Kayla steeled herself before stepping through the doorway into the execution chamber. Alana's execution was a high profile event. The viewing gallery was filled to capacity, with even more onlookers gathered outside the prison.
She ran her hands down her front, smoothing out her little black dress. The hem of her dress hung low, just above her knees. The moment she had waited so long for was finally at hand. She stepped into the room, listening to her stilettos click against the tiled floor. The chamber's door automatically slid shut behind her.
Alana fought the wall pushing her forward. No matter how hard she pushed or how much of her weight she set against the wall, it couldn't be stopped. Her efforts were wasted. It was over before it began. She was trapped in the large spacious room with her executioner. Looking up, her worst fears were confirmed. She was not alone.
Alana scurried away from Kayla, running along the outskirts of the chamber's walls. She instantly recognized the giant woman in the room with her. She had seen her before, many times. After every execution, the woman would walk through death row on her way out of the prison; often leaving a trail of bloody footprints. And for some reason Alana didn't quite understand, Kayla always slowed down when she got to Alana's cell. She would glare at Alana as she walked past. Alana didn't understand it, but it always creeped her out. It was the same look the giant woman was giving her now.
Kayla reached down, closing her fingers around Alana. She lifted the tiny woman to her face. Everything she hated, everything that was wrong with the world, was sitting in the palm of her hand looking back at her.
Alana stared into the eyes of her captor. "Y-You don't scare me!" she laughed defiantly. Something about those large green eyes stirred long forgotten memories. She'd seen those same eyes somewhere before. It was Billy. Billy had the exact same green eyes.
"You murdered my big brother."
Alana fell backwards, knocked back by the ferocity of Kayla's words. The giant face before her was twisted with rage. It all suddenly made sense, the way Kayla glared at her after every execution, only her, never anyone else. Kayla had always singled her out. Now she realized why. Kayla had been waiting for her, waiting for Alana's turn to come. Alana was trapped in a cage, with a monster, one that she had created.
Kayla resisted the urge to close her hand into a tight fist. Or maybe she could slap her hand against the glass partition, that would REALLY give the gallery a great view. It would be so easy to crush her head between two fingers; one little pinch. No, NO, it was too quick. Billy's murderer didn't deserve a quick and merciful end.
Kayla felt a warm trickle in her hand, snapping her out of her trance. The sight of Alana Masterson peeing her pants brought a smile to her face. She was glad the little bitch understood what was about to happen, delighted even. She lowered Alana back to the floor, dumping the prisoner out of her hand.
Alana felt the world around her begin to fall at an alarming rate. If it weren't for the giant hand beneath her, she would have feared impacting the ground with bone-cracking force. But she knew surviving the rapid descent was the least of her concerns. She was on an express elevator to Hell.
"Not her! Get someone else! She's crazy! This is supposed to be an execution, not torture!" Alana's frantic pleas fell on deaf ears. "I'm an American citizen! I have rights! This is cruel and unusual punishment!" She heard the giantess above her laughing coldly.
"Bugs don't have rights." Kayla snorted.
Kayla prodded Alana with the pointed toe of her high heel, guiding her into the center of the room. She looked into the viewing gallery, at some of the surviving victims of Alana Masterson. They were all horribly maimed, missing arms and legs. Some of their faces were disfigured. Kayla nodded respectfully, as if to say she understood. She knew they wanted the woman at her feet to suffer, to feel the pain Alana had inflicted on so many others.
Alana stood toe to toe with Kayla's right foot, her little knees wobbled uncontrollably. Three crimson nails, immaculately polished and painted, peeked out from the tip of an enormous high heeled shoe. Kayla raised her foot over Alana, centering the spiked heel of her shoe over the tiny woman. Alana quickly dodged the tip of Kayla's stiletto, running out from under the giant shoe.
The sight of Alana fleeing from her foot only widened the smile stretched across Kayla's face. She was hoping Alana wouldn't give up so easily, hoping for a little fun. The tiny prisoner miraculously dodged her heel strikes again and again. It was impressive in a way.
Alana dove to the side, narrowly avoiding another of the executioner's steps. It would be impossible to hold out forever. Her lungs were already fighting her, burning with exhaustion. Running for her life was tiring. Alana was expending all of her energy, trying to survive even just a few minutes longer. The giantess hovering above her didn't seem tired at all, requiring little to no effort to shuffle her massive feet around. The odds were not in Alana's favor. She laid on her back, staring up at Kayla; waiting for her next move. She was ready to roll out of the way. She HAD to be ready, had to stay vigilant.
She tried to roll, but her muscles were tired and sore. Her stamina was fading fast. The bottom of the high heel's spike descended on her again, slower than any of the previous steps. Alana gripped the metal shaft with her hands, trying to push it away. The tip touched her stomach. She gripped the shaft tighter, screaming in frustration. The cold metal pillar was unstoppable! It was like trying to hold the world up. The spiked heel pushed into her gut, skewering her. Excruciating pain ripped through her body as the metal spike pushed through her, jostling her insides around to make room for the heel of Kayla's pump. Alana's eyes burst wide open in shock. She could only stare silently at the metal pole sticking out of her. A delayed scream filled her ears as her mouth quivered violently.
Kayla finally felt what she was waiting for, a little squish under her heel. A shrill squeak rang out from beneath her foot. "The sentence has been carried out." She turned and left the execution room.
Alana couldn't believe what was happening. She was impaled on the giant woman's stiletto heel. The shoe lifted into the air with Kayla's foot, then crashed back to the ground. She watched the ground falling away from her, then rising back up to slam into the pole she was attached to. Alana's tiny body was shaken violently with every bone-jarring step Kayla took. She flailed about on the metal spike beneath Kayla. Alana knew why she was still alive. The pole sticking through her was the only thing keeping her alive. If she separated from it, she would bleed to death very quickly. The heel of Kayla's shoe was plugging her wound like a cork. It was also killing her slowly.
Kayla walked out of the prison, strolling slowly past the crowd of spectators, giving them a good view of what they came to see. She knew Alana was still alive, suffering an excruciatingly slow demise beneath her. That was exactly the way she had planned it. The crowd of people cheered as she walked past, cheering for the suffering of a notorious mass murderer. Kayla found it a little sad that no one seemed to care for Alana. But considering Alana's crimes, it was easy to understand why no one would miss her. Alana Masterson's own family had long since exiled themselves to some little country halfway around the world. There was no one left to fight for Alana.
Alana struggled to hold onto the metal pole with her hands, trying desperately to minimize the bone rattling force each new step brought. She could hear the crowd chanting, "Kill her. Kill her. Kill her." It might have made her sad, if she didn't have bigger problems; like the giant foot on top of her. Her existence as a person was nearly over. Now she was nothing more than part of this bitch's footwear, some kind of ornamental decoration at best. She wondered if the walking would ever stop, prayed for it to stop.
Kayla was tempted to scrape the bug loose from her shoe and end it right then and there, in front of the blood-thirsty crowd. She didn't blame them, not one bit. They deserved their vengeance. Vengeance wasn't even the right word. Ridding the world of evil can only be described as a righteous act. But no, Alana deserved to suffer, slowly. Kayla would make the little bitch suffer for as long as possible.
Alana fought to stay conscious as Kayla walked through the prison's parking lot. Her little body flailed about wildly as the shoe swung forward through the air. The loud clack of Kayla's high heels on the hard asphalt made her ears ring. She feared if she let herself fall asleep, she would never wake up again.
Alana heard an agonizing crunch under the front of Kayla's shoe. She couldn't see what had been crushed from her position under Kayla's heel. As her captor's foot lifted and swung forward, she saw a greasy pile of crushed remains pass beneath her. It looked like a snail, rather what was left of a snail. She envied that poor, dumb creature. It never saw it coming. Its fate was a quick and painless end; the snail was gone in an instant. Alana had a feeling her suffering was just beginning. It would be a long, torturous night.
Kayla stepped into her car, closing the door behind her. Cranking the engine, she rocked her foot up and down on the gas pedal, digging her stiletto heel into the floor mat. She listened to the small woman's screams for a few seconds, then decided to turn up the radio to drown out the pathetic cries for mercy. There would be no mercy for the likes of Alana Masterson.
Cliff sat comfortably on a stool at his favorite upscale bar, not far from where he worked. People were watching the execution on the bar's large flatscreen TVs.
"Daaayuum, she just... With her shoe..." a man called out excitedly. "Did you see that?!"
Most of the people in the bar were left speechless by what they saw on the high definition TVs mounted to the walls. They stared blankly at the news feed showcasing the latest execution.
"That's one cold hearted bitch," the bartender remarked while wiping a glass with a hand towel.
"She's really not," Cliff started. "It's her job, y-you know?"
The bartender looked at him funny. Almost like saying, didn't you see what I just saw buddy? But he never spoke. The man behind the bar looked away, continuing to polish his glasses. He knew when to butt out. Years of experience had taught him as much. Meanwhile, the news station queued up a replay in slow motion.
"Jesus, it's even worse in slo-mo!" some random woman complained. "Why are we still watching this?"
"Because it's awesome!" another patron answered her. "That's that girl! The one who killed all those people in the theater 15 years ago. I hope she suffers!"
"Yeah, whatever," the woman conceded. "You could still change the channel. The execution is over now."
Kayla stepped through the bar's front door, quickly spotting Cliff. They had spoken earlier in the day and agreed to meet for drinks after she was finished at the prison. An eerie silence fell over the patrons as she walked through the door. Many of them did a double-take; some outright stared. She sat quietly at the bar, beside Cliff. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed most of the people were looking at her.
"Who does a girl have to kill to get a drink around here?" she asked the bartender, saying it loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear. Kayla smiled an odd smile, waiting for some kind of response. She heard a couple of women in the back of the bar laugh at her tasteless joke.
"They were watching the execution on the news before you got here." Cliff explained.
"Of course they were," Kayla glanced briefly at one of the TV screens. "People have a morbid curiosity for this sort of thing. It's not their fault. It's simply human nature."
"I see the execution isn't over yet." Cliff pointed at the base of Kayla's stool, where her feet were resting.
"Oh? I didn't notice." She lied, pretending to be indifferent to Alana's continued suffering. Kayla took a pretzel from the small bowl sitting in front of her. "I'm sure it'll be over eventually."
"Order me a drink Cliff." Kayla quickly changed the subject. "You know the one I like." She crossed her right leg over her left, letting her bare heel slip out of her shoe.
Alana dangled from the heel of Kayla's shoe, like a worm on a hook. She clawed desperately at the metal pole sticking through her. It was nothing more than a vain attempt to free herself from the hell she was trapped in. All she managed to do was muck up a small section of the shiny metal pole with her bloody handprints.
Cliff looked down at Kayla's foot while she sipped her appletini. Her toes wiggled, swaying her shoe back and forth. The tiny woman impaled on the heel looked like she was ready to pass out from motion sickness. He reached down, slipping Kayla's shoe back onto her heel. Looking back up, his eyes met with Kayla's. She shook her head no and handed him another beer. He didn't need to ask what it meant; he already knew. Her shoe slipped from her heel again, and the swinging resumed.
Kayla noticed Cliff was still fixated on her shoe, one of them in particular. She could tell he didn't approve. "Cliff, do you believe in true love? You know, that there's one special person out there for all of us; the person we're meant to be with."
"Hmm? Uhh, yeah I guess."
"Well I believe it. And I don't think everyone gets to have that. Only some of us find our special person."
"I found my special person."
"That's sweet Cliff. But I'm trying to tell you something. Alana Masterson is a mass murderer. When she killed those innocent people, there's no telling how many lives she ruined that day. What she did, it was selfish and cruel."
"Oh."
"So don't waste your pity on her. She doesn't deserve it."
"You're right. She's a monster. I know you're right." He washed down some salty pretzels with a few gulps of lager.
"Listen to me Cliff, ignore her. I want all of your attention focused on me. Come on, we're celebrating." Kayla grinned, dragging him toward the jukebox. She selected one of his favorite songs, then pressed herself up against him.
"What are we celebrating?" Cliff asked.
"It's finally over! She's gone. Today is a GOOD day!"
Alana couldn't believe what was happening. Kayla was dancing on top of her. She was laughing and swaying with the music, having a great time with her boyfriend. While she was stuck suffering beneath Kayla, it wasn't fair! Her death was some kind of sick party!
The shoe she was stuck to shuffled around the floor, gliding back and forth. She was mercilessly dragged across the bar's floor. To normal-sized people, Alana imagined the floor seemed fairly clean. They were wrong. There was dust, dirt, hairs, tiny pieces from what she could only assume were crushed insects, and even bits of rock salt from the pretzels the bar served.
After a few songs, Kayla grew tired of dancing. She pulled Cliff toward the exit. "Let's go back to my place."
She spotted something on the ground outside the bar. "Watch your step Cliff. Looks like someone threw up." She pointed at the puddle of puke she was standing next to.
Alana was overwhelmed by the stench of fresh vomit and alcohol. If they didn't move somewhere else soon, Alana felt like she herself would barf. What was a small puddle to normal people was more like a large pond to her. "Move stupid!" she tried to shout, but her voice was too feeble. Alana wondered how long this stupid girl was planning to stand over someone else's puke, wondered how long she would be subjected to this disgusting humiliation.
Cliff sighed as he watched Kayla looking down at her high heel. He wondered if she was deciding whether or not to step in the puddle. "You have a mean streak."
"What?" Kayla asked, looking back up.
"Nothing, you coming?" He took her hand, leading her out into the parking lot.
Alana's head was spinning. The whole ordeal was too much for her. She prayed for the walking to come to an end. How much time had passed since she was first skewered? She didn't know. It seemed like a lifetime.
They were talking about something above her. The hard asphalt beneath her was replaced with a softer material. He was saying something about driving her home. She had too much to drink? It was hard to understand. Her ears were still ringing from all the footsteps and the dancing. Her head felt very heavy, and her neck was sore and stiff. She began to drift in and out of consciousness. The heat wafting across the floorboard of the car felt nice. It warmed her cold bones.
Alana closed her eyes, imagining she was somewhere far away lying on a sunny beach. With the money she made from her invention, she could afford to go anywhere. The huge foot above her lifted into the air again, ripping her violently from her fantasy. The shoe slammed into hard concrete once again, jarring Alana's world.
Kayla pulled Cliff into her house, already unzipping the back of her dress. She undid the clasp of her bra while they stumbled into her bedroom.
"Wait, did you lock the front door?"
"Who cares about the front door Cliff? Take your shirt off!" Kayla kicked off her heels before falling backwards onto the bed with Cliff. The shoe Alana was stuck to laid discarded on its side.
Alana was suspended in the air from the metal spike. It was the most uncomfortable thing she'd ever felt in her life. She could hear Cliff and Kayla making love in the bed above her; hear their moaning and the sounds of the bed springs creaking. Her body felt cold, felt tired. She hadn't been able to feel her legs for a couple of hours, and was starting to lose feeling in her hands. Alana wondered how much longer her suffering would continue. She could hear the woman who did this to her, giggling, asking her boyfriend to kiss her breasts.
The tiny woman listened to their pillow talk, listened to their lips smacking against each other's bodies. She could no longer move her arms to cover her ears. She had to listen. It was hellish. They were making love, something Alana had never experienced, and now never would. There might have been an opportunity with Billy, if she hadn't killed him. She wondered what Billy's lips would have felt like on her breasts, touching her erect nipples.
"You're so beautiful." Cliff kissed his way up and down Kayla's chest, much to her delight. "I love everything about you. You're the kindest, smartest person I know. You're nothing like that piece of filth stuck to your shoe. You're perfect."
"Stop talking," Kayla moaned breathlessly. "Kiss me!" His body was rocking faster. She matched his rhythm, pulling him closer.
Alana managed to wipe at her face with two numb hands. She was covered in dirt and dust from Kayla's trip around town. The crud on her face was mixing with her tears, stinging her eyes. She never realized before how much filth people track around, just going about their normal activities. That's all she was now, filth stuck to someone's shoe.
Kayla yawned in the face of the morning sun. The sunrise flooded her bathroom with bright orange light. She scraped the heel of her shoe against the toilet seat, dislodging Alana from the metal spike. The rigid, dried up dead thing landed in the bowl with a quiet splash. She did her business, then flushed the toilet.
The sound of the flushing toilet woke Cliff. He looked around, noticing Kayla coming out of the bathroom. She was completely naked, but carrying the high heels she wore the night before. "Is something wrong Kayla?"
"Nope, I just had to use the little girl's room." She dropped her shoes to the floor, then crawled back into bed with him. "I'm off today. Call in sick."
"I have a really important meeting today."
"Damn, that's too bad. We could've spent the whole day together." She snuggled closer to him, pressing her body against his. "I don't want you," she locked her lips with his. "To miss," she said, massaging his tongue with her own, "your big meeting."
Cliff fumbled for his phone with one hand, while holding Kayla with the other. He held down the #5 key to activate the speed dial. "Sarah, reschedule my afternoon meeting for tomorrow. I'm not feeling well."
"Don't worry, I'll make you feel better." Kayla laughed, climbing on top of him under the sheets. "We should both take some time off. Maybe we could go somewhere together, like Hawaii or Fiji. You know, some place that has nice beaches."