GENETITECH/BIOENG. confidential file
SUBJECT: --GOLDMAN, David
A.U. No.: --NC 654 55 D
S.C.I.D. No: --7474HHD
SUPERVISING DOCTOR: --Dr. Terrence LYNCH
ITEM: --Transcript of recorded testimony regarding subject's current condition. File for ASSESSMENT/INFO
[cont.]
While Carolyn was busy out in the garage, Julie and I were doing our best to calm Eddie down.
We were all in the shoebox, sitting on the coffee table in Linda's living room. Mr. Nichols, Chad, and Denny were still trapped in Linda's wadded up stocking, their faces pressed against the nylon as they watched us.
Linda lay unconscious on a bed of folded tissue, stinking of puke and pee. She looked so small and fragile now, I was already finding it difficult to remember how vast and terrifying she had seemed.
"She killed my dog," Eddie sobbed. "She just killed him!"
"I know," Julie said, brushing her fingers through Eddie's disheveled hair. "But killing her won't bring him back. You know that."
"I don't care," Eddie insisted through his tears. "I just want her to suffer."
"She will," I told him. "Carolyn's all kinds of pissed at her right now."
"That's right," Julie said. "If you kill her now, Carolyn won't get a chance to punish her properly."
"Hell," I said. "You'd probably be doing her a favor."
Eddie broke down crying, and Julie put a comforting arm around him and hugged him tightly. While she stroked his hair and whispered soothingly in his ear, I grabbed the broken beer bottle and used it to cut the others free.
As soon as he was out, Chad ran past me and over to Linda. He dropped down next to her and gently shook her, trying to wake her. He didn't seem to care that she'd emptied the contents of her stomach and bladder when she'd been shrunk.
"Dude," Denny said, pointing at Eddie and Julie. "Is he, like, okay?"
"He's insane is what he is," Mr. Nichols said. "Driven crazy by that horrible woman over there." He glared in Linda's direction, angrily meeting Chad's defiant stare.
"So, what's the deal?" Denny asked. "Are we being rescued?"
The lights flickered throughout the house.
"Not hardly," I said as Carolyn came back in, carrying Linda's car in her hand.
***
Carolyn dug the wreck of Randy's 280-ZX out of the trash and placed it in the other shoebox, along with the rest of our cars. She spent about half an hour going through the house, making sure she hadn't overlooked anything that might implicate her. When she was satisfied that there was nothing suspicious to be found, she packed some of Linda's and Randy's clothes into a couple of suitcases, and then shrunk them down as well.
"I swear," Carolyn sighed as she dropped the suitcases into our box. "Linda really [EXPLETIVE DELETED] things up good, didn't she? I don't know what I'm going to do with all you little guys."
"You could, like, let us go," Denny said.
Carolyn chuckled. She reached down and grasped Denny between her finger and thumb. He let out a frightened yelp as she lifted him up from the box.
"You're a cute one," she said. "Funny, too."
"I mean it," Denny said, his voice trembling. "How come you can't just..."
"Tell you what," Carolyn said. "I'll put you down on the floor and if you can make it to the door, I'll let you go. How's that sound?"
Denny just shook his head.
"You sure?"
Denny nodded.
"Okay, cutie." Carolyn set Denny back down in the box. "Just let me know if you change your mind."
***
Linda woke up on the drive back to Carolyn's house. We were all in our shoebox, which was sitting on the passenger seat. Carolyn was at the wheel, occasionally glancing in our direction.
When Linda realized what had happened to her, she began screaming. "Carolyn! What did you do to me?"
Carolyn snorted. "Right. Like you weren't planning to do the same to me, you little bitch."
"Oh god!" Linda collapsed in Chad's arms and sobbed ferociously.
"Oh, give me a break." Carolyn shook her head. "I swear to God, Linda. I don't know how I'm going to dig myself out of this hole you dug me into. If you weren't my sister, I'd tear your little arms and legs clean off."
Linda continued to wail, which just seemed to annoy Carolyn even more.
"Somebody better shut her up before I do."
Chad hugged Linda tightly and tried to soothe her. She buried her face in his shoulder and went on crying.
"It's okay, Ms. Greenwood," he said softly. "I won't let anything happen to you." Linda's cries were muffled, which seemed to appease Carolyn somewhat. The rest of us breathed a sigh of relief.
"Dude, why are you snuggling that bitch?" Denny asked Chad. "Seriously, you've got a serious case of... what's that thing? Where you, like, fall in love with the bad guys?"
"Stockholm Syndrome?" Julie suggested.
"Yeah, that."
"[EXPLETIVE DELETED] you," Chad snapped in a harsh whisper.
"Hey, [EXPLETIVE DELETED] you!" Denny muttered back. "Only reason I even drove your dumb ass here was because you promised me some weed."
Julie nudged me. "Didn't you tell me they were in a Christian rock band or something?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't think they're very good at it."
She tried to smile, but didn't do a very convincing job. She sighed, her voice filled with despair. "God, Dave. We are so screwed."
"Maybe not," I told her quietly. I glanced up to see if Carolyn was paying attention to us, but her eyes were on the road. "Right now, Carolyn's putting all the blame on Linda. She thinks were just innocent victims in all this."
"For now," Julie said. "But Eddie told her that Linda had shrunk her husband, and we didn't say anything to contradict that."
"We didn't have any choice."
"I know," Julie said. "But what happens next week, when Randy gets back from his fishing trip? Carolyn's going to know we lied to her."
"Crap. I wasn't thinking that far ahead."
"We need to get out in front of this thing, Dave, and we have to stay as close to the truth as we can. We tell her that Randy was gone when we got here, but we did see Linda shrink his car. We tell her it was Eddie who told us about Randy, but we never actually heard it from Linda."
I shook my head. "I don't like the idea of selling Eddie out like that. If we put all of this on him, Carolyn's going to kill him."
"I don't think so," Julie said. "Linda did kill Eddie's dog, and he's been acting insane ever since. Plus, if he hadn't ratted out Linda, Carolyn would be shrunk now. I think she'll be lenient on him."
"Yeah, right. Because she's a fount of mercy."
Julie sighed. "Dammit, Dave. I don't like it any better than you do, but right now, it's our only choice. If we don't get our story straight, Carolyn's going to squish us both when Randy shows up."
"Yeah, okay. Fine." I looked over at Eddie, who sat in the corner, muttering to himself. "But I still don't like it."
***
The shoebox was pretty much a shambles by this point, our belongings scattered and strewn all about as Carolyn carried us into the house. All of Julie's hard work torn asunder. I took her hand and gave it a nervous squeeze.
The box bounced and Carolyn huffed as she carried us up the stairs. "There's a few more of you than I was expecting," she said as we moved down the hall, "but I think that dollhouse should be plenty big enough." With a sly smile, she added, "I fixed the guest room up real nice for you guys."
Carolyn carried us into the room, then knelt and set our shoebox down next to her foot. One by one, she lifted us out of the box and set us down on the polished wooden floor.
The guest room looked pretty much like it had when it had been my room. Mismatched furniture, large oak bed, tacky seashell reading lamp... The dollhouse was now sitting on the floor next to the dresser, its open side flush against the wall.
I glanced around, puzzled by her comment of having fixed up the room for us, when I noticed the two-by-four nailed to the bottom of the door jamb. It was a wooden wall, easily twice our height, designed to keep us penned in.
When we were all out of the box, Carolyn upended it and dumped all of our stuff into a pile next to the dollhouse. She stood up and stepped over to the dollhouse, effortlessly pulling it away from the wall so that its open side was exposed.
"Okay, this'll be your room," Carolyn told us. "You guys can run around in here all you want, as long as you obey the rules."
She held up an index finger and said sternly, "One, you come when I call you. I don't want you hiding from me. Got it?"
We all nodded or murmured, "Yes, ma'am."
"And two," she said, holding up a second finger, "you don't go outside that door unless I'm carrying you. I catch one of you where you don't belong, I'll punish you. Any questions?"
"Punish us how?" Denny asked. Julie and I exchanged a nervous glance and slowly backed away.
"What?" Carolyn asked. She was staring straight down at Denny, an amused smile creeping across her face.
"Um, I was just wondering," Denny asked, his voice trembling slightly now that he had Carolyn's undivided attention. "How are you going to punish us? I mean, you're not going to hurt us or anything, are you?"
Still smiling, Carolyn slid her foot from her sandal.
"Oh [EXPLETIVE DELETED]," Denny shouted. "I was just..."
He gave a panicked yell as Carolyn's bare foot hovered over him. He tried to run, but she caught him easily and pinned him beneath her toes. She chuckled as he squirmed helplessly.
"Be still," Carolyn commanded, but Denny kept struggling. She pinched her toes together, and Denny let out a pained cry. He fell still, whimpering quietly beneath her foot.
"Anyone else have any questions?" This time, we all kept silent.
"Good." Carolyn took a step back and slipped her foot back into her shoe. As Denny stood up and backed away from her, she reached down and picked up the empty shoebox.
"Now I want you guys to get all your [EXPLETIVE DELETED] picked up and put in that dollhouse. When you get done, maybe I'll unpack your little cars and let you drive around. Would you like that, Davey?"
I swallowed nervously and said, "Yes, ma'am."
Carolyn smiled down at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her foot rise slightly. I braced myself for whatever game she had in mind, knowing I'd only make it worse if I ran.
But she just gave me a playful wink. She turned and walked out with the shoebox under her arm, stepping easily over the barricade as she went.
***
"Humongous [EXPLETIVE DELETED] bitch," Denny muttered as he helped me carry the portable toilet up the plastic stairs. "Now my damn shirt smells like feet."
"You got off lucky," I told him. "You've got to keep your mouth shut around her."
We lugged the toilet into the upstairs bathroom and slid it into its alcove. Between that and the running water in the sink, the facilities were downright luxurious.
"I just asked a question, dude," Denny said, sniffing distastefully at the lapel of his shirt. "I mean, are we like kidnapped or what? What the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] is she going to do with us?"
I shrugged. "Pretty much anything she wants."
"Jesus," Denny said. "We gotta find a way out of here, dude."
"I'm wide open to any suggestions," I said. "Maybe we can round table with the rest of the brain trust downstairs and come up with a plan that doesn't end with us getting stomped."
"Maybe we can," Denny said defiantly. "You give up too easy, dude."
I laughed. "Now you're starting to sound like Julie."
"So, what's the deal with you and that Julie chick, anyways?" Denny asked me. "Are you, like, hitting that?"
"What are you? Like, eight?"
Denny held up his hands in a placating gesture and smiled. "No offense, dude. Just wondering."
***
It was late afternoon by the time we got everything moved in. Our only indication of time was the small window in the guest room. The white drapes were drawn, but a sliver of orange sunlight spilled through and splashed against the wall. That sliver had gotten longer and thinner as the afternoon wore on, and was now almost gone.
It had been pretty slow going. Linda had spent the entire afternoon in one of the upstairs bedrooms, trying to avoid Eddie. Chad had gone up after her, still hovering over her and trying to soothe her. Eddie had paced around the kitchen like a caged animal for about an hour or so, until he discovered the rest of the beer in the Styrofoam cooler. Now he was napping at the kitchen table.
And of course, Mr. Nichols had only made a couple of trips before he started complaining about his bad back. So that left me, Denny, and Julie to do all the heavy lifting.
By the time we were done, my arms and legs were quivering with exhaustion. I just collapsed on the oversized plastic couch with a sigh. Julie plopped down next to me. Our feet dangled off the edge like children's; the furniture in the dollhouse was designed to scale for a bunch of three-inch dolls, so everything was about half again as big as it needed to be.
"I refuse to accept," Mr. Nichols said, "that there is no hope of reasoning with this woman." His voice was so whiny and his manner so insufferable. He'd only been among us for two days now, but he was trying to take charge and was annoyed that nobody seemed willing to follow his lead.
"We stood a better chance of reasoning with Linda," Julie said. "Carolyn's bit more..."
"Bat[EXPLETIVE DELETED] crazy?" I offered.
"She [EXPLETIVE DELETED] scares me, dude," Denny said wearily. He had collapsed melodramatically on the floor after carrying his last load and was now sprawled next to the plastic coffee table. "Did you see her, all stepping on me and [EXPLETIVE DELETED]? Bitch has got it in for me."
"That's why we need to plan an escape," Mr. Nichols said. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. If we can just get to a phone, we can call for help."
"Oh, that's a brilliant plan," I said. "Hell, you've done the hard part. Now all we have to do is come up with a way to get out of this room and to the phone without getting caught. Piece of cake."
"There's no need for sarcasm," Mr. Nichols said, sniffing. "We can do it at night, while she's asleep. And we can either call that lab that you work for, or we can just dial 9-1-1 and..."
"You keep saying 'we.'" I glared at him. "Does that mean you're volunteering?"
Mr. Nichols blushed slightly. "I don't think I'm the most qualified, physically, to..."
"Then shut the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] up," I said.
"Hey," Julie snapped at me. "There's no call for that."
I sighed. "Sorry."
"Carolyn just has the one phone, I think," Julie said, addressing the group. "But it's a portable, so we can't know for certain where it's going to be at any given time."
"I would imagine she keeps it nearby during the night," Mr. Nichols said. "To avoid having to run downstairs in case it rings."
I shrugged. "Sometimes. And sometimes she just leaves it downstairs and turns off the ringer so it won't wake her up."
"Damn," Julie said. "And I guess we won't have any way of knowing what she's going to do from one night to the next."
"So [EXPLETIVE DELETED] the phone," Denny said. "Let's just worry about getting out of this house. Once we're outside, she'll never find us. Then all we have to do is..."
"...is make a 50 mile hike out to the highway," I finished for him, "while avoiding bugs, birds, bobcats, and anything else that might be waiting to eat us. Then, if we're lucky, we can flag down a car and save ourselves the 400 mile journey to town."
"Yeah, okay," Denny said, rolling his eyes. "I get it, all right?"
"So maybe we go in two teams," Julie said. "Some of us check Carolyn's room, and some of us head downstairs. Whoever finds the phone makes the call, then all we have to do is stay out of sight until help arrives."
"Exactly," Mr. Nichols said, nodding as if that were his plan all along. "Once the authorities arrive, it should be a simple matter to get their attention."
"Not that simple," I said. "If Carolyn spots you first, you'll be a carpet stain."
"Getting down the stairs is going to be a bitch," Julie said. "Once we're on them, we'll be sitting ducks. No place to hide, no place to run. If we can't make it all the way down by morning, we'll be screwed."
"Me and Chad will go," Denny said. "We're the youngest and we're in the best shape." He gave Mr. Nichols a friendly pat on the shoulder. "No offense, dude."
"Well, assuming she leaves the door open for us, any ideas for getting past that board?" I asked.
"Maybe make a rope out of the towels and stuff?" Denny suggested.
"Actually," Mr. Nichols said, "if this Carolyn woman holds true to her word and grants us use of our cars in this room, we might be able to park alongside the barricade and boost ourselves over."
"There's that 'we' again," I said with a snort. "You might want to watch that."
"Stop it, Dave," Julie said. "Okay, so when we make our break for it, Denny and Chad will take the stairs, and Dave and I will take Carolyn's room."
"And the rest of us?" Mr. Nichols asked.
"The rest of you need to find a hiding place, where you'll be safe from Carolyn," I said. "If she comes in here and finds some of us gone, the rest are going to catch hell."
***
At the sound of Carolyn's approach, Julie and I scrambled out of the dollhouse, followed by Mr. Nichols and Denny. Chad came down the plastic stairs, pulling Linda by the arm. "[EXPLETIVE DELETED] her!" Linda was shouting, trying to pull away.
Carolyn stepped over the barricade and smiled down at us. She looked exhausted. "Okay, where's my husband?" she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Eddie, you've got to the count of three to show yourself."
"He had too much to drink," I told her. "He's passed out in the kitchen."
Carolyn knelt in front of us. Placing her hand on the roof of the dollhouse, she leaned down and peered inside. "Looks like you guys are all moved in," she said. With her other hand, she reached in and gently scooped up Eddie. He stirred slightly, mumbling incoherently as she lifted him from the house.
She gently shoved the dollhouse around so that the open side was flush against the wall. "There you go. That'll give you guys a little privacy," she said with a magnanimous smile. "Just don't be getting up to any mischief in there. Got it?"
We all nodded.
"Good." She reached down and grabbed Linda with her finger and thumb, snatching her up and dropping her into her open palm next to her sleeping husband. Linda's squeals were muffled as Carolyn's fingers closed over her.
Carolyn stood up, her knees popping from the effort. "My sister and my husband will be sleeping with me tonight. We've got a lot to talk about, you know?"
Looking right at me, she winked. "Sorry, it's just going to be family tonight, Davey. But don't worry. You and I will have some special time tomorrow, okay?"
I didn't have to look at Julie to feel her glaring at me. I blushed and said, "Okay."
She placed her bare foot directly in front of me, wiggling her toes playfully. The strap of her flip flop had left a long, grimy indention in the tan flesh along the top of her foot, and the red polish on her nails had become chipped and worn.
"Kiss me goodnight," she said. I leaned down and planted a kiss on her big toe.
"Good boy," she whispered. "See you in the morning." She turned and left, carrying Linda and Eddie with her.
"Ooh, special time with Carolyn tomorrow," Julie said as we walked back to the dollhouse. "How will you ever sleep?"
I sighed. "Give it a rest, Julie. It's been a long, crappy day."
"Hey, better you than me, dude," Denny said. "I mean, no offense." With a sigh, he added, "That bitch didn't even let us have our cars."
"Why didn't you say something?" Mr. Nichols asked.
Denny snorted. "You kidding? Giganta's just looking for another excuse to step on me."
"You think Miss Greenwood's gonna be okay?" Chad asked, hurrying along behind Denny. "I mean, it's her sister, right? She's not going to hurt her or anything, is she?"
"Dude!" Denny snorted again. "Who [EXPLETIVE DELETED] cares?"
"[EXPLETIVE DELETED] you!" Chad shouted, charging at his friend. The two of them fell onto the floor, cursing angrily as they struggled. Mr. Nichols stepped over to them and attempted to break up the fight.
"Should we help?" Julie asked. There was amusement in her voice, and I was surprised to see her actually smiling.
"Nah. With any luck, they'll wear themselves out and sleep through the night."
Julie chuckled. "You're right," she said. "It has been a long and crappy day." And somehow, in spite of everything else that had happened, just seeing Julie smile improved my mood considerably.
***
We fell asleep on the couch that night, just holding each other. Nothing romantic, just comfort and a longing for normality. And after spending the last few days living in a shoebox, the garish decorations of the dollhouse seemed almost homey. Before I drifted off, I remember wondering idly if I'd remembered to lock the front door.
Once again, I dreamed I was back home with my family and friends, who were celebrating my return with a party. Streamers hung from the ceiling, and a large banner reading "WELCOME HOME, DAVE!!!" hung along the back wall. Julie was there with me, holding my hand as everyone hugged us and told us how much they missed us. And God, for the first time in as long as I could remember, I was happy.
I was actually chuckling when I woke up, still caught up in the euphoria of the dream. I knew if I thought about it too hard, it would all slip away, so I struggled to stay there, to keep my eyes closed and pretend like everything was normal, to pretend like I couldn't hear the thudding footsteps approaching from outside. Just a little bit longer, I prayed. Please, just a little bit longer...
The entire house shook, and I felt Julie jerk awake next to me with a muffled start. Denny's angry shout from upstairs, "Hey, what the [EXPLETIVE DELETED]?" The house moved away from the wall, and I found myself faced with the reality of a bare foot the size of a Citibus...
"Wake up, Davey," Carolyn said cheerfully. "Time for our shower."
***
Giantess World
Summer Job by Cayce