Copyright 2005 by Nick Falke. This work may be reproduced in any form provided no material is altered from the original and due credit is given to the author.

Disclaimer: This is a work of adult fiction which contains sexually explicit themes, violence and plentiful foul language. It is not for the faint of heart, nor for anyone under the age of 18.


The Forest Lake Incident

By NFalc



On June 7, 2008, the Forest Lake High School of San Pequeno, CA disappeared without a trace. A four-year investigation proved inconclusive. Of the estimated three hundred students and faculty present that day, none were found.

This is their story.


***


7:00


I woke up this morning and immediately wished I could go back to sleep, and sleep until school was over and I could go to college.

This was, of course, impossible. Senior Skip Day had come and gone, and now the so-called "educational institution" of Forest Lake High was making us pay for it. Since every senior had skipped this year (most of us completely unexcused), the school had decided to compensate by giving the lower three classes the day off. We had to come in on the hottest day of the school year, one week before graduation, and toil away at our classes while the other kids stayed in their cool, air-conditioned rooms and slept beautifully long hours...

Of course, there were benefits to Senior Day. Or so my parents had told me. Half-conscious on the bus ride to the teenage equivalent of prison, I couldn't seem to remember what exactly these benefits were.

The school bus stops outside of a dull gray concrete compound which the casual viewer would think was a factory or chemical plant. We all knew better. The school had been designed during the Sixties to be "modern" and "modular". It looked like a clump of highly solidified dust bunnies in the middle of the desert. The school was split into six buildings: a lobby, four hexagonal, multi-story "learning centers" and a gym, all connected both by poured concrete paths and elevated tunnels placed roughly twenty feet above the ground. The buildings were placed just far enough apart that you had to sprint to get to class on time. I often wonder whether the building was designed by the worst architect ever, or someone so fiendishly brilliant that they dared themselves to make the most horrible school complex ever known to man.

I jump off the bus and head into the lobby, which is also where all the lockers are located, and consequently where most people hang out before school. Not that they hang out with me. I'm not exactly the most popular kid; I've never been at ease with social situations.

I did have my own group, though, and it was towards our little dingy corner of the hallway that I gravitated after grabbing my stuff from the locker. There were five of us: Max Chong, a skinny Asian kid with thick glasses; The Schnitzer twins (Bruce and Dan) who were tall, bulky, Germanic and almost identical; Jacob Weisbaum, a curly-haired, gawky Jewish kid; and me, Zach Berger, short, thin, big green eyes and brown hair. I hate looking at myself in the mirror; I remind myself of a newt.

We were the nerds, the geeks, the socially rejected. None of us really liked each other all that much, but we had to stick together. We had no choice. Who else could you talk with about role-playing games and science fiction?

Today, however, the subject was different.

"Aw man, I wish I could screw Alexa Briscoll." said Jacob. He gazes, mouth slack, down the hallway, where the tan, curvy little girl is leaning against a locker, chatting with her friends.

"The school slut. How original. Forget about it, she's already with Paul Linnerman." Max scoffs.

"I thought Paul was with Jen Asafrago."

"He is." Max chuckles.

"Damn jocks," I mutter. "He's not content with the most beautiful, popular girl in the school -"

"- Don't forget the bitchiest," Max chimes in.

"- but he has to cheat on her with her best friend, too." I finish.

A pause.

"We could be jocks," Bruce says, elbowing his brother.

"Yeah right," Dan replies. "Last thing I need is to hang around with a bunch of meatheaded jerkoffs."

"You'd prefer eggheaded geeks?"

"Any time."

"Good, me too."

This pleasant, if brainless conversation is interrupted by me being shoved against a nearby locker. It takes me just a second to realize that the hand has long fingernails on feminine fingers. Here we go again.

"What the hell are these nerds doing next to our lockers?" The voice and the hand both belonged to Jamie, a dishwater-blond who was six inches taller than me and had been making my life hell since the fifth grade. It's bad enough getting beaten up, but when you get beaten by a girl it's just embarrassing. Jamie had done this to me. Six times. She and her friends Carla and Rose wore lots of black, leather and eyeliner, had one too many piercings for my taste and could often be seen lighting up in the parking lot. I could hear her friends snickering behind me.

"Maybe we should teach 'em a lesson."

"Could steal their lunch money," Rose suggests. Seriously, why did these girls have such huge chips on their shoulders, anyway? And why did they always feel compelled to take it out on me, in the most humiliating way possible?

"Back off, girls." Bruce says, flexing in a somewhat threatening manner. Maybe I was saved after all.

"Ha, like you could do anything to us." Carla lifts a shapely leg, showing off the spiked heel at the end of it. "You get anywhere close to me, I'll ram this into your balls so hard, you won't remember you had them."

"If he ever had them," Rose snorts.

I turn slightly, ready to start begging Jamie to lay off, only to find she isn't even looking at me anymore. Her eyes are following a tall, dark figure down the hallway.

It's the school badass. He's got jet black hair, dark, haunted eyes, a certain natural cool. He's everything a chick could want. I'd kill to have what he does, but I know that's just not in the cards. I'm not sure of his name, because no one ever calls him by it, but I think it's Carl.

Jamie lets go of me, turns to her friends. "This shit is boring me. Let's go do something else." They head off in Carl's direction.

"That was close," I sigh.

"Close for you," Max laughs. "It's not like they were going to kick MY ass."

"Fuck you," I say casually.

The bell rings, loud, shrill and obnoxious. It's the cue for me to turn my brain off and get ready for busy work. My friends and I nod, wave, part ways and start trudging through the crowded hallways.

First class was Honors Chem, aka The Period Where You Do Homework You Didn't Do At Home. Being an Honors course, the class contained the kids that were deemed a cut above the rest in terms of brains. Unfortunately, this included people from every social group in the school, most of them hostile to me. My only real friend in that class is Jacob, and he always has his nose in his book anyway.

We take the lower walkway to B building, home of the science department, and climb the two flights of stairs to the Chemistry floor. First room on the left, and I walk into the room without once having to think about where I'm going, like my feet are moving themselves.

I get into class, take my usual seat, and close my eyes. I swear, I could fall asleep, right here and now. But I can't. So I sit up and try to force myself awake. After all, I have homework to do. Of course, when I sit up I can't help but notice Laura Davids across the room. She's one of the few girls I've met who's actually shorter than me (I'm 5'4", just in case you're keeping track). Then again, at four foot nine, she's shorter than most people, although she's got plenty of curves to compensate. She's batting her eyes and tossing her long, curly brown hair, and occasionally throwing a pointed look in my direction. I think she wants me to ask her to prom, but I'm not sure I want to go with her.

Then again, I am friends with her group. She's with all the arty girls, the misfits and obsessives. Drama kids, art students, songwriters. They're basically parallel to my group, and they're not bad to hang out with. Most of them are pretty in their own ways, even if they can't hold a candle to the popular chicks.

The aforementioned popular girls file in a few seconds before the bell, chatting with each other, taking their seats in a small cluster towards the front of the room. There were four of them in this class, and they happened to be the ringleaders of the pack: Jen Asafrago, Alexa Briscoll, Aisha Thompson, and Christine Colby. All four of them had beauty in their genes and ice water in their veins. Jacob, me, and every other loser in the school could dream about fucking them, but wouldn't go anywhere near them in real life. A single word to them, and they could shut you down faster than a PC thrown out a window.

The only guys they'd talk to were their social equals, the jocks. Creeps like Paul Linnerman, who were blessed with rugged good looks and the ability to chuck a leather ball really far. They got girls like Jen, who was probably the closest to perfection available in high school. Long eyelashes over big brown eyes, high cheekbones dusted with the slightest amount of freckles, a cute upturned nose, full red lips, lustrous brown hair streaked with blond, done up in a ponytail. She didn't quite have the world class smile yet, but I heard she was getting her braces off soon, and then she'd be the real deal, the total package. The embodiment of pretty much every male fantasy.

Our teacher, Ms. Doane (or as I call her, Short, Brown and Ditzy) came in wearing her trademark sandals and cargo shorts. She had to be the most boring nature freak I'd ever known, and for someone teaching an Honors class, she was incredibly dim. She once called the space between atoms "anti-matter". Still, she was far from the worst of my teachers - at least she had good intentions. Plus, the fact that she was so oblivious made it easy to get away with things in her class.

I got out my other homework, and tried to concentrate, but my attention kept drifting. It usually gravitated to one of three girls in the class: Jen Asafrago, Laura Davids, or Tara Holmes. Tara didn't seem like much to look at, at first. She had very pronounced curves, which would be cartoonish on most girls, but which somehow fitted well on her 5'8" frame. Her eyes were hazel, flecked with blue and brown. She was pretty and extremely intelligent, but there was also this sort of girl-next-door vibe about her. You felt like she was someone you could talk to, who'd you want to get to know better. Of course, I didn't really know her at all, but hey, in my imagination we were better than friends.

"Isn't that right, Mister Berger?"

Wait. What? Oh shit, Doane just asked me a question. Fuck, what page are we on? This is why I should be paying attention in class. Now everyone's staring at me. What do I say, what should I do?

"Um... I guess?"

"You guessed wrong. Oxygen is most definitely NOT the first element on the Periodic Table."

The entire class erupts in laughter. I sink a little further in my seat. Ditziest teacher in the world, and she still manages to humiliate me in front of my peers. Serves me right, I guess, for not listening.

"Now then, class, today's a lab day, to make up for the one we didn't have on Senior Skip Day. I trust you all have your prep sheets and partners?"

Jen raises her hand, her nails painted sparkling pink. She's clutching a scrap of green paper, a school pass. "Um, excuse me Miss Doanes? I have an orthodontist appointment." Lucky. Doanes was well known for giving the most boring labs in the school. The teacher nodded, and Jen got up and left the class, her perfect ass wiggling in its miniskirt.

I snapped back to the task at hand. Found my prep sheet, met with Jacob at the other end of the classroom. "So, what wonderful lab does Doanes have for us today?"

"Actually, this one might be interesting." Jacob said, looking over the sheet. "We're doing controlled combustion."

"Heh, not bad. I guess since it's one of the last days of school, she's going easy on us."

"I knew you'd like it. You're such a pyro."

We grab Bunsen burners and vials. Jacob goes off to get the required chemicals while I set up the burner, and scan over the prep sheet. Simple stuff, really. Get a flame, heat some chemical powders over it, see what happens. I secretly hope something will spark, or blow up, or at least do something somewhat cool.

Jacob comes back. Everyone takes their places, and Doanes gives us the signal to begin. Jacob begins measuring out powder, while I fine-tune the flame to get the right balance of heat.

Suddenly, there's a shout in the corner of the room. I look up, and there's a scuffle in the area near the storage closet. "Fight! Fight!" Someone shouts, and soon the others are cheering as well. I can't even see what's happening, my view's blocked by the ventilator. I angle around to get a better glimpse, just in time to see a Bunsen burner tip over, falling directly into a large container of powders, which promptly goes up in green flames, spurting up three feet in the air. The girls begin to scream.

Doanes, clever as she is, has put on heavy rubber gloves and now lifts up the container, instead of going for the fire extinguisher in the corner. She looks around wildly, then chucks it towards the closet. Another student slams the closet door, and the flames are gone. Out of sight, out of mind.

Brief panic for a second, then everyone calms down. Doanes pulls off her gloves, looking relieved. "Is everyone all right?"

Before we can nod, there's a tremendous whump, and the supply closet door blows clean off its hinges, a shockwave rushing through the room that feels simply unnatural. Something is very wrong, I think, as I'm blown off my feet and into a lab counter. There's a sharp pain as my head bangs into the counter's corner, then it all goes dark.

The Forest Lake Incident

By NFalc


7:30


When I come to, my eyes won't focus, everything around me a complete blur. I can feel the cold concrete behind the back of my head. The steps above seem like they're far away, unreachable.

Everything came back slowly. I'd been late to Physics after talking with Jen, and subtly making sure she didn't know about me and Alexa. She hadn't heard, thank God. And what she didn't know couldn't hurt her. I'd been preoccupied with thoughts of how I'd break the news to Alexa at lunch, when the rumbling began, and I was thrown off my feet... and apparently half the way down the stairwell. There was a dull pounding in the back of my head, and I wondered whether I'd be able to show up for practice that afternoon.

Then I stood up, and saw that my head was even with the top of the handrail.

It took me a few minutes to sort myself out. Somehow, while I was out cold, I'd shrunk to half my normal size. This was, of course, completely fucking impossible. You don't become captain of the football team when you're three feet tall. I still had my letterman's jacket on. I patted myself down, checked to make sure I was completely the same. And I was. I was just much shorter.

Now the question was simple. What the hell am I going to do about this? Short guys don't get much respect, and now I'm the shortest. What would Jen say? Or Alexa? If I tried to break up with her now, she could kick my ass single-handedly. And just how had this happened to me, anyway?

The steps of the stairs are now two feet tall, each. I start to clamber up the stairs towards the physics classroom, but find my way blocked by a gigantic slab of fallen concrete. So it isn't just me... Something has clearly happened in the science building. I turn and go over to the window, pull myself up onto the windowsill.

Nothing looks the same.

Half the bridges between buildings are broken. C building has been damaged, and now leans like the Tower of Pisa. And the ground between the buildings has changed completely. There's no grass in sight; the space between buildings is filled with tons of strange boulders, maybe a foot long each, colored red, tan and grey. They fill the space as far as I can see.

Have we crash-landed on some other planet? Some other dimension? It seemed like while I'd been unconscious, the world had suddenly decided to go insane and change everything before I got back.

I take some deep breaths, try to get a hold of myself. Right. First thing you have to do in emergency is find help. There has to be someone who knows what they're doing around here, who knows what's going on.

I negotiate the steps carefully. If I jump down, I actually risk spraining something, and the last thing I want is to be stranded on the science lab staircase. It takes me ten minutes to get to the bottom.

When I open the doors, everything is exactly as I saw it from above. I was almost hoping that in the time it took me to go head out, it all would have somehow gone back to normal. No such luck.

I look around the side of the building, trying to see what caused the damage to the staircase. Instead, I find a massive hole torn out of the walls and classrooms, floor to second-story ceiling, through the side of C building. The classroom I can see through the hole is burnt to cinders. The one below it, however, is just mixed up, desks and filing cabinets strewn about the room. So it couldn't have been multiple bombs. And just one isn't enough to cause that kind of destruction. What the hell happened here?

I need to go find help. If there are any survivors left, that is. I look towards B building, but the path is completely broken up, and I don't want to risk climbing over the strange boulders. I have no idea what they are, for all I know they could work like quicksand. Being trapped under a mound of strange boulders is pretty much the last thing I need right now.

Suddenly, I feel the ground shake beneath me. Is it happening again? Whatever it is...

I turn around, and find myself looking at a rough, grimy black surface. It takes me a moment to realize that it's leather. That this is the upper sole of a boot. And I'm about as tall as the top laces.

Without warning, the boot lifts in the air and surges forward, knocking into me like a couple of linebackers with a mean streak. I go flying, hitting the ground hard only to see the sole of the boot coming down on me, filling the sky with black rubber. Oh my God. This is it. Game over, the end, I'm finished. I close my eyes.

When I open them, the black rubber sole is hovering about five feet away from me. It moves to the side, and I find myself staring up (way up) at a girl's face. She has long dirty blond hair, and is wearing heavy eyeliner, and a leather jacket. I'd seen her around the school before, beating up some of the nerds, although I didn't know her name.

"Holy shit," she whispers, then bends down, her simply huge body looming over me. How is she this big? I only shrank to half my size, yet she's something like ten times taller than me. "I almost stepped on you." She sounds almost fascinated.

I scuttle backwards a little, instinctively. I notice my hands are shaking.

"You're that jock, right? Paul Linnerman. The one Rose asked to Homecoming."

Rose... Right, that was that red-headed girl she always hung out with. Her, Rose and the Latina chick. I barely remembered turning Rose down, but by the look on the blond girl's face, she must have been pretty broken up about it. That's just my luck.

"You know, I could crush you under my boot right now," she says, her gigantic mouth spreading into an evil grin, "And nobody would know about it. Hotshot quarterback Paul. A smudge on my shoe. A stain on the sidewalk. No one would know." She leans in closer, her face fills my vision. I can feel her breath on me, smelling like mint gum but with a hint of cigarettes behind it.

"No, you couldn't do that." I protest. "Why would you want to kill me? I didn't hurt your friend on purpose, and I never hurt you. I don't even know you!"

"Hmm. I'm not convinced. And besides, why am I talking to a bug anyway?" She stands up, her face pulling away rapidly. "You don't talk to bugs, you step on them." And just like that, she raises her boot high into the air, and it plummets towards the ground.

But once again, I don't die. The boot stops close, way too close, right above me. I could reach out and scrape the bottom. I'm surprised I haven't pissed my pants, I just came so close to death.

The girl just laughs. "You really thought I was going to, didn't you? I bet I just scared you shitless." What kind of psycho was I dealing with? She could have killed me, if she had stopped just a second later. If I stayed, I was probably going to wind up dead. So I picked myself up, and did the first thing that came to mind.

I ran, as fast as I could, in the opposite direction. My feet flew across the pavement. I had absolutely no idea where I was going, but I ran anyway. Behind me, I could hear her footsteps pounding after me. Four years of running two miles a day, and still this smoked-out bitch was gaining on me. I keep running, but it's clear the huge size difference is gonna screw me over, big time. This chick was bigger, but she wasn't any slower.

A wall of black leather smashes into the ground in front of me, and I skid to a stop in front of it. The girl has made it clear: I'm not going anywhere.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" She asks, peering down at me, annoyed. "Did you actually think you could get away from me?" This is probably one of those questions I shouldn't answer.

Without any other warning, she reaches down and wraps her hand around my waist. She's got long, pale hands, the nails cut short and unpainted. The fact that she can hoist me up to eye-level makes me nervous. The fact that she's only holding me in one hand makes it worse. "I'm not letting you get away. You're a little too much fun to play with."

I know it's a bad idea, but I struggle a little against her grasp. Her palms are soft, but her grip's like iron. I can't help but think she'd be a good receiver, if she wasn't a forty-foot tall bitch from hell. "I'm not a doll. I'm not something to be played with!"

"Well, neither are we," she smirks, her heavily made-up eyes glittering. "Women, I mean. And everyone in the school's heard about your little affair with Alexa Briscoll. That sort of thing just shouldn't be allowed to slip by. You played with women when you were big, Paul, and now I'm gonna play with you."

I'm not sure if she's power-tripping, getting high on her own bullshit, or is just plain stupid. All I know is this stopped being funny right after she almost crushed me.

She changes her grip on me, and suddenly I'm dangling above her face, one of my legs pinched between two huge white fingers. "And just so you know, Paul, I like to play rough."

Just like that, she opens her mouth wide and begins lowering me towards it. I can see the darkness at the back of her throat, just behind the huge, spit-covered mountain that is her tongue. And, for the third time this morning, I think about the fact that I might be about to die at the hands of one of my classmates. Then two gigantic rows of shiny white teeth come crashing down on top of each other, right in front of me. I'm pulled back from her mouth, far enough to see that she's smiling.

The girl turns her head, looking off into the distance. I feel a rumbling beneath us, and crane my head to try and see what's coming.

I can barely believe what I see. Three immense shapes moving in our direction. Three giant girls, even bigger than the one who's holding me in her hand. Even worse, I know these girls. One of them I know real well.

Alexa's leading her group, dominating as usual. She's almost twice as tall as the girl who's got me. Behind Alexa are her two friends, Aisha and Christine. The three of them usually form Jen's main group, but since she's not here, Alexa's in charge.

"Well, well, looks like the losers grew too," Aisha says. She's always been good with insults, although this last one wasn't all that great.

"Watcha got there, Jamie?" Alexa asks, peering towards me. I'm both hoping she'll see me and dreading it. If she finds out that I was planning on breaking up with her, I'm dead. Literally.

I can get a glimpse of Jamie's face, and she looks worried. I smile to myself. Pick on someone your own size, bitch. Then she closes her other hand over me, hiding me from sight. "None of your business," she says.

"Bullshit," I hear Alexa say. The voices are muted behind Jamie's hand, but I can still hear them, barely. "I saw something squirming in your hand."

"Just back the fuck off, okay, girlfriend?" Jamie says, exaggerating 'girlfriend' to make it into a taunt. Alexa's always been seen as kind of a ditz, and she's really insecure about it.

"You think you're tough, huh?" Alexa says threateningly. "Well, you might be a giant, girl, but you're a pipsqueak compared to us. Plus, there's three of us big girls, and just one little you."

"Your odds aren't too good," Christine says, her voice ice-cold. She's the brains of the outfit, and although she doesn't talk too much, she could kill you with a look.

There's a silence. I'd bang on Jamie's palms, or shout like crazy, but I don't think it'd do any good. Plus, bad as my chances are with Jamie, they might be even worse with Alexa.

"Give it here." Alexa says. "Now."

I feel myself moving towards her, and then the huge fingers beneath me give way, dropping me onto a warm, soft surface. Jamie's hands above me move away, and once again I'm in blinding light.

"Now get out of here," Alexa spits, and I hear Jamie running off in the distance.

I have to look up, way up just to see the girl's faces. I thought Jamie was big, but Alexa and her friends are just ridiculous. I mean, I was sitting in the middle of her palm, and there was room for me to lie down if I wanted.

Jamie's gone, so Alexa looks down at me. I see her face filled with surprise. "Paul?" She gasps. "Ohmigawd. No way." Her friends peek over her shoulders, and I notice they have to tiptoe to do this; they're shorter than she is. Day I choose to break up with a girl, she suddenly becomes the tallest of a school full of giant chicks. Has my luck turned completely to shit?

"He's so... small," Christine whispers, staring down at me like I was some sort of freak. And for all I know, I might be. Still, the only giants I've seen so far are girls. Maybe the guys didn't grow? No time to think about that now. I've got to show them I'm still me, or else they could just squash me like a bug. So I lift a hand and wave.

"Awww, he's waving at us. That's so cute," Aisha says.

"Is that really you, Paul?" Alexa asks. I get the feeling she might still be in shock.

"Yeah, it's me!" I call up. She squints, and leans closer. "What was that?" She booms. With her mouth so close, it's like she's shouting at me full blast even though she's just talking normally.

"It's me! I'm all right!" I yell, loud as I can.

"Oh. Okay. Good!" Her head pulls away, and I take my hands off my ringing ears. "What are we gonna do about this?" She asks her friends.

"You mean the little guy?" Aisha asks.

"Well, yeah, but also, where are we going to stay? We can't fit in any of the buildings."

"The gym's got a pretty high ceiling," Christine says. "We might be able to fit in there while we're sitting."

"Um, could you put me down now?" I yell up.

Alexa ignores me. "Okay, so we're heading to the gym."

"What about me?!"

"Yeah, what are we going to do about him?" Aisha asks. She's got a funny look in her eyes that I don't trust.

"Duh. He's coming with us. He's way too teeny to make it on his own. I'll just look after him. I know, he can ride in here!" She gestures to that little handbag she always keeps with her.

"Aw no, no way!" I shout. "I am NOT going in there!"

But she just picks me up between her thumb and index finger, lifts me soaring into the air, then drops me into the darkness of her bag.

The Forest Lake Incident

by NFalc


8:00


My life has never been what you'd call "normal". Still, I never quite expected to wind up hiding in a dumpster, surrounded by garbage bags the size of small boulders, peering out at impossibly enormous women striding past.

It had started out like any other day. I'd been leaning against the wall of C building, smoking a cig and thinking about how much I hate this place. Not even this place, just these people. The smart-aleck nerds, the dumbass jocks, the cold-hearted girls. Me, hang with them? I'd rather slit my wrists, but then I'd just be as bad as those stupid emo kids. If there's anyone I can't stand, it's them... they give the rest of us outcasts a bad name.

Five minutes after the bell rang, I'd stubbed out my cig and walked (slowly) to remedial English. I would've not gone at all, but the teachers kind of frown on you smoking outside the school building during class. You see, I hate remedial English. It's not like I'm even bad at reading; I read stuff that nobody in Honors English reads. I've memorized something like half of "Thus Spoke Zarathrustra", although my favorite book is still "The Stranger."

No, the reason I'm in remedial English is because I refused to read the shit they gave me in regular English. I failed the classes, but they knew they couldn't actually hold me back a grade. My test scores were too high. The system got confused, and after the dust settled I landed in remedial English.

Except I never got to Remedial English that day. I was too busy being thrown off my feet by some kind of gigantic explosion that seemed to come from B building. I remember two thoughts before I blacked out: one was "Why didn't I think of that?" and the second was "FUCK!"

I probably bashed my head pretty hard, 'cause when I woke up, my watch read 7:30, and everything seemed a little more than twice its normal size. I freaked out for the next ten minutes or so, then got myself together in time to see a huge pair of bright green flip-flops descending on me from above. I ducked and rolled as the feet of a girl as tall as the school buildings passed overhead. So, I was less than half my normal height, and this girl was something like five times hers. What the hell was happening?

After that, I realized it probably wasn't too safe to be out on the walkways; I could be stepped on without anyone even noticing it until it was too late. So I quickly scanned around for a safe place to hide, and spotted this big dumpster full of recyclables. It was inconspicuous, and I wouldn't wind up as a splotch on the pavement. I'd have time to plan my next move.

So that's where I am right now. I've been keeping the lid of the dumpster propped very slightly open by using a steel pole I found inside. There's a four-inch gap I can see out of. The ground's been rumbling off and on for the last fifteen minutes or so. I'm not sure if that's from the giants stomping around, or if there's some kind of earthquake in the area. Hell, I don't even know if we're still on Earth at all. The ground outside is covered in some strange boulders that don't look like anything I've seen before.

Suddenly, the ground shakes harder than it has yet this morning. Two huge, spiked heels step into sight, the fishnetted legs and feet filling them seem to stretch out towards the sky. This girl is definitely bigger than most of the other ones I've seen today, who were all something like fifteen to thirty feet tall. That's at the school's scale, not mine - I can't judge them based on me when I'm smaller than my usual height.

The girl taps her toe on the ground, and it sounds like it's actually cracking the pavement. She doesn't seem to notice, or mind. And I wonder, if she's that oblivious... she might not even see me down here. So I carefully lift the lid up a little further, and look out. I can see all the way up those long legs... The girl's wearing a tight black skirt and a tank top. She's got those fishnets too, but they end mid-thigh... and she isn't wearing any other underwear.

Her skin's the color of a mochaccino. As far as I can tell, the hair around her pussy is as soft and dark as her shoulder-length hair above, although below she's pretty well-trimmed. The girl's got curves, too, although she's probably got better ass than tits. Maybe it's just my perspective, all the way down here. Insect's-eye-view.

I should probably feel ashamed for doing this, spying on her like this. Hell with it. This is the most fun I've had at school in a long time.

There's more rumbling. To the left, a girl walking towards us. I quickly lower the dumpster lid again, as quietly as possible. I just recognized these chicks; they're the ones who are friends with Jamie. They've been following me around for a couple of weeks now... I think Jamie likes me. She's hot, I guess, but as far as I can tell she's also just like all the others. Just wears more black clothing and heavier makeup.

These other two, then, must be Carla and Rose, Carla being the one with the great ass. Rose is a little towards the chunky side, not really fat, but not skinny either. She's got curly red hair, and a certain meanness in her eyes that seems like it's from some fresh emotional scars. Before whatever happened this morning, she was probably towards the tall side, but as it is now she's something like five feet shorter than Carla - five feet relative to the school, that is.

"Ha! I'm actually taller than you now," Carla says. "You know, I always wanted to be tall."

Rose shrugs. "You're not that much taller. 'Sides, you're still built like a shortie."

"What's that s'posed to mean?" Carla asks, on the verge of being hostile. I briefly imagine a catfight between the two of them, taking place right above me. It'd be a catfight crossed with a Godzilla movie, with me at ground zero. I half-hope that it happens.

"Nothing, nothing." Damn.

The ground's outright quaking now, and a distance I see a girl in a leather jacket bounding towards us. Jamie. It's hard to tell since she's far off, but it looks like she's probably taller than both Carla and Rose. Jesus, if these three girls are so huge, are there ones that are taller? And how big are they?

Jamie stops in between the two other girls. She looks slightly out of breath, her chest heaving up and down. She doesn't have huge breasts, probably just C cups, but they've still got a nice jiggle. I find myself wondering why I didn't go out with her when I had a chance. Then I realize that I could still have a chance. That thought sends me down a different, entirely more fucked-up train of thought and I quickly snap back and listen to what the girls are talking about.

"That fucking bitch," Jamie pants. "Thinks she's the queen of the goddamn universe."

"What happened, honey?" Carla asks.

"I think all the guys have shrunk," Jamie says, smiling despite the fact that she's angry overall.

"Uh-uh," Rose says. "It's us that's huge."

"No, we grew AND they shrunk," Jamie corrects her. "And I wound up almost stepping on that jock, Paul, by accident. So I had a little fun with him afterwards, gave him a good scare for being such a creep."

Rose has an almost frightening look on her face. "What'd you do to him?"

"Faked like I was going to step on him, then lifted him up over my mouth and acted like I was about to eat him." Now I remember why I didn't go out with her.

"You magnificent bitch," Carla beams. Funny, I was thinking the same thing, although when I thought it, it wasn't a compliment. "You completely screwed with the little pendejo."

"Well, it wasn't like I was going to hurt him or anything, but then Alexa Briscoll shows up and she's, like, huge. Even bigger than me, by like three feet or something. She threatened me, you believe that?"

Rose and Carla gasp, looking angry and shocked. "No way," Carla says, "Little Miss Ditz went up against you?"

"She and her friends might be bigger, but the three of us are stronger. I bet we could take 'em," Rose says, her face looking meaner than ever.

"Probably. But we should wait a little, so they won't be expecting it so much, get it? Then, when they're not ready, me, you and Carla are gonna fuck them up." Jamie grins, clearly satisfied with her own plan. Rose doesn't look so sure.

"What do we do until then?" Carla asks.

"We watch 'em, find out the best way to get them. And keep an eye out for any guys in the area." Jamie smiles mischevously.

Right now, I realize, is a good time to get the fuck out of here. If they start looking around for guys, they'll probably find me first, and these are the last girls I'd want to be with in a state like this. I mean, hell, I hate people too, but I'm no psychopath. I watch Jamie produce a pack of cigs and pass them around. While they focus on lighting up, I slowly lift up the dumpster, careful not to make a sound. The slightest creak in the hinge freaks me out. If one of them looks my way, even by chance, they'll have me.

Luckily, there's some wind blowing from behind me, which causes them to turn their backs to it, to keep the cigs lit. I finally open the damn lid, and manage to clamber over the edge of the dumpster without making too much noise. Once I get to the edge, though, I realize that I have a problem. I used the latch on the side of the dumpster to hoist myself up the first time, but I can't use it to get back down. Because I'm less than half my normal size, the dumpster's a little more than twice as tall as me. It's a long way to the ground.

I hang off the side of the container, and try to figure out the best way to fall. I figure that if I can land right, I should come out of it without any broken bones, and that's the important part. I close my eyes, and let go.

I hit the pavement and roll a little, but nothing breaks, far as I can tell. I'm probably going to be sore tomorrow, though. I look up, and freeze. Carla has turned and she's looking right towards me, her big dark eyes locked on to me. Oh shit, this is it. She catches me, and I'm done for.

When she doesn't make a move, I realize... she hasn't seen me yet. She's looking at the dumpster. Oh my god. The dumpster, I left it open! It's a dead giveaway that someone was here. She'll look over to investigate, spot me, and that'll be the end. Think fast, find somewhere to hide... nowhere easy. So I take the only option I've got. I crawl under the dumpster, hoping that no one sees me as I struggle to get beneath it.

I look out through the crack beneath the dumpster. Three huge pairs of feet in front of me - Carla's spiked heels, Jamie's boots and Rose's sneakers. Carla's feet turn, the impact of her soles on the pavement causing it to shudder - I can feel the vibrations beneath me.

"Hey, look at this."

She takes one long step forward, and her shoes crash onto the pavement in front of me, the shockwave from their landing rippling through the ground. I have to hold myself down to keep from bumping my head on the dumpster above me. When I look up, I am face to face with the shiny black leather soles of Carla's shoes.

Don't move. Don't even breathe.

"I don't think this dumpster was open before."

"Really? You sure?"

"Estoy seguro." I can see the leather move as her toes flex. Damn, each one of them is probably bigger than my head. I bet her toenails are the size of textbooks.

"Could it be... one of them?" Rose asks.

"We should spread out and look for him. Little rat was probably spying on us, we should teach him a lesson."

I see Carla's shoes turn in the opposite direction, as she and her friends walk off a little way. Now's my chance. I quickly crawl out from my hiding space, and look out. They're looking in each of the directions away from me, but if any of them turns their head back they'll spot me. I need to get away, fast. Can't use the walkways, they're watching them. Where can I go?

Suddenly, Jamie looks back in my direction. She sees me. She turns.

And I'm running, I don't know where, just going as fast as my legs can push me forward, stumbling towards a door, the door to C building, push and I'm through. I can feel the ground suddenly heave beneath me. I turn and see that Jamie lunged after me, falling to the ground. That's what caused the shaking. Her huge pale hand is outstretched, filling the door way, her fingers straining towards me.

There are windows on either side of the door. I can see her face. She can see mine.

"Carl?" She looks surprised.

The windows and door frame are fragile. She or one of her friends could kick them in if they wanted to get to me. Remember what Dad taught you. Survival techniques. Move.

I run up the stairs, into the building where I'm behind two feet of brick and they're less likely to find me. There's a crash of impact, and the very structure of the building shudders. There's a muffled sound outside. I can hear Jamie yell, "Damn it!" She sounds... hurt. For a moment, it crosses my mind that I've probably either pissed her off or made her sad, and neither will be good for my health.

It's obvious now; she's had a crush on me all this time. Maybe if I'd given myself up, she would have treated me better than the others. But it's too late now. I ran, and I can't stop running.

Through the hallways, my feet moving over linoleum tile covered in dust. Walls are crumbling. Ahead of me, the ceiling has collapsed, sealing the exit. The building shakes again. If they wanted to, Jamie and her friends could tear the entire thing down. They could rip out the walls, reach in and pluck me out. I have to get out of here, without them knowing I'm gone, or else this is a cat-and-mouse game that I'm bound to lose.

Let's see, this is C building. C building has interconnected classrooms for English and history. I burst into the nearest classroom, and there's a door on its other end. But the entire middle of the classroom has collapsed, and the outer wall is just gone, completely blown out. Shit, if the room's open like this, they could see me. I quickly dash for the corner of the room, and press myself against the wall.

I can see a huge shape moving outside, bus-sized pillars of tanned brown flesh around a stretchy black tank top. Carla must have thrown off her overshirt. From the second story here, I've got a good view of her rack, which it appears I was wrong about - it's much bigger than I thought.

She leans over, and I stand straight against the wall as her massive face emerges through the hole in the building. "Are you in here, hombre pequenito? Come out..." she whispers, both seductive and predatory. I put all my focus into standing still.

The moment seems to last forever. I can hear her breathing, the sound of it filling the room. I shut my eyes tight. When I open them, she's gone. I lean around the corner. She and Jamie are off at the other end of the building.

I quickly maneuver my way to the other side of the classroom, skirting the edge of the huge pit that's formed at its center. Out the other door, and back into the hallway, past the blockage in its center. There's an elevated walkway ahead. It's sort of like a tunnel, except above ground, and it should link me back to another building. The only catch is that its walls are glass, and anyone could see right through them and spot me.

I push open the doors, glance to my right. Good, no one there. The three of them think I'm still in C building. I look to my left, and almost fall over in shock. Staring straight at me is the huge face of an Asian girl. She's even bigger than Jamie. She's something like fifteen feet away, yet her face still fills the window.

She gasps, and I can hear the force of her breath blowing on the window. Then her glossed lips widen into a big smile. It hits me that she's absolutely gorgeous. She leans in, eyes wide.

And then I'm running again, determined to get away as fast as possible. These giant chicks can't be trusted. If I want to stay safe, I need somewhere I can be alone. Somewhere that's not exposed, where no one can get me.

I dash into A building, racing down the corridors. The cafeteria, maybe? I see it at the end of the corridor, tables stacked against the windows. It's been barricaded shut. So no go on that. Still running. Down the corridor, and I'm heading towards the tunnel to D building.

Through the door, and I look around the tunnel. No one in my immediate vicinity. Glance out the window. Outside the school campus, there's at least six of them, something like 25 feet tall, gathered as if in a pack, long tan legs glistening in the sun. How many of them are there?

Keep running, and I'm into D building. I slow down. D building has the Drama and Art departments. It's traditionally misfit territory. Most of the girls here are either quiet or quirky. They don't strike me as the kind of people who would toy with others just because they're smaller. I lean against a nearby row of lockers. My heart's racing, I'm out of breath. I quickly shrug off my jacket, and put my head against the cold of the steel.

I give myself a few minutes to rest, then get up, and walk. The hallways aren't safe. I've got to look for a better space. The theater? I could probably stay in the lighting control room, no giants could fit in there. The windows are just big enough to see the stage, so it would be hard for anyone to see in. It's the closest thing to a bunker in the school.

I head down the stairs, quietly as I can. The theater's on the bottom floor. It's not a huge space, can only hold a hundred people or so. Still, it has high ceilings, so it's possible for girls to be in there. I open the door slowly, and even though the creaking noise it makes sounds as loud as a gunshot to me, there's no other sound.

I step inside. The theater's dim, the lights are low. Dimly outlined against the stage curtains is one, no, two massive shapes. I see the dimmer next to me and push it ever so slightly up.

I know these girls, I think to myself, if only by acquaintance. Polly and Pris, self-proclaimed twins. They look nothing alike, one of them with dark skin and hair, the other pale and blond. If I remember it right, they're really into the drama program.

The two of them are lying across the middle of the auditorium, the chairs beneath them crushed under their weight. Two huge pairs of sneakers lie down the aisle from where I stand. They look to be about twenty feet tall, each. I walk a little bit closer. The two of them are talking softly, I don't think they've noticed me yet.

That's when I notice it. The strangest thing I've seen yet today. Curled up just below the peak of Polly's chest is another little guy, probably even slightly shorter than me. The three of them are just lying there, talking peacefully.

I breathe a sigh of relief. The world's gone crazy this morning, and there are three giant girls who are probably out for my blood. It's good to know there are at least two I can trust. I step forward, and get ready to introduce myself.

The Forest Lake Incident


By NFalc


8:30


Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god... Stop. Okay, you've spent the last thirty minutes thinking those same three words, over and over again. Your breathing is shallow and rapid, your face feels flushed. Get a grip, Zach, you're hysterical.

Of course, I can't really blame myself for feeling like this. I had two weeks until graduation. I was ready for college. Hell, I was even ready for prom. I was not ready for the entire world to suddenly expand to three times its normal size. And I definitely wasn't ready to be literally at the feet of my female classmates. Although I'll admit, I've fantasized about that sort of thing before.

Given my complete inability to think ever since I regained consciousness, I guess I've made out pretty well. I've been locked inside this dark janitor's closet, a cold cement floor beneath me and the smell of chlorine in the air. Given the chemical reaction that occurred just a floor above, it's amazing this room didn't blow up.

I can barely see anything in here, it's so dark. The light switch is high above me. The mop leaning against the wall is twice as tall as I am, and with some difficulty I hoist it into the air, just managing to flip the switch on. Even the cleaning supplies dwarf me - a nearby spray bottle comes up to my chest. I feel like I'm a three-year-old playing hide and seek.

Hide and seek... Might as well be. The girls out there - good lord, they're fucking huge. I'm so small compared to them, they might not even see me as human. If I'm hiding from anything, it's from them. Then again, from the glimpses I've seen of the outside world, most of the guys are taller than me as well. Last thing I need is some stupid jock taking his frustration at his new size out on me. Those guys and their Freudian complexes...

Enough of that. Out of curiosity, I lean down and look out through the gap between the door and the cement flooring. Because of my reduced size, it's actually fairly easy to see through. I look out and see the entire corridor outside the closet is gone. Just crumbled, like a broken saltine. I can see bent iron supports where concrete is missing, and even more alarming, I can see straight through to two floors below.

Suddenly, something fills the gap where the corridor was. I blink, and realize I'm looking at the massive chest of a girl. She's standing up inside the building. She fills the space, floor to ceiling. I angle my head for a better look, and there, brushing her shoulders against the ceiling of B Building as she stretches, is the highly curvaceous form of Tara Holmes.

And I thought she looked beautiful at normal size. As it is now, the girl is magnificent: the sunlight streaming through a hole in the ceiling lights her face and hair with a soft, warm glow. Her hazel eyes sparkle, her pupils are dark mirrors I could lose myself in. Her breasts are near where the floor on this level would be, and I can see them rise and fall before me with her every breath. She has transcended from an average teenage sexpot to the status and stature of a goddess.

Her eyes, way up near the ceiling, flick towards the door. What, how could she know... Oh shit, the light! I quickly scramble for the nearest mop, then freeze. If I turn the lights off, she'll know for sure that I'm in here. Same thing goes for making noise. If I just stay put, she might think the lights were left on earlier in the day, and I might make it out.

I return, slowly, to my vantage point, the crack under the door. I don't think she'll be able to see through it, as her retinas are probably larger than the gap itself. When I look out, however, all I see is blackness. It feels strangely warm, and humid. And do I smell mint?

"IS ANYONE IN THERE?"

The force of the words spoken almost blows me backwards. I'm hit by a gust of warm wind heavy with the scent of spearmint gum. Good god, that was only a whisper. It's as I feared... these girls do not understand the new strength that has come with their increased size. Even their voices are powerful enough to damage guys like me. Imagine what a careless step, an idle twitch of a finger, the simple act of sitting down could do to an unlucky male student?

At least Tara seems to understand the affect her voice has; she backs up a little, until I have a great view of her mouth and upper neck. Well, I suppose that's as good as it gets when you're staring at a girl fifteen times your size through a three-inch gap. Today's been unusual, hasn't it?

"You can come out, I won't hurt you."

Should I take the chance? It's a gamble, certainly. I don't actually know Tara all that well, although I've always gotten the sense that she's a nice girl. Still, if she winds up being gentle... I'd both have a protector against any other harm, a way of getting around the school more quickly, and I'd be physically closer to a girl than I've ever been in my life. At this point, my chances of mortality are pretty high anyway.

I have to make a choice, so I slowly push the door open. And there she is in front of me, like a panorama come to life. I'm face to face with the neckline of her shirt. I crane my head up, trying to gauge her expression.

She's smiling, but it doesn't look like a cruel smile. "Zach! How long have you been hiding in there?" She's whispering now, so the roar is a little less than deafening.

"Little over half an hour." Play it cool. Feel the situation out. Be like Phillip Marlowe or something.

"Wow, you're so small... I've seen a couple of other guys running around, but I think they were taller than you. You're probably about as tall as one of my fingers..." Can't blame her for being intrigued, I suppose. The real test of whether she's friendly or not is yet to come.

She carefully slides a huge hand up and places it next to me. She was right... Her smooth palms could be walls, and her fingers are clearly as tall as I am. Tara lets out a little giggle. "That's so cute."

Okay, this is starting to be emasculating. Let's try to steer the conversation in another direction. "So, have you seen the rest of the school yet?"

"Well, um, I haven't been able to get out of the building." She blushes a little, like a girl who's discovered her dress no longer fits on prom night. "I did see some other people getting outside though... I think there was another girl, about half my height, who smashed her way out through a wall..."

"Why didn't you smash your way out?"

"I was worried I'd damage something. School property and all. Plus, I'm so big, I could probably tear down the entire building by accident." I shudder at the thought. She clearly notices, and brings her huge hands up in front of her, a gesture which at normal size is meant to be reassuring but here is just another example of how awe-inspiringly big she is. "Don't worry, I'm going to be really careful, I definitely wouldn't do anything like that with one of you little guys around."

"Yeah, I trust you not to," I say, with more confidence than I feel. I hadn't even thought about them being able to knock down buildings. "You know, if other girls have been demolishing walls, there might be structural damage. For all we know, the building isn't safe anymore."

As if to emphasize my point, the steel pillar on the left creaks. Was it always that crooked? Tara's eyes shift around the room. In the distance, there's the sound of a crumbling wall. The creaking turns into the full-fledged groan of the building shifting around us.

Suddenly, there's a loud snap, and a portion of the ceiling directly above us buckles in towards the ground. "Crap!" Tara yells. She really is the girl next door, doesn't even swear... She immediately raises her hands to the ceiling and presses up against it. The crack seems to bend a little back into place, but I can tell that Tara's straining. "Okay, I can hold it for a little while, but eventually the whole thing is gonna come down. You've got to get out of here while you still can."

"But what about you? You won't be able to hold it forever, and when it falls..." I don't even want to think about it. Tara is clearly one of the more reliable giants at this point. Plus, I get this funny feeling when I look at her. I'm not completely sure, but I think I might be falling in love with her.

"Trust me," Tara says, with a brave smile. "I'll be fine. Now, let's figure out a way to get you out of here."

I step out onto the small ledge in front of the closet. It's a very long drop, two stories down, to the floor below. The ledge itself is about six inches wide and only goes on for a foot or two laterally in either direction. I'm literally stranded in the middle of the hallway.

Tara's looking down at her feet. She realizes also. She takes a deep breath, tilts her gigantic head back, closes her eyes and sighs. Then she looks back down at me. "Okay, Zack, I know we don't know each other too well. But there's no way for me to carry you down, so you're going to have to climb."

"Climb what? I don't have a ladder."

"Climb me," Tara says, exasperated. "Grab onto my clothes and use them to hoist yourself down."

She's wearing a fairly low-cut orange top, and looking down, a pair of tight denim jeans and some simple white sneakers. I take a deep breath. This is going to be exciting. Life-threatening, sure, but exciting just the same. Tara is leaning forward so her chest is towards me. Her eyes are narrowed as I move towards her cleavage. "Not inside," she says through gritted teeth.

I nod, and move around to the side of her top. I grab the fabric of her neckline, and grasp it tightly. Shit, where do I go from here? I've never done any real mountain climbing, and I was always terrible at the rope climb in gym class.

I take a deep breath, then launch myself off the ledge, my body swinging wildly from her shirt and knocking against the soft flesh of her breast. Her entire body shakes slightly from the sensation, almost throwing me off. "Careful!" She says at almost deafening volume. "Those are sensitive."

Oh really, I hadn't noticed. My hands slide down the fabric, and my feet come to rest on the hip of her jeans. I stare up at her form looming above me, her curves almost blocking out the view of her face. "Hurry up," she says, "I'm not sure how much longer I can hold it!"

I awkwardly twist my body downwards until my hands are clasped around one of the belt loops on her jeans, then let myself hang down from there. I must look something like a keychain, swinging from her hips like this. At least I'm relatively secure though. Now, where do I go from here? It's still a good forty feet to the floor from my perspective, and her jeans are too stiff to use as hand or footholds.

I feel myself slip, and accidentally let go, tumbling down the front of her leg. The floor is rushing up towards me. Aw shit.

My elbows slam into something soft and yielding, and I go head over heels onto a strange surface covered in long tubelike protrusions. I look up and see the cuffs of her jeans, as well as the puffy white tongue of her sneaker. I must have landed on her instep. Real graceful.

"Are you all right?" Tara calls down from above.

"I'm okay," I yell upwards. And I really am, somehow. Falling from that height without getting hurt should be impossible, but as far as I can tell I'm only bruised. "I think I can probably make it down from here."

I quickly swing myself over the edge of her sneakers, which are each about four feet tall compared to me, and land easily on the ground. I can barely feel any shock from falling.

I look up to see Tara's entire body move drastically towards the ground, her knees bending outwards. She's now looming over me, her head and shoulders pressed against the quickly buckling ceiling. "It's coming down!" she cries. "Get out of here, fast."

"But how are you going to -"

"I'll be fine. Just go!" She says loudly, her voice ringing in my ears.

I dash towards the nearest exit, but it's closed, and the handle is high above my head. I jump for it and fail, then glance up at Tara. She's busy holding up the ceiling, no way she could open the door for me... Even if she could kick it down, that would probably accelerate the building's collapse.

Another exit, need another way out fast. I look around. There at the end of the hallway is a wall that has been knocked over. I run, hearing the walls around me creak and crumble, dust from the shifting ceiling falling around me. I run, hearing Tara groan behind me as the walls buckle inwards, the collapsing weight of the building coming upon her. I run for my life.

Almost there. An exposed steel girder to my left abruptly snaps, and the entire building begins to tilt to the left. Just twenty feet more. The wall on my right looks like it's giving way... Into the sunshine. Behind me, there's a sound like rolling thunder.

Behind me, the hallway has caved in. As far as I can tell, the rest of the structure is still standing, but where the hall once was is a wall of broken concrete, twisted iron and shattered glass. I quickly find a small crack in the landslide, try and peek through. Can't seen anything though.

"Tara!" I call out, "Are you okay?"

Her voice is muted amongst all the rubble. "I'm all right. I think I'm going to have to bust out of this building, though, before the whole thing comes down on me."

"Which side are you coming out of? I'll meet you there."

"No, you can't stay here, it's too risky. If I knock out one of the walls, the whole structure could fall in the wrong direction and land on top of you. We'll meet up again at some point, I'm sure, but for now you've got to move. I'll give you ten minutes to get out of range."

I nod to myself. On my own again, which is risky. Out in the open, which is a bad idea. I quickly glance around, and see that I'm technically on the pathway between B and C building, if you could even call it a path any more. The pavement looks like it's been broken up by an earthquake, and it lies on top of huge brown and orange boulders that don't look terribly steady. So I can't go that way. I turn around and see that the 2nd floor tunnel to A building has partially collapsed - all the supports on the B building side have fallen, so the tunnel looks like it's leaning up against A building. It looks like there's a small gap between the tunnel and the ground... maybe I could climb through the fallen tunnel?

I hear a noise behind me and freeze. What was that? A gust of wind, or a girl's breathing? I get this feeling like I'm being watched.

I turn and find myself face to giant face with Laura Davids. She's lying down, so we look each other almost eye to eye. I'm something like ten feet away from her face, which is fifteen feet tall from my perspective... About the same size as Tara's, but I'm far closer to it. Close enough to count the relatively tiny freckles on her cheeks. She gasps, a sound which would probably be cute and feminine if I was normal, but at this size sounds like the vacuum cleaner of the Apocalypse.

"Zach?" She says. Her open mouth is a dark, wet tunnel from which blasts the sound of her voice. It's large enough that I could probably dive into it. Or be thrown in. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," I call up. Here we go again. Is she good or bad? Actually, now that I think about it, if she was bad I'd probably be dead or close to dead already. She was watching me before I saw her, after all.

"Jeez, you're tiny... Hold on a sec, let me back up so we can look at each other more easily." I smile at that. My neck's starting to ache already from having to look up all the time. Plus, I like the fact that she's still lying down, almost insisting on us being on the same level.

Laura wiggles her huge body as she moves backwards a little bit, then rests her chin in her hands. She was much shorter than Tara before, but now they're both the same size. The change looks even more impressive on Laura as a result... The once tiny girl is now a colossus.

She grins as she stares at me, revealing rows of slick white teeth longer than my finger. "You really are kinda cute at this size," she starts. Second time I've heard that today. Too bad cute doesn't necessarily mean sexy. "Now, what were you doing? I saw you looking around."

"I was trying to find a place to hide," I admit, half-embarrassed. "I mean, it's not really safe for us guys right now with you giants walking around."

Laura smirks. "Aw, come on, you don't have anything to worry about from a girl like me. Besides, I know what it's like to be short."

Not this short. "So what do you suggest I do?"

"Well, you could stick with me," she says. It's strange... she sounds almost hopeful. Here's a being fifteen times my size who is trying to cajole me into doing something. Doesn't she realize she could make me do anything she wants, and I would have no choice but to obey?

"I'd take care of you," she adds. "I'm about as big as most of the other girls, I could keep you safe. If there really are some girls who'd want to do you harm."

I try to weigh the positives and negatives. I'd be trading freedom for safety here, which seems to be at a premium today - I can see at least one suspicious red blotch along the pathways, and whether it came from an intentional act or an unintentional one, I can only guess. Of course, if I stay with her, I probably won't be able to leave. Again, I decide I'll take my chances, and nod quickly to show her I'll stay.

She gets to her feet (the ground rumbling beneath me), crouches and extends a hand onto the ground. I climb onto it. Her hands are small compared to the rest of her, but they're still easily large enough to hold me, given that I'm roughly the equivalent of three inches tall at her scale. At least, that's what I presume from my own judgment of scale. She slowly raises me to eye level, the motion of her hand slightly shaky but steady enough for me to hold on without feeling like I'm about to die.

I promise myself I won't look down, and instead focus on Laura's face. She does have a sort of prettiness, perhaps not obvious upon first looking at her - her brown eyes have a certain softness, and her lips are full and quite kissable. Body-wise, she doesn't have too much in the breast department, but she does have a pretty nice butt. However, physical things have always come second for me when thinking seriously about girls. I mean, it's not like I have a chance with a truly hot girl anyway. Still, despite the fact that she's pretty and kind, I don't think I feel the same way she feels about me. Not that I'm going to tell her that, especially not right now.

Wait, she's no longer looking at me, but up and behind me. I spin around, only to see one of the three people I'd least like to meet at my current size. It's Rose, looking smug and pugnacious as always. Except Rose isn't as tall as Tara or Laura. She's much taller. At least a good three heads taller than Laura. I'm being held at Laura's face height right now, yet I find myself staring straight at Rose's ample chest, filling a tight black t-shirt.

There's a bulge in the shirt's breast pocket which catches my eye. It looks like it might be... It is. It's moving. I can't believe she would do that.

"Hey, looks like Laura Davids finally found herself a way to get laid," Rose says snidely. "Who's the little guy you're sweet-talking?"

I feel Laura's warm hand lower beneath me. She's instinctively holding me closer to her chest, as if to protect me. "Buzz off, Rose. I don't want to talk to you right now."

Rose raises an eyebrow. "You got a problem with me? 'Cause I don't like it when shrimps talk down to me." She takes a step forward, looming over Laura, casting a shadow over me. She looks down at me, and her mouth twists into a cruel smile. "You're kidding. Zach's your guy? God, the dweeb was pathetic when he was normal size, but look at him now."

I thought it was bad enough being belittled by these girls on average days. But it turns out that when your tormentor is booming down insults from high above you, it's much, much worse. Like the voice of God telling you how much you suck.

"Just leave us alone, okay, Rose?" Laura asks, almost pleadingly. This probably won't work. Begging with Rose and her friends is just an indication of weakness.

"I'll leave you alone. But not your little friend. He's coming with me." From above, I see a gigantic hand with polished black nails coming towards me, blocking out the sun. I duck, and hear the whoosh of air overhead as Laura drops her hand out of Rose's path. I clutch one of her fingers to keep from falling.

"What do you want with him?"

"Me, Carla and Jamie are rounding up the little guys. We're gonna have some fun with them, teach 'em a few things about how you should treat girls like us. And how we treat them." I don't like the way she says this. I don't like the sound of any of this. "Zach would be great for our collection."

"That's too bad, Rose, because you're not going to get him." Laura says. I suddenly feel the ground beneath me plummet, as Laura's hand drops to the ground. She motions with her head for me to move, then looks up and says, "Now, do me a favor and fuck off."

I quickly jump off Laura's palm and start running. What the hell does she think she's doing? Rose is practically twice her size, she'll kill her! Okay, can't focus on that now, need a place to hide. I can't use the walkway to C building, it's decimated. I should climb the broken tunnel to A building. But Rose is currently standing right in my way.

I dash towards her anyway. Rose runs forward, her beat-up sneakers pounding into the ground and causing minor seismic disturbances, and I swerve to try and get around, but she's still coming right in my direction. It feels like playing chicken with an eighteen-wheeler that's swinging from a crane, but somehow I manage to stay low and avoid Rose's foot, then run around her to get to the path.

Just as I manage to get back to the pathway, I hear a muffled thump to my left, and turn to see a person sprawled on the concrete. I look up, and see the bulge in Rose's pocket is gone. The person rolls over, and gets to his feet.

"Hey, Max," I say, my mouth hanging open. "Did you just fall out of Rose's pocket?"

The wiry Asian pats himself down, wincing a little when he goes over his ribs. "Jumped, actually. I can't believe I made it..."

I quickly grab his arm and begin to drag him towards A building.

"Where are we going?" he shouts.

"Away from here! If Laura loses, Rose will get us both, and we can't let that happen."

The two of us sprint full-speed towards the collapsed tunnel, not once looking back. There's a three-foot gap where the leaning portion of the tunnel meets the ground, and I quickly swing myself under and into the tunnel. Max has a little more trouble, and it's then that I realize that he's now much taller than me, probably two and a half feet tall relative to the school as opposed to just two.

We begin crawling up the tunnel, which is slanted at an angle that makes it difficult to run straight through, but sloped enough that we don't have to climb. We quickly scale it all the way to the top, and push in the doors to A building. We run a little ways further after that, until we can convince our legs to stop, and lean against the whitewashed wall.

"Shit," Max pants. "This is fucking crazy."

"What?" I ask between gasps.

"This. Rose. You, me. The whole school, everything's gone completely crazy."

I don't even ask where he was when this happened, or what happened to him after that. All that matters is that we're safe for the moment.

"We're lucky Laura was there," Max says, taking his glasses out of his pockets and wiping them nervously. "If she hadn't fought Rose, I'd have wound up in Jamie's clutches."

"Me too, man," I say, wiping a hand over my brow. "And she didn't really hate you or anything. Me, she would've had a field day with."

"Psychos. I didn't think they'd ever be this bad. Maybe they're on a power trip or something."

"I don't know. I don't even really care about psychoanalyzing them at this point. I just want to stay far away."

Distantly, down the hall, there's an echo of a great booming sound. Then a giggle that could only come from a teenage giantess. Max and I look at each other.

"Run."

Then we're flying down the corridors again, searching for any place where we can hide. I see the cafeteria doors ahead, and quickly spurt towards them, only to slam into them without any noticeable effect.

"The doors are barricaded," Max says, pointing at the windows, which show the outlines of tables and chairs stacked against them.

I pound on the window, unsure of how much sound my tiny fists can make, but willing to try. "Open up! Please!"

"There's someone coming, we need your help!" Max yells.

I can hear a slight, uncertain shifting sound behind the door. I pound louder. "Let us in, please! We need somewhere to hide!" From down the hallway, there's the echo of giant footsteps, mirroring the sound of our fists on the window.

There's the sound of tables and chairs scraping on linoleum, then the tall cafeteria doors open. Filling the doorway is the frame of a large blond woman who I vaguely recognize from the history department. She looks to be about ten feet tall compared to the school, which makes her something like thirty from my perspective. She motions us inside, and Max and I duck into the cafeteria.

The blond woman shuts the door behind us. I look around. Here, in the cafeteria, appears to be the sum total of all the teachers of the school, huddled together. The female teachers are all slightly larger, although not nearly as big as the schoolgirls. The men are about as short as I am. Some of the male teachers lounging in chairs obviously three times their size, others are leaning against the women who dwarf them. Fifty of them, holed up in here. All things considered, it's kind of pathetic.

I glance at Max, as if to ask, "Should we really stay here?"

He shrugs. "It's safe. We can't ask for much more than that."

I nod, and start searching for a place to sit.

The Forest Lake Incident


By NFalc


9:00


"Fuck this!"

I launch a kick at a lipstick container, and only wind up hurting my foot. The big block of plastic doesn't even budge. So I sit back again, in the dark, and curse quietly to myself.

I've been trapped in my girlfriend's purse for over an hour now.

There's a little bit of light coming in from above, 'cause the purse's zipper is open a crack. Thank god it is, because I'm not sure Alexa realizes that I need oxygen to survive. I can't believe she did this to me... Just shoved me in her purse like I was a toy, a personal possession... Outside I can still hear the boom of the girls' voices. It sounds like thunder echoing off the gym building walls. Can't they ever shut up? What do they even have to talk about, on a day like today?

I sigh. Quit whining. Not like it's going to do any good. Be a man, damnit. This day seems like it's out to rob you of your dignity, and you can't let it get you down. No, I won't allow it to get me down. I slug myself, once, in my other arm, just to get some frustration out. Then I just smile and sit back down again, and hope my air doesn't run out too soon. If I died in here, that'd just be pathetic.

Suddenly, I feel the ground lurch beneath me, and hit the floor as everything around me flies into the air, what was once solid ground now heaving back and forth as Alexa walks. I dodge a falling q-tip that's taller than me, and push my way past a sliding compact, big as a table. If I can just get towards the light, I can at least see where we're going.

A stick of gum wrapped in foil falls against the side of the purse, right below the hole in the zipper. Perfect. I grab onto the foil and use it as handholds, climbing up the gum. With all the motion in the purse, and the fact that the foil tears pretty easy, it's tough climbing. But I manage to make it just high enough to jump, and - deep breath, fly - grab onto the metal teeth of the zipper. I struggle to keep my grip as the purse swings around me, but manage to shift my weight so I can get a leg up over the zipper's side.

Then, just like that, I'm outside again, riding on top of the bucking purse, holding onto the open zipper for dear life. Glancing up, I can see Alexa's tan arm curving around me, wide as a bus and much, much longer. The purse has a short strap, and as a result I'm swinging somewhere near her belly button. It's a long way down. I grab at my handholds, and mutter a silent prayer.

As sudden as the motion began, it stops. I'm almost thrown from the purse by the inertia, and realize that I should be in physics class learning about stuff like this instead of experiencing it. And how sick is it that I actually want to go to class? Today's just plain fucked up.

I look around, trying to figure out why the girls are pausing here. In front of us are another two giants, although one's clearly much bigger than another. I recognize the big one - she's one of those goth chicks. I vaguely remember her asking me to prom once, and I turned her down. Right, she's the one Jamie was all pissed about, Rose. Not like I meant to hurt her feelings or anything, but if she's still angry I should keep a low profile.

The smaller one's kneeling on the ground. She's got long curly brown hair, and kind of a cute snub nose. One of her pants is split at the knee, and there's a red mark on her cheek. A thin trickle of blood streams from her nose. The two of them are panting. They must've fought each other. Now that would've been impressive - now that I think about it, they are kinda hot, the catfight must've been excellent.

We're far enough off that they don't notice us: Alexa's tall enough to see where some of the smaller girls might not. Looking out from here is like looking out the ninth story of a building. I watch, waiting to see what the bigger one will do.

But before the two girls can do anything, there's a rumbling off to the left, and an entire building turns into rubble before my eyes. Out of the dust and wreckage springs a blond-haired girl, about half Alexa's height by the looks of things. There's some serious anger in her hazel eyes. As she gets to her feet, whole bricks, tiny by comparison, tumble off her, falling into the collapsed heap of building below. And before I even have an idea of why she was under the building to begin with, the girl leaps straight at Rose.

She catches the redhead (who's actually a lot bigger than her) by surprise, and the two crash to the ground. They fall so hard that cracks appear in the cement where they land. Rose is still in shock, (I'm not sure that anyone's actually fought her back, before) and the blond one uses this moment to pound a fist right into the bigger girl's face.

Another punch, and now the brunette is up on her feet too, and also launches herself on top of Rose. For a second, I can't help but picture this as a sex scene, and wonder what it would be like to get sandwiched in the middle. Then I remember how much smaller I am than them, and realize that if I were sandwiched like that, I'd probably be dead. I mean, I could probably be flattened under Rose's thighs, let alone the three girls moving together.

Rose has her head back in the game, and shoves herself off the ground, forcing the two smaller girls to tumble off her. She then takes one huge hand and grasps the brunette's head, pinning her on the ground. With her free hand, Rose swipes at the blonde, who dodges in time that the hand only clips her, and since the blonde is bigger than her friend, this doesn't do quite as much. She hurls herself like a missile into Rose's midsection.

It's not quite a pro tackle, but it gets the job done. The redhead goes down like Godzilla in a monster movie, causing "A" Building to shudder. For a second, I think I see some shapes moving in the cafeteria. Are there people in there? Jesus, if one of the girls actually hits the building, the whole thing could collapse... Anyone in there would be killed.

Above me, there's the bizarrely powerful sound of Alexa laughing. She's got a really girly giggle, but here it sounds like it's being played over speakers at a rock concert, with the bass turned way up. Her laugh booms around the courtyard. I'm surprised it doesn't shatter glass.

Then we're moving again, and I hug the zipper, keeping my head down to avoid being blown off by Alexa's movements. Of course, she has no idea I'm down here. I'm not sure if she even remembers I was in her purse. Jen was never this ditzy. I shoulda just stuck with her. Then again, Jen's at her orthodontist appointment today, so it's not like she'd be here to help me. At least Alexa's on my side, right?

We come to a stop again, and now we're much closer to the catfight. The two smaller girls see the shadow Alexa and her friends cast over them, and turn around. I'd say right now we're about ten feet away from them, but because everyone is so much bigger, it feels like I'm practically dangling in front of their enormous faces. Of course, they're looking up at Alexa, so they don't even notice me, and I'm not sure I want to get their attention.

"So, what's this all about?" My girlfriend booms down from above.

The two smaller girls just gape. Alexa's at least twice their size. They probably weren't expecting to face anyone bigger than Jamie. Rose, however, seems to know the score. She sits up behind the other two, a scowl on her face. "It's none of your business, bimbo. Back off."

I glance up at Alexa. She has that tight-lipped expression on her face, the one she always gets when she's both furious and yet absolutely certain of the best way to destroy her enemy. The ground under me flies upwards as Alexa takes one huge step forward, and smacks Rose across the face.

"You need to learn who's in charge here, little girl. Now tell me what you were fighting about before me and my friends beat the everloving shit out of you." Safe to say that I've never heard Alexa talk like that before.

Rose, meanwhile, has gone very white. Haltingly, she starts to speak. "We were fighting over a little guy. Jamie, Carla and I are collecting them. Laura here had one, and I wanted it, and we started fighting over him. Then this girl came out of nowhere and attacked me too."

Alexa nods, tapping her fingers on the side of the purse, which feel like hits from a battering ram. I struggle to keep my grip. "First things first. None of the men belong to any of you." Hey, maybe it's a good thing that Alexa's gigantic. It sounds like she's actually going to be fair to us.

"They belong to us." Aw shit. "Now all three of you can run along, and don't think about keeping the guys to yourselves. We'll be coming for them. And I don't think you can stop us." To prove her point, Alexa leans over the other girls menacingly, placing them directly in her shadow. Of course, Alexa probably couldn't fight anyone; even for a girl, she's kind of a wimp. Then again, things seem to be changing pretty quickly today.

Rose gets up and runs off in the direction of C building. Laura and the blond girl go towards D building. Aisha, meanwhile, turns to Alexa.

"What are we going to do with the little guys?"

"They aren't exactly useful," Christine adds ruefully, sweeping a hand through her long, dark hair.

"I'll think of something," Alexa says, with a grin. "Now, you two go find guys. Look everywhere for them. If there's a girl that has them, threaten her to get them from her. We're the biggest girls on campus. They won't want to mess with us."

"Where are you going to go?" Christine says.

"Back to the gym for a bit. I need some time to think."

"Think about what?"

"How we're going to rule this place." Alexa says, smiling with all her teeth. I really don't like the direction this is heading. Knowing we're about to start moving, I quickly head back to the opening in the zipper and slide back into the purse. If Alexa sees me outside of it, she might think I was trying to escape, and I don't want to upset her at all today. She's already proven herself willing to use her power against others, and in my case that could mean squashing me like a grape.

Soon enough, I feel the purse settling back onto the floor. I sit back, wondering how I'm going to spend the next two hours in the dark. Instead, I hear the zipper above me open, with a tremendous sound like ripping. Light streams in, and above me is Alexa's face, larger than life.

"You can come out now," she says with a smile. I stare up at her. Did she see me climb out earlier? Is she baiting me to try it again? "Oh, of course." She rolls her eyes, then lowers a hand as long as an eighteen-wheeler's trailer into the purse.

I climb on and sit cross-legged on her palm, trying to stay steady as I'm lifted out of the purse and up towards Alexa's huge face.

She looks apologetic. "Sorry I couldn't let you out earlier, but you know how I get around you. It's all right if I look ditzy around the other girls, but I can't let them think I'm weak."

Well, I suppose that's reasonable - hey, wait. This barely sounds like Alexa. For one thing, she's using strategy. For another, her voice isn't as cute and high-pitched as it normally is. She sounds - I can't believe I'm saying this - she sounds smart.

I must be gawking or something, because she smiles. "You fell for it, huh? Yeah, the whole valley girl thing is an act. Usually, a girl can't be too obvious in terms of power. We're smaller, weaker, and guys have a thing about being dominant. So girls look for a way around that. Of course, stupidity is a perfect disguise if you want control."

"So all this time, you haven't been that ditzy at all. You've just been playing everybody for fools, manipulating them all the time."

She smiles wider, showing a glimpse of pearly whites. I feel the hand beneath me move closer, until her face fills my vision. "Now you're catching on. Of course, now I'm the one who's bigger and stronger. I don't have to pretend anymore, not around you." She leans in, her huge lips coming together, and I close my eyes as she plants a soft, slightly sticky kiss all over me. She covers me from my head to my waist with her lips, but she's surprisingly gentle. "You still love me, right?" she whispers.

"Of course I do," I reply. At this point, I'm not sure I have much of a choice.

"Good," she says, and I'm moving away once more. "Because I've been thinking about you all morning. It's driving me crazy..." Slowly, she begins to lean back, her hair spilling over her shoulders, her breasts the size of hills jutting forward as she arches her back. "I need you here with me, right now." And as I watch, amazed, she raises her other hand, and pulls her tanktop over her head, throws the huge shirt off into the distance. It's bigger than a parachute, crumpled on the ground.

I look down over the edge of her hand, and the tanned skin of her stomach is like a landscape beneath me, with a belly button big enough for me to dive into. But that's not where she wants me. She turns slightly, and the hand I'm in tilts a little, but I manage to keep myself in place. She's got her other hand behind her back, and with a snap, I hear her bra come undone. The whole silky length of it folds over, falls down to her lap, revealing her magnificent breasts, nipples sticking straight out towards the sky.

I gasp. I know these tits well, I've felt her up, sucked on them, you name it. But I've never tried anything like this before. I stand up as she moves her hand towards her boob, and I step forward.

First, I run my hands down the sloping top of her chest. There's a brief exhale that comes from this, but nothing special. I glance up. She's looking down at me patiently. Okay, so this clearly isn't the best time to be subtle. Instead, I reach upward for her nipple, and grab onto it, pulling it toward me. A gasp from above tells me that I'm getting somewhere. The nipple is easily the size of an ice cream cone. I take it into my mouth and suck on it gently, rubbing my tongue over its surface. As I do this, I place my hands on her areola and push against her soft, warm flesh.

Alexa's whole body rocks back and forth gently, her breathing deep and powerful. I pause what I'm doing and glance up briefly. Her eyes are almost closed, and there's a look of blissful focus on her face. I turn back to her tits and get ready to continue, but suddenly her hand's moving me away.

"I can't wait any longer," she gasps. "You're going inside me, right now."

I look down at myself. She's like twenty times bigger than me. Now, Paul Jr. is nothing to laugh at, but I'm pretty sure he's not up to the task here, stiff as he might be. So what is she thinking?

I watch as I am carried over her body, like a landscape unfolding before me. Across her trim stomach, down past her hips, towards her center... And then I'm right in front of it. Her moist, shaved pussy. All ready for me. And before I can start to do anything, the hand behind me launches me forwards, and straight into her.

Alexa's huge fingers are on my legs, pushing me deep into her. Her pussy is just open enough to let some light shine in, and I can see the walls around me, pink and wet, trembling. I can barely breathe, there's so much fluid running past me. I turn and try to find a pocket of air, inadvertently setting her off even more. I can hear her moaning somewhere in the distance, the sound echoing off the gym walls. Alexa likes to be loud when she's doing it. If she acts anything like she usually does when we're fucking, they'll be able to hear her miles away.

But for a moment, I just forget about where we are and what will happen if we're found out, and get to work on Alexa. I mean, screwing is still screwing, right? No matter what size you are, or how big your girlfriend's snatch is.

Just by wiggling around a little while I'm inside her, I'm able to get her going a bit. Then I get a little more active, pushing up against her, using my hands to really get her excited. I'd reach up and grab her clit, but I'd have trouble getting over there without falling, and besides, it's not like she needs that extra push at this point. Hell, I'm hard too, and before I know what I'm doing, I've managed to unzip myself and I'm thrusting against her and inside her. She's all around me.

Alexa's yell comes out full-throttle, bouncing off the gym walls, and I bet you could hear it from the other side of the school. It's all thanks to me. Maybe size doesn't matter too much after all.


I wake up, groggy, on a cold hard floor. I reach out, and I can know by the feel of it that I'm probably in the gym locker room. When I look up though, I see that the tile is a completely unfamiliar pink. The girls' locker room. I vaguely remember Alexa taking me out of her, slipping her hand through the locker room door and leaving me in here.

I pick myself up, and look around. Other than the pink tiles, the layout is pretty similar to the guys' lockers. There's a row of showerheads on the wall to my right, and since I'm sticky from head to toe, I figure I might as well wash off. I have to lunge upwards to grab the shower knob, but once I grab it water begins to trickle down steadily from above. I guess the buildings haven't broken up enough to mess up the plumbing. For now, at least.

As the water pours over me, I think about what Alexa and I just did. Technically, I think she might have raped me. I mean, I certainly didn't ask to be grabbed and shoved up her pussy. Of course, I didn't actually say no, I either. And about halfway through I took off my pants. Still, I'm not in love with Alexa or anything, haven't been for a while now. I mean, just this morning I thought I'd be done with her right now, ready to spend the rest of my time with Jen.

I let myself drip dry for a few seconds, then grab my shirt and pants and put them on. Sure, they're a mess, but at least I felt a little bit less gross. Just after I pull my shirt on, I hear the locker room door banging open, and look towards it. Two tremendous brown fingers with purple nails appear in the doorway. From the side, a guy who is clearly taller than me is shoved in front of the doorway. The brown fingers come swiftly from behind and push him through the door.

"Here's a friend for you, Paul." I can feel Aisha's massive chuckle through the walls.

The door promptly slams shut behind the new guy. I hear the barely muted voices of the girls chatting behind it. The guy steps forward, somewhat awkwardly. He's a giant from my point of view, he looks like he's eight feet tall. By his features, it looks like he's Mexican. I think I might've seen him through a window in one of the ESL classrooms.

He stares down at me. I struggle to remember that one year of Spanish I took my freshman year. "Hola?" I say awkwardly.

He smiles and relaxes, which is good, because if for some reason he decided not to like me, this kid could easily kick my ass. Even if he sucked at fighting, he'd have sheer bulk to his advantage.

"Gracias por los dios," he says quickly. His voice is surprisingly soft given his commanding size. "Me llamo Juan Tortaro." He offers his hand to shake, and I quickly accept. At this point, us guys have to stick together, and having a friend that's so much taller than me could come in handy.

"Hey, um, escucha, Juan," I say. "We've got to listen to what they're saying over there." They were talking about their plans for the rest of the school, and it's important to hear what they say. Juan looks puzzled for a second, then nods.

I quickly head to the door and press my ear against it. I can barely make out what they're saying, between the wall and the reverb in the gym. But I can hear something like "angry" or "hungry"... everything else turns into a blur. I look back towards Juan, to see him standing on top of one of the benches in the room. He gestures me over, then points upwards. Just above us is a small vent. There's no way either of us is tall enough to get there. But together...

I climb up onto the bench as well, and Juan quickly boosts me up. I notice a small lever at one end of the grille, and grab onto it, pulling downwards. Then I duck as the entire grille swings down and away, leaving the shaft open in front of us.

"Ready?" I call down. "Uno, dos, tres!" Then I'm flying through the air, and just manage to hit the edge of the shaft and swing myself over, although I bruise my ribs pretty bad in the process. I look back down. Juan's about a foot away. He lifts his hands up, and I nod down to him, then lean over the edge of the vent. He jumps, grabs my hands, and using every last bit of my strength, I manage to pull him up.

We lie side by side in the vent shaft for a sec, panting. "You're fucking heavy, man," I tell him. He just grins goofily in response.

We make our way down the dim vent shaft, until I see light in front of us. A grated opening, through which we can hear the girls loud and clear.

I hear one of them in midsentence. It sounds like Aisha. "...how are we going to find enough food to eat. Lunch is just a few hours from now!"

"There isn't exactly a restaurant that serves giants around here," Alexa says grimly.

There's a long pause.

"Well, think, there's got to be some food on campus," Christine says. "I bet they have some sort of stockroom where they supply the vending machines and the cafeteria..."

"That's it!" Alexa says triumphantly. "The cafeteria. They'll have lots of food there. I mean, they have to have enough to feed the whole school, right?"

"So we take over the cafeteria," Aisha says. "And we hope they have enough to feed us for a while. But what if they don't?"

"We'll think of something," Alexa replies. "I mean, we won't starve to death. There are... options."

Oh my god. She can't be suggesting what I think she is. I mean, holy shit...

"Until then, though, we take the cafeteria. From Building A, we can control the whole school."

I glance at Juan. He looks disturbed too, although I'm not sure how much he was able to understand. Then, all of a sudden, it comes back to me.

"Shit, Juan, we've got to get out of here. I was outside a little while ago, and I think I saw people moving in Building A. If the girls are heading there, who knows what will happen? We've got to warn them."

Juan nods. "Condúzcanos," he says.

I wait until the noise below us ends, and I'm sure the girls are gone. Then we go forward, looking for a way out of the vent shafts. There are people in there, I'm almost sure of it. And I don't know what will happen to them if we don't make it in time.

The Forest Lake Incident


By NFalc


9:30


"Oh shit oh shit oh shit..."

There are times when I wish I could tell myself to shut up. Right now is one of them. I keep mumbling curse words to myself. I know these are good girls, they're not going to hurt me. But for some reason, lying here still doesn't feel right.

A peal of earsplitting laughter sounds right behind me. "Ah! Stop fidgeting! That tickles!"

The soft ground beneath me shakes wildly. Well, it isn't actually ground, per se, it's actually Polly Stringham's stomach. She has a deep, rolling belly laugh that is threatening to send me crashing to the floor of the theater below. I manage to grab a handful of her shirt and pull myself up to her ribs, which are also quaking, but less badly than her stomach.

"You're not really used to this, are you?" Polly says with a smile.

No, I'm not exactly used to lying on top of someone, especially not a ticklish girl ten times my size. But these girls are my best bet for survival, and I might as well make myself comfortable while I wait for the cavalry to come and make everything go back to normal. I lie back again, and while I can feel a slight tremor beneath me, I can tell she's controlling herself now.

Of course, just as I start to get comfortable, there's a huge blur of movement in front of me and suddenly I'm lying next to a face that's about as tall as I am. I'm staring into a pair of lips that could probably surround my head. This, I know, is Pris, Polly's best friend. They call themselves twins, have a tendency to dress alike and love the same musicals. They look absolutely nothing like one another, although they're both kind of pretty in their own way.

I spring back a little, landing backwards like I'm doing a crab walk. This causes Polly to erupt in another bout of seismic giggling, and I feel myself sliding over the edge of her torso. I clutch at her tie-dye shirt in vain, then tumble downwards, only to feel softness beneath me. Huge fingers close gently above me, and I realize that she caught me before I hit the theater floor.

"Maybe it would be better for you to find a different seat," she says gently.

"Yeah, that's probably safer," I call back. Wouldn't want you to accidentally chuckle and send me flying to my doom.

Polly gently tilts her hand, and I roll safely onto the wonderfully solid ground beside her. Looking up, I try to see if anyone else was watching this little episode, but my view is blocked completely by the rhythmic rise and fall of Polly's chest. Another difference between the so-called twins: Polly's top-heavy, while Pris has a much nicer rear. Put 'em together and you'd have a hell of a babe, but as it is you have two crazy theater girls who are trouble enough already. Not that they don't mean well.

The reason I'm so worried about people seeing this embarrassing little incident is that we're far from alone in the theater. Over the past hour or so, at least five other girls have found their way in here, all of them theater brats, misfits or social rejects. No real outcasts like yours truly, but close enough that I care about how I come off. Especially since any of them could flatten my head under their thumb if they decided they didn't like my attitude.

A fair number of guys are seeking refuge in the theater as well. One of them comes up and taps me on the shoulder right now. I turn and see a smiling, genial face topped with poodle-like curly black hair. "I see you've dismounted your loyal steed," he says, chuckling. The guy's name is Billy Cantor, and he's the star of the drama department at Forest Lake; always gets the lead in every production, and is easily the leader of their social group. He likes to pretend he's smarter than he is, and he's kind of a wiseass, but half the misfits are in love with him.

That's why, instead of rolling over on top of him, Polly merely rolls her eyes and sighs. "Billy! For such a shrimp you've got a really big mouth."

"The better to yell to you, m'dear," He says, affecting a pretty dreadful English accent. What makes them think he's a good actor, again?

Polly giggles. There's a tremendous sound of shifting cloth behind her, and I'm suddenly facing two mountain-sized girls instead of one. Pris is leaning over Polly's midriff to peer down at us. "Why are you yelling to us, anyway?" she asks. "Shouldn't you be with Michele?"

Billy drops the goofy look he's been sporting, and for a brief moment I can see concern cross his face. He quickly moves to hide it, however. Maybe he's a better actor than I thought. "As a matter of fact, I don't know where she went." He says smoothly.

I've always been good at spotting liars. Billy's hand is twitching, and he's biting his lower lip. His thick eyebrows are knitted more tightly than normal. He's got more tells than a bad poker player. Of course, they're small enough that none of the girls can notice them.

"You should go find her," Polly says, smiling broadly. "I mean, I wouldn't want to be without a guy right now. Not when you're all so cute!"

Billy mumbles a sort of reply and walks off. Polly turns to Pris and begins chatting loudly once more.

I'm antisocial, I tell myself. And the guy's kind of obnoxious. Why do I give a shit about his problems? But then again, there's nothing better to do...

I sprint a little to catch up to Billy, then tap him on the shoulder. "Hey, where are you going?"

He looks at me levelly. "Somewhere. I'm taking a walk."

"Outside?" I ask casually. "I don't recommend that. With all the girls running around out there, you'll probably get stepped on."

He stops walking and stares at me. "What do you want?"

"I want you to tell me the truth."

He frowns. He probably doesn't like being found out. "Fine. I lied. I know where Michele is."

Okay, maybe he's not just unhappy about me catching on. "Why aren't you with her?" I ask bluntly.

"I saw her walking around earlier," he says, looking stricken. "She's seven times my size right now. I'm barely taller than her sneakers. With every step she took the ground shook." He runs a hand through his curly hair. "You know those golf carts the teachers sometimes use to get around?"

We call them golf carts, although the staff call them "personnel transports". Basically, there are a few small two-person electric cars around the school for teachers who have classes far apart. Lazy fucks too fat to walk, that cut themselves a bigger portion of the school budget than they deserve. They leave the carts lying all over campus, and as a result half of them are covered in graffiti. "Yeah, I know those."

"There was one in her way," he says, eyes wide. "She didn't even notice it. Just kicked it like a soda can. I mean, the thing crumpled."

"So she doesn't know her own strength," I say. "And maybe she's a little clumsy. If you talked to her about it, I'm sure she'd be more careful."

"Probably. But that's the thing... I can't even shout to her. I get shaky just looking at her. It's the weirdest thing, but I'm actually scared of my girlfriend."

I have to work hard to control the smirk that wants to possess my face. I mean, I don't want to feel contempt for the guy, but this doesn't make any sense. "You do fine around the other girls. What makes this different?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?" He asks. I shake my head. "You wouldn't understand," he replies.

I fucking hate it when people say that. But I'm trying to be genial here. If I help this guy out, I might just be accepted into this group. And today is probably the only day in my life that I actually care about being accepted.

"Maybe I can help," I say. "Where is she, anyway?"

Billy looks dubious, but he motions for me to follow and begins leading me down one of the school corridors. Then he ducks out of sight. I keep walking, until he yanks me out of the center of the hall. He's flattened against the bare concrete wall. I quickly decide to imitate him.

"There are more giants out there," Billy whispers. "And they might not be too friendly." He's right. There are huge pounding noises that sound like they're coming from just outside the walls. On any other day these would freak me out. I'd be figuring that some idiot general had mistakenly ordered an artillery strike on my school. But today, I know them to be nothing more than the footsteps of my former classmates.

I silently curse myself for not catching on quicker. Rule number one, my dad always taught me: be aware of your environment. We're about a foot away from a large plate window. I stay against the wall, but creep forward so I can see outside.

Just more boulders. As far as the eye can see. Suddenly, the window fills with something almost incomprehensibly huge. I can only get a general impression of movement, it's so big. I quickly dart back against the wall. There's a tremendous rattling sound, like gale force winds. The sound of her breathing hitting the window. My heart thumps loudly in my chest.

I close my eyes and wait for the rattling to stop, but it doesn't. Finally, my curiosity wins out. I hesitantly nudge my head out from behind the wall, just far enough to see. I try not to gasp. Filling the window is a dark mirror rimmed by a halo of chestnut. An iris and pupil. Each of her eyelashes is the size of a saber. Slowly, I begin to realize that the eye doesn't occupy the entire window. It's rimmed by the pale, delicate tan-yellow flesh of the girl's cheek. I think she's probably Asian.

I duck back behind the wall and glance over at Billy. "What's there?" he asks.

"Big one," I mutter. "But her eye's right up against the window. I think we might be able to sneak past."

"Are you crazy? There's glass floor to ceiling, she'll see us!"

"Think about it. She's so close that she won't actually be able to focus on us. If we press right up against the glass, crouch and move very slowly, we'll just be smudges. We get past and then we run."

"This is stupid," Billy whispers bitterly. "I'm risking death to see my girlfriend, who is currently scaring the everloving shit out of me because she's seven times my size."

"It's a hell of a lot of work to get laid," I reply. "But if not now, then when?"

He curls his lip and gives a curt nod. We both crouch low to the ground.

"Okay then, on the count of three. One, two... move."

We press ourselves to the glass, hunched over, and crawl forward. I try not to look at the eye outside. I bet I could see my reflection in it if I tried. Just keep moving. She can't see you. Just go. Halfway there now, you'll make it.

There's a tremendous thunking sound behind me. I turn over my shoulder to see that Billy's lost his balance and fallen against the window. The face outside it abruptly pulls back.

"Oh shit," I say softly. Then I yell. "Run!"

I grab Billy by his arm, hoist him up and then we dash headlong down the hallway. I glance backwards to see French-manicured fingernails crashing through the walls and ceiling. The entire area we were just crawling through is almost instantly demolished, in a scream of breaking glass and crumbling concrete. The hand moves away, and I can see the girl towering above us. A gorgeous Asian with red streaks in her dark hair, an amused grin on her face.

This is a game to her.

"We've got to get away from the windows!" I call out. "If she can see us, we're toast."

"The basement!" Billy yells in reply.

The nearest stairs are a sprint away in the D building lobby. We charge forward, the sounds of her footsteps just behind us, reverberating through the corridor. Then the sound of cracking wood. I look back to see the ceiling being torn away just behind us. Peeled off like a band-aid. Her face fills the gap where the styrofoam ceiling tiles were.

But we're almost to the stairs and hopefully safety. If she can't see us, she can't hurt us. Not without demolishing the whole building, and I hope to god she isn't strong enough for that. We make it to the stairs, and in the rush to get down Billy slips again and goes tumbling down the stairs, landing sideways at the bottom.

I jump down the huge steps two at a time, get Billy to his feet, then look up to see a monstrous hand with five shiny white-tipped fingernails heading straight for us. I push Billy to the right, and he takes the cue and bolts down the stair. I follow just fast enough to see the hand bulldoze through the wall behind me.

Billy's panting at the bottom of the stairwell. I join him, and we promptly collapse to the floor, exhausted, staring upwards at the stairs in front of us.

"Oh my god, she's huge," Billy breathes.

"I've seen bigger," I reply. This girl's a bit shorter than Jamie and her gang. I nudge Billy. "You okay?"

"I'm a total goddamn klutz, but yeah, I'm all right," he says with a smile. It's only then that I notice a large cut on his forehead.

"Holy shit man, you're bleeding."

He wipes at the cut with the back of his arm. "Ah, it's only a flesh wound." That terrible British accent again, but I give the guy credit for shrugging this off. "Do you think she's still up there?" he asks.

There's the scraping noise of her fingerprints on the floors above for an answer. "Come out, come out, little boys," she sing-songs. Her voice is somewhat musical, but there's an edge to it. I can't decide whether it's playful or menacing. "I promise I'll play nice."

"Don't trust that," I say.

"No kidding," Billy whispers back. We hold our breath and listen.

Her voice comes booming down the stairwell. "Come on, all I want is for you to worship me." Yeah, if that's not asking too much. Suddenly, there's a loud boom and crack above us, and dust falls from the ceiling. "I know you're down there. Now come back up before I blow the roof in."

"Fuck," I mutter to myself. "She's not leaving, and she isn't going to. We have to figure out some way to get out. Where exactly is your girlfriend at, anyway?"

"Michele was in Building C when I last saw her," Billy says. "And there's an open-air bridge connecting C and D. That would be the easiest way out."

"Okay, that's our escape route. Now all we need is a way of distracting her..." I try and think about her weak spots. She kept pressing her eye to the window... I look down at my feet, at the rubble on the floor, then it comes to me. "I think I've got it!" I lean over and hurriedly whisper the plan to Billy.

We climb halfway up the stairwell and stop. I take a deep breath, then shout up, "Okay, mistress. We are willing to be your servants!"

The girl's face fills the hole in the ceiling. "That's good. I'd have had to kill you otherwise. I'd much rather have two little playthings instead of two little corpses."

"Oh great goddess! We humble playthings have a gift for your holiness!" Billy shouts upwards with almost vaudevillian exaggeration. "But you must lower your eyes to our level in order to see it."

"Very well," The girl says. "Come up to the top floor, and I'll see your gift."

I hesitate. If she decides to grab us, the whole thing's over. I just hope she isn't thinking too carefully... We climb the steps. She leans down, places her huge eye over the hole in the ceiling.

As soon as she's in place, I take the fistful of dust and debris I have behind my back, and hurl it straight at her. "Ah!" she cries out at ear-splitting volume, her face drawing back from the ceiling, manicured hands clawing at her eyes.

"Got her!" I yell triumphantly, then we bolt down the stairs and through the lobby doors, out onto the bridge towards C Building. As we run across, I can see the girl, still standing above D Building, rubbing her eyes and screaming with rage, the sound of her voice carrying clear across campus.

"I can't believe that worked!" Billy shouts happily.

"I know, oldest trick in the book, huh?"

"On an AB kid, no less!" AB stands for Advanced Baccalaureate, which is a diploma given to the students who take supposedly harder classes. Total crock of shit, the kids who take it think it'll help them get into a better college, but it really just gives them a major superiority complex.

"No shit, that was an AB kid?"

"Yeah, Ally Nakota. She was one of the ringleaders of that crowd. She always struck me as a total manipulator, doesn't surprise me that she's on a power trip now that she's gigantic. Come to think of it, I think she was always complaining about being short..."

We reach the doors to D building. I jump and grab the handle, and the doors swing open. "So, where's your girl?" I ask.

"I saw her through the window in the library," Billy says. "It has high ceilings, so she was able to sit against one of the walls."

"Just how tall is she, again?"

"About seven times as big as me. Her head still kind of brushes the ceiling of the library. But she's got room to stretch her legs."

I stop in the corridor. "Hmm, library's just down the hall. You ready for this, man?"

Billy's visibly nervous. "I think so. Oh my god, what am I going to say to her? 'Hello dear, you're looking very big today'? 'How's it feel to be able to crush cars under your feet'?"

"Okay, you officially need to chill the fuck out. This is your girl we're talking about here. Doesn't matter whether she's a dwarf or can fill the Grand Canyon. She loved you yesterday. And as long as you don't screw this up too bad, she'll still love you today."

Billy bites his lip and nods. "She loves me," he says to himself. "She loves me."

"Now go in there and show her that you love her back." I open the library door wide, and gesture him in. Not a bad speech. Especially since I've never actually been in love myself.

Billy walks in cautiously, and I slowly close the door behind him, then lurk behind one of the bookshelves. If you asked me why I was hiding, I couldn't really tell you. I'm not a perv or anything, spying just comes naturally to me. And after all the work involved in getting here, I want to see how this plays out.

Looking down towards the back of the library, I see Michele sitting against the wall. Billy estimated her height pretty well. Her strawberry-blond hair scrapes the ceiling, and her long legs jut out across the center of the room. She's got a pale, thin face which is kind if slightly quirky. Two gargantuan white sneakers lie in the corner, and her long white feet are bare. Nice boobs, I think to myself, as I scan back up towards her chest. Then I snap out of it, thinking, wait, this is Billy's girl, I've got no business checking her out.

He approaches her cautiously, and calls her name. With surprising speed for something so big, she turns her head. "Billy?" she calls down softly.

"One and the same," he says, taking an exaggerated bow. I think he's acting out to keep himself confident.

Michele instantly breaks into a smile. She has small, close-knit white teeth. "I was so worried about you! I mean, I didn't even know where you were..." She leans towards him. Billy nervously backs up a few steps. I slap my hand on my forehead. Idiot. The guy can't even tell, she's as nervous right now as he is. Lucky for him, she doesn't take it personally, but instead straightens once more. "It's really good to see you."

"I'm, um, glad I found you," he replies somewhat lamely. Come on, you bastard, you're an actor. If you can't talk without being nervous, act like you aren't! "I can't believe everything that's been happening today."

"Yeah, it's been weird. I mean, I was walking around, and everything looked like a dollhouse... I was searching for you a while ago, and I was so busy that I actually stepped on one of the golf carts. Can you believe that?"

Billy mumbles something along the lines of, "Oh yeah, I can." I really hope the guy doesn't blow this.

"So then I came back here, because I thought, if I can do that to a golf cart, then think about what would happen if there was a person there. I mean, I can't imagine. Doing that to somebody..."

Billy's starting to come closer now. He's starting to get it. He reaches out and strokes her foot, the closest thing to him. She wiggles her toes, and trails off in the story. "But where have you been?"

"Oh, you know, out and about. Chased here and there. Actually, I met up with some of the people from the theater department."

She leans forward towards him. "Really? How are they doing?"

"Tall," Billy replies promptly. "Although not quite as tall as you. And I mean that as a compliment." Nice save.

Michele smiles wider. "Um, do you mind if I... hold you, for a bit?"

Even at this distance, I can tell that Billy's still nervous about this. I can understand why. They're both clumsy as hell. But all the same, if he's going to get anything done, he's got to accept. I see him make the slightest of nods. Michele moves to pick him up.

But just as she's about to take him, the sound of muted voices comes from outside. Billy and Michele freeze. I look at the door, and focus on the sound of the voice. I can recognize it.

This is not good, not good at all. I quickly come out from behind the bookcase. "You two need to get out of here," I call up, just loud enough for them to hear.

"Who are you again?" Michele asks, confused.

"A friend of Billy's. No time for introductions, there are some very big women outside and you don't want to be here if they come in. You have to get out of here."

"Where should we go?" Billy asks.

"Head back to D Building," I answer. "The theater. You'll be safe there. I'll distract the ones outside." I turn and head for the doors.

"Wait," Michele calls, "How do we get out?"

I turn back briefly. "You're a big girl now," I say, "So who needs doors when you can break down walls?"

Michele nods, and I turn back towards the doorway. I press my ear to the door, and hear the vibrations of their voices outside. "What we need is a safe place," a girl says, "A place where we can plan, and where we'll keep our men. A fortress."

Jamie, Jamie, I think to myself, I would never have pegged you as the strategic type. One of the other girls, it sounds like Carla, says something back, but I don't even bother listening to it. If I want to cover Billy and Michele, I have to go now.

So I burst through the doors and out into the hallway, which is now missing its ceiling. I wonder how I didn't hear that happen. Must be getting used to the sound of things breaking. Jamie, Carla and Rose stand, towering in the wreckage of the C Building lobby. Behind me I hear a window break. All three girls look straight in my direction.

Before I even know what's happening, there's a tidal wave of motion in front of me, a flurry of gigantic hands bearing down. "Don't hurt him," I hear Jamie yell. A huge tan hand lowers over me, pinning me roughly underneath the palm. I lie perfectly still. She's got me now, no reason to resist.

The hand pinning me lifts away, and is swiftly replaced by another, which scoops me up and grips me tightly. My head and shoulders stick out just above the long fingers wrapped which are holding me. Then I'm flying out into the air, involuntarily wiggling my feet as they leave the ground.

"If you want to wriggle free, hombrecito, I'll let you go," Carla's booming voice warns behind me. I don't even bother looking down. The drop must be gigantic. I force myself to go limp in her hand, stare outwards as Jamie comes before me. I'm about eye-level with the top of her leather jacket's zipper. I crane my head upwards at her.

She presses her lips together and stares at me. "Who just broke out of that window, and where were they going?" she asks.

"They're friends of mine," I answer. "And I won't tell you where they went."

The fingers holding me grip tighter, squeezing in on me. I struggle to breathe as they close in like a vice. "Answer her question."

Jamie motions with a huge pale hand, somewhere to my left. A soft downward motion. The fingers around me relax. "We're not going to force him," Jamie says. "And I've got more important things to ask." She turns her attention back towards me, then crouches slightly, so that I'm staring into her hazel eyes. "Why did you run away before?"

Oh shit, time to think of a good answer. "I didn't know what you wanted with me," I answer. "I thought you'd kill me or something. Wasn't that what you were planning?" It's probably the closest I can get to an honest response.

Jamie looks pensive. She doesn't answer the question, but unfolds a long, white hand beneath me. "Drop him, Carla."

I glance back and see Carla looking puzzled. "What are you going to -"

"Just drop him. Gently."

The fingers around me loosen, and I feel myself plunge downwards a short distance, to land in the center of Jamie's hand. "I'm keeping you with me," she says. And without another word I'm being launched towards darkness.

I land in a soft, hot black space. The pocket of Jamie's leather jacket. I can see the metal teeth of the pocket's zipper above me. No easy way out. I sigh and settle back against the fabric, feeling movement as Jamie walks. I asked for this. I allowed them to take me prisoner so Billy and Michele could go free. And, strangely, I don't even regret it. Jamie hasn't killed me, at least not yet, so that much is okay. Of course, by the sound of things, she intends to keep me as her prisoner.

Yet when I think about that, there's a weird sort of kinky thrill to it. If I'm reading the signs right, she had a crush on me, probably still does. In the best case scenario, I'll become, eventually, something more than a slave or a toy to her. What would life be like, I wonder, if I was her lover?

Suddenly, the pocket around me swings wildly as Jamie comes to an abrupt stop. I hear thunderous female voices above me. I recognize Jamie, Carla and Rose in the mix, but the others I haven't heard before. One sounds like the aural equivalent of bubble gum, except with five times more bass than normal. A voice that would sound cutesy at normal size but it is awe-inspiring at the moment. I realize, this girl is probably even bigger than Jamie. I thought Jamie was big enough...

I feel a jarring impact, then the world goes crooked. In the gap of the pocket, I see whirling images of the sky, trees and buildings. Then, with a sound like a building being demolished, Jamie hits the ground. Some of the tan boulders outside go flying from the collision. I look out and see the ground just outside the gap. We're horizontal now. I've got an exit.

I clamber to my feet and crawl quickly out of the pocket, jumping out onto one of the boulders below. I scan around me quickly. A gigantic, pillar-like arm of brown flesh stretches above me. It's a black girl, who's straddling Jamie, holding her on the ground. Off in the distance, there are two other girls, one who's really skinny and built like she's tall. The other is a girl everyone in the school knows. Alexa Briscoll, second in popularity only to Jen Asafrago. She used to be a vacuous slut. Now she's a vacuous slut who could dwarf Godzilla.

All six girls start shouting at once, the noise earsplitting, like Mother Nature herself having an argument with her girlfriends. They're so distracted they don't even notice me. Now's my chance to get away, before they fight and level the entire courtyard. I glance quickly around. The nearest safe place is A Building, right behind the popular girls. I could run upstairs and hide in the cafeteria. Jamie might not even realize I've gone missing until it's too late.

I run, trying to stop myself from screaming, past legs the length of whales, Alexa's bus-length sandals, over the boulders, through the doors, across the lobby and up the stairs towards the cafeteria.

The Forest Lake Incident


By NFalc


10:00


"Okay, this is kind of creeping me out now. I mean, this is just weird."

I can see where Max is coming from. Here we are in the middle of our school cafeteria, the doors barricaded with several stacks of tables and chairs, surrounded by our former teachers. The female teachers are about two to three times their normal size, and the men are a little more than half of theirs. And here they are, the men sitting in the women's laps, some of them even, ugh, making out... I mean, they're our teachers. Who gave them the right to have lives?

"Yeah man, I know what you mean. Hell, I'm almost wishing there were girls our age around."

"Ha," Max says, "I know which girl you're thinking of..."

I give him a light shove. "Come off it man, she's not my girlfriend. I mean, neither of them are."

"Oh yeah?" He proceeds to affect a high-pitched, terrible imitation of a girl's range. "Ohhh Zach, I won't let those big girls get you! I'll keep you safe right here next to me!"

"You're terrible. I mean, Laura saved you too."

"Well, I did jump out at the last minute," Max says. "That took a little work. I mean, do you realize how far I fell? It was like two hundred feet!"

"Nah," I say. "It was forty at most."

"Well, I'm going by how it looks from my point of view."

"But that's stupid. You're probably the only one your size right now. What looks like two hundred feet to you looks like two hundred and fifty to me, because I'm that much shorter than you."

"Heh, you are kind of a midget," Max chuckles.

I shoot him a dirty look. "But anyway, my point is, we need to have a standard to measure by. So I measure things relative to how big the school is. Think about it: the girls are all bigger, the guys are all smaller, but the school probably stayed the exact same size."

Max nods. "So we measure relative to the school. That means the biggest girl is, what, fifty feet tall?"

"I dunno, Alexa looked about sixty to me. Rose, the girl whose pocket you jumped out of, is something like forty-five. Laura and Tara are about thirty, give or take a foot or two. But that's all I got so far."

Max leans back against the wall behind us, arms folded. "Damn. Sixty feet tall. How the hell did that happen, anyway?"

"I dunno," I reply. And come to think of it, I really don't. I'm pretty sure the explosion in the chem lab was what started everything. But that doesn't explain those huge boulders everywhere, nor the damage to the other buildings." I pause, then decide to explain the theory that's been going through my mind. "You know, I bet we've been teleported."

"Teleported?" Max breaks into loud, nasal laughter. "Teleported where?"

"Another dimension. I mean, think about it, does this look like any place you've seen on earth? Plus, it explains the shrinking and growing. Maybe the atmosphere contains special chemicals, which caused the size change."

Max thinks this over for a second. "You know, you could be right. But there's only one way to find out for sure. We have to find Doane, and get her story."

Of course, finding Doane is easier said than done. The cafeteria is huge, but it's also filled with teachers. Plus, the women are up to fifteen feet tall, so their legs take up a bit of room. I try to avoid brushing up against them, as things are awkward enough around here as it is. Luckily, the majority of teachers in our school are in their thirties and forties, so at least their legs are relatively nice to look at.

We pass by a pretty, dark-haired teacher who appears to be sucking on Coach Barnham's whole face. One more reason to bless the high faculty turnover rate: their PDA is just creepy instead of outright disgusting. I practically envy Barnham, although I'm not sure I could personally handle all that suction.

We weave our way through the masses of people sitting, squatting or otherwise leaning against walls, tables or female teachers' laps, and nearly get killed by a giantess who smiles and apologizes for "stretching", but finally make it to the corner of the room where Doane is sitting. She's a good twelve feet tall, although she's still got her typical goofy smile on her face. I call out to her to get her attention.

"Oh, hi boys. What are you two doing here?" Still idiotically cheerful in the midst of a disaster of her own making. Well, I've held my tongue all year, and I'll continue to do so now that she has the ability to throw me like a rag doll.

"Nothing in particular. Surviving. But we wanted to talk to you a bit more about the accident."

At this, she furrows her eyebrows. "So, you do think that was what caused all this, huh?"

"Well, yeah," Max says, "It seems like the most logical explanation, right?"

"I guess so," Doane says, with a tremendous sigh that ruffles my hair. "It just doesn't make sense. I didn't have anything unusual in there. Nothing except... OH!" Her last exclamation rings sharply in my ears.

Resisting the urge to massage my ear drums, I ask, "Oh what?"

"I have, um, a friend. A friend who works at Hallicon Chemicals. He was going away for a weekend, and he wondered if I could watch over one of his projects for him. Gave it to me in a briefcase. I must've put it in the storage room..."

"So when the explosion happened, the briefcase must have blown up as well. Any chance you knew what was inside?"

Doane shakes her head, frowning. "He wouldn't say. I bet the chemicals were labeled, though. If, somehow, you could find one of the bottles, maybe you could figure out what it was."

While we're talking, a sharp-dressed man in a white shirt and black tie has come up beside us. I vaguely recognize him as being from the biology department. "Hello there, Norma," he calls to Doane. "I was wondering if perhaps we could, uh talk for a moment? Alone?"

Doane bats her eyelashes, which might be subtle at normal size but hardly works now that her face is more than twice as large as usual. All the same, me and Max take the hint and turn in the other direction, working hard to conceal our disgust. I mean, I guess neither of them is that bad looking. It's just really hard to imagine your teachers romantically involved with one another.

We start heading back across the cafeteria. About halfway to our spot, the path ends abruptly with the smooth, pale calves of one of the teachers. I look around, and see that all the other paths are blocked, either by tables or other teachers' legs. I look down the length of the leg in front of us, past the ankle, down to her toes, which tap lightly on the insoles of her shoes. Toenails painted shell pink. Her feet are in big wedge heels, pressed right against the wall. No way around, and her calves are a little too big to climb over, being roughly the height of their bovine namesake.

I look up towards the woman's face, ready to get her attention, only to see her eyes already locked on us. She has lovely green eyes, and a very kind face, the sort I've always found attractive. She looks a bit younger than most of her colleagues, perhaps in her mid-twenties. She's also considerably bigger than them, at least fifteen feet tall.

"Hello, boys," she says, beaming down at us. Wow, what a voice. This is practically the stereotypical schoolboy teacher fantasy, right here. Well, maybe not that typical, considering she's freaking huge.

"Um, hi Ms. Pratt," Max says, with a half-wave. He seems really nervous.

"Hi Max. Where are you and your friend going?"

"We were just, uh, heading back to our spot over there by the window," Max says, stopping and stuttering. Max is never like this, he's usually calm and in total control. I look him over quickly, and notice an odd bulge in his pants. Well, now I know what he's nervous about.

Ms. Pratt turns and looks over her shoulder to where Max is pointing. "Well, why would you want to sit over there? It's a very bad idea for the two of you to be exposed right now, without anyone to protect you."

"Well, what would you recommend we do about it?" I ask.

She casts her eyes downward, slyly. "Well, I could make a little room for you right here, on my lap."

Mike seems about to respond, but I quickly pull him aside, yelling over my shoulder, "Um, just let me talk to my friend a second!" I drag him back a little way in Doane's direction, turn back to see Pratt preening herself. Turn again to see that we're facing the backside of the blonde woman who let us in, Ms. Keaton. She's giggling at a bearded man on her shoulder. "What the hell do you think is with these people?" I ask Mike.

"I dunno," He says. "But I get what you're saying. They all seem..." He seems almost afraid to say it.

"Horny." I finish. "Our teachers are completely horny." Come to think of it, all the girls today seem to be weirdly boy-crazy. Rose said something about 'collecting' men, and from what I heard through the walls when Alexa came, she was doing something along the same lines. It could be that these are all aspects of similar behavioral changes, all caused by the incident. Each of them is reacting to it differently, but they really want to have guys around, no matter what size we are.

"So I'm guessing you're dying to be with Ms. Pratt over there," I say.

The quick change in subject throws Max off guard. "Oh, no, uh, yeah, well maybe," he stammers.

"Dude, get a grip. The only way she could hit on you more obviously was if she hitched up her skirt. She's an intern or something, huh?"

"Teacher assistant," Max nods. "Came in March, she sat in on lots of my social studies classes."

"But she doesn't know any of the faculty, and she's as close to our age as she is theirs. So it almost makes sense she'd go after us."

Max frowns. "I don't care why she wants us there. Man, she was all I thought about every time I was in that class. You have no idea..."

"Oh I do," I respond. I'm practically the king of classroom fantasizing. "And I couldn't be happier for you, man. You go get her."

"You really think I should?"

I slap him on the shoulder. "Go live the dream. I'll sit back here and watch." I've got other girls to think about.

So far today I've met two giantesses that I'd consider friendly, Tara and Laura. They're the same height, although Laura's actually a little bit bigger in terms of sheer mass, because she was much shorter than Tara before the accident. So I guess in terms of being able to protect me, Laura wins. Plus, I've always suspected Laura of having a crush on me, and between that and the overall sexual desperation in the air today I've got a really good chance of getting her. Tara's less likely to go for me, but with risk comes rewards: she's a bit prettier than Laura, although neither of them come close to say, Jen Asafrago.

Still, definite positives and negatives for each. But when it comes down to it, I can't really decide which one I like more. I mean, it's not like I even have that much experience with girls. That's why I'm trying to go after them today, when the odds are stacked towards us guys.

I look up and see Max awkwardly trying to clamber onto Ms. Pratt's lap. She positions one of her delicate white hands behind him and pushes him up before taking thumb and finger and gently pinching his ass, causing Max to quickly scramble up her thigh. I wince in sympathy. Ms. Pratt probably doesn't realize that giantesses can't flirt with guys like they normally would, not without some serious bruising.

I should probably give them some privacy. I don't really want to watch one of my friends making out after all. I turn around and start walking, trailing my hand along one of the plastic chairs next to me. I can only reach up to the rim of the seat. As much as it annoys me to admit it, Max was right. I'm a midget among the guys, who are already completely dwarfed by everyone else in the school. As if I wasn't short enough when things were normal.

I suddenly get the feeling I'm being watched. Turning to my left, I see Ms. Keaton looking down at me. The bearded man's no longer on her shoulder. "Hey," she says, a broad, almost sharklike smile on her face, "I never noticed it before, but you're a lot shorter than most of the other guys around here."

I think there's a little more than friendly curiosity in her ice blue eyes. I quickly look at her hands, checking them over. Clear nail polish, very tan like the rest of her skin, but shit, no wedding ring. Now Ms. Keaton's far from bad looking, but she's also something like twice my age. Plus, she's a little overly tanned for my tastes. She's staring at me expectantly. Quick, think of something to say, anything to get you out of this...

"Let me get a closer look at you." Too late. I brace for her to pick me up, but instead she leans over, craning her huge head towards me. I try to remain calm. The gusting sound of breath coming out of her nostrils is nothing to be afraid of. There's no reason to be scared at the thought of her searching me over with those blue eyes. Oh, who am I kidding, I've never been treated like this before and I'm practically close to wetting myself. If this is why girls complain about guys staring at them, I now understand completely.

Mercifully, she backs away. I look her over and notice that she's sitting barefoot and cross-legged on the floor. Like a really skinny, tan female Buddha. For some ridiculous reason, the thought of being in a shrine, appraised by a goddess, enters my mind. I quickly shake my head, and remember that I'm in a high school cafeteria, and that this woman is a former teacher, and hardly a goddess.

"You know, I did you a pretty big favor, letting you and your friend in through the barricade," she says. I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "And you haven't done me any favors in return." She gets slowly to her feet, her head rising high above me. Then she lowers herself again, but this time stretches her legs in front of her, her massive bare feet just missing me as she sits.

"What sort of favor would you want?" I ask warily.

"Oh, nothing major," she says. "But now that you mention it, being cramped in this cafeteria is really cutting down my circulation." I follow the length of her legs to her enormous toes, which flex up and down almost hypnotically. "I'd really love it if you could give me a foot rub."

I was worried she'd say that. Damned if she hadn't read me like a book. Yes, I have a foot fetish, just like millions of other people worldwide, it's perfectly normal... Except I never gave much thought to dealing with feet that were almost as long as I was tall. But I'm not sure she'll take no for an answer, so I just shrug and stroll towards her peds. I was right, I'm at eye-level with the tip of her big toenail. I look up and down the wrinkled, pink soles, wondering where exactly to begin.

But before I get a chance to start, there's a loud rustling sound above us, followed by a hideous creak. I look up in time to see a ventilation grate above us break. Two guys come tumbling out, and I realize it's a long drop to the ground. I see Ms. Keaton reach out towards them, hoping to grab them, but she's a little too late. They collapse on the floor with a sharp smacking sound.

There's a collective gasp in the cafeteria, and I see a number of teachers crane their heads in our direction. There's a moment where everyone holds their breath, but the two guys pick themselves up, and seem relatively unharmed. I recognize one as Paul Linnerman, the jock asshole who somehow managed to date both Jen Asafrago and her best friend Alexa on the side without Jen's knowledge. He's about three feet tall compared to our surroundings, which makes him a giant to me. His friend, however, is a good deal taller than that, something like twice my size. He looks like he might be Mexican, maybe an ESL kid.

"You okay?" I ask hesitantly. Paul was one of the few jocks who never picked on me, although he never stopped his friends when they were doing it. I'm not sure whether he's a friend or foe at the moment.

He looks down at himself, brushing dust off his clothes then rubbing his elbows. "Yeah, actually, I'm fine." He sounds surprised. "That was a long way to fall, but I feel okay. But forget me, it's you who should be worried."

"Worried about what?" I ask, taking a half step back.

Paul looks puzzled, then sighs with understanding. "Not about me, man. About the news I'm bringing."

I step forward again. "Okay then, if it's such urgent news, cut to the chase."

"Me and Juan just came from the gym," he says, "Where Alexa and her friends have been, uh, planning things."

I make an impatient gesture. It's clear what he has to say is important, but I wish he'd just say it instead of building the suspense.

Paul nods and then begins talking quickly, almost as if he can't believe what he's saying. "Well, I think she and her friends are trying to take over the school and they think Building A is the best place to start. They want the cafeteria, because it has all the food and they're gigantic and they're already hungry, and once they're out of food Alexa said something about alternatives and for God's sake I really hope it isn't what I think she meant, because if it is we're all totally screwed."

I stare at him for a second, trying to piece everything he just said together. "Wait, the popular girls are coming back here?"

"Yes. And we can't be here when they get back. We, all of us, have got to get out of here," he says, raising his voice and making a sweeping gesture to the whole cafeteria.

Ms. Keaton makes a hushing sound. "We can't leave here. This is the only place on campus that has both food, shelter and running water. We're barricaded, and we'll be safe here as long as we wait it out." There's a general murmur of agreement from the teachers around her, and many of the other teachers turn and begin talking to each other again.

"Well, I think you're right," I tell Paul. "We should leave. But first I've got to get my friend."

"Yeah, do what you have to do," Paul says. "Me and Juan will wait outside."

"Oh no you won't," Ms. Keaton says, scowling down at us. "We're not taking down the barricade, especially not if these girls are coming as you say."

"But if you don't take it down, we're trapped in here," Paul argues angrily. "Like your prisoners!"

I don't bother to listen to Keaton's reply, but instead start moving through the crowd, trying to find Max. If Alexa and her friends are intent on occupying this building, I have no doubt they'll eventually succeed. I don't want to be here when they do. And what was that Paul was saying, that she said something about "alternatives"? I shudder, then quickly try to put that thought out of my mind.

I find Max sitting in the palm of Ms. Pratt's hand, gazing deeply into her eyes. Neither of them is actually saying anything, but Ms. Pratt seems to be making some odd sort of cooing sound.

"Max!" I yell sharply to him. "You've got to come down now."

He absent-mindedly waves a hand at me, and continues staring determinedly at the former TA.

"We're in really, really deep shit if we stay here, man," I call to him. "Alexa and her friends are coming back."

Now he turns to me, an expression of severe annoyance on his face. "I'm busy, Zach. Go find your own girl."

"I'm serious, they're coming here and they want to take it for themselves."

"That's crazy. Who told you that?"

"I did." I turn and see Paul and Juan standing beside me. "And unless we get out now, we're all as good as dead." Paul crosses his arms over his chest. Somehow, he manages to look commanding, even though he's barely taller than Ms. Pratt's thighs.

"Maybe I'd better put you down now, sweetie," Ms. Pratt says, slowly lowering her hand to the floor next to us.

Max frowns, then shoots us a baleful look. "So, what's your plan? We're gonna run and hide again? Find somewhere new to cower in fear?"

"Pretty much -" I start, but I'm interrupted by a gasp from Juan, who's been quiet until now.

He points towards the windows, and quietly mutters, "Somos demasiado tarde."

"Too late for what?" Max asks, then turns and looks towards the window as well. Outside, one can clearly see three tremendous forms moving toward us. I can already feel soft vibrations through the floor as their feet hit the ground. "Aw shit."

"You're right, Juan," Paul says with a sigh. "If we escape now, they'll just find us on the ground. We might as well wait here and at least see what happens." He's got a grim look on his face. I wonder why he's so worried about his own girlfriend coming towards us.

The buzz of talking voices that filled the cafeteria subsides in favor of anxious whispers. A number of teachers move towards the windows, peering out at the three giant girls who are approaching. Their footsteps grow louder, and I can hear the boulders beneath them shifting into different positions as they walk. It seems like they're getting even taller as they approach. I lean back, trying to read their faces, but the windows cut off my line of sight.

Wait, we're on the second floor. Have they grown or something? They're standing in front of the building now, probably ten feet or so away, but if I look straight forward I'm level with an area just above Alexa's slender ankles. I thought Alexa was something like sixty feet tall, which would mean we should be at knee height, at least.

Of course, I now notice that the entire cafeteria seems sloped a little more sharply than normal. This makes sense. When we were transported here, the building must have come off its foundations, and now it's skewing further and further towards the ground. That plus the fact that Alexa is standing on a slight incline has conspired to put us literally at her feet. Looking up as high as I can, I can only see up to the inch or so of bare stomach between her shorts and tank top.

Then she bends down in front of the building, and suddenly her face is filling the huge windows, huge green eyes scanning over the crowd. Teachers scramble to take cover, duck behind tables, the smaller ones cowering behind chairs. Just above my head, I see her pink lips press into a smirk.

A shout reverberates against the windows from outside, and Alexa quickly turns, her massive backside blocking my view. One of the giantesses, I can't tell which, yells out, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

There's an indignant reply, but between Alexa and the windows, I can't make out what's being said. Finally, Alexa stands up, and I see Jamie, Rose and Carla right behind her. "Okay, now I'm scared," I mutter to myself.

I struggle to match the blur of loud voices to the movements of the girls' mouths. Jamie says something like, "Who says you get the caf?" There's a loud, angry reply from Aisha, standing to Alexa's left. She and the rest of the popular girls are standing with their backs to us, so I have trouble understanding them.

Carla says, "You really want to mess with us?" She bends over and out of sight, and when she comes up she's got one of the massive boulders in her hand, raised like she's ready to bludgeon someone with it.

A chorus of replies from the populars, and Alexa takes a huge, threatening step in Carla's direction. Jamie, seeing this, steps in front of her, so they're literally toe-to-toe.

Out of nowhere, Aisha breaks forward with surprising speed for something her size and tackles Jamie, knocking her to the ground. Alexa, shocked, backs away to the side, and leaves me with a perfect view of Aisha straddling Jamie, pinning her to the ground. Carla steps forward with the rock, ready to bash Aisha's head in if she does anything to Jamie. More shouting, the voices crossing over each other so I can't make out what they say, until it seems like they're all yelling at once.

Out of the corner of my eye, I think I see movement. I quickly snap my head to the right and scan over the boulders. What was that, and where did it come from? I look hard, but I can't see what it is. Turning back to the girls, I see Jamie scramble backwards out of Aisha's hold, as her friends back away. Aisha gets up and stands next to Alexa. After all that, Jamie and her friends are just walking away. It's a stalemate, although the look I see in Jamie's eyes tells me it won't stay that way forever.

Behind me, I hear a sharp rattling sound. Someone's banging on the cafeteria doors. I turn and bolt towards them, weaving a tricky path through the teachers. The banging gets louder as I get closer, and I hear someone outside yelling, "Help! Let me in! You gotta let me in!"

Turning to my right, I see that Paul, Juan and Max have followed me to the door. "There's someone out there," I say. "And we can't just leave him outside."

Paul looks over his shoulder, as if to check whether or not Ms. Keaton is watching. Satisfied that she isn't, he turns back to us. "Okay. Juan, you help us move these chairs. If we can get enough of them free, all of us can pull the table, and it should roll far enough for us to let him in."

We quickly get to work moving the chairs, Juan moving fastest. It only takes a few minutes to clear the chairs away, then all of us hook our hands beneath the table and get ready to pull.

Behind us, there's a sharp gasp. "You three! What are you doing to the barricade?!" Yep, Keaton's finally noticed.

"Screw your barricade," Paul shouts back to her. "It's not going to help us anyway. Not when they're right outside the window." And without another word, he nods to us, and we strain and pull. The table slowly shifts out of the way, far enough for Max to jump, grab the door handle and swing it open.

A dark-haired boy wearing jeans and a black t-shirt comes barreling into the room. He almost falls over in his rush to enter, but quickly gets his balance and sweeps his hair out of his eyes. He's at least half a foot taller than me. It takes me a second to realize that it's Carl, the school badass. Right now he has none of the cool self-composure he normally affects. I can see the fear in his eyes.

"There are tons of them, right outside -"

"Only three right now," Max interrupts. "But we know."

From very close behind us, there's a squawk of rage, and I turn to see Ms. Keaton standing directly over us, cheeks red even through her tan. "I told you not to move the barricade!" Her blue eyes are tight and filled with fury. "I am your teacher and you cannot ignore me!"

Even Juan, who seems like a pretty placid guy, looks annoyed at this outburst. But no one gets a chance to say anything back, because there's a tremendous sound coming from the area near the windows. Keaton turns, along with the rest of the cafeteria, and we watch as the entire outer wall collapses before our eyes, in a hail of dust and falling bricks. Pale fingers sweep the wreckage out of the room, and I realize that Christine Colby has just single-handedly demolished the cafeteria's defenses.

The three giantesses bend over, peering into the cafeteria, filling the space where the wall used to be. Alexa, in the center, hovers commandingly over the entire area, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

"Well, look who's here," she says, her earth-shaking voice almost innocent, "I was wondering where all the teachers had gone."

"I wonder if Mr. Basley is here," Aisha rumbles, "I'd like to talk to him about that 'F' I got on his last test."

Christine doesn't even say anything, but there's amusement in her pale blue eyes. One long pale hand is curled over her mouth, as if to keep herself from laughing.

This is really, really bad.

Max makes like he's about to crawl under the table, but I grab his shirt. "Don't be stupid. If they want to throw something, they'll go for the tables first. They move it and you're dead within an instant." He glares at me, but settles back into place.

A female teacher stands at the front of the room, bravely staring straight up at Alexa. "Young lady, you have just destroyed school property. I recommend you leave before further trouble ensues, and you add more offenses to your record." I recognize the blond hair from behind. Ms. Keaton is either insane or has complete trust in her own authority.

Alexa lets out a giggle which could wake the dead. "Ms. Keaton, that is so cute. You actually think you can tell me what to do." She pats Keaton's head with one enormous finger. I silently pray that Alexa doesn't accidentally behead the woman with her French manicure. "Now why don't you go hide with all of co-workers, and let me tell you what we plan to do."

"I will not be spoken to that way, Alexa!" Ms. Keaton cries. "I am your teacher and I demand you show me due respect."

Aisha and Christine stare at the woman with a mixture of surprise and contempt. Keaton looks very small compared to the girls, like a doll trying to command its owner. Alexa's smirk has hardened into a much more dangerous expression. Acting quickly, she reaches out and deals Ms. Keaton a vicious backhanded slap, sending the blond teacher flying across the room. Keaton lands with a sickening smack, and crumples against a wall.

"Is there anyone else here who thinks they're in control?" Alexa demands. There's a long silence. "Good. Now we're going to give you a chance to stay alive. You all go down in the basement and organize yourselves by height. We'll watch you through the windows. Anyone who tries to escape or does anything else funny will be punished. The school is ours now, we're in charge. Got it?"

No one moves, or says anything. No one breathes.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Stand up."

The teachers begin to hesitantly get to their feet. I watch as Christine's mountainous form shifts, leaning to whisper in Alexa's ear.

"Wait," Alexa says. "First, show us where the food is kept."

At this, one of the male teachers towards the front leaps forward, climbing on top of a chair. His hands twitch and shake like he can't control himself. "No!" He screams. "You can't have the food! There's not enough! If you eat it, the rest of us will starve!"

There's a collective gasp that rings out throughout the cafeteria. We all know he's right. I just can't believe he was dumb enough to say it.

"You, you bitches think you can just come in here and rob us of everything! Our food, our authority, our dignity. Damnit, I'm a teacher, and I won't let you do this to me!"

Three other teachers in the man's near vicinity stand as well, and start yelling everything from insults to expletives at the girls above us. An angry murmur runs through the cafeteria. Alexa's eyes shift back and forth from protestor to protestor, and she calls out, "Quiet! Be quiet right now!"

More and more teachers stand up and yell at the girls before them. The murmur is now a roar, and the teachers begin pressing forward. The giantesses look almost unsure of what to do, faced with what is quickly turning into a riot.

I can't really see what happens first. All I know is a chair flies out towards the girls, striking Aisha on the chin. Then there's a scream, and I see that Aisha's raised her hand high over us all, and is grasping the ceiling...

With a mighty shove, she breaks the entire top of the building away, throwing it off to the side. The teachers are no longer pushing towards the front now, but flooding backwards towards us, running to the exits. I stand up and clamber on top of the table, trying to figure out just what's happening, when I look up and see a huge white track sneaker coming down on the edge of the crowd. There's a horrible crunching sound, and I see red surging out from underneath Aisha's shoe.

Everything quickly turns into absolute chaos. Teachers run past us screaming, clawing at the chairs and tables blocking the doors. The white sneaker continues to pound on anything at the right edge of the room, but now there's also a long pale foot in a red sandal which is bearing down on a group of male teachers, who are struggling to get free. One of them claws at the linoleum, his legs trapped beneath the red foam sole which is slowly pressing down. I see his face contort in excruciating pain, and I think I hear the snapping, crunching sound as his legs are ground into paste. Then Christine's foot moves briskly to the side, and where the man's torso was is a red stain.

"We have to get out of here!" I yell out, and I'm not even sure if any of the other guys can hear me.

Paul sees me and nods, looking around. "I'm looking for an exit, but I can't see anything! We've got to stick together though!"

At that very instant, a mob of female teachers, all of them twice our size or more, stampedes past us, knocking Carl over and nearly dragging him along the floor as they hurry to escape. He clutches the side of the table, trying to avoid being carried away. I try to get closer to him and pull him to safety, but Max is already there, and manages to yank him out of the crowd. I think I see Carl call "Thank you", but all I hear is a roaring in my ears.

Christine and Aisha stand, their faces high above us, full of sheer bloodlust. Alexa is kneeling, her hand gliding over the crowd like the claw in an arcade machine, slamming down and killing whoever's unlucky enough to be beneath her. Her green eyes dart back and forth as she finds new victims. Then they lock straight on to us.

"Stop!" She cries out loudly, standing up. "Stop right now!" She pulls her friends backwards sharply. And suddenly everything is completely still.

Paul stares up at his girlfriend, frozen to the spot, eyes blank with terror. She stares back at him, looking shocked and somewhat guilty.

It seems to happen in slow motion. Christine, thrown off balance by Alexa's sharp tug, lurches backwards. One of her pale feet slides forward, the red sandal flying inches above the crowd, then it slams straight into the barricade, punching a huge hole straight through and into the corridor. I can see the wrinkles in her sole as the foot passes by us, bigger than a school bus, with more force than any wrecking ball in existence.

Christine falls over completely, her foot flying back out of the building, and the teachers begins pushing towards the hole. Everything's moving again, and I see Alexa above us raking through the crowd with both of her table-sized hands, in absolute mindless panic, yelling at the top of her lungs, "Paul! Paul! You bastard, where are you?!"

A hand grabs me from behind and pulls me forward into the surging mob of people, and I'm surrounded on all sides by pressing, heaving bodies struggling to move forward. I'm losing air. I can't breathe, everyone is too close...

Just as soon as we enter the crowd we're out of it, pulled to the side, into a small offshoot of the corridor, watching the constant flood of people rush forward through the breach in the wall. I look around, see Paul, Max, Carl and Juan.

"We all made it!" I call out. It seems almost impossibly lucky. Juan nods gravely and lets go of my shirt collar.

But before there's time to even be properly thankful, a booming female voice bellows, "NO!" and there's the sound of walls collapsing. Aisha's arm stretches above us, standing out against the clear blue sky. There's screaming further down the hall. I feel a big hand on my shoulder which turns me around, and I see that we've been sitting with our backs to a door. Juan opens it, and we burst forward into the teachers' lounge.

The tables are all overturned, coffee spilled everywhere, food cartons littering the floor. The cabinets' doors have come off their hinges. We stumble through the mess, as Paul points and yells that he sees an exit. I run towards the door he points at, almost tripping on a discarded box of Oreos, but then I hear Carl call out, "Wait!"

I turn just in time to see something huge land in the middle of the room, with such force that it immediately blows straight through the floor. I feel myself slide downwards as the whole room buckles inwards, debris flying everywhere. I turn my head wildly trying to see where everyone is. Paul, Max and Juan are falling behind me. Carl is nowhere to be found. Then I feel the floor give out beneath me, and we all tumble downwards into darkness.

11:00


The sunshine on my face slowly pulls me out of my slumber. Stretching, I feel the rocks shifting beneath me, rolling over each other. I open my eyes, and see the school next to me, just as tiny as before. Like the world's strangest dollhouse, a ruined school whose buildings are slightly shorter than I am.

Short. Ha. Yesterday, I was short. Yesterday I was even shorter than most of those pathetic little bugs that are wandering around the campus right now. I remember wearing high heels, and standing as straight as I could, just to make myself look bigger. Short, they called me. Now, that word shouldn't even be said near my name in a sentence.

I stand up and open my eyes, my toes digging comfortably into the layers of pebbles, looking out over the buildings and thinking about the people in them, how much bigger I am than them. Especially the men. I wonder what they would think, how they would feel in my awesome presence. Human males are so used to feeling superior. Most of them have never been next to someone that could easily overpower them, much less kill them. Would they cower at my feet? Be overcome with desire? Or simply worship me, like the goddess I am?

I'd tried to have two of them accept their positions as my inferiors earlier this morning. The insolent fools had flung dirt into my eye. Surely my wrath would find them at some point, and they would regret what they had done. The end for them would be less than pleasant.

My blood boils, the sun no longer pleasant. Perhaps the memory of my anger makes me discontent. But it is a passing feeling, and quickly replaced by an emotion I loathe even more. Boredom.

Of course, there's an easy solution for this. If at first a goddess doesn't find worshippers, she must try and try again. And perhaps show them the consequences of not having faith. I wonder where I should begin my search. My eye falls on D Building, the theater and art departments.

I walk slowly over the pebbles beneath me, feeling my weight spread over them through my bare soles. I'm not trying to attract attention - I'll make my presence known when I feel like it. D Building has a few small windows but is mostly lit by fluorescent tubes - just one more example of the school's shitty design. I almost wish there were prettier buildings to play with, but I should be content with what is mine.

I peer through the little slit of a window, trying to look at the shapes within. I can see at least four girls who are around half my height, lounging around. I recognize some of the faces from the drama club, since my parents had dragged me to two of their awful plays this year. I could easily act better than any of them, but they would never cast me in a lead role, because I wasn't part of their group. They were probably jealous of my looks, or my brains. People were always jealous of something.

My eye gets a glimpse of movement around the girls, and then suddenly I see them everywhere. Tiny men, scuttling around and over the girls' bodies, almost like insects. I see some of them have even taken up places on a woman's chest - she looks like she's talking to them!

It's hard to explain how I feel, seeing these pathetic creatures who used to be my classmates, frolicking around on the bodies of these women who should treat them as servants or even slaves. I can't tell whether I'm repulsed or aroused.

It takes me a second to see that everyone in the room has stopped moving. I can see the girls' faces, and they're all staring right at me. Some of them look afraid, which makes me want to giggle. If they're scared when I'm merely peering in their windows, how much more frightened could they get? There are others who look almost angry or defiant, like I'm encroaching on their territory. It would probably be fun to teach them some obediance.

However, their group is rather large, and if I learned anything from my last encounter with the little guys, they can be a handful in and of themselves. I need to find a group where I can really stand out. People I can truly dominate. Start small and work my way up.

I turn away from the building and start walking away. Just as I'm about to take a step, I feel something brush against my foot, and quickly pull back. What is it? A bug? I step to the side and peer down to see a little guy in a basketball jersey, no bigger than my big toe, cowering in my shadow. I crouch down to look closer, and he shrinks back, like he wants to disappear into the gaps between the tan pebbles.

"Boo," I whisper, ruffling his blond hair.

I half-expect him to run away, but I don't think he can move at this point. Scared completely shitless, the pathetic thing. He's making some kind of noise - could it be? He's actually crying. He's so small that I can't really make out the details of his body unless I squint, but it looks like he's got some muscles under that jersey. Probably a jock. I bet he isn't used to being intimidated, but he'll make good worshipper material in time.

I pinch him gently between my thumb and index finger, and he squirms like crazy, but I manage to get a grip on him without totally shredding him up in my fingernails. "I'll need to take you with me," I think aloud. If only I had my purse right now... I quickly check myself over. My shirt doesn't have any pockets, but my jeans do.

"This might be a tight squeeze, but if you hold your breath, you'll do fine," I chuckle, before opening the pocket a bit and stuffing him in there. I can feel him writhing about against my thigh through the material of the pocket, his panicked motions causing him to bounce all over my leg. It's tickling me like crazy, and I have to stop myself from laughing out loud. I tell him to stop moving if he wants to live, and he immediately goes still. He's got potential after all.

I stand on my tiptoes and survey the campus once more. I need to find somewhere with just the right number of tinies. Maybe two or three total nerds, the kind with glasses, pocket protectors, the whole disgusting geeky package. They'd be just as chickenshit as the jock in my pocket, and I could easily get them to do whatever I wanted.

I picture standing over a puny non-believer, who's dared to spit upon my status as reigning goddess. I won't even lift a finger, I'll just whisper to my loyal followers, who will set upon him, subdue him, hand him over to me as an offering. A sacrifice to show their devotion. In time, they would convert others, and my army would grow...

But where can I find those first few dweebs? Of course! I'm just a few steps from the library. There's bound to be a few of them holed up in there.

I move towards the library as quietly as I can. If I make too much noise, they'll notice me, and probably run towards the bridge to D Building. I keep my center of gravity low, and let my soles spread over the rocks so my footsteps cause less noise. I think of a cat stalking mice, try to move like they do. And in no time, I'm practically on top of the library. I hold my breath and crouch down low to look through the window, feeling the little jock in my pocket press against my thigh.

Maybe I wasn't quiet enough. The library's completely empty. I'm a little disappointed. Where else could those nerds be? It occurs to me that they're probably small enough to fit anywhere around the library.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are?" I whisper, allowing myself a grin. I rise back into a half-standing position. There are skylights in the library's roof. I can look through them and get a bird's eye view.

There, in the middle skylight, I see movement. A skinny, pale girl lying naked from the waist down between the bookshelves, writhing about. Is she touching herself? No, her hands are holding the shelves to make sure they don't fall over... But there, in the middle of her trimmed blond bush, there's a man buried up to his neck in her pussy, her quivering legs surrounding him.

They might be geeks, but caught in the act they're surprisingly hot. And they're so caught up in each other, they haven't even noticed me yet. I wasn't planning on converting women this soon, but if this girl has fallen into my lap... She's only a third of my size at best. And I already know a weakness I can exploit. I can make her submit to me.

But first, I'll make sure they can't escape. The library has two exits; the bridge to D building, and a ground-level hallway to C. And the ground-level hallway is already missing its roof.

I aim a sweeping kick at the bridge. The impact stings my toes, but the bridge breaks apart like a sandcastle, spewing clouds of concrete dust all over the place. I look over at the library skylight. Yep, they've noticed... She's sat up and he's struggling to pull himself out of her. With two quick steps I circle the building and plant my bare foot square in the center of the hallway.

Sure enough, the two of them come running. I wiggle my toes at them by way of greeting, and try not to smirk. A goddess is allowed to experience pleasure, but she shouldn't be transparently taking joy in her work.

The little guy takes one look up at me, and turns to run. "Stop right there, little guy, or I'll kick your girlfriend so hard she'll go flying."

He stops. He turns. He walks back to her side. I think I see him tremble.

"Good. Now that I've got your attention, let me tell you something. There's no running from me. I am a god to you. A goddess. Goddess Ally. Got that?" I lean over, and make sure I see them nod. They do. "Good. Now get back in the library. I'll be there in just a moment."

As they scurry back inside, I raise my foot and bring it down, as hard as I can, on top of what's left of the hallway. I grind it under my heel. I don't know why I like doing it so much, but feeling the building collapse under me is actually getting me a little wet. Maybe it's because I'm destroying this school, this prison I've been sent to every day for the past four years. "I guess I've just grown out of high school," I chuckle to myself.

Now that their only means of escape are closed off, I head around to the back of the building. Nobody behind me. This should afford me some privacy. I put my hands on either side of the wall, and using careful pressure from my fingertips, pry it away from the rest of the structure. It kind of collapses outwards as I pull, the bricks showering down onto the rocks below.

And there are the two of them, him standing in her shadow, both of them huddled up, cowering in front of me. I crouch down and step into the library.

"I might be a little too tall to stand up in here," I say wryly. They take a few steps back as I crouch, then maneuver myself into a position where I can sit cross-legged in the center of the room. Just as my butt touches the floor, I feel some pressure in the side of my jeans go slack, and hear a small crunching sound.

"Whoops." I fumble around in my pocket and pluck out the body of the blond jock, which has gone limp, flat and bloody. "I forgot how fragile you little guys were." I toss the body out onto the pebbles behind me.

The boy is gaping in horror, backing toward the wall. The girl rushes to the jock's crumpled body, looks like she's about to do CPR on it. The terror is good, but their attention should be focused on me.

I tap my bare foot against the ground, not quite pounding on the floor, but definitely hard enough to get their attention. If I'm going to be a goddess, it's time to act the part. "Enough," I say, my voice booming powerfully through the room. "He was merely another worshipper, and in sacrificing his life at my hands he has satisfied my request. It is time for you two to do my bidding. Stand before me."

Neither moves, they just stare at me. I thought I'd made it clear that they belonged to me now, but it looks like they won't understand until I get physical. Of the two of them, the girl's more durable. I lift my right foott and swiftly hit her in the chest, shoving her to the ground and pinning her under the sole of my foot. From heel to toe, I can easily cover her torso. I press just hard enough to push her into the ground.

The boy cries out. His curly hair is plastered to the sides of his head – he must have been covered in her juices when he was getting her off. I point to him. "Come forward and kneel before me."

He quickly obeys, running into the space between my spread legs and dropping to his knees. "I’ll do whatever you say, just please don’t hurt Michele -"

"Silence!"

I press down slightly harder on the girl – Michele. I can feel her squirm slightly as she struggles to breathe. A little more pressure and I could kill her. Her ribcage could snap under the pressure from my foot alone. The thought makes me feel like I’m charged with electricity, practically tingling all over. The power...

I turn back to the boy. "You will not speak in my presence unless you are spoken to. And when you speak, you will address me as Goddess. Understand?"

"Yes, Goddess." He sounds like he's having trouble saying the word. I smirk. Maybe he's still clinging to his old religion.

I reach forward and lift his head upward with my index finger, the manicured nail sticking into his chest. I force him to look into my eyes. "I am the one, true great goddess, the most powerful being. Say it back to me."

"You are the one, true great goddess, the most powerful being."

And I suddenly realize - he's called me this before. He's one of the boys who disobeyed me, threw dirt in my eyes. He was acting back then, pretending to worship me in order to deceive me - surely one of the greatest crimes against a deity. For now I will pretend to forget. Later, when more followers are present, I will make him atone for his sin - as a warning to others.

For now, he exists for my pleasure. What should I make him do for me? Best to start small, then work my way up. I wiggle the toes on my left foot. I've always been kind of proud of my feet, and I worked hard to keep them looking and feeling nice, rubbing lotion in every night, carefully painting and trimming my toenails. I like the shade of orangey-pink I colored them last night. But right now they're a little dusty from walking around outside.

"You see the toes to your left? Show me your devotion. Worship them and clean them."

He walks over to my foot slowly, like he's being controlled by some spirit that is making him do this against his will. "How should I clean them, goddess?" He asks.

"Use what you have available," I say with a slight chuckle to myself. He tries to use his shirt to wipe away the dust. "No," I boom down at him. "That will not do. They must be moistened first."

Now he understands. Hesitantly, he begins to lick my toes. I can see it pains him greatly to do it - he tries to spit once but a glare stops him. The fact that I can force him to do this gives me a little rush, but not nearly enough. I can barely feel him on me, and his efforts are just making my big toe slightly damp, which is kind of gross.

"That's enough." I lift my foot off Michele's chest. She coughs loudly then scrambles backward and out of the way. I look at the two of them sitting there between my legs, shaking, terrified. They're on their way to being faithful servants. It's time to really test them.

"I saw what you two were doing earlier," I say casually as I unbutton my jeans. "You seemed to be enjoying yourselves. Were you?"

They nod dumbly, as I unzip. I can see the wheels turning. They know exactly where this is going. I want them to have time to anticipate it.

I shrug the jeans down and pull them over the heads of my new followers. They duck as I roll the jeans away and tug them off my feet. I'd half-forgotten that I was wearing a thong today - it really impresses guys if they get a peek of it. But right now it was having an altogether different effect on my worshippers.

"Do you think, little man, that you could do the same service for your goddess?"

He looks over to his girlfriend, trying to gauge her reaction. I snap my fingers loudly. "You don't answer to her anymore, you answer to me. Now can you pleasure me, or do I have to find other tasks for you to perform?"

He bows his head and nods. I remove my thong. The girl's face is going red, and there's a look of horror on her face. I can't help but grin. I really can make them do anything I want. They have no choice.

I feel the man press up against my pussy, stroking it with his hands, which are so tiny that they feel almost feather-light against me. The sense of power I have from dominating them is practically as good as foreplay - I'm hot as a furnace, sensitive enough that I shiver every time he brushes against my skin.

After a minute of feeling him stroke, I'm already feeling impatient. This is only serving to drive me nuts with anticipation, he's not even inside me yet. I keep it fairly neat down there, so he shouldn't have any trouble finding his way in. Maybe he wasn't clear on what I wanted. I reach down there and feel around for his head, then prod it with my finger, shoving him forward into me.

That's more like it! I can feel everything, all the tiny contors of his face pressed into the muscles of my pussy. No wonder Michele enjoyed it so much - it's like using a vibrator that actively struggles against you, moving in completely different and interesting ways. And to top it off, it's a living, sentient being, completely submissive to my demands... I press my palm to his back, shoving him in closer, deeper, forcing his entire body against and into me.

"Stop it! He can't breathe! You'll kill him!" Michele cries out, breaking my reverie. She runs forward, trying to pull him out of me. I let her try, squeezing him tight with my vaginal muscles, watching her pathetic attempts to free him. As I tighten, he increases his thrashing, and it feels so close, so full. Before I know it, I'm cumming, moans escaping my lips before I can control them. The orgasm causes me to go slack for a moment. Michele isn't ready for the sudden lack of tension, and abruptly falls backward, her boyfriend tumbling on top of her. I'm so wet that they're both completely soaked in my juices. The boy coughs up fluid while the girl struggles to get to her feet.

"You should have told me you wanted to join as well." I tell her. "There's more than enough of me for both of you to worship at once."

I reach forward and grab her with my left hand and him with my right. I plunge him into me, reaching in deep then using my right hand to keep my lips spread wide open. With my left I shove Michele forward, mashing her against me. Her head grinds against my clit as she struggles to free herself, and the touch drives me wild. I'm a predator, I'm a goddess, I'm a force of nature.

My hips buck backwards and I thrust myself forwards until I'm up against the library wall, grinding against it, mashing the girl and boy into me. I yell so loud it rips my throat, my pussy dripping as I force it onto them. There's nowhere to run. I'm all around them. My legs start shaking, then my whole body, completely taken over by pleasure, every inch of me completely sensitive.

It's only then that I notice the slight pressure on my shoulder. Before I can look down, I feel something sharp bite into my neck. I cry out in anger and lift my hand to swat down on it. My palm only hits skin. I twist my head, trying to find out where the pain is coming from. My fingers brush the spot on my neck, and are nicked by glass. I pull the shard free, and when I bring it to my face to look at it my fingers are smeared with blood.

I feel a sudden, stabbing pain in my wrist, and look down to see another piece of glass stuck right in the throbbing vein, already oozing blood everywhere. Before I can bend to check the area around my hand, I feel another bite in my thigh, and for a moment I catch a glimpse of a tiny man running between them. I bring my thighs together, hoping to crush the little pest, but I don't feel him there.

I swat the area around me, burning with rage. This little insect has not only made me bleed, but now I've lost my followers: Michele and her boyfriend have taken the opportunity to run. As my hand hits the ground I feel another shard of glass spike through my palm. I lift up my hand but there's no tiny corpse, only more blood leaking from the new wound.

My head is buzzing. There's a light brush on my other shoulder, and I swat at it once more, but by the time my hand reaches the spot there's another bite on the other side of my neck. I turn and yell out loud, but I'm too dizzy to even look around. I fall backward, roll to the left trying to crush the little bastard. I can hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. It feels like I'm aching all over. He must have nicked an artery...

I'm too tired to be angry now. I always get so tired after sex. And the sex had been so good. I barely even feel pain from the bites now. Bug bites, that's all they are. There's a gurgling sound. I realize with a slight shock it's coming from my mouth. As my eyes close, I hear, very close to my ear, the sound of sobbing.

The Forest Lake Incident


By NFalc


11:30


"So, I bet you want to know what I've brought you here to talk about."

Fourteen guys are sitting in a ragged semicircle in the middle of the paint-spattered floor in one of the rooms once used by the art department. They look up at me expectantly. I've spent the last forty-five minutes or so collecting them from various spots around the theater - taking most of them from the clutches of some very possessive girls about four times their size. Promising to give them back helped, but it was also a lie. I'm here to convince them to leave this place.

"Things have changed after the accident this morning. Of course, there's the obvious alien environment, and the changes in scale across the board, but there's something more to it than that. It's also changed the attitudes of the people around us. And the only way past it will be to join together, all of us men, and work in harmony to ensure our own safety."

There's some restless shifting and muttering, and I think I hear someone say under his breath, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the women. Don't tell me you haven't noticed a shift in their behavior. Increases in aggression, possessiveness, and impulsive behavior? Sure, everything seems fine now, but they're highly unstable. When things change, you'll be powerless to stop them."

The muttering gets much louder, and one of the guys stands up. He's got slicked-down ginger hair, a suspiciously dressy short-sleeve shirt and a nasty look on his face. "This is completely uncalled for," he says in a posh British accent which I peg as authentic. "You have absolutely no proof for your claims."

"You tell em, Arthur," one of the guys next to him says brightly, and the Brit grins at him.

"You haven't seen what I have," I say gravely. "You don't know what they're like at their worst."

"Tell us then," Arthur says mockingly. "What have the big bad lasses done to you?"

"They didn't do anything to me, they did it to our former teachers. Earlier today they holed up inside Building A, in the cafeteria. Soon three girls led by Jen Asafrago mounted an assault on the building. When the teachers refused to hand over the food, the girls destroyed the cafeteria. It was a massacre. As far as I know, all the teachers are dead."

Most of the others look shocked at this announcement, and the room falls quiet. But the Brit simply folds his arms and talks over the hushed silence. "Not all the women are like that."

"No," I respond. "But we don't know if more will begin to act that way. If we're scattered among the women, they can do whatever they want to us, but if we band together, we can come to each other's aid."

The ginger kid snickers. "Yes indeed. We shouldn't trust anyone of the fairer sex. Which is why you've been accompanied this whole time by that woman behind you."

I look over my shoulder and up at Tara, looming behind me. She's grimacing, whether with sympathy for me or annoyance over what I said, I can't tell. I did kind of hammer on her gender pretty hard, but I hope she understands it was for the sake of the argument. I let my gaze travel along the curves of her bust, curves I was nestled between not too long ago, before staring at the floor. "Tara, if you could give us a little time alone..."

"I understand," she says gracefully, even if her tone's a bit arch. "Come find me after." She shifts and worms her way back out of the double-doors at the back of the studio.

I turn back to Arthur, who's still staring at me defiantly. "Tara's different. She's risked her own life to save mine."

"So would any of the girls in that theater. I firmly believe they will protect me from any harm, and living with them is infinitely more pleasant than - ah, what's the colloquialism, a "sausage fest"."

Some of the guys snort at the rhetoric, but I see right past it. This Arthur guy is both stubborn and scared. He doesn't want us to organize because he knows it'll rob him of most of his independence. And he likes being the guy who stands up in the crowd, who gets the support of the audience. If he has his way he's going to get us all killed.

I try to think of some of the stirring rhetoric Paul used when he convinced us this would work. "Do you think we're meant to be their playthings? Their possessions? We can't allow ourselves to be dominated by them just because they're -"

"Bigger? Stronger? Prettier?" Arthur's words are like the thrusts of a fencing foil, quick precise jabs at my argument.

I never was any good at public speaking, much less debate. I can tell by the crowd that he's got me beat, but I'll still have the last word. "Believe what you will. For all of you who want to unite, meet in A Building at noon. Try not to get caught along the way."

I leave the room before the others finish getting to their feet. It probably looks like I stormed out, which won't inspire much confidence in me. I know I'm not the leader type, but it still pisses me off that one smug Brit could totally undermine our plan.

I've got other priorities anyway. I have to make sure Tara understands that I wasn't trying to insult her in the meeting. I just had to prove a point, so I was generalizing... I'm already working out the points for my argument in my mind when I nearly bump smack into Laura Davids' nose.

"We always seem to wind up meeting like this. Me lying on the floor and you nearly colliding with my face." She giggles softly.

"I guess I've been a little preoccupied," I say wryly. "You know, trying to stay alive and organize my fellow man."

"I bet it's been tough," Laura says seriously. "Especially when you feel like so much of the burden is on you."

"Well, it's not easy," I admit. "But it's important."

"Maybe you just need a moment to yourself. Get your head together a little, without worrying so much." She blinks slightly, her eyelashes fluttering over her light brown eyes. For a second, I swore I could see a mischievous twinkle in her look. "Take a walk with me. It'll be relaxing."

"I'd like to, but I really should meet up with -"

"Come one, just a short one. I'll show you around the building." She lays her pale hand flat on the ground before me, palm facing up. It's funny how her hands still seem small, if only in relation to her. She could wrap those delicate fingers around my whole body if she wanted to. But she's asking nicely. And who knows, maybe it'll be good to take a few minutes off from fretting over my survival.

I sit down somewhat awkwardly in her palm, instinctively searching for handholds and finding nothing but the creases in her soft skin. She giggles slightly, then curls her fingers so they're supporting my back. I lean back into them and place my hands between her fingertips, trying to look at ease.

"Hmm, I didn't think too hard about moving while carrying you," Laura says, her voice very low right behind my ear. She must have learned to speak more quietly around the guys. Figuring out a position where she can carry me involves me clinging to her hand as she slowly shifts onto knees and elbows, eventually using her other hand and knees for three points of support as she crawls down the art corridor.

"So, er, how've you been?" I say somewhat awkwardly. I've never been good at making small talk.

"Pretty good," Laura says brightly. "Things here in D Building are pretty okay." She uses her other hand to pull open the door to the theater. It was built triple-wide, probably to accommodate throngs of spectators in case of a fire, but today it helps the girls squeeze into the building. After setting me down on the ground, she pulls herself through with a surprising amount of grace. It doesn't even look like she's straining to fit through such a small hole, and in no time at all she's on the other side.

She lays her palms down again, and I get back onto it. Then she leans back against the rear wall of the theater, cradling me in her hands. "Here, we've mostly just been hanging out, waiting for all of this to blow over."

"Aren't you worried about what will happen if the other girls come here?"

Laura smiles slightly. "Of course we've thought about it. That's why we have some girls posted at the window in the projection room." She points up and behind us, and I see that there's a whole room in the back of the theater that I haven't noticed before. "They can see out without being noticed, so they'll warn us if it looks like someone's coming our way. And while they're not warning us, we can relax a little."

She leans back against the wall, slides down it to a sitting position. Her head's almost level with mine. She looks at me intently, her eyes bright. It makes me feel a little uncomfortable, so I turn and look out at the theater around us. I see the theater twins, Polly and Pris, a couple of guys sitting cross-legged on their stomachs, all of them chatting happily. I see a pretty blonde nuzzling another guy on the floor - and with a shock, I recognize Simon's friend from the meeting. Simon himself is lounging in the lap of a leggy dark-haired Asian girl. So many little men, completely at ease around women that are only four or five times bigger than themselves. I understand now why they were reluctant to leave, and I feel a pang of jealousy tear briefly through my heart. I quickly turn back to the woman holding me, still looking down at me.

"Is it really so bad here?" Laura asks, breaking the silence. "I know you came to try to convince the men to leave. But I thought - I think - things are going all right."

"I don't know, Laura," I say, turning away, slightly embarrassed. "I had no idea what life was like here. I only knew what things were like outside."

"Bad," Laura states, frowning slightly. I can see sadness and sympathy in her eyes. "We've seen some of what's been happening. And it's awful. But it's different in here."

"I see that," I say cautiously.

"It's a lot better," she continues, the gleam in her eyes returning. "Don't you think maybe, just maybe, things could be better for the men here?"

"Well, I can't speak for everyone-"

"Then don't," she says, leaning toward me, smiling now, eyes shining bright. "Do you think things would be better here for you? With me?"

I can feel myself blushing. I've never been asked anything like this. I've never been treated this way by a woman before. I can't even think of a good response-

But it doesn't matter, because before I can even open my mouth, Laura's lifted me to hers. Her plush lips press against my face, coming on soft but strongly enveloping me in a warm, wet kiss. I'm shocked at first, but I recover enough to throw myself deeper into it. I feel something warm, slightly rough and sticky brush lightly against my face, and realize it's her tongue flicking out to meet me. I feel like I'm losing my breath, but I can hardly bear to tear myself away. Then I hear the sound of someone very close behind me clearing her throat. I pull away from Laura's soft lips, and look up to find Tara looking down at me. She looks upset, but not in any way I'd expect. It's almost like she's disappointed.

"Hand him over," she says, sounding a little too proprietary for my liking. Laura's hand curls slightly toward me, as if to hide me away. "We have to be heading back to A Building soon," Tara adds.

I look up at Laura. She's biting her lip, waiting. The decision's mine to make. "She's right," I sigh. "There's some things I have to do." I hope she understands what I mean. I have to make sure the men are safe out there before I can stay here. This might be the closest thing us guys have to a safe haven today, but to lie here in Laura's arms while outside they're dying... It wouldn't be right.

Laura gives the briefest of nods, and lifts me up into Tara's waiting hands. Tara heads to the other side of the theater. When I turn back, Laura's looking away.

Tara walks to the lower mezzanine, then stops, turned toward the theater spread out before us. "Look at all of them," Tara says, a hint of admiration creeping into her voice. "Just lying around on top of each other."

"They're so... relaxed." I agree.

"Kinda makes me envy them. I almost wish I could try it." Tara says longingly. Although her lovely face is pointed out to the rest of the theater, she might as well be winking at me.

"Well, okay. Let's try it."

"Really?" Tara sets me down in the aisle, lies down in a free area, then scoops me back up and places me on her chest. We stay like that for about thirty seconds, her looking down at me, me looking back at her. Like we can barely believe it's possible to just be here like this. Or like we have no idea what to do now.

I see her hand move slowly behind me. A huge finger gently makes contact and begins stroking the back of my head and neck.

"Do you really think all of us are going to turn on the men?" she whispers.

Maybe, I think. The women have proven themselves to be completely unstable today. I think of Alexa Briscoll's sudden, complete 180 from bloodthirsty fiend to concerned lover during the cafeteria massacre. It's possible any of the women around me could have a similar complete emotional turnaround, except in reverse. Even Laura Davids. Maybe even Tara.

"No," I say aloud. "Some already have. And there might be more who will. But there are some of you I trust."

She smiles warmly. Even on a mouth large enough to swallow me whole, it's one of the loveliest smiles I've ever seen. Let me put it this way: just seeing Tara smile makes you want to smile too.

"I was thinking that Paul guy convinced you," she says softly. "Not like I blame you for that. There was something about the way he spoke that made me root for you guys, even though I was one of the people he was vilifying."

Her finger strokes a slightly larger portion of my back, and I arch against it a little. I can't deny that it's really comforting. "He was convincing because he's right," I say a little sleepily. "I don't think we should be against all women, but we do have to band together to make sure we're safe from the ones who could do us harm."

"There's safety in numbers, but there's also safety in strength. I'm sure there's some people in this room who would give up everything to protect the men who are special to them."

I feel the pressure of her finger on my back increase very slightly - it's now more like a massage. I struggle to keep my head in the argument. "Don't you think that's asking for a lot of trust on the men's part though?"

Her smile broadens. "Most of the men don't seem to have a problem with that." She tilts her head in the direction of the rest of the theater. It's still the same sights that Laura showed me. The guys all over the girls, both of them enjoying it.

Maybe what Tara's implying is right. Maybe I'm just uptight, too upset by the things I've seen today to accept that things could be different. The girls aren't some monolithic group of psychotics bound to snap at a moment's notice. They come in all sorts of dispositions. Some of them quite friendly.

"Don't you think you could let us keep you safe?" Tara whispers. She places three more fingers on my back and presses down gently.

A voice in the back of my head yells that this can't be possible. She can't be into me. A girl like her could have any guy she chooses. But another voice says persistently, it might be too good to be true, but it is what it is. Why fight it? Why not surrender?

I lie down on her chest, my head placed right between the enormous swell of her breasts. Her hand rests lightly on top of me, warm and soft. I can feel the pulse of her heartbeat beneath me, and the rhythmic rise and fall of her breath. If I could just lie here in peace. If I could just let everything go...

Somewhere off to my left, I hear a strangled shout. "Hey! Can somebody help me?" I shrug Tara's hand off and sit up. On the floor is a boy whose hair is covered in sticky goo, his face bloodied and his body bent like it's been hit by a car.

"Let me get down to him," I tell Tara, and without questioning me she scoops me up in her hand and deposits me on the floor, before turning onto her elbow so she can see us properly.

I look the poor guy over. He's completely drenched, although I don't think that's why he's shivering, because it's pretty warm in here. Through the mess of swelling that is his face, I can make out the familiar features of Billy Cantor, the kid who usually plays the lead in the drama club. His eyes are wide with shock.

"She's run, she's gone, I don't know what to do, it's all my fault -"

"Slow down, Billy," I say, reaching up to put my hand on his shoulder. "Take it from the top. What happened?"

He starts sputtering through the story, although he's clearly barely able to string together a coherent sentence. "Michele and I were, uh, in the library. This giant - giant bitch! I think her name was Ally... She forced us to... do things..."

From the bits and pieces I can figure out the rest. "How'd you make it out alive?" I ask softly.

"This guy came out of nowhere," Billy says, suddenly recovering his ability to talk. "I think he stabbed her with something - he was moving quickly, and I was so busy running I couldn't tell who it was. I know it was a guy because he was small. But he ran circles around her, and kept on landing hits on her before she could figure out where he was. He must've gotten an artery or two, because she passed out bleeding."

"One of us took down one of them?" Damn, if only we could get in touch with him, he'd be able to teach us, and he'd be a great asset in combat. I quickly turn back to Billy: now's not the time for strategy, it's time to help this guy.

"I hope she's dead," he says bitterly, staring off into the distance. "But afterward, it was just me and Michelle. And she started walking... I tried to talk - I could tell she wasn't listening... She said I couldn't protect her, and she couldn't protect me. And just kept walking." Billy's lower lip trembles. I can tell it's taking a heroic amount of effort for him to stop himself from crying. "It's all my fault."

"Jesus, Billy," I say, "You can't blame yourself for something like that."

Tara nods sympathetically, and reaches out to touch his other shoulder gently. "Things aren't the same anymore. You're no longer the bigger, stronger one in the relationship, and there are very real dangers out there. Don't beat yourself up because you couldn't be the protector. That's not something you have to do anymore."

"It's not anything to do with my manhood. It's what she wanted from me! I couldn't live up to it..." Billy looks about ready to crack, but composes himself. "Look, I know you guys are just trying to help. I just need to be alone for a while."

"Backstage looked pretty empty," Tara says quietly. "But don't be gone too long."

Billy nods, and turns to walk away. Just then, we hear a shout from the people watching at the window.

"They're coming!" One of the smaller girls yells.

"Can you carry me over there?" I ask Tara. She nods and before I know it she's swooped me up in her hand. I'm gently cradled near her chest as she quickly climbs over the rows of theater seats to the area near the window.

"Who's coming?" she asks before I can even recover my balance.

"Three of them," the sentry answers. "Really big ones. One pale, one tan, one of em's black."

"Shit," I mutter. "We need to hide the men. Now."

"Listen, I'm sure it's no big deal -" The sentry protests.

"No, he's absolutely right." Tara responds. "Those three are psychos."

"I'll tell Laura to get the word out," The sentry says hesitantly, heading off to find her.

"They're not going to act fast enough," I tell Tara.

"I know. We have to do it ourselves. Here, climb up." She hoists me up onto her shoulder. "Be my eyes, stay on the lookout for more little guys."

"Where are we going to hide them?"

Tara's large hazel eyes quickly scan over the auditorium. "Backstage. Behind the curtains. If you all squeeze in they won't see you at first glance. Maybe not at all if we can put something in front of the gap..."

Tara quickly maneuvers through the rows of seats, her hand darting forward to pluck guys from the ground and hoist them into her arms, as I yell instructions into her ear, clutching the thin layer of material covering her shoulder. We move faster than I could ever have expected. Tara's extraordinarily graceful, managing to hold onto some fifteen tiny men while weaving through narrow aisles and keeping her shoulders steady enough for me to keep my purchase.

I see the last few guys over to the left of the auditorium. Among them are Simon and his stooge, and their respective female friends.

"We have to hide," I shout down to him. "The popular chicks are coming!"

Simon shakes his head stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere. I have absolute trust in Cathy."

"It's not a matter of trust! They'll overpower her and kill you!" I feel like screaming in frustration, but I'm still determined to save this guy's life, no matter his attempts to stop me. Yet Simon merely crosses his arms.

The booming rumble of footsteps is getting very loud now. Waiting any longer will only endanger my life and the other men around me. "Go," I tell Tara, and she sprints up to the stage, leaning over as she lets us down to the ground. We hastily pack ourselves into the space behind the curtain. Tara looks us over to make sure we're okay, before turning around and sitting down right in front of us, using her body to block us from view.

Her presence also blocks out most of the light, leaving us to stumble into each other in near-dark until our eyes adjust. As the crowd of guys spaces itself out, I find myself squeezed practically right against Tara's shapely rear. Despite being quite close to her not ten minutes ago, I hadn't imagined getting acquainted with this part of her this soon. I look up in wonder at the glorious curves of her back, noting the voluptuous span of exposed flesh between her orange top and her jeans. The guy above me, who stands a good two heads taller than I do, tries to take advantage of this space, reaching out to grope her.

"Cut it out," I hiss up at him, "Or I'll hit you some place much more sensitive." His arms snap to his sides.

I look over to my right and see Billy standing just behind me. "This is trouble, isn't it?" he says in a weirdly calm voice.

"Big trouble," I whisper. "Just stick with us. We're all going to wait this out." He nods.

The sound of impact reverberates around the auditorium. Alexa and her gang have broken down the doors to the entrance. I can hear her voice loudly but not clearly - the fabric of the curtains has a muffling effect. I think she's said something like "Hello, ladies." A quieter voice responds, and I can't make out any words, but I have a bad feeling I know the voice. Does Laura really think she can stand up to Alexa?

Alexa booms a taunting response, and Laura replies in an even tone. Midway through a murmured remark from Aisha, I decide I have to be able to see and hear what's going on. I shove my way through the crowd of men, muttering apologies under my breath, until I find my way to the edge of the curtain, right next to Tara's wall-like thigh. I don't want to be seen, so I'll have to make myself near-invisible. Not too hard since I'm so small. If I lie prone and stick my head just beyond the curtain, I'll be hardly more than a speck in the theater.

I quickly lie down and inch forward until I'm able to get a clear view of the whole theater. In the center of the room are the three popular girls, Alexa is looming close to Laura, clearly attempting to intimidate her through size - after all, Alexa is more than twice her height. The Asian and the blonde are pressed against the wall behind Laura, Simon and his friend cowering in their hands. A few other men are huddled at their feet. Most of the other misfit girls are scattered around the theater, some tensed, ready to attack the populars at a moment's notice, others shrinking back to the perimeter, obviously afraid of their much larger enemies.

"I understand why you're keeping them around," Alexa says, in a mocking tone that indicates she doesn't understand at all. "They probably make great pets. But you have to see that our needs are more important than yours. Especially because we have the power to fulfill them." She leans in closer, hammering the point home - Laura's at eye level with her flat stomach.

The smaller girl remains unfazed. "Power isn't everything. We're not going to stand by and let you take these men from us. We care about them too much."

Alexa laughs shrilly. "How can you care about insects? They're so small you could crush them alive without even noticing!"

Hearing this, I become suddenly intensely aware of just how close I am to Tara's thighs. They're easily much bigger and heavier than I am, and there's a layer of denim separating me from her to boot. If she shifts position, she could demolish me under her legs without realizing it. I have to get her attention somehow, so I nudge her leg twice in rapid succession to let her know I'm here.

Tara lets out a small gasp when she finds me lying so close to her. My eyes dart back to the center of the room. Alexa's eyes are locked on mine. She's seen us. We're done for.

What seems like minutes later, she looks back to Laura. It was a glance, nothing more. She didn't see anything. I let myself take a breath.

"Size isn't everything, Alexa." Laura says calmly. "We're all human beings here, and we all have free will. I'd ask you to respect that and leave us alone."

Alexa breaks into a terrifyingly wide grin. "Size is more important than you think. Especially when it comes to a battle of wills."

Without any further warning she pounces on Laura, knocking her brutally to the floor. The ground shakes violently. Alexa straddles the smaller girl, powerful thighs pinning her to the ground while a tan arm holds her shoulders down. The popular girl takes Laura's head in her hands, and slams it to the ground with an awful crack. In an instant, three misfits come running toward her. Christine hits one with a vicious kick before knocking the other one back with an open hand. Aisha takes the other and physically hurls her across the room.

Alexa looks up, her normally cutie-pie face frenzied with some kind of combat high. "Anyone else want to try us? Anyone else think they've got 'free will'?"

A horrible silence descends on the room. No one moves.

"You there," Alexa commands, looking at the blonde woman in front of her. "The man in your lap. Give him to Aisha."

The huge black woman steps forward, her white track shoes flattening the chairs beneath her with each step, and extends a hand toward the blonde, practically shoving it in her face. The blonde's sweating, but doesn't move beyond trembling.

"Come on, honey," Aisha says. "Give him up."

The blonde doesn't move. Aisha takes her other hand and swiftly smacks her so hard her head turns. Her lower lip begins bleeding. The blonde lifts Simon's friend from her lap, the little man so stunned he barely squirmed, and passes him to Aisha. Then her face crumples into tears.

"There's a reason we need men today," Alexa announces. "It's all about basic survival. We need to live. And to live, you need food. And there isn't enough food to go around today."

A gasp goes up around the room. I realize one has escaped from my mouth as well. No way. She can't mean what I think she does.

"We have to do what's necessary. Aisha, please demonstrate." Alexa says, no longer smiling, but looking frighteningly determined.

Without pause, Aisha plucks the man's shirt with her fingers, and rips it from his body. Finally understanding what's about to happen, the boy begins to thrash violently, even as Aisha tears his pants away. His screams seem to carry further than they should at this distance. He knows it's all over. The look in Aisha's eyes is hardly kind. It's eager, anticipating, restless. It's hungry.

Aisha tilts her head back and opens her pink mouth wide, lifting the man until he's dangling above her. Her fingers release him, and he tumbles end over end into her waiting mouth. Her jaws close, and there's a loud gulp as he disappears down her throat.

Aisha lowers her head. She smiles wolfishly. And maybe it's a trick of the light, but in that moment I swear she seems to loom larger than ever before.

A few seconds pass before the remaining men in the open begin to scream and shout, trying in vain to run from the misfit girls around them. "Keep them with you," Alexa yells. "Or you'll be next." The misfits promptly gather them up.

The din in the room quickly dies down. Alexa pulls Laura to her feet. I can see tears rolling down Laura's cheeks. Alexa's hands clamp tight around her shoulders.

"If we don't have enough men, we'll just have to turn to the next smallest targets. Understand?" Alexa's face is a terrifying mask, betraying no sign of emotion as she delivers the threat. Laura is too stunned to do anything but nod. "Good. Have you seen any more men than these."

"No," Laura says quickly. Too quickly.

"You're lying," Alexa says, and violently shakes her, snapping her shoulders back and forth, causing her to cry out. "Where are they?"

My blood runs cold. Already one of us has been given up. Now it may be the time for the rest of us. I suddenly feel three huge fingers pry beneath me, whisk me up into their grasp. I look up to see Tara's jaw clenched, her eyes locked on me. I swear it's practically telepathy, I know exactly what she's thinking. If they see us, she's going to run. And she's going to make damn sure she's taking me with her.

"We saw some more earlier today," Laura says quietly. "Out east, near the arch at the entrance. I don't know if they're still there, but we could check."

East of campus. That's the exact opposite direction from the backstage exit, and it leads them away from Building A.

For a second I think Alexa still doubts her. But she smiles thinly. "Very well. You and the rest of your friends are coming with us. You're going to show us exactly where you saw them. But first, I want you to give all the men to Christine for safe keeping."

The remaining men in the open protest briefly, but are quickly handed off into the tremendous pale hands of Christine, who promptly shoves them into the depths of her purse. The three populars set off in the direction they came, at least ten misfits following them east.

I can barely breathe, but now's not the time to recover. Laura's bought us some time, and I won't waste it. "Let's move, people!" I yell to the crowd of men.

"Where are we going?" One cries.

"Back to A Building," I answer. "We regroup before we counter-attack. And it's already five past noon."

The men get moving through the exit. I grab Billy and turn him toward me. "Tell Paul that I'm following Laura and Alexa."

Billy looks at me like I'm joking. "What the hell, Zach? That's suicide."

"Tell him." I repeat.

"Jesus. Good luck." Billy says simply, before he disappears into the crowds streaming out the backstage door.

"Don't think I didn't hear that." I turn to see Tara right behind me, crouching so her face is close to eye level. "And don't think that I'm not coming with you."

"I suppose I can't convince you to stay and protect the other men?"

"Not in a million years," Tara answers. She's smiling again, that beautiful smile. I know it's there for my benefit. It's her way of trying to keep me strong. "I'd only give the other men away. And there's someone else I need to protect."

I can't think of anything to say but "Okay." This is probably the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life. Having a radiantly beautiful giantess who's fiercely devoted to my protection can't help but raise my probability of success.