‘Abi wait!’

‘Fuck you!’ He caught the door as it slammed painfully into him. A ceramic mug exploded against the wall as he poked his head around the corner.

‘Get the fuck out!’

‘No please, I can explain.’

She stormed up to him with enough force to back him out into the hallway. Abi brimmed with fury, her cheeks flushed pink behind her glasses. Tears of rage prickled across her eyes. Her fists were balled at her side.

‘You can explain? You fucking creep, what the fuck is wrong with you?’

She paused, realisation dawning across her face, ‘What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you even afflicted? Fuck, did you fake this, did you fake this whole thing to get in here? You fucking prick. Come here!’

She grabbed him forcefully by the arm, dragging him into her room. She ignored his protests as she drew a home test kit and forced it onto his finger. Abi trembled with anger as they waited for the result. The silence was terrifying.

A beep broke it, the machine showing green for positive. Abi scrutinised it, weighing up her response.

‘Ok,’ she said softly, her words razor sharp. ‘Ok. So the Agency will be closed until tomorrow and I need time to think.’

She shushed him as he tried to speak.

‘Not a fucking word, do you understand me? If you say a single thing you are fucking out of here. Just nod if you understand.’

He did as he was bid.

‘Tonight you are going to stay in the utility room, ok? I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to speak to you. I’m going to speak to Sofia and we are going to work something out. Tomorrow I am calling the Agency, until then take your shit and stay put.’

She glared at him, her arms hugging about her waist, as he rolled up his sleeping bag and grabbed his back pack. The door slammed behind him, leaving him alone on in the hallway. He stood, sullen and broken. Downstairs Sofia was still binge watching Netflix, the sounds of her show filtering up the stairs.

For the second time that evening he felt powerless, his fate in the hands of a woman ten years his junior. He trudged towards the closet, painfully aware of how badly it would go if Abi opened her door and found him lurking outside.

His new home was between the dryer and a row of shelves. There was barely space for him to lie down, his pack forming a pillow, his knees tucked up to his chest. It was cramped, it was uncomfortable and it was the best he could hope for.

Eventually fatigue drowned his worries and he slipped into a fitful sleep. He didn’t hear Abi leave her room and go downstairs. He didn’t hear her talk to Sofia for an hour. He slept through her returning to her room and he was still asleep when Sofia opened his door.

‘Wakey wakey,’ she whispered, shaking him with her foot.

His eyes opened slowly, his vision blurring as she stood over him; framed by the hall light. She had her fingers on her lips.

‘No talking Fido, just listen. I’ve spoken to Abi and I’ve calmed her down. I’ve said it was a misunderstanding, that I started flirting with you first. I think she buys it so you’re safe for now. She was so mad you know, she was going to demand they remove you from her contract and send you back onto the street. They can do that, if you break the terms of the agreement. She keeps everything and you get to shrink down in the gutter.’

She smirked down at him, letting her words sink in.

‘But that’s not going to happen to you Fido, don’t you worry about that. I’m going to look after my little puppy. What do you say?’

Bitch. Fucking bitch. That’s what he wanted to say. ‘Yes Miss Sofia’, he spat through gritted teeth.

‘Good boy Fido,’ she knelt and ruffled his hair, ‘so this is what is going to happen. Tomorrow you are going to get up at 4am and clean the whole house, top to bottom, nice and tidy. You’re going to make sure breakfast is ready for me when I come downstairs at 6am. If I’m happy then you can come back up to your little room here while I go for my run. During this time, I don’t want to hear a sound from you, nothing. All your chores, everything in total silence. You don’t get to speak anymore.

When I get back I will fix everything with Abi and you will nod and agree with everything I say. From now on you are no longer our housemate, you are our servant. You’re here all day and you’re going to earn your keep. There will be no more sneaking around following my orders, from now on it’s out in the open. You’ll do whatever I tell you, whenever I tell you and the same will apply for Abi. She is your owner just as much as I am and you’ll treat her as such.

This is going to continue until you finally shrink, no disobedience, no issues, no warnings. If at any point I suspect you are even thinking of saying something to Abi, of disrupting our nice little arrangement then I will tell her you forced yourself on me.

I’ll scream in the middle of the night and she’ll find me sobbing and hysterical in my room. She’ll believe you came in while I was sleeping and touched me, tried to have your way with me. The cops will come, you’ll go to jail and that’s where you’ll shrink. Sound fun to you, do you want to be an inch tall in some gross all men’s prison?’

She waited for his answer, ‘No Miss Sofia.’

‘No, you certainly don’t. Don’t drop the soap gets way worse when you are the soap. Still, that’s not gonna happen to you is it? You’re going to obey me now aren’t you? You’re my property, I control you, don’t I?’

‘Yes Miss Sofia.’

‘Yes Miss Sofia,’ she mocked, ‘you have no idea how many times you are gonna say that in the coming months. Would you like to know the best part of my plan? I know you do.

Everything I’ve said, all your new duties, they only last until you shrink. After you shrink, well that’s when things get much, much simpler. You know that little house she has for you? Yeah, that’s going in the trash, you’ll never be in there.

You see, I love Abi but I hate the way she is so pious, the way she gets so worked up trying to save and help Shrinkys. It’s boring, it’s annoying and its gonna stop with you. When you shrink, and you will any day now, we’ll both be super nice and supportive. That’s what you paid for after all. Don’t get comfortable though, you won’t be living free for long.

I’ll be whispering into her ear every day, commenting on how you look at her, how you scuttle around and take oh so much looking after. Wouldn’t it be easier just to lock him away, to treat him like the animal he is? I could keep him some nights, it would be no trouble. He just needs feeding and watering, that’s basic. There’s no need to do all this extra work, just put him in his box and forget about him.

Hell, didn’t they say human contact helps them? Use a shoe then, that’s safe and he can’t escape. Let’s just try it once, he doesn’t mind, look he is nodding. You know he doesn’t talk anymore so let him live in your shoe for a while. It smells like you, it’ll comfort him. He can stay in my sneaker if you want? He can’t get out and we’ll know where he is.

Maybe once or twice we forget to feed you. See he is fine, they don’t need to eat every day. They aren’t people, they don’t matter. The whole time you’ll agree with me, nodding along like a good little pet.

If you don’t, you’ll die. You know it’ll only take a single footstep and done, no more you. It won’t be me though, that’s too easy. If you disobey I’ll drop you in Abi’s laundry, bundle you up in a pair of her panties, all nice and snug. He’s doing it again the gross little pervert, you shouldn’t have to tolerate that Abi, you shouldn’t have to feel violated.

Eventually she’ll change her mind, eventually she’ll see you as the dirty little bug you are, and when that day comes it’ll be game over. You can run, you can plead but one way or another she’s going to step down on you and kill you. It might even be slow, she might even draw it out. It would be her first kill after all, why not enjoy it?

Even if she doesn’t decide to kill you, there could always be an accident. Maybe I swap the pair of shoes you’re in? What kind of state do you think you’d be in if she slipped her foot into one of her boots and didn’t feel you until she stepped down. Maybe she still wouldn’t feel you. I’m not gonna lie, I’m enjoying the idea of her walking around all day, not realising her stupid little project is getting pulped beneath her foot.

Again, as I keep saying, that won’t happen will it? You’re going to be a good little pet, you’re going to living in my sneaker, you’re going to ask to clean our shoes as a thank you for letting you stay here. You’re going to be the perfect little toy for us to use in any way we like aren’t you?’

He sat in silence, he had nothing to say.

‘Aren’t you? I asked you a question Fido. Remember, your life is mine, don’t make me hurt you. Say it; you’re our toy, you belong to us, say it!’

‘Yes Miss Sofia.’

She stretched her leg towards him, angling her foot before his face, ‘Kiss my foot and say it.’

His lips brushed against her skin, ‘Yes Miss Sofia.

‘Good boy, now get some sleep. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow.’

She closed the door behind her with a click, leaving him to think on his future.