Standing over the body of Casey’s father filled Drew with mixed emotions, a drop of blood trickled down his cheek as his lifeless eyes stared upwards, Susan had crushed his insides while keeping his body intact. Time was of the essence, if he didn’t escape from Susan’s room before she noticed Michael’s body was missing, he would be in deep shit. Michael was smaller than he was, probably half his height, that would make transportation easier than expected. Still warm flesh made contact with his skin as he scooped up the reduced body in his arms, it was surprisingly light. Trekking back across the room, he remembered he was still dressed in a dirty yellow dress with a collar around his neck, unsure if Casey deserved such a gesture he stopped in his tracks, maybe it’d be wise to just leave the body and get home. Though now that he thought about it, perhaps it was for the best for him to bank all his chances on Casey being appreciative, if he could win her over then she could help him out of this mess and tackle the issue he had originally come here for.

Wait. The reason he was in this mess in the first place had taken a backseat in his mind ever since everything went sideways, now it all came rushing back to him, Val had spoken of an underground trafficking ring the Pierce’s were a part of. Yet, now that he reflected on the last two weeks in a more critical lens, something was up. Casey had been surprised to see him in her house, meaning it was unusual for there to be tiny people wandering around, she had also seemed rather interested in him like she’d never interacted so closely with someone his size, and there were the three-inch men who she had to borrow off Ariel. Maybe Casey could be trusted, at the very least she didn’t seem to be connected to some sort of ring, if there even was one in the first place. Susan on the other hand, he wasn’t sure, there had been no sign of servants walking around or tending to her needs and if anything, there would surely have been a sign of them in her bedroom of all places.

Something was up. Had Val lied to him? But why on earth would she lie about such a thing, to submit him to such an outlandish request. The missing person reports had been there, he’d seen it with his eyes, it could have been a coincidence after all. No, something still felt wrong. Drew didn’t know what to think anymore, it was all too confusing. Instead he focused on pressing forward, he needed to get to Casey, at this point she was his ticket out of here.

After sliding Michael’s body under the looming door he squeezed through and continued down the hallway back to Casey’s room. At the halfway point he heard a door from within Susan’s bedroom slam shut, she had just left the bathroom and would notice her husbands missing body, Drew needed to pick up the pace lest he be caught be the greater evil. Dark moonlight filled the hall as he got closer to the towering white door, he was unsure how much time had passed but his arms and legs were beginning to ache from the extensive usage, honestly, he just wanted to sleep.

Anxiety built within him as he muscled his way across the carpeted floor, Casey was certainly the safer option here, if he was caught by Susan who knows what she might do after finding him lugging the corpse of her husband, the weight that lay across his shoulders was a grim reminder of his predicament. As luck would have it, Drew ran into no trouble as he crawled underneath Casey’s door. Finally, something had gone his way for once. Though it was likely Susan would be frantically searching for Michael’s body at this point.

Casey’s giant form gradually breathed in and out, she’d cried herself to sleep, between the stress of not being able to find Drew and the sudden loss of her father it was a lot for the girl to take on. The tiny man sighed a breath of relief, he was safe for now. He needed to find someplace where he would be easily noticed in the morning, he didn’t want her to stew in anger about him disappearing. To his left were the towering peaks of her Doc Martens, dirty white socks were strewn around them. That would do for tonight, as unhygienic as it was, her socks would provide a soft comfort. He set Michael down next to the woollen expanse and clambered on top, the material giving way under him. With a quiet thump he landed against the sock with his limbs outspread, even the stale scent of her foot wasn’t enough to stop his impending sleep.

***

A blurry poster of Julian Casablancas filled Casey’s view as her crusty eyes blinked open, she didn’t want to move a muscle, Susan could eat shit if she was expecting her to go to work today. Losing Drew was barely a bother to her, he was just some tiny insect to play with, the real kicker was the other gut-wrenching news she had received. Her dad had disappeared two weeks ago, and Susan only thought to tell her now, and what did that even mean, people don’t just disappear, not people as noteworthy as her father. Taking a moment to breathe, she sat up in bed, everything would be alright, he was only missing, there was still a chance he was alive. That’s all she could hope for at this point, Susan obviously wasn’t concerned, she’d hated Michael ever since the girl could remember.

Images of Casey’s father teaching her how to play guitar and how to use water colours played in her mind, a quivering smile crept across her lips. The older she got the busier he became, and these special moments became few and far between, yet her love for him never ceased, she understood the constant stress of high-pressure business situations, at least she tried to. Of course she didn’t resent him, but truthfully, she wished he had been home more often, dealing with her mother day in and day out was a constant battle to her mental state, Susan was an oppressive woman who would never let her daughter go against traditions.

The plush carpet rested beneath her toes as she stared blankly across the room to her body length mirror, god she was a mess, her wavey black hair was puffed up high on one side and her eyes were bloodshot from being wept dry. While critiquing her bed-ridden self, a peculiar sight caught her attention. A very familiar yellow dress stood out against the dirty sock curled around her boots, so Drew had come crawling back after all, she couldn’t blame him. That was odd, there was another pile of clothes next to him, she didn’t recall giving him a spare outfit. Ambling across the room, Casey crouched down to inspect Drew’s sleeping form.

“Hello? You awake?” her finger rolled him onto his back as his eyes groggily opened.

Though it was hard to tell, a shocked expression immediately crossed the tiny man’s face as he came into consciousness, his head snapped to the left at the bundle of clothes. Huh, that wasn’t just a bundle of clothes, it was another little person, maybe half the size of Drew.

“Umm, who is this?” Casey queried, looming further over the reduced pair to get a better look at the mysterious shrunken person.

Drew scrambled to his feet as he ran over to the other man, “Casey. It’s…” he paused as he cradled the man in his arms. Stepping towards her, he announced the devastating news, “It’s your dad.”

Casey’s glimmering green iris’ widened as she peered closer, the man Drew was holding was small, but that light brown hair, with grey streaks was too recognisable. Snatching her father out of his hands, she examined further, it was undoubtedly Michael. This couldn’t be, her father was a tall confident man who brought brightness into any room he entered, yet now he lay lifeless and tiny in her hands. Casey covered her mouth to stop an inaudible whimper of despair, her previous hope of his safety crumbled before her eyes, there was no way this was real.

Then it occurred to her, what was he doing lying next to her prisoner. Casey’s piercing gaze bore into Drew. “Did you do this?” Her words shook like leaves as she glared at the trembling man. Rage began to build within, she would turn him to paste if he answered incorrectly.

“No! No, Casey please listen,” Drew gestured wildly, “I have to tell you something, but please, try to remain calm.”

Calm? Now? She was holding her father’s body in her hands, and he wanted her to remain calm? This tiny man was on thin ice, the giantess wasn’t far from her cracking point.

“Last night when I tried to escape. I had to sneak into your mum’s room, and I witnessed her… Crush his body,” he stopped to let her process the information he spouted.

Casey was unsure of whether to trust Drew, on one hand this may have been an act of revenge to rebel against her cruel torture but on the other, his squeaky words held a genuine quality. Was Susan really willing to murder and why?

“They were speaking about something to do with money, and I think your mum said at one point something about him sleeping with someone, I’m not sure I could only hear it from her end.” The raven giant had never heard her pet talk so much and so confidently, it almost broke her from the stunning news.

Almost. That fleeting thought sat in the backseat compared to the pilot of her building emotion. Fury, pure fury. Of course it was about fucking money, when wasn’t it with that hag of a mother. She couldn’t care less if her dad had slept with someone else if anything she’d be happy for him. Drew needn’t say more, Casey was thoroughly convinced. Susan was a murderer.

“I’m gonna fucking kill her,” she muttered to herself, emotions teetering on the borders of her skin, ready to explode at any moment. Casey’s pupils dilated as they glazed over while she checked out of reality.

Drew gazed upon her terrifyingly intense expression, her muttering held no hint of dishonesty. He wouldn’t be surprised if she actually pulled through with it. That would leave him nowhere, in the middle of an incredibly messy scene, he had to pull her in before too late.

“Casey, listen to me, I have more to tell you.” This was it, his grand plan, he would reveal the true reason as to why he was in her house in the first place, despite the trafficking rumours, they now had physical evidence of a dead body, if they played their cards right, they could send Susan away. He was unsure of what would happen to Casey, she might inherit her families wealth and help him get back to his friends for showing her the truth, though that may have just been wishful thinking. Honestly, there was no telling what she would do, she was impossible to read at the current moment, but he had to act, otherwise he’d be growing old living in a glass jar.

Pincer like fingers harshly gripped the sides of Drew’s head as he was raised into the air, the pressure felt like it might make his skull pop. “Why the fuck would I listen to you,” the giant spat, her eyes were lit with an insane fire behind them.

It was now or never. “Don’t you want to make her suffer?” Drew’s strained voice barely made it to her ears. Yet, her features softened for a fraction of a moment, considering his faint words.

“How?”

“Hear me out,” he tried to gain his breath back, though it was hard with the immense force being exerted on his cranium. “When I first came to your house, I was trying to find evidence of your family stealing tiny people from the street.” Casey’s face twitched. “I have a lawyer friend, we were gonna use the evidence to destroy your families wealth and future.” Before she had a chance to react to their scheme he continued, “but, things have changed. If you help us, we can bring Susan down. She’ll be locked behind bars, probably shrank too.” Drew was still cautious of Val, he didn’t know if he could completely trust her, though from what he assumed, she was still on his side.

Casey thudded onto the ground, defeated. Longingly, she stared at her other hand that gently held her father’s form. Drew watched in anticipation as her grip loosened until it wrapped around him, the raven-haired giant curled into a ball and hugged her knees, two tiny men still trapped in her palms. The information she had received over the past 24 hours was just too much to bear and she began to weep.

A faraway slam snapped both of them back into reality. Susan’s departure for the day had reminded Casey of her existence. Drew’s words had barely registered with her, was she really going to work with him? He was right in the way that she did want Susan to suffer more than just a quick end, sending her to prison and robbing her of a perfect life would be fitting. A simple idea popped into her head, she didn’t need to work with Drew, instead a justified punishment would be delivered.

Drew’s vision was nothing but a crack in Casey’s fist, a small stream of morning light poured into his cramped space. The giant’s distraught face turned towards the window as the roaring engine of her mother’s car pulled out of the driveway, her features were hidden from view as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Casey’s words trembled with an overwhelming amount of passion, “I’m gonna shrink that bitch.”