Rusty, “Hurry up you two we don't know how much longer the bitch is going to be.”

Devin, “Stop calling Susan a bitch damn it!” Even as he spoke Devin wasn't certain where the words had come from but it was all he could take. He knew that to these people Susan was a monster. Hunting them only to eat them clearly enjoying herself as she did so. From their point of a view she was a bitch and worse but despite that he had heard the statement one too many times. Despite his concern for their well being Devin couldn't help but glare at Rusty. A hand came to rest on his shoulder moments later.

Gretchen, “Fine now can we get going.” It was a bit of a relief to Gretchen whenever Devin began to run towards the slightly elevated section of floor. As he moved ahead she couldn't help but shoot Rusty a dirty glance. Her thoughts weren't far from his but until they didn't need Devin anymore he really needed to think about the big picture. To his credit Rusty didn't say anything but begin to raise himself up on the slightly elevated section of flooring without a word.

As he climbed over Devin found himself looking across the room. It was easy to make out the tape even from his position. It was also easy to think of a way over it. “I wish that we still had our clothing.”

Gretchen, “I don't know. I've gotten kind of use to it since we were shrunk. At least you get to see all the goodies.” As she spoke Gretchen pressed her right hand against her left breast while gently squeezing her nipple between her thumb and index finger. Her left hand for its part reached down such that her fingers were made to run through her bush stopping just before touching her pussy lips. “So it seems like your girl set up a bit of a barrier. Any ideas on how we should get around it?”

Devin, “That's why I wish we still had our clothes. Let's get to the side of the door in case Susan finishes.” As he spoke Devin walked along the door way choosing to move to the right side of the room due to the cover. “We'd probably get stuck if we stepped on that tape but we just need to cover it up with something else and we'll be fine walking across. We'll need to look for lose strands of carpet and work together to collect a few.”

Rusty, “Huh? That's a pretty good idea. I guess sticking with you has worked out.” As he spoke Rusty was already thinking of different materials they could use to get across in the event of the carpet being too tough. Some of the other shrunken people seemed like a good choice. Fortunately he saw a few of the others making their way into the room already. “So any idea of what carpeting we should start with?”

Devin, “It would be a bit of a detour but we need to get to Susan's treadmill. The carpet there sees the most wear and tear so it should be the easiest for us to remove. We could also go for the laces of her gloves or training shoes.”

Gretchen, “Gloves?”

Instead of commenting Devin pointed towards the right upper corner of the room where a small rack was set up. Resting on the lower shelve was three sets of training gloves. “Susan likes martial arts.”

Gretchen, “What! Are you serious?”

Devin, “I know she's small but she's really toned. She just never had the frame to add any bulk to. At least she didn't until today. We can get to her gloves and try to get the laces off if the carpet doesn't work. If nothing else that will give us some place to hide.”

Rusty, “How long do you think we have.”

Devin, “I don't believe Susan will start searching here until she finishes with her room. We have until she finishes that to get out. If she sees a trail of carpet being laid across that tape it'll be all over.”

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Susan, “Oh Devin.” As she spoke Susan extended her bare leg just beyond the door frame so that her mid thigh could be seen. The door was held partly shut so regardless of your position in the room little else could be seen except for a few spots. “They're thickening nicely aren't they?” As she spoke Susan slowly raised and lowered her leg flexing her thigh as she did so. She wasn't certain if Devin was still in the room or not but she hoped that he was.

Placing her foot on the ground while keeping her leg outstretched to show its new length Susan began to draw herself into the room. Susan's bathing suit consisted of three long strips, a bottom and a collar. Two strips of material extended up from her bottom starting at the same origin just above her crotch and branching into a v that covered both her breasts. At roughly nipple level the v began to close up and terminate in her collar for a bottom heavy diamond shape. The third strip extended from the back of the collar moving in a strait line to terminate in her bottom. Currently the strips covered the front of Susan's breast in their entirety and if it hadn't been for the relatively rigid rims of the material would have shown more then was intended at Susan's current size as the material was still somewhat relaxed.

Moving into her bedroom Susan pushed her breast forward subconsciously trying to make them appear even larger then they were. Currently both buttocks were three fourths covered by the material but Susan hoped it would only be a quarter by the time she was finished. “What do you think Devin? I chose this in hopes that you'd end up shrunk. I wanted a garment that would let you start at my nipples but perhaps work your way down to my pussy if you wanted to. You would like that wouldn't you? Do you want to know something? These straps are double sided. There is an opening just above my pussy and just underneath my nipples that you could slide down into so your travels would be safe.”

Susan, “Now I know that these clothes are a little lose on me but I hope to fix that. I actually got a bit taller while I was in the bathroom! I'm a little curious how that happened. I don't think anyone was much taller then Sherwood was but I could swear I put on six to eight centimeters. What I'm guessing is that I got my new legs from one of my earlier victims and upper body from one of the three I just finished. Now I know there was four but one of them hasn't kicked in just yet. Then again it could be more then that when I think about it. Perhaps I kept Sherwood's femur and took the tibia from someone else. I guess it really doesn't matter.”

As she finished speaking Susan made her way back to her office. She had been meaning to start her sweep from there at first but had been distracted several times over. That didn't mean she could just ignore this location. If she was going to do a sweep of her room she had to be thorough. “Devin do you think we should listen to some music while I'm searching for you and hunting my nutrients? I guess you'd prefer if I did as it'd make it even less likely that I'll hear you all. The problem is I don't know what to listen to for such an occasion.” As she was speaking Susan had already began to search through the carpet running her fingers through the thick covering while spreading it apart in tiny sections as she moved. “Perhaps lair of the beast would be a good one? Well it'd fit for my little fishies but not you.”

Susan, “Well hello there was someone tired after there escape?” As she spoke Susan gently pressed her finger against Lewis's side lightly shaking him.

Lewis groaned as the pain from being punched hadn't quite left his jaw. His left hand reached up and rubbed his chin where he had been hit while his mind tried to figure out what was going on. The moment his brain began to work normally both his eyes opened up and he found himself staring into Susan's face. His mouth opened up and a horrified shriek escaped him as he leaped from the ground and lunged head first in the carpet. He wasn't even thinking about where he was running to or the odds of escape he just knew that he had to run. The feeling of Susan's fingers pressing into his side brought out an even more powerful shriek as he pressed both hands against Susan's index finger in a desperate attempt to force her hand open.

Susan, “Lewis that's some nice lunges you have there! I think they might be some of the most developed I've heard this entire time. Thank you for bringing them to me!” As she finished speaking Susan tossed Lewis into her mouth. The feeling of a little person landing face first upon her tongue still made her shiver even after so many little snacks. She was curious what benefits this little snack might bring her if any but finding out was part of the fun.

***********************************************************************************

Lewis? The name struck Devin as one he remembered. It only took a moment for him to recall the man Gretchen had knocked out whenever he refused to obey. “Damn it Gretchen!”

Gretchen, “What?”

Devin, “That was Lewis that just got ate now. Susan just found him.”

Gretchen, “Oh. Don't worry about that too much. That fat bastard wouldn't have made it very far to begin with.” As she spoke Gretchen waved her right hand in front of her face dismissively. “Besides if I hadn't then the others wouldn't have been falling follow along.”

Devin, “Do you even care that he just got ate?”

It was hard for Gretchen to keep from sighing. Did she care? That was a stupid question. Of course she didn't care that Lewis had just been eaten. At least it told her how far along Susan was. “Do you feel responsible for everyone that couldn't keep up with us? Wait you probably do. Well what do you want me to do about it?”

For a moment Devin felt the blood rush to his head. He wanted to strike Gretchen right then and there but given her build figured he'd lose. Would it do him any good to hit her? “If we get out of this alive I'm going to report what you done.”

A slight chuckle escaped Gretchen as she continued to follow behind Devin. “If that's what you believe should be done then I'm okay with that. Can you imagine what it's going to be like if we actually escape. I mean your lady back there might be a murderous cannibal but I don't even think that's what will get the most media coverage. Shrunken people. Now that's what everyone will want to know about. We've spent all this time trying to escape but have either of you considered what we're going to do even if we do escape?”

Susan, “Come back here you little silly you can't hide in there. Hey Devin you wouldn't believe how light the night stand feels now! I bet I won't need you to help me move furniture around anymore which I suppose is a good thing considering your situation. Why hello there Beth I didn't think you and Aaron were hiding together. I bet you're awfully upset that he led me to your hiding spot.”

Devin, “I don't believe escape is the answer. My phone is in the kitchen on the counter near the entrance. If you can get to it you can call the police like you suggested before but that would be quite a climb. That is assuming that I fail to change Susan's mind and grow the survivors back once everyone who can be is hidden from her. If at all possible I'll convince Susan to grow you all back.”

Gretchen, “Then report me to the police?”

It struck Devin rather hard when Gretchen questioned him. If Susan did grow them back would the police even believe what had happened here? Would Susan be willing to grow them back if she knew they'd try to take revenge? No seemed the best answer to both questions. Who would believe that little Susan had abducted a small crowd of people and was now hunting them for food? “So what are your intentions once you've been grown back?'

Rusty, “Get the hell away from here of course.”

Devin, “You don't want to pay Susan back?”

Rusty, “I'd love to I'm sure we all would. They're lots of people I'd love to pay back for wronging me in the past though but you've got to know when to give up on such ideas. I've had a few weeks to think about it and not only is your lady a cannibal but she can shrink people down so they're smaller then her thumb. I'd prefer to get out of here alive then make some desperate attempt at revenge.

Gretchen, “Same. Besides I have to admit after seeing her body developing I'd probably do the same if I were in her shoes. I'm a little lost by how she's been talking to you Devin. I'm guessing that the two of you are close.”

Devin, “Yeah. Susan has always been a little off in the head but I love her and I know she loves me. She just has her own way of showing that love. I wasn't even surprised whenever she said she's been wanting to shrink me for a while now. I am surprised that she waited this long to do it. I guess that it means that she needed me to break a promise with her or something.”

Gretchen, “From how she's been talking about contracts I'd say you're right. You know I'm not certain if you're entirely opposed to what she's doing or at least part of you isn't.”

Devin, “What are you saying? I love Susan but she's murdering people I can't just let her do that.”

Gretchen, “That's what you say but you've been sporting a boner ever since she ate Sherwood. You didn't seem surprised whenever I said I'd do the same thing either if I were in her shoes. After all, do you think my nipples are normally this perky? Just the thought of such power is quite a turn on even for me and I'm actually fearful for my life. You might not approve of her actions but part of you likes it. It's probably even better for you since she doesn't seem to want to eat you.”

Immediately Devin felt his mouth open but no words came out. Looking down at his crotch it was clear that his body had indeed responded to Susan's development and her constant teasing. A lump seemed to form in Devin's stomach as a sickening feeling began to spread throughout his entire body. Was he really turned on by watching Susan eat people? Even if was just her body what kind of sicko popped a boner while his lady was involved in cannibalism.

Gretchen, “Looks like we're here.”

Devin was a bit surprised to find them standing next to Susan's treadmill. He had been so caught off guard by Gretchen's comment that his body had continued on auto pilot. Had they still been in Susan's room he imagined that she would have captured him in that moment of thoughtlessness. “Okay look for the a well warn thread then we'll work together to rip it out.” As Devin spoke he was made to remember the other people they'd been traveling with or he believed was following them. “I think we could have more then three sets of hands helping to rip it out. Whatever happened to the group that was sent ahead of us?”

Gretchen, “I don't know actually. I lost site of them.”

Amal, “Don't worry you haven't lost us.” As he spoke Amal pushed through the carpet. He had been following a few centimeters behind Gretchen most of the time. At least he had been once they reached the dresser and he'd let them pass him up.

Gretchen, “What? I sent you ahead of us what are you doing back there?”

Amal, “I stopped to wrest at the dresser for a while longer then you did. As you were already forging ahead I didn't see any reason to speak up.”

A sharp snort escaped Gretchen as she shook her head. “Well I guess we ended up clearing the second half of the trip for you. What happened to Rita?”

Amal, “Ah yes. Rita apparently had some plans of her own. She was with me up to the dresser but after that I'm not sure. Whenever I asked what she was doing all she said was that she'd prefer if no one knew what she was planning so that if we were captured well we wouldn't reveal where she was going.”

To this Gretchen gave a nod. “Well as you're volunteering get over here and help us with this. I think I found a good one.”

Nodding Amal joined Rusty, Gretchen and Devin who had all taken hold of a thread. The base had been weakened by the occasional shifting of the treadmill. “So how many strands of carpet do you think we're going to need?”

Devin, “Six would be the minimum we could form a strait line but twelve should be our goal depending on how things going. Hey Amal thanks for speaking up. After that incident earlier I'm surprised you're volunteering.”

Amal. “I can be pissed at Gretchen later for volunteering me like that. That is once we're somewhere safe or better yet grown back to our original size. Besides you all helped clear the way for me.”

***********************************************************************************

Beth had just watched Aaron being swallowed by Susan and still felt her anger boiling. The fact that he had lead Susan strait to her pretty much earned him her hatred for the rest of her life. Not that her life seemed like it was going to be particularly long as she felt Susan's fingers brushing against her feet. Those fingers began to run up between her legs moments later forcing them to part. At first Beth thought they may reach her crotch but then she felt Susan's thumb press against her right leg and travel slowly down it. Reflexively Beth tried to jerk her finger free from Susan's grasp but that had no effect.

Susan, “Oh Beth your skin is so smooth. Did you have it treated or is this natural for you?”

Beth, “Please don't eat me. Surely there has to be another way that I can repay my debt. If you let me live I could help you get others.”

Instead of commenting Susan continued to run her fingers along Beth's leg. It truly was amazing how smooth her skin was especially as most of her captives didn't really worry about keeping their legs and face shaved while in the cage. Even when she provided for them they just didn't show any interest. “How did you get your legs like this?”

Beth, “If I tell you will you let me go?”

Susan, “Beth that was only a friendly question. This is just a little conversation before I eat you. If you want to get down to business and hurry up and give me that smooth skin of yours we can do that. Oh.” Susan was a bit surprised whenever she felt her thumb brush Beth rear. It wasn't as full as Linda's but it was wonderfully shaped. “What a cute little bottom you have as well! I was happy enough with what I got from Linda but you just have such a cute little heart shaped bottom. My rump is just going to be simply smoking after being filled out by Linda and shaped by you and my own firmness.”

Beth, “Please! Let me repay my debt with something other then my life.”

A sigh escaped Susan as she shook her head. “Okay I don't want to have this conversation again so I'm just going to say it. Everyone make sure you're listen to this. I honestly can't think of another way for any of you to repay your debt that would satisfy me except for Devin of course. You're going to have to make up for breaking your promise after all. I don't need any help finding the escapees and I don't need help finding other people after this. I already have plenty of help doing that. Now I'm sure some of you believe that you could repay the money you owe me or perhaps repay the favors I've done for you but you already proven that's beyond you.”

As Beth listened to Susan she felt her cheeks warming up and a painful bulge forming within her throat. “No. No! I didn't do anything to deserve this you monster! You're a murderer and evil beast.” As she spoke Beth could feel herself becoming more desperate and without really thinking her hands struck Susan's thumb. “Let me go!”

Susan, “Evil beast? All I'm doing is exercising my rights. Now as for whether or not you deserve this I'm going to have to disagree with you Beth. Well that was mean of me to say really. I don't want to destroy your self image after all but it wasn't nice of you to call me evil either. You know you've all been calling me names for quite some time now and making all sorts of accusations. I've endured but you should know that it hurts me.”

Beth, “Go to hell! After what you've done you deserve all the pain in the world!”

For a moment Susan didn't say anything but gave a slight pout as she listened to the tiny woman. “Talking to you isn't fun anymore.” To this Susan gave a quick nod and released her hold on Beth's leg while lifting the increasingly hysterical woman towards her mouth. As she brought Beth closer to her mouth Susan stuck out her tongue and pressed it against the tiny woman. Beth's little fist began to beat against the massive crimson saliva covered muscles as her little screams became muffled. Susan could feel Beth's breast pushing into her tongue. Frantically kicking legs did a lot to tickle her tongue and Susan couldn't resist giggling causing her tongue to vibrate.

Beth could feel the bumps of Susan's tongue pressing into her body as saliva rolled off that tongue and began to coat her body. Her front had been saturated with saliva the moment Susan pressed her against it but now she felt it rolling down onto her hair soaking her hair and engulfing the rest of her body. Susan's saliva was thick and rolled like a heavy syrup while its sticky nature actually began to wear on Beth. The sticky substance began to coat her face making it hard to breath. This forced her to stop punching Susan's tongue and reach up to remove the saliva at least enough to breath. Then she felt that tongue moving.

Susan moved her tongue over Beth's body noting how the tiny woman's breast and hair shifted as she licked her. This gave her a moment to note the flavor as well and another sharp giggle escaped her causing her tongue to vibrate against the tiny woman's body. “Hey Beth do you think any of you will taste a bit on the sweet side? It'd be something else if I ended up tweaking my own taste. You're rather on the salty savory side in case you're wondering.”

Beth, “I hate you!”

Susan, “Meanie.” With those words Susan hooked her tongue just under Beth and released her hold on the tiny woman. She heard a sharp scream just reach her ears as she pulled the tiny woman into her mouth. Her tongue pressed the tiny figure against the roof of her mouth immediately. Susan then began to turn her head up towards the ceiling so that she was looking into the light and parted her lips so that it could enter into her mouth. Beth was still screaming a fact that was clear once she opened her mouth. The fact that they were screams coming from inside of her mouth but weren't actually her own was actually an amusing thought to Susan.

The darkness had engulfed her and Beth had been certain she was about to be swallowed. As oppressive as the heat from Susan's tongue had been and the saliva coating her body it was nothing compared to being within Susan's mouth. The heat engulfed her entire being and seemed to soak into her skin itself while the scent was all encompassing. She could hear the air rushing down Susan's throat whenever the woman breathed and then a gurgling reached her ears. It was the curious sound of the saliva within Susan's mouth shifting and the sound of the muscles working as she parted her lips to let light in.

Darkness seemed welcome whenever light came and revealed the truth. Beth was currently facing backwards towards Susan's throat. When she looked down she could actually see Susan's saliva flowing down her tongue and back into her throat. The light glimmered of the transparent fluid coating Susan's tongue making the red muscle appear to glisten. She could hear some dripping as the saliva beaded from time to time and either bashed against a tooth or fell from the roof of Susan's mouth. What truly held Beth's gaze however was the site of Susan's uvula.

They were small Beth knew that and everyone else did. Yet seeing Susan's uvula swaying in the back of her throat brought a new level of understanding to Beth. Susan's uvula was a glistening soft red pendant gangling in the back of her mouth slightly swaying as air rolled past it. Yet to Beth it was the size of a small wrecking ball perched just above the dark void. Beth's heart skipped a beat whenever she saw Susan's uvula rise slightly and then felt the pressure of Susan's tongue pressing against her body relax.

Keeping her mouth open and tilting her head back so that Beth began to slide down towards her throat Susan couldn't help but feel a little awkward. She had done this before but it was with her mouth closed. The view seemed to inspire Beth to struggle more at least or perhaps she simply had more fight then the last one that slid down her tongue. She could feel Beth's little feet striking her tongue while the woman's palms pressed into her tongue. They weren't stationary though but slid back and forward as Beth tried to push against her tongue. The feeling of her tongue being rubbed by the woman's frantic struggles to survive caused a warmth to begin feeling in Susan's crotch. Unfortunately verbal teasing was out of the question as that would have ruined the slide.

The light glistened off the saliva on Susan's tongue as it flowed. At her tiny scale and within Susan's mouth meant Beth could see little waves form in the saliva as tiny imperfections in Susan's tongue caused the saliva to flow at different rates. Beth could feel that hot sticky saliva splashing her the results of her own struggling but she couldn't stop. She didn't even know if it was getting in her mouth as she fought to keep from sliding back into Susan's throat. The hot air within Susan's mouth was disrupted for a moment as Susan inhaled through her mouth and it made Beth shiver due to the sudden change in temperature. Beth felt Susan's tongue lift slightly in response to her breathing and her rate of decline increased. Every moment Susan's throat grew larger despite Beth's struggles.

Beth's struggles seemed to grow more erotic as the tiny woman neared her throat. It wasn't clear to Susan if this was actually due to a change in how things felt or if it was due her anticipating the changes that Beth was about to bring to her body. In either case she turned her head more sharply to increase Beth's rate of fall. Part of her wanted to savor the experience but another part wanted the little woman inside of her belly now. She was surprised whenever a sudden pulse struck her causing her to tilt her head sharply. Her head began to tingle as a fog seemed to cloud her thinking. She did recall what happened last time she felt like this and Susan quickly let herself fall to her knees.

Why had her body suddenly felt like it was improving even without swallowing Beth? As the fog engulfed her head Susan found this difficult to remember and when she looked around the room she was quite shocked to find that the coloring of the room had shifted. She had to give her head a quick shake when she realized that those colors were still shifting. How could her body suddenly be adapting when all the others had made it into her throat before hand? Yefin was the answer to that and the realization made Susan smile as she remembered why. Her body must have finally began its work on him. The thought pleased Susan though she was a bit surprised it had taken so long.

Now why did her head feel like it was in a fog? Why were the colors changing? Looking around Susan felt relieved to see that the colors were returning to their natural state. The fog was also lifting and the answer had came. Something in her brain had actually been influenced and she'd felt the side affects while it adjusted to its new state. This idea was joined by the notion that perhaps her eyes had been changed. She had always had good vision but not superb. Perhaps Yefin had extremely good eye site? A delighted squeal escaped Susan as she felt another wave of changes running through her. It was a good thing she had already settled down as she felt her legs beginning to tingle.

Eyes or the working of her brain it didn't really matter. It did make Susan giggle to realize that Yefin might have been the first person to influence the workings of her brain. Sixteen people and none of them had been able to improve the working of her brain? It was an amusing if somewhat disappointing thought that made Susan grin. A sharp yelp escaped Susan as she felt her bottom shift both in terms of her buttocks reshaping themselves and the bathing suit itself. “Oh Devin it's going to be so much fun having you explore my new body and I'm not even done. I have to admit I regret that you couldn't have explored me before these changes but sense you released my food this seemed the way to go. I could save some for later so that you could enjoy being up close as my body changed but I'm just so weak Devin. I don't know if I have the willpower needed to hold off. Even the ones who don't change my appearance might improve something that can't be seen. You know Devin that's one of the reasons I love you. You've always been so strong when it was for me.”

As she finished speaking Susan stood up and ran her hand down her new legs. “They're so smooth. You'll love sliding down these legs of mine Devin. You know I just realized that you might have made your way out of the room by now. I hope you can see me but I should be prepared for the event that you can't. I know.” As she spoke Susan walked back to her dresser and opened up the second drawer from the top. It only took her a moment to locate her digital camera. “I'll just have to take some pictures the next time I swallow someone. Actually I should have set up a video camera before I started so we could watch these events all over again. I'll take care of that now.”

***********************************************************************************

Amal, “Your woman seems a bit off in the head.” As he spoke Amal had just finished pulling another carpet fiber from the floor and placed it in the little pile they were making.

Devin, “Yeah. Susan has always been a little nutty but that's just one of the things I love about her.”

Amal, “Love? You mean all of this hasn't change how you feel about her?”

Devin, “How I feel about her? Yeah that has changed but the fact that I love her hasn't changed.” Devin had to go silent as he focused on pulling the carpet strand from the floor. If it hadn't been weakened by the constant shifting on the treadmill as Susan ran upon it he doubted that it'd be possible to pull up. By working together they had gathered up seven of the strands and he was beginning to wonder if it was time to make their move.

Amal, “Ah hell I know where you're coming from. It's hard to hate them whenever they haven't done anything to hurt you isn't it?”

Devin, “You sound like you've had some experience.”

Amal, “Terry is her name and well she's more bitch then crazy but she wasn't a bitch to me and she was great fun to be with. I knew that she was rather dangerous but she was nice enough to me so I kept pushing it to the back of my mind. You should be careful with that though. Terry was sweet as can be for a long time until my buddy Ardon crossed her.”

Devin, “What happened?”

Amal, “Terry liked the pipe you see and her pills she'd share with me but then one day while visiting she caught Ardon sneaking some of her pills. She demanded that he pay her for them and then some but he just laughed it off. Right up until the point Terry hit him with the pepper spray and then the brass knuckles. I really fucked up whenever I tried to help Ardon out.”

Devin, “What did you do?”

Amal, “I tried to take hold of her but that only gave her the chance to let into me. I should have just went strait to hitting her. Thinking back on it I really knew better but like I said she'd never been a bitch to me. It wasn't like I was taking Ardon's side I just didn't want her to beat my buddy to death. I guess that worked as no one died but that pretty much ended out relationship.”

Rusty, “You didn't try to pay the bitch back?”

Amal, “Pay Terry back? No. If I'd come after her I'd had to deal with her brothers and they would have done a lot worse then she would have. I guess it was good practice for this day.”

Rusty, “Yeah. Hey Devin how are you handling all of this? A lot of went through the whole this has to be a dream stage whenever we first ended up in that cage. It took some of us several weeks to accept what was going on and even now it's kind of hard to imagine. You jumped right on board though and started working.”

Devin, “I'm not sure this isn't a dream yet though if it is then it is the most realistic dream I've ever had. I'm working on the assumption that this is probably not real but in the event that it is I should do everything within my power. Well that's what I'd like to say but well. I also believe it's best not to underestimate Susan.” A sigh escaped Devin as he resumed his efforts. “How many strands do we have?”

Gretchen, “We're up to nine.”

Devin, “I believe we should get going. Susan is thorough so it'll take her a while but she will finish in time.”

Rusty, “What if we're a strand short?”

Devin gave a slight shrug. “Then I'll stand on the tape and help each of you get across. Perhaps even this isn't needed though. I'm not sure how much our own body weight will influence the tapes adherence to us. It's best to play it safe.”

Gretchen, “Didn't you say it's be safer to get twelve strands?”

Devin, “Yeah but I wish Susan kept a clock in here. It feels like we've been here longer then what we should be.”

Gretchen, “Well that's fine. I noticed when we were in her bedroom there isn't a clock in there either. How does your lady tell the time?”

Devin, “Susan doesn't like having clocks tell her what time it is she prefers to work at her own pace. The strange thing is she tends to get done ahead of schedule. Well ever since I've known her she's gotten done ahead of schedule. Of course she doesn't like the sun telling her when she should go to sleep either so she has no windows in the upstairs as you noticed. Her radio is set to play twinkle twinkle little star whenever it's twelve and wake up little darling at eight thirty and that's the only indicator of time she allows in her upstairs.”

Gretchen, “That's what that was! I've noticed that playing several times but I didn't know what was happening.”

A sigh escaped Devin as he shook his head. “Susan's mother would sing those songs to her to either wake her up or put her to bed. It's so ingrained into her that it still influences her. It's not like the songs have to be loud either. I actually had to convince her to turn the radio up whenever I had a deadline so that the song would wake me up. If she just barely hears the song she'll wake up.”

Amal, “So if we can last until bed time do you believe she'll go to sleep?”

Devin, “In my experience with Susan is any indicator then yes she'll go to bed if she hears twinkle twinkle. There have only been a few times whenever I've seen Susan resist sleep after hearing that song. Without any idea of how much time has passed I'm not sure if we have that long.” As they had been speaking Devin had gathered up the bits of carpet they had managed to rip up. It actually surprised him they'd had much success given their tiny stature. As he began to walk towards the tape he pushed such thoughts away.

Amal might have been forced to go ahead by Gretchen but now that he was with them he didn't intend to separate so soon. He wanted to get some more information. “I've listened to a few people begging for their lives and it doesn't seem your girl is the type to respond to that. Any idea on how we might be able to talk her out of eating us if we are captured?”

Amal's question actually struck Devin as rather surprising. While he had been trying to help them escape he hadn't told them how to push Susan's buttons. There was complications with such a request when it came to Susan of course. “Susan isn't the type that you can manipulate intentionally I've always been rather honest with her and that seems to get the best results. She seems rather certain that everyone here has a debt to her and that she's in the right doing as she wants. Given what she gains from eating people well. I'm not sure if there is a way to talk her out of it right now.”

Amal, “Doesn't mean we shouldn't try.”

Devin, “Yeah. Susan doesn't think along a linear path. I guess one example is this. Susan is actually very good at martial arts for her size she's been training a long time. She didn't begin taking martial arts for physical wellness though or for self defense. Rather Susan likes to dress up as her favorite characters for certain conventions and well role playing sessions but it upset her that she couldn't really perform like some of her favorite characters especially the more agile kitty girls she likes. So she started attending martial arts lessons and gymnastics in order to duplicate their movements.”

Gretchen, “Are you serious? She built this entire training room and took martial arts classes just so she can pretend to be some child's character?”

A slight chuckle escaped Devin as he listened to the shock in Gretchen's voice. “If you want to insult Susan say what you just said to me. It'll make her angry. Yes I'm being honest. Susan always has her reasons for doing what she does but they're kind of hard to grasp. So she's clearing enjoying the changes in her body and growing stronger but I don't think she's enjoying them for the reason most would expect.”

Gretchen, “Actually. I think she's doing it for you.”

Devin, “Huh?”

Gretchen, “This entire time she's been teasing you going on about how you could explore her body and what she'd like to do with you. So do you think she might have decided to kill all of us just for you?”

There was no immediate response from Devin as he continued to push ahead. Susan could be a very giving woman it was true and it was possible that she saw this as giving to him. Did she really need to kill these people to change her body? What type of magic was she using? “I can't say that it's not possible. She would have to know that I wouldn't agree with murder though.”

Amal, “So what do you plan on doing once you actually speak with her?”

Devin, “I won't be able to play along with her games. She's going to have to answer for the people that she's murdered.” As he spoke Devin couldn't truly voice his thoughts. Surely Susan would know that he would never condone murder even if it meant bettering her body. Yet she still seemed to be interested in him. Did that mean there was something about this entire event he was missing? There had been some comments from Gretchen, Rusty and even Amal that made him wonder and some actions as well. What kind of people was he really helping to run from Susan?

Gretchen, “Hey Devin are you okay? You're slowing down.”

Susan, “Well hello Samuel, Kevin and hey Anne I've been looking for you especially! Were you trying to sneak back into my office? I bet that you were. That's really not the best idea they are no windows in there or openings for you to sneak out of and I wouldn't have stopped searching until I found you all. You know I've been keeping track of each and every one of you.”

Amal, “It sounds like she found a few more I wonder where they were at.”

A shiver ran up Devin's spine as he listened to Susan. They couldn't actually hear what the other people were saying to her but it probably didn't matter. He imagined that they were pleading for their lives like the others had or just screaming. Perhaps they were trying to make some kind of deal or claim something that would bring them mercy. “Do any of you know those three?'

Amal, “We all know a little bit about one another we were in that cage for quite some time. Is there something you'd like to ask?”

It was tempting to ask what type of people they were. Perhaps it would make the growing lump in his throat shrink a bit if he knew they weren't good people but he shook his head. “No. I really don't want to feel this way about Susan so I was thinking that if I knew something about them it might make me feel a bit better. That's not good though. What Susan is doing is wrong after all. She probably knows that I'm going to be upset with her.”

Gretchen, “You mentioned you couldn't condone her actions but do you really think you can leave her?She said it herself she wanted you shrunk perhaps this has something to do with that. Like this you can't very well leave her and she has all the time to bring you over to her way of thinking. From what you've said she's done it before.”

Devin, “I could never condone murder.”