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.]
I could still hear Carolyn's crazy scream in my head, and I could still see the insane smile on Eddie's face when he had hit the wall. God, I wanted so badly to banish those memories, but they just wouldn't go away. Nor would the realization that our situation had just become a million times worse.
I'd been operating on the premise that Carolyn would never actually hurt any of us. Oh, she had no problem teasing us, tormenting us, frightening us, and threatening us with all kinds of horrible punishments. But over the past month, she had always stopped short of actually causing us bodily harm.
Until that night, when she dashed her husband against the wall. At that point, any pretense of certainty was gone. Carolyn had just killed one of us. Suddenly, we were all living on borrowed time.
The five of us huddled nervously in the dollhouse living room, quiet and morose. None of us wanted to be alone, but no one really wanted to talk about what had just happened. We were trying not to think about Eddie and Linda's bodies lying broken on the floor beneath us.
Of all of us, Chad was taking it the worst. He kept staring out at the vast expanse of the guest room, wiping angrily at the tears on his face. In spite of everything, he'd been in love with Linda. And as much as I hated that bitch, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.
"Okay, if nobody else is going to say it," Denny blurted, breaking the silence, "I will. We're [EXPLETIVE DELETED]. Giganta's gonna come back in here and kill us all, and there's, like, not a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] thing we can do about it."
"We need to keep our heads about us," Mr. Nichols said, patting Denny on the shoulder. "Panicking won't help the situation. Instead, we should figure out what our next move is going to be."
"Our next move?" Denny put his hands to the side of his head, as if trying to keep it from exploding. "How about getting the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] out of here before that bitch goes postal again!"
"Easier said than done," I said. "It's a hundred foot drop down to the floor from up here."
Chad moaned when I mentioned this and buried his face in his hands. Julie nudged me with her elbow.
"Sorry," I muttered.
"But he's right," Mr. Nichols said. "And even if we could somehow make the arduous climb down, we'd still be faced with that damn barricade. With the door shut, we're sealed in this room."
"Yeah, okay," Denny conceded. "So, what? We just, like, sit around and wait?" He turned to me, his eyes wide and pleading. "Come on, Dave. You're the man with the plan, right? What do we do now?"
I felt all eyes on me, and my stomach knotted. I tried to think of something, anything that would give these guys hope. But I had nothing. Finally, I just shook my head and said, "Honest to God, I have no idea."
We fell silent again, overwhelmed by the hopelessness of the situation. Denny had summed it up succinctly. We were helpless, totally at Carolyn's mercy. And at that moment, mercy seemed to be in short supply.
***
An hour passed, maybe two.
Randy, Linda's husband, had been lying unconscious in the bedroom upstairs since Carolyn had brought him in. We knew he'd be waking up at any moment, and we'd have to explain the situation to him. Nobody was looking forward to that conversation.
When we finally heard him stirring upstairs, we all shifted uncomfortably, exchanging looks of dread at the thought of telling the man what had happened.
"I'll go," Mr. Nichols said, sliding out of the plastic chair that was slightly too large for him. "I've met the man once or twice at company functions, so at least I'll be a familiar face."
"I've seen him in the store," Chad said, his voice distant. "He used to come in with Missus Greenwood sometimes. He made fun of my hair and called me 'Joy Division.'"
For a second, I thought Chad was simply correcting Mr. Nichols. But he stood up, and I realized he was volunteering to go upstairs with him. Mr. Nichols clapped him on the shoulder.
"Good man," he said. "We better keep it down to the two of us for now. No point in overwhelming the poor man with numbers."
I snorted, unable to help myself. Randy had just awakened in a dollhouse, and was about to be told that his wife had been murdered by his brother-in-law, who was now dead by the hand of Carolyn. If anything was going to overwhelm him, it sure as [EXPLETIVE DELETED] wasn't going to be us.
But I said nothing. Mr. Nichols and Chad went upstairs, and we listened as they explained things to poor Randy. I'd never been all that fond of Mr. Nichols... hell, even after what happened to him, I still can't bring myself to call him "Charles." But I have to admit, when he was on his game, he could really talk to people. Those years of getting rhyming advice at management seminars had apparently paid off.
Anyway, the talk with Randy went as you might expect. Carolyn had left the light on, so we heard Randy's cries of terror when he first looked out into the gigantic guest room. A few minutes later, we heard him screaming, "No!" over and over again before breaking down into sobs.
After half an hour or so, Chad and Mr. Nichols came back downstairs, followed by a slumped, terrified Randy. They had found him a pair of sweat pants and a Spongebob t-shirt to slip into, but the clothes were too big for his scrawny frame.
His blonde hair was thin, hanging long and unkempt in the back, and his cheeks and chin were dusted with a scraggly beard. His face was pale, his lips trembling and his eyes red. A rebel flag tattoo peeked out beneath his sleeve, with the words "Rebel Yell!" written beneath it in a calligraphic script. He looked like one of those guys you see running away on Cops.
"Everyone," Mr. Nichols said quietly, "this is Randy."
We all greeted him with muted courtesy, and Julie even touched him on the shoulder and told him she was sorry for his loss. He just nodded dumbly, unable to even respond.
Suddenly, we heard the thump of Carolyn's footsteps as she came down the hall. Randy's eyes widened with terror. She stopped right outside the door, and we all held our breath, bracing ourselves for what might follow...
But after a moment's hesitation, she continued on down the hall. We heard her going down the stairs, and we all sighed with relief.
***
Monday morning came after a sleepless night, but Carolyn didn't put in an appearance. We could occasionally hear her bumping around out there, but she always walked past the guest room. Each time, we'd let out a collective sigh and wonder how long the reprieve was going to last.
We had a shot glass in the kitchen that was about two-thirds full, which meant we had enough water to last another two or three days. But we had polished off the last of the cookies, chips, and beef jerky in the pantry a week ago, which meant we were depending on Carolyn to feed us.
Our last meal had been on Saturday morning, about 48 hours previous, and I know I was feeling ravenous. But hungry as I was, I still offered up a prayer every time we heard Carolyn's footsteps that she'd just keep on walking.
And so, the day wore on. The sun was low, casting long shadows through the guest room window, when we heard Carolyn approaching. Her footsteps stopped outside the door. Heart pounding, legs trembling, I whispered my usual litany of "Keep going, just keep going, please God, just keep going."
But this time, the doorknob rattled. The door to the guest room swung open, and Carolyn stepped in. Despite all our warnings, Randy still wasn't prepared for the sight of her. He let out a terrified wail and fled to the back wall of the dollhouse. He huddled in the corner, his face buried in his hands.
Carolyn looked haggard, her eyes swollen and puffy from crying and her hair disheveled. She was still wearing the same clothes she'd worn the day before; her pink Precious Moments t-shirt was wrinkled and stained with sweat and spilled wine.
She didn't even look at us. Instead, her gaze fell on the broken bodies of her husband and her sister, still lying on the floor. She walked over to the nightstand and took a couple of tissues from the box. Shaking her head sadly, she knelt and gently picked up Eddie and Linda. Without a word, she carried them out of the room and across the hall to the guest bathroom. After a few seconds, we heard the toilet flush.
When Carolyn came back a few minutes later, she was carrying a spray bottle of Fantastik and a sponge. She scrubbed the tiny blood stain on the wall, not stopping until it was completely gone. She knelt and rubbed away the blood on the floor as well.
Once she was satisfied that no trace remained, she stood up and turned her attention to us. Randy was still whimpering when Carolyn peered into the dollhouse. As her face came in closer, he let out a shriek and pressed himself into the corner.
"Randy, knock it off," she snapped, her voice hoarse. She slammed the bottle of cleaner down on the dresser so hard that it shook the entire dollhouse. "Stop it!"
Randy buried his face in his hands and huddled in the corner, sobbing. Carolyn's eyes narrowed with anger. Suddenly, she thrust her hand into the dollhouse, clumsily knocking aside the plastic furniture with her enormous fingers as she grabbed Randy. Julie and I were casually batted aside as she yanked Randy out of the dollhouse.
He thrashed and squirmed between her finger and thumb, screaming in terror as she lifted him to her face.
"I said, shut the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] up!" she shouted.
Randy choked off his sobs. He shuddered once, then went limp in her grasp.
Carolyn sniffed him and let out an angry sigh. "Oh, for God's sake. Did you just piss your pants?"
Randy whimpered pathetically. The rest of us watched breathlessly, wondering if he would be Carolyn's next victim.
She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. When she opened them again, she dumped Randy back in the dollhouse.
"I'm gonna go get you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] some supper," she said, her voice more exhausted than angry. "Get him cleaned up before I get back."
She snatched the bottle of cleaner off the dresser and walked out the door.
***
Randy seemed more comfortable with Mr. Nichols than with the rest of us. He let Mr. Nichols lead him upstairs to find a clean pair of sweats. The rest of us milled around in the living room, nervously awaiting Carolyn's return.
"She's bringing us dinner," Julie said. "That's a good sign. Maybe she'll want a little hair of the dog to go with it."
"Yeah, dude," Denny said excitedly. "Maybe tonight's the night, you know?"
"Maybe," I said, without much conviction. "We'll see."
We'd already wasted two of our stolen valium capsules in a failed attempt to drug Carolyn. We only had four left, enough for two more attempts, and I was nervous about squandering them. We'd been lucky to get those first six. I didn't know if we'd be able to get away with any more without tipping off Carolyn.
***
Dinner was sliced ham and a broken saltine. Not the most appetizing fare, but we hadn't eaten in days. My mouth was actually watering as I watched Carolyn set it down on the floor.
She walked over to the dollhouse and fished us out one by one, setting us down at her feet. Randy was last and, even from down on the floor, I could hear him whimpering as she took him in her hand. I was afraid he would set her off again, but Carolyn just shook her head as she placed him on the floor.
As hungry as we were, we waited. Carolyn glanced towards the open door, obviously considering going back down for some wine. But in the end, she simply stepped over us and took her usual seat on the edge of the bed.
"Y'all eat," she told us, pointing at the food, "or I'll take it away."
So our hopes of another escape dashed for the moment, we tore into the ham with frenzied hunger. I felt Carolyn's eyes on me the whole time, but I was afraid to look back.
***
Even though we ate more than usual, there was still a lot of food left when we were done. But Carolyn didn't even chide us for being wasteful. She simply folded the paper plate over and tossed it in the waste basket. Then she turned to look down at us.
"All right," she finally said, heaving a sigh. "I know y'all are scared, and I don't blame you. I lost my temper yesterday, and... well, that shoulda never happened. I'm real sorry about that."
She began pacing as she spoke, her bare feet thudding with each step on the hardwood floor.
"I'll try and do better from now on, but I'm counting on you little guys to help me out and quit making things so difficult. You've been pushing me, and I've been lenient so far, but all that's gonna change. From now on, I'm gonna have a zero-tolerance policy."
She stopped pacing for a second, pausing to let her message sink in. We stood with our heads tilted back, looking up into her massive face. Her smile was tight-lipped and humorless.
"This means no more escape attempts." Her gaze fell on Denny. "I find any of you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] trying, or even planning to escape, I'm gonna squish you."
She slammed her foot down with a horrible thud, mashing her toes against the floor as if grinding out a cigarette. "Y'all got me?"
We all nodded frantically. Denny and I even managed a choked, "Yes, ma'am" so she'd know we were paying attention.
And so it went for the next ten minutes. Carolyn enumerated all of the new rules she had come up with, along with the punishments for violating them. Attempting to run or hide carried the same penalty as trying to escape, namely a painful death beneath Carolyn's foot. She'd threatened us with similar fates before, but in light of everything that had happened, we took her at her word.
She also issued a ban on fighting. She didn't care who started it; both parties would be punished "with a time out, or something worse," depending on her mood.
Sex was prohibited as well. "I catch any of you little perverts messing around indecent with Miss Julie, I'll castrate you with a pair of nail clippers."
Finally, she wrapped it up. "I've tolerated all the sass and backtalk from y'all that I'm gonna take. From now on, if any of you so much as mouths off or rolls your eyes, I'm gonna punish you. Do we understand each other?"
We nodded and yes-ma'amed until she was satisfied. She bent down and scooped the six of us into an uncomfortable pile in her palm. Then she stood and stepped over to the dresser. One by one, she plucked the others up with her finger and thumb, and placed them back in the dollhouse. When I was the only one left, she closed her fingers over me.
"Me and Davey are gonna go have a bath," she informed the others. "Y'all behave yourselves."
***
Carolyn sat me down in the soap dish and ordered me to get undressed. Obediently, I stripped off my sweats, watching Carolyn warily as she ran the tub. Hot water thundered down from the faucet, splashing loudly in the tub below. Carolyn reached for one of the towering bottles of bubble soap and poured a generous dollop of the thick, orange liquid into the churning bath water. The bubbles spread slowly to fill the tub. The air, thick with steam, now smelled strongly of apricots.
Carolyn peeled off her dirty t-shirt, pausing to sniff it before she dropped it on the floor.
"Jesus, I smell like a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] wino," she said, shaking her head. She hadn't bathed or changed clothes since the day before, and the binge drinking had left her a bit ripe. Not that we would have ever told *her* that.
She slid her shorts and panties to the floor and stepped out of them. She scratched absentmindedly at the thatch of dark hair between her legs as she watched the tub fill.
After a couple of minutes, she dipped her toe in the hot water. She gritted her teeth, then stepped into the tub. The white suds rose up to her belly as she gently lowered herself into the bubble bath.
"Mmm," Carolyn moaned, her voice raspy and exhausted. "I needed this." She closed her eyes and leaned back, letting the water slowly rise around her. Her foot, wet and slick, broke through the suds. She mashed the tap with her toes, shutting off the water. Then her leg and foot slipped back underwater, vanishing like a serpent beneath the bubbles.
The water sloshed around her for a few seconds, then all was quiet except for the occasional drip and Carolyn's contented sigh. My ears were still ringing from the sudden silence.
I sat down on the bar of soap, wondering what lay ahead for me. The last time we had been in the garden, Carolyn had promised that Julie and I would be punished severely if she found out we'd been lying to her. In fact, she had told me that she would force me to watch while she tortured Julie.
I hadn't shared that little exchange with Julie yet. I figured it would serve no purpose other than giving her something new to worry about. Besides, Carolyn was always threatening us with some horrific punishment. It was her way of scaring us, of keeping us in line. I'd never imagined she would actually hurt one of us. Until Eddie...
So I had no idea what to expect, but I knew a punishment was coming. After everything that had happened, Carolyn was bound to take it out on us.
Her hand rose up from the bubbles, dripping soap and water in its wake. Her fingers wrapped around me, pinning my arms to my side. I hung my head, studying the chipped red polish on her nails as she took me from the soap dish.
She shifted in the tub, sitting up so she could look down at me. She tilted me back, forcing me to stare up into her massive face. There was no hint of her usual cruelty or playfulness. She just looked weary.
"Jesus, Dave," she said, shaking her head. "What the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] have I done?"
Her eyes brimmed with tears that fell as she blinked. "It wasn't supposed to be like this," she whispered. "I swear, I didn't mean for any of this to happen. But you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] just keep on fighting me and..."
Suddenly, she was sobbing. She cried quietly, wiping the tears from her flushed cheek with her other hand and leaving tiny clumps of suds behind. I stroked her thumb and told her it was going to be okay.
"It's just too much," she cried. "I don't know how much more I can take. GenetiTech's looking for you guys and Eddie. The police are looking for Linda's boss. And..." Suddenly, she broke down, her shoulders shaking as she bawled. She clutched me to her, pressing me between her soapy breasts.
"Oh, God! My sister! What the [EXPLETIVE DELETED] am I going to tell my parents?"
She cried for the better part of an hour, her tears splashing me from above as she held me to her bosom. I did what I could to comfort her, petting her gently and assuring her with every platitude I could muster that everything would work out. Eventually her sobs subsided. She shook the bubbles from her other hand and wiped the back of it across her eyes.
"Why did everything have to get so complicated?" Carolyn said sadly, stroking me with her thumbnail. "I just wanted you all to myself, Davey. Without all these other people [EXPLETIVE DELETED] things up."
She sighed and lifted me to her mouth. She kissed me gently and nuzzled me against her wet cheek.
"We'll get through this, Dave," she said. "I promise."
***
Carolyn's mood had improved considerably by the time she climbed out of the tub. Her hangover had abated and I guess the long cry had done her some good.
She carried me into the bedroom and set me on the nightstand while she slipped into her pink robe. I watched her nervously as she took a seat on the bed.
"Remember what I told you in the garden yesterday?" she asked me.
"Yes, ma'am," I said.
"What did I say?"
I swallowed hard, but the lump in my throat refused to go anywhere. "You said if you found out me and Julie had lied to you, you were going to punish us."
"Hmm," Carolyn said, cocking her head to the side. She touched her finger to her chin, as if mulling it over. "Actually, I think what I said was I was going to torture Julie and make you watch. Isn't that right?"
I nodded nervously. "Yes, ma'am."
She reached for me, picking me up with her finger and thumb. Still naked, I dangled helplessly in her grasp as she held me in front of her face.
"And you and Julie *did* lie to me, didn't you?"
"It wasn't her fault, Carolyn," I said. "I swear, the only reason she went along with it was because I convinced her to. If you're going to punish anybody..."
Carolyn chuckled. "What? Punish you?"
She crossed her leg, letting her robe fall away to reveal her shapely calf. Slowly, deliberately, she lowered me towards her bare foot. She pressed me against her sole, rubbing me against the warm, leathery flesh. And as scared as I was, I felt a familiar, unwelcome tightness in my groin.
Carolyn rubbed me harder and harder against her foot, along her arch and the underside of her toes. My erection grew painful and all too obvious. She finally slipped me between her toes and wiggled them furiously, grinding me between them until I finally came in a bitter, reluctant spasm. I hung limp, my head lolling back as my body trembled. My heart was pounding, and I wondered if I'd ever be able to catch my breath.
Carolyn lowered her foot to the floor and released me. I stumbled free and fell to my hands and knees, still shaking from the ferocity of my orgasm.
"You see?" Carolyn said, a trace of amusement in her voice. "You can't punish the willing."
"Carolyn, please," I gasped, struggling to stand on trembling legs. "None of this was her fault. Please don't hurt her."
Carolyn sighed magnanimously. "Okay, Dave. I'm not going to do it," she said, "this time. But I want you to do something for me."
"Anything," I said, elated.
"I want you to keep an eye on the others, and let me know if they're planning anything else stupid," Carolyn told me. She smiled slightly and added, "Be my little jailhouse rat."
I wouldn't do it. I had no intention of doing it. But if I agreed too quickly, she'd know I was lying. So I stayed silent. Carolyn waited a few seconds for a response, then finally reached down and caught me in her fist.
"Look at it this way," she said. "If you come to me and tell me somebody's up to something, I'll go lightly on them. But if I find out on my own, without hearing it from you, I'm gonna come down hard on all you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED]. Got me?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good." She stood up and smiled down at me. "I'm glad we understand each other."
***
I had assumed I'd be spending the night with Carolyn, but she apparently decided she needed some quality time with Randy. So she carried me into the guest room and placed me, naked and shivering, in the dollhouse. Julie hurried over with a towel. I took it gratefully and covered myself.
Carolyn ordered Randy out of his shirt, then told Julie to fetch "the cuffs" and put them on him. The cuffs were a pair of novelty handcuffs lined with pink fur that Carolyn had bought at the mall the week before. I'd spent several long nights in them myself, tethered or chained to her as she slept.
When the cuffs were in place, Carolyn ordered Julie to show her the key. Satisfied that Randy was properly manacled, she placed her hand against the edge of the plastic dollhouse floor and ordered Randy to her. Randy gave us a terrified glance, but obediently stepped up and into her waiting palm.
"Good boy," she cooed, closing her fingers over him. He let out a frightened moan as she took him from us.
"Okay, y'all be good and remember what I told you," Carolyn said. She looked directly at me and Julie. "Miss Julie, I think you and Dave would be better off sleeping in separate rooms. Less temptation that way, don't you think?"
Julie nodded and managed a choked, "Yes, ma'am."
"Glad to hear it. And Dave?"
I swallowed nervously. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Remember what we talked about," she said. "You owe me."
***
Julie and I were sitting around the blue plastic coffee table with Denny, playing Gin Rummy. Mr. Nichols sat in the fake armchair, reading one of the paperbacks Eddie had shrunk for us way back when. And Chad, poor Chad was upstairs in the bedroom that he had shared with Linda for the better part of two weeks, pining for her.
"I feel bad for mad scientist dude," Denny said, "but [EXPLETIVE DELETED] Giganta's sister. Still remember my first bath with that bitch." He shuddered.
"Denny, that's terrible," Julie said. "I mean, for all her faults, she was still a human being. And now she's dead."
"I certainly had no love for the woman," Mr. Nichols said, "but I must admit that I am troubled by her passing."
"Right," Julie said. "Nobody deserves to die like that."
"No, that's not it," Mr. Nichols said. "I hated her and I'm glad she's dead."
Denny snorted. "Yeah, dude!" He held his hand up and Mr. Nichols high-fived him awkwardly.
"But my point," Mr. Nichols continued, "is that our captor seems to be taking the death of her sister and her husband rather well."
"She was a mess last night," I told him. "And she cried almost the entire time we were in the tub."
"Hardly enough time to grieve for your loved ones," Mr. Nichols insisted. "I suspect we've been diminished in Carolyn's eyes."
"Um, hello? Shrink ray?" Denny laughed. "We've been, like diminished in everybody's eyes."
"You mean she no longer sees us as people," Julie said.
"I don't think she ever did," Mr. Nichols said. "We were always pets at best. But now, we're..."
"Playthings?" I offered.
"Exactly. Playthings. And I suspect she's growing tired of us. We know she's capable of killing us. And with each day that passes, I believe she grows slightly more willing."
I nodded, feeling a knot in my stomach. "She's dropped a couple of hints about there being too many of us," I told them. "Keeps saying she wishes it were just me and her."
"That's troubling," Mr. Nichols said. "How long until she acts on that?"
"What exactly do you owe her?" Julie asked me.
"What?" I was earnestly confused.
"Carolyn said you owed her. Told you to remember what y'all had talked about."
"Oh." I shrugged. "She wants me to be her spy and keep her posted on what you guys are up to. You know, escape plans, crap like that."
"Well, that's retarded," Denny said. "Like, what makes her think you'd do something like that?"
"She promised to go easier on the guilty party if she heard about it from me," I said. "If she finds out on her own..."
"We're toe jam," Denny said.
"Okay," Julie said. "Disgusting."
"But disturbingly apt," Mr. Nichols added.
"She still doesn't know about our plan," I told them. "She has no idea we're planning on drugging her. I think she's imagining escape tunnels and tied-together bed sheets and [EXPLETIVE DELETED] like that."
"We really need to figure out what we're going to do," Julie said. "I mean, once we're over the wall."
"I believe Dave's first strategy was best," Mr. Nichols said. "We try to reach a phone and call out for help."
"Yeah," I said. "She hasn't been bringing it upstairs with her at night, so there's probably no point in splitting up. We can all go down the stairs together."
I glanced at Mr. Nichols as I spoke, realizing he was going to be a problem. Somehow, I couldn't imagine him making the climb down without considerable trouble.
"Well, I've got a suggestion," Julie said. "Is the machine still set up in the lab?"
"Yeah," I said. "As far as I know."
"And that border circuit? Still on the floor?"
The border circuit was the sheet of plastic that told the machine when to stop scanning. I'd written the code myself, along with the easy-to-use interface. Eddie MacManus had invented the matter-proportioning matrix, but I'd made it so easy a moron could use it. Somehow, it had seemed like a good idea at the time.
But with my program in place, the machine would scan anything that sat atop the border circuit and shrink it. No circuit, no scan. The machine would just shut down.
"Yeah, unless she rolled it up last night. But the state she's in, I can't imagine she's been doing much tidying."
I flashed on the image of her scrubbing Eddie's blood off the wall, and shook my head to clear it.
"So I was thinking of a Plan B," Julie said. "Just in case she wakes up and comes after us before we can get to the phone. We set somebody up on the keyboard, and we get somebody out in the hall. They lure her into the lab, and we [EXPLETIVE DELETED] zap her."
I nodded, feeling a rush of excitement welling up inside me. It could work. It could [EXPLETIVE DELETED] work!
"You're so smart," I said, grinning. "How come we never really got together in college?"
Julie leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "Asked and answered," she said with a grin.
***
I dreamed I was six years old and at my grandfather's funeral, only instead of my grandfather, it was Eddie in the coffin. We were standing at the graveside, and Mr. Nichols was delivering the eulogy. My mother stood next to me, holding my hand and crying. I looked around and was surprised to see so many people in attendance. I caught a glimpse of Julie in the crowd, and I noticed Denny and Chad standing with the other pallbearers. As the eulogy droned on, a shadow fell over the proceedings. I turned and saw Carolyn towering over the crowd, looking down at us with that predatory grin on her face. She was wearing her gardening clothes, which made sense because the funeral was in her garden...
***
I woke up bleary and disoriented. Everyone else had gone off to bed. And rather than risk Carolyn's nail clippers, Julie and I had decided to sleep apart. She had taken our usual bed, and I had crashed out on the plastic couch.
Still disturbed by the dream, I felt utterly alone. I hadn't realized how much I had come to count on the comfort of Julie's company. We had never been intimate, never done anything other than hold each other. Ours was a bond, not of romance, but of affection and a mutual need for comfort. We both needed somebody to cling to when things got too horrible to bear.
More than that, I needed Julie to keep me grounded. I tended to lose myself when I spent too much time alone with Carolyn. Just the prospect of resisting her seemed overwhelming and left me feeling exhausted. It would be so easy to just surrender and be a good little pet. And the only reason I hadn't so far was because of Julie.
I lay there in the darkness, my heart racing as anxiety overtook me. Carolyn was breaking down, and it was only a matter of time before she killed another one of us. And our only hope was my half-assed escape plan.
I knew I wouldn't be getting back to sleep, so I climbed groggily to my feet and walked to the edge of the dollhouse. I sat down and stared out at the guest bedroom, which was dimly lit by the moonlight. And I waited patiently for morning to come. Somehow, I thought, things would look less bleak then.
***
Julie was the first one up. She padded down the stairs in a baggy Dallas Stars t-shirt and a pair of shorts. I found myself looking at her bare feet, until she snapped to get my attention.
"Really?" she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Still?"
"Sorry," I said, shrugging. "My mind was wandering."
She rolled her eyes as she approached. She sat down next to me, letting her legs dangle over the edge.
"You been up all night?"
"Most of it," I told her. "Had some problems sleeping."
"Me too," she said. She offered me a pretty smile. "I've sorta gotten used to sleeping next to you, you know?"
She leaned in to kiss me on the cheek, but I turned my head and caught her on the lips. Her eyes widened with surprise, but she didn't pull away. She slipped her arms around my neck and I placed mine around her shoulders. We were still kissing when we heard Carolyn's bedroom door open.
We pulled apart and scrambled to our feet as she came down the hall. On the floor above us, we could hear Chad, Denny, and Mr. Nichols scrambling to ready themselves for Carolyn's arrival.
Carolyn opened the door and stepped in over the wooden barricade. She was dressed in her white shorts, red gingham shirt, and those grungy white sandals. These were her gardening clothes--the exact same ones, in fact, that she'd been wearing in my dream.
A tad unsettling, yes. But I couldn't help but feel a twinge of optimism. It looked like Carolyn was starting to fall back into her old routine.
"Morning, children," she chirped as she approached the dollhouse. She thrust her closed fist into the kitchen and opened her fingers, depositing Randy on the plastic floor.
He was naked and shivering, unable to meet our eyes. His wrists were still bound together by the ridiculous fuzzy cuffs. He just sat there, his head hanging, waiting for Carolyn to leave him alone.
Julie rushed over with the key to unlock him, and Mr. Nichols draped a towel over him. Randy murmured his thanks without looking at either of them.
"I'm gonna go get you little guys some breakfast," Carolyn announced. "Then Dave, I thought you might like to join me in the garden today."
***
The day went like so many before it. I spent the morning hours in the garden with Carolyn, either tucked in her breast pocket or clinging to her sandal strap as she worked. There was something slightly manic in her manner, as if she were trying just a little too hard to be happy. But she was treating me kindly, which was a pleasant change.
When it got too hot for gardening, Carolyn carried me over to the patio and set me down on the brick. She sat in a deck chair, smoking a cigarette and watching with amusement as I drove around in my tiny convertible. A couple of times, she placed her sandaled foot in my path, giggling as I swerved to avoid it. That game made me angry, as it was just another reminder of how helpless I was. But I was afraid of spoiling Carolyn's mood, so I went along with it like a good sport until she finally tired of playing. She ordered me out of the car and reached down to grab me. As an afterthought, she picked up my car as well and carried it inside.
We had another long bath, although this one was much less melodramatic than the last. I spent a large part of it astride her soapy nipple, kneading the knobby flesh with my hands until it grew stiff. Carolyn moaned with pleasure and slipped her hands beneath the suds to pleasure herself. When she finally came, she rewarded me by rubbing my erection with her fingertip until she had returned the favor.
And so the day wore on. I'd spent the day waiting for Carolyn's mood to sour, but it had yet to happen. She was enjoying our quality time together. And what's worse, I was starting to as well.
We spent the afternoon on the couch, watching television. Inside Line was on, and that shrill reporter Brenda Benoit was interviewing Mel Gipson.
Carolyn's legs were outstretched, her bare feet crossed at the ankles and resting on the coffee table, next to my car. She held me in her hand, gently stroking me with her fingers. I hadn't slept much the previous two nights, and the day had left me feeling pretty exhausted. I yawned a couple of times and eventually nodded off.
"What's the matter, Davey?" Carolyn asked me. I opened my eyes to find myself staring into her massive face. "You bored? You can play on my feet if you want."
"That's okay," I told her, shaking my head. "I'm good."
"You sure?" she asked playfully. "I know how much you like it between my pretty toes."
"Maybe later," I said. "I'm just a little tired."
"Poor little thing." She shook her head sympathetically. "I wore you out today, didn't I?"
"It was nice," I told her. "I really like it when you take me outside."
"I was thinking," Carolyn said, "maybe we could do a picnic out there tomorrow. All of us, I mean. I haven't cooked in a while, so I was thinking about frying up some chicken and shrinking it down for you guys. Would you like that?"
I nodded enthusiastically. "It sounds great, Carolyn. Thank you."
She lifted me to her mouth and pressed me to her lips. "You see?" she said, that manic smile creeping back onto her face. "It's not so bad here with me. I'm gonna take real good care of you little guys."
She lowered me to her lap and resumed petting me, only slightly less gently than before. And as she buffeted me around between her fingers, she kept saying, "It's gonna be okay, Davey. Everything's gonna be just fine."
She wasn't trying to convince me. Just herself.
***
It was around six when Carolyn carried dinner upstairs. I sat on her shoulder, clinging to the fabric of her green summer top to keep from slipping off. In her right hand, she carried a paper plate containing shaved turkey and a slice of bread torn into chunks as large as my head.
She was excited about the picnic the next day, and couldn't wait to tell the others. "Don't you go spoiling my surprise," she warned me as she trudged up the stairs. "I wanna tell them myself."
She opened the door and stepped over the barricade. The others, alerted by the sound of her approach, had gathered in the dollhouse living room to await her arrival. Denny and Julie exchanged nervous glances with me, and I knew we were all wondering the same thing. Would tonight be the night? Would this be our last meal with Carolyn?
She knelt to set the plate on the floor. Then she gently plucked me from her shoulder and set me down next to her bare foot. She gave her toes a playful wiggle and smiled down at me, as if sharing a private joke.
She stood and walked over to the dollhouse. Rather than reach for the others, she simply placed her hand against the open edge of the dollhouse and waited for them to step obediently into her palm. When everyone was aboard, she knelt again and tilted her hand, dumping the others onto the floor.
"Okay, you little guys get to eating," Carolyn said. "I'm gonna go grab something to drink." Denny looked at me, wide-eyed with excitement, struggling to keep his grin concealed. We watched Carolyn as she stepped into the hall and we listened to her going down the stairs.
"Does Randy know the plan?" I asked as Denny and I ran toward the bed.
"Yeah, dude," Denny assured me. "We, like, totally brought him up to date today."
There were four valium gel caps still sitting on the floor, just behind the enormous oaken bedpost. Denny and I both scooped one up and ran back to the plate.
Once again, we broke open the blue and yellow capsules. We scattered the coarse white powder over the turkey, spreading it as thin as we could to conceal it.
"We have to keep eating, or Carolyn will get suspicious," Julie explained to Randy. "Just make sure you don't eat from that end."
Randy eyed us nervously. "Y'all sure about this? I mean, if we get caught..."
"You're not thinking about telling on us, are you?" Julie asked.
"What?" Randy blushed furiously. "Hell, no! I'm just saying."
The phone rang downstairs. After two rings, Carolyn picked it up.
"[EXPLETIVE DELETED]," Denny muttered. "Who the hell's calling Giganta?"
We could hear Carolyn moving around downstairs. Her voice was indistinct, and we couldn't make out who she was talking to or what she was saying. I listened for some kind of clue to her mood, trying to determine if she sounded anxious or angry.
None of us said it, but we were all worried that we had just wasted another two capsules.
Finally, her voice grew louder as she approached the stairs. We heard her feet thudding on each step as she came up. "Right," she was saying as she walked down the hall. "You really think there's a connection?"
She stepped into the guest room holding a glass of wine in one hand and the phone in the other. "Well, her husband left for a fishing trip a couple weeks back. She'd been talking about leaving him, but I don't think she would have just taken off without telling me. I mean, she *is* my sister, Mr. Ware."
"She's talking to Tim Ware," Julie whispered to me. "It's GenetiTech."
Carolyn walked over us, stepping gingerly to avoid accidentally crushing us. She set her wine down on the nightstand and sat down on the edge of the bed, still on the phone.
"Well, I wouldn't know about that. Eddie never talked about his experiments with me. All that science mumbo jumbo is over my head."
Randy suddenly broke from us and ran towards Carolyn. Julie and I tried to grab his arm, but he pulled free.
"Hey!" he shouted, waving his hands as if he might be spotted over the phone. "Help us! She's gone..."
"Randy's brave but futile stand came to an abrupt end when Carolyn pinned him beneath her foot. His screams were muffled as her toes covered his face.
"Hold on, Mr. Ware," Carolyn said. "Let me turn this TV down." She put the phone on mute, then glared down at us.
"Any of you makes another peep, and I'll [EXPLETIVE DELETED] squash him. Got it?"
She returned to her call, her voice calm. "Sorry about that. Anyway, it's kind of scary the way all these folks keep disappearing. You really think Eddie and Linda were behind it?"
Poor Randy squirmed helplessly beneath her foot, begging in a muffled voice for help. Carolyn looked down and wiggled her toes as she smiled that familiar predatory smile.
"Well, I saw Randy Sunday night. He called me when he got back from his trip and told me Linda had left him. Of course, you already know that, right?"
Carolyn nodded as she listened to Tim Ware's response. When she noticed us watching her intently, she rolled her eyes and made a motormouth gesture with her free hand.
"I can't believe this is happening," she said, her voice convincingly choked with emotion. "My husband and my sister. How long has this [EXPLETIVE DELETED] been going on?"
Another long pause, and another eye roll from Carolyn. "Okay, Mr. Ware. I'll let you know if I hear anything. I'm just... I really want all this to be over, you know?"
"Jesus," Julie whispered. "She's pathological. I *know* she's lying, and I still almost believe her."
"That'll be fine," Carolyn said. "Thank you. Bye bye." She clicked off the phone and tossed it onto the bed.
"Well, looks like Eddie and Linda are GenetiTech's number one suspects now," she said. "Mr. Ware found out about their affair, and now he thinks they stole Eddie's machine and ran off, leaving a bunch of vaporized folks in their wake."
"Vaporized?" Julie asked.
Carolyn giggled. "They don't know Eddie turned their invention into a [EXPLETIVE DELETED] shrink ray. They way Mr. Ware figures it, you and Davey boy got too close to the truth, and Eddie zapped you. Linda used the machine on her boss and her husband for revenge or some [EXPLETIVE DELETED] like that, and now she and Eddie are on the run."
"Tim Ware is an idiot," Julie muttered angrily. "Rachel would have never fallen for this crap."
"Best part is, the local police are backing off on their search for Tubby," Carolyn said, pointing at Mr. Nichols. "They're gonna let GenetiTech handle the matter internally."
She sighed, a relieved grin on her face. "Looks like you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] are gonna be stuck with me a bit longer."
She glanced down at her foot and opened her mouth in mock surprise. "Oh, I almost forgot." She spread her toes, uncovering Randy's face. He was sobbing, begging Carolyn for leniency.
"Randy, Randy, Randy," she chided him. "What am I going to do with you, you naughty little thing?"
Randy's pleas for mercy quickly deteriorated into incoherent blubbering. He begged Carolyn for forgiveness between sobs, planting desperate kisses on her big toe.
"Looks like you and me are spending another night together," Carolyn said. "And tonight, I'm not gonna be so gentle."
She lifted her foot and released him. "Now go eat," she said with a mean chuckle. "You're gonna need your strength."
Sheepishly, Randy climbed to his feet and approached the paper plate. He tore off a sliver of turkey, careful to take it from the non-drugged side. As we ate, Carolyn reached for her wine and slid down onto the floor to be closer to us.
"You're lucky I'm in such a good mood tonight," she told Randy after a gulp of wine. "If you'd tried that [EXPLETIVE DELETED] yesterday, I woulda squished you like a bug."
Randy looked miserable, no doubt contemplating the evening that lay ahead for him. At that moment, I think he had more riding on our escape plan than anyone else.
"Oh, yeah. That reminds me." Carolyn took another gulp of wine and smacked her lips. "I'm thinking about taking you little guys outside for a picnic lunch in the garden tomorrow. Fried chicken, potato salad, maybe some beer if you behave yourselves. Would you like that?"
We all nodded enthusiastically, Randy even more so.
"Yeah, I thought so." She looked right at Randy and smirked. "I haven't decided if I'm gonna let you join us or not. You better work extra hard to get back on my good side tonight."
Finally, we had eaten a respectable amount, enough to allay any suspicions Carolyn might have. We stepped away from the plate and watched her anxiously.
Carolyn eyed the leftover turkey, and shook her head. She reached for it, grabbing a wad between her thumb and finger.
"Can't believe how much food you little [EXPLETIVE DELETED] waste," she chided us. "You better be hungrier than this tomorrow."
She lifted the turkey from the paper plate...
And the phone rang.
"[EXPLETIVE DELETED]!" Denny whispered angrily. Carolyn dropped the turkey back on the plate and set her wine down to answer the phone.
"Hello," she said, cheerfully. Her smile faltered quickly, replaced by a look of sheer panic.
"Um, hey Mom!"
***
Giantess World
Summer Job by Cayce