jenna either felt sorry for him, or just wanted him to shut up. Either way, there's no telling that she's doing it out of pity. The rest of us got a good laugh out of the whole thing, though."

Gloria balled her fist. "Damn. I can't believe I missed that."

~~~

Dawson kneeled before Jenna, who looked down at him with a pathetic expression on her face; seemingly looking at him as if he was indeed pitiful for going so far as to beg her for this private session. Jenna herself was a pale-skinned, brown-haired young woman with a striking pair of green eyes. As if to match her physical features, she also wore a green T-shirt and brown jeans; in his eyes the jeans served to enhance the fact that she was barefoot.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into doing this," Jenna said. "I'm still thinking about just kicking you out."

"C'mon," Dawson begged. "Girls like getting massages, I know that much. Just think of this as that."

"How can you even give a good footrub if you only have one arm?"

Dawson smiled. "Sit back and relax, and I'll show you."

He reached out and grabbed Jenna's left leg, and pulled her foot towards him. Then, with her sole facing him, he started to rub it with his thumb while holding her foot tightly so that he did not lose his grip. A challenge for him; he had given foot massages many times in the past before, but this was the first time that he did so with only one arm thanks to his encounter with Melissa.

"You do have very pretty feet," Dawson said. "You should try to keep them clean, though."

"I can't exactly do that," Jenna replied. "My shoes wore out, see?" She pointed her thumb behind her, towards a pair of ragged white tennis shoes. "And it's not like we have any showers here or-"

Jenna's words were interrupted as Dawson pressed his lips against her sole. He looked up to her face, which wore a disgusted look.

"What are you doing!?" Jenna tried to pull her foot away, but was unable to do so; Dawson himself was surprised at how strong a grip he had with even his single arm.

"Why don't I clean your feet for you?" Dawson asked with a sly look on his face.

"How?!"

"How else?" Dawson winked.

"Oh my God..."

Dawson pulled her foot closer to his face, and then started to lick on her sole. He ran his tongue up and down on the ped, and then started to work its way between each of her toes; this one of which caused Jenna to flinch. Afterwards, he gave the sole another run along with his tongue, before turning the foot's instep towards him and planting a kiss on it.

"Are you done yet?" Jenna asked, obviously annoyed and disgusted. It seemed that even though she agreed to this, she did not fully understand what she was getting herself into.

"No, not yet," Dawson answered.

"My foot is drenched in your slobber now! What are you going to do now?!"

Dawson did not reply with words. Instead, he pulled the foot--or more specifically, her toes--closer to his face, and engulfed its big toe with his open mouth, and began to suckle on her digit and lick its underside.

"Oh God..." Jenna groaned.

Obviously Jenna was not enjoying this in the least. Dawson figured that he should perhaps enhance it for her in the next "activities".

~~~

Ray sat against the glass wall of his jar prison. In this dark, dimly lit world, he had lost all concepts of time, and he had no way to entertain himself. It came as no surprise that he was bored. All he could do was wait for the day when Melissa would finally put him out of his misery.

With the Refugees, he at least had some kind of fun, despite the situation they were all in. When he was first recaptured by Melissa, he did not care what happened to them, but now that he had been kept alive longer than he initially thought he would, he found himself actually missing his companions. Though he mainly thought highly of Bruce, but that was justification enough to reunite with them.

He looked out in front of him. Darkness beyond the glass. The three cages filled with the Homeless to the right side. The dim lightbulb hanging from the ceiling of the closet.

He stood, and ran towards the glass wall. He jumped, and with all of his might, kicked the glass. He fell back to the glass floor, his leg aching.

He stood up and ran for the wall again.

~~~

"Gloria," Thomas called. "About Joe... Were you two close?"

Gloria turned to him, and let out a sigh. "I guess you could say that. He was one of the few decent people here."

"Joe was sorta like you, Thomas," said Shawn, who was now sitting behind them. "He didn't like how Melissa basically used the Homeless as fodder, and that the rest of the Refugees seemed to enjoy watching them get slaughtered. He was also chivalrous; he showed women respect, something a lot of guys here don't seem to do."

"He sounds like he would have been a better leader than Bruce," Thomas stated.

"Of course," Gloria agreed. "Bruce... I'm not denying his strength, but he just doesn't seem to have the drive. He talks about leading us out of here, but when will that be? He's been spouting the same bullshit for the longest. I'm starting to think that he actually wants to stay in here."

"Why wouldn't he want to leave?" Thomas asked.

"I don't know. Maybe he's already satisfied with what he does down in the Lower Levels."

"What's down there, anyway?"

Gloria shrugged. "I have no idea."

"You could ask him the next time he comes up here."

"I doubt he'd tell me. I don't even think Ray knew what he does down there."

"Oh..."

The three sat quietly in the amber light eminating from the bathroom outside; the day looked to be nearly over. Thomas could not help but become a bit nostalgic; back in his old life, he spent a few evenings in the local park, either with his younger brother or just to get out of the house.

"So, Thomas," Shawn called. "What did you do for fun before coming here?"

"'Fun'?" Thomas replied. "Well, I guess when I'm not studying or working, I was either on the Internet or playing my games. I have a Wii and a DS."

"I see," Shawn said. "I'm not really a gamer, but the whole motion thing the Wii has interested me. I was trying on-and-off to buy one, but they were always sold out."

"Yeah, I heard about how hard it was for some people to find one. I was lucky enough to get mine on the launch day. Anyway, I also watch anime and read manga." Thomas chuckled. "I am such a geek."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Shawn said. "Geeks run the world, you know? But I'm guessing that you aren't that successful with the ladies?"

"How could you tell?" Thomas asked.

"I had a few friends who were like you."

"Oh. Well, yeah. They don't seem to want me, and eventually I just said 'Fuck it', and just decided to focus on school. But I just had to try with Melissa. I should have known that something was up when a girl like her actually didn't outright reject me. I didn't think too much about it, though, and now look what happened..."

"Hey..." Shawn said in a rather comforting tone. "How were you supposed to know that Melissa was going around shrinking, kidnapping, and killing people? I know that the disappearances were in the news, but how were you supposed to suspect Melissa?"

"You're right," Thomas said. "But still, when I think that I could have just cancelled on her or not even have asked her out, all this could have been avoided."

"But then you wouldn't have met us," Gloria said.

"True."

Shawn stood up. "Why don't we head back?"

Thomas nodded, and turned towards Gloria. "Are you coming?"

Gloria stared at him for a few seconds, before replying, "Sure, why not?"

Both Thomas and Gloria stood to their feet, and the three of them left the glow of the bathroom outside and into the dark corridors of the walls, heading back towards the campsite.

Gloria was right, Thomas thought. If this ordeal had not had started, he would not have meet her, Shawn, or Dawson. They were all rather interesting people, all of whom were willing to stand by him. Through this rather tragic event, he may have found new friends.

~~~

Sheryl walked to the far corner of her group's glass cage, where several of her Homeless allies were huddled together and watching the jar off in the distance. Though it was dark, they could still make out the green-haired man inside of said jar jumping at and kicking the inside of the jar.

"What is he doing?" Sheryl asked them.

A male turned towards her. "We don't know. He started doing this a while ago, and hasn't stopped since."

"Is that so?" Sheryl responded. "Maybe the kid's finally had it."

~~~

Dawson laid on the ground, face-up and looking at Jenna, who stood over him with her hands on her hips. She looked thoroughly annoyed with this entire situation.

"I think you're going to love this one," Dawson said. "With this next thing, you can pretend that you're getting back at me."

"And what am I supposed to be doing now?" she asked.

"You're going to walk on me."

Jenna's disgusted look returned. "What?"

"That's right. My neck, my chest, and especially my face! Feel free to stomp as hard as you want, too! I don't mind at all!"

"How am I supposed to be getting back to you if you're going to be enjoying it?!"

"Just pretend that I'm not." Dawson smiled.

"I swear to God, you are such a freak..." Jenna sighed, before stepping forward and walking onto his chest.

Dawson gritted his teeth at the weight being pressed down onto his body, as Jenna looked as if she was trying to balance herself, to keep from falling off of him. Then, with her right leg, she held its foot over Dawson's head and then lowered it onto his face. Afterwards, he felt her start to step down with more and more force; between her foot and the floor, his head was aching, and yet he could not help but become aroused. He started to lick her sole once again, and upon his tongue meeting her flesh, the weight briefly lightened, as if she had flinched again. Before he could go any further, she removed her foot from his face.

"What's wrong?" Dawson asked, a bit disappointed.

Jenna did not answer. Instead, she once again lifted her foot over his face, and stomped down hard. The back of his head smashed against the floor, as she lifted her foot from his face, and repeated the process by stomping down again. And again. And several more times.

"You." Stomp. "Are." Stomp. "Such." Stomp. "A." Stomp. "Freak." Jenna drove her foot into his face a last time, this time twisting and grinding her foot onto his forehead.

Then, she moved her foot down to his neck, and started to pressed down with more and more force. As such, Dawson found it harder and harder to breathe, but that did not deter from the excitement that he was feeling at the moment. After a nearly a minute of her foot pressed against his throat, she released her hold. Breathing heavily, Dawson watched as she stepped down on his groin, and felt her foot against his stiff member through his pants. This only served to further disgust Jenna.

"I can't believe you're getting off on this," she said.

"There... are much... worse... things people... get off on... in this world..." Dawson replied between breaths.

Jenna sighed, and stepped off of his groin. Then, she walked to his head, and stood on his face; 100+ pounds of a human body balanced right on his head. Afterwards, she started to jump up and down on him as if he were a trampoline. Dawson was surprised that she even considering going this far into this session; he never had a woman jump on his face before. Inside, he was happy that, even in imprisonment, he found something new to incorporate into his footplay; that is, if he were to ever make it out of Melissa's house.

Soon, Jenna stepped off of Dawson's face, and walked to her cot in the back of her tent. Dawson wiped his face with his arm, and felt a liquid eminating from his nose. Blood. His nose may have been broken; having another human stomp and jump on your face would do that to you, he thought.

He sat up and looked towards Jenna, who merely shook her head in pity.

"I hope you're satisfied," she said as she wiped the blood from her foot with a loose sheet of cloth. "Because that's all I'm doing for you."

"Hell yeah I'm satisfied," Dawson said with glee. "You'd make a very cute foot model. I'm sure lots of guys would love to be trampled under your cute feet."

Jenna twitched. "Get out of here."

Dawson stood up to his feet. "So you're going to kick me out? That's okay. I have to thank you, though. You have no idea how long I was in withdrawal. Combined with the earlier show with Melissa, I think I'll be sleeping happy all night."

"I said get out!" Jenna said indignantly.

"Okay, okay... But when do you think we can do this again?"

"Are you kidding?! This was a one-time thing! I'm not going to do this again!"

"C'mon, Jenna... We have to get together again-"

"ERRR-AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Taken by surprise, Dawson turned around towards the tent's opening. "What was that?"

"Sounded like a scream," Jenna replied.

Suddenly, there was a lot of commotion outside in the campsite, filled with more screams and yelling.

"A monster!"

"Noo!! Get away!!"

"Kill it! Kill it, please!!"

Dawson looked back to Jenna, who now had a worried and fearful look on her face. "Stay here."

His heart racing, he ran outside of her tent and emerged into the campsite itself, to see what exactly was going on.

What he saw next made his heart sink into his chest in absolute horror.

~~~

As Thomas, Gloria, and Shawn approached the campsite, they took notice to the loud commotion coming from what sounded like the direction that they were headed in.

"What's going on?" Shawn asked. "What's all of that noise for?"

They listened for a few more seconds, before Shawn bolted towards the campsite. Thomas and Gloria looked at each other, before following after him. Upon arriving, all three were taken by shock to see a truly horrible sight: A giant garden centipede. Perhaps the exact same one that escaped from Melissa earlier that day. A few of the males were already holding it off with sewing needles and anything else they could get their hands on.

"How did that thing get in here?!" Shawn exclaimed, before rushing off to the side.

Thomas merely stared in horror at the beast. His legs were shaking. He could not believe how hideous and horrifying this beast was up close.

"Thomas?" Gloria called to him. "Thomas, are you alright?"

Thomas did not reply, or even move in the slightest.

"Move!" Carlos ran from behind them, clutching a pin needle in hand, and threw it at the monster as if it was a javelin. Unfortunately, it proved to be ineffective, as it bounced off of its body and fell onto the ground. It turned its attention towards Carlos, and Thomas and Gloria who happened to be behind him. It then started to run towards them, completely disregarding those who were already trying to ward it off.

"Oh shit!" Thomas exclaimed, before running to his left and inside one of the empty tents.

"Thomas, where are you going?!" Gloria called out.

Thomas did not respond to her words. He instead ran to the back of the tent, and hid inside, waiting for this to all be over.

~~~

Shawn watched as the centipede ran through the campsite, being chased by the other Refugees. As he checked with the others to see if they were not seriously harmed, he heard another scream from the centipede's direction.

"Shit! It got Terry!" said one of the Refugees.

"Let him go, you son of a bitch!" said another.

Shawn's heartbeat became more rapid as he looked towards the centipede's direction, and saw it disappear into the darkness, with Carlos and a few of the other Refugees in tow. It seemed that the monster had finally been chased away from the campsite. Shawn breathed a sigh of relief, and continued to examine the state of their campsite.

"Shawn!" Dawson called out to him as he stepped closer to him.

"Dawson!" Shawn said. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I almost blacked out when I saw that thing, though. It was practically in my face."

Shawn noticed his bloody nose. "Look at your nose! Did that thing do that to you?!"

"Oh, no. Jenna did this."

"Oh..." Shawn breathed a slight sigh or relief. It had not been caused by the centipede, but it was still a bloody nose nonetheless. "Let's check up on the others."

Dawson nodded in agreement, before the two went off to examine the well-being and state of the remaining Refugees and the campsite itself.

~~~

Hearing that the noise outside had died down, Thomas reemerged from the tent that he had sought refuge in. The Refugees were in disarray, with a few of the tents having been toppled and displaced objects strewn about.

He then noticed Gloria standing several feet away, looking right in his direction.

"Gloria..." he called out.

She merely shook her head in disappointment, and walked away from him.

Thomas watched her depart, and let out a sigh. Did his reaction to the centipede cause her to reconsider her feeling about him? He hoped that that was not the case, as he started to walk through the ransacked campsite and watching the shaken Refugees trying to clean and reorganize the place.

~~~

Ray stood back up, having fallen onto the floor again. He had lost count of how many times he had jump-kicked the glass. Although it did not look like it from an outside observer, he did had a plan: Melissa did not tighten the lid on the jar. In fact, she merely just placed it onto the jar's opening. Furthermore, the jar itself was placed on a small box, so it was elevated a bit from the floor. Ray figured that if he kicked the glass hard enough, the jar would tip over and off of the box, the lid would come off, and he could then escape and find a way to go back to the Refugees. Or maybe even lead them out of the house. He would be regarded as a hero if, on his way to reunite with them, he found a way out of the house that would lead to their freedom.

A man who was once considered lost would return, with a way to sure freedom.

Even Bruce would praise him.

Armed with this ambition, Ray ran for the glass again, and jumped and kicked at the wall again.

~~~

It was nearing 1am that night, as Melissa stepped into her house. She closed the door behind her, and turn on the light of the main hallway. It had been a fun night for her, though she was unable to lure anyone to her house tonight. No problem, as she knew that she'd get lucky next time. Besides, with school the next morning, she could not afford to be up and about too late.

She took a few steps towards her living room, before she felt something crunch underneath her sandal.

"What the hell?"

She lifted her foot, and looked down on the floor at whatever it was that she stepped on. It turned out to be a centipede, perhaps the same one that had escaped from her earlier. The bug had completely slipped her mind since her time with Sayuko, and here it was, crushed to death on the floor below her.

"Might as well clean this up now," Melissa said as she opened her purse and prepared to pull out a sheet of tissue.

As she kneeled down, she noticed something else: a tiny human body just barely in the centipede's mouth. He looked to he long dead, however; it was not Melissa who had killed him.

"Hmm..." She shrugged, before wiping the mess from the floor and then walking into the kitchen. Once there, she opened the trash bin by stepping on its pedal, and dropped the tissue inside.

Ray did not know how much time had passed since he had initiated his attempt to free himself. However, considering that Melissa had not yet arrived to feed her prisoners, perhaps morning had not broken yet.

His legs were aching, as was the rest of his body from taking so many falls onto the hard ground. Despite this, after each fall, he got right back up and lept for the wall again. There were times where he felt the jar tip slightly, and he could tell that it was slowly but surely being inched forward on the small box that it set upon. These two details made him much more determined to escape.

He took another deep breath, before running for the wall yet again. He jumped as high as he could, and drove his foot into the glass wall. Like many times before, he expected to fall back to the ground so that he could try again.

Instead, he stayed affixed to the wall.

He felt and saw the world around him seemingly fall to the side.

He felt the jar topple from its box and onto the closet's floor. It's lid fell off and rolled somewhere else.

Ray stood there in astonishment, staring through the jar's opening into the dark closet beyond, fighting to contain his joy.

He had succeeded.

Wasting no time, and despite his aching body, he ran through the opening, and then onto the closet floor.

He would be reunited with the Refugees soon enough.

Thomas stood before the colony, beside Gloria and Carlos. He was apprehensive; all eyes were on them, or more specifically, on him. Monday had finally arrived, and it was nearly time for the trio to depart for their first "food hunt." All three wore backpacks, the last remaining ones, and flashlights. Carlos, being the appointed leader, also wielded a pin needle, the very same one he had thrown at the centipede the night before.

He looked towards Gloria, who looked to be trying her hardest to ignore him. Ever since last night, since he had fled from the centipede, she had been avoiding him. He tried to talk to her again after things had settled down, but she turned him away. He wondered if he was now at risk of being thrown out of the colony. After all, Bruce had a very obvious liking toward Gloria, and if she were to tell him that she lost interest in Thomas, no doubt Bruce would immediately kick him out as soon as he heard how Thomas reacted to the intruder.

Luckily, Bruce had not appeared at all since Saturday. Thomas was safe. At least, for the time being.

Dawson approached him, and placed his hand on his shoulder. "This is it. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Thomas replied, barely convincing even himself. "Melissa's gone, right?"

"Yep. Took her books and everything."

"If we hurry, we should be able to get does before she gets back," Carlos said. "I don't expect her to be back until late today, anyway."

"I hope you're right," Thomas said. The news that Melissa would be out for most of the day still did not slow his racing heart.

"You're not going to run like a little bitch again, are you?" A snide male said from the colony, which gardered laughs from many of the Refugees. Even Gloria chuckled a little. Thomas merely muttered to himself as Dawson glared in the direction of the perpetraitor.

"Be quiet, all of you," Carlos ordered. "You all can't say that you weren't scared, either."

"He's the only one who made such a show about it!" The same male replied. "Are we supposed to trust him with finding food for us?!"

"When he does, I'm sure each and every one of you are going to shut up."

"Carlos, forget it," Gloria intervened. "Let's just go."

Thomas heard Carlos mutter something in Spanish, which garnered a harsh sigh from Gloria, before the two began to walk down the dark corridor of the large house's wall. Thomas took one last look at the distrustful faces of the Refugees, before following closely behind them.

He hoped that if they did return with rations, the Refugees would at least begin to consider rethinking their opinion of him.

~~~

Seemingly an hour had passed since Thomas' group left the Refugees, though Thomas was not exactly sure of how much time had passed. In that time, they had descended several floors down during their trek to Melissa's kitchen, using pipes and strings that had been set up by the Refugees beforehand. The journey was also rather quiet, none of them barely saying anything other than what was necessary.

He looked towards Gloria, in front of him to his right. She did not even so much as look at him at all since leaving the campsite. He wondered if he could somehow get back on her good side; the risk of her getting him expelled from the Refugees was eating at his mind since the night before, and he felt that he had to somehow make things right. He tried explaining his reason for his action earlier, but she merely turned away; now, there was no turning away for her, he figured.

"Gloria," he called.

There was no answer. Despite this, Thomas continued anyway.

"About last night, I know I freaked out. I'm not exactly fond of centipedes, so seeing one so huge...I kinda just acted on instinct. I couldn't help it, so-"

"Carlos," Gloria called, seemingly ignoring Thomas. "How long until we reach the kitchen?"

"It shouldn't be that long now," Carlos replied. "We still have a ways to go, though."

"Okay."

Their walk became silent once again.

"Gloria, were you even listening to me?" Thomas suddenly asked.

No reply. Carlos glanced back at Thomas, and gave him a somewhat worrisome look. Thomas merely sighed heavily.

~~~

Mouth watering, Dawson approached Jenna, who's back was turned against him and was talking with a few of the other females. They pointed towards him, and she turned around to see him drawing closer. The look on her face could be best described as a mix of disgust and horror.

"Oh, no no no!" She exclaimed in anger. "Get away from me, you pervert!"

"Don't be like that," Dawson said as he reached the group of girls. "I bet that you enjoyed our session last night."

"In your dreams! Get away from me!"

"Denial is a vicious beast, you know." Dawson winked at her.

"I said leave!"

"Aw, c'mon, Jenna," said Beatrix, a raven-haired female with Jenna. "Why don't you give him something else to remember you by?" This comment was met with giggles from the other women.

Jenna quickly turned towards her. "No way! Why don't YOU do it?!"

Beatrix blinked her eyes twice. "Not a chance."

"Now that you mention it..." Dawson said. "I want to see ALL of you ladies' feet! Come, come! Take your shoes off on the double!"

Jenna's group all looked at each other, before giving their collective answer: "NO!"

Dawson flinched. "You ladies are so cruel. I just want a lttle peek-"

"Hey, niggas! I bet y'all missed me, huh?!" Shouted a sudden, yet familiar, voice from the dark corridors.

Dawson and Jenna's group all looked towards the direction where the voice originated from. Soon enough, a figure emerged from the darkness; a figure none other than Ray. Dawson could not believe his eyes.

"Ray!" he exclaimed.

As soon as they caught sight of him, the other Refugees--Jenna and her group included--rushed to his side, all surprised and some even excited to see a man they thought as good as dead returning from the abyss. Dawson followed after them, and joined the marveling circle that was now surrounding their once-lost companion who wore a cheerful, if not slightly arrogant, expression on his face.

"That's right!" Ray said. "I'm back from the dead!"

"Unbelievable!" Dawson exclaimed. "How'd you escape?"

Ray laughed. "It's amazing what steel-hard determination can do. I managed to tip over that jar I was in by jump-kicking it over and over again, and from there I made my way up here. But not before taking a little detour."

"'Detour'?" Shawn repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I wanted to see if I could find a way out of this house on my own." Ray looked around, as all of the Refugees' eyes were upon him expectantly. He grinned. "...I found one."

There were several gasps heard from the surrounding circle.

"You mean you actually found a way out of here?" Dawson could hardly believe Ray's words. It was not as if Ray was a trustworthy person.

"Didn't I just say that?" Ray replied. "So, what do you all say?" He looked around himself. "Why don't we all make for our freedom?"

The Refugees all began to cheer at this notion.

"Hold it!" Shawn interjected, which ended the cheering. "When are you planning this grand exodus of yours?"

"Right now," Ray answered.

"That's not a good idea."

Ray grunted. "And why's that?"

"First of all, you need Bruce's approval, and he's been gone for days. Second, we sent out a new Food Squad a while ago, and they haven't returned yet."

"You made a new one? Who's in it?"

"Carlos, Thomas, and Gloria," Dawson answered.

"Oh... Well I'm sure they'll catch up with us later."

"Are you really planning to leave them behind?"

"Yeah," Ray nonchalantly answered. "If we wait any longer, Melissa will come back."

Some in the circle voiced their agreement with Ray. It seemed with them that, now that this opportunity was looking them in the faces, it was now or never.

"So, everyone!" Ray vehemontly yelled. "Are you all tired of rotting in this house, and waiting for Bruce to lead you out of here? Don't you want to leave as soon as possible?"

The Refugees, sans Shawn and Dawson, agreed loudly.

"Then follow me! Follow me to freedom!" Ray walked through the crowd, and started to walk towards the very path from where he had arrived. The Refugees started to follow after him; before long ony Shawn and Dawson were left behind.

'I can't believe they're all following him like that," Shawn said. He then turned towards Dawson. "What do you want to do?"

Dawson sighed. "Let's follow him and see if he's not just talking out of his ass."

"What about Thomas and the others?"

"If Ray's telling the truth, you can come back in and lead them out."

"Why me?"

"I'd do it myself, but..." Dawson drew Shawn's attention towards his missing arm. "It's hard enough for me to get down there, so getting back up here by myself would be impossible."

"True... Well, let's go then."

Both Dawson and Shawn started to follow the Refugees, making their way out of their campsite and into the darkness.

~~~

"I think this is our target floor," Carlos said as he watched Thomas and Gloria slide down the string tied to a post above. "We just have to find the way into the kitchen now."

Thomas jumped from the string and planted his feet onto the ground. "Do you know what the kitchen looks like?"

"Yeah," Carlos replied. "I've been in there before, right before Melissa shrunk me."

"Oh. Okay then."

Thomas looked towards Gloria, who stepped away from him rather suddenly as soon as his eyes gazed upon her. Both she and Carlos, and soon Thomas behind them, continued on through their dark path, illuminated by their flashlights.

~~~

Having been given a flashlight, Ray led the Refugees through the darkness. Perhaps an hour had passed since they started this journey. Some of them were apprehensive, some were already exhausted.

"We don't have much further to go," Ray said. "I was able to make a landmark if you will, so once I see that, we should be good to go."

Following behind in the back, Shawn leaned in towards Dawson and whispered, "I feel bad about leaving the others behind. Too bad we seem to be the only ones who care about Thomas, though."

"Yeah," Dawson agreed, right before he came with a sudden realization. "Wait a minute...!"

Dawson ran through the crowd in front of him, and then stop right in front of Ray and turned to face the green-haired man, causing him and the rest of the group to stop in their tracks.

"What do you want now?" Ray asked, annoyed.

"If and when we do get out of here," Dawson started, "what then? It's a whole different ballgame out there; animals and bugs will try to eat us, and we'll get stepped on by people who don't care enough to look down. That's not even getting into the fact that it'll take days, or even weeks, until we find someone who gives two shits about those of us who remain to help us."

Ray's look of aggrivation slowly shifted into a more manical expression, before he began to laugh. This behavior confounded Dawson, as well as the other Refugees.

"Still, you gotta admit," Ray finally said after laughing, "going out there and actually doing something is better than sitting in here doing nothing, right?"

With these words, doubts were cast upon the Refugees' minds. Dawson heard them chatter amongst themselves, and could make out that some of them were taking into account what Dawson had said about the outside world.

"So you're just leading us to our deaths?!" Jenna angrily asked Ray.

"Think of it like this," Ray replied. "You all would be in the exact same situation if it was Bruce doing this instead. Don't tell me you're about to chicken out..."

The Refugees all looked around at each other, before a male's voice was heard from the crowd.

"No way!" he said. "We've been waiting months for this chance, and we're not about to just give up on it! Ray's right! Whether it be him or Bruce, we'd still have to deal with the outside world! We just have to man up and accept the risks!"

The others slowly started to agree with this spirited speech, and before long, they were all cheering.

"Wonderful!" Ray applauded the renewed enthusiam of his comrades. "Let's press onward!"

Dawson stood in place and watched as Ray and the Refugees walked past him, continuing towards the path that Ray was leading them through.

Shawn passed him as well. "I guess we have no choice but to keep going," he said.

Dawson let out a sigh, and reluctantly followed after the group.

~~~

Still walking through the dark wall interiors, Thomas looked ahead and squinted his eyes. He could see rays of light off in the distance.

"I think I see light," Thomas said.

"That must be the kitchen, then," Carlos said. "We finally made it."

Within minutes, the trio reached the source of the light. Sure enough, it was the opening that led into Melissa's kitchen. Thomas calmed his nerves. This was where his drive to serve the Refugees would truly be tested.

"Now comes the hard part," Carlos said. "I don't know where Melissa leaves the food, nor do I know where Ray's group found their's. We're going to have to look in as many places as we can."

"I'm up for it," Thomas said.

"At least you're up for something," Gloria snidely remarked.

At this point, Thomas' patience had worn out. His mood now sour, he turned to face Gloria.

"Okay, you know what? Fuck you," he said. "I tried explaining myself, but you wouldn't listen. And that's the first thing you say to me?! You're just as fake as the rest of them!"

Obviously, Thomas' words served to anger Gloria. "What did you say?!"

"You heard me!" Thomas stepped closer to her. "I don't care what you do! Tell Bruce and get me kicked out! I know you want to!"

"I think I just might!" Gloria's fiery eyes stared right into his.

"Do it, then!"

Carlos moved inbetween the two, and seperated then from each other with his hands. "Chill! Stop it, both of you!" He turned toward Gloria. "Gloria, you HAVE been acting unfair to Thomas since last night, and that last comment was uncalled for."

"I can't help it!" Gloria said. "The way he acted last night was just pitiful! Here I was, thinking that he was pretty brave to volunteer for this scavenger hunt, and then he goes and act like a little girl! What am I supposed to think?!"

"Thomas already explained himself," Carlos said. "Or at least, he tried to."

Gloria sighed deeply. Thomas could see that her eyes had become watery.

Carlos walked towards the opening into the kitchen. "Look. We'll settle this when we get back to the camp. Until then, not a word to Bruce about any of this. Okay?"

Gloria wiped her eyes. "Fine..."

"Yeah," Thomas agreed.

"Good." Carlos smiled, which Thomas could barely see in the silhouette of his figure. "Now let's go out there and do our best."

Before Carlos could even take a small step out into the kitchen, a large object fell onto the floor outside with a loud thud; the object being a familar ebony foot adorned in a black flip-flop. Carlos immediately retreated further back in the wall upon seeing this.

The trio all were equally surprised and horrified.

"What?!" Gloria exclaimed. "She's back already?!"

"Move back!" Carlos ordered. "All the way back!!"

The three quickly backed further away from the opening, until they reached the wall behind them. They watched as Melissa's foot lifted up and away from the opening, and disappeared from sight.

"I don't think we can go out there now," Carlos said. "Not while she's here."

"Another failure..." Gloria added.

"So, what now?" Thomas asked.

"Let's go back and think of something else," Carlos replied. "We're really low on food right now, so we have to break tradition and try again in a few days."

Both Thomas and Gloria nodded in agreement, before the trio made their way back the way they had come from; towards the Refugee campsite.

~~~

Dawson could not believe what his eyes were showing him. Right before the Refugees was an opening to a lush green field. Blades of grass taller than them blew gently in the wind, and the same breeze made its way inside and brushed against his face.

"Well, I'll be damned..." Dawson marveled.

"This is the side of Melissa's house, I think," Ray said. He turned to face the rest of the group, and gave a cocky smile. "I told you I'd lead you all out of here."

The Refugees all let out a collective cheer, some even commending Ray, before they all began to file out through the opening and into the outside world. As Dawson made his way outside, he could not help but marvel at this world. It had been months since he had last been outside, and therefore this world almost seemed entirely new to him. Of course, considering his present size, this world WAS new.

"Shawn," Ray called. "You might want to follow along a little bit before you go back in and get the others. That way you'd know which way to go."

Shawn nodded.

"Alright, then," Ray said. "Follow me!"

The Refugees trekked through the grassy yard, pushing aside the tall blades of grass that was in their way until they came to a concrete walkway. From there, they made their way down this path, passing several insects that remarkably paid them no mind.

With the sidewalk in view in the distance, Ray drew to a stop.

"From here, we go to the sidewalk and made a left," he said. "I think the police station is down that way."

"Got it," said Shawn. "I'm going back to get the others, and hopefully we'll meet up with you all."

Ray nodded, and Shawn turned around and headed back to the opening into Melissa's house. Dawson briefly watched him leave, before continuing after the rest of the group. However, what he heard next made his heart sink deep inside of his chest.

"Melissa!!" Shawn yelled out.

All of the Refugees stopped in their tracks, and turned to face behind them. Sure enough, Melissa was approaching them. In her hands was a plastic container; no doubt to contain them inside.

With a sadistic smile, she reached down and grabbed Shawn from the ground, and placed him inside of the container. Wasting no time, the pnicking Refugees all began to flee towards the sidewalk.

"Shit!!" Dawson exclaimed as he ran. "When did she get here?!"

"Why are you asking me?!" Ray replied.

It did not matter how far or fast that they ran; Melissa had reached them in far less time than it took for them to cover the same distance. With her shadow now looking over them, she began to pluck each of the Refugees from the ground, placing them into her plastic container. Some tried to escape back into the grass, but she stepped right in their paths to put an end to their plan. Before long, Dawson and Ray found themselves the last of the remaining Refugees. They tried their hardest to escape the giantess, but to no avail. Dawson was picked off of the ground and place in with the rest of his companions; Ray followed seconds after.

Dawson looked upwards, and saw Melissa smile at them, before she began to walk.

They had failed. Not only that, but they were right back in the hands of Melissa. Some of the females had broken down and started to cry. Others were unleashing a flurry of swears.

Ray sighed, and sat down in his spot. "Well, it was worth a shot."

Dawson held back all he could from pummeling the daylights out of Ray.

Minutes later, the Refugees had all been placed inside of an empty glass cage inside of Melissa's closet. Melissa stood in front of the cage, looking down upon them.

"I'm so glad that I got you all back!" Melissa said somewhat excitedly. "I missed you all! I'm sure that you missed me, too!"

The Refugees who were of sound mind, those who were not weeping or enraged, groaned at her assumption.

"But I want to know... Who was the ringleader of your little escape attempt? If you tell me, I won't be too rough on you all."

Nearly everyone pointed in Ray's direction. Ray looked around, and grunted. "You sellouts!"

Melissa smiled, and reached inside and picked him out of the cage. "Oh, you naughty, naughty man. I'm going to make you regret trying to take my toys away from me."

With Ray in hand, Melissa walked out of the closet, and closed the door behind her, leaving the recaptured prisoners in relative darkness.

Dawson looked around. His comrades were bitter over what had just transpired. Understandably so, as now they had practically thrown themselves into Melissa's hands.

"Shit..." Dawson said. "I can't believe how bad we messed up... I knew we shouldn't have listened to Ray."

Shawn drew closer. "Plus, I don't think Carlos and the others can save us. It looks like Melissa moved this cage away from the hole we made."

Upon hearing this, Dawson let out a loud yell of frustration as he slammed his fist onto the glass floor.

~~~

Having exited the closet, Melissa--whose mood was in high spirits after having ragained what she had considered lost--walked to the center of her room, and looked down at Ray in the palm of her hand. She smiled at him, and he returned with a grin of his own.

"Good work," she said.

Ray laughed. "They were so desperate to get out, they jumped at the chance I gave them."

~~~

Having freed himself from his jar that imprisoned him, Ray dashed towards the closet door. He planned to squeeze underneath the closet, and make his way back to the Refugees.

As soon as he came close to reaching the door, blinding light shone into his eyes as the door opened. He stopped dead in his tracks as he looked up and saw Melissa making her way inside. He had no time to react before her foot unknowingly kicked him off of his feet and onto the floor several inches away. Laying on the floor, he looked upward and saw the sole of her sandal looming over him. There was nothing he could do to escape; he would be pulverized here, he believed.

However, he was relieved when she stepped over him and continued further inside of the closet. With her behind him, he chose to endure his aching body and resume his trek out of the closet.

"Hey!"

Ray heard those same footsteps approach him from behind. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to see a confused and slightly angered Melissa looking down on him.

"How the fuckin' hell did you get out?" she asked.

Ray backed away from her. "I tipped it over. But I guess this is it for me. You're going to squash me now, right?"

Melissa looked as if she was pondering over what he had said, before she kneeled down. "Maybe, but first I want to ask you something."

She took him in hand, and carried him out of the room. From there, Ray watched as she made her way downstairs, into and through the living room and kitchen, and eventually outside. It had been far too long since Ray had seen the outside world with his own eyes.

"We should be safe from eavesdroppers out here," Melissa said. "Now, I want you to do something for me. If you do, I'll grant you release from all of this."

Ray figured that "release" in her terms meant her putting him out of his misery. After being caught by her again, he was willing to just end it all.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I want you to find the rest of my toys and bring them to me," she replied.

With a grin, Ray nodded.

~~~

"Good thing I found that little hole out there," Melissa said, heading towards her desk. "I'm glad that it DID lead to your friends after all."

"Please!"Ray scoffed at this notion. "They aren't my friends anymore! I look out for myself! ...But it wasn't a perfect haul, though. I missed four."

"I'm sure they'll turn up somewhere." Melissa walked to her dresser.

"What are you going to do with me now?" Ray asked. "Kill me?"

"Maybe, but first I gotta do something about your size." Melissa opened the top drawer of her dresser, and pulled out the Shrink Ray. Then, she grinned at the tiny man. "Don't worry. It'll be over soon."

~~~

Ray could not believe what had just happened to him. He stood in the front hall of Melissa's house, right in front of its main doorway. Except he was now tall, back to his original height of 5-foot-9.

Melissa stood near the top step of the staircase in front of him, holding the Shrink Ray in her hands.

Ray examined himself, his body and his clothes. Then, he looked towards Melissa again.

"You're just going to let me go?" he asked, part of him believe this to be a setup.

"Yep," Melissa replied. "I have plenty of toys to play with now thanks to you, so I guess you could say that I don't need you anymore."

"You could have just killed me. I probably don't have anything to go back to."

"I'm sure you'll find something. Now go." Melissa stepped onto the second floor, and looked down at him from the balcony. "And don't ever tell anyone about any of this. They won't believe you anyway, and I'll just deny it if confronted."

"Yeah, I know."

Ray turned around, and opened the door. As he exited, he heard Melissa bid farewell to him: "Bye!" Not replying to her at all, he closed the door behind him, and walked towards the sidewalk, and then turned to the left; the same direction that he had tried to lead the Refugees in.

He fought the urge to rush her and steal the Shrink Ray for himself while he was inside, but she must have anticipated that risk, which was probably why she stood so high up from where he was. Security on her part, he figured.

Either way, he was free. Free from months of imprisonment in those dark walls. He walked down the sidewalk, looking for a bus stop that he could use. However, he them realized that he had no money.

"Dammit. I guess I'll just be walking..."

He sighed as he pressed onward, further and further away from Melissa's house.

"What... What is this?!" a shocked Carlos said.

Thomas, Gloria, and Carlos had just returned to the campsite. Upon their return, they found it completely deserted. A rather abrupt desertion from the looks of it. There was not a soul there.

"Where is everyone?" Thomas asked. "Wait... you don't think-"

"That Bruce finally took everyone out of here, and left us behind?" Gloria interrupted. "It's possible..."

"Let's look to see if anyone left a note of something," Carlos said. Both Thomas and Gloria nodded.

The Refugees--still coming to grips as to what happened--looked towards the closet door as it suddenly opened, and as Melissa walked inside. They watched in horror as the giant woman walked toward them, stopping in front of the cage and looking down on them with a sadistic smile on her face.

"Hello again, my toys," she said. "Did you miss me?"

The prisoners did not answer.

"What's wrong? Speechless? I was only gone for about an hour. I was doing away with that other guy."

"You mean he's dead?" A male said.

"Of course. You'd think I'd keep him alive? He tried to take my property away from me. He had to be thoroughly punished."

Some of the Refugees gulped.

"Now, as for why I'm here. I need three of you to come with me for a minute. Who will it be...?"

She scoured the cage as the Refugees began to panic. She reached in and picked out Shawn, Beatrix, and a brown-haired male. While the latter two screamed as they were plucked out, Shawn remained relatively calm.

"Damn! Shawn!" Dawson called out.

"Don't worry about me!" Shawn yelled out.

Melissa laughed as she stuffed the three small people in her shorts pocket. "That's right. Don't worry. They'll be back. I'm just going to have some fun with them. In fact, you could say that we're going to have a ball." She winked at the Refugees before turning around and leaving the closet.

"Dammit!" Dawson exclaimed. "She better not kill Shawn!"

"Well, she said that she'd bring them back," Jenna said.

"Yeah, right! This is Melissa we're talking about! If anything she'll bring them back in pieces!"

~~~

After a while of searching, Carlos came to the center of the campsite, where Thomas and Gloria sat.

"Nothing," he said in disappointment. "They just up and left without letting us know or anything."

"Bastards..." Gloria said in disdain.

"Maybe someone will some back for us," Thomas suggested. "Or better yet: Why don't we just leave? No point of staying here if we're the only ones left, right?"

"You may be on to something," Carlos said. "The problem, however, is that we don't know which way they went, how they got out, or where they are now."

Gloria turned to Carlos. "We could just... explore down there."

Carlos thought for a minute. "Might as well. But let's wait until we've rested up a little."

"Mm." Gloria laid down on her back, folding her arms behind her head and closing her eyes.

"Alright," Thomas said as he watched Gloria laid back.

He stared at her for some time; he did not know why, but seeing the resident "tough girl" relax if only a little bit served to calm him slightly. The three of them were alone, left behind. As if their earlier failure near the kitchen could not have made his day worse, Thomas could not believe that not even Shawn or Dawson--his two greatest allies here--did not wait for him. There were many unanswered questions cycling through his mind.

As if she sensed him staring at her, Gloria opened her eyes, and looked at him. "What?"

"...Hey..." Thomas said. "Can we talk...?

"Not now," she answered.

"Oh. Okay..."

She closed her eyes again, and seconds later, Thomas too laid his head down on the ground.

He was not going to push his agenda with Gloria, at the risk of pushing her away instead. The good thing, he figured, was that she answered with "Not now," which suggested that she was considering hearing him out. This knowledge served to ease a few of his worries.

~~~

"Ha! Look at them!" A Homeless male said, looking out toward the newly recaptured people. "They were so sure that they were safe! Now they're stuck here with us, and they just lost three already!"

"Yeah!" Another said. "There's not too many of 'em! We outnumber them easily!"

The Homeless began to talk amongst themselves, some cheering in triumph at the situation of the Refugees. They made no effort to hide their satisfaction, as their laughing caught the attention of the Refugees, who, one-by-one, began to look towards their cage.

Sheryl was walking along the glass facing the Refugees, watching them at the same time. "So, any sign of this Bruce guy?" she asked one of the females she came across. "It's a little too dark, so..."

"Ha! That's why you can't see him!" she answered. "You know those darkies use the dark as camoflauge!"

Sheryl ignored the woman. It was not the first time that this woman had made racially insensitive remarks, and Sheryl had gotten used to it, as did everyone else in that imprisonment did.

"You see him?" Sheryl asked one of the males standing at the glass wall.

He was also looking through the Refugees. "...Nope. I also don't see that new guy from two weeks ago."

Sheryl was impressed. "Your eyesight is pretty good."

The man smiled. "Of all the things I've lost over the years, I'm just glad that I managed to keep something."

Sheryl smiled back, and then looked back out at the Refugees. It seemed almost sad that the two sides were now to be engaged in some sort of a "Cold War" with each other.

~~~

Melissa reached into her pocket and pulled out her three victims. Croutching down, she placed them on the floor in front of her. Afterwards, she stood back up, looking down at them all the while.

"What are you going to do with us?" Shawn asked.

Melissa laughed. "I told you, we're going to have a ball." She turned around and reached on her bed. She then turned back towards them, holding a small blue beach ball. "Literally."

"Oh, no," Beatrix said. "You're not going to run us over, are you?"

Melissa smiled. "Not if you're fast enough." She then stepped back from the group, walking further away from the group. "You lose if you're hit. Try to last as long as you can, okay? The winner will get a prize from me, and the losers... well, they get to go back inside the closet... if they're not flattened by this ball."

Shawn turned to the male. "Joshua, it's obvious that she's going to roll that thing at us."

"Yep," Joshua agreed. "Got any ideas?"

"The only thing I've got is for us to run in three seperate directions. She may have to think about which one of us to go after. That may give us just a little bit of extra time to hide. What do you think, Beatrix?"

"I'm fine with that," she said. "I'm going under the bed, though."

"That's not safe," Shawn said. "What happens if you get caught between a box and the ball? You'd be smashed. That goes for the walls, too."

"Yeah," Joshua said.

"Hey!" Melissa called out to them, while taking a stance not unlike one seen before one bowls a bowling ball. "I'm almost ready. Are you?"

Shawn turned to Joshua and Beatrix. "We're going with the seperation thing! Got it?!"

The two nodded, and all three began to run further away from Melissa; Beatrix towards the left, Joshua towards the right, and Shawn straight ahead.

Melissa shook her head as she watched them run. "Doesn't matter where you run. I am going to get you."

With all of her might, she roller the ball straight ahead, towards Shawn. Shawn looked back, and quickly changed his direction, just barely able to dodge the oncoming ball. It rolled past him at ferocious speed and crashed into the wall with a loud, rubbery, smacking sound. It became slightly airborne as it bounced back toward Melissa. She stopped the ball with her foot as it rolled back to her.

"This is going to be fun," she said.

~~~

True to her word, and despite Shawn's protest, Beatrix did indeed seek refuge under Melissa's bed. As Shawn said, there were several boxes underneath. Empty shoe boxes, it looked like. She ran behind the boxes, deciding that it would be the perfect hiding spot from the malicious giant who stood outside.

She peeked from the box, and saw the feet of Melissa walking past. She breathed a sigh of relief, as she thought that, at least for now, she was safe. She didn't know where her comrads were, and frankly, she didn't care. As long as she was out of harms way, she did not care about what would become of Shawn and Joshua.

~~~

Melissa, holding the beach ball, walked around the room. All three of her victims were hidden. She scanned back and forth through the floor, looking for any sign of the small people.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," she said. "If you don't, you'll make me sad. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

She looked at her bed. Perhaps one of them were hidden underneath. She began to walk toward it, but stopped. That would be too obvious, she figured. She decided to look through the room first, before going under the bed. If any of them were under the bed, they would at least have a bit of a reprieve; her own way of showing mercy, if only for a few minutes.

She walked to her desk. There was quite a bit of room behind it against the wall, at least for someone no taller than 2 inches. She peeked behind it, and sure enough, there was one of them hiding behind: the blond one. He looked up at her and ran the opposite way, out from behind the desk. Melissa could not help but laugh at his plight.

"You think you can run away from me?" she asked. "To be frank, you were probably safer behind the desk."

The man exited his formerly safe haven, and ran across the floor. In fact, he was now in the open space of the floor.

"Easy prey," she said as she took her bowling stance again.

~~~

Shawn did not know where to run. Under the bed was out of the question, for the same reasons he stated to Beatrix, and running against the wall set him at risk of the ball smashing him against the wall, possibly breaking several of his bones, if not killing him.

So he just ran towards the middle of the room. Probably a stupid move on his part, but he had a theory. And if he was right, he intended to get his ordeal done as soon as possible.

Suddenly, he heard the floor rumble below him, and the sound of a rolling ball. He knew what was coming: the beach ball. Instead of changing his direction like before, he stayed in the balls path. Before he knew it, the ball had overcome him. It knocked him onto his chest, and rolled over him.

He lay there, stunned, amazed, and relieved. His theory was right: there was so much air in the ball, and the rubber so thin, that it could not have crushed him by simply rolling over him. He raised his head and looked ahead of him. The ball rolled into a wall, and bounced away from it. Since it hit the wall at an angle, it bounced even further away from him.

Shawn breathed a sigh of relief, but his relief was short-lived, as he heard the footsteps of Melissa drawing near. When they stopped, he found that he was laying between her feet. He rolled over to his back, and looked up at the giantess, who was looking back down on him with a grin.

"Well, my friend," she said, "you just lost the game."

She reached down and grabbed him with her right hand. Shawn flinched as her fingers wrapped around him.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not going to kill you. Not today, at least."

She then carried him over to her desk, and placed him on its surface.

"Don't move. Stay here, and you'll be with your little friends before you know it." Melissa winked at him before resuming her hunt.

Shawn sighed. "Thank goodness..."

That may have sounded selfish, but he was glad that he was safe. At least for now.

~~~

Melissa picked up the beach ball after it lost its momentum and slowed to a stop. She began searching around the room, other than her bed. After a few minutes of looking, she did not find her two remaining victims. There were two places where she did not look yet: behind her dresser, and under her bed.

She moaned. "I really don't want to move that dresser... Maybe I should go for the bed now..."

She turned towards the bed, and began to form a sadistic smile. "Yeah. The bed."

~~~

Beatrix sat in the fetal position behind the giant shoe boxes behind her. Just by looking under the bed, Melissa could not see her from any side, she figured. It was the best hiding spot, at least to wait out the eventual capture of Joshua. She managed to peek out and witness the fall of Shawn, so she figured that she was one step closer to winning this "game."

She heard footsteps. Melissa was still looking for Joshua, she assumed. As the sounds of the footsteps came to a stop, she stood up and once again peeked out from behind her box. She was horrified to see Melissa, laying on the floor and reaching under the bed. However, she managed not to scream, and decided to take cover behind the other boxes. As she began to run for the box opposite to her, her small dark world suddenly became more illuminated. The box she hid behind before had been moved out of the way.

Beatrix was petrified as she peered into the face of the giant woman in front of her.

"Found you!" Melissa said with a smile.

Beatrix tried to run, but was grabbed by Melissa's hand. She screamed as she was pulled out from under the bed, and, as the Melissa stood up, brought to the face of the sadistic giantess.

"Thought you could hide from me?" Melissa asked. "Well, too bad, because you just lost."

Beatrix, with all of her might, tried to struggle free from her grasp.

"What? Do you want to get free?" Melissa asked. "Fine, then."

Melissa released her grasp on the small woman, letting her fall to the ground. Beatrix hit the floor below with a thud only audible at her size. Also due to her size, the fall was not fatal, but she was still slightly injured. Beatrix struggled to stand, but as she looked up, she saw the blue beach ball quickly descend on her. She had to time to react, before the ball fell on top of her, and pounded her small body into the floor.

She expected to be crushed to death, but was relieved to be still alive, albeit in pain from both her fall and the ball. She watched the ball roll away from her, only to be grabbed by Melissa, and dropped on her again. This time, it did not roll away. She felt more pressure being pressed on the ball, and she began to scream as she was being squeezed between the floor and the ball.

~~~

Melissa had her foot pressed on the ball. She began to apply more pressure onto it, relishing at the screams of the small woman trapped underneath. However, she was careful to not step down on the ball too hard. After all, she did not want to kill the woman.

She lifted her foot off of the ball, and picked it up. Underneath was the woman, laying on the floor, and breathing heavily and sweating. Melissa crouched down to the woman, giving her a wicked smile.

"Aww... was that too much for you?" She laughed a little. "Just consider that a taste of what's to come for you."

Melissa then reached down and picked the woman up. "But for now, you're... well, safe."

She stood back up and carried the woman to her desk, and placed her beside Shawn.

"You two are the losers," Melissa said. "Which means that this game is over. Now, where is that last guy..."

She turned around, and as luck would have it, she saw the final man, creeping along the wall from behind the dresser, and heading towards the door. She wasted no time in rushing to him.

~~~

Joshua cursed his luck. He has planned to hide behind the dresser until Melissa was distracted, or busy, with either Shawn or Beatrix, and he would have used that chance to sneak out of the room, and seek his escape from there.

However, his plan was foiled, as Melissa spotted him when he was halfway to the door, and as she was quickly headed towards him, he frantically wondered which way he should continue. Back toward the dresser, or continuing toward the door.

Not that it mattered, anyway, because Melissa was so large compared to him, he would be caught before he could make any headway.

And that's exactly what happened.

Joshua squirmed and struggled as he was grabbed by her hands and brought to the woman's face.

"Looks like you're the winner," she said with a smile. "Congratulations."

"'Congrats,' my ass," Joshua muttered to himself.

Melissa carried him to her bed, and dropped him on it. "Now, I bet you're wondering what the prize is, right?"

"Not really, no," Joshua flatly said.

"Oh, stop it!" Melissa laughed as she reached under her bed and pulled out a black shoe box. She lifted off its covering, revealing a pair of two barely worn black tennis shoes. She then stood back up, and sat on the bed beside Joshua.

"I don't usually wear gym shoes," she said. "I don't like my feet being all cramped-up inside like that. I hate wearing closed-toe heels, too, but my job requires it." She sighed as she pulled off her flip-flops. "That's why I usually wear these. They're so comfy, don'tcha think?" She smiled as she dropped the sandals to the floor.

"Whoever made flip-flops should be given a Nobel Prize," she said. "Probably one of the best inventions ever. But..."

Joshua found himself being pulled up by his shirt.

"I think I should break these in," Melissa said, before holding him over the mouth of the right sneaker. "And you're going to help me."

Joshua looked down at the giant sneaker below. His heart sank. All of a sudden, he had a strong feeling as to what was about to happen to him. "Please..."

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

"Please don't do this to me," Joshua begged. "I thought that you would return us back to the closet."

"I will," Melissa said with a smile. "After you help me. Okay?"

"Wait-" Joshua could not finish his sentence before he was dropped inside of the sneaker below him. He fell onto his chest, though he was largely uninjured. However, as he stood, he found the already dark world becoming darker. He looked up and saw Melissa's foot entering from above. He tried to run, but he soon found that there was nowhere for him to go, as he would be trapped inside either way. Melissa's sole pressed down on his body, pushing him on his back and pressed between the shoe's sole and her foot. He shifted his head to the side, in an effort to breathe in what little air he could.

After another minute or so, he felt the weight of her foot on his body increase. She must be standing up, he figured. However, the pressure was proving to be too much for his small body, and he began to black out.

Before losing consciousness, he found it ironic that the "winner" of Melissa's twisted game would be the one who would end up dying.

~~~

"There!" Melissa stood up and looked down at her shoes, now with their laces tied. "Hang in there, little man! You have a job to do, remember?"

She laughed as she walked to her desk, where the two remaining horrified people stood.

"What a shame," Melissa said. "This could have been one of you if you had tried harder. Maybe next time."

She grabbed the two of them and carried them back inside of the closet. Once at their cage, she dropped them back inside.

"Be sure you're ready for the next game!" Melissa gave the small people inside a smile before leaving the closet, and closing the door behind her.

Standing in her room, she pondered over what she should do next. What she could do to make her little helper's job harder for him.

"Hmm..." she said to herself, "I think I'll go for a jog."

~~~

Minutes later, Shawn and Beatrix had just finished explaining the ordeal that they had gone through to their comrades.

"So, Joshua is gone?" Jenna asked.

"Unfortunately, yeah," Beatrix responded.

Dawson moaned loudly. "Dammit, Joshua. ...What a lucky way to go..."

Shawn slapped his palm against his face. "Oh, of course. That's all you can think about..."

"Seriously," Jenna said. "I bet he wants to be out there, getting stomped like a bug."

"Hey, if I had to choose one way to die," Dawson said, "I'd love to be stomped, grinded, and smeared on the floor."

"But you'll be dead at the 'grinding' part, if not the first stomp," Jenna said. "I don't see what's so appealing about being stepped on. ...Unless you're a hardcore masochist. Which I know you are."

"Jenna," Dawson called.

"What?"

"I think you would make a great giantess."

"Say what?!" Jenna's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wouldn't be fun to be several hundred feet tall, and have mere buildings crumble at your feet, and the people of the world revere you as a goddess? And if someone goes against your will, you can stomp 'em like an ant. ...Or swallow 'em whole. Your choice. Either way, it'd get the message across anyone else who would dare to defy you."

Several of the Refugees snickered at Dawson's ramblings.

"...I think you need to get some help," Jenna said. "...And I thought you were creepy before..." She sighed, and walked away.

Shawn stepped closer to Dawson, and the two of them watched as she, along with Beatrix, departed from them.

"Thanks for trying to lighten things up around here," Shawn said.

"We're going to be stuck in here for God knows how long," Dawson replied. "We have to try to make the best of it. No use of moping around all day."

~~~

"What the fuck's going on here?!"

Thomas awoke to the booming familar voice of Bruce. He had just returned, and was just as stunned as they were--to put it lightly--to find nearly everyone gone. Both Thomas and Gloria, who was also awoken by his outburst, stood up as Bruce approached the campsite center.

"Where the fuck is everybody?!" Bruce asked, obviously irritated.

Carlos sighed. "We thought that you took everyone out of here. Guess not..."

"If I was going to take everyone out, I would have let you all know in advance. Goddammit..." He placed his palm on his forehead.

"So, what now?" Thomas asked.

"Hmm..." Bruce calmed himself and began to ponder. "What indeed..."

Thomas was always mystified at Bruce's erratic mood-swings. One minute, he's as calm as a deer, the next he's a raging lion. He then looked at Gloria beside him. He hoped that she would not tell him of their falling-out from earlier. He wanted to stay on Bruces good side. Especially now that there were only four of them remaining.

"Alright," Bruce said. "I want you all to wait here. I need to think about what to do next." He began to walk towards his tent. "I'll let you all know in a day or two."

"Sure," Carlos said.

"Oh, and Mami," Bruce turned back towards the trio. "Would you care to join me?"

Gloria sighed. "Sure..." She started to follow after Bruce.

"Gloria!" Thomas called.

She turned to him.

Before Thomas could say anything, Carlos said something to her in Spanish, and followed it up with "Got it?"

Gloria stared back at them for a few seconds. "Si." She then continued to walk towards Bruce's tent.

"What did you tell her?" Thomas asked as he turned to Carlos.

"I told her not to say anything about your skirmish earlier," Carlos answered.

"You think she'll talk?"

"I doubt it," Carlos said.

"How certain are you?" Thomas was a bit worried.

"Oh... about 85%. Give or take 5%."

"That's reassuring..." Thomas said sarcastically. Regardless, it seemed that the chances were good that Gloria would not throw him under the bus. Especially now when it seemed like they had a small chance of reconciling.

~~~

"So, mi mamicita," Bruce said as Gloria arrived inside of his well-furnished tent. "How'd your first hunt go?"

"It was a complete failure," she answered. "Melissa showed up before we could even enter the kitchen. And when we got back here, everyone was gone."

"Is that so? Hmm... You think Melissa somehow managed to capture the others?"

"I don't see how."

"It's obvious, really. They lacked the leadership to make a successful escape, and could have been caught."

"You think so?"

"It's worth looking into. When you get back, tell them to check the closet hole."

"...Alright."

"Gracias." Bruce began to unzip his pants. "Now, what say we have some of our usual fun?"

"...Sure..." Gloria said, before she approached Bruce lowered herself onto her knees in front of him.

~~~

Having returned from her job, Melissa walked into her room, carrying a bag of junk food in one hand, and a half-full bottle of iced iea in the other. She pushed the door closed behind her with her right foot.

"That was a good walk," she said as she sat on her bed. She set the bag on the bed beside her, and the bottle on the floor. She then began to untie her shoelaces. "I'm glad to get out of these, though."

After loosing the strings, she first pulled out her left foot, and then her right. She looked in the right shoe, and found that the man she has place inside a few hours earlier was not inside. She looked on the sole of her right foot, and there he was. His now lifeless body was crushed, and plastered on her sole with his blood.

"Aww... Way to ruin these shoes, little man," she said as she peeled the man from her sole. "You didn't do a good job at all." She then grabbed a kleenex and crumbled him inside, before throwing it inside of her garbage bin. She also threw away the "ruined" sneakers.

Night passed, and morning came without too much of a hassle. Gloria--having departed from Bruce's tent--approached Carlos, who was who was sitting in the empty camp's center and chewing on a piece of bread.

"Hey," Gloria called. "Where's Thomas?"

"He's sleep in his tent," Carlos answered. "What about Bruce? Where's he?"

"He was gone when I woke up. So I assume... back down there."

Carlos shook his head in dismay. "What exactly is down there, anyway?"

Gloria shrugged. "Beats me... Oh, and one more thing."

"Hm?"

"He said to check the closet hole."

"Why? He thinks they're in the closet?"

"Yes."

"...I see. I'll look into that when Thomas wakes up."

"Alright. I'm going in there to see him."

"Thomas?"

"Who else?" She turned to her right, and headed towards Thomas' tent.

Thomas awoke in a strange land. He did not know where he was; all around him was a horizon seperated in red above and whitish grey below.

"Where am I?" Thomas said to himself. "I thought I was in Melissa's house. What is this place?"

Suddenly, a loud voice spoke up, one that seemed to be coming from outside of his small world. "Thomas, GO!!"

As soon as he heard this, the world began to open, and a bright light appeared in front of him as he was seemingly sucked out of this strange dimension.

Seconds later, Thomas found himself standing on the ground. He looked around. He seemed to be in an arena of sorts. There were hundreds of cheering people in the stands. Thomas looked behind him, and saw a giant teenaged boy. He found himself overcome with shock and fear.

"What is this?"

"Oh!" A loud voice said. "Brian has sent out Thomas, which is the smallest Pokemon ever recorded! They never exceed three inches, though this one looks smaller! What kind of plan does Brian have with this little guy?"

This voice's comment mystified and astounded Thomas. He knew that he was not a Pokemon. He was a human. Just where was he? Determined to find the answer to this, Thomas turned to his "trainer" to ask him about this situation.

"Where am I?" Thomas asked, but he was stunned when all he heard was parts of his name. Like many Pokemon, he could only say his name.

Brian smiled down on him. "Don't worry. I know you're scared. After all, this entire match, and me winning the championship, depends on you. So don't let me down!" He gave him a thumbs-up.

Thomas sighed. He turned around and looked across the arena. Further away, on the other side of this arena, Thomas could see a young female, clutching a PokeBall in her hand.

"And what Pokemon will Lindsay send out to challenge Brian's Thomas?" The announcer said.

"Go, Melissa!" Lindsay threw the PokeBall, which opened and shot out a beam of light from within. Thomas's heart sank as the light materialized into Melissa. Though unlike him, Melissa was not a mere 2 inches tall, but a towering 5-foot-7-inches. He could see her give both him and his trainer a menacing grin.

"Oh my, folks!" The announcer said with great enthusiam. "Lindsay has sent out Melissa, who is said to have the most savage behavior out of all Pokemon! Can Thomas prevail against his giant adversary?"

'No...' Thomas was frozen in fear. 'How can I defeat her...?'

A referee walked to the center of the battlefield. "Both Pokemon come over here."

Melissa, withou hesitation, walked to the center. Thomas was too afraid to move.

"Go on," Brian said. "Remember all of that training we did? You can do it!" He smiled at Thomas.

Thomas gulped as he began to make his way towards the center. As he walked closer, he found Melissa becoming much larger than he had originally thought. Could he beat her? What kind of attacks would she use? Then again, what kind of attacks does he have? He hoped that he had some kind of powerful, impressive attack to make up for his diminutive size.

"So, little man. Are you ready to die?" Melissa said, also speaking with bits of her name, though Thomas could understand what she said.

The referee backed away from the battlefield, and raised his right hand into the air. "Begin!"

A bell rung out, and the match was underway. Thomas immediately began to run away from Melissa.

"Melissa!" Lindsay called out. "Chase him down and use Stomp!"

Melissa began to run after Thomas. Since he was so small, and her so large she caught up to him in no time. She raised her foot above him, and began to drop it down with great force.

"Thomas!" Brian called. "Agility!"

'Agility? Thank god...' Thomas thought to himself as he began to run 5 times faster. He was able to avoid Melissa's stomp, which created a cloud of dust as it hit the ground.

"...And Thomas manages to barely avoid becoming a PokePancake!" The announcer said. "What a great move on Brian's part!"

"Now, Double Team!" Brian ordered.

Thomas then found several illusionary copies of himself appearing all around Melissa. She looked around at each one, in confusion.

"Oh! What is this?" The announcer said. "There seems to be a dozen Thomas now! Could this be a clever plan to make up for its size?"

"One of them have to be the real one!" Lindsay said. "Stomp each one of them!"

Melissa raised her foot, and stomped down on the Thomas directly in front of her. She then lifted her foot. There was nothing there. It was a fake. She then turned to the one behind her, and stomped it as well. Another fake. Growing frustrated, she began to stomp each one, until one was left. However just as she was about at crush this last remaining Thomas...

"Agility!"

Thomas sped away from her descending foot and ran behind her. He hoped that all he knew were not speed techniques.

"Now!" Brian said. "Jump and use Tackle!"

'Tackle?! Are you kidding me?! What good is Tackle going to do me?!' Thomas sighed as he lept into the air towards the giant Melissa. However, his heart sank as she turned around and saw him charging towards her.

"Mega Kick!" Lindsay ordered.

She swung her right leg around, and ended Thomas's attack as her foot collided with his small body. The force of the kick sent him flying half-way across the arena. As he flew, he looked at Melissa, who was now charging after him with great speed. Soon, perhaps even miraculously, she was upon him, running after him even as he was still airborne.

"Arm Thrust!" Lindsay ordered.

Melissa drew her open right palm back, and thrust it onto Thomas, and slamming him into the ground. She then withdrew her hand, revealing a barely conscious Thomas, twitching as he laid at the feet of her adversary.

"No, Thomas!" Brian called out. "Get up!"

"And Thomas is down!" The announcer said. "Could this be the end of Brian's championship run?"

"Finish him!" Lindsay said. "Stomp!"

Melissa gave Thomas a sadistic grin as she lifted her foot, and began to drop it down on Thomas.

Time seemed to slow. Thomas could hear the calls of his trainer. He could hear the crowd cheering louder than before. Though all he could focus on was Melissa's black sole descending onto him. Soon, it was upon his body, crushing him into the ground. The last thing he heard was his trainer yelling out in anguish and despair before he blacked out.

~~~

Thomas shot up from his bed. He looked around, and found that he was back in his tent. It was just a dream, a strange dream, but a dream nonetheless.

Thomas sighed. "...Why didn't I at least know Hyper Beam? I could have at least done some decent damage to her..."

He pulled on his black sneakers, and after tying the laces, stood up and began to walk out of his tent. However, as he opened the flap leading out, he bumped into Gloria, who was entering his tent at the same time.

"Gloria," Thomas said, pulling back from her a little. "I didn't expect you to come here."

"Yeah," Gloria responded. "Carlos said that you was asleep, but I guess you just woke up."

"Yep. I had a weird dream, too."

"About what?"

"...Pokemon." Thomas chuckled sheepishly.

Gloria shook her head and gave him a pitiful look. "What are you, six?"

"Whatever. Did you need me for something?"

Gloria stared at him for a few seconds, before answering his question. "It can wait. Carlos might need you, though."

"Oh..." Thomas walked past her--walking out of his tent and leaving her inside--and headed towards Carlos at the camp center.

Carlos looked up at him as he was finishing the bread that he had in hand. "You're up, I see."

"Yeah," Thomas said. "What did you need me for?"

"Well," Carlos started, "Bruce apparently thinks that the others were captured by Melissa."

"Are you serious?"

"That's what Gloria told me, at least. So, here's what we're going to do..."

~~~

Shawn sat against the glass, staring at a box that Melissa had placed inside that morning. It was a tissue box, most likely the one that had been on her desk all of this time. One of its ends had been cut open, and covered with a kind of cloth that was glued to the top of the box. A "privacy box," as she put it; perhaps intending it to be used for them to relieve themselves inside.

"'Privacy,' huh?" Shawn said to himself. "Not much privacy we can get, considering that anyone and go in as they please."

He watched as a male pulled a female into the box. No doubt as to what was about to go on in there. There was also no doubt that there would be much more in the coming days. Most if it unwillingly on the female's part. Without Bruce, the males felt that they now had more dominion over the females. After all, even without Bruce, Joshua, Ray, Thomas and Carlos, there were still more males than females.

Shawn sighed. "Rape, rape, and more rape. This is yet another way how this place is going to be worse for the girls."

Dawson walked up to him. "Looking at that box, huh?"

"Yeah," Shawn answered. "Just thinking about what's going to go on in there."

"Really? I was thinking the same thing. I hope no one interrupts us."

"'Us?'"

"Yeah. You know..."

"...You and Jenna?"

Dawson nodded. "Yep."

"Knowing these people, they won't give you the privacy you want. Which is ironic, considering its intended purpose."

"Ehh... I guess you're right." Dawson paused for a few seconds. "So, what do you think Thomas and the others are doing?"

"I don't know," Shawn answered. "They're probably going to be on their own, unless we can somehow escape. ...Again."

"I wouldn't count on that. I suppose that we just have to make the best of this while we can."

"Even if we can be killed at any time?"

"Well, at least we'll be out of here." Dawson turned around. "Oh, Jenna!" He said in a very flirtatious tone before running towards her.

Shawn watched him run off in pursuit of the young brunette. "Acting like that, he's almost like the rest of them."

~~~

Thomas and Carlos have arrived at the closet's hole, flashlights in hand. Carlos grabbed the loose end of a long piece of string, which was tied to a stump of wood near the hole. It was the same string that he had climbed up when he had first arrived.

"So," Thomas said, "what are we going to do?"

"I'm going to slide down there," Carlos responded. "I'm going to see if the others are in there."

Thomas peered down onto the hole, shining the flashlight downward. "Isn't this string supposed to lead to the cage or whatever I was in?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe it's because it's dark, or because these glasses are still a bit blurry to me, but I don't see the cage."

"What?!" Carlos rushed to the hole, still holding the string, and peered down. "Unbelievable... Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, she actually moved it?! Oh, this is just perfect!"

"What now?" Thomas asked.

Carlos crossed his arms, and began to think to himself. "I don't have a choice..."

"A choice for what?"

"I'm going to go down there anyway. Otherwise, we won't be sure if they're down there or not."

"How long are you going to be down there?"

"Not too long, hopefully." Carlos jumped into the hole, holding onto the string. "As soon as I spot them, I'm coming right back up."

"Alright." Thomas watched as Carlos slid down the string. He peered deep into the hole, and watched Carlos seemingly disappear in the darkness. He could barely see the light from his flashlight.

~~~

Carlos landed on a shelf at the end of the string. Indeed, the cage that was there before was now gone. The room was somewhat dark, barely lit by a dim lightbulb. Due to its size compared to the rest of the room, his flashlight would not serve him any purpose. Yet, he kept it switched on.

He walked along the shelf, looking outward and toward the floor. He could make out the other cages, and, although he could bare see them, the people inside. Where had the cage been moved? How would he be able to contact his companions if he did find it?

He shined his flashlight towards the cages, hoping that the light would reach them, and that, if they were in one of the cages, they'd give him some kind of notification.

~~~

The Refugees had noticed a spot of light shining off in the distance, and began to talk amongst themselves as to what or who that light belonged to.

"Hey, what's that?"

"Hm? What's what?"

"That. That light over there."

"Where?"

"Right there, stupid!"

"Oh, now I see it. ...Don't call me stupid, stupid!"

"Do you think it's Bruce?"

"You mean he came to rescue us?! Awesome!"

With this possibly in mind, the Refugees' overall mood seemed to become brighter.

Shawn listened to the increasingly loud commotion around him, and let out a sigh. "Even so, how the hell would Bruce even rescue us? They're getting a bit ahead of themselves."

~~~

"Hey, Carlos!" Thomas called out from above. "You see them yet?"

Carlos looked up towards the hole. "I hear some talking from over there. It started when I shined my light in that direction."

"You think it's them?"

"Only one way to find out." Carlos turned back towards the cages, and inhaled deeply. "HEY!!! YOU RECOGNIZE MY VOICE?! IF SO, SAY WHO I AM!!!"

~~~

The enthusiam of the Refugees rose. Though it was not Bruce, they recognized the mystery man's accent. There was no doubt as to who this person was.

"CARLOS!!!" Several of them yelled out.

They started to rush to the side of the cage facing where the light was shining from.

~~~

Carlos looked up towards the hole. He had a slight smile on his face, but knew that no one could see it. "It's them."

"So they were captured," Thomas said. "I wonder how."

"HOW DID YOU GUYS GET CAUGHT?!" Carlos yelled out towards where the noise was eminating from.

A voice from the cage yelled back. "THAT BASTARD RAY TRIED TO LEAD US OUT! ONCE HE GOT US OUTSIDE, WE WERE CAUGHT! RAY WAS TAKEN AWAY BY THE BITCH, AND WE HAVEN'T SEEN HIM SINCE!!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Thomas exclaimed. "What was he thinking?! He didn't even have Bruce's approval!"

"I know," Carlos said. "At this point, there's nothing we can do. Bruce only wanted us to see if they're here, and they are."

"So, what now?" Thomas asked.

"Didn't you just hear me? I've done what I can, so I'm coming back up." He turned back towards the cage. "HEY!! I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE FOR YOU ALL RIGHT NOW, BUT I CAN TELL BRUCE ABOUT THIS!! HE'LL THINK OF SOMETHING!!"

"JUST DON'T LEAVE US HANGIN'!!" One male said amidst the moans of disappointment.

Carlos walked back to the string and grabbed it. "Okay. I'm coming back up." He then began to climb the string.

~~~

As Thomas watched Carlos ascend the string, he heard a strange sound. A sound similar to something being stretched. Whatever that sound was, it seemed that its source was being pulled apart by an ever increasing force.

"What is that?" Thomas shined his flashlight down the hole, and as he did so, something caught his eye. Near Thomas's end of the string, a portion was wearing away. The string looked like it had not been replaced at all after the many months it was used, and it seemed that now it was at its limit.

"Shit!" Thomas became apprehensive. "Carlos! Hurry up and get up here!"

"What?" Carlos said as he climbed. "I can only climb so fast. What's wrong?"

"The rope's giving away! Hurry up!"

"Shit, are you serious?!" The now frantic Carlos began to climb the string faster.

Thomas watched the worn portion of the string. It was well out of his reach, so he could not grab hold of it and pull up Carlos if the fabric broke apart. As Carlos climber higher, the fabrics keeping the string together began to unravel, until there were only two smaller fabrics still holding the entire string together--and keeping Carlos from falling down below. Carlos had barely passed the halfway point, before those two final tiny strands finally snapped. Thomas's heart sank as he witnessed Carlos plummet back to the shelf below, still clutching onto the string he had been climbing in his left hand. He heard a thud, and a simutaneous "Goddammit!".

"Carlos! Are you alright?!" Thomas yelled.

After a few seconds, he heard Carlos voice. "I'm fine."

"Dammit! What now?!"

"First off, calm down," Carlos said as he stood back up, regaining his calm composure. "There has to be another rope or something somewhere. Maybe Bruce has one. He did get the first one, after all."

Thomas exhaled after taking a deep breath. "Alright. I'm going back and ask Gloria about it."

"Fine. I'll be here. Well, there's not anywhere else I can go, is there?" Carlos let out a short laugh.

Thomas stood and ran away from the hole.

~~~

"SORRY, GUYS!! WE SEEMED TO HAVE HIT A SNAG, AND I'M GOING TO BE HERE FOR A WHILE!!!"

Sheryl heard the moans of the Refugees fill the small space of the closet.

"Oliver," She asked the man she was talking to before. "You know who that Carlos guy is?" .

"No idea," Oliver answered. "But it sounds like he took quite a fall."

"I know," Sheryl said. "And this Bruce... you think he could really break them out of here?"

"I doubt it. I mean, their cage is over here, and that hole they used is all the way over there. What is he going to do, drill another hole in the wall?"

"How did that hole get there, anyway?"

"Beats me."

Another male, an older man, spoke up. "I hope what's-her-name finds that guy and puts 'im in there with the rest o' 'em."

"Yeah," agreed a female. "They need to be taken down some more knotches."

The Homeless began talking amongst themselves, and laughing as well.

"Hey, everyone," the female said. "I've got a plan."

"Oh boy..." Sheryl shook her head. She had a clue as to what her subordinates were scheming.

~~~

Thomas ran back to the campsite, and found Gloria sitting at the center. She turned towards him as he ran closer to her.

"Thomas, you're back," she said. "...Where's Carlos?"

Thomas stopped in front of her, and croutched down, catching his breath. "We found the others. They were captured, just as Bruce said."

Gloria's eyes widened. "Really? Dammit... But that doesn't really answer my question."

Thomas stood upright. "The rope snapped, and now he's trapped down there."

"What?!" This got her riled up.

"Yeah, and the worst part is that Melissa moved the cage, so he's stuck on top of an empty shelf, and we can't get the others."

"No..." Gloria covered her mouth with her right hand.

"Is there another string around here? If we can find one, we may have a chance at rescuing him."

Gloria stood up and looked around her. "Let's look in every one of these tents, and all around here. We have to find find something."

"Alright." The two then split, and began to search around the area.

~~~

Carlos sat against the wall. He had lost track of how long he was in the closet. It seemed like hours. No doubt that Melissa would be back any minute now, to check up on her "property."

"Hurry up, Thomas," Carlos muttered to himself. "Or else-"

Suddenly, Carlos heard the closet door opened. In that instant, he knew who would be coming inside. He laid flat on the surface of the shelf, and backed as far away from the edge as he possibly could, aligning himself against the wall. He watched as Melissa made her way inside, and addressed the tiny people. She then croutched down, out of his sight.

"Good afternoon, my precious collectables!" she said excitedly. "I bet you all didn't know it was afternoon out there, did you?" She let out a short laugh. "So, what's new here. How are you liking the "Privacy Box" I gave you all?"

Carlos could not hear the response, but whatever it was made her laugh again. "Well, not what I intended, but I'm sure you'll get used to it. Just no babies, alright? Maybe I should shrink you all some condoms." Another laugh. "Now, what about you all?"

Once again, Carlos could not hear what was being said by the captives, but what she was told this time seemed to make her curious. "Oh, really?"

Carlos watched as she stood back upright, and walked towards the shelf he lay hidden on. His heart began to race. Would he be discovered? What would become of him? He tried to make himself more flat on the surface, hoping that his size combined with the darkness would keep him hidden from Melissa's sight. He also hid the string behind him, as it would no doubt give her a clue as to where they had been hiding. He watched as she examined the shelf, squinting her eyes as they shifted from edge-to-edge, and her face drawing closer to the shelf. In that instant, Carlos believed that he had been found.

Melissa's face receded, and she turned around. "What are you talking about? There's no one here."

Carlos let out a deep sigh of relief. But who tried to out him? Was it his allies? Or was it the Homeless.

"Probably the Homeless," Carlos muttered to himself.

~~~

"Nothing," Gloria said as she returned to the center, meeting Thomas there. "What about you?"

"Same here," he said. "I didn't find anything."

"Damn. You'd think Bruce would have had a spare in his tent somewhere. I guess he's not as reliable as we thought. And he was already pretty damn unreliable."

"So, what now?" Thomas asked.

"You go back and tell Carlos that we don't have anything to get him with right now."

"'Right now'?"

"It's possible that Bruce may have something hidden away, but we have to wait for him to ask."

"I see... When will he be back?"

"A few days. ...Hopefully."

Thomas sighed. "Unreliable is right. I hope Carlos can hang on for that long."

He turned and ran back towards the hole. Upon reaching it minutes later, he peered inside, shining his flashlight down into it. He prepared to call out to Carlos, but before he could, he heard that all-to-familiar voice.

"What are you talking about? There's no one here."

Thomas's quickly backed away from the hole, breathing harder and his heart now beating faster. He took a deep breath, and slowly walked back to the hole, croutching on the floor and peeking inside.

There was no way that Melissa could see him where he was, but he did not want to do anything to risk giving away Carlos, as from her words, it seemed that she had not found him.

~~~

Melissa faced the glass cage containing the Homeless. "Don't lie to me anymore. Or you'll regret it."

"But it's the truth!" A male yelled out. "He said that his name was Carlos and everything!"

"'Carlos'?" Melissa began to think to herself. "Hmm... Come to think of it, I did bring in someone named Carlos before, but that was a while ago, and I don't remember seeing him when I recaptured the rest." She turned back to the Homeless. "You don't forget someone that good-looking. He was a fine piece of Latin goodness. Should I look again?"

"Yes!" The same voice yelled out.

"...Alright. But if I don't find anything, I'm killing you."

She then walked back to the shelf. This time, however she pulled her cell phone out from her pocket. She flipped it open, which caused the LCD screen to switch on. She used the immumination from its backlight to scan around the shelf. Sure enough, she found the man in question: Carlos. He looked up towards her, and she could make out a frightened expression on his face.

"Found you!" Melissa said as she used her free hand to grab the small man with her finger and thumb. "Thought you could hide from me? Good thing these guys had some sharp ears." She laughed as she flipped her cell phone closed and put it back in her pocket.

"Oh, you're as cute as ever!" She said as she held Carlos under the closet's lightbulb. "It'd be a shame to have to kill you, so stay alive for as long as you can, okay?" She brought him to her lips, and planted a kiss on his face. She then walked to the glass cages, and set him inside of the one with her reacquired prisoners.

"Now, where's this rope?" Melissa asked. "The one they say that you broke."

There was no response.

"You better answer me!" She yelled, her mood aggrivated. "Or I'll kill one of your friends!"

"O-over there..." Carlos answered, pointing towards the shelf.

Melissa walked back to the shelf, and pulled her phone back out of her pocket. She used its backlight to examine the shelf again, and found that very string against the wall. She grabbed it, and walked back to the cage. "Thank you." She smiled at them. "I'll be back later. I have to have a little talk with someone."

She waved at the small captives, before walking out of the closet. Indeed, she had a few questions to ask that person that she had in mind.

~~~

The Homeless celebrated the recapturing of yet another Refugee, and that they had played a part in outting his presence.

"We got them! We got them good!"

"That'll teach them to look down on us!"

Sheryl watched her companions rejoice at their success, before retiring back to her box.

"Where are you going, Sheryl?" Oliver asked.

"Melissa was right. I didn't know that it was the afternoon. I'm going to bed. I haven't slept in a while." She continued towards her box. "My biological clock is all messed up..." she said to herself.

The cheering of her subordinates did not seem to negatively affect her, as upon entering her cardboard box, she was asleep within minutes.

~~~

Carlos fell to his knees, as the other Refugees crowded around him.

"Dammit!" Dawson said in anger. "I can't believe those damn Homeless ratted you out like that!"

"Doesn't surprise me," Beatrix said. "They don't like us, and we don't like them. It's just how it is."

Carlos sighed. "What's worse," he said, "Thomas was supposed to be finding a spare rope to get me back up there. Now that I've been caught, it's just him and Gloria."

"What about Bruce?" Shawn asked.

"You know how he is," Carlos answered. "He came back yesterday, and was quite pissed when he found out that you all were gone. In fact, my little reconissance mission was his idea. But this morning, he was gone again."

"Damn... Ray really screwed us big time..." Dawson said. "I knew that following him was a bad idea."

The Refugees were silent for several seconds, before Jenna spoke up.

"Hey, what do you think she meant when she said that she was going to have a talk to 'someone'?" She asked.

"Hell if I know," a male said.

"But she suddenly came to that after she found the string," Jenna continued. "And who put the string there in the first place? Bruce."

"Yeah. What are you getting at?"

"Bruce was always away, and he told us to never go down to where he was, because it's 'too dangerous'. Do you catch my drift now?"

"Wait," Beatrix said. "Are you trying to say that Bruce could be working with Melissa?"

"It's possible."

Dawson laughed. "You're lucky that Ray isn't here. He would have slapped you for saying that."

"I've been through worse than a slap." Jenna shrugged her shoulders.

"Either way," Shawn said. "At this point, I think we should consider all possibilities. Maybe Bruce was right, and that it is too dangerous down there, and that he's still looking for a way out. On the other hand, if Jenna's theory is true... well, we're screwed."

~~~

Thomas slowly walked back to the campsite, with a melancholic expression on his face. Gloria, still sitting at the center, turned to see him returning.

"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing his facial expression.

"She got him," Thomas said, falling on his rear. "Melissa got Carlos."

Gloria gasped. "What?!"

Thomas laid on his cot inside of his tent, staring blankly at the top of the tent. It was Thursday, two days since Carlos was captured and placed with the rest of the Refugees. In those two days, there had been no word from Bruce, but what else was new about that?

The day before, however, as Thomas laid in this same position, he managed to accomplish something.

(The previous day.)

"Hey," said a voice from the entrance. "Are you up?"

Thomas, laying on his cot, turned his head towards the opening. Gloria was standing there, halfway inside.

"Yeah," he responded.

"You're not busy, are you?"

"Of course not. It's not like there's anything to do here." Thomas sighed. "I wish I had brought my DS with me. If I'd've known that I'd be stuck here for this long. Though I probably would have used the battery up by now..."

Gloria walked inside and sat beside him. "Listen... I know you're probably still mad at me, but we're stuck here with each other. So we're going to have to learn to get along."

"Mad? About before?" Thomas sat up and turned towards her. "I'm not sure why you started treating me like that especially since you're one of the few people here who didn't treat me like crap."

Gloria was silent for a few seconds, before she spoke. "Remember when I told you that I was a rebel?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's not even the half of it. From just a few months after my family came to the U.S. to until a few years ago, I was in a gang."

Thomas' eyes widen. "Really?"

"Surprised?"

"Kinda."

"Anyway, I've been around many people, some who were, well, pretty close, who said that they'd be able to take on anything. And they said it with confidence, like they had faith that they'd be able to kill anyone. But when it came down to it, they ended up running away."

"Oh..."

"Running away like that is like a death sentence. Every single one of them is dead today. And when you ran from that centipede the other day, it reminded me too much of them. They were a disgrace to the gang, and I thought you were one to our little settlement."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. So, I tried to detach myself from you, and when you snapped at me, it made me want to forget about you even more. Though, deep down, I admired you for that."

"Wait, what?" Thomas leaned slightly forward and put his hands on his legs.

"I thought you were quiet, kinda geeky, and didn't really like to start fights."

"Well, that is true..."

"But when you finally had enough of my pestering, you let me know it. I started to once again rethink my opinion of you. And then we came back and found everyone gone."

"Let me guess... since we're the only ones here, you found it necessary to make peace with me."

"As I said when this conversation started. But it's not like that's the only reason. I... I just don't want you to feel... alone."

"I see..." Thomas laid back down, somewhat confused over Gloria's sudden softness. "To be honest, I never hated you. I usually keep my cool, but sometimes, I lose it. You, one of my only allies, started to ignore and berate me. Plus, I was tired from the walk, and a bit hot."

"...But this house has AC."

"I know, but still... I was just frustrated, and I vented. I'm sorry."

"Idiot..."Gloria shook her head. "I'm the one who should be apologizing."

She grabbed his right hand and grasped it between her hands. "Lo siento."

Thomas blinked, slightly blushing at the sight of his hand within her's. He also noticed that on her face was not the same harden expression he had known her for for quite some time, but a more kind one.

"Uhh... My Spanish sucks, but that means 'sorry,' right?" he asked.

"Yeah."

A smile appeared on Thomas' face. "I forgive you."

"Thank you." Gloria gave his hand a light squeeze before releasing it. "Though, what made you so afraid of centipedes?"

Thomas laughed. "It started when I was about... 5, I think. I was in my room, playing with my toys, and when I tipped over one of my toy-boxes, I saw this 'new' bug fall out along with my stuff. It was so scary to me back then. It seemed to have legs all around it, and it ran like the Roadrunner. It, for some reason, ran towards me. I screamed so loud, I swear you could hear it all down the street."

"They are kind of freaky-looking, huh?"

"Yeah. So, I'm trying to back away from it, and it crawls onto my leg. That didn't help my screaming, as I just became louder. I was able to kick it off, and I ran away to a wall, still yelling and stuff. Luckily, my mom came in and killed it. Ever since then, I've had a mild dislike of centipedes."

"I don't think 'mild' is the word." Gloria teased.

"Ha... yeah..."

The two said nothing for a few minutes. Thomas watched as Gloria looked around his small tent, watching nothing in particular.

"So..." Thomas said, breaking the silence. "What is it-"

"Let's go somewhere else," Gloria interrupted. "Somewhere bigger."

"Bigger? For what? And why?"

"You'll see when you get there. Actually, I wanted to see if you would still like me before I showed you this place."

Thomas stood up. "Well, it's not like I have anything better to do..."

~~~

Thomas and Gloria stood outside of Bruce's tent. Like Gloria said, it was a bit larger than the other ones, though still made of paper. It was also quite a ways away from the campsite, most likely to ensure Bruce some privacy.

"Bruce's place?" Thomas asked. "Why here? Won't we get in trouble? Or rather, won't I get in trouble?"

"Don't worry about that. C'mon." Gloria walked towards the tent's entrance.

Thomas hesitated for a moment. He did not want to face Bruce's wrath for entering without his permission. Of course, Gloria is leading him inside, and Bruce is pretty fond of her, so maybe Gloria would explain things to him if he returned while they were inside.

Thomas decided to put his faith in Gloria, and followed her.

As he entered, the tent became illuminated. A flashlight? No. Thomas saw Gloria's hand pulling away from a lamp. A lamp? What was a lamp doing in here? And that was not all. Near the lamp was a row of books. Thomas stepped closer to them, in disbelief, reading through the titles. Cosmos, Pride and Prejudice, When Genius Fails, and a 2007 edition of World Book, among others. Not only that, but instead of a make-shift cot made of shredded cloth and dust balls, there was a brown sleeping bag and a white pillow.

"What is all of this?" Thomas asked in a state of astonishment.

"They're books, genius," Gloria responded.

"I know that. But what are they doing in here? And that lamp and sleeping bag. Don't tell me that Bruce came to Melissa's house with all of that stuff..."

"Well, according to him, he found this stuff shrunken in the middle of the floor somewhere."

"...Like with the flashlights?"

"I guess."

"...And that doesn't sound odd to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why would Melissa leave a 'pile' of things in the middle of the floor? From what I've seen, she seems to be pretty neat and tidy. I'd like to think that she'd move the stuff that she shrinks elsewhere."

Gloria pondered to herself. "Now that you mention it, I do think there's something wrong with all of this. Definately worth looking into."

"Yeah..." Thomas pulled out the book Cosmos and flipped it open to a random page as he sat on the floor near the lamp. On the page were several pictures of vibrant galaxies. "...Are these actual photos? ...No... They're paintings..."

"Hey," Gloria called to him after several minutes of silence. "Before we left, what did you want to ask me?"

"Hm?" Thomas looked up from the book. "Oh yeah... What's the deal between you and Bruce? Are you two like-"

"Bruce is just a guy who I... pleasure. Nothing more." She interrupted.

"Oh. But he seems to be so fond of you."

"He is. But those feelings aren't mutual."

"...Then why do you do... whatever you do with him?"

Gloria sighed. "I don't know. I guess I could have always just refused him. I doubt he'd make anything big of it."

"You did it because he's the 'leader'?" Thomas made quotation mark gestures with his fingers when he said "leader."

"Maybe. Like I said, I don't know."

"I'm sure there's a reason."

"I said that I don't know, so let's just drop it." Gloria became a bit agitated.

"Okay..." Thomas said before sighing, and turning his attention back to the book. He had angered her before, and he did not want to do it again. He flipped to the beginning of the book, and began reading it from the beginning. It was no game console, but at least he found something to keep him busy. Plus, he had always had an interest in astronomy.

~~~

The tent was silent for what seemed like an hour, aside from the occasional cough or other bodily noise. Both Thomas and Gloria were deeply immersed in their books. Thomas has no idea what book Gloria was reading, but as for himself, despite only being two chapters in (not counting the Introduction) and the contents being over 25 years old now, he found himself fascinated by Carl Sagan's analysis on the solar system, the galaxy, and extraterrestrial life. In fact, for that hour, he had completely forgotten that he was still inside of the walls of Melissa's house.

"You seem to be enjoying that book," Gloria finally said. "I haven't heard a word out of you in a while."

"I could say the same to you," Thomas replied, before looking up towards her. "What are you reading, anyway?"

"A Child Called 'It'. It's so horrible how the author was treated by his mother when he was a kid. She abused him to no end, and even had her other kids in on it. If I met this woman today, I'd kick her ass."

"Whoa... Sounds like a real... witch."

"'Witch'? Oh, come on! You're a grown man. You can cuss."

"Yeah, but I don't like to call women 'bitches,' no matter how bad they are. It's just the way I was raised."

"You're kidding."

"No. In fact, I've only called a woman a 'bitch' once."

"Really? Who was it?"

"...Melissa. When I was out there."

"What?! And she didn't grind you into the floor?!"

"Well... I said it under my breath, and since I was so small, there was no way she could have heard me."

"I see." She began to chuckle, which soon transformed into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Thomas asked, slightly annoyed.

"Oh, nothing," Gloria responded, wiping a tear from her eye with her index finger.

"Didn't sound like nothing."

"It's just... you're just an interesting person."

"Whatever." Thomas dropped his head down, back towards the book. Though it was odd seeing Gloria laugh like that. It was actually his first time seeing her laugh like that. Usually, she is stone-faced, her facial expression barely changing from the cold, and somewhat angry, one he had known her for all of this time. Though seeing her actually laugh was a good thing. He felt that she shouldn't close off her emotions from everyone else. She should just sit back, take a deep breath, and relax. Despite their current situation.

~~~

Thomas sat up on his cot, and reached for Cosmos. The day before, Gloria let him bring the book back to his tent, as well as two others. He was also given a flashlight, so that he could read in the seemingly perpetual darkness, only broken by the few flashlights that hung from the board above the campsite.

He still could not figure out how Bruce managed to get everything he had. The book, the lamp, the sleeping bag, and the flashlights. The idea of Melissa shrinking them, and leaving them laying around just seemed absurd.

Could it be that Bruce and Melissa were actually working together? That idea seemed absurd as well, but he could not think of any other explaination. After all, if they were working together, wouldn't have Bruce told her the whereabouts of her captives beforehand? No... It would make more sense to keep them contained in the same spot, so that they could not escape.

Suddenly, Thomas had a thought. Why was Bruce so reluctant to lead everyone out to safety before they were captured? Perhaps the two, in fact, were working together, and Bruce keeping the Refugees in one place serves as a way for Melissa to keep tabs on them. Also, why was Bruce spending so much time in the Lower Levels? What was down there for him? What were the Lower Levels?

So many questions, and he had no idea how or when they would be answered.

~~~

Melissa laid on her couch in the living room, her cell phone being held at her ear, barely paying attention to the nightly local news on the television.

"...And that's how my week's been so far," Melissa said. "I still have one more day of work this week. This job is killing me..."

"You're lucky you don't have my job," an older male voice said on the other line. "I only get 6 hours of sleep at the most. The rest of my day is spent in the lab."

"But I'd rather be in that lab with you than at that hellhole I work at. Speaking of which, any new projects?"

"Now you know that's confidential."

Melissa giggled. "That didn't stop you from sending the Shrink Ray over here."

"Yeah, I suppose. How is it working out for you?"

"Okay, I guess. I don't use it, though. At least, not on people."

"Of course not."

"So, tell me what you're working on now. Pleeeease?" She playfully begged.

The man sighed. "Let's just say that we're still working on size modifiers. That's all I'm telling you, missy."

"Aww... That's not fair."

"You're lucky I even told you that. You're just like your mother."

"Don't compare me to her." Melissa's tone became serious. "I'm nothing like her."

"Sure you are. You're just saying that because you're still bitter about her leaving."

"There more to it than that."

"Maybe. I can't say that I'm not angered over her leaving, but I can't hate her. After all, she gave me my Little Princess."

"...I'm 22 years old now. I think I'm far past the point of being little."

"To me, you'll always be my Little Princess."

"Oh, Dad..."

"I remember how your face would light up when I'd call you that, and you would run to me like a puppy running to its owner when he has food. Those were good days. You were such a cute girl back then, and you're a beautiful young woman now."

Melissa blushed. "Dad, stop!"

He laughed. "Well, I think it's time for me to get back in there."

"Aww... Already?"

"What do you mean, 'already'? This is how long we usually talk. Anyway, I'll talk to you real soon, Princess. I love you."

"Love you too, Dad. Bye."

A click was heard on the other line, and Melissa closed the phone. She sighed and turned her head towards the television.

"...Still no word yet on the whereabouts of 24-year-old Tyler Johans, who has been missing since June 28," the female reporter said. "His mother is pleading with anyone with any information to come forward."

The report cut to a taping of a press conference. A distraught woman who appeared to be in her late 40s or early 50s was speaking to the media. "Please! I just want my son back! If you know anything about where he is, tell me. Please!"

A photo of Tyler was then shown, and the female reporter spoke again. "Tyler is the latest in a string of mysterious disappearances of young adults ranging from ages 18 to 26. Detectives have no lead-"

The TV was flipped off. Melissa set the remote back on the table and rose from the couch. She let out a few laughs as she walked upstairs to her room.

~~~

Thomas was reading the final few pages of Cosmos. It took him two days to finish the book, though he thoroughly enjoyed reading the material, no matter how outdated some of it was now.

"Hey."

Thomas looked towards the entrance of his tent, and saw Gloria standing there.

"Hey, Gloria," Thomas said. "What's up?"

"Let's go."

"'Go'? Go where?"

"The Lower Levels. We're going to see what exactly is down there."

Thomas put the book on the floor, and stood up. "What? Is that safe?"

"Worried about Melissa? Don't worry. It's Friday. She's too tired from her job to do anything to us. She'll be out all night."

"I... see..."

"Don't you want to see what is keeping Bruce's attention? I know I do, and now that we're the only ones left, I feel that it's time for a confrontation."

"I see what you mean. In fact, I sort of have a feeling that he and Melissa may be working together."

"Really? That's... a possibility. Or maybe there's a nice doll house down there." Gloria joked.

"Doll house? I doubt it." Thomas chuckled. "But I guess it wouldn't hurt to see."

"Yeah. Let's go. Melissa may be out for the night, but if we stay here talking, it'll be morning before we know it." Gloria then walked out of the tent.

Thomas grabbed the flashlight near his cot, and followed her outside.

~~~

"I wonder what Thomas and Gloria are up to," Carlos said as he sat against the glass wall. "The two weren't exactly on good terms with each other when I left."

"Really?" Shawn, who sat beside him, said. "It's weird to think that one of the few people who cared about Thomas hates him now."

"Well, I wouldn't say hate. I think they were going to try to make up with each other."

"That's good. It's a shame that they can't get us out of here. Melissa just had to move this cage."

"Tell me about it. I actually miss my tent. At least I didn't have to sleep on a cold, hard glass floor."

"Yeah." Shawn looked forward, and saw Dawson walking after Jenna. "Hey, look. He's at it again."

"What? He must really love her or something."

"I think we all know what he loves."

Jenna, finally annoyed at the tagging Dawson, stopped walking and turned around to confront him. Shawn sighed and stood up, and then walked over to the duo.

"Please? Can't I just have a little touch?" Dawson begged.

"No!" Jenna furiously responded. "I'm tired of you playing with my feet! I don't even like my feet!"

Dawson sighed. "Why do all girls say that? They say that they hate their feet, but then they go out and get pedicures and wear flip-flops. I don't understand it at all."

"I don't know about the rest of those girls, but I hate those girly shoes!" Jenna stated.

"Aww... Don't be like that. You have wonderful feet. It'd be a shame for you to hide them from the world." Dawson then began to reach for her foot. He was met with a swift kick to the face by the very same foot he was going for. He was knocked down on the floor on his behind.

"See? That wasn't so hard," Dawson said as he wiped some saliva from his lips. "Now, do it again."

"Augh!" Jenna exclaimed.

"That's enough," Shawn said. "Dawson, stop following her. It's obvious that she doesn't want to be around you right now. You're acting like a stalker."

"C'mon, man!" Dawson stood up. "I know that, deep down, she's actually enjoying my company."

"Good grief." Shawn placed his palm on his forehead. "I'd hate to see how you were like before you came here."

"I was actually pretty... normal. But I was a sight pleaser. Since this is SoCal, I see a lot of cute girls in flip-flops and sandals year around. I'd often fantasize about being bug-sized and in the pathway of those girls. I'd try my hardest to dodge their steps, but eventually, I'd be squashed."

"If I ever found you bug-sized in my life," Jenna said, "I'd crush you so fast that you wouldn't have time to enjoy your fetish."

Dawson laughed. "See! I told you that you'd make a great giantess! Now, would you do it barefoot or with shoes?"

"Ugh!" An annoyed Jenna turned around and stormed away from the two men.

"Wait! Come back!" Dawson prepared to run after her, but was stopped by Shawn's hand on his shoulder.

"Just let her go for now," Shawn said.

"Damn," Dawson said. "Is she PMSing or something?"

"...You just don't get it."

~~~

"I think this is as low as we can go," Gloria said as Thomas slid down a string tied to a board on the floor above.

The two had been walking for what seemed like hours. Thomas's legs were tired, and he was breathing heavily. He wish that he had something to drink. He could not imagine what it would be like to climb back up to the campsite. No wonder Bruce stayed down here so long.

"Are you alright?" Gloria asked, noticing Thomas's fatigue. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Thomas said. "Hopefully there'll be some water down here or something."

"...You better cross your fingers then."

They began to walk down the dark hall, shining their flashlights forward. They were surprised to see an opening not far from the string they had came down. An opening that has a somewhat dim light shining through.

"Well, here it is," Gloria said, shutting off her flashlight. "The Lower Levels. Or rather, the basement."

Thomas took a deep breath, and shut his off as well. "I'm ready. Let's go through there."

They walked out from inside the wall through the opening. As Gloria said, it was indeed the basement. A rather large basement, though also somewhat empty. The floor was covered with a beige carpet, and there were shelves in the distance filled with toolboxes and other gadgets. The place was illuminated by a light on the ceiling that was, for some reason switched on. Though dust settling inside of the glass covering seemed to block out some of the light.

"This is a nice basement," Thomas said. "I wish I had one this nice at my apartment. I wish I had a basement, period."

"Hey, Thomas," Gloria said, pointing to their right. "Look over there."

"Hm?" Thomas turned his head to where Gloria was pointing. There was a two-story dollhouse, not too far from where they stood.

"Looks like I was right," Gloria said. "Now, let's see if you're right as well."

They began to walk to the dollhouse. As they got closer, Thomas could make out the pastel plastic walls and the lavender roof on the house. He could also make out what looked like a large battery on the side of it. What kind of dollhouse was this? Thomas had not known any dollhouses that used a battery as big as the one he saw. As they got nearer still, he could also hear faint voices from inside. Wait, voices? Were there more people inside besides Bruce? What exactly is going on here?

Finally, they stood in front of the door. Thomas turned to Gloria, who gave him a nod. Thomas gulped and reached for the plastic doorknob. However, just as he was about to grab it, the door opened. Thomas soon found himself face-to-face with Bruce, who was surprised, and possibly a bit agitated, that both of them had discovered his secret.

"What are you two doing down here?" Bruce calmly, but crudely, asked.

"I knew it!" Thomas said. "I knew you were working with Melissa!"

Bruce's eyes widened. "What are you-"

"Bruce, who is it?" A female voice asked. The voice's owner soon appeared behind Bruce: a middle-aged, dark-skinned woman. She gasped as she placed her hand over her mouth. "Oh, dear..."

"Umm... Excuse me, ma'am," Gloria said, "but who are you?"

Bruce and the woman looked at each other, before she stepped closer to the door.

"My name is Claudia. And I'm... Melissa's mother."

Thomas and Gloria's mouths dropped wide open. This woman... yet another victim of Melissa, who resided in this dollhouse set up in the basement, claimed to be Melissa's mother. Neither one could believe it. Was Melissa so heartless as to shrink her own mother? Apparently so, if this woman was telling the truth.

"M-mother?!" Thomas said, shocked. "But Melissa said that you left her and her dad when she was young!"

"She told me that you were dead," Gloria said.

"I see..." Claudia said, melancholically. "I had no idea that she was telling those kind of lies to everyone... My friends... my family... I'm sure they're all wondering where I am..."

Bruce placed his arm around her shoulders. "Cheer up. Melissa hasn't killed you. So I'm sure that sometime soon, she'll make you big again. After all, you are her mother."

Claudia sniffed. "Thank you. Yes, I know. I am her mother."

Thomas stood at awe at this scene. Was Bruce actually being nice to this woman? Are the two having an affair? More importantly, considering the long periods that he is down here, does Melissa know about him?

"Why don't you two come in?" Claudia said. "I'll try my best to explain how all of this started."

Claudia then stepped away from the door, and soon out of sight. Bruce gave Thomas and Gloria a slight glare before he followed her. Thomas and Gloria briefly looked at each other before walking inside of the dollhouse, closing the door behind them.

The four sat in the living room. Even at their size, the room seemed rather small, especially compared to the living room of Melissa's house. Thomas and Gloria sat on a plastic couch, covered with a kind of padding. Claudia and Bruce sat in seperate plasic chairs, Claudia across from them, and Bruce to the side. Between them all was a plastic table, and in front of Thomas and Gloria were two glasses of lemonade. However, the beverages were not lukewarm like the water Thomas has been drinking for weeks; they were actually cold. How was this possible?

"Umm..." Thomas said. "I don't get it. What kind of place is this? You have lights, cold drinks, supplies, and apparently food. How are you getting all of this?"

"...Do you know about my... ex-husband?" Claudia said.

"Only what Melissa told me," Thomas responded. "That he was an inventor."

"I see... Well, I don't know if you've heard of him or not, but his name is Edgar Cruz."

"I think I've heard of him," Gloria said.

"He created this dollhouse for the girls a long time ago, though I never understood why they would ever need one like this," Claudia said. "And the food and supplies? Melissa-"

"Hold on!" Thomas interrupted. "'Girls'?! Melissa has a sister?!"

"Yes." Claudia turned to Bruce. "I know it's late, but could you go get her for a minute?"

"Sure." Bruce stood up and left the room. Thomas could hear him walking up the plastic stairs.

"As I was saying, Melissa supplies us with food and drinks. Despite all she's done, she still feeds us. I can't really hate her. After all, she's my daughter."

"Mrs. Cruz..." Gloria said. "Do you have any idea what Melissa is doing up there?"

"Bruce has told me bits and pieces." Claudia sighed. "But I'd rather not know the rest..."

"I see... Then I won't say anything else about that..." Gloria picked up her glass and sipped at the lemonade inside.

Bruce came back into the room, being followed by a tired, and annoyed, teenaged girl. However, to Thomas and Gloria's surprise, this girl had a somewhat lighter skin complexion and brownish hair, unlike the dark skin and black hair of her mother and sister.

"Who are these people?" The girl rudely asked.

"I'm Thomas," Thomas said. "And this is Gloria."

"I'm Rebecca." She turned to her mother. "Can I go back to bed now?"

"Okay. Good night, dear." Claudia said.

"Mm." Rebecca then walked out of the room, and back upstairs.

Bruce sat back down in the chair he was sitting in earlier. "I know what you're thinking: 'But how come she doesn't look like her sister and mother?' I hope you're not stupid enough to not figure it out." Bruce was looking at Thomas as he said this.

"Please, Bruce," Claudia scolded. "Yes... I did have an affair... 17 years ago, Edgar had been away for a long time, and I... went out and met this blond man... and I think you know the rest."

"Yeah..." Thomas said.

"Actually, I think my affair may have led to all of this."

"Really? How so?"

Claudia let out a sigh. "It started... about 7 months ago now..."

~~~

It was mid-January, though you all know how the weather here is. I was in the kitchen, washing the dishes. Rebecca was in there with me, reading a book for her English class. It had been a quiet, uneventful Wednesday afternoon, when we heard the doorbell ring. I was too busy, but Rebecca didn't move, either. The bell rang again, and I heard footsteps running down the front stairs.

"I got it!" Melissa called out.

I heard some talking, but I didn't pay it too much mind. A few minutes later, Melissa walked into the kitchen, holding a box.

"Who was it?" I asked.

"Some UPS guy," she answered.

She then began to open the box. We were all curious as to what was inside. I actually stopped washing the plate I was working on, and stepped to the table. After drying my hands, of course.

The box was open, and we were shocked to find this strange gun. It was a greyish color, with what looked like a satellite dish as the pistol. There were also a few buttons on it, and of course, a trigger.

"What the hell is that?!" Rebecca asked. Curiosity had gotten the best of her, too, as she had stopped reading her book, leaving it flipped open on the table.

"Wait, there's more." Melissa reached under the gun, and pulled out some sheets of paper. She began to read. "'Hello, my Princesses.' It's from Dad!"

"Edgar sent us this?" I asked. "Why? And what is it?"

Melissa continued to read. "'I'm sure that you're wondering what it is that I sent you. Well, for the past few years, we at the lab have been working on size altercation technology. The gun in this box is the fruition of half of our efforts. I'm sure you've heard of such a thing in cartoons and the like, but it's called the Shrink Ray.' 'Shrink Ray'?! He can't be serious!!"

"Why would he send us something like this?" Rebecca asked.

"Read on, dear," I said to Melissa.

"'Now, I don't want you all to go out and shrink half of the town. In fact, I'd rather you all not use it at all, except in energencies.' ...So, this is supposed to protect us?"

"That's no fun," Rebecca complained. "I wanted to use it to get revenge on my ex. I'd love to see him beg for mercy when I'm holding my foot above him..."

"Rebecca! That's inhumane!" I scolded.

"What? I wasn't going to kill him..."

I heard Melissa flipping through the papers. "Here are the directions."

Both Rebecca and I walked closer to Melissa, and looked at the paper with her. Surprisingly, the directions were pretty simple. Press the red button to activate the shrinking process, and afterwards, pull the trigger to shrink the subject down to 1/40th of its original size. Pressing the green button, however, activated growth, though it could only return the subject to its original size, and not make it bigger. The gun apparently ran on a supply of radioactive chemicals, and the letter said to mail the gun back to the lab when it ran out of power. I admit, that part worried me the most. I didn't want any toxic waste in my house, around my children.

I had no idea that that would soon be the least of my worries...

So, Melissa and Rebecca tried it out on several things. The couches, their beds, the TV, one of my plants, and some books. Though Rebecca still wanted to try it out on her ex, thankfully Melissa quickly talked her out of it.

After about an hour or so, they got bored with the Shrink Ray, and put it back in the box. Melissa then said that she would keep it in her room. I didn't mind. After all, Melissa would never do anything irresponsible with it. I raised her to be an upstanding, intelligent, young woman, and I believed that I had succeeded.

About two weeks later, in the middle of the night, I awoke to a loud shattering sound. I immediately slipped on my slippers and pulled on my bathrobe, and rushed outside of my room. Despite the lights in the house being turned off, I saw my daughters croutching at the balcony overlooking the front room. They were looking down below, and when I saw what they were looking at, my heart sank: a man dressed head-to-toe in black clothing had broken into our house.

I quickly backed to the wall behind me, my heart racing. Luckily, he didn't see us. At least, not at that point.

Melissa quietly walked back into her room, and as she disappeared, so did the burgular. According to Rebecca, he had gone into another room. Though my heart was beating ever faster. I did not know what this man wanted. Was he going to just loot our house and be on his way? Or, if and when he found us, would he rape us? After all, my daughters and I were the only ones living there, so I'm sure that he would have, and could have, had his way with all three of us. And if he did, what would have became of us? Would he try to silence us?

Melissa came back to the balcony, holding something in her hands. At that point, I remembered about the Shrink Ray. I had completely forgotten about it, since I don't think the girls had touched it in the two week after the day it came. I heard a powering-up sound, and saw Melissa stand closer to the edge of the balcony, aiming the gun towards the lower floor. I crept closer to the edge, and watched the floor below closely, yet nervously.

The man then walked back into the room. I gulped as Melissa briefly looked at me, and as the man walked into the center of the room, Melissa fired.

The man glowed with a white light, a light that became smaller and smaller. Suddenly, as quickly as it started, it was over. The now small ball of light had disappeared in the darkness. We immediately rushed down the stairs. Rebecca switched the light on, I went to check the alarm system, and Melissa stood over the now small man, observing his unconscious body.

"Rebecca," I said, breathing heavily. "Why didn't you turn the alarm on?"

"Sorry, Mom," she answered. "I was too busy with my essay."

"Don't ever be that irresponsible ever again."

"I won't, Mom..."

Both of us joined Melissa and the man, who was now coming to. He looked around, and once he looked up, he began to scream. I tell you, even though he had been shrunken down to less than 2 inches, his scream filled the room. Amazing what fear can do.

He began to run away from us, but Rebecca ran ahead of him and slammed her foot in his path.

"Where do you think you're going?" she said in a somewhat cruel manner. "You're going to pay for breaking into our house like that."

Rebecca raised her foot over the man, but I stopped her.

"No, Rebecca!" I pulled her away from the man.

"Why not?! He deserves it!"

"Doesn't matter. He's still a human, and you can't kill people."

"So, what are we going to do with him, then?!" Rebecca pulled away from my grip. "Give him to the police? They're going to ask how he got like that! Oh! I have an idea! Why don't we just grow him back to normal!? I'm sure that he'll be so thrilled that he'll thank us!"

"You don't have to be so sarcastic." I began to think. "You're right. We can't give him to the police. Not like this. And I don't want to find out what he'll do with us if we restore him. Especially if he were to get a hold of the Shrink Ray... Oh, dear..."

At that point, Melissa spoke up. "Rebecca does bring up a good point."

After she said that, I heard a crunching sound. I turned around and saw Melissa, twisting her foot on the floor. I looked down at her foot, and saw blood, shredded black clothing, and a now barely recognizable body being grounded-up under her flip-flop sandal. Afterwards, she pulled back, and smeared the blood and remains on the floor. I covered my mouth, and almost threw up at the sight.

"Wicked," Rebecca said, in awe. "I so wanted to do that! No fair!" She stomped the floor. "I wanted to feel him squish under my bare foot!"

"Rebecca!" I scolded, and turned back to Melissa. "Melissa! How could you?! Didn't you just hear what I said?! It's murder!"

Melissa sighed. "Yeah, I heard you. But Rebecca's right. The cops would ask us how he became so small, and growing him back to normal was out of the question. And we also couldn't've thrown him outside. If he was found, it'd cause a news sensation, and if Dad saw it, he'd know right away. Besides..." Melissa stamped on the bloody, flattened remains of the man. "I doubt anyone would give a shit about a robber being killed. Plus, he would be using up our tax dollars rotting in jail. I just did society a favor."

I found it hard to counter her argument, so I just remained silent. I admit, it was pretty solid. But still... Murder is murder.

"So..." Rebecca walked closer to Melissa. "What was it like?"

"What?" Melissa said.

"What did it feel like stepping on a man?"

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed in disgust, and began to walk away from the two.

"Well, it was like stepping on a bug. A large bug. And it was a bit more squishy, probably because there's more blood and..." That's all I heard before I left the room.

I headed to the kitchen, looking for a cleanser or something to wipe up that mess Melissa left. I also had to do something about the hole that was left in the broken window. I ended up staying awake for the rest of the night. Partly because of the messes I had to clean up, but mainly because I was still shaken-up about the break-in, and how the man had met his end at the feet of, of all people, my own daughter, who, more-or-less, had the same ideals as me.

At least, she did up until that point.

~~~

"Wow..." Thomas said. "So... Did killing that guy give her some kind of high or something?"

"I don't know," Claudia responded. "Surprisingly, none of us talked about the incident afterwards. I was almost as if it had never happened. I don't think Melissa used the Shrink Ray after that. But then... a week-and-a-half later..." She wimpered a little.

"If this is too much for you, you don't have to tell us the rest," Gloria said. "We can sort of piece together the rest."

"No..." Claudia wiped a tear from her eye. "I said that I would tell you how it started."

"Then..." Thomas leaned forward. "What happened?"

Claudia let out a depressed sigh, and continued her story.

~~~

I was once again in the kitchen, wiping off the appliances, when Melissa walked in. She had her hands held behind her back, but I didn't pay it too much mind.

"Have you seen Rebecca around here?" she asked.

"Isn't she in her room?"

"No."

"I see... Then I guess she left without telling me." I sighed and shook my head. "I told her to stop doing that."

"Yeah..."

I turned back to the stove I was cleaning, when I heard Melissa call me again.

"Hey, Mom?"

"What is it, dear-" As soon as I turned around, I was blinded by a flash of light.

I awoke on a large brown surface, the kitchen table. I heard crying nearby, and looked to my right. There was Rebecca, on her knees and weeping. I looked up, and was horrified at the gigantic face of my eldest daughter looming over us. She was smiling at us, though this was not the sweet, innocent smile that I have known her for. No... This was a much more sadistic and twisted one. It shot daggers in my heart.

And like the man before, I screamed. As loud as I could.

Then I heard Melissa's now loud voice: "Shut up." She then flicked me with her finger, and knocked me back along the surface. Rebecca, witnessing this, rushed to me. Through my now blurry eyes, I looked into hers. I had never seen them so wide, watery, and scared in my life. She was usually arrogant and conceited, but here she was, crying her eyes out like a small child.

I was in a state of shock. My body was shaking, and I was having a hard time breathing.

Suddenly, Rebecca looked up to Melissa as she held me, and her fiery personality returned. "You bitch!! How could you do this to us?!"

"'Bitch'?" Melissa calmly repeated. "Careful, now. You don't want to piss me off. Especially since I could easily crush the life out of you. And, believe me, I want to."

My heart sank as I heard this. How could my own daughter have had this desire to kill us, her flesh-and-blood? This was not the daughter I had known for 22 years.

"But... I'll let you guys live for now." Melissa reached out towards us. Both Rebecca and I prepared to back away, but we were both surprised when Melissa rubbed my cheek with her finger. "After all, you are family." At that moment, her sweet, sincere smile returned.

"Stay there. I'll be right back." Melissa then walked away from the table, leaving us there to wonder what was happening. We were convinced that it was a dream. There was no other explanation for it. What could have caused her to lash out at us like that?

Of course, as time passed, we realized that this was reality. That my own daughter, and Rebecca's sister, had shrunken us. She had dug out an old doll house from her closet, this one that we're in now, and shrunken down some of our belongings and placed it inside. She then brought the doll house here in the basement, so that we'd be "out of her way." I wasn't sure what she meant at the time, but now...

~~~

"...And that's pretty much been the story of our lives since," Claudia concluded. "Since then, I wondered what triggered this sudden change. Then I realized something."

"What was that?" Thomas asked.

"It didn't happen immediately after my affair, since she was around 5 or 6 at the time, but as she got older, Melissa began to grow a bit distant from me. I don't know... I do know that Melissa absolutely loves her father. More than anything in the world... More than me..."

"If she loves her father as much as you say she does," Gloria said, "then, as she got older and understood what happened, I guess she felt that you had wronged her best friend in the world. And it accumulated with her shrinking you two."

"Yes... I came to that same conclusion..." Claudia sighed. "I underestimated my daughter."

"And why shouldn't you?" Thomas said. "You had no idea that she would be capable of this. Sure, she may have resented you for doing what you did, but how were you supposed to know that she would shrink you? especially if you raised her to be an upstanding person?"

"Yes, but-"

"Hey," Bruce interrupted. "It's starting to get a bit too depressing in here. I bet little mamacita here is famished, and that lemonade isn't going to cut it!"

Gloria rolled her eyes.

"Oh!" Claudia stood from her chair. "I can't believe that I didn't give you poor souls anything to eat! I'm sure that you haven't had a decent meal in months! I'll prepare something for you!" She then rushed into the kitchen. Bruce stood from his chair and followed her.

Thomas turned to Gloria. "So, what do you think about all of this?"

"What do I think?" Gloria responded.

"Yeah."

"...I think we're dealing with one evil bitch."

Thomas, Gloria, and Bruce sat at a somewhat small round table in the doll house's kitchen. Before Thomas and Gloria were plastic plates with meatloaf and spinach on them.

Thomas stared at his plate. He hated both meatloaf and spinach, but he hadn't had a hot meal in weeks and beggars can't be choosers, though he had to admit, the aroma was a bit inviting. Besides, it was not like him to refuse to eat food cooked by his host. That would be extremely rude.

Claudia walked to the table, and placed a basket of bread in the middle of it. She then sat down in her chair.

"Dig in," she said with a smile, one not unlike the sincere ones her daughter give.

Thomas watched as Gloria shoved a fork-full of spinach into her mouth. She was eating rather fast. Understandable, as she had been trapped here far longer than he had.

"There're several things that I still don't understand," Thomas said as he turned to Claudia.

"What is it?" Claudia asked.

"Well, for one... It's safe to assume that Melissa checks up on you often, right?"

"Yes. Once a day, usually in the morning."

"So, what about Bruce? Does he hide when you hear her coming down here?"

Claudia and Bruce briefly looked at each other.

"I'm sure that, by now, you have figured out that he and I are... seeing each other, right?" Claudia said, turning back to Thomas.

"Yeah, I guess," Thomas answered.

"Well, you might find this hard to believe, but Melissa knows that Bruce is down here with us."

"What?!" Thomas shot up from his seat in disbelief.

"That's right," Bruce said. "And calm down. You'll wake up the entire city. Including our wonderful hostess."

Thomas sat back into his seat. "Sorry..."

There were a few moments of slience afterwards. In that time, Thomas had started on his meal, though he ate at half the pace that Gloria did, who was nearly finished with her food.

"May I... have seconds?" Gloria asked.

"Sure, dear," Claudia answered, before taking Gloria's place and walking to the stove.

"I guess I should explain some other things as well," Bruce said. "Just the stuff that matters, not none of that pointless shit."

"I think that's a good idea," Claudia said as she placed more spinach on Gloria's plate.

"Right," Bruce said. "Now... I think I'll start on the day I was lured here, about 5 months ago..."

Thomas and Gloria both began listening to Bruce's tale.

~~~

I was beaten. Exhausted. That girl... Melissa, she had subjected me to some of the worst torture I have been through in my entire life.

Like nearly eneryone else, apparently, I had been lured here. We met at a dance club the night before, and she invited me to her house. She was cute enough, and she had a nice figure, though her tits and ass could have been a bit bigger.

Well, I'm sure you can figure out what happened when I came here.

After dodging her foot falls, being kicked around the room, and squeezed in her hands, I was in excruciating pain. Though being the athletic star that I am, even that was not enough to keep me down.

I saw an opening. Her back was turned, and I hid. Hid behind her dresser. Not only that, but there seemed to be some space under it as well. So I had crawled underneath it as well.

I heard her walking across the room. No doubt that she was frustrated that her "prize" had disappeared.

"Where are you?" she asked, her voice muffled out by the hard wood around me. "Come out. ...Come out now! I'm not playing!"

Yeah... like hell I'd get back out there. Not with that blood-thirsty giant lurking around. I stayed as quiet as possible, though I doubt that she could hear me anyway.

I waited... I don't even know how long, before I heard a heavy sigh.

"Fuck it," she said.

Then, mere minutes later, I heard some sounds... People screaming, loud stomps, and, the taunts of Melissa. At the time, I could only guess what was going on, but now I know. She had "replaced" me with some of those Homeless freaks. Can't say that I feel sorry for them.

As quickly as it began, it was over. I heard the final voice being snuffed out under her foot. And I heard her laugh. She said some other things, but I couldn't quite understand them, and then I heard the door open, and her footsteps fade. She was gone, but I was nowhere near confident enough to leave my safety spot.

So I waited. Waited for hours, as I could see the light shining in behind me graduately change from a whitish color to a more orangish tint. All the while, Melissa had came into the room a few more times, but the last time, I heard her talking again.

"Yeah, I'll be there... So it's going to be the six of us? Can we all fix in that car? ...Yeah, I guess we could use two cars..."

Probably talking on her phone. Either way, she left the room for the last time, and I heard the door below me open, and then close.

Finally, I was alone... Well, not technically, if you consider what was in her closet, but at least I didn't have to deal with her. I crawled out from under and behind the dresser and once again stood in the room.

I took a deep breath and darted for the open door. I don't know why she left the door open, but it worked to my advantage.

I was now in the hall, and I kept running. I eventually came to the balcony, and the stairs. I considered jumping down each stair to the floor, but if Melissa made a sudden return as I was going down, I'd be in deep trouble.

So I bypassed them and ran inside of the room at the end of the hall: The master bedroom. Now that I think about it, this room was well-kept, even though nobody was using it.

Of course, then came my next problem: Exactly what was I going to do now? I could have hid out there, but no doubt that Melissa cleaned that room every so often, so she'd eventually discover me. I thought over my predicament as I wandered around the room.

I stayed in there for a while, eventually sitting under the large bed. The twilight was fading, and it was getting dark outside. I knew that I couldn't sit there forever, especially once Melissa came back, so I got off my ass, and began to once again walk around the room, in hopes of some kind of clue as to what I could do next.

Soon, I found one. I didn't notice this before, but after doing a little searching, I found a hole in the wall behind the bed. It was small, barely visable by normal-sized people if they're not looking for it. It was just big enough for me to crawl through, and that's exactly what I did.

~~~

"So..." Thomas said. "What'd you do then?"

"Why don't you let me finish?" Bruce sternly responded. "Anyway, I made my way down to the lowest level, as, at the time, I figured that there would be a way outside, and I could go from there. But I found out that it led here in the basement. And that's when I discovered these ladies."

"Yes," Claudia said. "I, at least, was shocked beyond belief when we found him outside of this house's door. I immediately took him in, and he told me what she did to him. I couldn't believe that my daughter could be so... cruel..." She sigh sorrowfully.

"Yeah, I didn't believe it either," Thomas said after taking a bite from his meatloaf. "At school, she was pretty popular, sociative, and friendly. I don't think anyone would have thought that it was all a facade."

"What is going on with my daughter...?" Claudia's covered her face with her right palm.

Gloria swallowed the spinach that had been on the fork she was holding. "So... what happened afterwards?"

"What do you mean, dear?" Claudia responded.

"Well, I doubt that Melissa would have been too happy to find one of her 'toys' here..."

"Oh, that... Yes... She wasn't happy at all..."

~~~

You see... within a few weeks, after Bruce had made his way down here, he and I had bonded. Though he would hide in the wall until Melissa came down to check up on us, and then, after she left, he would come back here to spend some time with me.

Unfortunately, one morning, we made a mistake.

The night before, Bruce and I had gotten... close. And we were still in bed when Melissa came down here.

The sound of her walking down the stairs woke us, and in that instant, we knew that we were caught.

Bruce had just woken up as well, and was about to get out of the bed, but the ceiling shook, and then lifted off. And you know who was there, kneeling above us.

"Good morni- What the fuck is this?!" Her smile had quickly faded, and she now had an angry look on her face.

"Melissa!" I said, and quickly tried to cover my bare chest with the bedsheets. "I can explain!"

"Zip it." She reached into the room and pulled Bruce out of the house.

I admit, I blushed at the sight of his naked body flailing in her grasp, but that quickly faded when I realized what she was going to do to him.

"No, wait! Please don't!" I pleaded.

"What are you doing down here, in bed with my mother?" she asked Bruce, who was struggling to free himself.

"Don't do it!! Please!!"

"I should just kill you right here and now."

"Nooo!!!" I screamed as I saw her drop Bruce to the floor. I immediately got up from my bed and rushed downstairs and out of the house, only covered with the bedsheet I was using before.

I expected the worst. I expected to see Bruce as a flattened, bloody corpse on the basement floor. Instead, he was still alive, though all of his body except his head and arms were pinned under Melissa's foot. That look on her face... That malicious look... It seemed that she would crush him at any second.

"Stop it, Melissa!!" I pleaded again.

"Tell me something." Her angered face was now beating down on me. "Did you sleep with him, or were you two just getting comfortable?"

I didn't answer. I just looked down in shame, as it was pretty obvious that she already knew the answer.

Melissa simply shook her head and pressed down harder on Bruce's body. He began to scream in agony. I rushed to him, paying no mind to the bedsheet that had fallen off of me, grabbed his hand, and began to pull. I didn't know what I hoped to accomplish. Melissa was so much stronger than the both of us put together.

"Melissa, stop! Please, I beg of you!!" I was running out of strength. I feared that I would end up only with Bruce's arm.

"Why should I?" Melissa asked.

"Because I need him!!" I responded, still pulling on Bruce's arm. "He and Rebecca are the only two things keeping me from going insane down here!!"

"...So?"

"Can't you just grant your mother this one request?! I won't ask for anything else!! I promise!!"

Melissa stared at me for several seconds as I kept pulling on Bruce's arm. Suddenly, her foot lifted, and, due to the strength I was using to pull on Bruce, I ended up falling back on the floor, and pulling Bruce with me.

Bruce was breathing heavily. I held his head to my chest as I looked up at my daughter. She had a look of disappointment on her face, and she had her hands on her hips.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" She said, before turning around and leaving the basement.

~~~

"...And she just let Bruce stay down here?" Thomas asked.

"Obviously," Bruce responded.

"I mean... She just left it at that without another word?"

"Well, she still suspects him of being responsible for the disappearances of her captives," Claudia said. "A few days ago, she came down here and asked about a string she caught someone up there using. Bruce denied having anything to do with it, though."

Bruce laughed. "Those suspicions are entirely true."

"So, you're the one who put strings in the walls?" Thomas asked.

"Yes. Mainly to make it easier for me to get around here, but as more and more of you guys started being rescued, it became an easy way for you all to get in the kitchen and look for any scraps of food. Because you guys sure as hell weren't going to come down here."

"Yeah... How'd that work out for you?"

"What was that?" Bruce raised an eyebrow at Thomas' remark.

"Please, you two," Claudia scolded.

Gloria stood from her seat. "Thanks for the food, ma'am."

"No problem, dear." Claudia gave her a smile.

"...Is there a bathroom here?"

"Of course. Upstairs, first door to the right."

"Thank you." Gloria then walked out of the kitchen.

Bruce stood as well. "I'm going out for a smoke."

"Sure, dear," Claudia replied.

Thomas watched Bruce left the kitchen. He then looked down at his plate, and at the half of the meat loaf and spinach that still remained.

~~~

Gloria was washing her hands in the bathroom's sink. She could not help but marvel at such an advanced doll house. Aside from the material being plastic, this place had electricity, heat, and running water. Although she wondered what prevented the place from burning or melting. Must be some kind of super-plastic, she figured.

After drying off her hands, she made her way towards the door and opened it. She was mildly surprised to find Rebecca standing on the other side. She seemed tired, but at the same time discontent.

"Are you two going to be staying here, too?" Rebecca asked.

"No, I doubt it," Gloria responded.

"Good." Rebecca walked past Gloria, into the bathroom. "...You're Hispanic, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"So, you speak Spanish?"

"That's rather presumptious, but yes, I do."

"Bueno." Rebecca suddenly switched her language to Spanish. "I don't trust that Bruce guy. I think he's using my mother."

"Really?"

"Yes. I mean, he's like, what, 20 years younger than she is. I don't think he has any feeling for her at all."

"Is that so?"

"Tell me... what does he do when he's with the rest of you?"

"Umm... Well, he doesn't do much of anything, actually. But he did get a few of the girls there to give him oral. Quite a few times, actually."

Rebecca exhaled through her nose. "I knew it. I wish I could get him out of here, but my mother has been blinded by... I don't even want to call it love."

"Yeah... she told us about how she begged Melissa to spare his life when she found him down here."

"I saw the whole thing from my room. Of course, this is a doll house, so I awoke as soon as I heard the roof lift off. Anyway, I almost cried when I saw my mother trying to save that guy. I really want her to get rid of him."

"...So, are you going to tell your mother about what I told you?"

"No. She wouldn't believe me, anyway. Mom can be so stubborn sometimes..." With that, Rebecca closed the bathroom door and locked it.

Gloria sighed. She felt as if she had said too much about Bruce. Though she did not reveal that, ever since she came here, it was only her who was pleasuring him.

She walked downstairs and into the living room, all the while thinking of another plan of action.

~~~

Thomas walked outside of the doll house. The basement looked like a vast field. Almost as if the house stood in a lonely sunny plain surrounded by grass. Of course, here, the "grass" was the carpeting, and the "sun" was the light above. Thomas walked to the side of the house, and found Bruce, with his back against the wall and smoking a cigarette.

Bruce turned to him. "You weren't supposed to come down here. This was my little secret."

"Listen," Thomas said. "The others were captured because they were tired of waiting for you to lead them out to freedom, so they tried to leave on their own."

"Yeah, I know." Bruce blew out smoke from his mouth. "That was actually a good thing."

"What?"

"Yeah. If you want something done, and no one else is doing it, you have to do it yourself."

Thomas was silent.

"You see... I actually had no plans to lead them to freedom."

"What?!" Thomas was stunned.

"That's right. Going out there would just be begging for death, and I have no plans to die anytime soon."

"...What do you think is going to happen if you stay here?"

"That's easy. Melissa can't keep her mother and sister shrunken forever. I'm sure that she'll eventually grow them back to normal. And, of course, Claudia will convince Melissa to grow me back, too."

"...You really believe that?"

"It's possible. If not, then I'll just spend the rest of my days here. At least Melissa gives us food. Decent food, not none of that shit you guys eat up there."

"You're unbelievable." Thomas shook his head in disappointment.

"Whatever. By the way, you two aren't staying down here. I don't mind Gloria staying here, but if Melissa found out, Claudia's going to have a hard time explaining that one."

"I didn't want to stay here, anyway. Mrs. Cruz seems like a sweet lady, and I don't want her to get into any more trouble. You, on the other hand... You're just a bad leader. And a liar."

Bruce chuckled. "No... Bush is a bad leader. I'm just a normal guy."

Thomas turned around and began to walk back towards the house's entrance.

"I'm not that big a liar, either," Bruce said.

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked.

"Think back to the day you came. That's all I'm sayin'." Bruce brought the cigarette to his mouth.

Thomas looked back at Bruce before turning the corner and walking back in the house.

He headed to the living room, where Gloria was sitting on the couch they were on before.

"So, I heard you talking with Bruce," Gloria said.

"Yeah... He's hopeless," Thomas responded. "He didn't actually want to do what he had promised and lead the Refugees out of here."

"I figured as much. He seems content on staying here, fraternizing with the enemy and not really giving a damn about us. Remember Rule #5?"

"Yeah." Thomas laughed. "He's definately a traitor."

"Please, you two." Claudia walked into the room. "I know that Bruce isn't perfect. No person is. But he's a sweet guy. I wouldn't have gotten by these past months without him and Rebecca."

"It's nice that you have support," Gloria said, "but you should watch your back."

"Why? Bruce would never do anything to harm me."

Thomas and Gloria looked at each other.

"So... will you two be staying here as well?"

"No," Thomas responded. "We don't want to inconvience you. Is that all right with you, Gloria?"

"Definately," Gloria responded. "We'll think something out."

"I see..." Claudia walked into the kitchen, and then came back out, holding two bags in hand.

"What are those?" Thomas asked.

"Some treats for you two. Mainly chips and bottled soda. You two can take these with you when you leave."

Thomas took the bags from her, and gave one to Gloria. "Thank you very much, Mrs. Cruz."

"Muchas gracias," Gloria said.

"No problem... Sorry, but I never got your names."

"I'm Thomas Kirkland."

"Gloria Orozco. ...Excuse me, but do you happen to have the time?"

Claudia briefly peeked into the kitchen. "It's nearly 2am."

Gloria stood from the couch. "In that case, we'll be going now."

"Are you sure?" Claudia asked. "You could stay another hour."

"No... We need to get back up there before morning."

"We do?" Thomas asked.

"Yes. Thank you for having us in your company, Mrs. Cruz."

"No problem, Gloria. And Thomas. Feel free to come down here any time you want."

"You got it," Thomas responded.

~~~

The two had left the doll house, and were making their way back towards the hole in the wall.

"Um... Why do we need to get back there before morning?" Thomas asked.

"Because I want to get enough sleep, and watch what Melissa's going to do. It's going to help me with my plan."

"'Plan'?"

"Yes. My plan for escape."

Thomas awoke on his cot in his tent. He had no idea how long he had been asleep. The long walk, and climb, away and back to the campsite took so much energy out of him that he instantly collapsed on his cot as soon as he got back.

He turned to the bag that was set besides him. He reached inside and pulled out what felt like a beverage bottle. He looked at the label. Pepsi. He reached inside again, and pulled out a package of Doritos.

He had his breakfast for the day.

Gloria stood at "Melissa's Hole," as she dubbed the hole outlooking Melissa's room. Melissa was sitting at her desk, writing something on an index card, with an open book besides her. On her other side were two stacks of index cards, one of which have apparently had its cards written on.

It could not have been any earlier than noon, but Melissa had not started any of her "games" yet. Odd, as, by now, she'd usually be right in the middle of one.

Suddenly, Gloria started to hear an unfamiliar rap song play, albeit muffled. She saw Melissa reach into her pocket, and pull out her cell phone. She looked at the Caller ID screen, sighed, flipped it open, and held it to her ear.

"What do you want? I told you not to call here. ...Yes, of course you have to come here tomorrow. ...I don't care. As long as you're not naked." Melissa was silent for a few seconds, and then let out a laugh. "That's my secret. You'll find out when you get here, alright? ...Alright. Bye." She flipped the phone closed, probably right as the person on the other side was returning her farewell, and shoved it back into her pocket. "Man... That is one neurotic chink."

"That must have been that girl..." Gloria said. "Sayuko, I think that's her name."

Melissa had gone back to writing on the card. Gloria was very curious as to what she was doing with them. However, she had been at this for an hour now, and Gloria figured that she would not be done any time soon. She stepped away from the hole, and made her way back to the campsite.

~~~

Thomas twisted the cap back on his soda bottle. He decided to try to conserve his beverages, so he only drunk half of the bottle. The Doritos, however, were all gone. Perhaps he got a bit carried away?

With a burp, he stood up and made his way out of his tent.

"Hey, Thomas!"

He turned to his left, and saw Gloria walking towards him.

"Good morning, Gloria," Thomas said.

"It's not morning anymore," she replied.

"Are you serious?"

"Well... barely, anyway."

"Oh... Did you need me for something?"

"Yeah. I don't know what she has planned out there, but do you want to watch?"

"Sure, I guess. What is she doing, anyway?"

"...Writing."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah."

Thomas crossed his arms. "Homework, maybe?"

Gloria shook her head. "I doubt it. She has all day to do her homework. Why would she be doing it now? Especially since she'd usually be killing some people around now?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

"Of course. Anyway, let's go to Melissa's Hole."

"...Um... Could you wait a minute first?"

"...Why?"

"...I have to pee."

Gloria sighed and shook her head. "Hurry up."

Thomas turned around and ran behind his tent. This was not usually where he relieved himself, but he figured that Gloria was in a bit of a rush, so he decided to choose somewhere close.

He unzipped his pants and released his putrid stream on the ground.

~~~

Melissa closed the text book that sat on her desk besides her.

"Okay! I think that's all for now," she said as she took the stack of index cards in her hands, and pounded them on the desk a few times to straighten them.

She set them back on the desk, neatly stacked, and stood from her chair. Preparations were complete, albeit a bit later than she had hoped. That's what she gets for sleeping in that day. Her prisoners were probably thinking that they would be spared from any games today.

"I hope they didn't get too comfortable," Melissa said to herself as she walked into her closet.

The tiny eyes of her captives were suddenly focused on her as she made her way inside. They were filled with fear, anxiously watching her and trying to figure out what she had planned for them. She had felt there gazes many times before, and she relished in the fear and hatred that they all had for her.

"Good afternoon, my toys," she said. "I bet you all missed me, huh?"

She heard a few responses, mainly comfirmations of her question. Of course, she knew that they were lying through their teeth.

"Excellent! Okay, here's what we're going to do... I need 8 volunteers, first off."

The closet suddenly became buzzing with commotion as the tiny captives began to talk amongst themselves. She tried to listen in on them, but there was so much of it going on, and they were so small, that she probably would not be able to make out what they were saying.

"Know what?" She said, causing the room to go silent again. "I'll just choose the eight myself."

She walked to the glass cage to her left, inside of which were her "main prizes." After looking through the people inside, she reached in and plucked out four males, one with brown hair, one with blond hair, a raven-haired Latino, and the one-armed red-head.

"Hey, I remember you," she said in a playful tone as she picked out the red-head. "How's your arm, huh?" She laughed.

She held all four in the palm of her other hand for a few seconds, and then stuffed them in her pants pocket before moving away from that cage, and onto another one: one with her homeless captives.

She reached in and picked out four males, all of whom seemed old, or at least no younger than 40. She held them in her hand, and pulled away from the cage.

She gave the prisoners a smile. "Don't worry. They'll be back. ...Some of them, at least."

She then walked out of the closet.

~~~

"Did you hear what she said to me?!" An angered Dawson said. "How's my arm... The nerve of that bitch!"

Dawson and Carlos, along with two other men, were inside of Melissa's pocket. They tried to hold their footing as the fabric around them were shaking from the steps she was taking.

"Calm down," the blond man said. "You know that's how she is."

"I don't care!" Dawson kicked the cotton wall.

"I hope you didn't just kick her," Carlos said.

"I can't tell if I got her or air! I just want out of here and to get whatever she wants to do with us over with!"

"For all we know, this could end up being a massacre."

"Hmph... Maybe..."

The motion of their tight prison suddenly ended, and a dark hand reached in. It closed around all four of them, and pulled them out into the open room. They were then placed onto the floor, along with four Homeless men that she had apparently picked out as well.

The eight men all looked up at the giantess as she stood upright and looked down on them. Dawson, of course, was taking quick glances at her large feet, once again clad in those black flip-flops, even though she had enraged him just minutes before.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Melissa said. "I'm going to test your knowledge."

"Knowledge?" The brown-haired Refugee asked. "On what?"

"Oh... anything." Melissa walked to her desk, and grabbed a stack of index cards. "Before we start, why don't you all introduce yourselves?"

The small men looked at one another, before one decided to speak up.

"My name is Carlos."

"...I'm Brady," the blond Refugee said.

"Dawson."

"Logan," the brown-haired Refugee said.

The four looked to the Homeless, who seemed reluctant to tell them their names.

"C'mon, you four," Melissa said, leaning against her desk. "Time's wasting."

After a few more seconds of hesitation, they finally gave their names.

"I'm Oliver."

"...Reagan..."

"Abe."

"Larry."

"Excellent," Melissa said. "Now, let me explain today's game. These cards I have here each has a question written on it. I ask you the question, and you answer it. Sounds simple enough, right?"

"...I guess..." Brady said.

"What happens if we get the question wrong?" Larry asked.

"I was just getting to that," Melissa responded. "If you get the question right, you move on to the next round. If, however, you get even one question wrong, you go to the Danger Box." She walked to her bed and picked up an empty shoe box, and showed it to the men, before setting it back on the cushion. "You must answer two questions correctly to be safe from the game. The goal is to either answer two questions correctly, or to outlast everyone else."

"What happens in the Danger Box?" Carlos asked.

Melissa winked. "That's my little secret."

The Refugees glances at each other. With a name like "Danger Box," they all had a clue as to what would happen to anyone who was unfortunate enough to end up there.

"Now, are you all ready?" Melissa asked. "...Of course you are." She looked down at the stack of cards, and pulled off the top card. "Carlos!"

Carlos perked himself up. He was not expecting to be the first one to be selected. More importantly, he had no idea what kind of question she would give him. If it was one based on current events, he would be doomed for sure.

"Where is the city of Madras located?" She asked.

"Madras...?" Carlos said to himself. The name sounds Spanish, but there were so many Spanish countries, that choosing the right one would be a matter of luck. "Um... Chile?"

"Wrong!" Melissa said. "The correct answer is India."

"What?!" Carlos' eyes widen. He could not believe that he failed the very first question of this game.

Melissa walked closer to the group, reached down and picked up Carlos, and walked to the bed. "You're the first guest of the Danger Box." She dropped him inside of the shoe box. "Make yourself at home, alright?" She smiled at him before returning to the other seven.

~~~

"Damn..." Gloria said. "Carlos lost on his first go."

"Well, I don't think anyone could have gotten that one," Thomas said. "Unless they're a wiz at Geography."

"Hm... What about you?"

"Come again?"

"Are you good at that?"

"Geography? No... I'm more into Math and Science."

"Oh yeah... That Sayuko girl did say that you always helped her with Calculus, didn't she?"

"Yeah... I wonder if she's coming tomorrow..."

"Yes, more than likely. Melissa was talking to her earlier on the phone."

"Really? How do you know it was her?"

"She called her a 'neurotic chink'."

Thomas sighed. "If Sayu's neurotic, it's only because Melissa did it to her. And how dare she call her that... c-word..." Thomas shook his head.

Gloria's eyes widened as she faced him. "'Sayu'? What's that about?"

"Oh, it's just a nickname... Though I've never called her that."

"I see..." Gloria stared at Thomas for another second or two, before turning back to the hole.

~~~

"Next!" Melissa said as she shuffled the first index card to the bottom of the stack, and pulled off the next card. "Oliver!"

Oliver stepped a few steps forward.

"Give me the genus name of the ibex."

"Ibex... What's that?"

"It's an animal."

"Oh..."

Logan leaned in towards Dawson. "I've never even heard of that animal."

"Me neither," Dawson replied.

Oliver was silent for several seconds. "...I don't know."

"Hm... That doesn't surprise me. You lose." Melissa grabbed Oliver and placed him into the shoe box. "The answer was capra ibex."

Melissa sat down on her bed, besides the box. "Next question!" She shuffled to the next card in the stack. "This one is for... Brady!"

"Great..." Brady said.

"Who is the 2008 Democratic Presidential candidate?"

"Oh, that's easy!" Brady suddenly perked up. "Hillary!"

"Bzzzz!! Wrong!" Melissa laughed.

Brady's jaw dropped, and he fell to his knees. "Are... are you serious...? They actually chose... Obama?" He pounded the floor with his fists. "What the fuck is wrong with those Democrats?!"

"Wow!!" Melissa was awestruck at Brady's showing. "You must have been a really BIG Hillary supporter! Well, too bad for you, huh?" She reached down and picked up the enraged Brady, and placed him in the box.

Logan leaned in towards Dawson again. "Were you a Hillary supporter, or an Obama supporter?"

"Believe it or not," Dawson replied, "I'm a Republican."

"Oh..."

"Okay!" Melissa said as she pulled out the next card. "This one is for... Reagan. Ready?"

Reagan nodded.

"This one is a math question... What is the square root of 2025?"

"Geez..." Dawson said. "Why such a large number?"

Reagan stared at her, and then gave his answer. "...45."

"That's... right..." Melissa did a double-take on the small man. "...You actually got it right! Congrats!"

Dawson and Logan's mouth were completely open as they looked over to Reagan, who was receiving a few pats on the back from his companions.

"Unbelievable..." Dawson said, dumbstruck. "What is he, Rainman?"

"Lucky guess," Logan said. "That number... it was so big. For all he knew, it could have been anything, and he just happened to choose the right number."

~~~

"So, could you have gotten that?" Gloria asked.

Thomas laughed. "No... What am I, a calculator? I may be good at math, but I can't answer questions like that in my head."

"I suppose not."

~~~

"Dawson, you're next," Melissa said. "Can I call you Mr. Mono-Arm?"

Dawson twitched. "No."

Melissa briefly stuck her tounge at him. "Well, too bad. I like it, so that's what you're sticking with."

Dawson moaned heavily.

"Anyway, your question is this: What year was President John F. Kennedy assassinated?"

"I believe it was... 1963, right?"

"Correct! You're safe for the next round!"

Dawson breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God..."

"Larry, you're next," Melissa said as she pulled out the next card. "How many planets are there in the Solar System?"

"Nine," Larry responded.

"Wrong. The correct answer is eight."

"What?! That's wrong! There ARE nine planets!"

"No... There were nine. It is kind of stupid, but they changed Pluto's class. Now it's a... little planet, or something like that. Whatever." She reached down and grabbed Larry, and placed him in the box with the other "losers."

"There's four more of you left now," Melissa said as she turned back to them. "Half of you didn't even make it past the first round, and two of you haven't even gone yet! How sad..."

"Only sad because she made some of those questions near impossible for us to answer," Logan said.

"Yeah..." Dawson agreed.

"Hey," Melissa said. "What are you two talking about over there?"

"Nothing..." Logan responded.

"Hm... Anyway, it's your turn, Logan."

"...What kind of question is it?" Logan asked.

Melissa ignored his question. "Where is the habitat of the minnow fish?"

"Another animal question?' Logan sighed. He pondered over her question. He had heard of that species beforehand, but he never quite knew where it lived. "Here in America?"

"Close!" Melissa shook her head. "The correct answer is Europe. I would have also accepted Asia."

"What do you mean by 'close'?" Logan asked as he was being lifted off of the floor by Melissa's giant hand.

"Well... Apparently there's a species here in North America called the fathead minnow." She dropped him into the box. "Anyone could have made that mistake."

Abe stepped forward as Melissa turned back to the remaining men. "I guess I'm next."

"Yes you are," Melissa said. "This is the final question of Round 1. Abe, your question is this: Give me the Chemical name of salt, and its formula."

"Salt?" Abe repeated. "Isn't that an element itself?"

Melissa laughed. "I take it that you don't know."

"No!!" Abe exclaimed. "I dropped out of high school in the 11th grade! I don't know shit!"

"What a shame... Education is the very foundation of this society that we live in."

"What society?! Here?! This is a dictatorship!!"

"The answer is Sodium Chloride, and that is NaCl." Melissa grabbed the irate man, and place him in the box. "Calm down, okay? It's just a game."

~~~

"You both are the only ones who made it past the first round," Melissa said. "You two should be proud, because now, your chances of being saved from death this time have gone up."

"So... What do you think is going to happen to the people in the box?" Thomas asked.

"I don't know," Gloria responded, "but I could tell you how it will most likely end."

"Yeah... I really hope that Carlos can get out of there somehow. Maybe the guys there have to play some kind of... bonus round."

"I think you've seen too many game shows."

"Isn't that what this basically is?"

"Well, I suppose it is, but still..."

~~~

Melissa rose from her bed and stood before the two remaining men. "Okay, I'm going to change the rules, since there's only two of you left."

"What do you mean?" Dawson asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Mr. Mono-Arm." Melissa chuckled.

Dawson grumbled at her remark.

"Now, if you get a question wrong, you won't do to the Danger Box. No... Instead, you'll be killed."

"What?!" Dawson exclaimed. "Why?!"

"To make things more crucial for you both. Look at Reagan there. He doesn't seem to mind."

Dawson looked over at Reagan, who was staring blankly at the giantess without a word.

"He even looks like he's ready for his next question," Melissa said. "Look at those eyes... Staring at me like, 'C'mon... give me the next one.' Well... Here you go, little man."

Melissa looked at the top card, and instead of pulling it out, she began to shuffle through the stack until she found a card that she wanted.

"Reagan, what is the cosine of 76, rounded to the thousandth decimal?"

Dawson looked expectantly at Reagan. Another math question? What was Melissa doing? Was she trying to see if this man was some kind of genius or something?

"... Zero point 824..." Reagan answered.

Melissa's eyes widened. "Wow... That's right. That's... You're not a robot, are you?"

Reagan did not respond.

Once again, Dawson was dumbfounded. This man had correctly answered another math problem, one that most people would need a calculator to solve. More importantly, the man was now safe from the threat of death, and now it was Dawson's turn. He had no idea what kind of question he would receive from the sadistic giant before him. He knew that there was a large chance that she would choose an impossible question for him, just so that she could snuff out his existance.

"Now, Mr. Mono-Arm," Melissa said. "It's your turn."

Dawson braced himself. He was preparing to run, in the likely event that he answer incorrectly.

"What is the largest island in the world?"

Suddenly, hope returned. Dawson knew the answer in an instant. "Greenland."

"Correct!" Melissa said. "That's right! You both win!"

Dawson fell to his knees. He expected a much harder question. He figured that she thought that he would have said something else.

"Actually," Melissa said, "I think that one was a bit too easy, but whatever. You both live to play another day."

"Oh, whoopdie-doo..." Dawson muttered to himself.

Melissa reached down and picked up both of the men with her free hand, and then set them on the nearby desk. Afterwards, she walked to her bed, and turned her attention to the box. "Now, for you guys... This is a very critical situation for you. I'll ask one question, and the first one to answer will join the other two over there. Ready?"

Dawson did not hear any responses from the box. Either they were all silent, or he was too far away to hear anything. Either way, Melissa went on with the final question.

"What percentage of the world is water?"

Dawson heard several answers. He assumed that they were from his fellow Refugees, as the voices sounded young enough.

"That's right!" Melissa said. "You're free... Carlos!"

She reached in the box and pulled out Carlos, and walked to the desk, setting him besides Dawson while there.

"You three don't have to worry about dying," Melissa said, placing the index cards on the desk as well. "Not today, at least." She turned back to the bed. "But I'm not done yet. I need to... sacrifice one of you right now." She walked back to her bed. "So... which one of you old men wants to volunteer?"

"She's going to kill a Homeless guy?" Dawson asked.

"I guess so," Carlos responded. "Maybe to even things out. Two Refugees, and two Homeless."

"Hm... What do you think is going to happen to the rest of them?"

"...Death?"

"Yeah, but she said that she needed to kill someone right now. What of the rest? When will their time come?"

"I don't know..."

"You!" Melissa said, before reaching into the box, and pulling out Abe. "You snapped at me earlier, so I have to punish you."

"No, please!!" Abe pleaded while in her grasp. "I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"

"Too late." With that, Melissa began to squeeze the tiny man in her grasp. He screamed in agony, as loud as he could. In fact, despite his tiny size, his scream seemed to fill the entire room. After a minute, she threw him to the floor, a few feet away from her.

Dawson walked to the edge of the desk, and saw the broken and battered man trying to crawl away from the giantess. However, in mere seconds, Melissa was standing behind him. With her right foot, she stepped on the man's body, completely destroying him underneath the sole of her flip-flop. Afterwards, she twisted her foot, grinding the man's body into nothing more than a mass of blood and organs.

"That's that," Melissa said, before turning to the three men on her desk. "Did you enjoy the show?"

None of them answered, though Dawson answered in his own way. It was his first time witnessing someone being crushed to death while he was this close to the event, and seeing that man die underneath the foot of Melissa aroused him.

"I'll have to clean up the mess he made in a bit," she said. "But first, I have to put you all away."

Melissa walked back to the bed, her right sandal making sticky sounds from the blood still there with each footstep. She picked up the shoebox, and carried it to the dresser, and placed it on top of it.

"You all have a big day tomorrow," she said. "I think you'll love what I have planned for you." She then pulled its cardboard lid over the opening, closing the people inside off from the outside.

Melissa walked back to the desk, and grabbed the three men there. She then carried them back into the closet, and placed them back in their respective cages.

"You three did wonderful today," she said, smiling at them. "Keep up the good work, and maybe you'll die of old age. Okay?" Melissa laughed as she walked out of the closet, and closed the door behind her.

"So..." Shawn walked to Dawson and Carlos. "What did she have you do?"

"Well..." Dawson explained Melissa's game to the rest of the Refugees, including what happened to Logan and Brady, and the apparently intelligent Homeless man.

"You're saying..." Beatrix said. "You're saying that those two are most likely going to die?"

"Probably," Carlos said. "Though we don't know what she's going to do to them tomorrow."

"Isn't tomorrow Sunday?" a male asked. "That's when that Asian girl usually come sover, right?"

"Yeah, it is," Dawson responded. "But still... That guy... Reagan, he was a math monster. Though he seemed a bit on the quiet side, and a bit blank, too."

"An idiot savant?" Shawn asked.

"Maybe. You'll never know with those Homeless what kind of people they are." Dawson then turned to Carlos. "What was the answer to that world water question, anyway?"

"Seventy percent," Carlos responded.

'"Yeah... I thought so."

"I must say," Shawn said, "it's ironic that what she did was actually a game, and not just a killfest like it usually is."

~~~

Thomas and Gloria watched as Melissa walked out of her room.

"I guess that's it for now," Thomas said as he walked away from the hole.

"Yeah," Gloria said, following him. "And now that I know for sure that Sayuko's coming tomorrow, I can finalize my plan."

"Oh yeah. You did say something about that early this morning. What do you have so far?"

"Well, first, I had to make sure that Sayuko was coming before we could even attempt this, and now that I know she's coming, what we're going to do is try to make contact with her, without letting Melissa know."

"Really? How?"

"...I don't know yet."

"Oh..."

"Don't worry. I still have until tomorrow. I'll think of something."

"I'm sure you will."

The two were silent for several minutes, as they neared the campsite, before Gloria broke the silence.

"So... Are you in love with Sayuko?"

"What?! No!! I mean..." Thomas began to blush, though he doubt that Gloria could have seen it through the darkness. "She's a nice girl, and I'm willing to help her out whenever I can."

"And?"

"I... just don't think she'd be interested in me."

"...Maybe not. Maybe she's only interested in Asian men, or White men like so many Asian girls are. Or maybe, after all of those times you helped her, she's starting to develop feelings for her. You'll never know until you ask."

"I guess you're right, but I've been rejected so many times, that at some point, I just stopped trying."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. So, I cling onto a hope that a girl that I like would ask me out."

"I see... How's that working out for you?"

"Not well at all." Thomas sighed.

~~~

It had been several hours since Melissa's trivia game. Thomas was sitting in Bruce's tent, reading a book about Physics near the lamp. Since Bruce had pretty much abandoned them, Thomas figured that it was fair game to use his much larger tent. Besides, his flashlight had died, and he had finished the books that he had back in his tent.

"So this is where you are."

Thomas looked up and saw Gloria making her way inside.

"Yep. I was bored, so I came here and got another book," Thomas responded. "Tomorrow is going to be a big day for us, and I need to relax."

Gloria sat beside him. "Doesn't look like you're relaxing to me."

"Well, reading helps me relax. I don't know about you, though."

"Oh."

"So, did you finish the plan?"

"Yep. It's very risky, and our chances of success are slim, but at this point, it's our only hope."

"Is that so? What is it?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow. It'll be fresh in your memory then."

"Oh... Okay."

The two were silent for a moment, as Thomas turned his attention back to his book.

"So, you wanna know how I relax?" Gloria suddenly asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Thomas said, still focused on the book.

"Of course, my way of relaxing will help you relax."

"What do you-" As soon as Thomas turned his head towards Gloria, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. Thomas's eyes widen, as the book he was holding was released from his grip, and fell to the floor.

For a few seconds, Thomas was too stunned to react. However, he soon wrapped his arms around her body, and began to make out with her. He felt her hand making its way into his pants, and began to fondle his hardening member.

Soon, he layed back on the cot, pulling her down with him.

Last night was awesome. Thomas could not believe that it actually happened. He wanted to believe that it was a mere dream, but he knew, the moment that he woke up that morning, with Gloria laying besides him, her awakening and greeting him with a rare smile, and a "Morning, Tiger", he knew that it was real.

Gloria, a fairly attractive young woman who swore to look after him, who he actually feuded with for a short while, but reconciled, who traveled with him to discover the truth behind Bruce's absence, finding Melissa's lost family in the process, and now who was planning their escape from this house, had taken his virginity.

However, an hour and a half had passed, and Gloria was back to her normal self. She was waiting outside, waiting for Thomas to finish preparing himself.

Today was the day.

The day they put their plan into motion.

Thomas walked out of Bruce's tent, finding Gloria standing outside.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Of course," Thomas said. "I'm a little scared, but I know that we can pull this off."

"...How can you know that if you don't know my plan?"

"Well..."

"Let's go... I'll tell you as we're walking."

The two then began to walk out of the campsite, turning on their flashlights as they departed from the light from the campsite's hanging lights.

"Okay," Gloria started, "here's what we're going to do. I believe that we have some time before Sayuko comes, so what I'm going to do is find the hole to the master bedroom that Bruce mentioned. I'll slowly make my way towards Melissa's room, and wait behind the wall. After Sayuko leaves, I'll run inside and distract Melissa for as long as I can."

"Wait." Thomas turned towards her. "You mean that we have to split up?"

"Yep. That's really the only way this'll work."

"What about you-"

"Let me continue," Gloria interrupted. "What you'll do is make your way to the hole in the kitchen. You'll wait in the kitchen until Sayuko comes, and both her and Melissa go upstairs. Then, you'll wait at the front door, out of sight until Sayuko comes running down the stairs like she usually does. That's your cue to call for her. If all goes well, she'll look down and notice you, and take you out of here."

"Why can't we trade? I'll be the distraction."

Gloria shook her head. "That won't work. Sayuko doesn't know me, so she would most likely ignore me. However, she would be more likely to stop for you, and rescue you. Trying to be chivarous, huh?"

"Yeah. Call it home training."

"Don't worry about me. When Melissa catches me, she'll most likely put me in there with the others."

"I see... What then?"

"Well, maybe you could get Sayuko to contact Mr. Cruz, inform him of what's going on. If all goes well, he'll come here and put a stop to it, and we'll be restored to our normal sizes."

"That makes sense... But you said that this plan was risky, and that we have next to no chance of succeeding."

"That's right."

The two had reached the bathroom's hole. The light from the opening shone on them as they walked past it.

"There are many ways this plan could get fucked up," Gloria said. "If Melissa happens to come down with Sayuko as she's leaving, it's a failure. If Sayuko happens to ignore you, or just doesn't hear you, failure. If Melissa spots Sayuko from the balcony talking to you, or taking you, most likely a failure. If I happen to not get Melissa's attention, or if she kills me on the spot and moves on, failure. And, of course, if Sayuko tramples you instead of rescuing you, failure."

"Damn," Thomas said. "But wouldn't Sayuko notice me?"

"Maybe, but you've seen how she leaves this house. She rushes out, probably crying. She may just run past you, without looking down for one second."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Thomas sighed.

Gloria looked towards him. "What's the matter? Having doubts?"

"No. It's just that all of the ways this plan won't work have me a little uneasy. But I'm not turning back now."

Gloria smiled. "Good."

"So, what if we fail, what then?"

"We'd meet back at the campsite, and we'll try again next week. If I'm not there, wait for me. If I don't show up, assume that I'm dead or have been captured. Then, it's up to you on what you'd want to do next."

"Okay..."

~~~

After nearly an hour, the two had descended two levels within the walls.

"Well, this is where I get off," Gloria said as she released her grip of the string from the level above.

"You sure?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah. This floor has holes that lead to the second floor of the house. I'm sure that I can find my way to the master bedroom in no time."

"Oh. Okay. I guess I'll be going lower, then. I'll see you later."

"You remember the way, right?"

"Yeah." Thomas began to turn away from her.

"Wait."

Thomas turned back towards her. "What is it?"

Gloria reached behind her neck with both hands, and unlatched her crucifix necklace, pulled it from around her neck, and held it out towards Thomas with her open palm.

"Take it," she said.

"What? Why?"

"Consider it a good luck charm."

"Are you sure? Does it have any sentimental value to you?"

"Yeah, it does. That's why, when all of this is over, you're going to give it back." She gave him a sly smile.

Thomas stared at the necklace for a few seconds, before reaching for it with his right hand. As his hand curled around it, Gloria brought her other hand on top of it, and squeezed it softly between both of her's. Thomas blushed as he looked at her face, and saw her dark eyes looking directly into his.

"We're going to do this," she said, smiling. "I know that we're going to pull this off!"

Thomas gave her a smile of his own. "We sure are!"

She pulled her hands back, and Thomas brought her necklace closer to him, and examined it in his palm.

"I promise you, I'll give this back to you," Thomas said.

"I know you will," Gloria said. "I believe in you." She then turned and began to walk the other way. "See ya later." She made a flail with her wrist as she was walking.

Thomas turned back to the way he was going to walk before, and headed down in that direction, stuffing her necklace into his right pants pocket. Why did she give it to him? It had to be for something more than just "good luck." Not only that, but there was the night before, too. Was it possible that Gloria was falling in love with him? If so, and assuming that they could be able to make it out of this house, he wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life with her.

Such thoughts drifted through his mind as he made his way lower through Melissa's walls.

~~~

Melissa walked to her dresser, and opened the shoebox sitting on top of it. She looked down at the four tiny, scared faces that looked back up at her.

"Good morning," Melissa greeted. "Today's your day. Brady, Logan, Larry, Oliver, as I said yesterday you all are going to love what's going to happen. But first..." She grabbed the box. "I have to get you all cleaned up."

She walked out of her room and into the bathroom, carrying the box all the way. Once inside, she closed the door behind her with her foot, and set the box onto the closed lid of the toilet. Then, she knelt near the bathtub and turned on the water. She reached into the box and, one-by-one, pulled out each of the men and placed them in the bathtub.

"Take off your clothes," she ordered. "And while you're in there, pee or shit. I don't want any messes later."

Melissa stood and turned away from the four men inside of the tub. She walked to a drawer on the opposite side of the room, and pulled it open, and pulled out two washcloths. She waited there a few minutes, before walking back to the tub. The water inside was up to their knees, though not rising higher because of the drain not being plugged.

"Are you done?" she asked. "I don't see any turds. Don't tell me none of you had to go number 2."

The men shook their heads.

"Well, alright. If you all say so." She grabbed a bar of soap with one of the washcloths, and rubbed it within it under the running water, creating soap foam all over the cloth. She released the soap from her grasp, allowing it to fall into the tub below, grabbed Oliver with her other hand, and brought him closer to her.

"This is your lucky day," she said. "I bet you haven't had a bath in years."

She laughed before starting to wipe his body with the soapy cloth. She made sure to get every small nook of his body, even if it seemed to be too small to fit her comparibly large fingers. She delighted in wiping the small man's face, as she knew that at least some of the foam would get in his eyes, even if he had them closed.

Not even a minute later, Oliver was finished with his "bath." She held him under the running water of the faucet, and let it wash the foam from his body. She then placed the wet cloth on the edge of the tub, and grabbed the other cloth, and began to dry his body with it. Finally, when she was done, she placed him back in the shoebox.

"Now," she said, turning to the remaining three, "who's next?"

Less than ten minutes later, Melissa was done washing the remaining three men, who were now back inside of the shoebox, naked, and being carried back into her bedroom. Once there, she placed the box back on top of her dresser.

"It won't be long now," she said to them. "My friend should be arriving any minute now." She smiled, before closing the lid on the tiny men inside, and walking out of her room.

~~~

Inside of the shoebox, the four men stood there, staring up at the closed lid seconds after Melissa had closed it. Thanks to two handle holes on the long ends of the box, there was at least some light flowing inside of the cardboard prison.

"Her 'friend'?" Brady said. "Does she mean that Asian girl... whatever her name was?"

"Saya?" Logan said. "Sayo? Sayu?"

"Yeah! Sayu! Sayu... something..."

"Either way, that's the least of our worries now." Logan sat down on the ground, crossing his legs. "No doubt that we're going to be killed by Sayu-girl. I guess we should make our peace with our demons while we have the chance."

Brady sighed. "I wish she'd just get it over with. And I also wish that she'd at least not left us naked. I don't want to look at anyone else's Johnsons. Especially not their's." He looked towards Larry and Oliver.

"Then stop looking," Logan said.

~~~

Thomas emerged from the hole in the kitchen. After being in darkness for nearly two hours, the light that suddenly shone on his face nearly blinded him. He looked around. No sign of Melissa anywhere.

He then made his way to his left, away from the hole, but staying as close to the wall as possible. This way, the chances of Melissa seeing him would be decreased slightly. He heard footsteps on the floor above. They did not sound like they were approaching the stairs. He was safe, at least for that moment, and he hoped that she would stay that way, at least until he managed to leave the kitchen.

As luck would have it, not only did he manage to leave the kitchen without incident, but he was now nearing the entrance/exit of the living room to the main hallway. However, in the main hallway were the stairs leading to the floor above, and if he crossed now, he would be in serious danger of being spotted by Melissa from the balcony above.

Instead, he waited behind the wall, occasionally peeking into the hallway. He had no idea how long he would be waiting there. He had to wait until Sayuko arrived before he made his next move.

He did not have to wait long. Several minutes later, he heard the doorbell sound throughout the house. Seconds later, he heard footsteps from the floor above making their way towards the stairs. He peered out towards the main hallway, and saw Melissa walking down the stairs, wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt and blue jeans, and her black flip-flops making a slapping sound with each step. Upon reaching the door, she briefly looked through its window, and opened the door.

"You're late," she said.

Thomas watched as Sayuko walked inside of the house. He noticed that she was wearing a white T-shirt, a denim skirt, and the same red platform sandals from two weeks ago, as well as the same small red purse hanging from her hand. Thomas could not help but stare at her for several seconds as she made her way further into the house. Sayuko had always been a very cute girl in his opinion, and after what Gloria said the day before, he could not help but think about what his life would be like if he got involved with her.

He quickly snapped himself back to reality, however. He had a job to do.

Melissa closed the door. "So, are you ready?"

"...Yes," Sayuko answered.

"Good. Let's get started then. This way, please." Melissa began to walk towards the stairs, being followed by Sayuko.

Thomas slowly crept from behind the wall, and peered from its corner, watching as two giant women walked up the stair and onto the floor above, and disappearing from sight.

"Okay." Thomas said to himself. He looked around the room, searching for any thing to use as a suitable hiding place, but close enough the the path that he predicted that Sayuko would take when she leaves the house. He spotted a table, but it was set up on the opposite side of the room, near the stairs. Unfortunately, there was nothing there he could use to hide near.

He had no choice. He made his way towards the wall to the left of the front door. He backed as close to the wall as he could, and laid down on his stomach, his head turned towards the stairs.

He hoped that Melissa would not notice him should she come out onto the balcony.

~~~

Gloria stood with her ear against the closed door of the master bedroom. She heard two sets of footsteps coming up to the second floor. No doubt that the second set belonged to Sayuko.

She waited a few seconds after the footsteps disappeared, and then crawled under the door, and into the hallway on the other side. As always, Melissa's door was closed.

Gloria took a deep breath, and ran towards Melissa's room.

~~~

Sayuko looked at the four small men inside of the open shoebox that Melissa were holding. They were all naked, though two of them were rather young, compared to nearly all of the other people she was forced to kill in the weeks before.

"All I have to do is kill them, right?" Sayuko asked. "And you will not hurt Taro?"

Melissa smiled. "Of course not. He and I are becoming close. I would hate to have to dash him against the wall."

Sayuko started to shudder. The mental image of her brother being killed in such a fashion almost proved too much for her to bare.

"Take one," Melissa said.

Sayuko gulped, and reached into the box. She grabbed one of the tiny men, and pulled him out. The man she held between her index finger and thumb was one of the younger ones, and had blond hair. He seemed to be flailing in her grasp, and shouting several expletives at her.

She knelt down to place the man on the floor. No doubt that he would run as soon as his feet hit the ground, but in order to ensure the safety of her brother, she would have to chase him down and stomp him to death. However, before she released him from her grip, Melissa stopped her.

"No," she said. "Not today. You have to do something else with them."

Sayuko looked up at Melissa face. Her smile was replaced with a sinister smirk.

"What do you mean?" Sayuko asked.

"...Eat him."

Sayuko's mouth dropped, and her eyes widened. "What?!" she said in shock.

"You heard me. Chew him, swallow him like a pill, I'll even get you a fork or knife if you want me to."

"But... why?" she said in anguish. "Can't I just kill him like before?"

"Yeah, you could." Melissa walked towards the locked cabinet. "Then I'll just have to kill your bro-"

Sayuko shot up from her kneeling position. "NOOO!!!"

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

Sayuko began to shudder again as she looked at the man between her finger and thumb. He had given up on trying to free himself from her grip. She gulped, and brought the man closer to her face. She opened her mouth wide, and tucked the man inside.

After closing her mouth, she could feel the man's struggle continuing, as he was now flailing about inside. After hesitating for over 30 seconds, she finally mustered the will to swallow. She felt the very uncomfortable feeling of the man still fighting about as he was being pulled down her throat, and soon after, nothing. The man was now most like in her stomach, being digested. Afterwards, she coughed a few times, and wimpered.

"What's wrong?" Melissa asked. "Gonna throw up?"

"N... no..." Sayuko answered.

"Good. When I swallowed one of these little bastards, I threw up not too long after."

"Oh, no..."

"Anyway, onto the next guy." Melissa held the box out towards her.

Sayuko peered into the box, and this time pulled out the brown-haired young man. Unlike the man before, this guy did not put up a fight. He held his head down, and his limbs were lifeless.

She shoved the man into her mouth, and this time, she decided to chew him. The burst of bitter blood, shattered bones, and organs made her sick, and she considered spitting it all out. However, remember what was at stake, she swallowed what used to be the body of the second man.

"Well done," Melissa said. "You're halfway done."

"Oh..."

Melissa looked into the box. "And looks like you have the two bums left. Maybe you should have saved the best for last? Or is that what you did? In that case, you definition of 'best' is severely flawed." she let out a short laugh.

Sayuko once again reached into the box, and snatched up both of the remaining men at once. Looking at them in her palm, they looked like so many of the other older men she had destroyed under her feet in the weeks before.

"Two at once?" Melissa's expression changed to a more concerned one. "Are you actually going to do that?"

Sayuko looked up at Melissa. "...Yes."

With that, she threw both of the men into her open mouth, and closed it on them. Again, she chewed, destroying the men's bodies with her white, but now bloodstained teeth. One bloody burst was hard enough, but two of them almost proved too much for her to handle, as she gagged and almost lost it all. With all of her strength, she kept everything inside, and swallowed the bloody remains of the final two men.

"Open your mouth," Melissa said, dropping the box onto the floor.

Sayuko did so, and Melissa examined inside, most likely making sure that she swallowed all four of them.

"Wow..."Melissa said. "I can't believe you actually did that. You're one sadistic girl."

Sayuko fell down to her knees, and held her belly with her hands.

"What's wrong?" Melissa asked.

"Could I... get some water?" Sayuko asked.

Melissa hesitated for a few seconds, before answering. "Sure." She walked out of the room, leaving the door open.

With Melissa out of sight, Sayuko dropped her face into her palms, and began to weep.

~~~

Gloria heard the door open.

"Must be Sayuko," she said. "It's time to do this."

Gloria prepared to run towards the open door, but stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Melissa walk out. She quickly ran back to the corner.

"Shit."

She knelt on the floor, and ducked her head so that her hair covered her face, hoping that, when Melissa returned, the dark-colored would camofluage her.

~~~

Thomas heard footsteps. However, they were the same slapping sounds from before: flip-flops. Melissa was coming. He moved as close to the wall as possible, and then laid motionless. He heard Melissa walk down the stairs, and then into the living room. Thomas looked to see that she was out of sight for only seconds, before coming back in the same direction, holding a bottled water in her hands. She walked back up the stairs, and onto the floor above. Before he knew it, she was once again gone from his sight.

"Thank God..."

~~~

Melissa's footsteps drew closer. Gloria did not move in the slightest. She waited. Waited for the giant woman to walk past her, and back into the room.

She did just that. Gloria looked up as the door to the room closed behind Melissa.

Gloria fell down, sitting on her bottom. She sighed deeply.

"Things are going as planned on my end so far..."

~~~

Sayuko untwisted the cap on the bottle water she now had in her hand. It was cold, unexpected, as she was sure that Melissa would have given her lukewarm tap water, which she would have gladly accepted. Anything to wipe the taste of blood out of her mouth. With the cap off, she brought the opening to her mouth, and began to chug the cold beverage.

"So, I bet you want to talk to your brother now," Melissa said.

Sayuko pulled the bottle from her lips. "Is he safe?"

"Of course."

"Then that's all I need to know. As long as he's unharmed..." Sayuko twisted the cap back onto the bottle, and made her way towards the door.

"Are you sure about this?" Melissa asked.

"Yes." Sayuko then turned the door knob, and opened the door.

"Well, see you next week, then."

Sayuko did not answer. Instead, she ran towards the stairs.

~~~

Gloria heard the door open again, and this time, it was Sayuko running out of the room.

With no hesitation, Gloria ran towards the opening. Inside of the room, she saw Melissa pushing the shoebox back under her bed.

"I'm going to have to lock that door now," she said, before standing upright and walking towards the door.

However, Melissa eyes were soon locked onto Gloria's small body standing in the middle of the doorway.

Gloria smirked. "Hello, bitch."

"You!" Melissa said in shock.

Gloria then ran into the room, running towards Melissa, though at an angle leading away from her. A shadow was soon over her body, and she looked upward. The black sole of Melissa's flip-flop was coming down on her, but she managed to avoid being crushed by making a sudden right angle turn to her right.

She ran towards Melissa's bed, avoiding several more foot falls, before Melissa slammed her foot right into Gloria's path. Gloria tried to run around her foot, but it rose and came towards her, hitting her in the face. Gloria was knocked back nearly a foot (Melissa scale), and onto the floor. She prepared to et up and run again, but Melissa's massive fingers wrapped around her, and she found herself within Melissa's grasp.

"Got you," Melissa said, giving her a sadistic smile.

~~~

Thomas stood as he saw Sayuko turn and prepare to run down the stairs, purse in one hand, and bottle in the other. He then ran in front of the door.

This was it. The big moment. Time seemed to slow down as she made her way down the stairs. Thomas wondered how he would get her attention. Would she hear him if he called for her? Or would he be yet another casualty of this unfortunate woman? He watched how fast she ran. With each passing second, it seemed more and more likely that she would pass him, and he would have to return to the campsite in failure.

Then, something happened.

As Sayuko left the last step, she tripped over her sandal, and fell to the floor. The bottled water rolled from her grasp and further away from her body.

"Oww..." she wimpered.

This was his chance. As fast as he could, he ran towards the giant woman, yelling as loud as he could.

"Hey!! Hey, Sayuko!! Hey!!"

Sayuko, apparently hearing him, looked towards the noise, and gasped as she saw him running towards her. She knelt up, and covered her mouth with her hand as he stopped mere inches (her scale) from her knees.

"Thomas...?" she said in disbelief.

"Yeah," Thomas answered.

"So... You've been here all of this time..."

"Yeah. Not to sound selfish, but you think you could get me out of here?"

"Umm..." Sayuko looked towards the balcony. No one was there. In a rush, she wrapped her fingers around Thomas's body, and unzipped her purse, placing him inside. She then zipped it back up.

It was dark inside, and a bit cramped, as there seemed to be quite a bit of stuff in here. Despite this, Thomas could not hold back his grin.

He had succeeded.

~~~

Sayuko could not believe what just happened. Someone that she had been acquainted with had been shrunken by Melissa, and was here within these walls. Not only that, but she was able to sneak him into her purse without Melissa knowing. She sat there, thinking about it for a moment, before she heard a voice from above.

"Hey, what happened to you?"

Sayuko turned around and looked upward, and saw Melissa standing at the balcony. She seemed to be holding something in her hand.

"I tripped and fell," Sayuko answered.

"Oh. I didn't notice. ...You didn't spill that water, did you?"

Sayuko looked towards the water bottle, which was across the room. "No."

"Good." Melissa then continued walking down the hall upstairs.

Sayuko exhaled deeply, and stood up. She walked to the water bottle, and picked it up. Afterwards, she walked out of the house.

She stood outside of the door for a few seconds, before starting to walk again.

It was another horrible experience for her, but at least some good came out of it.

~~~

Gloria was being held over the sink in the bathroom. She expected to be thrown in with the rest of the Refugees, but she figured that Melissa was going to torture her first. She braced herself to endure whatever Melissa would throw at her.

"Now," Melissa said, hiding her other hand from sight. "I have a few questions for you."

Gloria was silent.

"Where have you been?"

"Where do you think?! I was in the walls with the rest!"

"Then why didn't you come out with them?"

Gloria didn't answer.

"I think you better answer the question."

"I just didn't, all right?"

"No." Melissa shook her head. "No, it is not 'all right'."

Suddenly a sharp pain came from Gloria's right leg. Or rather, where her right leg was. Gloria screamed in pain as she pieced together what just happened. In Melissa's other hand was a pair of scissors.

"You bitch!! What are you doing?!" Gloria snapped.

"If you don't want to lose any more limbs, you better answer my questions."

Gloria gritted her teeth.

"Why did you suddenly come out like that?" Melissa asked. "After all of this time in hiding, you actually challenged me? How stupid. What were you hoping to accomplish?"

"...I can't tell you."Gloria foolishly answered.

"What a shame." Melissa then brought the open blades of the scissors to Gloria's left arm, and clamped them down on it, severing it from her body.

Gloria screamed again, and at this point, she knew what her fate what going to be.

"Alright, then," Melissa said. "Next. Do you know of someone named Thomas Kirkland?"

Gloria gritted her teeth again, and answered. "Maybe, maybe not."

"I see... Where is he?"

"Like I'd ever tell you!"

The blades then took off her left leg. She bit her lower lip, trying to distract her from the pain of her three missing limbs. Of course, it was a futile effort.

"I'll ask you again," Melissa said, becoming flustered. "Where is he?"

Gloria remained silent, making Melissa more angry. She took the scissors, and snipped off her right arm, her last remaining limb. She then held the open blades around Gloria's neck. As she looked at the giant blades, the only thing on her mind was whether Thomas made it out safely, and to protect his whereabouts at all costs.

"Last time," Melissa said. "If you want to live. Where is Thomas Kirkland?"

Gloria's vision started to blur, and Melissa's voice seemed to be slowly becoming fainter. Despite this, Gloria managed to smirk on her face.

"Go to hell, bitch."

Enraged, Melissa gritted her teeth. "I'll meet you there, then!"

The blades closed around Gloria's neck, and her world suddenly became dark and silent.

He had no idea how long it took.

All Thomas knew was that his small, dark, cramped world began shaking seconds after entering it. The shaking stopped for a while as he heard a humming sound, probably that of a bus, before starting again.

But soon, the shaking came to a halt. He heard something above him unzip, and light was once again shining down on him. He looked up, and saw a large hand reaching down to him. Its fingers wrapped around him, and pulled him out of the dark prison.

The hand set him down on a hard surface, and pulled away from him. He stood up, and looked in front of him, towards the owner of that hand. Towards Sayuko.

Thomas stared at the young Japanese woman who stood before him. She was looking back down on him, with a look of concern on her face.

"Thomas..." Sayuko said. "I can't believe it... I can't believe she did this to you..."

"Yeah..." Thomas replied. "Even after all of this time, I can't either."

Sayuko pulled out a chair in front of Thomas, and sat down in it. Thomas looked around him. He seemed to be standing on a desk near a wall window. He also seemed to be in a bedroom; her bedroom.

"Thomas..." she said. "She... she has my brother..."

"I know," Thomas said. "The others told me."

"There's more of you? I mean... wait... How did you get out?"

"Well, there was a whole community of us up until recently. We lived in Melissa's walls. But then, nearly everyone else disappeared, so a friend and I came up with a plan to escape."

"Really? Where's your friend?"

"...Safe, hopefully." Thomas sighed.

"...Is something wrong?"

"I just can't believe that I'm out of that hellhole."

"Oh..."

"Anyway, where you going to say something about your brother?"

"Huh? ...Oh. Oh, yes... She took my brother, and I've been lonely ever since. He was my world... the only person in the world I could really trust. And she took him away from me..." Sayuko then dropped her face in her open palms, and weeped.

"Sayuko..." Thomas considered walking to her, and trying to comfort her somehow.

After a few seconds, Sayuko's head rose, and she wiped her face with her hands.

"Thomas," she said. "Do you want me to call your family for you? They must be worried sick..."

Thomas thought about her suggestion for a few seconds, before answering. "No. I know that they're wondering where I am right now, but I'd rather them not see me like this."

"Then... I'll take care of you." Sayuko forced a smile. "I don't know what it was like to live in fear for all of that time, but you don't have to worry about Melissa anymore."

Thomas smiled. "Thank you, Sayuko."

Sayuko nodded, and stood from her chair. "Do you want anything to eat? I'd have to break it up so you could eat it, but..."

"Not right now, but I could use something to drink. The walk downstairs was exhausting..."

"Okay." With that, Sayuko walked out of the room.

Thomas walked to the edge of the desk he was standing on, and looked around the room some more. Across from the desk he was standing on was a bed, with pink sheets and pillows. To his left was a television, turned off, and to his right, in the corner of the room, was a computer desk, with the computer as well. The desk he was standing on had two large textbooks on it, as well as a lamp and a framed photograph.

Thomas walked closer to the photo, and looked upon it. It was a picture of a smiling Sayuko, and another man, also smiling, with his arms wrapped around her. The two looked alike, so Thomas assumed that the man must be her brother.

It was a bit odd. He had never seen Sayuko as happy as she was in that photograph.

~~~

Melissa sat in a chair that was pulled in front of her opened cabinet. Inside was the hamster cage, containing Taro, who was feasting on a shrunken down turkey sandwich.

"...And she took off, just like that," Melissa said. "I don't know why she suddenly didn't want to see you this week. For all she know, I could have killed you and lied."

Taro was silent, opting to instead take a bite from his sandwich rather than to respond.

Melissa laughed. "Maybe she didn't want you to see what I made her do. Maybe the evidence was still on her teeth."

Taro looked up at the giant woman's face. "What did you do?"

"Oh, nothing to concern yourself with."

"...She's my sister."

Melissa shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not telling you. You just sit there and enjoy your sandwich."

"I swear," Taro stood from his seated position, leaving the sandwich on the mulch at his feet, "if you ever harm Sayuko-"

The cage violently vibrated, knocking Taro down on his bottom. Startled, he looked at Melissa, and saw that her sly expression had changed to a slightly irritated one.

"Funny," she said. "And what do you think you could do to me? I've been very merciful with you, but if you piss me off, make no mistake, I WILL kill you too. Then I'll kill Sayuko, and that'll be it for your lousy family. Do you understand me?"

Taro did not respond. He tried to stand up, but the cage was rattled again as Melissa thrust her hand into it. He was knocked back down to his bottom.

"Do-You-Under-Stand-Me?" Melissa repeated.

Defeated, Taro responded. "...Yes."

Melissa smiled. "Good. I knew you weren't that stupid." She stood from the chair. "I have something else to take care of. You finish your meal, okay?"

Taro watched as Melissa's smiled disappeared behind the closing doors of the cabinet.

He let out a sigh. Sure, he told Sayuko to stop coming over to Melissa's house, but he had expected her to once again not listen to him. He at least wanted to see her cute but worn face.

...Perhaps he was a bit hasty when he told her to forget about him. With no other family to turn to, Sayuko would be all alone, and he was not sure if she would be able to handle it. Hell, he would not even put it past her to...

He quickly shook the thought out of his head.

He wished that he could, if even for a second, hold her in his arms, against his chest, and ease all of her anxieties.

~~~

Jenna sat against the glass wall, her knees arched up and her hands wrapped around them. She was watching Dawson off in the distance, trying his luck with one of the few other women in the glass prison. She could not help but shake her head in disgust and disappointment.

She looked past her legs, towards her feet. They hadn't been properly washed in months, though she could say the same for her body as a whole. But her feet... she wished that she could hide them from everyone else. Her sneakers were left behind in her tent, but they were practically unwearable anyway. Even those tathered shoes would have done her some good.

They were hideous. She had no idea what that man saw in her feet, and feet in general. How could anyone be that aroused by what was probably one of the most diseased parts of the human body? And to think that there were many more people like him in the world? Freaks come in all shapes and sizes, apparently.

"Watching your stalker?"

Jenna looked to her left, and saw Shawn standing beside her.

"Unfortunately, yes," she answered.

Shawn sat down beside her. "As good as TV, huh? I bet you're loving seeing him not get the other girls in on his little fun."

"'Fun'? For who?"

"Him, obviously. Everyone has their own kinks, you know?"

"Then why couldn't it be something normal? Like boobs? I'd be more than happy to entertain him with mine."

"You have nice boobs?"

"Well, they're better than my... feet."

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

Shawn glanced towards her peds. "I think you're just being insecure. Your feet aren't as bad as you make them out to be. I'm sure that they'd be just fine and pretty if they were clean."

"What?!" Jenna was bewildered. "Oh, not you, too!"

Shawn laughed. "No. Just calling it like it is. Besides, if anything, I'd be more interested in guys' feet."

"Oh, right..."

The two were silent for a moment.

"Hey, Shawn," Jenna suddenly said.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"You think we'll ever get out of here? I want to go home and take a nice, long bath."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not sure of anything anymore."

Jenna sighed. "My family is worried about me, no doubt about it. Especially my overprotective dad."

There was a short pause, before Shawn spoke. "At least you have a family to be worried about you."

Jenna turned towards Shawn.

"My parents disowned me as soon as I told them I was gay."

Jenna could not believe what she heard. "Shawn, I-"

Shawn forced a smile. "Don't worry about me. I've managed just fine without them so far. I don't need them in my life. I'd rather have no parents than to have bigoted ones."

"Oh. Okay, then."

The two looked back towards Dawson, who had, of course, been rejected by the women he was going after.

~~~

With both hands, Thomas picked up the small bowl that was set in front of him. It was made of plastic, so it must have belonged to a dollhouse of some sort. He tipped the bowl towards his open mouth, and let the liquid flow inside, though some spilled down his face and onto the desk. It tasted like tea.

"It isn't much," Sayuko said as she watched him drink, "and I wish I had a cup, but that's all I could find."

Thomas pulled the bowl away from his face. "It's okay. As long as I can grab it, I don't mind."

Sayuko smiled, and then walked to her bed. Thomas watched as she picked up a television remote, and pressed a button. He heard the sound of the television fade in.

"...is no way Barack Obama can win this election," said a male voice on the television. "He has nowhere near the experience needed to run the country. He and his liberal Democrats are going to make this country even worse than it is now. That's why-"

Sayuko changed the channel. "I had an assignment in another class," she said.

"...sunny skies all this week," said a female. "It's almost like we're in a dry spell, as we haven't had a decent downpour in months. But at least you have plenty of time to go to the bea-"

Another switch.

"YE-EAH!!! Shake dat ass, gurl!! Shake it, bitch!!" A rap song.

Sayuko placed the remote back on her bed, and turned to Thomas. "I'll be back soon. I want to make you as comfortable as I can." She smiled, and then walked out of the room.

"Uh, Sayuko?" Thomas called as she was leaving, but she apparently did not hear him.

He turned towards the television. Several Black men dressed in thuggish clothing were rapping to the song, while surrounded by several more Black women in very skimpy clothing who were shaking their bottoms very provocatively.

"Ah, dammit." Thomas moaned as he covered his ears with both of his hands.

At his size, the sounds easily penetrated through his skin.

~~~

Melissa approached the dollhouse that was sitting in the basement. Earlier that day, just when she had given up hope on ever finding them, she had found one of the tiny people she was missing... and decapitated her. Now, there was only one more "Bugman" she was missing.

She tapped her foot against the plastic wall. "Hey, Bruce. Get out here. I need to talk to you."

She waited a few seconds, before the plastic front door opened, and Bruce walking out of the house.

Melissa knelt down closer to the floor. "So, I have a few questions for you."

Bruce crossed his arms. "Shoot."

"You called yourself the leader of that group you had, right?"

"Yeah."

"You're lucky I found that out when I did. If I didn't recatch the others when my little birdy told me about you, I would have come after you."

"So, what's the question?" Bruce asked.

"Do you know of someone named Thomas Kirkland?"

"Yes. I've seen him a few times when I was up there."

"Do you know where he is now?"

"No, I don't. ...Why are you so concerned about him, all of a sudden?"

"Well... I found that little Mexican bitch earlier today, and I'm feeling a little lucky."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "'Mexican bitch'? You mean Gloria?"

"Whatever. She's dead now, so it doesn't matter what her name was."

She saw Bruce's jaw drop in disbelief.

"Anyway, Thomas is the only one of my toys that I'm missing, and I WILL find him. I can't let him leave this house. If he were to get out, that could mean serious trouble for me if someone finds him."

"What are you going to do to stop him? For all you know, he could be long gone."

Melissa pounded the floor with her fist. "I swear, he better still be in this house. When I find him, I'm not going kill him... But I'll make him hurt. Bad."

She stood upright. "Well, that's all I have to talk to you about right now. I'll see you, and the others, tomorrow." She turned around, and walked towards the stairs, climbing them and then leaving the basement, closing the door behind her.

~~~

Bruce walked back inside of the dollhouse. He closed the front door, and then slid down on the floor against the door. He then let out a deep sigh.

"Bruce..." Claudia walked in from the living room. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," he answered.

"Good... But I heard your conversation..." She shook her head in grief. "It's horrible what she did to Gloria... I hope Thomas is safe and well."

"...What I want to know is why Gloria was killed in the first place. Why wasn't that idiot there to protect her?"

"Bruce, please."

"If he ran away and left her behind, there's going to be hell to pay." Bruce clinged his right fist.

"I'm sure Thomas must have had his reasons. He seemed like a nice young man. I don't think he'd abandon her like that."

"...The kid ran from a centipede. Of course he's going to run from a fuckin' big giant woman!"

"Bruce..."

"...You're so naive." Bruce stood up. "So old, and yet, so naive..." He walked past Claudia, and started to make his way up the stairs. "I'm going to check the campsite tomorrow. If I find him, I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

After reaching the top of the staircase, he walked towards the master bedroom. He walked inside, and then dropped himself onto the bed.

~~~

Sheryl stood facing the clear glass wall facing towards the Refugees. She could not see much through the dim light, but she knew, and all of the Homeless in her cage knew, that they outnumbered the Refugees 3-to-1. Yet, while they had sheer numbers in their favor, the Refugees have youth and overall more strength. Many of the Homeless have been on the streets for years prior to this change of events. The Refugees had a house, a meal 2 or 3 times a day, and a warm bed.

"Marcus," Sheryl called to the dark-skinned man that stood behind her.

"What is it?" Marcus answered.

"As my new confidant, I want you to tell me your honest opinion about them." She pointed towards the Refugees.

"Them, huh? Well... I can't say I really like them. In fact, I think they're arrogant and cocky, and think too highly of themselves."

"Ah..."

"That said, I don't hate them. I think that if we were to work together, maybe, JUST maybe... we could all get out of here."

Sheryl turned towards Marcus. "I see... That's what I thought."

"Is that so? ...Anyway, there are some here who think that, aside from the girl, it's pretty fine in here. We're safe from the elements, and the immature vandals who harass us out there. Plus, we're fed every day. It may just be bread, but it's more than we had out there."

"Hm."

"But I think that we should work with the Refugees, as they call themselves. I'd rather not want us to face that Bruce guy."

"Good point." Sheryl turned back towards the wall. "I may be a woman, but as the leader, everyone will expect me to fight him should it ever come down to it." She chuckled a little. "I'd get my ass kicked."

Sheryl felt a heavy hand land on her shoulder.

"I'll fight him for you," Marcus said. "A woman shouldn't ever have to fight a man's battle."

"...So chivarous." She grabbed his hand, and pulled it off of her shoulder. "Thanks for the offer, but as the leader, it should, and would, be more appropriate for me to face him."

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She heard a sigh. "I can't say that I agree with you, but I can't stop you if that's what you want to do."

"Thank you for understanding. That said, I still would prefer not to have to fight him, and the rest of them."

"So, what do you plan to do?"

"...Let me think for a while. I'll let you all know soon."

"Alright."

Sheryl heard Marcus walk away from her.

She watched the Refugees through the darkness for several seconds, before closing her eyes, and going over her decision in her mind.

~~~

Thomas was laying face-up on the desk. He has since stopped trying to cover his ears from the constant stream of rap music that was playing on the television, and was now simply trying to tune it out. Needless to say, he hated rap music. He believed that no good had ever come from the genre in general; just uneducated mongrols singing about sex, money, drugs, and killing. He could not fathom why it was so popular.

With his dislike of rap, as well as his rather poor athletic skills, and his geekish personality, it was no wonder why most of the Black students at his school, as well as his Black acquaintances, considered him to be an "Oreo." Though he didn't mind having that title; in fact, he had kind of embraced it.

He had no idea how long it had been since Sayuko last left, but it felt like hours. There was an alarm clock near Sayuko's bed, but it was turned away from his sight.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. He sat up, and looked towards the doorway. Sure enough, Sayuko walked back into the room, carrying what looked like a small shoebox.

"I'm back," Sayuko greeted. "Did you enjoy the music?"

"...Do you want me to be honest?" Thomas asked.

The little peppiness that Sayuko had suddenly vanished. "Oh no... You didn't, did you?"

"No. I hate rap music."

"Oh... I'm sorry."

"Did you assume that I DID like it?"

Sayuko dropped her head. "I'm sorry... Are you mad at me...?"

Thomas let out a sigh. "No. Just don't make any more assumptions like that."

Sayuko's head rose. "I won't."

Thomas smiled. "So, what's in the box?"

Sayuko walked closer to the desk, and placed it on top of it, against the wall. Thomas saw that the box had one of its long sides cut out, and inside was a small box. He walked closer to the giant box, and as he approached it, he saw that the smaller box had what looked like fabric on top of it. There was also a stack of more cloths... Cloths that almost looked like clothing.

"I spent the last few hours making this for you," Sayuko said. "I'm not good for much, but I can sew pretty well. I found a small box in my brother's room, and got some cotton and fabric, and made a bed for you."

Thomas turned to Sayuko. "Really?!"

Sayuko nodded. "Yes. I've also sewed some clothes for you. The ones you're wearing now must be filthy..."

Thomas was stunned. To think that she would do all of this for him. "Sayuko... I can't thank you enough."

Sayuko smiled. "I said that I would make you as comfortable as I can, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." Thomas laughed a little.

Sayuko walked away from the desk, and picked up the remote. She then pressed a button on it, changing the television channel.

"...when it comes to extreme survivors, the water bear really is... THE MOST EXTREME!"

"Aww... Looks like "Most Extreme ended," Sayuko said. "It's one of my favorites on this channel."

Thomas looked at the TV screen, and then back to her. "You watch Animal Planet a lot?"

"Yes. I love animals. Especially cats. I wish I had one of my own, but Taro is allergic..."

"I see... I'm fond of squirrels myself."

"Squirrels? Why?"

"I don't know... They just have some kind of bizarre charm."

"Oh. I just don't like it when they get run over."

"I didn't say they were smart." Thomas laughed.

Sayuko smiled, though Thomas swore that he say her fight off a laugh, if even a small chuckle.

"Oh," Sayuko said, "if you don't mind, I could wash your clothes for you."

"Well, these are my favorites... So, sure. Why not?" Thomas pulled off his red and black T-shirt, and then the white undershirt underneath, which had since become yellowish from perspiration. He pulled off his black sneakers, and also dirty white socks. After placing them aside, he walked to the stack of clothing, and pulled out a T-shirt, made from a soft green fabric. Or rather, what looked like a T-shirt. He pulled it over his head, and onto his upper torso. It fit pretty well.

Next was his pants. He looked at towards Sayuko, who was still watching him. She must have known what was next, as she gasped a little and turned away. Now that Sayuko's eyes were off of him, he pulled out his black leather belt from his grey jeans. Next, he reached into his pockets, and pulled out his wallet and the crucifix necklace that Gloria gave him; and then pulled his jeans off. Afterwards, he pulled off his filthy boxer shorts. Not confortable with his lower body being naked, he rushed to the clothing stack and pulled out a pair of red pants. He then put both of his legs through them, and pulled them up to this waist. They seemed tight around his waist, but at least that way, they would not fall down.

Green shirt and red pants... Seemed very tacky, but he was just glad to be out of his filthy clothing.

"Okay, Sayuko," Thomas called. "You can look now."

Sayuko turned back towards him. "Good. What do you think?"

Thomas smiled. "I think you did a great job. Thank you."

Sayuko returned a smile of her own. "You're welcome, Thomas. It's the least I can do." She reached into the box, and collected the dirty clothing in her hand. "I'll make sure you get these clothes back, as clean as I can get them." With that, Sayuko was out of the room again.

Thomas walked towards his "bed," and sat down on it. It was almost as big as his bed at home. The cotton underneath the fabric made it much more comfortable than those cots back at the campsite. Placing his wallet beside the bed on the cardboard floor, he laid down on his bed.

He lifted the crucifix necklace above him, and started to examine it.

Gloria... He would not have been able to come this far without her. Sure, they had a rough patch, but he considered her his first real ally at the campsite. He hoped that she was safe, inside with the other Refugees, or even back at the campsite if she wasn't able get Melissa's attention. Though he wondered, if the latter was the case, what she would do now. Would she leave the house on her own, wandering the streets and running the risk of getting stepped on by a pedesterian? Or would she find a way to get in the closet with the rest? Or would she even go as far as to wait at the campsite, all by herself, until help arrived? Would she-

Suddenly, Thomas had a thought.

"Oh, crap."

He hoped that he didn't get her pregnant.

"ARE YOU FUCKIN' CRAZY?!"

"Yeah!! What's wrong with you?! How could you even suggest something like that?!"

"Crazy bitch!!"

They were irate. Understandably so, as for the 30-something Homeless that stood in the glass cage, their leader Sheryl had just suggested the unthinkable. That they should cast away their contempt for the ones called the "Refugees," and work together with them? It was unacceptable.

"Please, everyone!" Sheryl tried to calm her enraged comrades. "Petty grudges won't get us anywhere! We need-"

"SHUT UP!!"

"Us work with them?! You're mad!!"

"Why don't you all shut up?!" Marcus yelled out. "Don't you get it?! If you all want a chance of getting out of here, we're going to have to work with them!!"

"Marcus is right!" Sheryl said.

"No, he's not! Some leader you are!"

"I knew we shouldn't have chosen her!!"

"Get her!"

The mob then began to charge towards Sheryl and Marcus. Marcus tried to fend them off from her, but he was only one man. One man against thirty.

Thomas sat out on the desktop, watching the television. Spongebob Squarepants was on, though he did not particularly enjoy the zany antics of the possibly mentally unstable talking sponge. At least it wasn't the rap music from hours earlier.

He thought that Sayuko had turned on Spongebob so that she would watch it, but instead, she was sitting on her bed, reading a Japanese magazine. She had since changed her clothes as well, now wearing a white T-shirt and pink pajama pants. In addition, she had her dark red hair tied into two pigtails.

Thomas still did not know the exact time, but the sun was setting, so he estimated that it must have been past eight.

"Thomas," Sayuko suddenly said. "I'm going to get some food. Do you want anything?"

"Sure," he answered. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning, and that wasn't even much."

"Oh my... You must be starving."

"A little, yeah. What do you have, anyway?"

"Umm... I could make you a turkey sandwich. But I'd end up eating most of it."

Thomas laughed a little. "True. I'll just have some of the turkey, then."

"Okay." Sayuko placed the magazine upside-down on her bed, leaving it open on the page she was reading. She then turned to the side of her bed, slipped her barefeet into fuzzy pink slippers, and stood and walked out of the room.

Food. Probably refridgerated turkey, but Thomas didn't care. As long as he had something to stop the rumbling in his stomach. Speaking of which, his stomach growled as soon as he thought that. The mental image of a just a mere turkey sandwich in his head sent his hunger into overdrive.

He held his stomach as he turned towards the TV and waited for Sayuko to return. On the TV, he watched as the tiny antagonist Plankton was crushed underfoot by one of the denizens of Bikini Bottom.

The scene sent shivers down his spine.

It reminded him of the many people who were in a similar situation with Melissa.

Except that, unlike Plankton, they were dead.

~~~

Sheryl could not believe what happened. She was the leader, and as her followers, they were supposed to go along with any plan that she came up with. That's why she was chosen in the first place, right?

Yet, in a matter of minutes, she and her confidant were mobbed, beaten, and thrown into a dark corner of the glass prison, surrounded by boxes.

Her body ached as she turned to Marcus besides her. He seemed to be in a worse state than she was, as he took most of the assault from the rebellion.

"Marcus," she called.

She heard a grunt.

"How are you feeling?"

Marcus slowly turned his head towards her. "...I'll live. ...Believe it or not... I've had worse beatings."

Sheryl moved closer to him. "I can't believe that they did this to us..."

"I can't either. ...Especially to you, a woman..."

Sheryl sighed. "Was I the leader in name only? Was I supposed to make decisions that they could all agree on, at the risk of... this happening?"

"...Now I'm sure... that they want a leader that thinks exactly like them..."

"They did... I DID think like the rest when I was starting out, but then I started to think about my position on things..."

"Yeah... I know..."

Sheryl chuckled a little. "I guess they didn't want to hear any of it."

"Hm."

There was a short silence between the two.

"So, what now?" Sheryl asked.

"There'll probably be anarchy," Marcus said, "as they try to decide who will be the new 'leader.' And I use that term loosely."

"...What'll happen to us?"

Marcus chuckled. "We'll probably be sacrificed, if you know what I mean."

"Yes... Offered to that woman... Melissa..."

"Exactly... We're as good as dead now. We're traitors, according to them."

Sheryl sighed and leaned further against the glass wall. He was right. They were traitors. How else would they describe someone who would suggest working with "the enemy"?

How soon would it be before they were given up to Melissa, and killed?

Something inside of her felt certain that it would be sooner than she thought.

~~~

Thomas did not have to wait long. Minutes earlier, Sayuko had returned, and was now sitting at the desk while eating the sandwich she made.

As he requested, she had torn off a rather large piece of turkey and bread for Thomas, and placed it in his box area. She also refilled his tiny plastic bowl with the tea from earlier.

He picked up the piece of turkey with both hands. The entire thing was nearly as big as he was, so he knew that he could not eat the entire thing by himself. Regardless, he bit into it. It was rather hard to chew, as at his size, the usually thin slice of turkey was anything but. Yet, he savored the taste in his mouth. After swallowing what was in his mouth, he took another bite. And another.

"I see that you're enjoying your meal," Sayuko said.

Thomas swallowed the turkey in his mouth. "Yeah. It's pretty good. Better than what I had back at Melissa's house."

"Really? What did you have there?"

"...Bread and stale water."

"Oh... I guess I'll take the bread away, then. You must be sick of it." Sayuko reached for the box.

"No, no," Thomas said. "The bread we had was also pretty stale. It's nice to have some fresh bread for a change."

"Oh. Okay." Sayuko smiled before taking a bite from her sandwich.

Several minutes later, Thomas was full. His stomach was satisfied, and he was downing the tea remaining inside of the bowl. He barely made it ¼ through the food that Sayuko gave him.

"Are you done?' Sayuko asked.

"Yeah," Thomas responded. "I don't think I can fit any more inside of me."

"I see." Sayuko reached into the box, and picked out the remaining bread and turkey, and placed them inside of a napkin. She crumbled the napkin in her hand, and tossed it into a nearby trash bin.

"Oh, and Sayuko?" Thomas called.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Thank you."

Sayuko blinked twice. "It was nothing. It's the least I could do for a starving person."

"Well, that too, but I also want to thank you for getting me out of Melissa's house. I never thought that I would ever come out of there alive."

"Thomas..."

"Really. If I was my normal size, I'd give you the longest hug." Thomas chuckled.

"...Would you?"

"Well, yeah."

After a second or two, Sayuko brought a small smile to her face. "I wish I could help you again... Help you get big again. Maybe I could find whatever Melissa used to shrink you."

"The Shrink Ray? Nah... That'd be a bad idea. Especially if Melissa caught you."

"Yeah..." Sayuko's smile faded, and she sighed deeply.

Thomas walked a bit closer to Sayuko. "But there could be another way."

Sayuko perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah. Melissa's father is supposedly an inventor. He's the guy who made the Shrink Ray. I bet that if we contacted him, he could get everything resolved."

"Thomas, I think that's a great idea!" Sayuko said, somewhat excitedly. "Do you know his name? Where he is now? His phone number?"

"Sorry, but all I know is his name. Edgar Cruz."

"Oh..." Sayuko calmed herself. "But I think I could find him on the Internet." She looked towards her computer.

"You sure? You do know that a lot of Hispanic names seem to be pretty common, right?"

"But it's our only chance..."

Thomas sighed. "I guess that's true, but..."

Sayuko then looked towards the textbooks on the desk, and gasped, as if she just remembered something. "Umm... I know that this is urgent, but do you think Taro is safe?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well... I know that we need to find Mr. Cruz as fast as we can, but I have homework, and I've been putting it off all weekend."

"Oh. Well, Melissa hasn't harmed Taro so far, has she? I'd say that he's... as safe as he can be."

"I hope so... I have less than two months to bring up my marks. But I haven't been doing a good job so far..."

Thomas stared at her, and, after realizing what she was implying, he began to laugh.

"What's so funny?!" Sayuko asked, slightly irritated.

"Sayuko, do you want me to help you?" He asked. "Just like old times?"

An increasingly excited expression formed on Sayuko's face. "You would help me?"

"Of course. It's the least I could do for a nice person such as yourself." Thomas smiled.

"But you missed so many classes..."

"I learned most of this stuff in high school. It's pretty easy to me."

Sayuko nodded. "Thomas... Thank you." She smiled back at him, and then reached for the top textbook: College Calculus. She then reached down to the side of the desk, and pulled out several sheets of loose-leaf paper, and a pencil, and placed then in front of her.

"Okay, then," Thomas said as he walked closer to the paper. "Let's get started!"

~~~

It was Monday afternoon, some time after 2pm. Melissa stormed into her room, slammed the door shut behind her, and threw her purse on her bed. Afterwards, she sat on her bed, and let out a frustrated sigh, and dropped her face in her open palms.

The exam she took the week before was returned to her. Despite studying vigorously for beforehand, she received a score of 62%, a very low D.

To say that she was disappointed with herself was an understatement. In fact, after she left the class, she immediately ripped up the exam, and tossed the shreds to the floor, leaving the janitor to deal with the mess. She was so angry that she could barely drive straight after leaving the campus. She even blurted obscenities at other motorists who she thought were driving erratically.

She wanted to shrink her professor for giving her such a low score, but she knew that she couldn't do that. She had no idea where he lived, and taking the Shrink Ray on campus and reducing him there would be a bad idea, especially with all of the cameras around. Plus, doing that would practically reveal everything about what happened to the many missing people that had disappeared in the many months before.

However, she knew who she could use to vent her frustrations.

She stood from her bed, and walked towards her closet. She opened the door, and walked inside. She moved the hanging clothes aside, and made her way further back, where her tiny captives were being contained.

"Listen, you fucktards," Melissa said in a malicious tone. "I'm in a bad mood now, and some of you are going to pay."

She walked towards her right, towards the farthest cage. "You all! I need ten of you!"

"Ten?!" exclaimed a tiny man inside. "There's barely 15 of us in here!!"

"Okay, nine then." Melissa reached inside of the cage, and pulled out the brown-haired man and held him up to her face. "Little cunt." She spat on him, before stuffing him in her pants pocket.

Afterwards, she reached back into the cage, and plucked out nine more of the small people, placing most of them in her pockets, before walking out of the closet without another word.

~~~

"God-DAMN," Dawson said after Melissa left the closet. "She was mad..."

"No kidding, right?" Carlos said. "I wonder what happened."

The Refugees were apprehensive when they heard the closet door open, and became more frightened when they saw that she was very angry. Though, after the fact, they were relieved that she ignored them and went for one of the Homeless cages instead.

"So, I guess they're all as good as dead," Carlos said. "Oh well... At least it isn't us, huh?"

"Yeah," Dawson said. "But who knows when she'll come for us? I mean, some of us have already been taken. Even I almost died."

"Oh yeah... That Trivia game she made you all play."

"Yep. Though I guess some good came out of it."

"What do you mean- Oh wait... I remember now... You saw her step on one of the Homeless guys. Up close, right?"

"You know it! Man... I wish I was out there right now... Have another front row seat to another stomping... I'd love that."

Carlos shook his head. "...You're a freak."

Dawson laughed. "Oh well. We're all weird in our own little ways."

"...Maybe."

"In the meantime... I have to find my buddy." Dawson got a mischievous smile on his face.

"Would you leave Jenna alone already?" Carlos said, annoyed. "Hasn't she made it clear that she doesn't want anything to do with you?"

"Ah, but that's what she says, but she's warming up to me. She just doesn't want to admit it." Dawson then walked away from Carlos. "You'll see... She'll soon be begging me to suck her toes!"

"Ah, you idiot..." Carlos watched as Dawson made his way towards the center area of the cage. He could not help but notice that Dawson's obsessiveness reminded him of a certain someone that was in his life long ago, someone that he had since shut out.

Carlos quickly shook any slight image of that man out of his mind, and followed Dawson.

~~~

She was gigantic. Though Randy realized that the moment she picked him out of the cage and spat on him. His clothes were still soaked from her saliva, but nevertheless, he ran as fast as he could. He looked back, and saw one of his comrads, further away from him, being stalked by the giant woman.

"Alex!" Randy called out.

It was too late. Alex soon disappeared underneath the sole of Melissa's black flip-flop sandal. She twisted her foot on the spot a few times afterwards.

"That makes four," she said.

The game was Last Man Standing, though he was certain that all of them would end up dead.

"Hey!"

Randy turned his head towards his right, and saw another one of his comrads hiding under the giant bed. The man looked to be in his early 30s, and had jet black hair.

"Reeve!! What are you doing?!" Randy asked.

"Hiding, of course!" Reeve responded. "The goal is to be the last person alive, right?"

"Yeah, but do you honestly think-"

He heard a woman scream. He turned around, and watched as a female was snuffed out as Melissa walked on her. As her foot moved off of the spot, he could see the flattened, bloody remains of what was once a human.

"Ha... Five," Melissa said.

Luckily, he doubted that Melissa saw him at that point, and ran to join Reeve underneath the bed.

"Poor Sondra..." Reeve lamented. "I've talked to her many times... She's been through a lot in her life, and now she was just tread on like a bug. ...That bitch is going to pay."

Randy turned towards Reeve. "How? What do you have planned?"

"...Nothing yet." Reeve chuckled. "But just wait... I'll get her."

"Really..." Randy shook his head. For as long as he had known him, Reeve had always been a bit too overconfident in himself, and what he believed that he could achieve.

The two moved further back under the bed as they saw Melissa's feet walk towards the bed. They watched as they walked past it, and then saw her bend down. She reached for the side of the small table that was next to her bed, and pulled out a tiny, screaming man.

"Well, he's boned," Reeve said.

"Did you think you could hide from me?" Melissa said. "You fuckin' bug."

They heard the man's screaming intensify, until he suddenly went silent. However, they saw some blood drip down on the floor in front of Melissa's feet.

"Six." Melissa turned around and walked on the opposite side of the bed. There, she made her way towards her desk and stopped at it, seemingly waiting there for a minute.

As they watched her, they saw a man peek out from under the desk. He looked upward, and then attempted to run the distance towards the bed.

"There's Donald," Randy said. "C'mon, Donald..."

His tone was a bit forlorn. He knew that there was no way that Donald would be able to make it under the bed, and even if he did, Melissa would just catch him anyway.

Unfortunately, he was not to be that lucky.

Without a word, Melissa stomped on the man, twisting her foot on the spot, and then sliding her foot back, leaving behind a bloody smear in her foot's wake.

"Seven."

"Dammit..." Reeve said. "What an idiot..."

Randy looked around. "So... Where's Dora?"

"...Dora's out here?" Reeve asked. "Oh no..."

"Didn't you see her when the woman set us all down?"

"No... This 'game' started so fast that I didn't have time to exchange pleasantries with anyone."

'You mean that you were lookin' out for your own hide."

"Well, yes!"

Randy sighed, and continued watching Melissa's feet. He wondered which one of the two would end up being Melissa's final victim: him or Reeve. Though, as he thought before, it could very well end up being both of them.

"You think I don't see you?" Melissa suddenly said. "Bring your ass out here."

No one seemed to appear. Randy's heart began to race. Was she talking about them? Maybe she saw a glimpse of them under the bed when she bent down earlier?

"I said come out."

Randy looked towards Reeve, who was looking back at him. He could tell that he was thinking the same thing that he was.

They waited for a minute, before Melissa seemingly lost her patience.

"Son of a bitch!"

They heard, and saw, several papers fall from the desk. Melissa made her way towards the bed, and knelt down. At that point, both Randy and Reeve's hearts sank. They bent down, to try to hide themselves against the floor. As she reached her hand further under the bed, they prepared themselves for the worst.

They heard female screaming, and saw Melissa's hand, now closed, pull out from the bed. As she stood up, so did Randy and Reeve breathing a sigh of relief.

"You little bitch. Didn't I tell you to come out?" Melissa's tone was very irritated.

"No! Please don't kill me! Please!!" They could barely make out her words.

"Fuck you."

They saw the woman, Dora, fall to the floor. They then saw Melissa's right foot rise, and then lower onto the helpless woman. Dora let out one final scream before the weight on her body increased, crushing her to death. She lifted her foot, and then stomped on the flattened body again.

"When I tell you to do something, you damn well better do it!" Melissa said to the deceased woman. "Fuckin' eight."

"Dammit," Reeve said. "Now she's really gonna pay!!"

"Quiet!" said Randy.

"No way! I'm going out there!" Reeve walked towards the open floor.

"What the hell?! Are you stupid?!"

Reeve did not respond. Instead, he rushed out from under the bed, and towards Melissa. Randy shook his head in disappointment. What did Reeve hope to accomplish? All he would end up doing is being killed.

He watched as Melissa swiped her foot towards Reeve, sending him flying towards the wall. He seemed to hit it pretty hard, as he laid there motionless. However, instead of going for the kill, Melissa walked towards the bed, and knelt down again.

"Why do you all always try to hide under here?!"

She then got on her chest, and began to crawl under the bed. Randy backed away as he saw Melissa's face come closer to him. However, he soon found that he could back away no further, as he collided with a giant shebox behind him.

He was trapped, and Melissa appeared to have seen him, as she was looking straight at him. Randy shuddered as her hand reached for him, and then wrapped its fingers around his comparably small body.

Soon after, he was released from the grip, and placed on the floor. He opened his eyes, and saw the giant woman standing over him. He looked up towards her face, and saw that she had a look of utter contempt on her face.

"No..." Randy tried to back away from her.

"And you, my friend, make number nine," Melissa said.

Randy saw as the vision of her face was replaced by the black sole of her right flip-flop. He stood up and began to run.

...He narrowly dodged the footfall, as he heard the large thud behind him.

"Dammit!" Melissa was frustrated. "I said that you're number nine!"

As Randy was running, he saw an oval-shaped shadow appear around him. He didn't even need to look upward. He made a sharp turn to his left, and once again dodged her foot. However, he did not expect her other foot to come at him as he avoided her right foot. Her left one collided with his body, and sent him flying across the floor, knocking him just short of the wall.

His chest hurt. He was sure that Melissa broke several of his ribs when she kicked him. He struggled to his feet as Melissa walked in front of him. He tried to run again, but was kicked against the wall. This time, he heard several more cracks from inside of his chest. As he laid there on the floor, he tried to pick himself up, but his efforts came to a halt as Melissa stepped on his legs, grinding them into a pulp. He screamed in pain. He was now completely at her mercy.

"You see?" Melissa said. "If you had just died when you were supposed to, you wouldn't have to suffer."

At that point, Melissa stepped on his left arm. The pain was unbearable.

"Now, let's try this again." Melissa lifted her foot over him. "Here is number nine."

As Melissa's foot lowered on his body, the last thing he saw was Reeve, coming to and picking himself off from the floor.

~~~

Finally, it was done. While she had to admit that the man's resolve to live was amazing, Melissa was glad to finally crush the life out the the tiny man. She closed her eyes, and rested her foot on the flattened body for several seconds, reliving the moments before in her mind.

She turned around, towards the other man she kicked before, and saw that he was struggling to his feet.

She walked towards the man, and knelt down in front of him. "You've won, little man."

The man just stared angrily at her. She could see the hatred he had for her in his eyes, and wanted very much to slience his life, as well. However, she was a woman of her word, and as this man was the "Last Man Standing," he earned the right to live. ...For now.

"Let's get you back in there with your friends."

She picked up the little man, and then carried him back into the closet. She then dropped him into the first glass cage she saw... not the one he was actually from. But she did not care.

She then walked out of the closet, and closed its door behind her.

Her agitiation had not completely vanished.

"Ah, what the hell. I guess I'll go to the gym..."

~~~

Thomas sat on his bed, watching Tom and Jerry on the television. Sayuko had been gone to school for several hours now.

He was bored. He knew how small household pets felt now. Being confined to one area may be nice for small animals, but as a person, he was built to seek out ways to entertain himself. If he was at home, he could have picked up one of his video games, or gone on the Internet. Of course, he could do none of that stuff here, in his current state. He could not even use the bathroom by himself. All he could do was sit on his bed, watch Cartoon Network, and wait for Sayuko to return.

Suddenly, he heard the front door open, and then close. He soon heard footsteps making their way up some stairs, getting louder. Finally, he saw Sayuko, textbooks in hand, walk into the room.

"Tadaima," she said.

"Hey, Sayuko," Thomas said as he walked towards the edge of the desk. "How was school?"

Sayuko sat on her bed facing Thomas, and placed the textbooks on the bed besides her. "It was okay... But I asked Mr. Evans to go over my homework." She started to unstrap her red sandals.

"And...?" Thomas leaned forward expectantly. "What's he say?"

Sayuko kicked the sandals from her feet. She then looked up at Thomas, and smiled. "He said that I did great!"

"Awesome!!" Thomas exclaimed.

"But I wouldn't have been able to do it if it weren't for you, Thomas. Domo arigato."

"Oh, it was nothing." Thomas blushed. "I'm always happy to help you."

Sayuko stood up. "So... I don't have much else to do today, so I can try to find Mr. Cruz."

"Great!" Thomas said.

Sayuko walked towards the desk, and cupped her hands around Thomas. Thomas was forced off of his feet as her fingers knocked him into her palm.

Seconds later, they released him. He looked behind him, and saw the large computer monitor. He looked in front of him, and saw Sayuko sitting down in the chair.

"Hey..." Thomas said. "You don't have to do this right away. Why don't you eat something first?"

"I'll be fine," Sayuko said. "I had a little something at the food court at the school."

"Oh. Okay, then."

Sayuko reached down below the computer desk, and Thomas heard the computer power on.

~~~

Sheryl found herself being pulled out of her confinement by two men. They led her to the center of the glass prison, and shoved her on the cold floor. She pulled herself up, and found herself face-to-face with a strange man she had not seen before. He had jet black hair, and did not seem to be too much older than she was.

"So..." he said. "Are you the so-called leader? Sheryl?"

"Yes, I am," Sheryl responded. "And who, may I ask, are you-"

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her right cheek. The man had backhanded her. The crowd around her started to cheer as she placed her right hand on her cheek to try to ease the pain.

"Then you're pathetic," the man said. "That giant bitch put me in the wrong cage, but it seems that fate threw me a curveball. The others here informed me of what you were planning to do, and I can't allow it. Working with... them? You're stupid."

Sheryl did not respond.

"Hear this, and remember it well... My name is Reeve Sardelli, and I'm the NEW leader of you all!"

"Hear this, and remember it well..." The jet black-haired man vehemontly said. "My name is Reeve Sardelli, and I'm the NEW leader of you all!"

Sheryl, still holding her right cheek, stood stunned. "What?!"

"That's right!" Reeve said. "No one here wants you to lead them anymore. They think that I could do a much better job, and I think- no, I KNOW that they're right!"

Sheryl sighed. "I knew that they didn't want me to be their leader anymore... whatever the hell that's suppose to mean to us now... But... So fast..."

"What are you talking about?" Reeve asked.

Sheryl became irritated. "You're dropped in our humble abode not long ago, and, all of a sudden, they make you the leader?! I never expected you all to be so hasty in choosing your 'leaders'!"

"Well, then they see a good one such as myself, they don't wait to appoint me! That's all." Reeve laughed, and then pointed towards a man standing behind her. "Hey, you. Take her away. I'll deal with her later."

"Of course," said the man, before walking up behind Sheryl, holding her arms behind her, and then escorting her away from this new man.

It was in the afternoon, sometime after 3:30pm. Melissa had indeed gone to a nearby gym. Donning a white jogging suit and black sneakers, she was running on a treadmill, and had been for quite some time now. In her mind, she imagined an infinite number of those small people, "Bugmen", standing in her way, as she ran down each one while jogging on an endless road. Each one of their helpless screams being silenced under the sole of her sneaker.

"Gurl."

Melissa was suddenly brought back from her fantasy. She looked to her left, and found her friend Lauren standing beside her. She wore a matching jogging suit, though it was baby blue.

"You've been on this thing for a long time," Lauren said. "Are you all right?"

Melissa pressed a button on the control panel, bringing the treadmill to a steady stop. "I am now."

"It was just one test-"

"No," Melissa interrupted as she stepped off the treadmill. "It wasn't just a test. It was a test that I spend so much time studying for, and I got a fuckin' D on it. That doesn't make any sense at all."

"Maybe you studied the wrong stuff."

"Bullshit. Why would I do that?"

Lauren shrugged her shoulders.

Melissa shook her head. "The good thing, I guess, is that my overall grade is still a B, but now a low one... I was so looking to boost it to an A with that test..."

"Well, it could have been worse... You could have gotten an F. That would have really fucked you over."

Melissa laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I would still like to know how I did so bad, though..."

"Forget about it. Let's go to the vendor. I'm hungry."

"...What are you, gaining back the weight you just lost?"

"What?! No!!"

Melissa laughed again. "Relax. I was joking. You always get so flustered when I talk about your weight... and you're not even fat."

Lauren grunted. "I guess it's good that you're back to your old self now. A while ago, you were heated about the test."

"Yeah, but I've putten things in perspective now. Anyway, let's go to the vendor. I could use a drink."

"Of course."

The two women walked out of the busy exercise room. As she was walking, Melissa pictured herself on the same endless road from before. The small people from before were gone. She turned around, and saw the tiny flattened bodies of each one she had killed.

She had run out of victims.

~~~

It had been nearly two hours since Sayuko and Thomas started their search for Edgar Cruz on the Internet. Only breaking to take Thomas to the bathroom, Sayuko sifted through over 25 pages worth of results on Google, trying to find the correct Edgar Cruz that they were looking for. However, it seems that most of the webpages that were retrieved were for an Oklahoman guitarist of the same name, as well as several MySpace pages littered here-and-there.

Sayuko sighed, and clicked the mouse, bringing up the next page of results. More of the same. She did not bother to visit these webpages. Click. Next page.

Thomas, who had been sitting there on the desk in front of her and silently watching for the past 20 minutes, had observed her unusually excited demeanor from earlier shift into a more tired, and maybe even frustrated, one.

"Sayuko," Thomas called.

"Mm?" she answered, while still keeping her eyes on the monitor's screen.

"I think you should rest a bit."

"I'm fine."

"It doesn't sound like it. You've been here for... two hours, I think."

"I'm fine," Sayuko repeated, while clicking on the mouse in her hand.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Thomas." Sayuko finally looked away from the screen. "Do you want to be big again?"

Thomas stood up. "O-of course!"

"Then we need to find Mr. Cruz as soon as possible." She returned her attention to the computer screen.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't overexert yourself. I'm sure that you had a long day at school, and you didn't even take a breather when you came home."

Sayuko did not respond.

"So, please. Take a 15 minute break, for yourself. Then, you can focus better."

"...I'm fine." Sayuko clicked onto the next page of results.

Thomas sighed. He never knew how stubborn she could be.

~~~

Sheryl had been taken to a different area than the one she was in before. It had also been surrounded by boxes, and cloths. From what she had gathered, Reeve had ordered that no one approach this area, for privacy reasons. For a newly appointed leader to already be making such demands seemed absurd to Sheryl.

However, the others seemed to listen, as no one did come anywhere near her. It was quiet, or rather, moreso than it was in the other parts of the glass cage. Here, she was slumped down against the glass wall, alone with her thoughts over what happened on this day.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching. She looked in that direction, and saw Reeve walking towards the area. He moved a box out of his way, and walked inside of the enclosed space, before moving the box back to its place.

"So, what do you think?" Reeve asked. "I guess you could consider this my... office."

"Why do you need something like this?" Sheryl asked.

"Well, a leader needs his own private quarters, doesn't he?"

"I never asked... no, demanded for one. You haven't even been here for a day, and you're already making frivious demands!"

"That's because you're weak. A strong leader gets anything he wants, and when he wants it." Reeve grabbed a few cloths from the boxes.

"What are you doing?"

"Making a bed." Reeve placed the sheets on top of one another on the floor. "I'm not going to sleep on a cold floor, and the boxes are too cramped for my tastes."

Sheryl stood up. "If you were as strong as you say you are, you'd tough out the cold floor."

Reeve laughed. "Even strong leaders such as myself have their weaknesses." After finishing with the cloths, he then looked towards Sheryl. "C'mere for a minute."

"Why?"

"C'mon~n," he said in an enticing tone.

Sheryl sighed, and walked towards the man.

"How old are you," Reeve asked once she arrived.

"Why does that matter?" Sheryl responded.

"I'm 34. What about you?"

Sheryl sighed again. "Thirty-three."

"Oh!" Reeve's eyes widened in excitement. "So we're a bit closer in age than I thought!"

"Apparently so, but why does that matt-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Sheryl was grabbed by the wrist. She tried to free herself from Reeve's grasp, but it proved to be too tight for her to unclamp. She was then thrown down to the cloths below. Despite them, she still hurt her left shoulder on the glass floor. Before she could make another move, Reeve moved down on top of her, his hands holding her down by the wrists. Sheryl was terrified, her eyes looking into his predator-like irises.

"You know," Reeve said. "You're not bad-lookin' for a homeless gal. From what I've seen, you're the most attractive lady here."

Sheryl did not, or rather, could not respond.

"I see you're scared." Reeve laughed. "That's okay. I'll make you feel relaxed pretty soon."

Reeve's face moved closer to her own, and his lips pressed against hers.

She could not believe that this was happening.

~~~

Melissa sat in the passenger seat of her car, her now bare feet resting up on the dashboard and the back of the seat lowered behind her. She had untied her black hair, and was letting the wind brush on her face.

Although it was her car, Lauren had offered to drive Melissa back to her house.

"Did you find a place in New York, yet?" Lauren asked.

"No," Melissa answered. "But I'm still looking for one."

"Well, hurry up! I want to get out of this place, too!"

Melissa laughed. "I bet you do."

"Seriously! This town is too lame for me! There's nothing here!"

"I agree with you on that. We have, what? A mall, a park, and a recreation center. That's it."

"Not even a beach!"

"Well, we're not near the Ocean..."

The car came to a slow and steady stop as the traffic light they had just come on turned from yellow to red. At this point, Melissa looked to her right, out of her window. On a bench was a ragged man laying there.

"Look at that guy," Melissa said. "So sad... How did this town end up with so many homeless people here?"

"I don't know... How does any town get homeless people?"

"Unemployment... Foreclosure... No one to turn to..." Melissa sighed. "But still... If I could save one homeless person, I would. I'd give them a warm home, a hot meal, and get them back on their feet."

"You'd seriously do that?"

"Maybe."

"...Speaking of feet... You need to get a pedicure."

Melissa quickly turned her head back towards her blond-haired friend, who was looking at her feet. "What?!"

"Seriously," Lauren said. "I mean... You wear flip-flops all the time. How is it that you never go out and get your feet done?"

"I don't know..." Melissa turned her head again, and watched as she wiggled her toes. "I just never thought about it."

The light turned green, and the car began to move again.

"How can you not think about it?" Lauren asked. "If you're going to be showing off your toes for the world to see, you need to go take care of them, Gurl!"

Melissa chuckled. "Fine, fine... I'll go get a pedicure this weekend."

"I'll go with you, then. I know this place over on Oakland Drive. I get my nails done there every month, and I think it's about time for this month's appointment."

"...They do French pedicures?"

"I believe they do."

"Good. I've always wanted one of those."

"I think they'd look nice on you. I'm sure the guys at the school would like it."

"I should hope so. Especially if I'm going to go through the trouble of putting so much effort into my fuckin' feet." Melissa laughed. "I'd rather work on my face, or my boobs. Most normal guys pay more attention to them."

"What? Oh no, gurl... Don't go and get plastic surgery or implants... You're a beautiful Black woman already. You don't need no surgery."

"How many time do I have to tell you...? I'm not Black."

"Why you keep sayin' that? You're darker than me!"

"There are many people who are dark-skinned but not Black."

"Whatever. Besides, whether you like it or not, I'll always consider you a Black woman. After all, you DO have African blood, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"See?! You're Black! We're strong Sistas!"

"More like strong women of Color..." Melissa muttered under her breath. She looked out of the window. They were not too far from her house.

~~~

Thomas looked at the lower right corner of the computer screen. It was 4:53pm. Sayuko was still looking through the pages of results. She almost seemed like a statue, having not moved from that spot, and her eyes fixated on the screen.

Thomas heard the mouse click, and saw the page change. She was now on Page 47 of her Google results. The cursor on the screen moved towards one particular link, result #464, a somewhat suspicious page titled "Edgar's World." The summary did not reveal much else, just "ENTER | WEBRING".

Sayuko clicked on the link, and a webpage with a black background was brought up. There was a picture of a jester's hat, and below it were two links: "ENTER" and "WEBRING". Sayuko moved the cursor towards "ENTER" and clicked on it.

The site turned out to be nothing more than a failed webcomic page. It had not been updated since May 13, 2001. Sayuko sighed heavily, and clicked on the "Back" tab twice, returning to the Google results page.

At this point, Thomas decided to try to force Sayuko to take a break. He walked towards the mouse, and then, with all of his strength, held onto it, trying his hardest to prevent her from moving it. Of course, due to his small size, he was unable to do so.

"Thomas, what are you doing?" Sayuko asked, in a somewhat aggrivated tone.

"Listen," Thomas started. "You've been sitting here for over three hours now, doing the same thing. Trust me, you need a break."

"Thomas-"

"Drink some water. Eat something. Or just lay on your bed and rest. Anything to give your brain some R&R."

Sayuko stared at Thomas, and then at the screen.

"Trust me," Thomas said. "This computer isn't going anywhere."

Sayuko turned back to Thomas, and then exhaled heavily. "Fine. I'll take a break."

She stood from her chair, and then cupped her hands around Thomas. He could not see anything for a few seconds, before being released on her desk, near his small living area next to the window. Sayuko pulled out the chair at this desk, and sat down in it.

"I'm sorry if I seemed mean to you..." Sayuko said. "I just want to save you and Taro as fast as I can... And we have no other way."

"I understand," Thomas said. "But, like I said before, you shouldn't overexert yourself."

"I'll try not too."

"Good."

Sayuko folded her arms on the desk, and then laid her head on them. "I've gone through so many pages... Do you think we'll ever find him?"

"Sure. Eventually. I mean, no one said that this would be easy. The Internet is a big place, and 90% of it is filth. Plus, all we have is his name to go on."

"Hm..."

There was a few minutes of silence, except for the sounds of the television. In that time, Sayuko had closed her eyes, though she was not sleeping. Thomas had been sitting down, his legs crossed, and watching the television before he had a thought.

"Hey, Sayuko," Thomas called.

She opened her eyes.

"I have a question."

"What is it?" She asked.

"You live here alone, right?"

"Yes..."

"And do you have a job?"

"I'm looking for one."

"So, how do you keep this house?"

"...My brother has already paid off this house. It's his."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. All he had to do was pay for the water, gas, and electricity. But since he's gone, it's been up to me..."

"Wait... How are you making the payments?"

Sayuko was silent for a few seconds, before raising her head and answering, though taking a bit of a more somber tone. "My... our parents died 5 months ago. There was an accident, and..."

"Oh, Sayuko... I'm sorry..."

"It's okay... When they died, they left Taro and me their fortune. Taro felt that I could use their inheritance more, so he gave me his share."

"Wait..." Thomas stood up. "Don't tell me that you've been using your inheritance to pay for your bills..."

"Not only bills, but groceries and school too. Until I can get a job, I have no choice..."

"How much did they leave you?"

"Umm..." Sayuko looked upward for a few seconds. "In American dollars... It would be about $367,000."

Thomas almost lost his balance from disbelief. "Whoa... I could only dream of having that much money..."

"We weren't rich, but we were better off than most people we knew."

"What were you going to use the money for?" Thomas asked.

"School... and maybe a house once I graduated. But if things continue the way they are, I may not be able to..." Sayuko sighed, and dropped her head back into her arms.

"Sayuko... Don't worry..." Thomas started to walk closer to her. "We'll put an end to this somehow. I promise."

Sayuko turned her head towards the small man. "Are you sure? Is that something you can promise?"

Thomas stopped in front of her massive face, and smiled. "Yes."

Sayuko hesitated for a moment, before nodding. She also smiled, though it was a weaker one. "Then I'll believe you."

"Good." Thomas placed his palm on Sayuko's giant arm. "We'll have your brother back in no time."

"I hope so..." Sayuko said, before closing her eyes again.

'Aren't you the little hero...' Thomas thought to himself.

He kept his palm on her warm skin for several seconds, before removing it. At his size, her skin was somewhat tough, and it was a bit easier to see her skin cells. In his mind, he pictured himself, back to his original size, and hugging her. No doubt that he wanted to. He told her yesterday that he did.

Gloria's question came back to his mind. ("Are you in love with Sayuko?")

He did not want to call it love. At least, not yet. He had not spent enough time with Sayuko for that. However, there was no doubt that he was developing some kind of feelings for her. Even before this incident started, when he was helping her with her assignments at school, he had some kind of desire for her, though he chose not to pursue it, and those feelings did not grow.

However, now that Thomas would be spending more time with her than he had ever imagined, he had a small feeling that those desires now had an opportunity to swell.

~~~

Melissa walked into her room, sneakers in hand. She dropped the sneakers on the floor, near her bed.

"Gurl," Lauren said, following her inside. "I can't believe you walked out of the car barefoot, and then walked all the way here."

"Hey," Melissa said, sliding her feet into her pair of black flip-flops, which were laying beside her bed. "I didn't feel like going through the trouble of putting those shoes on, only to take them off again a minute later."

"You really need a pedicure... More than I thought. Your feet must take a beating." Lauren laughed.

"I told you, I'm going this weekend. ...And stop laughing."

Lauren walked further into the room. "Anyway, your room hasn't changed much." She looked towards the cabinet. "I see you still have the lock there. What's in there, anyway?"

"That's none of your business," Melissa said as she walked to the room's window.

"C'mon, Gurl... I'm your best friend! We're not supposed to have secrets."

"...Who told you that? There are many things I don't know about you."

"Like what?"

"Well... Like... Where you were born."

"...I'd rather not say..."

"See?! Friends keep things from each other all of the time!"

Lauren chuckled. "I guess... But not only that cabinet..."

Melissa's somewhat cheerful mood dissipated as she watched her friend walked towards her closet's closed door.

"You don't let anyone in here, either," Lauren said, facing the door.

"Oh..." Melissa said as she slowly started to make her way toward her dresser. "I have some private stuff in there."

"Clothes?"

"Yeah, but some other stuff. ...If you know what's good for you, you'd get away from that door."

Lauren quickly turned towards Melissa. "Are you threatening me?!" she asked in a somewhat playful, yet grave, tone.

"Maybe..."

"Well, maybe I should just open this door, and see if you're being serious!"

Melissa saw Lauren reach for the door's doorknob. At the same time, Melissa started to reach for the top drawer of the dresser. The second Lauren gripped the knob, so did Melissa with the handle.

"Well, this is it, Gurl," Lauren said, not looking back at Melissa. "I'm about to open it."

"Yeah... And see what happens when you do," Melissa responded.

Lauren prepared to turn the doorknob, and Melissa prepared to pull out the drawer. However, before either one could do so, a sudden melody began to fill the air. Lauren pulled her hand from the doorknob, and shoved it into her pocket, and then pulled out her cell phone. She flipped it open, and brought it to her ear.

"Hello?" She said. "...Oh, hi, Boo! How are you?"

Melissa sighed, and released her grip from the dresser's handle. "Tell Rodney I said 'Hi'."

"Hey... Melissa says 'Hi.' ...He said 'What up?'"

Melissa giggled as she watched Lauren talk on her phone, and moving away from the closet door.

"Uh-huh... Okay... I'll see you there. ...Love ya, too. Bye." With that, she flipped the phone closed, and tucked it back into her pocket.

"Got a date?" Melissa winked.

"Yep," said Lauren. "He wants me to meet him at the mall."

"I could drive you there."

"Nah, Gurl. You stay here and rest. I'll take the bus."

"You sure?"

Lauren walked towards the room's doorway. "Oh, and I was just joking about the closet thing. You have your secrets... whatever they are, and I'll respect your privacy."

"Really? Well, thanks, Lauren." Melissa smiled.

"Of course. Well, I'll talk to you later, Gurl." She waved as she walked out of the room, and Melissa could soon hear her footsteps as they make their way down the stairs.

"Make sure you lock the door when you leave!" Melissa yelled out.

"I know!!" Lauren yelled back.

Melissa heard the house's door shut. She then walked to her bed, dropped herself onto it, and let out a deep sigh as she looked up at the ceiling.

God... Fate... Or whatever governs the world had stepped in today. Melissa was fully prepared to use the Shrink Ray on her friend when she was taunting her with the closet. Friends- no... Best friends they may be, but she cannot have anyone see the dozens of people inside of her closet, and leave the house.

If it did come down to it, Melissa could always find a new "best friend."

Though, lucky for Lauren if she had been shrunken, she would have finally seen what was inside of the cabinet. Especially since she would have been living in there with her other special prisoner.

"Lucky BFF..." Melissa said to herself, before closing her eyes.

~~~

Sheryl sat up on the cloth. Although Reeve had finished with her long before, she was still shuddering. Just who did he think he was? Did this guy truly think that he could get anything he wanted, including his way with any woman he wanted? What kind of leader did he think he could be? Not a very good one, Sheryl believed.

He had long since left her in the lonely area. But not before he made a suggestion. He asked that she become his advisor, though he said that he would not listen to any Refugee sympathies. Sheryl could not fathom how he could have the audacity to request something like that, especially after he had raped her. She had no intentions of helping him in his "rule," but no doubt that he would force her somehow.

What also sickened her was his other request.

"...Why would I ever want to be 'friends' with him?" Sheryl said, before dropping her face into her hands.

The week went by rather quickly. It was now an usually cloudy and cooler Saturday morning. Melissa laid on her bed, looking up at the ceiling, with her fingers interlocked behind her head.

As this was the day she would normally play with her captives, she pondered in her head what activity she could do today. Of course, no matter what she chose, the end result would be the same for several of her "contestants."

She closed her eyes, and mentally went over which "game" to choose. So many ideas... yet, she did not want anything that would force her to move too much. It seems that the overcast outside was having a bit of an effect on her.

Suddenly, she had an idea.

She sat up from the bed, and looked around. Then, she stood up and walked out of the room.

She had to make the necessary preparations.

Sheryl laid on the cloths that Reeve had set down days before. She knew that it had been days, going by the cycles of Melissa bringing the captives in this closet food. In those days, she had become accustomed to this make-shift cot. Not only that, but Reeve had also had his way with her a few more times since he first raped her.

As Reeve said, he had pretty much forced her to be his advisor, after she tried to turn him down. The others were unhappy at his choice, he assured them that he would not listen to any "radical" suggestions that she may have. Or, in his words, "Any heretic ramblings will be met with a swift, but strong, backhand to the face." At that point, those uncertainties transformed into cheers, some even wanting her to make a "stupid suggestion."

She sighed. As much as it bothered her to do so, she would have to go along with his ruling.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps. She sat up and looked towards the direction they were coming from. She exhaled softly as she saw Reeve walking towards her. She stood up, and faced towards him.

"You're back, Master Reeve," Sheryl said. She his her scowl as she did so. It disgusted her that he had forced her to call him that.

"Every time I hear that," Reeve said with a smile, "I feel a little better about myself."

Sheryl rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, your friend has been taken care of."

"'Friend'? Who?"

"That Black guy who was serving you."

"Marcus? I wouldn't say that he was serving me- Wait, what do you mean 'taken care of'?"

"He had to pay for backing your idiotic ideals. Since he's a guy, we didn't have to hold back with him."

Sheryl started to become angry. "What did you do to him?!"

"We gave him quite a stomping."

"What?!" Sheryl was shocked at what she heard.

Reeve folded his arms, and tilted his head. "It was the weirdest thing, though. Some of the others were really into it. They spat on him, and call him a 'Nigger'. Products of their generations, no doubt."

Suddenly, Sheryl reached out and grabbed Reeve by his collar.

"How could you do that to him?!" Sheryl asked, now enraged.

Reeve smirked. "It's your fault. If you had kept your mouth shut, none of this would have happened. Also..." He shoved her away from him, pushing her down to the cot. "Don't ever put your hands on me, or you'll be sorry. Consider that a warning."

"Damn you," Sheryl said, looking up at the man with contempt. "You son of a bitch..."

"Yeah, my mom is a bitch," Reeve said with a laugh. "It's her fault I even ended up on the streets. But none of that matters now."

"You..."

Reeve reached down and grabbed Sheryl by her collar. He then pulled her face close to his.

"Listen," Reeve whispered. "If you don't want your pretty face bruised, you better do as I say without question, and follow my every word."

"Y-you can't treat a woman like that!" said Sheryl, eyes wide and shaking in fright.

"I can treat a woman any way I want. Especially a woman like you." Reeve released her from his grip, dropping her back down on the cot. "You wait right here, and I'll return shortly, cutie. Is that okay with you?"

Sheryl stared at him for a few seconds, and let out a sigh. "Yes."

Reeve pointed his right ear towards her, and made a half-cup with his right hand over it. "'Yes' what?"

Sheryl sighed again. "Yes, Master Reeve."

"Now, that's more like it!" Reeve then turned around, and left the lonely area.

Sheryl laid back down on the cloths. She did not want to serve under this man. Not at all. But what other choice did she have? Actually, there was one other choice, but she did not want to go though with it.

At least, not yet.

~~~

This was the first Saturday Thomas was spending with Sayuko. He sat near the edge of the giant desk, holding a single honey-nut Cherrio in his hands as he ate on it. There were two more pieces of Cherrios beside him, as well as his "drinking bowl," as he called it, which was filled with milk, and a small piece of paper towel.

Sayuko, sitting with her legs crossed on her bed, was eating a breakfast bar while watching the television. Thomas could not see what kind of breakfast bar it was, its packaging having been peeled off before he could read it. Though he could not stop looking at her, her hair in pigtails, and her usual white T-shirt and pink pajama pants. She was indeed a cute-

"Thoma-kun," Sayuko called.

Thomas perked up from his thoughts. "Yeah?"

"Do you think someone answered my posting?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. It's just a matter of chance."

The two had exhausted their Google search results earlier in the week. They moved onto Yahoo, and then Ask Jeeves, but came up with nothing. Thomas then suggested that Sayuko create an account on "Yahoo! Answers" and make a post about "The Researcher and Inventor Edgar Cruz." She did so, though in the previous two days after making the post, no one had answered.

"I'll check in a few minutes," Sayuko said.

"Alright."

Thomas turned towards the TV. The channel was set on Cartoon Network, and the Pokemon anime was on. Thomas had a bit of a disdain for the show, for distorting the image of one of his favorite game franchises. However, for some reason, Sayuko actually liked the show. Thomas could not fathom how even a 10-year-old child could like it, let alone a full-grown adult.

"So... You like Pokemon?' Thomas suddenly asked.

"Kinda," Sayuko answered. "It was one of my favorite cartoons when I was younger... Back in Japan, that is."

"Of course. So... what about the games?"

"Hm?"

"Do you play any video games?"

"No... Well, one of my friends in Japan had a Wii, and I played that a few times."

"Oh, really? What games?"

"Just this one called... Wii Sports, I believe."

"Oh..."

Sayuko took a bite from her already half-eaten breakfast bar. "What about you?"

"Do I play any games?"

"Yes. Do you?"

Thomas laughed. "I'm like the biggest gaming geek at the school. ...Or, was."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I have a Wii back at home, too. I also have a DS, and a PS2. And a gaming quality PC. I have like a whole cabinet full of games and stuff."

"Wow... I'm sure you want to play them all again, don't you?"

"Well, yeah. I'm going into withdrawal," Thomas said in a jokingly tone. "If I don't get my fix, I might go crazy."

Sayuko laughed. Thomas smiled. He thought that it was nice that Sayuko was slowly coming out of her shell. He had not seen her laugh much in the time that he's known her.

Sayuko finished her breakfast bar and then laid down on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. "I wonder what Melissa is doing..."

"Today is Saturday, right?" Thomas responded. "She must be playing one of her 'games'."

"'Games'?" Sayuko turned her heard towards Thomas. "You mean, with those poor people?" Her tone became more worried.

"Yeah. Some of my friends have been captured... recaptured by her. I'm worried about them."

"Is that so?" Sayuko quickly sat back up on the bed. "I hope we're able to rescue them soon."

"I hope so, too."

Sayuko then stood from her bed, and walked towards her computer. Once there, she pulled out the seat, and sat down in it. Placing her right hand on the mouse, she moved it around, causing the monitor to flash back on.

As Thomas finished off the Cherrio in his hands, he heard Sayuko's fingers typing on the keyboard, and a few clicks. After a minute or so, he heard a sigh.

"Nothing..." Sayuko said, before standing from the chair, and walking to Thomas' desk. He could see the disappointed look on her face. "No one responded yet."

"Don't give up," Thomas said. "Someone will reply eventually."

"I know... But I want to save Taro as soon as possible. Oh, and your friends, too."

"Of course. ...Speaking of your brother... Are you going over to Melissa's house tomorrow?"

"I don't have a choice."

"What does he think about what you're doing? Your brother, I mean."

Sayuko took a deep breath, and then exhaled it out. "He wants me to leave him."

Thomas' eyes widened. "What?"

"He thinks that what I'm doing is bad for my... mental state. But he's could be right. He's always right..."

"You don't want to kill those people."

"O-of course not!" Sayuko exhaled again. "But... I can't live without him. He's all I have. My only family."

"Really? You don't have any other relatives?"

Sayuko sighed. "None I can really trust."

"Oh... Anyway, it may sound crazy, but... maybe Taro is looking out for you."

"What?"

"Isn't it the job for the older brother to protect his younger sister?"

"Yes, but I don't want to abandon him."

Thomas picked up the bowl, and took a small sip from it. "What if... he's made peace with his situation?"

Sayuko moved closer to the desk. "Are you saying that he's content with the way things are?!"

"It's possible. I mean, if he's telling you to forget about him, then you could use the time for school, and wait for a lead to Mr. Cruz. Then we can contact him and put an end to all of this."

The two were silent for a minute or so. Thomas sipped more of the milk inside of his bowl, before, Sayuko spoke again.

"Thoma-kun..." she said, kneeling down so that her face was at Thomas' level. "I don't want to leave my brother. I love him too much for that. Even if I have to..." Sayuko gulped. "Even if I have to kill the entire town."

Thomas nearly coughed up the milk he was drinking. "What did you just say?! Sayu... ko! What-"

"Believe me!" Sayuko interrupted, now emotional. "I don't want to do it! I really don't! But if I don't do it, Taro's going to be killed!! And it'll all be my fault!!"

Thomas stood up. "Sayuko, listen to yourself. He may be your family, but even if you get him back, what cost would it be? You can't be so rash."

"Thomas-"

"Plus, it wouldn't be your fault if Taro's killed. It would be Melissa's. She's the one who's doing all of this stuff."

Sayuko stood back up. "But if I don't play my part, she'll kill him..."

Thomas sighed. "I know... You said that already."

"So... Until we can get Mr. Cruz, I don't have a choice."

Thomas walked closer to Sayuko. "I guess I can't stop you, can I?"

"I wish there was another way," Sayuko said. "But there isn't..."

"...I just hope that Melissa doesn't force you to kill any of my friends. I mean, killing anyone is wrong, period, but still..."

"...I don't think you have to worry about that, Thoma-kun. She mostly forces me to kill those... dirty people. 'Homeless,' as you said your friends called them."

Thomas sat down on the desk. "Yeah... But Melissa can be pretty unpredictable..."

"Yes, I know..."

~~~

Melissa walked into her closet, moving her hanging clothes aside, and into the area where her many small captives were contained. They all stopped what they were doing and began to look at her. She returned their stares with a smile.

"Gooood morning, Bugmen!" she happily greeted. "It's a cloudy day out there, so I'll be staying in all day. But today is Saturday, so you know what that means!"

She looked around, and could see some of the closer people start to shudder.

"That's right! It's time for you to play the game I have set up for you!" She walked closer to the glass cages. "Now... I need some volunteers..." She looked into each of the cages, scanning through the people that she could see, before stopping at the one a bit further back.

"I need two of you from in there." She scanned through that cage. "Where's my lil' foot man?"

She saw the tiny people inside look among each other, before the one-armed man she was asking for walked forward.

"Excellent!" Melissa said. "Now, I need another guy."

She scanned through the cage, and saw who she wanted: a tall (compared to the rest) man with short brown hair and a vest that she could not make out the color of.

"You," she said. "Vest-boy."

The man gasped, and tried moving back into the darkness. However, she reached inside, and pulled him, as well as the one-armed man, out of the cage. She looked at both of them in her palm, before stuffinf them in her pocket.

"Now... I need two of you street bugs."

She walked to the farthest cage on the right, the one that she had nearly emptied and massacred earlier that week. She reached inside and plucked out two of the only five remaining people inside.

"There!" With her players in hand, she turned around and began to walk out of the closet.

~~~

Shawn and Jenna watched Melissa walk out of the closet, and saw the light from the bedroom outside fade as the door shut.

"Dawson again?" Shawn asked himself. "Why?"

"Well," Jenna said, "if he loses, he'll get his wish and be squished like he so desperately wants to."

"True... But we can't really afford to lose any more people."

"He's right," Beatrix said as she walked up to the duo. "If Dawson and Matt are killed, and not counting Bruce, and Thomas and Gloria, wherever they are, that only leaves 12 of us. Four girls, and eight guys."

"Yeah," Jenna said. "We're in a bad spot. What if Melissa makes us fight the Homeless? They'd outnumber us something fierce!"

"C'mon..." Shawn said, shaking his head. "Melissa wouldn't make us fight each other. She'd rather kill us herself, than to let us kill each other."

Beatrix nodded. "...I guess you're right."

~~~

Dawson looked around himself. He, Matt, and the two Homeless men had been placed in the middle of a foam ring that was set down on the floor. Behind him was Melissa, who as sitting on the bed, with her legs crossed. As of his nature, he found himself constantly watching her black flip-flop dangle from her toes by its thong.

"Okay," Melissa said. "I have a special game for you four today. You four are going to be split into teams: Foot-man and Vest-boy will be paired up, and the dirty street bugs will be paired up."

Dawson looked at Matt, and then back at Melissa. "What for?"

Melissa laughed. "I'm getting to that. First, some background. ...In some cultures, people train up beetles and other bugs, and pit them in fights against rival bugs. So, today, you all are going to fight each other."

"What?!" Matt yelled out. "Are you serious?!"

"I'm very serious," Melissa responded. "The winning team will get to live. The losers will have to face this." She extended her leg towards the men, giving them a view of the sole of her sandal.

Dawson felt his pants tighten, though he quickly fought his arousement to focus more on the matter at hand.

"Now, before you start," Melissa said. "I want you all to introduce yourselves. You know... Honor and all that bullshit."

The four men looked amongst themselves, before Matt spoke up.

"I'm Matt Anderson," he said.

"You don't have to say your last name," Dawson grunted.

"I don't know, it sounds cooler if I does say it."

Dawson sighed. "Anyway, I'm Dawson."

"Isaac," said the grey-bearded Homeless man.

"Garet," said the other man, with greying brown hair.

"Good," Melissa said. "I'll give you a minute to discuss some tactics or whatever, before we start."

Matt walked towards Dawson, and placed his hand on his shoulder. He then leaned in closer to his face.

"Hey," Matt whispered. "This is our chance. We can finally show those Homeless geezers who's boss."

"Yeah, you're right." Dawson looked towards the older men, who were whispering amongst themselves.

"They're so frail and old. We have this in the bag, don'tcha think?"

"Of course. ...I kinda feel sorry for them, but this is survival of the fittest. We can't let the others down."

"Okay!!" Melissa called out. "Time's up! Are you all ready?"

All four nodded. Dawson could have sworn that he heard a gulp from one of the Homeless men across from him. He looked to his left, and watched as Matt took a stance of readiness, as if he would bolt towards the two older men as soon as Melissa started this game.

"...And GO!!" Melissa clapped.

Just as Dawson suspected, Matt dashed towards his two opponents at breakneck speed. His sudden burst even took Isaac and Garet by surprise, as they seemed like they had no idea as to what to do about the charging man. As soon as Matt was within distance, he pulled his right arm back and struck Isaac's face with his fist. The older man had no chance. Blood spewed from his nose as he fell on the floor, but Matt was not done. He sat on the man's chest, and began to pummel his face with more punches.

"Oh shit..." Dawson said, stunned at his partner's brutality.

Garet grabbed onto Matt's shoulders, and started to pull him off of Isaac body. As soon as Matt turned his face around to look at the man, he was met with a fist to his own face. Matt recoiled, covering his cheek with his hand, as Garet briefly tended to Isaac, who was covering his bloodied and bruised face. Garet then turned to Matt, and rushed towards him. Matt tried to avoid the charging man, but could not dodge the bum-rush that Garet executed on him.

Dawson dashed towards Matt, and kicked Garet on the side of his chest. He held his aching abdomen for a few seconds, before charging towards Dawson.

"Oh, you're dead!" Dawson said. He spun around and extended his leg. His booted foot collided with Garet's face as the result of his spin kick.

Now with a cut lip, the man was knocked on the floor, and tried to stand back up. However, Dawson placed his foot on the man's chest, pinning him on the floor. Garet grabbed onto his leg, and tried to remove it from his body. However, Matt rushed towards the two, and delivered a hard stomp onto Garet's head. His hands unwrapped from around Dawson's leg, and fell flat on the floor. As Matt removed his foot from the man's face, he and Dawson saw that his nose was broken, and his eyes were closed; knocked out.

Dawson removed his foot from Garet's chest and looked towards Isaac. He was still laying on the floor, covering his face and moaning. He did not seem able to continue with this fight.

This battle was over.

"Is that all?" Melissa asked. "Aww... Oh well... You two are the winners!" She started to clap. "Of course, I wouldn't have expected any less from my prize toys!"

Dawson let out a sigh. It was a brutal showing, especially on Matt's part, but this was survival of the fittest, as he said earlier. They were literally fighting for their lives.

"Good job," Matt said, placing his hand on Dawson's shoulder. "We showed those dirty slobs who's the best!"

"You moreso than me." Dawson chuckled.

"Hell yeah!"

"Vest-boy. Foot-man." Melissa called. "Come over here for a minute."

The two looked at each other, before walking towards the giant woman, who was smiling down at the both of them.

As they stopped in front of her, Melissa removed the flip-flop from her right foot, and stretched her leg towards Dawson. He soon found her massive big toe rubbing in his face. Needless to say, he became very aroused by this, so much so that he lost his footing, and fell back on his buttocks. As he panted, he looked from the receeding foot, to Matt, who was looking down on him with a look of disgust and pity.

"You like that?" Melissa laughed. "I think you need a bit more motivation. You weren't as fiery as your friend here. If you work harder, I may even let you lick them."

Dawson gasped as his pants became even more tight.

"But first," Melissa said as she stood up, and slid her foot back into its sandal. "Those two lost, so they have to die. Rules are rules, huh?"

She walked over Dawson and Matt, and towards the two fallen Homeless men. Holding her hands on her hips, she examined both of them as they laid on the floor. Garet was still motionless, while Isaac struggled to his feet, the blood having been wiped around his face by his hands.

Melissa prodded Garet with her foot. "This guy is just out. You probably gave him a concussion, Vest-boy."

She then lifted the same foot, and dropped onto the man. As he was at floor level, Dawson could see the man's body compress underneath her sole as she applied more pressure to her foot.

"That was no fun," Melissa said with a sigh. "He was out cold. He had no idea what just happened to him." She turned to the other man. "You, however..."

The man shrieked, and started to run away from the giantess. He did not get anywhere near far, as Melissa walked towards him, stepping onto the man. She then twisted her foot on the spot, grinding the formerly alive man into a flattened mess of blood and organs on the floor.

"That's more like it," Melissa said. "I love it when they try to run."

She then turned back to Dawson and Matt, and walked towards them. "Did you enjoy that, Foot-man?" She asked as she looked down on Dawson. "I know you loved that stuff on that message board we were on."

Dawson merely nodded.

Melissa reached down, and picked both of the men up from the floor. "Well, you both get to live. ...For now. If you fuck up, then that will happen to you." Melissa turned them towards the bloody, flattened bodies that were plastered on the floor behind her.

"Anyway, let's get you back in there with your friends."

Melissa then walked towards the closet, and opened the door. She walked inside, into the glass cage space, and placed the two men back into their cage. Their comrades surrounded them as Melissa's hand receded from inside of the cage.

"They won, so feel free to celebrate," Melissa said, before turning her attention to the Homeless in the other cages. "You all have to do better. It's a fight to live, and you all are losing!" Melissa laughed. "Anyway, I'll see you all later. Ciao!"

With that, she walked away from the area, sliding her clothes back into place. Dawson could hear the closet's door close, though it was a bit muffled from the combination of the glass wall in front of him, and the hanging clothes.

"That was fast," Carlos said as he approached the two. "What did she make you do?"

"You're not going to believe it!" Matt excitedly exclaimed. "She made us fight those geezers!"

A sound of amazement filled the area.

"What?!" said a male.

"That's right! I pummeled this guy, and when the other guy grabbed me, Dawson here did a karate kick on him!!"

"It was just a kick," Dawson said.

"Quit being modest!" Matt nudged Dawson with his elbow. "Anyway, I ended up stomping the man's face, and it knocked him out! The other guy was too beat up to move. We won!"

"Wow..." Beatrix said, mesmerized. "We were just saying that Melissa wouldn't make us fight each other. Guess we were wrong."

"Damn straight! In fact, I hope she lets us do it again! That's one game I'd love to play!"

"Me too!" said a male.

"And me!!" shouted another.

Dawson nodded. "Yeah, it was kinda fun. Though she said that I needed to work harder."

"Oh, and he got a face full of toe," Matt said.

Dawson blushed as some of the Refugees around him chuckled.

~~~

Reeve looked towards the Refugees' cage as he sat on his cloths. "They're being awfully loud, dont'cha think?"

He looked down at Sheryl, whom he was holding against his chest. She was looking away from him, trying to avoid his face.

"Yes, they are," Sheryl answered.

"I wondered what that woman did with them... Not that it matters. Our people lost. I didn't get a good look at who she picked out from my ex-home, but I think one of them looked like... Garet. Ah, well... I never liked him anyway."

Sheryl grunted.

"We have plenty of men. Way more than those cocky bastards. We can afford to lose two of them. They'll get their's soon enough."

He then grabbed Sheryl's chin, and turned it towards his face.

"Just like you'll get your's."

Sheryl's eyes widened. "What-"

Before she could finish, Reeve pressed his lips against her's, effectively silencing her.

~~~

Now in the kitchen, Melissa opened up her refrigerator door and pulled out a bottle of iced tea. She twisted off the cap, and brought the open end to her lips, and started to chug the contents inside.

Today's game was rather entertaining. Though she was a bit disappointed that it was shorter than she'd hoped. She wished that those homeless men had put up a better fight than they did. No matter... she has a whole closet full of them. No doubt that some of them can hold their own in a fight to the death, maybe even win against her more youthful captives.

Suddenly, she had an idea. It would require a bit of planning, and some thinning out of some numbers, but it may give her the entertainment she wants from her captives. After all, in a few months, she would have no more use for them.

But first, she had to clean up the mess left behind by today's losers.

"Such is the life of a Bugman Squasher," Melissa said to herself as she grabbed a roll of paper towel, and walked out of the kitchen.

Thomas fell back to his buttocks as he trembled in fear. He looked around him, and saw the crushed bodies of Shawn, Dawson, Gloria, and Carlos. He looked upward, and saw the one responsible for the gruesome deaths: none other than Sayuko. Her usually worried expression was replaced with a cold, emotionless one as she was looking down on him.

He backed away from the towering giantess, but heard an all-too-familiar voice behind him.

"Go on, Sayu. One more, and you can have your brother back."

Thomas turned behind him, and saw Melissa sitting on her bed with her right leg crossed over the left.

"Did you think you could stay away from me, little bug?" Melissa asked Thomas in a calm yet cruel tone. "You're going to be punished for that, just like the rest of your friends."

Thomas turned back to Sayuko. "Please, Sayuko! Don't do this! We're friends!"

Sayuko was unmoved by his pleas. "I have to. It's for my brother," she said as she lifted her sandaled foot over his body.

"Noooo!!! Please!!" Thomas pleaded again.

"Good-bye, Thomas."

With that, the foot started to descend on his body. Petrified in fear, Thomas could do nothing but scream as he watched it take up more of his vision before he could only see darkness.

~~~

Thomas shot up from his bed. He started to breathe heavily as he looked around the room bathed in the light of early dawn. He was back on Sayuko's desk, in his small living space. He looked to his right, and saw Sayuko sleeping on her bed. He breathed a sigh of relief.

It was all just a dream.

Taro picked up one of the three large french fries that had been laid in front of him. He then bit into it, while looking at Melissa standing in front of his cage.

"Eat up," she said.

Taro swallowed what was in his mouth. "What, I don't get a shrunken meal this time?"

"I don't feel like using that thing today. I have other plans."

"...Do they include my sister?"

"Oh, that's right! Today is Sunday!" Melissa said in a condescending tone, before laughing. "Don't worry about little Sayu. Let me take care of her."

Taro did not respond. After the last time, he now knew better than to try to stand up for his sister. Instead, he took another bite of the large fry and stared at her deceitful smile.

"Anyway, you finish your meal, and I'll be back later." Melissa then closed the doors of the cabinet, engulfing him in darkness, barely illuminated by the lightbulb above.

Taro sat down and dropped the fry besides him. Like usual, he had no idea what Melissa had in store for his sister.

In the past week, he had been thinking about what he told Sayuko. He was starting to believe that he was indeed wrong to forget about his well-being. He knew that he being alive gave her the drive to live her life. If he were to somehow... perhaps even eventually... be killed, he knew deep down that Sayuko would follow him into the dark void, be it by the hands of Melissa, or by her own.

He wanted her to live, and he knew that in order for her to do so, he would have to stay alive. And in order for him to be spared from the wrath of Melissa, Sayuko would have to keep doing what the woman told her to.

As long as he's alive, she'll be fine, he thought. And as long as he doesn't antagonize Melissa anymore and run the risk of her killing him, Sayuko would not have to face the Shrink Ray, and her own demise.

Taro sighed, and laid flat on his back.

"Just hang in there, Sister," Taro said, in Japanese. "For the both of us, but for you especially."

~~~

It was just past noon, as the sun that hung overhead cast its light into Sayuko's room. Thomas sat near the edge of the desk, watching The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy on television. He had changed his clothes into a blue shirt and black pants that Sayuko had sewn for him the day he was brought here, as well as his socks that she had washed for him. He had to admit that it looked far less tacky than the green shirt and red pants he wore for most of the previous week.

He soon heard approaching footsteps, and looked to see Sayuko walk into the bedroom. Like Thomas, she had also changed her clothes; gone were her pajamas and in their places were a red T-shirt and white skirt. No doubt that she was readying herself for her gruesome task at Melissa's house. She then sat down on the edge of her bed facing Thomas, pulled her feet out of her pink slippers, and reached for her red sandals.

Despite her imminent task, Thomas took it upon himself to complement her. "You look nice."

Sayuko looked up towards him, and gave a small smile. "Thank you, Thoma-kun. I try..."

"Why do you always dress up like that, though? Especially when you're not doing anything except killing innocen-" Thomas stopped himself before he could finish his sentence.

Sayuko sighed. "I don't know. I guess I want to look comfortable, so I'll feel a little better about what I have to do. It is hot out there."

"True, I guess... But you could wear shorts instead. And sneakers. Like a few weeks ago."

"...You saw that?"

"Well, yeah. I told you before, we had a good view of what went on in Melissa's room."

"Oh, yes... That's right. ...Anyway, I've always dressed like this, even when I was in Japan."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you change it up that time?"

"No real reason. I just wanted to try something new." She smiled. "I hated it."

"Is that so?" Thomas chuckled. "...Well, if it's any consolation, I think you look better with the skirt, anyway."

"You think so?"

Thomas blushed a little. "Yeah."

Sayuko smiled again. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Sayuko then started to strap on her left sandal. However, before she could finish, both her and Thomas were taken by surprise when a ringing noise sounded from inside Sayuko's purse, which was sitting on the bed behind her. She turned around and grabbed the purse, opened it, and pulled out her pink cell phone. She looked at the Caller ID, and then turned to Thomas.

"It's Melissa," she said.

Thomas gulped as she flipped her phone open, and brought it to her ear.

"Hello?" Sayuko answered. "...Yes, I know..." After several seconds, her eyes widened. "What?! Why? ...I see... How is Taro? ...Good... ...Yes. ...Good-bye."

She closed the phone, and placed it back in the purse. She then exhaled heavily, as if in relief.

"What happened?" Thomas asked.

"She... She told me to not come."

"What?!" Thomas was shocked. "Why not?"

"She said that she had more important things to do today than deal with me." She gave a weak smile.

"Are you serious?! What about Taro?"

"She said that he was fine."

"...Are you sure you can trust her?"

Sayuko was silent for a few seconds. "She has kept him alive so far. Besides, if I go over there now, I'd probably make her mad, and that could be trouble for my brother... and me."

Thomas sighed. "I guess you're right. ...Well, I HOPE you're right."

"I hope so, too." Sayuko kicked off the sandal that was barely strapped on her left foot, stood up from her bed, and walked to the computer.

"Going to check to see if someone responded to your post?" Thomas asked.

"Yes," Sayuko said as she pulled out the chair in front of the computer desk, and sat down in it.

~~~

Facing the open window, Melissa pulled out her cell phone from her pocket and flipped it open. She then pressed several of its buttons, and brought it to her ear.

"Hello?" the female voice on the other line answered.

"Good afternoon, Sayu!" Melissa said. "It's me, Melissa!"

"Yes, I know..."

Melissa chuckled. "Anyway, I know that you were looking forward to seeing me, but I want you to just stay home for today."

"What?! Why?" Sayuko sounded obviously surprised at her order.

"Well, quite frankly, I have more important things to do today than to deal with you." Melissa smirked, despite the fact that Sayuko could not see her.

"...I see... How is Taro?"

"Your brother is fine. You don't have to worry about him."

"Good..."

"Anyway, you can rest easy today. I'm not usually this generous, but today is special. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes."

"I thought it would be! Anyway, I'll see you soon! Buh-bye!"

"Good-b-"

Melissa closed her phone before Sayuko finished her sentence. After shoving her phone back in her pocket, she walked to her cabinet, unlocked the chains around it and opened its door. She then cast her eyes on the tiny man in the cage inside.

"I'm back!" Melissa said in a bit of a cheery tone.

"Yes, I see..." Taro responded.

She knelt towards the cage inside. "Well, look happier! You don't see such beauty every day!"

She could barely make out Taro rolling his eyes, but she chose to ignore it. "Anyway, your sister won't be coming over here."

He suddenly focused his attention back on her. "What?! Did she refuse to come?"

"No... Nothing like that. I told her to stay home today." Melissa grinned. "Today is a big day for me."

"What do you mean?"

"...I turn 23 years old today."

"Oh."

There was several seconds of silence.

"Well," Melissa said, "aren't you going to wish me a happy birthday?"

"...Should I?" Taro asked.

"Yes! After all, I've been a good hostess for you all of this time. Don't you think I deserve even that?"

She heard the tiny man sigh. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you!" Melissa smiled at Taro. "You don't know how much that means to me!"

"It can't mean that much..."

"Oh, but it does!" She then stood back upright. "I told you that you don't have to worry about your sister, didn't I? That's my gift to you."

Taro blankly stared at her.

"Well, I should go talk to the others now," Melissa said. "Let them know what today is. Adios, my friend."

She grabbed both doors of the cabinet, and, after blowing Taro a kiss, she pushed them inward, closing them on the man inside. She then pulled the chain through the handles, and snapped the combination lock on it. With that done, she turned around and headed towards the closet. She opened the door, and walked inside. After moving the hanging clothes aside, she soon found herself in front of the glass cages in the back of the closet, each one filled with many tiny beings.

"Good afternoon, bugs!" She cheerfully said. "I bet you all were looking forward to today's game. Well, it's been cancelled. I have other things on my mind for today, and they don't include any of you all." She chuckled. "I'm sure that you all are disappointed, but that's just the way things are, today. But don't worry! You'll be enjoying my company real soon!"

She turned back towards the way she walked in from. "You all have a nice day! I know I will." She then pulled the clothes back in place, and walked out of the closet, closing the door behind her.

Sayuko, her brother, and the rest of the Bugmen would be out of her mind for the rest of the day. After all, today was about her, and none of them mattered to her right now.

"Time to go pick out what I'm going to wear," Melissa said to herself, before sighing. "...Which are back in there."

She reopened the closet door, and walked back inside.

~~~

Claudia sat at the small plastic table in the doll house's kitchen, nursing a cup of hot tea in front of her. Also sitting at the table was Rebecca, who was reading a book.

"Twenty-three years..." Claudia said in a melancholic tone. "My, how time flies when you're a parent..."

Rebecca looked up from her book.

"I remember the day I gave birth to her... It was the three of us in the hospital room... Me, Melissa, and Edgar. He was so affectionate towards her... This was before he went to work at the lab, when he was able to spend a lot of time with us..." She sighed. "Melissa was such an adorable and innocent baby back then... I could see both myself and her father in her face, but mostly her father."

"...Was my father- my birth father- there when I was born?" Rebecca asked.

Claudia shook her head. "When I told him that I was pregnant with you, he told me that he didn't want anything to do with either of us. I never saw him again."

"...Figures. I should have known." Rebecca turned her attention back to the book she was holding. "A shame that I couldn't have that loving family moment..."

"...Edgar was there. He knew that you weren't his, but he loved... loves... you like you are. Melissa was there, too."

"I don't care if Melissa was there."

"Rebecca!" Claudia scolded. "What's important is that you DID have that precious moment! And Melissa was so excited to finally have a sister to play with."

"Yeah, but that was before she realized what you did."

Claudia gasped, and then dropped her head in depression. She heard the plastic legs of the chair across from her scratch the floor.

"I'm going upstairs," Rebecca said, before walking out of the kitchen.

Minutes later, Bruce walked into the kitchen, and headed towards the refrigerator.

After pulling a can of soda from inside, he turned and faced Claudia.

"This isn't your fault," he said. "How were you supposed to know that Melissa would get drunk with power?"

"Yes, I know," Claudia said. "But still..."

"You look out of it. Maybe you should go rest in bed."

"...Good idea, Bruce..." She stood up and walked towards the kitchen's doorway, leaving her tea sitting on the table.

As she made her way out of the living room, she heard Bruce following her. In her mind, she already knew what Bruce was planning to do once she arrived in her room. She sighed, and let him continue to follow her up the stairs.

~~~

Thomas watched as Sayuko walked back towards her desk, and pulled out its chair, and sat down in it.

"Still nothing," she said. "It almost seems hopeless..."

"No, it's not," Thomas said. "Just have faith. I'm sure someone will respond eventually."

"...You're right. I just hope that it's not too late when they do..." Sayuko sighed, and laid her head on her arms on the table.

Thomas looked behind him, towards the window. The sky was a deep blue color, with barely a cloud in the sky. It was a view that he had been denied while he was trapped inside of Melissa's house, and he had since realized that he had taken for granted before he got involved with Melissa.

"A beautiful day, huh?" Sayuko said.

"Yeah." Thomas turned back towards her. "I wish we could go out there, but that could cause trouble."

"I know... I'm sure the neighbors would ask me how I got a person of your size with me. Then they would call the news... And if Melissa saw it, it'd be all over for Taro..."

"Yeah... Not to mention the birds. They might see me as a tasty treat, and swoop down and snatch me up."

"Oh, right. I never realized how dangerous it was for small people."

"Yeah."

He suddenly became curious. "Hey, I have a question. You don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

Sayuko rose her head. "What is it?"

"...How did you become involved with Melissa?"

Sayuko stared at him for a few seconds, before exhaling. "Maybe I should start from the very beginning?"

"If you want." Thomas sat down on the desk's surface, crossing his legs.

"Well..."

~~~

I was always a quiet and shy girl. Even back in Japan, growing up in the Fukushima Prefecture, I had very few people that I could call my friends. But I had my family; my mother, my father, and Taro. I felt that as long as I had them, I did not need anyone else.

Three years ago, Taro got a job here in the United States, and moved here. I knew that I was going to miss him, as he was my best friend, but I wished him the best, and he promised to visit whenever he got the chance.

So, after that, it was just the three of us, my parents and I. I was still bad at math, and before, it was Taro who helped me, but with him gone, that left my father... who was not as good as Taro was. My father, however, was a businessman who often did business with foreign companies, and he helped me learn English. Of course, we were taught it in school, but most students soon forgot it. I resolved to make English my second language, and with the help of my father, as well as Taro when he visited, I've gotten a much better grasp at the language.

Back in early February of this year, we received word that Taro had finished the process of becoming a naturalized American citizen. My parents were excited, and went out to celebrate. They invited me to come along, but I decided not to.

It was past 2am, and they still hadn't come home. So, of course, I was worried. They had never been out this late before.

I was sitting on my bed, clutching a large pink bear in my arms and watching television, when I heard the phone ring. I assumed that it was them, so I walked out of my room, and towards the kitchen, where the phone was. I pulled it from its base, and brought it to my ear.

"Hello?" I greeted.

"Yes," said an unfamiliar male voice. "Is this the household of Kazuma and Miho Takei?"

"Y-yes," I said, a bit nervous.

"Who am I speaking to?"

"Sayuko, their daughter."

"I see... I hate to say this especially at this time of night, but I have some horrible news."

That was the worst night of my life. The man told me that my parents had been in an accident when another car sped into theirs, killing them instantly. He then said that the man in the other car was drunk, and he tried to run away, but the police quickly caught him.

"No... Nooo...." I fell to the floor, my eyes filled with tears. "Father... Mother... No...."

I started to cry. I sat there, against the wall with the phone hanging from the base, and cried well into the morning.

I struggled to my feet, and staggered back into my room. Still very much broken up over the horrible news, I grabbed my cell phone, and called Taro, and told him what had happened. Afterwards, I laid on my bed, and cried for the rest of the day, barely eating anything at all.

Taro arrived within a day after hearing about the news, and helped console me while we both planned their funeral. Well, it was mostly him and a few of our relatives. I did nothing but sit in my room.

The next week, after the funeral, we had my parents' will read to us. My father was a very successful engineer, and he was the... well, I guess you could say that he was the wealthiest person in the family. Though, as I said before, we were not rich. Many of our relatives were furious that my parents left their entire fortune to Taro and me. I'm sure some of them only came to try to get their share of the inheritance.

Then, before we could attend the hearing of the man who was responsible for the accident, he hung himself while he was being held at the police station. This was like a slap in the face to us, as the man sought the ultimate way out of taking responsibility for what he did to our family.

Taro then made a suggestion: He wanted me to come live with him in America. He felt that I would have been very lonely if I were to stay in Japan, and he also added that it would give me an opportunity to exercise my English. My relatives, however, wanted me to stay with them, especially my uncle. Of course, without a moment's hesitation, I chose to go with Taro. Not only because he's my brother and best friend, and because I barely knew my relatives, but also because my uncle was kind of creepy. I noticed him giving me these strange looks during the funeral, as if he was examining me. Not only that, but I knew that they would try to use the money that I had just inherited.

Two days later, I packed my things and boarded the plane with Taro to America. Hours later, we landed here in California. I had seen so many movies before of what the state was like, but actually being in it was a completely different experience. From the airport, we drove for an hour or two before we arrived here: my new home.

Over the next month, Taro made preparations for me to attend a nearby community college here, and then, after I graduated from there, go onto a university. So, until the semester started in May, I stayed in the house, studying and resting. Taro wanted me to go out and meet some of our neighbors, but... well, as I said before, I'm a shy person. He introduced me to some of them, but I didn't go out of my way to try to bond with them.

The same was true when I started school. I truly believed that as long as I had Taro, I didn't need anyone else.

That was until Taro eventually became too busy to help me in Calculus. I didn't want to fail that class and let him down, so I decided to ask for help.

("And that was when you asked me?" Thomas asked.)

Yes, it was. In fact, you helped me a lot during the next two weeks, and my grades were rising. I showed Taro my progress, and he was very proud of me. I also told him about you.

"Thomas, huh?" he said, while sitting at his computer desk. "I hope you're not going to replace me with him." He laughed.

"O-of course not, Brother!" I responded. "I could never replace you with anybody!"

"But he sounds like a nice guy. Maybe one day, he'll even ask you out."

I blushed. "What?! No way! It's not like that!"

"Relax. I'm only joking. No one is going to take you away from me." Taro smiled at me, and I smiled back.

I didn't want anyone to take him away from me, either.

However...

At the beginning of June, Taro went missing. I knew, because he is usually home by 6pm, and it was very late at night, and he hadn't called or anything, like he usually would if he was late. As I laid on my bed, I suddenly started having flashbacks of that night a few months ago, when I got the call about my parents. I started to cry, because I expected a phone call that would tell me that Taro had died as well.

But I didn't get any call.

Not that night, anyway.

Two days later... It was a Sunday morning, and there was still no word from Taro. Suddenly, my cell phone started to ring. I looked at the screen, and saw that it was Taro's number. I quickly pressed the receive button and brought the phone to my ear.

"Taro!" I said. "Where are you?!"

"Sayuko, listen to me," he calmly answered, though I could hear a bit of nervousness in his voice. "I need you to come over to where I am."

"What?" I was confused. "Why?"

"...Just do it. Here's the address..."

He gave me the location of where he was, and how to get there. Afterwards, he abruptly hung up. Shaking, I put on my clothes... my pink shirt, white skirt, and red sandals, and left the house. As I waited for the bus, I found myself worried and scared. I had no idea what to expect. Except that Taro was there, and as long as I was with him, I did not care where I was.

After getting off of the bus, I walked the rest of the way to the address that Taro had given me. It took me several more minutes on my weak, shaking legs, but I had arrived. This rather large house, with barely any other houses around it. It seemed like a lonely place. I gulped, and rung the doorbell. After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a tall, dark-skinned young woman.

That was my very first time meeting Melissa.

"Ah, you must be Sayuko!" she said. "Welcome to my house! I'm Melissa Cruz! Please, come in!"

I walked inside, as she closed the door behind me.

"Where is Taro?" I asked.

"My! Aren't you hasty!" Melissa said. "Your brother is fine. In fact, he's upstairs waiting for you."

"Take me to him."

"Sure, Sayu. You mind if I call you Sayu?"

I shrugged, and watched her walk past me, and up the stairs. I followed her, reaching the second floor and eventually her room. Once inside, I looked around. Taro did not seem to be anywhere in there.

I heard the door close behind me, and Melissa walked towards her cabinet.

"Where is my brother?" I asked.

Melissa did not answer.

"Did you hear me? Where is my brother?!"

Melissa then opened the cabinet's doors, and then looked towards me. "C'mere."

I walked over there, and looked inside of the cabinet.

I was horrified.

Inside of the cabinet was a hamster's cage, with all of the necessities of a hamster. However, inside of the cage was my brother, Taro. Except that he was small. A lot smaller.

I gasped and brought my hand to my mouth, tears forming in my eyes.

"Sayuko..." He said to me. "I'm so sorry that I had to get you mixed into this..."

I turned to Melissa, enraged. "What did you do to him?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Melissa answered, her cheerful demeanor now more cold. "I shrunk him, and if you don't do as I say from now on, I'll squash him like a bug before your very eyes."

I gasped again, almost letting out a scream. I wanted to slap her, and take Taro away from her, but she was... is so much bigger than I am. That, and she also make another statement.

"If you try to take him away from me, I'll shrink you, and kill you both," she said.

I shuddered at the thought of her killing us both.

"If you call the police, I'll kill him. You got all of that?"

I nodded.

"Now..." She brought her face closer to mine's. "Here's what I want you to do..."

She pulled out some more tiny people, and threw them on the floor. She then told me to step on each one of them. I, of course, refused, but then she said that she would just do the same to Taro. I didn't want to lose the only family I had in the world, so I agreed to this gruesome activity. Of course, I was still reluctant to kill them, and it took Melissa having to tape the people to the floor for me to finally kill them.

...It was horrible. Their screams as they saw the man before them get killed under my foot... All of that blood... I flinched everytime I heard their bones crunch under me. During the whole ordeal, time seemed to slow down.

When it was all done, I fell to my knees and started to cry.

"Oh, what's wrong?" Melissa asked.

"I'm a murderer!" I yelled out. "I killed innocent people! I'm a murderer!!"

"Oh, stop it," Melissa said. "They aren't people. They're bugs. Bugs are meant to be stepped on, right?"

I looked up towards her, my face still wet with tears.

"Listen," she said. 'You are to come back here every Sunday. Or else I'll dispose of your brother here. You got that?"

Shaking, I reluctantly nodded.

"Good. Now get out of here."

Melissa then led me out of her house, and once outside, she closed the door behind me.

I still could not believe what had happened, and I stood outside of her house for several minutes, breathing heavily. I wiped the tears from my eyes and regained my composure, so that I would not get any attention from any of the people on the bus or streets.

Once I arrived home, I immediately ran to my room, threw myself on my bed, buried my face in my pillow, and started to cry again.

~~~

Sayuko sighed. "I guess that's it."

Thomas shook his head. "Oh, Sayuko... That's horrible..."

"I know... And until we can contact Mr. Cruz, there's nothing I can do about it."

Thomas tightened his fist. "...I hate what Melissa's doing... She's ruining families just to feed her sadistic appetite. Even her own."

Sayuko's eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh yeah... You don't know... Melissa shrunk both her mother and sister, and is keeping them both in a dollhouse in the basement."

Sayuko gasped. "What?! How could she be that cruel?!"

"There's a lot at play there, and there are still some things that I haven't figured out, but it stems from a mistake that her mother made 17 years ago."

"But that doesn't give her the right! Some people don't even have a mother, and she does that to her's?!"

"Yeah, it's wrong on so many levels." Thomas stood up. "That's why we're going to put a stop to it. Once we can get a hold of Mr. Cruz, it's all over for her."

Sayuko was silent for a few seconds, before speaking. "I want to give her a thrashing before he can get here. If I could somehow get that device and shrink her, I would put her through the hell she has put many others through, including me, Taro, and you."

Thomas backed up a little, as he was shocked to hear Sayuko say this. "Whoa!! We don't want to kill her. That would make us as bad as she is. Plus, her mother would be heartbroken."

Sayuko grinned a little. "I know... I just... I just want her to hurt."

"Really..." Thomas folded his arms and looked towards the window.

~~~

It was nearing 1am. Melissa, wearing a black dress and black stilleto sandals, walked from Lauren's car and towards her house. It had been a fun day for her, as the two went out to party at several dance clubs, before celebrating Melissa's 23rd birthday at Lauren's house. While there, Lauren had introduced Melissa to one of her friends.

Byron Lakefield, a tall handsome African American man, was an aspiring musician, and the two took an immediate liking to each other. In fact, he was in Lauren's car right at that moment, having driven home with the two women.

"Hey, Melissa," Byron said through the open back window of the car. "I had fun tonight. You are such a beautiful woman. I can't believe that Lauren didn't introduce us sooner."

Melissa blushed. "Thank you! Yeah, Lauren! Why were you hiding this delicious piece of chocolate from me?"

"I was saving him for your birthday today!" Lauren responded.

"Well, I think he's the best present I've ever gotten!" Melissa laughed.

"I bet I am!" said Byron. "So, I'll be seeing you this Saturday, right?"

"Of course!" Melissa said. "I can't wait for our date!"

"Me neither!"

"Anyway, gurl," Lauren said. "We'll be going now. We DO have class tomorrow."

"Yeah, we need our rest," Melissa said.

"So, unlike Byron here, I'LL be seeing you tomorrow!"

Melissa chuckled. "Sure."

"Anyway, see ya!" Lauren said.

"Happy Birthday, sexy!" Byron said. "See ya later!"

"Thank you, and buh-bye!" Melissa waved as the car began to drive away from Melissa's house, making a u-turn on the road, and driving back from the direction they originally came from.

As she watched the car disappear into the darkness, she thought about Byron. He was quite a good-looking man, and he seemed like a nice guy, too. It almost seemed like a shame to let someone like that go to waste.

She was certain of one thing: She would have to play with him as well, in her own special way.

Melissa walked into her basement, her flip-flops slapping on each step on her way down. From there, she walked towards the doll house that sat further in the basement, and tapped on its plastic wall with her foot.

"Oh, Brucie~" she called. "Come out here for a minute."

She waited for half a minute, before the plastic front door opened, and Bruce walked out of the house. She could see that he had an annoyed look on his face. She felt inclined to kill him right there, but she had other plans.

"What do you want?" Bruce asked.

"Careful, now," Melissa said. "You don't want to be stomped to death, do you?"

"No... That would hurt your mother."

"Exactly. Anyway, I've recently learned that your little group don't take too kindly to the street rats."

"You mean those Homeless freaks? Yeah... We hated them, and I can only hope that they still do."

"I see... I have a proposition for you."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "'A proposition'? What do you mean?"

"I think you'll like this one. You just have to do as I say, and I'll let you have at it." Melissa smiled.

Thomas sat on top of the computer desk, looking at the monitor's screen. Sayuko was on a website called "Nico Nico Douga", which seemed to be a Japanese version of "YouTube", and was watching a Japanese drama program. Of course, Thomas could not understand what the characters were saying, so he was at a complete loss over what the plot was about. Sayuko, however, seemed to be really into it.

On a rainy balcony, two of the characters, a male and a female, exchanged seemingly heartfelt words. After the young man spoke, the woman seemed to get very emotional, and she soon grabbed his face and kissed him on the lips.

"That's all I understood," Thomas said, jokingly.

"They say the language of love is universal," Sayuko said, her eyes still fixed on the screen.

"Yeah, I guess. I sure would like to know what the guy said, though."

"Oh, just that she's the only woman that he ever needs."

"Oh. ...That's kinda clichéd."

The ending credits started to scroll on the screen, and Sayuko moved the mouse's cursor to the Back button, and clicked it.

"Thoma-kun," she called. "...Have you ever been in love?"

This question took him by surprise. "Yeah, I guess. Though I've never had a girlfriend."

"Really? That's odd... It's not as if you're unattractive."

Thomas blushed. "I'm just kinda shy around girls. Always have been."

"Oh... I never would have guessed."

"Not only that, but whenever I did get the guts to ask one out, they would turn me down. I guess I'm too much of a geek for them." He chuckled. "There was only one girl who didn't outright turn me down."

"Who was that?"

"Melissa."

"Oh..."

"Yeah..."

The two were silent for a few seconds, before Thomas spoke.

"So, what about you?" He asked.

"Have I ever been in love? I'm the same as you." She answered. "Except I never had the courage to ask anyone out. I waited for them to ask me. They never did."

"Oh... That's too bad. But it's their loss. You're pretty cute yourself." Thomas blushed, though for a split second, he regretted complementing her in that way.

Sayuko smiled. "Thank you. Yes, my Japanese friends told me that all of the time. As did Taro and my parents."

"Any guys in particular you're interested in?" Deep down, Thomas felt that he did not want to know the answer to this question.

"Umm... None I can say right now, but there were a few back in Japan that I liked."

"Oh, I see..."

She lowered her head, so that it was closer to Thomas. "You sound disappointed."

Thomas shook his head. "No, it's not that."

"I guess my parent's expectations are still in my head." She sighed.

"'Expectations'?" Thomas repeated.

"Yes. They wanted me to marry someone like Taro: handsome, successful, ...and Japanese."

"...I can understand the first two, but did- does he have to be Japanese?"

"I'm not sure anymore... If they were still alive, then yes, but now... I don't know... Taro is a bit more open-minded, but I think that he would still want me to marry a Japanese man..."

"So I guess we can forget about you and I ever getting married, huh?" Thomas chuckled.

Sayuko's eyes widened. "What?!"

Thomas waved both of his hands in front of him. "I kid, I kid."

Sayuko smiled and moved her head away from Thomas. She then turned back towards the monitor and began to browse through the videos on the webpage.

"Smooth..." Thomas lamented to himself.

~~~

Sheryl watched as Melissa plucked out a man from her glass cage, and dropped him in her other palm, joining the other four men that were already there.

"Well, that's five," Melissa said. "Any other volunteers?"

Sheryl looked besides her, towards Reeve, who was staring at the giantess. Reeve... She had come to hate this man. She had no idea how much time had passed since he started using her as his own sex slave, but she had had it. She did not want to be forced into pleasuring this man any longer.

With no hesitation, she stepped forward.

"What the hell?" Reeve said, perplexed.

"I'll go!" Sheryl yelled out.

Melissa turned her head towards her. "Oh?"

"What are you doing?" Reeve asked. "Don't go out there."

Sheryl turned behind her. "Fuck you. I'm doing this, and you can't stop me."

She saw Reeve grit his teeth, before she turned back to Melissa, who had reached in and pulled her away from Reeve and out of the cage. She was soon dropped into Melissa's other palm, joining the five other men picked out before her.

"Okay," Melissa said. "Some of you may be back. ...But there's also a chance that all of you will be killed. But I'm sure that you all know that already, right?" She smiled at them, which Sheryl could barely make out in the dim light.

"Let's go." Melissa then carried them out of the closet.

As Sheryl watched the passing scenery, she knew what could be the ultimate consequence of her volunteering to go out with the other, but she did not care. She would rather be dead than to have to deal with Reeve anymore.

~~~

Dawson watched as Melissa walked out of the closet. A small part of him was slightly disappointed that she had once again opted to only take the Homeless out with her. However, the rest of him knew that they would all most likely end up being killed in some way or another.

Yet, that small part drove him to mutter, "Lucky Homeless bastards..."

"'Lucky'? You just want more toejam, don't you?"

Dawson turned around, and saw Matt standing behind him. "Didn't they ever tell you to never sneak up on people?"

"Actually, no, they didn't."

Dawson sighed. "Anyway, what do you want?"

"Nothing, really."

"Just to annoy me?"

"Yeah, probably."

Dawson shook his head, and looked past Matt, towards Jenna, who stood near the other side of the cage. "So, what do you think of Jenna?"

Matt grunted. "Again? Haven't you asked me that same question before?"

"Yeah, but she's cute, so it's worth it."

"Well, frankly, I've seen better." Matt folded his arms. "Plus, she's a bit too young for me."

Dawson raised an eyebrow. "What? How old is she?"

Matt chuckled. "Of course she never told you. She's 18."

Dawson's mouth dropped. "Are you serious?! You mean I've been hitting on a girl eight years younger than me?!"

Matt laughed. "Well, she's still legal, so it's not like you'd go to jail."

Dawson sighed. "I guess you're right. But it would have been better if she was closer to my age, y'know?"

"So you'd feel less guilty about fantasizing about her feet?" Matt laughed.

Dawson became a bit irritated. "Shut it."

Matt laughed a bit more before regaining his composure. "Speaking of girls, I wonder how Milly's doing?"

"Oh yeah... Your girlfriend. ...And baby's momma."

"Yeah. I bet that she's pissed off that I've been gone for so long. She probably thinks that I left them."

"Well, I'm sure that the news has been talking about missing people. Maybe she rightfully assumed that you are one of them."

"Yeah. I hope so. I don't want her ending up fucking another guy." Matt sighed. "Hopefully this will all end, and I can go see them again."

Dawson nodded, and looked towards where Melissa has walked out. No doubt that, by now, Melissa was well underway with whatever game she had planned today.

~~~

Sheryl and the other five men had been placed in the middle of a foam ring that had been set up on the floor. Melissa stood several feet away, holding what looked like a jar in her hands. However, it was covered with a blue cloth.

"I'm going to tell you right now," Melissa said. "This will be a survival game." She smirked. "However, I won't be the one going after you."

The tiny people looked among each other, in a state of mild confusion.

"Oh, no. That would be too easy for me. Plus, it wouldn't be fun if you have no chance of fighting back. That's why I put some needles in there for you all."

Sheryl looked to her left, and saw a stack of six or so sewing needles. At her size, each one looked more like a javelin.

Melissa then stepped closer to the ring. "Who you all will be fighting against is this thing inside here." She looked down at the jar she was holding.

"What thing?" one of the men asked.

Melissa smiled. "I'm glad you asked! It's a little thing I found and caught outside." She lifted the side of the cloth facing her. "It looks ready for some blood, too."

Sheryl heard some of the men around her gulp. She also began to become anxious.

Melissa knelt down closer to the floor. "Wanna see? ...Of course you do"

With that, she completely removed the cloth from the jar and threw it on the floor beside her. All six of the tiny people were horrified at what they now saw inside. Underneath Melissa's smirking face, in the jar she held, was a praying mantis.

"Bugmen versus Bug." Melissa smiled.

"Oh god..." Sheryl said, her eyes wide with fear.

"The last one standing will be the winner. Plus, I'll sweeten the deal: if you win, I'll grant you any request you want. ...One that doesn't involve me setting you free, that is."

"Are you kidding me?!" one of the other men yelled out. "That son-of-a-bitch's going to kill us all!"

Melissa snickered. "Maybe. I guess we'll find out now, won't we?"

At that point, Melissa moved the jar over the center of the ring and turned the jar upside down, which caused the insect inside to drop from the glass container and onto the floor below. Each of the tiny people had quickly dispersed as soon as the jar loomed over head. Now, each one were spread in different parts of the ring, as they all stared in fear of the green beast in front of them.

As Melissa stood up and walked to her bed, the mantis wasted no time, and quickly lunged towards one of the men. He tried to run, but the insect caught him in its mighty blades, then bit down on his head. It then pulled its head back, tearing the man's head from his body.

"Damn!" an amazed Melissa said.

Sheryl and the others looked on in horror as the gigantic monster fed on the body of the decapitated man. She watched as the remaining men ran for the sewing needles, each one picking one up, though they struggled to hold it due to a combination of the needles' size compared to them and their bodies weak from lack of proper nourishment. Sheryl did nothing but back away, until her back was against the foam wall.

She watched as the other men began to rush the green mantid as it was finishing off what remained of the unfortunate man in its claws. One man tried a thrusting attack, which penetrated through its exoskeleton. This aggrivated the insect, as it soon turned to face the man that impaled it. It slashed around with its claw, striking one of the men in the neck. The sharp hooks on its claw sliced the man's flesh open, and he fell to the floor, clutching his neck in his hands in a desperate attempt to try to stop the bleeding.

As she watched the remaining three men struggle against the beast, she started to feel grief over the fact that she was the leader of this entire group of prisoners, yet could not bring herself to engage the giant insect with the other men literally fighting for their lives. Maybe the others were right to overthrow her... She should just throw herself at this beast and get it over with...

Just then, she heard another scream. The mantis has thrust its head in another man's chest, impaling its fangs inside. The man pulled away, but immediately fell to the floor with blood gushing out. As the mantid prepared to prey on the fallen man, the two remaining men started to rush the insect and jab it with the needles. It seemed to be having its effect on the mantid, as its reactions started to slow down. One man then thrust through its hind leg, nearly severing it. The insect started to limp, as the men's assault on the once dominant beast became a bit more fierce.

Sheryl looked to her right, and saw the remaining needles. At that moment, she contemplated grabbing one and joining in on the battle. However, just as she was about to make her way to where the needles were, she felt the floor shake as footsteps drew near. Melissa was coming, and the fighting men did not seem to notice, as they were too involved with the battle against the mantid.

They did notice, however, when a giant shadow covered the entire area. They looked up and screamed as Melissa's sandal-clad foot came down on them, crushing them, their incapacitated comrade, and the mantis underneath. Sheryl gasped and fell to her knees. Through her cowardice, she was the last one standing.

"Well," Melissa said. "They were starting to gain an edge, so I had to put my foot down." She chuckled, before turning towards Sheryl.

Sheryl gulped as their eyes met each other.

"Oh? You're still alive, huh?" Melissa said, removing her foot from the spot inside of the ring, revealing the mashed-up remains of the men and insect. "I guess that makes you the winner." She smiled.

This was not what she was expecting. She truly expected to be killed here. In fact, she was amazed that the others hadn't thrown her to the mantis. However, if the giantess truly intended to keep her word, Sheryl knew what her "wish" would be.

"Anyway, since you're the winner, you get anything you want... as long as it's in my power."

Sheryl exhaled, regained her composure, and stood up. "You really intend to do this?"

Melissa nodded.

"Then... I know exactly what I want."

~~~

Thomas was now laying down on the computer desk, arms folded behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, drifting in and out of reality. Sayuko was still on the computer, and last he check, she was looking at more Japanese videos.

This had been going on for about two hours. The only sounds he heard were the keys being typed on the keyboard, the clicking of the mouse, and those of any viral video she watched.

Just as he prepared to close his eyes again, he was shocked by a rather loud noise.

"Ohh!!"

Thomas shot up, and saw a look of excitement on Sayuko's face as she stared at the monitor.

"What happened?" Thomas asked.

"Someone finally responded to my post!" Sayuko said.

"Are you serious?!" Thomas stood up and ran closer to the young woman. "What does it say?!"

"...'Edgar Cruz? I believe the one you're looking for works at FutureTech Labs.' FutureTech Labs!"

"Future technology... Like building stuff that could be of use in the future? I think the Shrink Ray that Melissa has would fit right into that!" Thomas snapped his finger. "Of course! Quick! Let's try the search again!"

Wasting no time, Sayuko opened another tab on the browser, and typed in "google.com" in the address bar. Once on the webpage, she typed in "Edgar Cruz FutureTech" in the search box and clicked the "Search" button. Her excitement increased as she saw the very first webpage on the results page: FutureTech Researchers. In the summary, among other names, Edgar Cruz was listed.

"Click it! Click it!" Thomas, also excited, ordered.

Sayuko took a deep breath, and moved the cursor over the link and clicked it. Soon, the screen went black, as if the page's background itself was that color.

However, the excitement that they had just gotten soon faded, as a pop-up box appeared in the center of the screen, asking for a password.

"What the..." Thomas said.

Sayuko turned to Thomas. "What do I do now?"

He stared at the box for several seconds, before he pounded his fist in his other palm, and sighed. "We need a password, and we have no idea what it is..."

"So..." Thomas could see that her eyes were starting to water.

"I'm sorry, Sayuko... There's nothing we can do..."

Sayuko's mouth dropped, before she turned back to the monitor. Without typing anything into the box, she clicked the "OK" button. The box disappeared, and the page was soon redirected to a white page with the text "Access Denied."

With that, Sayuko began to cry. She folded her arms on the desk and dropped her face into it.

"No... Our only lead..." She said through her weeping. "Now there's no way we can get Mr. Cruz!"

Thomas shook his head. "Why would they even put it on a search engine, knowing that most people can't access the site...?"

He then walked closer to Sayuko, and once he reached her, began to pat her on her giant arm.

"Hey... Sayuko. Listen to me... Don't give up hope. We'll find a way to rescue your brother."

Sayuko lifted her head, revealing her tear-covered face. "How?"

"...I'm sure that something will come up. Fate will throw us a bone that we can use sooner or later."

"Thomas..." She unfolded her arms and wiped the tears from her face. "I want to believe you... But it seems hopeless..."

"We can't give up. Not now. Because once we do, Melissa wins." Thomas folded his arms. "And once that happens, she can do whatever she wants with Taro."

Sayuko stared at him for several seconds before nodding. "I'll... try to hold on... But what now? How are we going to be able to contact Mr. Cruz. The only person who can call him anytime she wants is Melissa..."

"Yeah... And I doubt she'd give you his number if you asked. Plus, if you did, she'd know that something was up."

Sayuko sighed, and muttered something under her breath in Japanese, though Thomas could make out the word "Taro."

"If only I were a hacker..." Thomas said to himself as he looked back to the monitor, still on the "Access Denied" page.

~~~

Sheryl, sitting in Melissa's open palm, was being carried back into the closet. Soon, she was back in the dark area where the glass cages were. Melissa then knelt down and dropped her into the glass prison.

"So, is that what you wanted?" Melissa asked as she stood upright.

Sheryl looked around herself, before responding. "Yes."

"Good. Hope you enjoy it. While it lasts, that is." Melissa smiled. "Anyway, I'm out of here. Gotta clean up the mess they left behind. You all have fun!" She then walked out of the closet, closing the door behind her.

Sheryl took a deep breath and exhaled it, and turned around. She saw the many younger faces staring at her, some with a look of confusion, others with disgust. An one-armed man walked towards her, with a look of annoyance and concern on his face.

"Uhh..." he said. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Sheryl stepped forward. "My name is Sheryl. ...You can consider me an ex-Homeless."

She smiled as the Refugees began to chatter amongst themselves.

Dawson stared at this strange woman who had been dropped in their cage, and listened to the other people behind him start conversing amongst themselves. No doubt that they were thinking the same thing. This woman was obviously a Homeless. However, she called herself an "ex-Homeless." Who did she think she was, and did she truly think that they would accept her if she denounced her former affiliations?

"Okay, Sheryl was it?" Dawson said. "What do you mean by 'ex-Homeless'?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like," the woman answered. "I think I would rather be here with you young, beautiful people." She smiled.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Matt rush to where he was.

"Bitch, you're crazy!" Matt shouted, shaking his fist towards her. "You really think we'd take you in?!"

"Yeah," said Jenna's voice from further behind. "Why did you come here with us? That was stupid."

"I have my reasons. I'm not expecting you all to like me right away." Sheryl stepped closer towards Dawson and Matt. "But I think you'll grow to like me."

Dawson merely stared at the woman. She was certainly a piece of work. However, he obviously could not shake the feeling that this could all be a ruse. That she could just be trying to gain their trust, and then betray them during a crucial moment. No doubt that that was a real risk.

He turned behind him. "Beatrix, Lisa. Take her somewhere else and keep an eye on her."

Beatrix and a young dark-haired woman stepped from the crowd behind him and walked towards Sheryl. They each grabbed an arm of the woman, and started to escort her further away from the group, disappearing in the darkness.

"So, what are we going to do with her?" Matt asked Dawson.

"...I have no idea," Dawson replied.

Reeve looked in the direction towards the Refugee's cage. At first, he was confused as to what- or rather, who the giant woman had placed in there. However, after listening closely to the commotion that occured soon after Melissa left, he was now certain of what happened.

"Oh, Sheryl..." He said to himself. "You traitor."

The other Homeless came to the same conclusion, as they were soon outraged with their former leader's latest stint. Reeve listened as his followers voiced their displeasure with Sheryl.

"Stupid bitch! I knew she was a bad leader!"

"She left us to be with those mongrels!"

"I hope they beat her up, too."

Reeve sighed, and began to walk towards his private quarters, past the fuming men and women around him. He never thought that she would end up with the very people she wanted to try to bond with. Perhaps such a woman was better off with the Refugees, though he doubted if they would ever accept her. They could very well alienate her from the rest of them... or even send her out the next time Melissa comes into the closet.

Now, however, he needed to find a new advisor. One who he believed could serve him better than Sheryl did. Not sexually, because he had long since determined that no other woman there was worth it.

~~~

It had been several hours since Sayuko and Thomas had been blocked out of the FutureTech website. The bedroom was bathed in the amber glow of the setting sun, and the sound of a news program emanated from the television.

Sayuko had since moved Thomas back on her study desk, and was laying in her bed, with her back faced against him. Because of this, he could not tell if she was awake or not. Instead, he looked towards the television and watching what was going on in the world outside.

There was a car accident that morning. The cause was believed to be DUI.

There was the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics, and some profiles of people on the American team that could make a big impact at the games.

There was the issue of the rising gas prices. Some places have even exceeded $6 a gallon.

There was the 2008 Presidential campaign, between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

There was-

"Thoma-kun"

Thomas' train of thought was interrupted, as he looked towards Sayuko, who was rising from her bed. She then moved to the edge of the bed facing Thomas, and sat there, watching him.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Sure," he answered.

She closed her eyes for a seconds, and exhaled through her nose, before asking, "You said that your leader... Bruce... rescued anyone who was captured by Melissa, right?"

"Yeah. Well, except the Homeless."

"Then why didn't he rescue my brother?"

Thomas stared at her. He knew that she would not like the answer to that question, that Bruce's prejudice could have been the death of Taro. He contemplated lying to her, that no one had noticed that Melissa had brung him in. However, after the time he had spent with her, and after everything she had done for him, he had to tell the truth.

He sighed. "Apparently, Bruce is racist against Asians, for some reason."

Sayuko, now angered, jumped from her bed. "What?! Are you telling me that he left my brother in Melissa's closet because he's a racist?! What kind of leader is that?!"

Thomas jumped at her sudden outburst, and his eardrums nearly burst from the volume of her voice. Of course, considering how close she and her brother were, he expected it.

"I never considered him a good leader," Thomas said. "He made an empty promise of leading us out of Melissa's house to freedom. He let the others practically rot in the walls, while he spent most of his time in Mrs. Cruz's dollhouse, practically living like a king compared to us."

"How did someone like that even become a 'leader'?!" Sayuko closed her eyes, and started to breathe heavily, as if to calm herself down.

"Ironically," Thomas said, "him not rescuing Taro worked out better for him."

Sayuko opened her eyes and looked at Thomas.

"Your brother got pulled out of that closet and into her cabinet, where he is fed regularly and has a better living place. We had to scour for food, and the other have gotten recaptured and are at the mercy of Melissa."

Sayuko sighed. "I suppose you're right. But what if she did kill my brother...? What then?"

"I... I don't know. But the fact is, what happened happened, and we can't change the past."

"But..." She shook her head and turned around. "I need a drink." With that, she slipped on her pink slippers and walked out of the bedroom.

Thomas stared at the doorway a few seconds after she left, and then turned towards the television. An advertisement for the store Lover's Lane was playing on screen. He blushed at some of the lingerie shown off in the commercial. He blushed even more when he mentally pictured Sayuko wearing some of them.

Followed by Gloria.

Followed by Melissa.

He quickly shook that image out of his head.

~~~

Sheryl sat in a far corner of the cage, far away from the rest of the Refugees. Standing in front of her were the two dark-haired young women that pulled her away from the group. One was taller than the other, but not by much. They were both standing with their backs faced against her.

She sighed. She did expect this kind of treatment from the people who hated her former affiliation. Actually, she expected to be beaten by them. The fact that they did not must suggest that there may be a slight chance that they would accept her into their ranks some time in the future. Of course, if she was male, then it may have been a different story.

"Hey," she called.

Both of the women in front of her turned their heads behind them.

"How long are they going to keep me here?" Sheryl asked.

"I don't know," the woman on the right answered.

"Why don't you be quiet and just wait for them to give us another order?" commanded the woman on the left, the shorter one.

"My!" Sheryl was astonished. "It's nice to see such young and beautiful women take charge like that! What were your names again!"

The two women briefly looked at each other.

"I'm Lisa," said the taller one on the right.

"I'm Beatrix," said the shorter one.

"Lisa! Beatrix!" Sheryl laughed. "I hope that we all can one day become friends!"

Beatrix got a look of disgust on her face. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"Oh, don't be like that! I'm actually a nice person once you get to know me!" Sheryl smiled.

Lisa smirked. "Yeah, well, they'll probably throw you out at the first opportunity Melissa gives them, so I wouldn't get used to life here with us."

The two girls then turned back towards the open area of the cage.

"Stupid trashy Homeless woman," Beatrix said, which was met by a giggle from Lisa.

Sheryl did nothing but smile, despite the women not showing her an ounce of respect. She found it hard to be angry at such vibrant, yet unfortunate, young women. They reminded her of herself when she was younger, before circumstances forced her onto the streets.

~~~

Reeve heard the closet door open, and soon saw the golden light from the room outside shine in as the hanging clothes were moved aside. As expected, Melissa made her way inside and was soon standing over the glass cage.

"Who's the leader of you all?" the giant woman asked. "If you even have one."

Several of the other people in the cage looked towards Reeve. Melissa turned her head in the direction that they were looking in, and soon had her eyes locked on the Homeless leader.

"Alright, it's me," Reeve said.

"Good." She then reached in the cage and plucked him out.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Reeve yelled out.

Melissa laughed as she brought the man to her face. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you." She smiled. "Let's say that you are about to have a fateful encounter."

"What?"

Reeve, confused over what he had just been told, watched as the woman carried him out of the closet, and into the room outside. He looked around. It had not changed much since the day he had partaken in her twisted survival game, though he now had a much higher view of the place.

He was carried to a desk near Melissa's bed, and placed down on it. He looked around the room as Melissa dug into her pocket and pulled something out. She then dropped it on the desk right in front of him. At that point, Reeve saw that this thing was a person; a man. He was Black, had wild bushy black hair, a somewhat bushy beard, and was physically built, if his shirtless frame was anything to go by.

The man stood up and glared at him.

"Why don't you introduce yourselves?" Melissa suggested as she pulled the giant chair out from under the desk and sat in it. "Why don't you go first, Mr. Homeless Man?"

Reeve turned from the giant woman to the man in front of him. "I am Reeve Sardelli, the leader of the Homeless."

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes widened, and he let out a short laugh. "I'm Bruce Blake, the leader of the Refugees!"

Reeve was stunned as well. "Oh, is that right?"

The two men glared at each other for several seconds. The silence of the room was soon broken by Melissa.

"Well, you two seem to hate each other already!" she said.

Bruce turned to her. "Of course! He's Homeless scum!"

"'Scum'?!" Reeve said, annoyed. "You and your whole group are nothing but stuck-up snobs!"

Bruce stepped closer to him. "I dare you to say that to my face."

"Gladly!"

Just as Reeve attempted to step forward, Melissa giant index finger fell between both of them.

"No fighting," she said. "Not now. I just want you two to know who's leading the other side."

Reeve stared at her face as she retracted her hand from the desk.

"I've already told Bruce what I have planned for you all."

"...Which is..." Reeve said.

Melissa smiled. "War."

"What?!" He could not believe what he just heard.

"That's right!" Bruce said. "It's almost time to prove to you street rats who the dominant force in this house is!"

Melissa turned to Bruce. "Come again?"

Bruce scratched the back of his head. "Second-most dominant force in the house."

"That's better."

"Hold on," Reeve said. "You mean to tell me that you're actually going to make us fight each other?"

Melissa nodded.

"Why?"

"I have my reasons," Melissa said. "Besides, I'm sure that, deep down, you really want the opportunity to rip Bruce's face from his body, don't you?"

Bruce scoffed at this notion. "Yeah, right!"

"This is my way of giving you little people what you want. Of course, before the fighting starts, I have to thin out your numbers. You have a bit too many people on your side right now."

"...How many of us are you going to kill?" Reeve asked.

"Just everyone in the other two cages back there. That should leave your cage, and his cage."

Reeve began to speak in protest, but stopped himself. He had his doubts over her plan to eradicate nearly half of the Homeless that were being held captive in the closet, but he knew that he was far too powerless to stop her. Besides, he knew that the others would be more than excited to have the opportunity to get vengeance on the Refugees. The only downside was that sheer numbers would be less on their side.

"...Fine," Reeve reluctantly said. "When is all of this going down?"

"Probably next week," Melissa answered. "I don't know exactly when, though."

"It doesn't matter when!" Bruce chimed in. "Next week, the week after, hell, it could even be a year, and we'd still kick your asses!"

"Man!" Reeve gritted his teeth. "I can't wait to knock that cocky look off of your face!"

"You're going to have to wait forever, 'cause that's never gonna happen!"

"Alright, that's enough," Melissa said. "Save some of that fire for the battle." She then stood from her chair, and pushed it back under the desk. "Anyway, I think that's all for this meeting. It's time for you two to go rally the troops."

"Of course!" Bruce said to Melissa, before turning back to Reeve. "You may have quantity on your side, but we have quality! There's no way you people can win!"

Reeve balled his fist and shook it at the man. "We'll just see about that, won't we?!"

Bruce stepped closer to Reeve. "Just accept it!"

Reeve also took a step towards the Refugee leader. "Never!"

"ENOUGH!!" Melissa yelled.

Both men recoiled as the woman slammed her palm on the desk.

"Goddammit, you two just don't listen." She said. "Cool it. Or not only will the battle be cancelled, but I'll kill you both right here. Got it?"

Bruce glared at Reeve for a few seconds before calming himself, and then backing away from him.

"That's better." Melissa then scooped both of them into her right hand. Reeve, being forcefully held next to his bitter rival, watched as he was carried back into the closet.

Once inside, the woman made her way far into the back, where the glass cages were. With her other hand, she plucked Bruce from her open palm and placed him in the Refugees' cage, which was followed by sound of awe emitted from within. Then, Reeve found himself being moved over his cage, and then, with the woman's fingers grabbing hold of his collar, being placed into the cage. As his feet touched the glass floor, the fingers receded. He turned around to look at the Melissa. She merely smiled, and the turned around and left the closet.

Immediately after she left, his comrades began to surround him.

"What happened out there?" One man asked.

Reeve looked around him, at the faces of the men and women each looking back at him, before a sly smile grew on his face.

"You guys aren't going to believe this, but we're going to war." He then pointed his thumb towards the Refugees' cage. "Against them."

He heard a collective gasp around him, which was soon replaced by a somewhat excited commotion as the people around him started to chatter amongst themselves over the prospects of finally being able to take down the Refugees once and for all.

~~~

The Refugees began to surround Bruce, who had just been dropped into their cage by Melissa. She had just walked out of the closet, leaving them to marvel at their leader, whom they had not seen in quite a while.

"No way..." Matt said, standing in awe.

"Bruce!" Dawson called out. "Where have you been?!"

Bruce let out a hearty laugh. "I could ask you all the same thing! I went to the campsite, only to find out that you all had left! Why did you all do that?! Didn't I say that I was going to lead you all out of here?"

"Sorry," Dawson said. "Ray goated us into following him outside, which led us right into Melissa."

"Ahh..." Bruce folded his arms. "Anyway, I went out to try to find where you went, and was soon caught by Melissa. She kept me prisoner in another place. I guess it's because I'm so handsome."

A few giggles were heard from the crowd.

"But wait," Shawn said, stepping forward. "If you're one of her special prisoners, then why did she all of a sudden bring you in here with us?"

"That's a very good question!" Bruce said. "Melissa had me speak with the leader of the Homeless over there. Basically, here's what's gonna happen: Sometime in the near future, we are going to engage in an all-out, no-holds-barred battle against the Homeless."

"What?!" Dawson exclaimed in disbelief. "Are you serious?!"

"I'm dead serious," Bruce replied. "I was put in here to help you all prepare for this monumental event."

The Refugees began to chatter amongst themselves. They seemed to be excited to have the chance to destroy the Homeless in one decisive battle. The mood of the cage became somewhat optimistic.

"They may have numbers on their side," Bruce loudly announced, "but we have power. We are younger and stronger! We can break their bones with no effort at all! Am I right?!"

"Yeah!" Several of the Refugees shouted.

"I even beat up one the other day!" Matt cheerfully said. "Dawson helped, too. It was a 2-on-2 battle."

"Oh?" Bruce looked towards him. "Then you both already have experience."

"Yep!" Matt grinned. "They should be no threat to us!"

Bruce laughed. "Of course not!"

"Excuse me." Bruce turned to his left and saw Carlos approach him. "Do you happen to know where Thomas and Gloria are?"

Bruce stared Carlos in the face for several seconds, his cheerful expression having disappeared in favor of a more stoic one.

"Well?" Carlos added.

"I don't know where Thomas is," Bruce said. "I bet he's somewhere hiding in the walls." He sighed. "But Gloria..."

He looked around him, and saw the group watching him expectantly, with a look of concern and curiosity on each of their faces.

"I hate to say this. I really do." Bruce shook his head. "Gloria is dead."

A collective gasp was heard from around him. Carlos' mouth dropped wide open, before he dropped his head.

"That's what Melissa told me."

"Wait..." Matt said. "Did Thomas leave her behind or something?"

"I wouldn't put it past that fool." Bruce replied.

"I knew he was unreliable," said Jenna in contempt.

"You said it," agreed Matt.

"Hold it," Shawn said. "Aren't we jumping to conclusions? There must be a reason for this."

"The reason is that he's a fuckin' coward," Bruce said.

Several people in the crowd shouted their agreement with him. Deep inside, Bruce loved that Thomas was not popular among his followers. If possible, if Thomas is ever caught, he could even get them to beat and exile him.

He walked towards the crowd. "Anyway, I think I'm going to find some place to rest."

"Wait," Dawson said. "Before you do that, there's someone you have to see."

"What?" Bruce said, confused. "Who?"

"You'll know as soon as you see her. C'mon."

Dawson led Bruce through the Refugees, then away from them. He followed him across the dark cage, until they arrived at one of the far corners of the glass prison. He saw two young women standing there, and recognized them as Beatrix and Lisa. However, sitting behind them was an unfamiliar woman. She seemed rather old and somewhat homely by his standard. Her clothes were also dirty and ragged.

He knew right away that this was a Homeless woman.

"Bruce!" Lisa greeted. "Good to see you back with us."

"Glad to be back with my favorite people," Bruce said with a smile, which quickly faded as he pointed past the two women. "What is she doing here?"

"I don't know," Beatrix said. "She was dropped in here by Melissa. She calls herself an 'ex-Homeless'."

"'Ex-Homeless'? What the hell?!" Bruce grunted. "Listen, lady. Don't think you can become one of us, because you can't. You should have stayed in there with your own kind."

"No," the woman said. "'My own kind' rejected me and my ideals. I think I will fit in quite nicely with you all."

"Bullshit!" Bruce spat on the floor. "Listen, the next game Melissa starts, you're going out there. No 'if's, 'and's, or 'but's."

The woman smiled. "Then I'll make sure that I win and come back here."

Bruce slapped his palm against his forehead. "Shit!"

"What do you want us to do with her?" Beatrix asked.

Bruce glared at the woman, who returned his gaze with a smile. "Keep her here and watch her."

Lisa sighed. "We've been doing that for a while now."

"Well, do it for a little bit more, and I'll get someone else to replace you two." Bruce turned around. "I'm going to go get some rest." With that, he walked away from the four people behind him.

~~~

Sayuko walked back into her bedroom, now a bit calmer than she was when she left. After thinking it over over a glass of water, she knew that Thomas was right. Taro had not been slain by Melissa, and she did not want to think about him being murdered. She only wanted to think about liberating him from the clutches of that mad woman.

She approached the study desk, and saw that Thomas was looking diligently towards the television. He merely glanced at her as she walked to the desk, before focusing back on the TV. Curious, she turned towards the TV and saw that a middle-aged African American woman was being interviewed.

"I miss him," she said in a worried tone. "I wish that he would call me and let me know that he's alright. This is very unlike him. I hope nothing bad has happened to him... He's my boy."

"Who is that?" Sayuko asked.

"...My mom," Thomas answered.

Sayuko's mouth dropped as she covered it with her hand.

A photo of Thomas appeared on the screen. "Thomas Kirkland is just one of the many young people who have gone missing in the past months," said a male voice, most likely belonging to the newscaster. "There are no leads, and police fear that these strange disappearances will continue. If you have any information to the whereabouts of Thomas or any of the other missing victims, call 1-800-555-3313. Joshua Daniels, reporting."

Sayuko turned to Thomas. "Are you sure that you don't want to call her? She seems very worried about you."

Thomas stared at her, before saying, "No. I said before that I don't want to talk to her until all of this is resolved."

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes. My mom's a strong woman. She would never give up hope unless proof of my dead body surfaced."

"Oh." Sayuko smiled. "She sounds like a nice woman."

"She is. ...And I know that she'll be estatic when I'm finally able to call her, when I'm back to my normal size." He sighed.

Sayuko knelt down, so that her face was on the level of the desk's surface. "Let's not keep her waiting, then. I'm not going to give up hope, either."

"Neither am I. We'll find a way to settle all of this. Very soon. I know it."

"Oh, and Thoma-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"When all of this is over... could you introduce me to your mother?"

Thomas smiled, and nodded. "Of course."

Sayuko smiled back. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

"You're more than welcome." Thomas smiled again, and then turned back towards the television, as did Sayuko.

The news station's weatherman was standing in front of a map of southern California.

From the looks of things, it seemed that a heavy rainstorm was headed for the area.

Thomas jumped up from his makeshift bed, having been violently awoken by that loud noise. He looked towards the window, and saw and heard the downpour outside beating on it.

It was thunder. At his size, it was much more louder and menacing. Even the more quiet rumbles would probably keep him awake for the duration of the storm. He had no idea what time it was, but it must have been some time after 2am.

He sighed as a flash of lightning illuminated the room. However, he also heard moans from his right, where Sayuko's bed was. He stepped out of his bed and walked to the edge of the desk, and peered out towards Sayuko.

Underneath her bedsheets, she was shaking and muttering in Japanese.

Sayuko awoke to a deep, dark blue sky. She sat up from the ground and looked around her. She seemed to be in a vast, endless plain of grass and flowers. Behind her was the setting sun, casting an orange glow to the landscape, and a red-orange sky around the star itself.

"Wh... Where am I?" she asked herself.

She stood up and once again examined the scenery, before taking steps towards the sun. This place, wherever it was, seemed to be quite beautiful, although it was eerily quiet. There was no sound. Not even the sound of a whispering wind. Just the sound of the grass crunching underneath her sandals.

Eventually, she came to a clearing with its grass cut extremely low. It had a diameter of about 20 feet. As she stepped in the middle of the clearing, she again looked towards the sun. She had no idea how long she walked, but the sun had not sunk any lower than when she first arrived: It seemed to be locked in its position.

Becoming a bit unnerved, Sayuko scanned around herself one last time before yelling, "Is anyone here?! Hello!! Can you hear me?!"

No answer.

"Anyone?! Please, answer me!!"

Still nothing.

Sayuko whimpered a bit, and looked upward, towards the sky. A single bright star was shining above her. As she stared at it, she found that she could relate to her celestial watcher. Like her, it too was a single point in an empty plain.

Suddenly, another star lit up right next to it. And then another one. And another.

Sayuko gasped as dozens upon dozen of stars lit up above her. However, what struck her as odd was that these stars seemed to be making an outline of something. As she looked closely at the celestial show, she found that the shape of the outline began to look like a head. A head with somewhat long hair. She saw the stars within the outer circle form a smiling face. A face that seemed very familiar to her.

Where had she seen something like that before?

At that point, she realized that the pattern in the heavens bore a striking to Melissa's likeness. Horrifyed, she started shaking her head frantically, and backing away from the center of the clearing.

"Hello, little Sayu!" An all-too-familiar voice boomed from all directions.

Sayuko looked around her. "Melissa! Where are you?! Where am I?!"

The voice laughed. "That doesn't matter! It's time for you to do your job!"

Sayuko blinked. "What job-"

Suddenly, she heard the grass around her rustle in several spots. She looked towards one of them, and gasped as she saw a tiny man walk out from within. She turned to the other spots, and saw many more small people walking out from the grass.

"Men!!" The voice said. "That's the monster that destroyed your village and killed your loved ones!"

"What?!" Sayuko was shocked at what she just heard.

"If you want to avenge them, you know what to do!!"

At that point, the first man gave a somewhat loud warcry before charging towards her. As he reached her, Sayuko instictively lifted her foot and stomped down on him, crushing him instantly. She gasped, having realized what she had done.

"I'm sorry..." She said.

"Did you see that?!" said the voice. "She showed no mercy about killing one of your people! You all HAVE to take her down now!!"

Suddenly, hundreds of tiny people emerged from the grass and began to dash towards her. Each one was looking to avenge not only their fallen comrade, but the village that she allegedly destroyed.

"No," Sayuko begged. "Stay back. I don't want to kill any of you."

They did not listen. Instead, the ones who reached her feet began to climb her sandals onto her foot. Some even attempted to climb her legs.

Sayuko shrieked and lifted each of her legs, one after another, and shook the people off of her body. With those assailants laying on the ground, she gulped and tread down each one of them. This act further enraged the many more tiny people that surrounded her, who each tried to accomplish what their dead companioned failed to do.

Sayuko began to stomp wildly around the clearing. She heard and felt each body she crushed under her feet, their final screams being silenced with each step she took. Some, realizing the futility of their efforts, tried to run back into the grass. However, Sayuko ran each one of them down, and crushed them underneath.

After what seemed like forever, Sayuko found and stepped on and killed the final man that had tried to fight her. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily, and placed her hands on the ground. It was wet... and sticky. Sayuko withdrew her ands and examined them. They were coated with blood.

She quickly stood up again, her legs also covered with blood. The clearing, which was a light shade of green beforehand, had been painted red with the blood and flesh of the hundreds of tiny people she killed.

She balled her fists, which soon began shaking. Suddenly, she looked skyward, towards the image of Melissa, and shouted, "There! I did what you wanted me to do! Now get me out of here!!"

The voice laughed. "You did well! Unfortunately, you're not done yet! There's more, little Sayu." It chuckled. "And I DO mean little."

Suddenly, one of the stars flared up, so bright that the light from it engulfed her entire vision and blinded her.

~~~

The storm outside did not do anything to stop them. In fact, it had began while Melissa and Byron were on their way back to her house. The two had met up with each other earlier that day... or rather, the night before, as it was now past midnight. After leaving the nightclub they danced in for several hours, they made their way here, and immediately headed for Melissa bedroom.

Now, here they were, under the covers and stark naked with their clothes strewn across the bedroom floor.

Byron was laying on the bed with Melissa on top of him, kissing him on his lips and then moving to his neck.

"Oh yeah..." he moaned.

Melissa quickly silenced him by again pressing her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her ever closer to his body.

Soon, however, she pulled away and pushed herself over him with her arms.

"I think nature is having fun watching us," Melissa said with a smile. "I bet she loves seeing two young and good-looking people like us makin' love."

"Of course," Byron agreed as the room lit up from a flash of lightning, followed soon after by a crash of thunder. "As long as no lightning hits us."

"I wouldn't count on it."

"Haha..."

Byron then reached up with his right hand and grabbed ahold of Melissa's left breast. She moaned a bit as he squeezed it softly.

"Your tits are wonderful," he said, before bring his other hand to her other breast and began to rub them.

"Glad you like them," Melissa said. "I've wanted bigger ones, but I don't want any implants. I guess I have to work with what God gave me." She chuckled.

"Wait... Do you or don't you believe in God? You just mentioned nature a minute ago, and you called it a she."

Melissa shook her head. "Does it matter? You shouldn't be thinking about either one, anyway." She bent her arms, drawing herself closer to Byron's face and giving a sly smile. "I'm the only Goddess you should have on your mind right now."

"Yes, my Goddess."

He removed his arms from her breasts and wrapped them around her body. He then pulled her back to his body and began kissing her on the lips again.

Soon, the two traded places as they flipped over. Now on top, Byron began to rapidly thrust his crotch into her's.

~~~

Sayuko awoke to a violent shaking. The ground underneath her was rumbling very rapidly and violently. She looked ahead... and saw massive fingers. Her heart dropped. She knew right away what happened.

She had been shrunken.

At that moment, she started to panic.

"Sister, you're awake."

That voice... It was very familiar... and so loud. She looked behind her, and above, and saw the massive face of Taro. He was carrying her in his gigantic hands.

Despite being such a menacing sight, she found herself calm in his grasp.

"Don't worry," he said. "There's no way I'm going to let that woman take my only sister away."

"Brother..." Sayuko said. "Where are we?"

"I don't know."

Sayuko scanned around herself at the passing scenery. The two siblings seemed to be in the streets in the center of a large metropolis. However, the street and building lights were turned off. Instead, the city was illuminated by the moon and stars above.

"You... don't?" Sayuko said in a somewhat disappointed tone. Taro had always seemed to know the answer to anything.

"It doesn't matter, anyway. What matters right now is saving you." Taro looked down at her and gave her a smile.

She sighed and smiled back. That same smile calmed her many times when she was a child. She knew in that instance that everything was going to be just fine. She truly felt safe in his hands...

"Gotcha!" The disembodied voice from before.

Suddenly, a burst of light flashed from behind Taro. He was soon engulfed by the light, and his hands disappeared from underneath Sayuko's body. She found herself being thrown across the street, hitting the concrete ground rather hard.

She rubbed her head and struggled to her feet. She then looked back towards where Taro had been, and saw nothing. Nothing but the dark street.

"Brother!!" She called. "Where are you?!"

She started to run towards that area, until a large, booted foot slammed down in her path. She shrieked and jumped back. She looked upward, following the dirty pants up to the ragged coat and then to the wrinkled, bearded face that was looking back down on her.

"Well, looky here!" the man said. "It's that gurl who was killin' our friends! But now she's tiny!"

She backed away from the man, but soon collided with something hard behind her. She turned around and saw another shoe, attached to another man.

"This chink thought that she had all the power in the world!" this man said. "But now she's at our mercy!"

Terrified, Sayuko moved away from this man, and heard approaching footsteps. Several of them. She looked around, and saw many more men approaching the area, as if appearing from nowhere. Soon, she was surrounded by several of these men, each one rising over her like a skyscraper.

"Who wants to step on her first?" One asked.

"I do!" responded one.

"No, me!" said another.

Sayuko screamed and began to run toward an opening in the crowd.

"She's makin' a run for it!"

"Stop her! Stomp her!"

Soon, a flurry of feet began to step down around her. She ran as fast as she could, narrowly avoiding being crushed underneath the feet of these homocidal men.

A dirty bare foot stomped down in her path. She shrieked and ran around it.

A shadow engulfed her body and the ground around her. She looked up and saw the dirty sole of a boot hanging over her. She ran to the right, and was knocked off of her feet by the shockwave of the foot slamming down behind her. She immediately picked herself back up and continued her fleeing.

As she reached that opening she was running for, another boot slammed down in her path, blocking her way. She had no choice but to try to climb over the boot to get away. However, as soon as she reached the top of the foot, it lifted from the ground and began to shake. She quickly lost her grip and fell to the ground. She looked up as the sole of the boot began to descend on her.

She screamed and closed her eyes.

She waited for the rubber sole to collide with her flesh and completely demolish her.

She waited.

The noise of the men faded.

She waited some more.

The noise soon diappeared completely.

She opened her eyes, and saw the night sky over the tall buildings. She sat up and saw that those giant, hideous men were gone.

She stood up and started to run down the empty street, tears running down and flying from her face.

~~~

Sayuko's shuddering became more violent, and her wimpering louder. Thomas could tell that she was having a nightmare. A really bad one.

"Sayuko!!" He called. "Hey! Wake up!! You're having a bad dream!!"

No good. Not even that giant crash of thunder from earlier moved her from her slumber. What chance did his voice have of reaching her?

"Dammit. Hang in there, Sayu..."

Thomas said as he sat at the edge of the desk, watching her and listening to the rain outside. The storm seemed to be calming down. The downpour on the window had lightened up. However, there were still flashes of lightning, and rumble of thunder.

~~~

Byron moaned in deep satisfaction as Melissa's wet lips left his member. Soon, she appeared from underneath the covers and crawled back up to his upper body, bringing her face very close to his.

"That... was... incredible..." Byron said between breaths. "You really do have the lips... of a Goddess..."

Melissa laughed. "What did I tell you?" She kissed him on the lips.

"Eww...." Byron said as she pulled away. "That's nasty."

Melissa playfully slapped him on the chest. "Stop it."

"No, really."

Melissa then pulled away from him and moved to the side of the bed, and sat up.

"What's wrong?' Byron asked.

Melissa stood up. "Nothing, really. But I did what you wanted me to do, so you have to return the favor."

Byron blinked. "You want me to eat you out?"

Melissa laughed. "No. Nothing like that. I have a special toy that will help us take this a step further."

"What?"

Byron watched her walk away from the bed, and towards her dresser further away in the room. She pulled open the top drawer and grabbed something out of it. Byron could barely see what it was, due to the darkness. She closet the drawer and turned to face him.

"Sit up," she ordered.

"Why?"

"Do it, sexy."

Byron shrugged and did as she said, pulling himself up so that his back was against the headboard. He watched as Melissa took a pose as if she was pointing a gun at him.

Wait... now that he looked closely, he saw that whatever it was that she was holding DID look like a gun. A strange gun with what looked like a satellite dish in front, but a gun nonetheless.

He became a bit apprehensive. "What are you-"

"Smile!"

Byron was soon blinded by a flash of light. Lightning, perhaps?

He came to, laying on something soft. He opened his eyes and looked to his side. There was a large, dark white plain with small hills stretching out in front of him. He looked upward and saw the dark sky. He had no idea where he was. However, a figure appeared to his side. A large figure.

His mouth dropped. This figure was a naked Melissa.

"Wh-what did you do?!" Byron said, terrified.

"Oh~!" Melissa said in a adoring tone. "You're so cute like that!"

"What did you do?!" He yelled.

Melissa laughed. "I shrunk you."

Byron could not believe what he just heard. "What the fuck?! How?! Why?!"

"With this." She brought up the gun she was holding, and showed it to him. "My Shrink Ray."

"What?!"

"As for why... well..."

Melissa then lifted her leg over the bed. Byron soon saw the sole of her bare foot coming down on him. He tried to stand, but it came down on him faster than he could. Her flesh completely engulfed his body, and pressed him into what he had concluded was the matress below him.

For what seemed like an eternity, the foot kept him pinned against the bed. He screamed and flailed about, and tried to beat on the undersole. He could breath in nothing but the odor of her foot.

Soon, the foot lifted off, leaving him in its wake. He looked up at the towering woman, who was smiling down at him.

"You bitch!" He said in anger. "Turn me back to normal! Right now!"

She laughed. "No. Didn't I say before that I was your Goddess. Now... I truly am. You're nothing to me now, like we humans are nothing before the feet of God."

"You..." Byron gritted his teeth.

"In fact, for calling me a 'bitch', I think I'll enact my judgment on you."

"What are you going to do?"

Melissa examined his body. "Well, I can't use you as a living dildo. I need at least 5 inches. You're not enough man for me!"

Byron raised his fist in protest. Never before had he felt as emasculated as he did this moment.

"Instead, I have another plan."

She bent down and disappeared under the bed. Byron could hear her moving things underneath. Soon, she reappeared, though still kneeling on the floor. He saw her hand come up and reach out for him. He tried to run, but its fingers wrapped around him before he started to run. He screamed as he was pulled away from the bed and dropped in a large, empty shoebox.

He looked upward, and saw the smiling Melissa's face over him.

"Let me out!" He shouted.

"I will. In the morning." She placed her hand on the edge of the box. "I'm tired now, so I'm going to sleep. You go to sleep, too. Okay, cutie?"

"No! Let me out NOW!!"

Melissa simply ignored him and pushed the box. Her face soon disappeared as the darkness under her bed overtook her. Her hand receded, leaving him alone in the box.

"Let me out! Please!" He screamed frantically, and started to pound on the cardboard wall of the box.

~~~

Sayuko had been running for what seemed like hours. The city had been far left behind. In fact, she could not even see it anymore. Not only that, but wherever she was was devoid of any physical features. There were not even stars or the moon in the sky. This entire realm was a deep, dark blue color.

She stopped running and placed her palms on her knees, and started to pant.

"Sister!"

Sayuko looked up, in front of her. Off in the distance was Taro. However, unlike when she last saw him, he too had been reduced down to size.

Regardless, she was happy to see him again.

"Brother!"

She immediately started to run toward him, as he did toward her.

She stretched her arms out for him as he was within 10 feet of her.

Suddenly, a large, ebony foot in a black flip-flop sandal came down on Taro, crushing him underneath. Sayuko gasped and fell to her knees. She was in a state of shock, looking at the large foot. She did not want to look upward, for she already knew who the foot belonged to.

"Hello, little Sayu," said the giant woman.

"You..." Sayuko said, still stunned. "You killed him... How could you... Melissa... You killed my brother..."

"Yes, I did."

Melissa twisted her foot on the spot. Sayuko cringed as she heard the remains of her brother crunch with every motion.

"Anyway, I have no use for him anymore. And that means that I have no more use for you."

Sayuko started to shake in fear as she watched Melissa's foot lift from the ground and was held over her tiny body. At this point, Sayuko slowly turned her head to look at the sole above her, with some of the remains of her brother still plastered there. At that moment, she broke down and started to cry.

"You love your brother so much," Melissa said, "then be with him under my foot. Forever!"

Sayuko screamed as Melissa's bloody sole began to descend on her, before she saw nothing but black.

~~~

"EEEEEE-YYAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!"

Thomas jumped as he heard Sayuko's bloodcurdling scream. He saw Sayuko jump up from her bed as a crash of thunder boomed from outside, before she just sat there, hyperventilating.

"Sayuko!" Thomas called. "Are you all right?!"

She did not answer. She did not even so much as glance at him. Instead, she dropped her face into her open palms and began to cry loudly.

"Sayuko!!" Thomas called again. "It's alright! It's over now! Calm down!"

His words did not seem to reach her. She only continued to weep.

"Sayuko..." Thomas sighed.

He had no idea how long this would go on. He could only hope that she would quiet down soon.

He had not wished to have been his normal size more than he did at this moment. He wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her.

~~~

It was morning, though it was still raining outside. Melissa had since risen from bed, and thrown on a pair of panties and a red T-shirt. After coming from the bathroom, she walked to her bed and knelt down at its side. She reached under the bed and pulled out a blue shoebox. Inside was her fling from last night; Byron.

He was looking up at her, though he lost his balance when she pulled the box out.

"Good morning!" Melissa greeted. "You're Goddess is back, and she's about to enact her judgment!"

"Please..." Byron said. "Let me go. I promise that I'll never tell anyone of what happened."

She shook her head. "Sorry, but I can't take that rise."

She picked up the box and stood up, and then walked to the center of her room. She then kneeled down and turned the box upside-down, causing the tiny naked man to tumble onto the floor. Melissa then stood upright and threw the shoebox on her messy bed.

"You better run if you want a chance of living," Melissa said to the man.

"What are you doing to do?" Byron was foolish enough to ask as he stood to his feet.

"You're nothing more than a bug now, an insignificant pest." She got a sadistic look on her face. "I'm going to squish you."

"Oh, hell no!!" Byron got a horrified look on his face before turning around and running away from her.

Melissa could not help but laugh at his futile efforts to evade her. He was just too small and weak, and she so large and strong compared to him.

She took a large step forward, stepping right onto his small, less-than-two inch frame. She heard his muffled cries from underneath her bare foot.

"Good-bye, my loyal subject."

She then pressed down on his body. She could feel his bones compress under her sole, along with the growing wet and sticky sensation of his blood.

"I love that feeling." She let out a sigh of sheer satisfaction.

She lifted her foot from the spot. Byron's flattened body laid in a pool of blood in her foot's wake. She looked at the sole of her foot, and saw a bit of blood on the ball of her foot. She smiled. This man had satisfied her in more ways than any of her other captives before him. She was truly grateful. Especially to her friend Lauren, who had introduced the two. Speaking of Lauren...

"I'm going to have a hard time explaining this to her..." Melissa sighed as she walked out of the bedroom, and back into the bathroom to wipe the mess from her foot.

Morning came quite slowly for Thomas and Sayuko. That was because, after the incident that happened hours earlier, neither one could get back to sleep. Sayuko did, however, calm herself down several minutes after she awoken.

What surprised Thomas was that, according to her, this was not the first time that such an event had happened, though they had been fairly isolated. Sayuko was convinced that those nightmares had disappeared, since she had not had one in three weeks prior to last night.

"I was wrong," Sayuko told him with a weak smile.

So, for the rest of the night, as the rain died down outside, they watched television, as Thomas suggested the two of them watch the "Cartoon Network" channel for the "[Adult Swim]" programming block. He listened to the sounds of the television, the sparse sounds of the now ever-growing-distant thunder that soon faded completely... and Sayuko's coughing.

Indeed, near the end of the night, Sayuko began to cough quite a bit. At one point, as the light from the sun behind the clouds began to fill the room, Sayuko had to get out from her bed and leave, as her coughing had become quite frequent.

Ten minutes later, as Thomas was watching the television, Sayuko returned, holding some Kleenex to her nose with one hand, and a box of more Kleenex in the other.

Thomas watched Sayuko walk towards her bed, and perched herself on it. There, she blew her nose into the tissue she was holding, and then threw it into the trash can near her bed. She then set the box of Kleenex onto the nightstand next to her bed, near her alarm clock. After another cough, she laid back down in her bed pulled the covers over her body, though Thomas could see her face as she was facing him. Her nose looked a bit red.

"Hey, Sayuko," Thomas called. "You're sick, aren't you?"

She nodded. "...It always happens after I have a dream like that. It should be gone by tomorrow." Her voice seemed a bit weak.

"I hope so. But isn't today Sunday?"

Sayuko's eyes briefly widened, as if she just realized it for the first time.

"You think Melissa's going to let you miss two Sunday's in a row. I mean... Yeah, you're sick, but would Melissa use that as an excuse?"

"...I don't know... I hope she does. I don't want to move around too much. I just want to stay in my bed all day. Of course, except to care for you-" She coughed.

Thomas sat down on the desk. "When are you going to call her?"

Sayuko closed her eyes. "In an hour or two. I just need to try to get a little rest for now..."

"Okay... I'll shut up until then."

She smiled. "Don't worry about that, Thoma-kun."

In a matter of seconds, she seemed to doze off. Looking at her, Thomas thought that it was nice that she was finally getting some sleep after last night's incident. He smiled softly at her, before turning his attention back to the television.

~~~

Carlos sat in a dark corner of the glass cage, with his head face-down in his risen knees and his arms wrapped around them. He had been sitting there for seemingly hours, since he heard the terrible news about Gloria's fate. Sure, many of the others also took the news of her death quite hard, but Calos seemed to be most affected by it. Soon after Bruce was led away by Dawson to meet the Homeless woman, Carlos made his way to this very spot, desiring to be alone with his thoughts. So far, no one had bothered him.

That was soon about to change, as he heard footsteps approaching him. He lifted his head, and saw Shawn walking towards him. He wiped his eyes and dropped both of his arms to his side as Shawn stopped in front of him.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You've been over here for a while. Many of the others sensed that you didn't want to be bothered, so they left you alone."

"...I just need some time with my thoughts," Carlos responded.

"About Gloria, right?"

"...Yeah..."

Shawn sat down besides him. "What do you think about what Bruce said? About Thomas abandoning her?"

"I don't want to believe that he'd stoop that low... But the two weren't exactly seeing eye-to-eye when I left."

"As you said before... But there must be a good reason why Gloria was killed. Maybe they ran out of food, and Gloria offered to go out and look for some. ...And then she was caught by Melissa."

Carlos shook his head. "If that's the case, Thomas should have helped out anyway. Maybe Bruce is right about him being a coward..."

"I wouldn't say that. You know that he volunteered to be in the new scavenger group with you and Gloria. ...And don't bring up the centipede incident. Anyone would have ran from that thing if they were in our situation."

"Yeah... But still..."

"Maybe soon, we'll hear his side of the story. Bruce could be wrong about him."

"...Are you saying that he's going to be caught by Melissa?"

"It's highly possible at this point. He has no one else to turn to at this point. It's only a matter of time before he tries something that gets him caught."

"How do you know that Melissa won't just outright kill him?"

Shawn brushed his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I guess that's a possibility, too. Though I do know that Melissa and Gloria didn't like each other when they were both big. Maybe that was a factor in her murder."

Carlos sighed. "I... I just wanted to see her again."

"Why's that?"

Carlos didn't answer.

"Well?"

"...When all of this ended, I was going to ask her out."

Shawn's eyes widened. "Oh?"

"I know that she was trying to restore her relationship with Thomas when I left, but I don't think anything romantic would have come out of that. I think I could relate to her more than he could, anyway."

"...Because you're both Latino?" Shawn said bluntly.

"Not just that. Thomas seems like someone who spent his free time indoors, living a bit of a sheltered life. I don't think he could understand what Gloria went through before she came here."

"...And you can?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I wasn't in a gang like she was, but I knew some people who were, who filled me in on how life was for people like her. Plus, I got out the house more, and saw the world with my own eyes."

"I see..." Shawn stood up. "Well, in any case, we may be seeing Thomas soon. Then, you can ask him all about the circumstances behind Gloria's death."

"Yeah..."

He watched as Shawn walked away from him, back to where the other Refugees were. Some of them had taken to sparring against each other, no doubt in preparation for the war that was coming up. A war against the Homeless.

Suddenly, he had a thought.

He may be seeing Gloria sooner than he had expected.

~~~

Thomas nibbled on the piece of Cheerio that Sayuko had given him. True to her word, in just an hour-and-a-half, Sayuko had awoken and given him his bath and his breakfast, like she had many mornings before. Even when sick, she was devoted to caring for him. This was something Thomas admired her for.

"Don't worry," Sayuko said. "I washed my hands, and I made sure to not cough or sneeze while I was getting your food."

"I'm sure you did," Thomas said with a smile.

Sayuko smiled back. "I wouldn't want to get you sick, too. ...I wouldn't know how to treat a sick little person."

"You could give me medicine."

"...Maybe, but I wouldn't know the exact doses..."

"Ah..." Thomas took a bite out of the Cheerio in his hands.

Sayuko then stepped back from the desk, and reached onto her nightstand. Thomas saw her pull her cell phone from behind the box of Kleenex that was already set there. She flipped the phone open, pressed a few buttons, and brought the phone to her ear.

"About to call Melissa?" Thomas asked.

Sayuko nodded, and then waited a few seconds, before her eyes briefly widened, a sign that she got ahold of Melissa.

"...Yes, Melissa..." Sayuko's voice was weak again, most likely to prove to the woman on the other side of the line that she was ill. "...I don't think I can come over today. ...I'm sick. ...Yes. ...I know that I missed a week already, but could I stay home this week, too? ...I wouldn't want you to catch my illness." Sayuko was silent for several seconds, before an expression of excitement appeared on her face. "T-thank you, Melissa!"

After a few seconds, Sayuko closed the phone and placed it back on her nightstand.

"She said you could stay home?" Thomas asked.

"Yes." Sayuko's face was beaming with joy.

"That's great!" Thomas exclaimed, as he was also happy for her. "Now you can stay in bed for the rest of the day and sleep off the sickness like you wanted!"

"I know," Sayuko said before laughing a bit

Thomas calmed himself. "Did I get too excited?"

Sayuko shook her head. "It's alright. I'd be excited too, if our situations were reversed."

Thomas blinked. "You mean if I was big... normal-sized, and taking care of a tiny you?"

She nodded.

"Hmm..."

"I'm sure you would take great care of me, too, Thoma-kun." She coughed.

"Hey... You should used this time to get in bed now. The sooner you're feeling better, the sooner we can tackle your homework."

Sayuko gasped. "I forgot all about that."

"Don't worry." Thomas smiled. "With me around, you can finish it in five minutes!"

Sayuko giggled. "I'm sure I can. But you're right." She then sat down on her bed. "I need to get some rest now."

Thomas nodded. "Alright, Sayuko. Rest off that illness."

Sayuko smiled at him. "I will." She then laid down in the bed and pulled the bedsheets over her body.

Thomas took another bite from his Cheerio, before placing it on the desk's surface besides him. He then grabbed the bowl of milk that he had also been given, and began to drink the contents inside.

In his mind, he began to daydream of such a scenario that Sayuko had mentioned, where he was back to his normal size and looking after a shrunken Sayuko. As she said, he would try his utmost to care for her and ensure her safety until he could get her back to her normal size.

"...Nah," he said to himself. "I think I prefer her to be the one looking after me."

Wait, what? Thomas had no idea how he came to that conclusion. It seemed that Dawson's antics were rubbing off on him.

~~~

Melissa closed her cell phone and slipped it into her pants pocket.

"Interesting," she said.

Sayuko had just called her, and told her that she was ill. Her voice did seem weak enough, but Melissa had her doubts. In the end, however, she reluctantly allowed her to stay home.

"I think I'm becoming too nice." She turned behind her and towards the floor. "What do you think?"

On the floor was one of the men from the closet, who had been bound to the hard floor by scotch tape on his arms and legs. He was one of the many "Homeless" men that Melissa had decided to weed out before the big battle she had planned between her captives. He had since given up on trying to free himself from his current predicament.

She bent her upper body towards the man. "Do you think I'm nice?"

The man frantically nodded. Melissa could see the fear that was overwhelming his face.

"Is that right?" Melissa said, quietly yet somewhat menacing. "Well, guess what? I'm not nice. Not to you pathetic little bugs. And do you know what happens to bugs?"

She stood back upright as she saw the man start to struggle and scream once again. He had obviously caught on to her intentions.

Melissa gave a malicious smile. "That's right. They get stepped on."

She then took a step forward, and, upon setting her right foot back down on the floor, completely destroying the unfortunate man's body underneath the sole of her flip-flop, extinguishing his screams, as well as his life.

"That's number 2 for today," Melissa said as she stepped off of the body, leaving nothing but a bloody splatter in its wake. "I still prefered Byron. By a longshot."

She sighed as she walked towards her cabinet. Once there, she undid the lock on it and pulled off the chain, before opening the doors. As expected, her special prisoner, Taro, was inside waiting for her.

"Hey, guess what," Melissa said.

Taro stared at her for a few seconds. "What?"

"Your sister isn't coming over here. Again."

"...Why not?"

"She says she's sick."

"Oh... So, what are you going to do now?"

Melissa sighed. "I don't know. I don't entirely believe her, either."

Taro's mouth dropped. "Are you going to... kill me?"

Melissa smiled. "No. Not yet, at least."

"...What do you mean?"

She grabbed hold of the doors of the cabinet. "Don't worry your little head off about it." She then closed the cabinet doors on the curious man inside and pulled the chains back on the handles, before locking them.

With a mischievous smile on her face, she headed for her closet.

~~~

Several hours had passed, evident by the sun outside now hanging overhead. Thomas watched as Sayuko came into her bedroom, having apparently come back from the bathroom, as evident from the dozen or so coughs, as well as the flush of the toilet, that he heard from the hallway.

"Are you alright?" Thomas asked in a concerned tone.

"Yes..." she softly answered. "...That's the worst part of my illness... Not being able to keep anything I eat down..."

"I have to agree with you there. Who does like throwing up?"

"Supermodels?" Sayuko giggled softly.

Thomas chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."

Sayuko smiled, which was quickly interrupted by an abrupt cough. She covered her mouth with her left hand as she coughed twice again in rapid sucession.

"You're not about to throw up again, are you?" Thomas asked.

Sayuko brought her hand to her chest as she breathed in, and then exhaled. "...No, I don't think so."

"Good..." Thomas breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mm-hmm." Sayuko then walked to her bed and sat down on it, facing Thomas. "Thoma-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"What was the worst dream you've ever had?"

"Uh?" Thomas pondered a bit over what she just asked. "...Well, I can't remember any really bad ones... Except for one last week."

"What was it about?" Sayuko moved her head closer to Thomas.

"You killed me."

Sayuko gasped. "What?!"

"Yeah... Well, you were forced into it. Melissa made you kill me and my companions so you can have your brother back."

"Oh... That's horrible. I would never kill you just to get my brother back. I'd want to find a way to save you both."

"I know. But in the dream, you were so... cold. Like we were nothing but bugs, and-"

"Thoma-kun," Sayuko interrupted.

"Huh?"

"Stop it."

Thomas blinked twice in slight disbelief.

"You don't have to worry about me killing you." She smiled. "No matter what, I'm going to keep you safe."

Thomas prepared to say something in protest, but instead sighed and smiled with a nod. "I believe you. You're a kind person. If there's anyone I'm glad to have spent so much time with, it's you."

Sayuko blushed. "Thank you, Thoma-kun."

"You're welcome."

Sayuko smiled, before preparing to lay back down in her bed once more. However, before she could do so, both she and Thomas heard a sound outside. It sounded like a car door slamming shut.

"It's probably one of the neighbors," Sayuko said as she stood back up.

"What are you doing?" Thomas asked.

She began to walk towards the window near the desk "Just a little look."

She looked out of the window, and then, with a gasp, immediately backed away from it. A horrified look was now on her face, once that made Thomas feel apprehensive.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"...M-melissa's here..." she answered.

Thomas felt his heart sink. "What?! Oh, you've gotta be kiddi-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Sayuko had snatched him up in her right hand, and placed him into his shoebox living space, before grabbing the entire shoebox and dashing to her closet. Thomas tried bis best to keep his footing, but was soon knocked down by the shaking of the box as it was being carried. She opened the closet's door, walked inside, and placed the shoebox on a box in a dark corner further away from the door.

"Let's hope that she doesn't look in here," Thomas said, picking himself up.

"Even if she does," Sayuko said, "It's much too dark to see much."

They heard the doorbell sound from downstairs. Sayuko then grabbed a dark piece of cloth and covered the shoebox with it.

"But what if she comes in?" Thomas asked loudly.

"I'll be back soon, Thoma-kun," he heard her say through the fabric, obviously ignoring his question. Two seconds later, he heard the closet door close, shutting out what little light had been shining inside up until that point.

"...Be careful, Sayu," Thomas said, before wading his way through the darkness, searching for his bed.

~~~

Sayuko walked out of the closet and closed its door behind her. She then rested her back against it and started to take deep breaths.

She could not believe what was happening. That Melissa would go as far as to come over here? What was the reason behind this? Sayuko did what she could to take Thomas out of the room. He should be safe inside, but if Melissa did go inside of her closet? Was Melissa that nosy? Should she go back inside and move Thomas to Taro's room? But what if Melissa left the room and went in there? At least in here, she could keep an eye on her and distract her if need be.

The doorbell rung again. Sayuko took a deep breath and walked out of her room. Her fuzzy pink slippers slapped on each step as she made her way down the stairs, and then made a right and headed for the front door. She reached for the doorknob, twisted it, and pulled the door open. Sayuko feigned a look of surprise as she saw Melissa standing there, holding a black purse. However, she really was surprised when she saw her wearing a white surgeon's mask.

"Oh!" Sayuko said, faking a surprised tone. "Melissa!"

"Hello, Sayu!" Melissa greeted. She then tilted her head slightly as she looked at her face. "You look horrible. Moreso than usual." She laughed.

Sayuko winced at this remark, but let it slide. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, just seeing how my favorite girl is doing," Melissa answered as she walked inside. "But you really do look sick. Good thing I brought this, eh?" She pointed at the surgeon's mask on her face.

Sayuko closed the front door and walked towards Melissa, who was approaching the stairs.

"Where's you room?" Melissa asked.

"Why?" Sayuko asked.

"Because I have a surprise for you."

Sayuko shuddered. She suspected it when she saw Melissa come over, but now she was certain of what this "surprise" was. To think that she would make her do such an act in her current state was horrible. Unfortunately, the life of her brother was at stake, so she had no choice but to comply.

"It's upstairs," Sayuko answered. "The last door on the right."

Melissa then walked up the stairs. Sayuko quickly followed her upstairs and soon into her room. She wanted to keep Melissa in her sight, at least for as long as she was in her room.

Melissa looked around. "God! Your room is small!"

"It's not that small..." Sayuko said in protest.

Melissa chuckled. "Well, I guess it's small compared to my room." She looked towards the closet. "At least you have a closet, though. I bet it's smaller than mine's, too."

Sayuko gasped softly as Melissa made her way towards the closet. "Melissa, what are you doing?"

"What?" Melissa turned towards her. "Can't I take a tiny peek inside?"

"But-"

"I just want to see how small it is."

Sayuko gulped as Melissa reached the door, and twisted the doorknob. She then pulled the door open, which cause Sayuko to start breathing heavily, and occasionally coughing. Sayuko could still see Melissa's left leg as she was peering inside. Time seemed to slow down, and Sayuko could hear her heart beat with every slowly passing second. She truly believed that she had been caught. That in a matter of seconds, everything that she and Thomas had been working for would be for naught. That Melissa would storm out and kill Taro, and then even come back for her. There were even tears forming in her eyes.

"Uh-huh! Just as I thought!"

Sayuko jumped as she heard Melissa say this. "W-what?!"

Melissa then backed out of the closet. "That place IS small! I couldn't store anything in there! But since you're small yourself, I guess it's a perfect fit." She laughed as she closed the door.

At that point, Sayuko breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her eyes. She quickly regained her composure as Melissa turned toward her.

"Anyway, as for why I'm here," Melissa said as she walked towards her bed. "Since you could not come over to my house to do your weekly job, I brought the job to you."

Sayuko faked a gasp. "What? But you said that-"

"I said that you could stay home," Melissa interrupted. "I never said anything about you not having to kill these things."

"But..."

Melissa placed her purse on the bed and unzipped it. She looked toward Sayuko as she pulled something out of it. "You DO care about your brother, don't you?"

"O-of course!"

"So, you'd do this for his safety?"

"Yes!"

"Atta girl!" Melissa then knelt down to the carpeted floor and spread what looked like a sheet of plastic on it. She then stood upright and dug into both of her pants pockets. From each one, she pulled out a tiny man and then placed them both onto the laid-out plastic.

"I'm going to be nice today," Melissa said as she sat on the bed behind her. "You only have to kill two of them. Plus, this plastic should make for an easy clean-up, because I'm sure that you don't have the right stuff to get these things out of the floor, do you?"

Sayuko looked at Melissa, and then downward to the two men on the sheet of plastic. They had started to run away from her as soon as Melissa mentioned the word "kill." However, the direction leading away from Sayuko was towards Melissa, and they were foolish enough to run that way. Melissa simply placed her feet in their path.

"Oh, no you don't," she said. "Get back there. Now."

One man reluctantly turned around and walked back to the center of the plastic sheet. The other was more defiant, and actually tried to made his way under Sayuko's bed. Melissa then brushed her right foot towards the man, kicking him back a few good inches.

"Dumbass," Melissa said.

The man staggered to his feet, and, having learned his lesson, walked back to join his comrade.

"You know..." Melissa said, looking at Sayuko's slippers. "I should make you do this barefoot again."

"N-no!" Sayuko said in a frantic tone. "Please don't!"

Melissa laughed. "What, you don't like the feeling of their bodies crushing beneath you?"

Sayuko shook her head.

Melissa sighed. "Your loss. I'll be lenient this time, since you're sick."

Sayuko gulped, and looked down at the shaking men on the floor. She took a deep breath, and lifted her right foot over one of the men, the one that had been kicked by Melissa. She then brought it down on him, crushing him underneath her foot. The other man started to run as Sayuko twisted her foot on the spot, grinding his body even further into a bloody pulp, as well as twisting the plastic.

With one man dead, she lifted the same foot from his destroyed body, and then stepped onto the other man. His screams were extinguished as soon as her foot hit the floor. She then bent her knee, applying more pressure to the man, ensuring that he was nothing more than a flat stain on the plastic.

"Wow!" Melissa exclaimed, clapping. "Even when sick, you can be quite the evil little girl!"

Sayuko removed her foot from the spot and turned it towards her. She looked at the blood on the sole of her slipper, before removing it from her foot, exposing her bare flesh. She then coughed twiced. At this point, even when sick, the sight of the blood and tiny, contorted bodies did not make her want to vomit at all. Though now she had to find another matching pair of slippers. She did not want to wear this pink one while it had the blood on it and stain her carpet.

Melissa stood up. "Well, you can clean up the plastic. Ball it up and throw it in your trash can if you want." She then walked towards the door.

"Where are you going," Sayuko asked.

"I gotta go to the bathroom. That tea I had is catching up to me."

"Oh... It's to the left, past the stairs."

"Alright." With that, Melissa walked out of the room.

Sayuko sighed deeply and looked towards her bed, where Melissa's purse was. Right next to the purse was what looked like a cell phone. Melissa's cell phone? Did she accidently pull it out when she pulled out the plastic.

She now knew what she had to do. As soon as she heard the bathroom door shut, she dashed towards the bed and grabbed the cell phone. She flipped it open, and immediately went to the contacts list. She went down the list until she reached the name that she was looking for: "Dad." She rushed to her desk, pulled out a paper and pen, and wrote the number down as fast as she could, therefore her handwriting came off as a bit sloppy. However, she knew what she had written, so it did not matter. From outside the room, she heard the toilet flush. After she wrote the last digit, she crumbled the paper into a ball and dashed back to her bed. Finally, she stuffed the ball under her pillow and then placed the phone back in the exact spot it was in.

She then rushed to the plastic sheet, knelt down and started to roll it up from one side. None too soon, as seconds later, Melissa walked back into the room.

"I feel better now," Melissa said. She looked towards the bed, at her purse. "Hm? Why's my phone out?"

Sayuko stood up and looked towards the bed. "I don't know... I didn't notice."

"Hm... I must've pulled it out when I took the plastic out of my purse... Oh well." She walked to the bed, where she grabbed the phone and placed it back into her purse. "I guess I'll be leaving now. I don't need to be in this tiny-ass house anymore."

"Then I guess I'll lead you out."

With one barefoot and the other covered in her pink slipper, Sayuko led the way for Melissa out of her room, back downstairs, and then to the front door. She opened the door, allowing Melissa to walk outside. One she stood outside of the door, Melissa backed a few steps away from the doorway and removed the surgeon's mask from her face.

"Well, Sayu," Melissa said. "Be sure of one thing. Next week, I don't care if you have the flu, you're coming over to my house, no questions asked. Got that?"

Sayuko nodded.

"Good." Melissa smiled. "I guess I'll be off, then."

Sayuko watched as Melissa walked to her car. She opened its driver's door, stepped inside, and, in a matter of several seconds, was driving off, and was soon out of Sayuko's sight.

Sayuko closed and locked the door, and rushed back upstairs into her room. Once there, she ran for the closet, opened its door and ran inside. She then grabbed the cloth-covered shoebox that she had placed in there earlier and carried it out of the closet. She then set the box on her desk and removed the cloth from it. She looked down at Thomas, who was picking himself up from the cardboard floor. He had a bit of a curious look on his face, as he had obviously noticed her excited expression on her face.

"You seem to be well," Thomas said. "I thought we were done for when I heard her come in the closet."

"As did I, Thoma-kun," she answered. "Yes, it was horrible as usual, but I think I may have gotten what we need."

"What is it?"

Sayuko walked away from the desk and towards her bed. She reached underneath the pillow and pulled out the ball of paper she stashed underneath it. She walked back to the desk, and uncrumbled it. She then showed Thomas the writing on it.

"I got Melissa's father's phone number," Sayuko said with a smile.

"Whoa! Are you serious?!" Thomas said in a surprised tone.

"Yes! She left her phone out while she went to the bathroom, and I was able to get it."

"That's great!" Thomas became excited. "You did well, Sayuko!"

Sayuko nodded. "I know. Now we can call him directly."

"Damn straight!" After a few seconds, Thomas' tone became a bit serious. "Melissa... Her days are numbered."

"Yes..." Sayuko looked towards the ceiling, and closed her eyes. Then, in Japanese, she said, "Taro... We will save you very soon. I promise."

~~~

"...But at least she was right," Melissa said, who was standing before Taro's cage. "That girl was sick."

Taro could not believe what he just heard. That this woman went over to his sister's house and made her partake in her gruesome task, despite the fact that Sayuko was clearly ill, made his stomach churn.

"That means that you don't have to become a stain on the floor." She smirked. "Not this week, at least."

"...I am truly grateful for my sister for allowing me to live this long," he said.

"Yeah. That girl really loves you." A sinister smile appeared on her face. "If I gave her a machine gun and told her to go kill every single person in Japan, if it meant that you'd die if she refused, I bet she'd do it."

Taro's mouth dropped in horror. "You..."

Melissa smile. "I'm kidding."

She then reached for the doors and began to close them.

"Anyway, I'll talk to you later, my favorite little pet."

The last thing Taro saw was Melissa's smiling face before it disappeared behind the closing doors. He then sat down in the wood mulch and thought about what she just said.

What horrified him wasn't the idea of his sister gunning down her own people. It was that Melissa was absolutely right, that Sayuko actually would commit such a horrendous act to save him.

He smiled weakly. "As long as I'm with her..."

He could not believe that this was actually happening. He had expected it for the longest, but to think that it was happening now...

This man had been one of the ten Homeless people that this giant woman had pulled out to kill. And kill she did. Right before his eyes, he saw her tread on many of the others as if they were some kind of bug invading her home.

He tried his best to run away from her, as he heard the final screams of one of his companions being snuffed out underneath her foot. He counted each gruesome death in his head as they happened.

He was now the only one left.

The woman had blocked off any access to under her bed. There was nowhere for him to hide.

He heard her footsteps approaching from behind him. The vibrations became more violent as she drew close, so much so that he almost lost his footing. Soon, he was surrounded by a dark, oval-shaped shadow. He looked above him, and saw her sole hanging over him. At this point, he tried to run faster to avoid being squashed like a mere bug.

"You're the last one..." She gave a rather depressed sighed. "This was no challenge at all."

Just as he was about to escape the dark shadow, his world came to a quick and violent end.

"Right!"

"HOAH!!"

"Left!"

"HOAH!!"

Reeve stood in front of the nearly 30 Homeless men and women. Each one of them had been organized in 5 columns, as Reeve led them in a martial arts exercise session, one similar to several that he had partaken in himself when he was younger.

The last of the Homeless that Melissa said she would weed out had indeed been killed. Now, it was just his group and the Refugees. He now knew that the ultimate battle was nigh.

"Alright!" He yelled. "That's enough punches for now! Let's do some kicks! Ready?!"

"Yeah!!" Many of the Homeless shouted out.

"Wait a minute!!" One man blurted.

Reeve was taken aback by this interruption. "What the?! Who said that?!"

In a matter of second, Marcus stepped forward from the back of the group, and soon arriving in front of it.

"Oh, it's you," Reeve said. "What do you want?"

"I have a question," Marcus said.

"...Shoot."

"If we win-"

"When we win." Reeve interrupted.

"Fine. When we win, what are you going to do with Sheryl?"

As soon as Marcus finished his question, many of the Homeless in the group started to voice their disdain and contempt for Sheryl, as well as Marcus.

"Hey, HEY!!" Reeve called out towards the group. "Shut up!"

The Homeless quieted down.

"Marcus here brings up an excellent question." Reeve focused back on Marcus. "It depends on what happens. I doubt that they accepted her as one of their own. They may send her out as a scapegoat."

"What if they do?" Marcus asked. "You're not going to seriously attack her, are you?"

"I won't. I don't know about them, though." He looked towards the group. "They were pretty mad when they saw her go over there with the Refugees. I can't be responsible of what they'll do."

Marcus got a bit of a worried look on his face. "You're the leader! Can't you tell them to not attack her?!"

"Even if I did, they wouldn't listen. They really hate her now." Reeve smirked.

"You..." Marcus gritted his teeth, and balled his fists.

"Alright, that's enough of that," Reeve said. "Let's continue with out routine. I want us to be in the best of shape for the war!"

Marcus grunted, and then walked to his left, taking himself away from the group.

"Where are you going?" Reeve answered.

No answer. Reeve watched as the man soon disappeared in the darkness. He stared at the spot for a few seconds, before turning back to the rather large group in front of him.

"Alright!" He yelled out. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, let's do some kicks! Ready?!"

"Yeah!!" Many of the Homeless shouted out.

"Okay, then! Let's go!! Right foot!" He then kicked his right foot in front of him.

"HWAH!!"

The group mimicked his kick the best they could, though some, particularly the more older ones, lost their balance and fell on the floor.

Reeve glanced at each one of the fallen Homeless and sighed. "We're going to have to work on that."

~~~

Shawn, Dawson, and Matt stood facing the glass wall facing the Homeless cage, the only one left that had any life in it. They were mesmerized by what they heard and saw, mostly heard due to the faint light.

"Listen to them," Dawson said. "They're actually having an organized training session."

"I don't think all the training in the world can help them," Matt confidently said. "The fact is we're still younger, stronger, and livelier!"

"Yeah, but look," Shawn said. "They're actually training for this war."

"So are we!!" Matt exclaimed. "Bruce had some of us fight against each other! Fighting someone else is better training than fighting air!"

Shawn crossed his arms. "Perhaps..."

Dawson sighed. "You know, they say that there's a first time for everything. There could be a very itty-bitty, tiny chance that they may pull an upset and beat us."

Matt sharply turned towards Dawson. "What?! No way!! That's impossible!!"

"You what else we thought was impossible?" Shawn said. "Shrinking technology; now look at us."

Dawson nodded. "Yep. A first time for everything. I just wish I had a Shrink Ray of my own."

"For what?" Matt asked. "Shrinking Melissa?"

Dawson shook his head. "No... Myself."

Matt blinked in confusion. "Uhh... In case you haven't noticed-"

"I mean if none of this never happened," Dawson interrupted. "And I still had both of my arms, of course. I would shrink myself and go out on a college campus, looking for some cute girls to scare." A perverted look appeared on his face. "They may even mistake me for a bug."

Shawn slapped his forehead. "Okay, by now, I think you just say stuff like that to get a rise out of us."

"Yeah," Matt agreed. "I'm sure that being killed over a fetish would be no fun at all."

Dawson's perversion disappeared from his face. "Yeah, I guess you're right. ...Ever since I was 10, I would always fantasize about being shrunken down to an inch or two, and then stepped on by a girl that I had a crush on. I guess it was the ultimate form of femdom in my mind..."

Shawn and Matt briefly looked at each other.

"Up until several months ago, I thought nothing about such a death. In fact, of all of what I thought were the impossible ways to die, it was at the top of my list. But now, now that I've had time to think about this stuff, that I've seen people get killed in what I considered the hottest kind of death ever, I realized something."

"Which is..." Shawn said expectantly.

Dawson's perverted smiled returned. "I still want to die by being crushed under a girl's foot."

Matt threw up his hands in disgust. "You'll never change!"

Dawson laughed. "Of course not! It's an important part of who I am! I'm not throwing it away that easily!" He then pounded his fist on his chest. "I'm a GTS Man until the day I die! ...And beyond."

Matt sighed. "Well, whatever. If I had a Shrink Ray, I'd use it on Melissa. Let's see how she likes it when she's being stomped on like a bug."

"Dude," Dawson said in a somewhat serious tone. "Giant man on tiny woman is disgusting."

"I don't care! She deserves it and more for taking me away from Milly for so long!"

The three were silent for a few seconds.

"Seriously," Matt said in a much calmer tone. "I hope she and the kid are doing alright."

"What's the kid's name?" Shawn asked.

Matt shook his head. "I don't know. She was 7 months pregnant when I... came here. We hadn't decided on a name yet."

"Ahh..."

"I want all of this to end. I want to go out there, find and apologize to Milly, and see my baby for the first time."

Dawson stared at Matt, before placing his hand on his shoulder. "THAT'S the kind of attitude you'll need to get you through this fight. Screw that 'We're superior stuff', it's that motivation that should drive you to win."

"Yeah..." Matt said.

"What about you?" Shawn asked towards Dawson. "What drives you to live? Besides the GTS stuff."

Dawson thought for a moment. "I don't really have a big reason. I just want to live to see tomorrow."

"Hm... It's better than having no reason at all," Shawn said. "As for me..."

Dawson and Matt stared expectantly at Shawn.

"I just want to see how my parents react when I return. ...If I were to ever get out of here."

"I'm sure we'll get out of here." Dawson looked up towards the dim lightbulb hanging from the ceiling above. "Someday..."

~~~

It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon, as Thomas was sitting at the edge of the desk facing Sayuko's bed. She had just arrived home from school, and was sitting on her bed while undoing the straps on her sandals.

"It wasn't as hard this time," Sayuko said, referring to an exam she had just taken that day. "I think I did pretty well. I hope I did pretty well."

"I know you did," Thomas said. "After all, you have me here to help you study for any tests Mr. Evans throws at you."

Sayuko briefly looked up at Thomas and smiled before she returned to her sandals. "Anyway, I should try to call Mr. Cruz again, right?"

"Of course," Thomas said.

Ever since obtaining Edgar's phone number on Sunday, Sayuko had tried calling him several times. However, each time was met with slight disappointment, as she seemed to always get his voicemail. Nevertheless, she would leave a message each time, and try again later.

"I hope he picks up this time," Sayuko said as she pulled her feet from her sandals and shoved them under her bed. "I wonder why he hasn't."

"Well, he is a researcher and inventor," Thomas replied. "Maybe he's too busy with whatever he's working on."

"I guess..." Sayuko looked behind her, and grabbed her cell phone from the bed. She flipped it open, and punched in the numbers that she had since memorized in the days since Sunday. Afterwards, she brought the phone to her ear.

Thomas watched as she waited for several seconds, which soon turned into nearly half a minute, before she looked towards him and shook her head, a slight hint of disappointment on her face.

"Voicemail again?" Thomas asked.

Sayuko nodded. After a few seconds, she spoke into the phone. "Hello. Mr. Cruz? It's me, Sayuko, again. I need to talk with you about something very important. Call me back please? Arigato." She flipped the phone closed and placed it on her nightstand.

"We'll get him," Thomas said. "He's gotta answer his phone soon."

"Yes, but maybe I should have mentioned what Melissa is doing? Maybe that's why he's not calling me back."

"Maybe. I'll mention her next time I call, and if I get his voicemail again."

She pulled her legs up on her bed, and she turned her body towards the front of the room. She then grabbed for something else that was to the side of her. Thomas soon saw her pull out a small container of clear nail polish.

"Nail polish?" Thomas said.

"Yes," she answered. "I wanted my nails to look nice to anyone who's looking." She turned towards Thomas. "Do you want to help me?"

Thomas blushed. "What? No... I mean... I don't think I could be of any help at my size."

Sayuko chuckled. "It's okay. I was kidding." She looked towards her feet. "I'm afraid that I might accidently crush you if you got too close to my feet."

Thomas laughed. "Yeah. I wouldn't like that. I know someone who probably would, though?"

"Really? Who?"

"One of my friends back at Melissa's house. He has a huge foot fetish. He would probably die from joy if you actually let him too close to your feet."

Sayuko giggled. "I've never known anyone like that. He sounds weird."

"Yeah, he is a bit weird. But he's not a bad person. He was one of the few allies I had."

Sayuko blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it seems that my views on things put me at odds with most of the others. They prefered Bruce's way of thinking."

"The guy who didn't rescue my brother?"

"Yeah. There were only four who actually, well, liked me. There was the guy I just talked about. His name is Dawson. Then there's Shawn. He was the one who rescued me from Melissa's closet. Next was Carlos. ...I don't know too much about him, but he seemed like a nice person. Finally, there was Gloria."

Sayuko's eyes widened. "Gloria?"

"It was thanks to her that you found me. We also both found about Melissa's parents and about Bruce's imcompetence." Thomas sighed. "She had to be the distraction for Melissa so you could find me without her finding out. I wonder how she's doing... I wonder how all of them are doing."

Sayuko looked towards her knees for a second, before turning back to him. "Was Gloria your girlfriend?"

"No... Just a friend." Thomas dare not mention the fact that the two had relations the night before Sayuko found him in Melissa's house.

"Oh..."

"Why do you ask?"

"...Just curious." She then twisted the top off of the bottle of nail polish and pulled it off, revealing the small, slender brushed coated with the colorless gooey liquid from inside.

"I see..."

Thomas watched as Sayuko bent her knees, and began to apply the polish on the big toe nail of her right foot.

He began to wonder how the others were doing, the four that he had just mentioned to Sayuko... if they were even still alive. He hoped that they were, but there was no denying the constant danger they were in at the hands of Melissa.

Then, he started to solely think about Gloria. He did not think of her as a possible girlfriend. Not anymore. By now, he seemed to have a bigger bond with Sayuko than he had with Gloria. Also, it was not as if Gloria did not want him to pursue Sayuko if it ever came to it. But the possibility of Gloria being pregnant was ever present. If he and Sayuko were to liberate her, as well as the others, his life would still not be back to the way it was before this all started. Gloria would then become a permanent figure in his life. While he was not ready to become a father yet, he would not turn his back on it. He did not want to end up like so many guests on the daytime talk show Maury.

"From one situation to another..." Thomas muttered to himself.

~~~

"Hey, everyone!!" Bruce called out. "Come over here! I wanna talk to you!"

In a matter of seconds, all of the Refugees in the glass cage had made their way to where he stood at the center of the cage. Lisa and Beatrix had brought the Homeless woman over as well. He had not bothered to learn her name.

"Listen up!" Bruce called out. "There's one thing I forgot to tell you all. Melissa said that, before the actual fight, she would kill all of the Homeless outside of that cage right there. ...Well, it's been done. It's now just us and them!"

"So," Matt said, "you're saying that this battle could happen at any moment now?"

Bruce nodded. "Yep! So, be prepared for that moment! I have a good feeling that it could happen real soon!"

The excitement of the Refugees were reignited, and observing this, Bruce was overcome with satisfaction. He loved that they were anxiously awaiting the moment when they would wipe out the Homeless once and for all. He glanced at the crowd, skimming through the faces of his followers. Despite the noise that told otherwise, he did see a few that seemed a bit apprehensive over the very near battle.

Suddenly, a sudden burst of laugh overtook the fervor of the Refugees. They briefly looked around in confusion, before they looked towards the source of the outburst: the Homeless woman.

"You kids are so funny!" The woman said between laughs.

Matt took a single step towards her direction. "What?! You don't think we can win?!"

"Maybe you're not such an 'ex-Homeless' after all," Lisa said with contempt.

Many of the Refugees voiced their agreement with Lisa's statement.

"No, that's not it," the woman said. "I just love that you all are so pumped up for this fight. I'm looking forward to it myself." She stepped forward, walking towards Bruce. "Personally, I would love the chance of strangling the life out of the guy who usurped my title as 'Homeless leader'."

Bruce blinked as she stopped right in front of him. "You mean that Reeve guy?"

"Yeah. But since you're the leader, I guess it would be more formal for you two to go at it, eh?"

Bruce looked away from her. "I suppose."

"And it's not just him. I have a bone to pick with damn well near all of them! So, as far as you all are concerned, I'm a Refugee!"

This remark was met with a mix of sneering laugher and voiced contempt by the majority of the people in the group.

Bruce was also baffled by this. "You?! A Refugee?!" He laughed. "Get real. You can't become one of us. Ever."

The woman simply smiled. "Not even if I do this?"

She walked into the middle of the surrounding group, lightly shoving Bruce aside. He was particularly annoyed by this, but ultimately let it slide.

She then took a deep breath and shouted, "I, Sheryl Silverman, hereby denounce any affiliations that I have ever had with the Homeless!"

Bruce's mouth dropped, as he could not believe what he just heard. Sure, she called herself an 'ex-Homeless', but for her to go as far as to formally denounce ever been one? He glance around him, and saw that the other Refugees were as shocked as he was.

Sheryl then turned in the direction of the last remaining Homeless cage. "You hear that, you sons-of-bitches?! I'm done with all of you!!"

She then sighed, turned back towards Bruce, and smiled. "There. What now?"

Bruce, dumbfounded, stared at her for a few seconds. "I'll... think about it."

Sheryl nodded. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me..." She then walked towards the group, and then through it, eventually disappearing from sight.

Bruce folded his arms and chuckled, as Matt walked towards him.

"You're seriously not considering this?" he asked.

"...As long as she thinks she's one of us," Bruce said, "she'll make a great pawn." He then smirked.

~~~

The Homeless had just heard Sheryl's voice from the direction of the Refugee's cage, denouncing her affiliations with them. While some of the Homeless were enraged by this, Reeve was oddly unsurprised.

"Did you hear that?!" a male said in contempt.

"We really did make the right call gettin' rid of her!" said another.

"Sellout!"

"Her parents should be ashamed that they raised a weak girl!"

"They would be ashamed that she ended up on the streets period."

"Whatever! The point is she's a failure!"

"I want to kill her myself!"

"Me too!"

"No! I do!"

Reeve smiled weakly. "Alright, you lot! Let's get back to our training!!"

A mass groaning filled the air.

"Oh, come on!" Reeve exclaimed. "If we want to beat them, it's necessary!"

"But we've been exercising for probably hours now!" said a woman in the front row, who was sitting on the glass floor.

"We've been doing it for so long, I would be surprised that it was days!" said a man further back.

"I'm thirsty!" said another man, which was met with agreement by several others.

Reeve sighed. "Fine. Take a break. But don't go too far! I'm going to start this up again in a few!"

He watched as the group began to dissipate in different directions. He then sighed and turned around, walked to the wall behind him, rested his back against it and slid down to the floor.

"Heh..." He shook his head. "I'm kinda beat myself. ...But when we beat those Refugee bastards, it'll all be worth it. Oh yes, it will..." In a matter of seconds, he had dozed off.

~~~

Thomas watched as Sayuko twisted the cap back onto the bottle of nail polish, before placing it next to her cell phone on her nightstand. She looked at her feet as she wiggled her toes. "What do you think, Thoma-kun?"

Thomas squinted his eyes and looked closely at them. "I think they look nice, Sayu-chan."

Sayuko quickly turned towards Thomas. "What did you call me?"

Thomas flinched. "I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

She shook her head. "No... I just didn't properly catch that."

"Oh... I call you 'Sayu-chan'." He got a bit of a worried tone on his face. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

She smiled. "No... I think it's kind of cute. Like my nickname for you."

Thomas blushed. "That's the idea."

Sayuko then looked towards the ceiling. She seemed to have a bit of a nostalgic expression on her face. "Actually, it reminds me of when I was growing up in Japan. My parents and Taro would call me that. As did the few friends that I had."

"Oh..." Thomas sighed. "Well, I guess I should forget about the '-chan' suffix and just call you 'Sayu.' But Melissa calls you that, so..."

She turned back to Thomas. "Don't worry about Melissa. She's not important."

"Okay..."

"So... What will your nickname be? From you, I'll accept either one."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Okay..." Thomas pondered over both options in his head. He liked both of them, so he could not come to a fast conclusion. However, after several seconds, his mind was made up. "Got it!"

"What is it?" Sayuko looked expectantly at him.

Thomas stood up, and looked at her face with a smile on his. "Your nickname will be..."

*ring*

*ring*

*ring*

...

"Hello. You have reached Edgar Cruz. I'm sorry, but I am much too busy to take your call right now, but if you leave your name and number, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a wonderful day."

Sayuko sighed. It had been the same story all week.

"Mr. Cruz? It's me again. I've been trying to call you all week, but you never seem to be available. Please call me back. It's very important. Arigato."

She flipped her phone closed and placed it into her purse. Afterwards, she walked forward, and soon stepped out of the front door of her house. As she closed the door behind her, she looked upward towards the blue morning sky, and let the soft breeze blow through her hair. She then took a deep breath.

"It's going to be a nice day," she said, before walking away from her house.

Today was the day she would get her test results back, and she was a bit nervous over how she performed on it.

~~~

Melissa stood in her backyard, looking towards the morning sky. Although it was Thursday, the day she would usually intern at her law firm, he had gotten a call from the company the day before that they had given her the day off. Not having to go to work, Melissa had dressed herself comfortably in a blue tanktop, black tight-fitting shorts, and her favorite black flip-flops. She knew how she was going to spend her free day.

"Today's the day," she said.

She looked downward, towards the ground, and saw a rather large black beetle crawling past her feet.

Melissa knelt down over it. "Why, hello there. How are you doing today?"

The bug did not pay her any mind.

"I remember when I used to step on you guys all the time, before they came along." She shook her head. "Sorry, but I've gotten bored with you guys. You're not fun anymore." She smiled. "I bet you're disappointed."

The beetle merely walked further away from her.

"...Aw, what the hell. One more wouldn't hurt."

Melissa stood upright, and then lifted her foot over the bug, before bringing it down on top of it. She heard and felt its hard shell being destroyed underneath her sandal. She then twisted her foot to grind the poor insect into the dirt.

"Nope. Not satisfying anymore." She sighed is disappointment. "...Welp. Gotta get things set up."

She then turned around and walked back inside of her house through the back door.

~~~

The Refugees gathered around Bruce in a circle. They all seems apprehensive, yet excited.

"Refugees!!" Bruce vehemently yelled out. "Today's the day! The day we go out there and give them what we're made of!"

Bruce turned towards Sheryl, who stood in the crowd to the left of him. "Are you ready to take down your former friends?"

Sheryl scoffed. "Friends? They're no friends of mine! I'm going to choke the life out of as many of them as I can!"

Bruce smiled. "Good. Leave the leader to me! You all deal with the rest of 'em! Got it?!"

"YEAH!!" The crowd shouted.

Bruce threw his fist into the air. "Then let's go out there and kick some Homeless ass!"

~~~

The Homeless stood in columns, each one facing Reeve. They were all anxious over the battle that was about to take place.

"...We spent days training," Reeve said, "and now it's time to see just how worth it it was!"

He brought his fist to his chest. "We're going to show them that we're not filthy pushovers! We're going to stomp down each one of them like Melissa did to many of us! We will beat them so mercilessly that even their ancestors in the 12th century will feel it!"

The Homeless all started to cheer.

"Because we're the Homeless, dammit! We had to fight for our lives every day on the streets! We weathered the elements and have gone days without food! We will not be that easily beaten by a bunch of snot-nosed brats!"

The cheering became louder.

"Now, when we go out there, I want you all to take care of the other Refugees and leave the leader to me! I will easily defeat him and join you all in the battle! Got it?!"

The Homeless shouted in agreement.

Reeve nodded. "Great! Now, let's get ready to kick some asses!"

"There," Melissa said as she stood upright.

Using the same kind of styrofoam she used for the mantis battle last week, she had constructed a rather large ring in the middle of her bedroom floor. There was a sheet of cardboard standing in the middle, seperating the two sides of the ring. On each side were a few sewing needles that she had decided to let the tiny people use.

No doubt that this war would be very interesting to watch. Not until recently did she ever consider doing something like this. She prefered to be the one killing off these Bugmen, not letting them slaughter each other.

However, she had plans for the future. Her future. She would have to move out of this small town in Southern California, and unfortunately, she would not be able to bring any of those Bugmen with her. Before that happened, she would have to wash her hands of these tiny pests.

But that was still a few months away. She still had time to play with them, but at least now, after this war, she would probably not have too many of them left to deal with. It would make managing them a lot easier.

So, in the end, both her and the Bugmen would benefit from this battle.

"Time to get my little warriors out here."

Melissa then headed for her back closet, and then walked inside. She made her way to the far back, where the glass cages were contained. The tiny prisoners inside stared at her, each one with seemingly anticipation and eagerness.

"Are you all ready?" Melissa asked with a smile. "I'm sure you all have been waiting for this, haven't you?"

They let out a loud cheer.

"Good! Let's get you all out there!"

Melissa walked to the cage to her left, the "Refugee" cage, and pulled it slightly from the small chest that it was sitting on, before placing her hands underneath to pick it up and carry it out of the closet. Once she was back in her bedroom, she placed the cage onto the floor and began to pick out each of the inhabitants from inside of it and place them inside of the right side of the foam ring.

After setting the last of the Refugees into the ring, she went back inside of the closet and grabbed the second cage, the "Homeless" one, and brought it outside into her room. Then, she began to pluck out each of the tiny people inside and place them on the left side of the ring.

As she did so, she counted how many of the Homeless there were compared to the Refugees: 35 to 16, just as she had planned it before. It would be very interesting indeed to see how her more prized prisoners would overcome the odds that had been set against them.

"Now that you all are out here," Melissa said, "Let me explain the rules."

"Rules?!" Bruce yelled out to her. "We don't need any rules for this!"

"Is that so?" She looked at each of the sides. "Well, I guess having only guys fight guys, and girls fight girls would really put you all at a disadvantage, wouldn't it?"

"Seperation of the sexes?" Reeve said. "Then how would we deal with the traitor?!"

Melissa sighed. "Fine. Fight whoever you want. I just don't want to see any of the guys ganging up on a girl. That shit wouldn't be right."

"Anyway," she continued, "You have sewing needles to use, though there's only a few of them, so you all have to decide who gets one and who doesn't. I'll give you an hour... maybe an hour and a half, to see how much damage you can do to the other side. The winning side will be determined by how many people are left compared to how many they started with."

"So, if the Refugees had 9 people left alive, but the Homeless had 11, the Refugees would still win, because they only lost 8 people, as opposed to the Homeless who lost 24." Melissa smiled. "Got it?"

"You're making this sound like one of your games," Reeve said.

Melissa laughed. "That's 'cause it is! Except this time I'm doing something you all want to do as well! See?"

She walked towards the ring and knelt down, and placed her hand on the standing sheet of cardboard.

"As soon as I pull this thing up," Melissa said, "the fight is on. Ready...?"

As soon as she said "Ready", many of the people on both sides braced themselves, as if they would make a sprint towards the other side as soon as they saw their opponents' feet under the rising cardboard.

Melissa lifted the cardboard from the ring. "...GO!!"

As expected, many of the tiny captives made a mad dash towards each other, seemingly ignoring the needles behind them. The remaining people rushed for the needles, grabbed them, and then also joined their comrades in the battle.

Melissa walked to her bed and sat down, and began to watch her Bugmen started to pummel each other.

~~~

Thomas stood in front of Sayuko's bedroom window, looking outside towards the sky. At his request, Sayuko had turned her television off before she left, leaving Thomas with a quiet room, to be alone with his thoughts.

"I wish I could go outside," Thomas said to himself. "I could use a nice walk."

Thomas turned and looked around the room. He was confined to this desk, and a fall from here would not be pleasant at all. Plus, he would be left with no way of getting back to the desk until Sayuko came home. However, at the very least, he could explore her house; Sayuko's bedroom was the only room he had seen in her house. He didn't even know what it looked like on the outside. Of course, with him wandering the house, it would put him at risk of accidently being crushed to death by Sayuko, something he wanted to avoid at all costs, for both his sake and Sayuko's sake.

Therefore, he had no choice but to remain here, on the safe desk.

He decided to think about something else.

"Melissa's probably at work now. I guess the others are doing... whatever."

Thomas smiled. "Shawn's probably taking command or lecturing someone. Dawson's probably licking someone's toes. Carlos... is just being Carlos. And Gloria could be carrying my child."

The thought of Gloria possibly being pregnant never left his head. It was something that he most certainly had to deal with. However, what would it mean for him and Sayuko? After all, he already told her that he and Gloria were not in a relationship, but if they did manage to free the others from Melissa's clutches, how would Sayuko handle him being a father to another woman's child? Would she feel betrayed? Thomas did not want to deny this child, but he also did not want to destroy everything that he had worked for with Sayuko.

It almost made him wish that Mr. Cruz did not answer Sayuko's calls, so that both of them could spend as much time together as possible, even in his current state.

"...You selfish bastard."

No... This was not just about his friends. This was also about Taro, as well as Claudia and Rebecca. Thomas still was not completely sure what it was that caused Melissa to turn on her family, but he did know that they did not deserve what they got from her. As for Taro, he knew that Sayuko would do anything to get him back. Even kill, which had been proven countless times already.

If anything, rescuing Taro would put Sayuko's mind at ease. That alone was reason enough to get him back where he belongs. Claudia, as nice as she was, would have to administer some punishment of some kind for what Melissa had been doing for the past several months.

As for Bruce... As much as Thomas hated to do so, even Bruce would have to be restored to his original size. It was what Claudia would want, even if he was just using her to regain his true stature. Unfortunately for her, Thomas knew that Bruce would just leave her as soon as he got the chance, not caring about the heart he trampled on.

Thomas looked back towards the window.

"It is a nice day out there," he said. "I wish the others could see this. Hopefully they're alright, and not in any danger."

~~~

This battle was much like one fought by armies of two opposing countries on an open plain while being watched by God. Except the two armies were not countries but tiny prisoners; the open plain was just Melissa's room; and God was Melissa.

Dawson ran through the carnage that surrounded him. He had been attacked twice by Homeless males, but he easily subdued them with a few kicks. With only one arm, kicking was pretty much the only thing he had in the way of offense.

He looked around himself as he ran. Armed with the needles, many of the Refugees were managing to fend off their Homeless assailants, despite being outnumbered. However, he did see a few of his male comrades being overwhelmed and taken down. He pretended to not notice. He had one thing on his mind.

He had to find Jenna. Even if Melissa had kept the sex seperation rule, Jenna would still be in for a hard time, as she was a rather small girl. No doubt that without those restrictions this would be her nightmare.

"Dawson!!"

Dawson pretended to not hear his name being called.

"I need help!"

It was a male voice, so he did not pay it too much mind. The main thing on his mind was Jenna.

~~~

Bruce and Reeve were locked in battle. Each one had gotten in quite a few blows on each other already, but they were not phased by it at all. With this opportunity being placed in front of them, they were both determined to take full advantage of it.

Bruce threw a punch at Reeve's face, which collided with his cheek. Reeve recoiled for a moment, before responding with a punch of his own, which hit Bruce right in the nose.

Bruce could feel the moist sensation of the blood coming down his nostrils, but he did not care. He threw another punch, which Reeve dodged by ducking underneath the approaching fist. As Bruce looked downward to assess the situation, he was met by an uppercut to his chin. Bruce stumbled backwards and nearly lost his balance as he nursed his aching jaw.

Reeve gave him no time to rest, as he dashed towards him and delivered a kick to his chest. Bruce clutched his chest in pain, and as a result of doing so, Reeve kicked him again, this time in the face. This impact knocked Bruce to the floor, falling on his buttocks.

Reeve took what looked like a fighting stance as he stood over him.

"You're not so tough!" he confidently said. "I don't see what the big fuss was about!"

Bruce wiped the blood that the trickling out from the corner of his mouth with his fist. He then use the same fist to punch Reeve in the gut. As Reeve gasped and backed away, Bruce stood back up and began to punch him repeatedly in the face and head, before kicking him in the chest. Remarkably, despite being such a hard kick, Reeve retained his balance. Bruce attempted to kick him again, but Reeve caught his leg before his foot made any impact with his body.

Bruce tried to break free from his grip, but it proved to be too strong. With his leg, Reeve threw Bruce to the floor to his side. He fell onto his stomach, and tried to get back up, but at that point, Reeve began to stomp on his back repeatedly. With his boots, each impact sent a shock of pain up his spine.

He cursed himself.

He underestimated the Homeless leader.

~~~

Shawn and Carlos had their backs against the foam ring, surrounded by about 7 Homeless. They were doing their best to fend them off, a task made easier with the needle that Shawn was armed with. As one of the Homeless males approached him, Shawn shoved him backward, pushing him well within adequate striking distance with his needle.

Shawn thrusted it forward, piercing through that man. As he pulled the needle out of his body, the man fell backward and fell onto the floor, clutching his chest and breathing heavily. The other Homeless looked with shock and concern over their face. With their attention briefly off of them, Carlos grabbed one of the males by the shoulder and spun him around, then punched him in the face.

With the Homeless' attention back on the Refugees, they began to attack again. Three of them started to pummel Carlos, while the remaining two tried to wrestle the needle out of Shawn's hands.

Shawn kicked one of the men in his groin, and as expected, he fell over in pain while holding his ailing genitalia. He then shoved the other man, causing him to lose the grip of the needle. Now with the Homeless' grip free of his weapon, Shawn slashed it towards the second man, slicing a gash clean through his chest. The man fell facedown to the floor and laid in his evergrowing poll of blood.

Turning his attention to Carlos, who was being overwhelmed by the three Homeless who had ganged up on him. Shawn thrust the needle into the side of a female assailant, who yelped in pain as Shawn tried to push the needle deeper into her body. Noticing this, the other two males quickly rushed to her aid and tried to pull the needle out of her. With those two against Shawn by himself, he was surely losing this show of strength.

Seconds later, Carlos rose from behind them, and punched the two men in the back of their heads. Both of them fell to the floor, unconscious. Shawn pulled the needle out of the body of the woman, before she was kicked in the back by Carlos and knocked to the floor.

Shawn looked at each of the fallen Homeless and sighed.

"I can't believe we have to do this," he said in contempt.

"You don't want to?" Carlos asked.

"Not really. ...But if I want to live, then I don't really have a choice."

"Hmm."

The two dashed away from the area, and headed back towards the fray.

As they ran, Shawn noticed a motionless body to his side laying in a poll of blood, a female body. He quickly turned in that direction and headed for it, with Carlos soon following closely behind.

As they reached it, Shawn knelt down and examined it. She had a hole clean through her body. He then shook his head in grief.

"Beatrix."

Carlos grunted. "Fuckin' shit."

Shawn could feel that his eyes were starting to water, but now was not the time for crying. He took a deep breath, wiped his eyes, and stood up and faced Carlos.

"Let's go try to save as many of us as we can," he said.

Carlos nodded in agreement, and the two dashed back into the battle.

~~~

Armed with a sewing needle, Sheryl ran through this now bloody battlefield. Several of her old comrades had already fallen, but a few of the Refugees had also been bested.

Could the side that she was currently affiliated with stand to lose any more people?

Two Homeless, a male and a female, suddenly stepped into her path. She stopped in her tracks as she faced the angry obstructions.

She sighed. "Again?"

"You traitor bitch," the female said.

"Yeah?" Sheryl casually said. "What's your point?"

Both of the Homeless dashed towards her. She prepared her needle and took a fighting stance as they neared her. The female attempted to punch her, but she nimbly dodged out of the way and used her needle to stab her in her back.

Despite this, as she pulled the needle out, the woman remarkably stood her ground and tried to punch her again. She dodged again, but soon found her arms being grabbed by the man. He forced the needle out of her grip, causing it to fall to the floor, as he held her arms behind her body and against his chest. The woman then began to repeatedly punch her in the chest. Each fist into her gut caused her to gasp out a breath of air from her lungs.

The woman in front her her then walked towards her dropped needle and picked it up. With a sadistic look on her face, she brandished the needle and looked as if she was preparing to run both her and her comrad through with it.

Sheryl did not wait for her to attempt this. Using the support of the man holding her, she lifted both of her legs into the air and kicked the woman in the face with both of her feet. She dropped the needle as she recoiled back. The man holding her then released her, and attempted to slap her across the face. She dodged his open palm, and then kicked him in the chest.

She then rushed to her needle and grabbed it off of the floor, and then stabbed the man in the forehead with it. The man, now motionless, fell to the floor as she pulled the needle out of his head. She then turned her attention to the woman... as well as the two more Homeless who were dashing towards her.

Sheryl stabbed the woman again, this time causing her to fall to the floor. The newly arriving Homeless, two males, wasted no time in assaulting her, punching and kicking her in the chest and back. Between the attacks, she managed to pierce one of the males through his heart, killing him instantly.

The other man pushed her to the floor, and prepared to stomp her, but using the needle, she stabbed him in the groin before he got the chance. He staggered back as blood started to pour down his legs. Sheryl stood back up and stabbed this man through the heart as well. The man then fell over, dead.

That was the second time her former comrades had ganged up on her. She did a good job of enduring their assaults so far, but how long could she hold out? Furthermore, why were her new "allies" not coming to her aid like they were for each other? Actually, she knew the answer to that... They still did not fully trust or like her.

Suddenly, Sheryl was pushed to the floor. She turned around to see who it was that had attacked her.

Instead, she saw a large Black man being stabbed through his chest from behind by one of the Homeless who also wielded a needle. The needle came clean out of the other side of the man's body.

She gasped as she realized who this man was: Marcus, her old confidant. He had saved her from a sneak attack from behind, though he used his body as a shield to protect her.

Using the last of his strength, Marcus elbowed the man in the face, and attempted to pull the needle out of his body. The man ignored Marcus and charged towards Sheryl. She quickly stood up and kicked the man in the face, before thrusting her needle through his neck. The man fell to the floor, struggling to keep what was left of his life as blood spilled from the hole in his neck.

Sheryl then rushed to Marcus, who had succeed in pulling the needle out of his back, and held him as he struggled to stand.

"Marcus!" she said in a worried tone. "Are you alright?"

Marcus smiled. "...I never lost faith in you."

"Answer the question!" She yelled.

"I... never did like Reeve. He was a bastard. You were a much better leader than he was..."

"I know that! Stop talking like that!"

"I don't care what... your reasons are... but you... have to... live through this..."

"Marcus!"

"...Bye..."

Marcus then fell towards the floor, taking Sheryl with him.

"Marcus?" Sheryl called as she shook his body. "Hey!"

His breathing seemed to slow down.

"Dammit, Marcus!" She became frantic. "You can't die!"

Unfortunately, that was exactly what he seemed to do, right in front of Sheryl's eyes.

~~~

Dawson had finally found Jenna. She was surrounded by a few of the Homeless females, and despite wielding a needle, she seemed a bit overwhelmed. Dawson contemplated whether or not he wanted to actually beat up these women just to get to Jenna. Though his mind was quickly made up.

"HANG ON, JENNA!!" Dawson yelled. "I'M COMING!!"

This sudden outburst seemed to take Jenna by surprise, as she briefly looked towards the source of his voice, and her mouth dropped as soon as she realized who it was.

Dawson dashed towards her and, with his only remaining arm, shoved each of the Homeless women aside. Using this opportunity, Jenna slashed at each of them, cutting through their skin and causing them to fall to the floor in pain.

"You..." Jenna said. "I didn't need your help!"

"Yes you did," Dawson said. "Admit it."

Jenna shook her head, and began to walk away from him. She then seemed to step in a blood puddle left behind by one of the women who was attacking her. She lifted her foot quickly, and looked at the blood that was now dripping from the sole of her bare foot.

"Yuck!" she said in disgust. "I wish I had my shoes!"

Dawson looked towards her foot, and then towards one of the fallen women. Without wasting a moment, he knelt down to her and pulled off her dirty brown boots.

"Jenna."

As Jenna turned towards him, he tossed each of the shoes towards her, which both landed near her feet.

"Are you kidding me?!" she said. "I'm not wearing these!"

Dawson stood upright. "If you want shoes so badly, you don't have a choice, do you?"

Jenna looked towards him with a repulsed look on her face, and then towards the shoes. She sighed heavily and quickly placed her feet into both of the shoes. She knelt down so that she could pull the shoes tightly onto her feet with her hands.

"Happy?" She asked as she rose back up.

"Oddly yes," Dawson answered.

Jenna grunted, and began to walk away from him. Dawson smiled, and followed her as she walked through the fallen bodies of the Homeless... and a few Refugees as well.

~~~

Leaving behind her deceased rescuer, Sheryl ran towards the center of the ring, where Bruce and Reeve were fighting. Despite his words, and her words days before, she felt that she had to at least get a few hits in on the man who usurped her position.

However, three Homeless rushed into her path, one of whom wielded a needle. She had seen them attack and kill two of the Refugees just minutes before, a male and a female. Sheryl stopped and prepared herself to face them.

"Just who we were lookin' for!" a taller male said.

"Is that right?" Sheryl said. "And what do you intend to do?"

Without another word, the three began to charge towards her. Sheryl turned around and began to run away from them. With the three chasing her, she ran through the ring, in a bit of a circle, though not one too obvious.

Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. The female of the group was right behind her. She used her needle to stab her in her chest, and then kicked her off of the pin. The other two men were a bit further away.

Sheryl smiled. Her plan had worked; the three all ran at different speeds, so she would use that to her advantage by running away from them, and once there was enough space between them, she would take them out one at a time.

As the man with the needle neared her, she took up running again. A minute later, she stopped again and faced the man with the needle. She ran towards him and tried to thrust her needle into his chest, but he dodged her attack and nicked her clothes with his weapon.

She cursed herself, as she did not want to spend too much time on him and let the second man catch up to them. She ran behind the man and kicked in the back of his knee, knocking him off balance. She then ran her pin through his back.

Upon seeing this, the second man stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, and ran away from her.

"Coward!" she yelled out towards him, before pulling her weapon from the man's body, and then kicking him to the floor.

~~~

Bruce had managed to turn the tide of the battle. Now holding Reeve over his head, he threw him to the floor with as much strength he had. As Reeve struggled on the floor, Bruce began to kick him in the chest.

"Not so tough now, are you?!" Bruce taunted.

Suddenly, Reeve grabbed Bruce's foot before it made any contact with his body, and pulled him off of his feet, and causing him to fall down to the floor.

Both quickly stood up and went at each other again, unleashing a flurry of punches onto each other's already battered, bruised, and bloodied faces.

Reeve punched Bruce in the gut.

Bruce responded with a kick to the jaw.

Reeve charged towards Bruce and tackled him.

Bruce pushed Reeve off of him, and then grabbed his neck and began to throttle him. Reeve tried to pull his mighty hands from his neck, but they seemed to be too strong for him. As his hands began to fall limp, Bruce believed that he would finally succeed in choking the life out of his rival.

"Okay, everyone! Time's up!"

~~~

Shawn and Carlos watched as Melissa stood from her bed and walked towards the ring. Had it truly been an hour already? It did not feel like it at all.

"Wow!" Melissa said as she looked throughout the ring that was littered with the bodies of dead and half-dead people. "You all really did beat the shit out of each other!"

Shawn looked to his left, and saw Dawson and Jenna approaching them.

"Glad to see that you two are still alive," Shawn said as they reached them.

"Of course!" Dawson exclaimed. "There's no way I'm going to die here!"

"Don't get too overconfident, little man," Melissa said. "I still have to count who's left."

The four looked up towards her in nervousness and anticipation, as she started to count how many people were left alive in the ring.

"There's you four, your leader, that woman, and him."

"'Him'?" Dawson asked.

"Yeah. Him." Melissa pointed to the right of the group.

They looked in that direction, and saw Matt staggering towards them. His face and body was bloodied, and he seemed to be struggling to even stay on his feet. However, as he neared, they could see that he had a grin of satisfaction on his face.

"Matt!" Dawson called out, before rushing toward him and helping him walk back to the group.

"Anyway, that's seven on your side," Melisa said. "Now, for the other side... ...Oooh... I can see that it's not good for you guys at all."

"So... we won?" Carlos asked.

Melissa looked around the ring once more. "Looks like it."

"WHHHAATT?!"

Shawn and the others looked behind them, and saw that the Homeless leader had fallen to his knees in disbelief.

"Sorry, but you guys just didn't pull it off," Melissa said.

"God-DAMMIT!!" He exclaimed again.

Melissa kneeled down. "Well, you all get to live another day, and you go on to what I'd like to call the 'Bugman Finals'." She smiled. "You'll know what those are soon enough. Now, time to take you six back in the closet."

She then reached down and plucked Shawn, Carlos, Jenna, Dawson, and Matt from the floor and then stood up and walked to one of the glass cages. Once there, she placed them inside. Then, she went back to the ring, and picked out Sheryl and brought her into the cage as well. She then picked out the sewing needles that they had with them, and dropped them to the floor.

Afterwards, she picked up the entire cage and carried it back into her closet. Once she was in the back area, she placed the cage back into the spot that it was in before.

"You guys won," Melissa said with a smile. "Celebrate."

"What about Bruce?" Shawn asked.

"He's going back in my special place. Don't worry about him."

She gave them one last smile, before she slid her hanging clothes back into place, and walked out of the closet.

"Celebrate?!" Jenna said in contempt. "How the hell are we supposed to celebrate?! Over half of us have been killed!!"

"That's true," Carlos said. "This really is a bittersweet victory."

"That bitch..."

Shawn folded his arms. "I think she rigged this 'war', anyway."

The others turned to face him.

"Think about it. There really was no way for the Homeless to win under the guidelines that she set. They had to either keep most of their people alive, or leave us with, like, three."

"I suppose you're right," Sheryl said. "But at least we got to go at those pigs. I really enjoyed that, even if I got my ass kick a few times." She sighed. "A shame that a friend of mine had to be among the casualties..."

The others stared at her for a few seconds.

Dawson turned towards Matt, whom he was still supporting with his arm over his shoulders.

"What do you think, Matt?" He asked.

No answer.

"Matt?"

Still nothing.

Dawson gasped. "Oh no..."

He kneeled to the floor and brought matt down with him. He held him in his arm and shook him a little. Shawn, Jenna, Carlos, and Sheryl surrounded the two, each one with a worried look on their faces.

"Matt!" Dawson called. "Hey!"

Matt slowly opened his eyes.

"Good, you're alive," Dawson said as he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God..."

"Dawson..." Matt softly called out.

"What is it?" Dawson asked.

"...If you ever get out of here... Tell Milly that I love her..." A tear streamed down Matt's face. "...And that I'm... sorry..."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Dawson exclaimed. "You're getting out with us!"

Matt closed his eyes again, and his body then hung limp.

"Hey! Matt!" Dawson called again in a much more frantic tone. "Wake up!"

Shawn covered his mouth with his hand, as he felt his eyes start to water. He looked towards Jenna, who also seemed close to tears. As she looked at Matt's body, she gasped as if she realized something.

"He's bleeding out!" Jenna said.

Dawson looked up towards her. "What?!" He then look at Matt's chest, and saw that blood was being pumped through a cut in his body at an alarming rate.

"Shit!" Dawson exclaimed as he tried to apply pressure to the gash to restrain the bleeding. "Matt, c'mon! Don't die! Don't let Milly and your kids down! Please!"

No response.

"Matt..." Dawson called one last time in a depressed tone.

"Dawson..." Carlos called in concern. "He's gone..."

"No he's not!" Dawson snapped. "He's not! He's-"

"Dawson!" Carlos said again.

Dawson stared at Carlos with a look of pure agony on his face, and then turned back towards the lifeless Matt below him.

Then, he turned his head upward and let out a loud scream.

~~~

Bruce walked into the dollhouse in the basement of Melissa's house. After spending several days in that cold cage, he found it nice to finally be back in this warm house, with a decent bead and warm food.

Claudia ran into the front hallway. "Welcome back, Bruc-" She gasped as she brought her hand to her mouth. "Oh my goodness! What happened to your face?!"

Bruce pointed towards his face. "What, this?" He chuckled. "This is nothing! The swelling should go away in a few days! Now, I just need some rest."

"Oh... Okay, dear."

Bruce walked past the concerned Claudia, and then made his way up the plastic stairs, onto the second floor, and then headed for the master bedroom. Once there, he plopped himself onto the bed, and, in a matter of minutes, was fast asleep.

~~~

Thomas heard the front door open and close, and then footsteps as they made their way up the stairs. Within seconds, Sayuko walked into the room.

"I'm back," she said.

"I see that," Thomas responded.

Sayuko smiled at him. Then, she placed her bookbag onto her bed and unzipped it. She then pulled out a sheet of paper, and turned towards Thomas to show him. It had several mathematic problems on it, with answers written in Sayuko's handwriting. However, what stood out was the marking at the top of the paper: In red ink was the number 87.

"I passed," Sayuko said.

With these test results, Thomas became excited. "That's great! You did wonderful, Sayu!"

"I know," she said. "And it was all thanks to you. Arigato, Thoma-kun. I mean it from the bottom of my heart."

Thomas blushed. "It was nothing. Just me helping out a friend."

"You're so modest, Thoma-kun."

"Yeah, I know... It's just the way I am, I guess."

"Well, I like you the way you are, so don't change."

"I won't."

Sayuko looked towards the window. "I was right."

"About what?" Thomas asked.

"Today was a nice day."

Thomas stared at her for a few seconds, before also turning towards the window. The deep blue sky outside had quite a few white clouds in it. Watching the clouds pass by seemed to calm him even more than he already was before.

"A nice day indeed," Thomas said.

~~~

Reeve watched in frustration from Melissa's desk as she snuffed out the last remaining Homeless underneath her foot. There was nothing he could do. They only had 9 people left when things were all said and done. They lost, and that was that. Now on his mind was what would become of him. Was he going to be killed as well?

Melissa walked towards him. "Now, it's your turn."

"What are you going to do?" he asked. "Squash me like a roach or something, like you did to the rest of my people?"

Melissa shook her head. "Mm-Mmm. I have something else planned for you."

She then wrapped her fingers around him as she grabbed him in her hand. He felt himself being carried somewhere, though he had no clue as to what the destination was.

Less than a minute later, he was released onto a hard surface. He looked around. From the looks of things, he seemed to be in the kitchen. He looked onto what he had been set on. It was covered with a kind of thin sheet, though he could feel that there was some kind of metal underneath.

"What is this?" Reeve asked.

"Your punishment," Melissa answered as she reached down for something out of sight.

"What do you-"

Suddenly, Reeve's mouth dropped and at the same time his heart sank, as he saw Melissa pull up what she was reaching for: an iron, one that already seemed to be hot.

Reeve stood up in fear. "What are you doing?!"

Melissa did not answer. At least, not verbally. Instead, she moved the iron towards him. Reeve wasted no time and began to run as fast as he could from this menacing appliance.

Unfortunately, it was just too big and too fast. Extremely hot steam shot out from the iron and onto him, which severely burned his skin. He screamed in pain as he fell down to what he now assumed was a large ironing board. He looked upward and saw the iron coming down on him, before Melissa softly rested it onto his body.

He could feel the iron burning the flesh on his body, and literally cooking him alive.

A taste of hell before the real thing.

The morning sun shone into Sayuko's bedroom as Thomas sat on her desk and watched Sayuko once again tried to call Mr. Cruz on her cell phone. When she had first started to call him, she had a somewhat optimistic and hopeful aura about her persona. Now, however, she seemed a bit more frustrated and forlorn.

She held the phone to her ear for several seconds, before she muttered what sounded like an expletive in Japanese. She dropped her phone onto her bed, placed her hands on her face, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Sayu," Thomas called. "Are you alright?"

"Every day," Sayuko said while keeping her hands on her face, "my hope fades away. I want to rescue Taro, but Mr. Cruz never answers his phone..."

"I'm sure that we'll get him."

"...I'm going to get some milk." She headed for the bedroom door. "Do you want anything, Thoma-kun?"

"No. I'm good."

Sayuko nodded, and walked out of the bedroom.

Thomas looked towards the window, and the morning sky outside.

"This isn't working," he said.

It was a sunny Saturday morning, not past 10:30, as Robbie drove his car down the road. He was a young man of Korean descent with short dark brown hair, and stood at about 5' 10".

Today was usually the day that he would rest after the week at his community college. He had planned to once again spend his day with his girlfriend Kim. However, there was a sudden change of plans the night before, when he received a call from a classmate by the name of Melissa. The two had been paired together for their Business Economics project, and she had called him to come to her house that Saturday, so they could "get the hard stuff out of the way."

"Are we there yet?" asked Kim, who sat in the passenger seat. She was a young woman, also of Korean descent, who stood at 5' 5" and had her black hair tied in a ponytail.

"Almost," Robbie answered. "I just never thought that Melissa lived pretty much in the boonies."

Kim sighed. "Why did I even let you talk me into coming?"

"...Because I want to go straight to the park after finishing up with Melissa."

"So, what am I going to be doing while you're there?"

"I dunno... Watching TV, maybe? Or you can help us."

Kim scoffed. "Yeah, right!"

"C'mon..." Robbie begged.

"No way! I just want you to hurry up so we can get out of there."

"That's what I plan to do, sweetie," Robbie said with a smile.

"...Hey, when do you have classes with her?" Kim asked.

"Tuesdays," Robbie responded. "Why?"

"And you said that she called you last night for this?"

"Yeah. I repeat: Why?"

"...I just find it weird that, for something as big as you say this project is, she wouldn't call you days before."

"...Meh. Maybe it was a spur the moment thing."

Kim turned towards the opened window on her side of the car. "Well, I guess that while I'm there, I can ask her about Thom-"

"I already did," Robbie said, quickly interrupting her. "She seemed worried when I told her that he never came home that day."

Kim sighed. "Thomas went missing right after his date with her. I hope she didn't do anything to him..."

Robbie shook his head. "I don't see Melissa as the type of person who would do something like that."

"...You sure?"

"Positive."

"Mmm..."

The two said very little during the remaining trek to Melissa's house. The subject of their missing friend dampened their mood a bit. It did seem odd that Thomas had disappeared without a word after his supposed day out with Melissa. Not only that, now that he thought about it, when he told Melissa about Thomas, she seemed a bit too worried.

Did Melissa know something about Thomas' disappearance? Worse yet, was she involved somehow? As he said to Kim, he did not believe that Melissa had anything to do with it, but what if she did? What then?

Thomas' mother was understandably very frantic about him missing. Hell, she did not even want him to move into the apartment he rented a few months ago, as the strange disappearances that the various news outlets have been talking about had her on edge. Thomas assured her that he would be fine; that nothing was going to happen to her. Unfortunately, her worst fears were realized in late June.

Thomas was Robbie's best friend, and he did not just want to see his return for his sake, but also his family's.

"Here it is," Robbie said as his car approached a white-walled house with a grey roof. "It's pretty big..."

"Wow, she lives here?" Kim said in amazement. "I've seen this house before, but I didn't think that someone who went to our school actually lived here. ...You'd think they'd get into an Ivy League college or something."

"Yeah, I know..." Robbie said as he turned and pulled into her driveway.

Once the car came to a complete stop, Robbie pulled the lever into park, pulled both of the front windows up, and finally pulled the key from ignition. Both he and Kim opened their respective doors and stepped out of the car. Robbie closed the driver's door, and then walked to the back door and opened it, before pulling out his backpack from the backseat and pulling it onto his back. He then closed the door, and pressed the "lock" button on his key's remote. The chirping sound from the car confirmed that it had been securely locked.

"It's bigger than I thought," Kim said as she marveled at the size of the house. "You sure you have the right address?"

"Yep," Robbie answered. "She also said that it was a big white house. Does that look like a big white house to you?"

"...You don't have to get smart with me."

"Yes I do," he said in a joking manner.

Kim folded her arms. "Whatever."

"Hey." Robbie called.

"What?"

"Did I mention how nice you look today?" Robbie said, taking notice of her red tank-top, blue jeans, and red flip-flop sandals.

"...What brought that up, all of a sudden?" Kim asked, blushing.

"I dunno. I guess you don't look like a geek like you usually do."

"What? It's not like I never dressed like this before."

"Yeah, but you don't do it often enough, sweetie." Robbie smiled.

Kim stared at him for a few seconds, before walking towards the house's front door. Robbie followed after her, and met up with her as she rung the house's doorbell. The pair waited for several seconds, before the door opened, revealing Melissa. From the look on her face, Robbie could see that she was surprised that he had brought someone with him.

"Hello, Robbie," Melissa greeted with a smile. "You made it."

"Of course," Robbie answered, before turning towards Kim. "This is my girlfriend Kim."

"Pleased to meet you," Kim said as she extended her arm.

"The pleasure's mine," Melissa said as she also extended her arm, and gave Kim a firm handshake. "Are you going to be helping us."

"No," Kim said as she shook her head and retracted her arm. "I don't know anything about business or economics."

"Aww... What a shame... ...Anyway, why don't you two come inside?"

"Sure," Robbie said as both he and Kim walked into the house.

"You can both go upstairs," Melissa said as she closed the door. "My rooms the furthest on the right."

"Okay," Robbie said, before he and Kim headed towards the stairs that stood in front of them.

~~~

Melissa watched as the newly arrived couple climbed up the stairs. She sighed quietly, before following them onto the floor above.

This was not what she had planned. One of her "finalists" had died after the war she staged two days ago. Because of that, she had to get a replacement, and, due to the school project they were supposed to be working on, Robbie Yun was the first person that came to mind. So, she had called him the night before, under the pretense of wanting to work on their project.

She just did not expect him to bring someone with him. This was the first time that she would have to shrink down two people at once. The problem was that she was certain that the shrink ray could only shrink one object at once. What would the other person do after she shrunk one of them? Would they try to attack her?

Maybe she should just forget about shrinking him and actually work on the project. After all, it DID count for 30% of their final grade.

Before long, the three were inside of Melissa's room. She closed the door behind her.

"This room is pretty big," Kim said. "I would kill for a room like this!"

"Maybe when we get a house of our own," Robbie said, "you can have your super bedroom."

"Oh?" Melissa said. "You're thinking about moving in with each other?"

"Not really," Robbie answered. "She wants to get married before we move in together."

"Oh, that's right," Melissa said as she walked towards her dresser. "Cohabitation is wrong and all that stuff."

"I don't believe that," Robbie said, "but she does."

"You say it like it's a bad thing," Kim said. "Anyway, while you two are working, what am I going to do?"

"Oh, right!" Melissa said. "I guess you can use my laptop for a while. We shouldn't be long. ...Hopefully."

Robbie walked to her bed, pulled his backpack off of his back, and placed it onto the bed. "Hey, help me take some of this stuff out."

"Okay," Kim said as she approached Robbie and assisted him in pulling out books and papers from the backpack.

Both of their backs were turned against her, and Melissa saw this as the perfect opportunity. She made up her mind about her earlier dilemma. She quickly opened the top drawer of her dresser and pulled out the Shrink Ray. She powered it on, and then pointed it at Robbie's back, and pulled the trigger. A flash of light burst from the ray, and struck Robbie in the back.

Kim jumped in surprise and gasped as she saw the flash hit her boyfriend. She then watched in horror as he rapidly reduced in size, eventually stopping at less than 2 inches. She then looked from the unconscious young man on the floor at her feet, to Melissa. She had both a horrified and angered look on her face.

"What did you do?!" an indignant Kim asked, before noticing the contraption in her hands. "What the hell is that?!"

"Kim, was it?" Melissa said as she shifted the Shrink Ray towards her. "I'll give you an ultimatum. ...Squish your boyfriend, or I'll shrink you as well."

"What?!" Kim exclaimed in shock. "Why the fuck would I do that?!"

Melissa sighed. "Too bad."

"Make him back to normal!" Kim ordered. "What are you thinking?!"

Melissa grinned. "I'm thinking that this is going to be fun."

She then pulled the trigger, causing another burst of light to fire from the ray, and hit Kim in the chest. Like her boyfriend, she also rapidly lost her size, and ended up as a small, unconscious person laying on the floor.

Melissa looked from Kim to Robbie, who was coming to, and smiled.

"I guess two won't be so bad," she said.

~~~

"Hey... Hey!!"

Kim awoke to the sound of Robbie's voice, as he shook her awake with his hand. The sight of his worried and frightened face filled her vision as she opened her eyes. Off in the seemingly distance, there stood a great giant. It took her mere seconds to figure out that this giant was Melissa, and that she was no giant at all. Both Kim and Robbie were just insignificantly small, on the floor of this now massive bedroom.

"Robbie..." Kim called. "Is this real...?"

Robbie looked around, before nodding.

"But... This can't be!" Kim stood to her feet, and then turned towards Melissa. "Why did you do this to us?!"

Melissa pressed a button on the side of the strange device she held in her hand. "Well, I actually planned to do this just to Robbie there, but you just HAD to come. So, I had no choice."

Kim looked towards Robbie, who held his hands up and shook his head frantically.

"So," Melissa continued as she placed the device into the top drawer of her dresser, "since I have two of you today, I think we'll play some games."

"Wh-what kind of games?!" Robbie nervously asked.

"You could say 'Survival' games."

Kim's heart sank. With Melissa's massive size compared to them, coupled with the demand that she gave Kim before she shrank her, she had a clue as to what Melissa meant.

Melissa walked closer to them, until she stood over them like an imposing skyscraper. With a mischievous grin on her face, she lifted her right foot over the duo. Kim stared in horror at the black sole of now lowering flip-flop, before Robbie pulled her by the arm.

"Run, run!!" Robbie frantically said as he ran as fast as he could from the shadow of Melissa's foot.

Guided by her boyfriend, Kim managed to dash out from underneath the falling foot, before it crashed down behind them. Not stopping for an instant, both Robbie and Kim continued to run as far away from the giantess as they could. Kim's heart was racing, and she found it somewhat difficult to keep up her pace with the flip-flop sandals that she was wearing, but at that point, all that matter was their survival.

Suddenly, Melissa's foot slammed down right into their path. The couple came to a complete halt as they stared in horror at the massive foot before them, before shifting their heads upward, towards the face of this sadistic giantess.

"You're both pretty fast," she said. "...For Bugmen."

Kim had no idea what a 'Bugman' was, and she was not given any time to even consider asking about it, as Robbie pulled her back the other way, and the two resumed their fleeing. This time, however, they did not get far, as the massive foot once again came down and blocked their path.

"C'mon..." Melissa said. "You're both so small. You can't run away from me."

"What do you want from us?!" Kim cried out. "Are you going to kill us?!"

"I might," Melissa casually said.

Both Kim and Robbie gasped.

"I mean, it's not like you two are the first ones I've done this to."

Upon hearing this, Kim looked towards Robbie, who was also looking back at her with the same shocked expression she had. He had apparently come to the same conclusion that she had; it seemed that the mystery behind Thomas' disappearance, and perhaps the rest of the disappearances that the media had been reporting about, had been solved, though in a most horrifying way.

"Anyway," Melissa said. "Robbie, I want you to lick my toes. ...Lick, or I'll kill your girlfriend."

Kim looked towards Robbie, who had a look of both fear and concern on his face. She nudged her head towards Melissa, signaling him to do as Melissa said for her safety. Robbie released her hand from his grip and slowly made his way towards Melissa's foot.

"Attaboy," Melissa said as she slipped her right foot out of its sandal and set it in front of the tiny man.

As he reached her foot, Robbie briefly glanced back towards Kim, before placing his hands onto Melissa's big toe, and pressed his face against it. From her position, Kim could not see him licking Melissa's skin.

This whole situation horrified Kim. She wanted to believe that this was just a dream, or rather, a nightmare. After all, shrinking is not possible. It should not be possible. Surely science had not advanced that much under the noses of the media? Worse yet, there was now no doubt that Melissa indeed was the cause of Thomas' disappearance, so what became of him? Did Melissa kill him, or was she keeping him somewhere else?

Looking at Robbie being forced to such a task of licking Melissa's massive foot sickened Kim. Not because he was doing it, but because she knew that he was secretly enjoying it; Robbie had a mild foot fetish. Not as bad as in other men that she had seen, though it played a big part in their intimacy. It was actually because of this that Kim wore her occasionally worn flip-flops in the first place today.

Kim was shocked out of her thoughts by the loud sound of Melissa's other empty flip-flop hitting the floor beside her. Melissa had kicked it off of her left foot, and whether she tried to hit her with it or not, Kim was unsure.

"You there," Melissa called. "I want you to kiss my other foot."

"What?!" Kim exclaimed.

"You heard me. Or..."

Melissa lifted her right foot from the floor, causing Robbie, who was leaning against it, to stumble and fall to the floor. Melissa then slowly dropped her foot onto Robbie's body, the sight of which caused Kim to scream his name.

"...Or I'll make him a stain on the floor. It's your choice," Melissa said. "Kiss my foot, or I'll step down on him hard."

Kim was appalled, and yet, she knew that she had no choice. She slowly headed towards Melissa's left foot, and once there, leaned down onto Melissa's second toe and reluctantly began to press her lips on it.

"You can do better than that," Melissa taunted. "Or do you not care about your boyfriend? 'Cuz I don't mind squishing him."

Kim quickened her pace, planting as many kisses on her toes as she could, a task made somewhat more difficult whenever Melissa decided to wiggle her toes. She could not believe that she had been reduced to doing such a task, but in order to save Robbie, she knew that she had no choice in the matter.

After a minute or so, Melissa withdrew her foot from Kim. She then lifted her other foot off of Robbie's body. Kim rushed to his side, and helped him to his feet. He was breathing heavily; he must have gotten little air while he was underneath Melissa's foot.

"Are you alright?" Kim asked with great concern.

"...Ye... Yeah..." Robbie answered.

"...Did you like that?"

"What?"

"Nevermind..."

"Lovebirds," Melissa called. "You should start running again."

Melissa once again lifted her left foot over the couple, this time without her sandal. Despite his current state, Robbie mustered the strength to run out from underneath Melissa's foot, taking Kim with him, though this time, she seemed to be moving faster than he was.

Melissa's foot came down behind them. However, she then lifted her other foot over them and began to bring it down onto the couple. Unfortunately, this time, there seemed to be no escape, as they would not be able to avoid her toes before they came down onto them. At that point, Robbie, shoved Kim out from underneath the shadow. Kim fell to the floor and looked behind herself, and saw Melissa's massive toes landing on his diminutive body.

"Robbie!!" she called in horror, before looking up at the face of the giantess. "Stop this! Please!!"

Melissa did not answer. Instead, she shifted her foot position on Robbie's body, until his head was peaking out from under her foot between her big and second toes.

"Why are you doing this to us?!" Kim yelled out.

"...Because I can," Melissa answered. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Kim stood to her feet. She gritted her teeth, as her fear was giving way to anger, at Melissa, at this situation, and at her complete uselessness. Melissa was right. At her size, there was nothing she could do but watch this giant woman play with Robbie underneath her feet as if he was some kind of bug. Kim was worried about whether or not he would meet the same fate as most bugs that people come across.

Now with Robbie caught between her toes, Melissa lifted her foot from the floor and examined his body. With a smile, she tensed her toes, tightening them on Robbie's body. He screamed in pain as her digits seemed to be crushing him.

"Robbie!!" Kim called.

"Shove it," Melissa ordered. "You're only making it worse for him."

She continued squeezing Robbie between her toes, though she seemed to have added a bit more pressure to it, as Robbie's screaming became louder. At his size, even the smallest shift in pressure could be fatal.

Soon, Melissa released him from her toes, and let him fall to the floor. However, before Kim could even move the slightest inch towards him, Melissa brought the same foot back down onto his body and rested it there.

"Don't worry, Kim," Melissa said. "I didn't break him. Not yet. But can't a girl play with her toys?"

"'Toys'?!" Kim exclaimed. "He's a human being!"

Melissa scoffed at this notion. "Not anymore, and neither are you. I really hate how you bugs always insist that you're still people. I took all of that away once I shrank you."

"You're crazy!!"

Melissa smirked. "Maybe I am. But that doesn't change the fact that you two are completely at my mercy. If I wanted to, I could easily crush the life out of both of you right now, with no. Effort. At. All. Just like the others."

She lifted her foot off of Robbie, and, with her foot, shoved him towards Kim. He slid across the floor, and collided with her, knocking her over on top of him. She quickly recovered and tended to the aching Robbie. He was breathing heavily and clutching his chest.

"...But not right now," Melissa said. "What I called Robbie over here for was somewhat true. I need his notes for our project." She smiled. "Don't worry. I'll make sure that we both get A's, little man."

"You're stealing my notes?!" Robbie managed to blurt out.

"Yeah," Melissa answered as she walked towards the two. "In the meantime, I'm going to put you two away."

She then kneeled down and picked both of them from the floor and into the palm of her hand. She the stood up and began to walk across the room, towards what looked like her back closet door. She opened the door and walked inside. Sure enough, it was a closet; it was dark and filled with hanging clothes on racks. Melissa slid these clothes aside, revealing another space poorly lit by a dim lightbulb and a few glass cages against the wall. Melissa headed to the first one of her left, and placed Kim and Robbie inside.

"Now, you all be nice to each other." Melissa smiled. "After all, you don't know which one of you will die next."

With that, Melissa walked out of the closet, pulling the hanging clothes back into place as she left, and then closed the door behind her.

Robbie struggled to his feet. Kim found it amazing that, after all he had endured, he could still stand. Still, she held onto him, to help support him on his unstable legs.

"Are you alright?" Kim asked, concerned for his well-being.

"Yeah," he answered. "My chest hurts, but I'll live. ...But what the hell just happened?"

"I don't know..." Kim shook her head. "I... I don't know..."

Robbie sighed. "I can't believe that I let her trick me like that. And that I got you into it. I'm so stupid..."

"No, Robbie. How were you supposed to know that Melissa had the ability to shrink people? All you knew was that she was probably the last person to see Thomas."

"Yeah... But still... I'm sorry." Robbie had a hint of regret lingering on his voice. "Now we're stuck in here."

Kim kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sure something will happen soon, and we'll be free from that crazy bitch."

"...I hope so, sweetie..."

"Excuse me." A tall man approached the couple. Kim could not be certain due to the dim light, but it seemed that this man only had one arm. "I couldn't help but overhear, but did you mention a 'Thomas'?"

Kim and Robbie looked at each other, before Kim answered the man's question.

"Yes, Thomas Kirkland," she said. "He's a friend of our's."

The man's eyes widened, and then he turned behind himself, as if he was looking for someone.

"Is he here?" Robbie asked.

The man turned back towards them. "Sorry, but no. Actually, we don't know where he is."

"...So, he's still alive?" Robbie asked.

"Well, as far as we know, yeah," the man answered.

Deep inside, a small hope was renewed within Kim, as well as Robbie. Their friend was still alive, though he was still missing.

Another man approached them, a seemingly blond man with an unbuttoned jean jacket. "Small world... You both are friends of Thomas. I wonder how he will react when he finds out that you two also fell victim to Melissa..."

"By the way," said the one-armed man. "My name is Dawson. This here is Shawn."

"My name is Kim," Kim said. "This is Robbie."

"How many people are in here?" Robbie asked.

"Well," Shawn said, "now with you two, there's seven of us."

"That little?" Robbie seemed surprised at this revelation.

"There was a whole bunch more," Dawson said. "But Melissa killed off everyone else."

"...Shit..." Robbie muttered.

"Plus," Shawn added, "Melissa may start killing us off pretty soon, too."

Kim gasped. It seemed that this dark place was nothing more than death row for Melissa's 'toys'.

"Well, in the meantime," Dawson said, "you two are now members of our humble group called 'The Survivors'. Let's go introduce you both to the others."

Shawn and Dawson both turned away from them. Shawn began to walk away, but Dawson turned back towards the couple. He looked at him, and examined her body from top to bottom.

"By the way, Kim," he said, "you have some nice feet."

"Uh." Kim was flabbergasted, as well as blushing slightly. "Thank you?"

Robbie let out a short laugh. Dawson then followed Shawn further into the cage.

"What's so funny?" Kim asked Robbie.

"...I think Dawson's a cool guy," he responded.

"Just keep him away from my feet. I don't want you sucking on one foot, and him on the other."

"Of course, sweetie."

Kim sighed. "I knew I should have worn my gym shoes today..."

The couple then began to follow both Shawn and Dawson further into the dark cage. They had no idea how long they would be there, so getting to know everyone inside of the cage would probably be a good thing. Especially if they're in this so-called 'Survivors' group, even though it was fairly certain that no one would actually survive the wrath of Melissa.

~~~

The day seemed to be passing by very quickly for both Thomas and Sayuko; It was now approaching sunset.

With her cell phone once again held to her ear, Sayuko tried for the fifth time today to call Mr. Cruz. And once again, Sayuko let out a cry of frustration as she seemed to have gotten his voicemail again. All day today, she did not bother to leave him any voice messages like before; perhaps a sign that she was at the end of her rope. She was hoping that she could end this all before she went to Melissa's house tomorrow, but now, that did not seem likely at all.

She closed her phone and sat down on her bed. There, she let out a loud sigh, and muttered a few phrases in Japanese.

Thomas had watched her all day. He did not like the toll that this was taking on her. It was odd that Mr. Cruz had not picked up his phone all week, and that he did not return any of her calls. Was it possible that he was ignoring her? Even after she said that it was very urgent?

Whatever the case, their one hope of putting an end to Melissa's reign of terror seemed to die out like a light flame on a windy night.

Unless...

"Sayu," Thomas called.

"...What?" Sayuko answered curtly.

She was still flustered over today, so Thomas chose to ignore her current bad mood. "How badly do you want to rescue your brother?"

"You know that already," Sayuko responded. "I would give anything to get him back."

"I see..."

"...Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

Thomas stood up and walked towards the edge of the desk. "Mr. Cruz turned out to be useless, so I don't think we have a choice now. ...It's time we took matters into our own hands."

It had just passed noon on the next day, a Sunday afternoon, as Thomas pulled his shirt over his head and onto his upper torso. He was dressed in his now cleaned red and black T-shirt, grey jeans, and black sneakers; the exact same clothes he had worn when he first made his trek to Melissa's house several weeks ago. This attire was quite fitting; as this was Sunday, Sayuko would be going over to Melissa's house. Except that Thomas would also be going with her.

Thomas picked his wallet and keys from his make-shift bed and shoved them into his right pocket. He looked back towards his bed, at the crucifix necklace that Gloria had given him. She called it a good luck charm, and now was the time that he would need all of the luck that he could get. He grabbed it and held it in his hands or several seconds as he stared at it.

If things went well, he would be seeing his companions once again. Though he was a bit angsty about Gloria, and her possible pregnancy. How would he tell her that he had started to bond with Sayuko? Would she consider it a slap in the face, even if she did somewhat push him to get close to Sayuko?

But those issues would have to wait until if and after both he and Sayuko succeeded. The plan he came up with was risky, but with Mr. Cruz out of the picture, it was their only option.

Thomas pulled the necklack over his head, and then brought it down around his neck. He then tucked the crucifix into his shirt.

Sayuko then walked into the room, wearing a pink shirt and a demin skirt that came to her knees. She headed to her bed and sat down on the edge facing Thomas. Once there, she slipped her barefeet out of her fuzzy pink slippers and slipped them into her red sandals.

"Sayu," Thomas called as she strapped her feet into her sandals. "Are you ready?"

Sayuko looked up towards him. "To be honest, Thomas-kun... No, I'm not. I'm scared, and nervous. ...But I know that I have to do this."

"Yeah. I'm scared too, but I know that we'll pull it off."

"How do you know?"

"...I don't know... I guess I just have faith in us. ...Mainly in you. After all, you rescue me from Melissa's house, and you got Mr. Cruz's phone number, even if that didn't work out. You're braver than you think."

"Do you mean that, Thoma-kun?"

Thomas smiled. "Yeah."

Sayuko returned with a smile of her own. "Okay. I'll believe in myself and what I can do."

With her feet firmly strapped into her sandals, she grabbed her red purse from the bed and stood up. She then walked towards her desk, stopping right in front of Thomas. Sayuko was a very short young woman, but at his current size, she towered over him like a skyscraper.

"I guess it's time to go now," Sayuko said as she placed her purse on the desk, right beside Thomas. Afterwards, she picked him up from the desk, and set him inside of her purse.

"I'll see you when we get to Melissa's," Thomas said as he looked up at her massive face.

"Yes," Sayuko said, before closing the purse and leaving Thomas in the darkness.

He sat down on the soft fabric, as he felt the purse begin to move about around him.

"...Here it comes," Thomas said to himself. "The final boss of Melissa's game."

Inside of his plastic hamster house, Taro awoke to the sound of the chain around his dark prison being undone, and seconds later, light flooded into this world. The light was almost blinding, as his eyes have since become accustomed to the darkness inside of this cabinet.

"Taro~o" she called. "I have something to tell you. You might like it."

Grogging along the way, Taro picked himself up from the ground, and slowly but surely made his way out of the doorway. As he walked how, he was met by the visage of Melissa's smiling face. Despite how sweet one would find it on the outside, he had come to associate it with something ominous.

"Sleepy as always, little man," she said.

"...What is it you wanted me for?" Taro asked, trying to get straight to the point.

"So impatient! What, did I interrupt a wet dream?" She laughed.

Taro moaned, but remained silent.

"...Anyway, you know that your sister's coming today, right?"

"She's coming today?" It had been nearly a month since he had last spoken to her. "Is she well?"

"...I don't know. But if she does what I say today, you'll be reunited with her."

Taro's eyes widen in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll finally be able to hug her like I bet you've been wanting to for the longest now."

"Melissa... Are you telling the truth?" Taro was still in disbelief

"Of course. Why would I lie to you?" She smiled again. "She just has to kill my mom and sis, and then you two will be together again."

"What?!" This bit of information stunned Taro. "You're going to make her kill your family?!"

"And that little moocher, too."

"How could you make her do that?!" Taro exclaimed.

Melissa sighed. "I was going to do it myself, but they're not worth it anymore. It'd be better and more humiliating if they were killed by someone infer-"

"That's not what I meant! How could you be so cruel to your own flesh and blood?!"

"Flesh and...?!" Melissa became agitated; there was no trace of the smile that she had before. "Listen, you little piece of shit. You have no idea of what those two put me through for most of my life. They are not my family. They're nothing. Don't ever say anything like that that again, or," Melissa struck the cage with her hand, which caused it to shake violently and caused Taro to lose his footing and fall to his bottom, "I'll kill you and your sister. Got it?!"

Taro nervously nodded. No matter how many times she became cross with him, it always sent chills down his spine.

Melissa smacked the cage once more. "And don't ever interrupt me again."

Taro stood to his feet as Melissa dropped a small white bag into the cage. It fell right in front of his feet, and he could now see that it was a white bag from a fast food restaraunt.

"Eat your shit," Melissa ordered, her mood now sour. "You have water, so I didn't bother to get you a drink this time."

Taro kneeled down and picked up the bag, just as Melissa closed the doors of the cabinet, once again encasing him in darkness. He opened the bag and looked closely inside. He saw a plain hamburger and a medium size of fries. The usual stuff. He sighed and carried the bag back into his house.

Melissa had truly crossed the line. It was horrifying enough to kill dozens of innocent people as if they were indeed nothing more than insects, but to include her own family among those ranks? The thought almost made Taro so sick that he could not even look at the food that she had given him. His family was gone, dead because of a careless drunk driver. He would give anything to have them back, if only for Sayuko's sake, and that is how Melissa treats her family?

On the other hand, he would finally be reunited with his sister.

"...Just one more," Taro said. "Please, sister. Just hold out once more..."

~~~

Robbie sat at Kim's knees, with his back turned against her. He held her right foot in his hands, and was attempting to massage it, though it seemed to come across more as fondling. Luckily for him, Kim did not mind.

The last 24 hours had been horrible on the couple. Kim almost had a breakdown once it hit her that, after talking with the others, they were all but guaranteed to be trapped in this dark prison until Melissa decides to kill them. Robbie was able to calm her down, though that was not to say that he was not anxious abut the situation as well. Through each other's comfort, they figured that they could at least bare this torture until their time came.

"...I missed Code Geass," Robbie said, trying to get his mind off of the current situation.

"What?" Kim responded. "I already saw the entire thing a year ago!"

"Well, excuse me for liking the dub! I think Johnny Yong Bosch does great as Lelouch!"

"...Whatever. Johnny always sounds so angry. He makes a better Ichigo. Oh, and Bleach's dub sucks, too."

"You weeaboo."

"Why should I stay up late and watch something I've already seen a year ago?" Kim sighed. "...But that doesn't matter anymore."

"C'mon... Don't think about it." Robbie turned towards her. "...Hey! Remember the time me and Thomas almost beat you in Brawl, but you came back and kicked our asses?"

Kim nodded. "You two thought you had me, but then I got the Smash Ball that appeared."

Robbie chuckled. "Damn Marth and his one-hit KO Final Smash. I don't know how you got both of us with that!"

"You guys just got cocky."

"...Riiight. Whatever. We should have won that match. It's the game's fault for making a Smash Ball appear there."

"If one of you had gotten it, you wouldn't have thought it was unfair."

Robbie chuckled again. "Maybe so."

Kim looked in front of her, past Robbie, and he saw a look of realization appear on her face. He turned back towards his front, and saw Dawson approaching them.

"Well, if it isn't the happy couple!" Dawson greeted. "How are you both holding up?"

"I'm doing better," Kim answered. "Robbie's just trying to make me remember some of the good times."

"Wow... That was fast," Dawson said. "Usually it'd be at least a few days before people start to reminisce."

"Well... You all said that you've been here for a long time. Why should I think that it'd be different for us?"

"Kim..." Robbie called as he brought her foot closer to his face. "Try not to think about it too much. Maybe something will happen."

Kim did nothing but silently look at Robbie as he kissed her instep.

"Maybe some angel with a sword will come down and smite Melissa," Robbie said.

"...An angel?" Kim asked, before rolling her eyes. "Right..."

"...What about Godzilla?"

"Why would Godzilla attack a little suburb like this? He usually goes after those big cities like New York or Tokyo." Kim folded her arms. "And even if he came here, he wouldn't care about us. I don't even think he'd see us!"

Robbie kissed her foot again. "C'mon, sweetie. Just play along with me. You shouldn't give up hope until the very end, right?"

"I guess..." Kim responded.

"Hey, Robbie," Dawson called. "Can I ask you something? Out of curiosity?"

"Sure," Robbie responded.

"Are you family?"

"What?" Robbie said, not having a clue as to what Dawson was refering to.

"You're rubbing on Kim's foot, and you kissed it twice. Do you have a foo-"

"Yes!" Kim quickly answered for Robbie.

Dawson laughed. "About time I found another person here who shares my quirk! I have one too, you know."

"Yeah," Robbie said. "We figured it out when you said that she had nice feet yesterday."

"...And she does! I would just, for a second, love to touch-"

"No." Kim interrupted again. "Sorry, but my feet are only for Robbie. Why don't you ask that other girl? ...Jenna, I think."

"I tried already. She let me do my stuff one time, a long time ago, but now she just blows me off." Dawson shook his head. "And she has such pretty ones, too. ...She use to be barefoot all of the time, but after that war a few days ago, she's been wearing shoes that she got off of a dead Homeless woman."

"Is that right?" Robbie said.

"I have another question," Dawson said.

Kim pulled her foot from Robbie's grasp, and then stood up. "I'm going to chat with the others." She slipped her foot into its red flip-flop sandal, and then walked away from the two men.

Dawson watched as she headed towards Jenna. "Oh man... I hope Jenna doesn't brainwash her."

"About what?" Robbie asked.

"Jenna thinks I'm a perverted freak." Dawson turned back towards him. "The last thing I need is another cute girl conspiring against me."

"Well, I don't know about that. Kim perfers to think on her own. But you're right on one thing: She is cute."

"...How'd you meet her?"

"Me and Thomas went to a bowling alley back in March. It was there that I first met Kim and a bunch of other girls. At first, I tried to hook Thomas up with one of them, but they didn't seem to be too interested in him. Later, Kim and I started talking, and I asked her out. The rest is history."

"I see... I need to find out where this bowling alley is, if there's more cuties like that around!"

"Anyway, is that what you wanted to ask me?"

"No..." Dawson moved towards Robbie and sat down besides him. "...So, you have a foot fetish."

"Yeah."

"...What about a giantess fetish?"

"The hell is a giantess fetish?"

"Oh, it's awesome!" Dawson seemed to be getting excited. "Basically, it's when you're turned on by a giant woman, or by being shrunken so that normal-sized women look giant from your view!"

"Oh. ...In other words, what happened to us now."

"Yeah," Dawson said as he nodded. "Back home, I would fantasize about being squished like a bug under the feet of some pretty girl. It's quite hot, don't you think?"

"...No."

"What?! How can that not be hot?! You love feet, so wouldn't you love a much bigger foot?!"

"I don't love feet. I just have an affinity towards them, I guess. Also, I wouldn't want to be killed."

"Hmm..." Dawson calmed himself. "Maybe you're right. At least if you stay alive, you can enjoy the feet more. ...But the girl could still step on me. Just lightly... And barefoot to be safe."

"...You're one weird guy."

Dawson laughed. "We're all weird in our own unique way."

"True." Robbie looked back towards Kim, whom he could barely see in the dim light.

"You know what's funny?" Dawson asked.

"What?"

"...If what happened to us was actually just a story, I would think that it'd be the best story ever. Melissa could have been the best evil giantess in GTS literature history."

"...That'd be one messed up story." Robbie snickered. "And the guy writing it obviously is sick in the head."

~~~

"I can't believe your boyfriend's talking to him!" Jenna said to Kim as she looked towards the two men further away from them.

"I don't see the problem," Kim said. "Dawson's looks like a nice guy."

"But he's a freak! A freak who fucks feet!"

"So you hate him because he has a foot fetish?"

"...I don't hate him, but I definately don't like him. I mean... What sane girl would go for a guy who likes feet? Feet are nasty!"

Kim laughed. "Well, I do."

Jenna looked at Kim, with a surprised and shocked expression on her face. "No... Not you. You seem so down-to-Earth..."

"Well, that's because you don't know me too well. I'm actually a geek. But I think that it's cute. Plus, he gives nice foot rubs, and I love when he sucks my toes."

"Ewwwww!!!!" Jenna contorted her face so that she looked absolutely disgusted.

"It's not that bad. Plus, he doesn't go overboard with it like I hear some others do."

"Like him."

Kim laughed. "I guess."

"...But I guess he's not all bad. He DID save me from those Homeless bastards, and he did get me these." She pointed towards the dirty and somewhat ragged shoes she wore. "I don't like having my feet exposed for freaks like him."

"Yeah..." Kim looked towards her right, and saw Carlos, the Hispanic guy who seemed to be in a world of his own, standing against the glass wall further away from her. "So, what's the deal with Carlos?"

Jenna shook her head. "He didn't always used to be like that. It started when we found out that Gloria was dead."

"Who's Gloria?"

"She was a Refugee, like the rest of us. But I didn't know too much about her. She looked like a gothic gangster, or something like that."

"Oh."

"I think that it's Thomas' fault that she's dead."

"...What?" This statement irked Kim. "What makes you say that?"

"He and Gloria were the only ones of us who were not caught. Then, all of a sudden, Gloria dies, but Thomas is nowhere to be found? That sounds fishy to me."

"Jenna..." Kim said. "Thomas wouldn't do anything like that."

"How do you know? It's survival of the fittest, and I bet that he thought that Gloria was slowing him down or something!"