- Text Size +
Story Notes:

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

"It's been an awesome party, as usual!" The lumbering colossus said with a weary smile as he threw his bag into the open door of his car, turning to face the slender young lady standing behind him.

"Glad you had a good time man, great having you around." She braced herself for the inevitable bear-hug as he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing until the air nearly burst from her lungs. She let out an exaggerated gasp and he released her, a toothy grin nestled in his beard.

"Eh, you didn't need that spine anyway." He paused for a beat, looking fondly at her before adopting an expression of sudden remembrance. "OH! Shit, yes, before I go... one more gift for you. And be extra careful with this one, it's... unique."

"Oh?" She asked, wary of the excited tone in her friend's voice.

"Oh yes. Not to toot my own horn, but I went to great lengths to get this little present together. If I may offer some strong advice," he turned carefully on the spot, holding out a stone chest no bigger than a pencil case, "don't open it around other people. Go somewhere private and open it there, it's personal."

"Oh...kay..." She replied with a cocked eyebrow. "Cheers dude, do you want to open it with me?"

"NO. No. Nonono. Haha, no no. This one's something you'll enjoy better without me or anyone else around I think." He grinned at the bewildered look on her face. "Trust me."

She smiled.

"Sure dude, drive safe home. I'll send you a text when I've had a look."

"No need to rush!" He chuckled, clambering into the driver's seat and twisting the key. The roar of the engine met the distant thump of music as the bearded giant waved his farewell. "Until next time!"

Lauren waved, drumming her fingertips on the chest as she watched him drive away. Once the lights of the Volvo had disappeared into the trees, she glanced back over her shoulder to her house. The silhouettes of her other friends flitted back and forth, cheerful laughter and incoherent shouting mingling with the tunes as they drank in celebration of her birthday. Her eyes strayed then to the bonfire across the yard; completely deserted.

...

Settling into one of the fold out chairs, Lauren flipped the latch on the chest and popped open the lid. Upon seeing the contents, her brain momentarily chugged as it endeavoured to switch gears. She recognized the names engraved on the three compartments, she understood their context... but she didn't understand what her friend could possibly have brought her that necessitated being reminded of those three ass-bags. Ignoring for a moment the 'Jeremy' compartment, suppressing the wave of disgust and loathing that filled her veins, she reached instead for the door of the 'Joseph' container.

The little wooden door flipped up with a soft 'thunk', and Lauren's jaw dropped.

There, blinking and covering his eyes at the sudden flood of light, was a tiny, freckle-faced fellow whose physique was more than familiar - despite being six feet smaller than the last time she saw him. A myriad of thoughts passed through her mind, fighting for control of her mouth as she just gaped at him. He squinted up at her, his own expression just as confused.

"... Lauren?"

She flipped the lid shut impulsively.

"What the actual fuck?" She breathed, glancing back at the furthest enclosure. 'Jeremy'.

As she gazed at the name, a feeling of burning sadism building in her belly, she noticed the words carved into the inside of the lid.

"What does... hmm... 'A present from the past my dear: do not be fooled by appearances, they can take far more than you might think. They are not indestructible, but they will still break if you try hard enough. Do with that what you will.' ... God-damn, you're just full of surprises aren't you?" All feelings of apprehension had quite vanished by the time she'd finished reading the inscription. The whites of her eyes glinted in the flickering light of the fire, her lips pulled back across her teeth as the excitement bubbled beneath the surface of her skin. Glancing back over her shoulder to make sure she was still alone, Lauren took a deep breath before reaching for Jeremy's lid.

Flipping open the wooden door, she let the silhouette of her face fill the opening above. She glared with undisguised malice down at the skinny, shrunken, hairy insect of a human sprawled inside. He took one look at her before scrambling back into the corner of the container. His obvious terror sank into her like a sweet elixer as she bared her teeth at him.

"L-Lauren? W-what the He-"

"Shut up you wretched little fuck-stick!" She barked, his entire body convulsing as he clasped his palms against his ears against the sheer volume, "You don't get to talk anymore! Because guess what? You're mine now, and I'm going to thoroughly enjoy returning the favour for all the pain you put me through. I'm putting you back in the dark now Jeremy, enjoy it while it lasts... because the next time you see the light, it'll be time for you to die."

The olive tinge of his skin had paled to a ghostly white as he trembled, his entire body shaking like a jackhammer. Pursing her lips, she spat with contempt onto his diminished figure, coating him with a thick layer of saliva. With a flick of her thumb, Lauren plunged him back into darkness, pressing down on the door to his cage with her heart thumping against her ribs. Never before in her entire life had she felt a rush of power and wicked satisfaction that was anything like this; everyone dreamed of getting revenge on the people who had wronged them, but this... this was so real. So tangible. She suppressed a spasm in her arm as she reached for the lid again, momentarily overcome with the desire to just snatch him out of the box and crush him into blood and viscera between her fingers. But as much as the idea of his screams being snuffed out with a gurgling 'splat' amused her on a subconscious level, that would be far too quick for the likes of him.

Besides, she had other business to attend to first.

"Hello Joseph." She said with a civil, if slightly demeaning tone as she flipped the lid of the first container back open. Judging by the expression on his face, he was just as terrified as Jeremy. "Oh wipe that look off your face; you're not nearly as bad as that living human parasite."

"P-please A-Lauren, d-d-don't kill me, I'll do anything!" She suppressed the urge to giggle at the sound. It was adorably pathetic considering she had no intention of actually killing him, but while it would have been easy to assuage his fears about death, she decided it was worth the time to milk his fear for a while.

"Anything? Anything at all?" She probed, reaching slowly for him with her fingers outstretched, dragging out the motion as long as possible.

"YES! Absolutely anything; name it and I'll do it! J-just don't hurt me!" His voice grew higher and higher with each passing moment as her fingertips filled his vision, pinching around his feeble frame and plucking him from the stone chest. If she were being honest with herself, she didn't really harbour that much ill-will towards Joseph. School romances happened often, and just as often don't wind up working out. Compared to the garbage in the furthest compartment, he was positively saintly. All the same, she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to get some small satisfaction from the moment.

"Well Joseph, since I'm feeling merciful... I'll spare your life IF you do one thing for me..." Bending forwards in her seat, Lauren released her grip on the brown-haired boy, watching him tumble to the dirty grass below. He hit the soil with a soft 'thwap' and quickly scrabbled onto his knees, craning back his head to take in the sight of his ex girlfriend towering over him. She was an absolute titan by comparison, her slender legs rising like pillars into the sky and her soft, beautiful features appearing positively divine in the surreal light of the situation. He was also acutely aware of the monstrously thick soles of her boots, each one the size of a football field, hanging over him poised to come down at any moment. "...Bow to me. Apologize for everything you ever did. Agree that you are a grub and I am a Goddess... Do that and maybe I shan't smoosh you like a bug." She tapped the heels of her boots together emphatically.

Without a moment's hesitation, Joseph prostrated himself in the dirt, nose to the ground and palms outstretched. Truth be told, Lauren couldn't actually hear what he was saying. The puny little squeaks were coming fast and furious, but whether it was the pitch or the speed, she couldn't decipher half of it. All the same, he had kept his word... and the sight of it filled her with the kind of uncomplicated glee that comes from having someone who wronged you beg for forgiveness.

"Alright squirt, that's enough." Joseph raised his head tentatively. Lauren grinned with an air of superiority. "You are forgiven, I shan't crush you. Now... see that house over there?" She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. "I imagine it'll take quite a while at your size, but run along over there... if you still remember where my bedroom is, then wriggle under the door and wait for me in there. Just try not to be seen, okay? If my new boyfriend sees you crawling around on the ground, he might not be as kind as I am..." She smirked at the obvious gulp as Joseph nodded meekly. "Oh, and... don't stray too far around the house. The Dog hasn't been fed yet, it would be so unfortunate if you wound up as a chew toy."

In an instant, the tiny figure had taken off through the grass towards the house. Lauren chuckled to herself... tonight was going quite well.

"Now then... behind door number two," the lady's fingernail slid under the lid of 'Owen's compartment, "long time no see Owen..."

As the lid flipped open, a flash of movement wriggled out the top of the chest. A straw-coloured mohawk and several scrabbling limbs later, and Owen's tiny self had dived bodily off the edge of the container.

"Oop! Hey now!" Lauren watched as the miniscule figure collided with the belly of her corset and tumbled heels over head down her torso. Bumped and battered, Owen bounced off her thigh before finally coming to rest on the fabric of the chair. She cocked an eyebrow and pursed her lips at the tiny fellow as he groaned, obviously stunned as he rolled onto his back. "Well that's just rude. Trying to run away when we've only just been reunited? We can't have that Owen..."

Gripping the arms of the chair, Lauren propped herself up with enough force to jiggle the fabric beneath her. The dazed little creature rolled half a foot further onto the chair, limbs flopping weakly as he struggled to keep his bearings. Upon skidding to a halt in the pit of the chair's concave, he cast his gaze wildly about before finally looking up. In the shadow of the night, the otherwise starry sky was completely blotted out. It was an indistinct blur of shapes at best, but there was no question about what it was poised above him.

"I want an apology little bug! Say you're sorry!" He couldn't see Lauren's face beyond the sky of denim hanging mere inches away, but he could hear her voice clearly enough.

"I'm s-sorry!" He called out.

"What? I can't hear you, speak up!"

"I'M SORRY!" He screamed desperately, heat flooding his face as he realized that his life might very well end here. He'd never really known how he might like to die, but he definitely didn't want to wind up as a stain on his ex girlfriend's jeans.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I'M SORRY LAUREN!"

"No no, you don't get to call me Lauren anymore Owen, I am your fucking God right now. Tell the almighty you're sorry you snubbed her!"

"I'M... I'M SORRY... GODDESS? I SHOULDN'T HAVE DI... DISRESPECTED YOU!"

Lauren lowered her hips half a foot, eliciting a terrified shriek from the cowering critter.

"Try harder! Come on; you used to be so possessive of me, now the thought of -being- possessed is too much for you? If you're afraid you can't handle all of me at once... then I'd suggest you convince me not to splatter you."

"OH SWEET MERCIFUL GODDESS PLEASE DON'T KILL ME ANDI- SHIT, I MEAN, GODDESS! I'M SORRY I TRIED TO RUN!"

"See?" Lauren reached between her legs and dragged out the limp little man by the leg, hoisting him into the air and dangling him between her fingertips. "Was that so hard? A little respect can go a long way..."

Her little toy had gone quite red in the face, gasping for air as he struggled not to flail too hard, lest she drop him.

"W-what now?"

"Great question. You were a real fuck-trumpet to me, you know that?"

"I... yes?"

"You also know that you made me literally terrified that you were going to attack me. Right?"

A chill ran down Owen's spine as he nodded, unable to form words.

"I suspect you might have some idea how that feels right now..." She drew him gradually closer and closer to her lips, her teeth barely visible beneath her black lipstick.

"Wait, w-what are you doing?"

"Do you have any idea... how easy it would be... to kill you right now?"

His eyes widened as he shook his head in disbelief.

"H-hey, I said I was sorr-"

"I could just... open my mouth..." Lauren reclined in her chair, stretching out her legs and holding Owen above her chin. She tilted her head back and licked her lips torturously. "... drop you inside... and chew you up. I could swallow you whole even, let you scream in the dark as you melted in my stomach. Nobody would know... you'd just disappear."

"Don't eat me! Oh Jesus fucking God, please don't eat me Lauren!"

"GODDESS!"

"I'M SORRY JUST DON'T EAT ME!"

All at once, the cold expression on Lauren's face vanished and she grinned with malicious mischief.

"Oh don't be silly Owen, I shan't eat you... easy as it would be. I was always taught to wear my mistakes, you know? To be the bigger person. And you're definitely a mistake I'm happy to wear... After all, I think we can both agree that I'm the bigger person..."

"W-what do you mean?"

"Just you wait little man," Lauren said softly as she reached into her pocket for some loose threads, "just you wait..."

...

"... there. Perfect fit, wouldn't you say?"

Lauren examined the reflection of her choker in the glass of her phone, checking the stitches of the threads wrapped around Owen's limbs. He hung perfectly in the centre of the collar's ring, bound on four sides in the shape of an X, limbs pulled taut in every direction. The leftover thread sat bound around his mouth, neatly gagging him while also keeping his head secure so he didn't accidentally snap his neck whenever she moved.

"Don't fret Owen... it's only the rest of your life after all."

Tucking her phone back into her pocket, she felt the previously bubbling feeling of utter loathing return with a fury as she gazed at the final compartment. Bringing the stone chest up to her lips, she whispered quietly into the sealed container.

"... Are you ready to die, Jeremy?"

Ripping the wooden door off its hinges and flicking it into the fire, Lauren reached into the box and snatched Jeremy up into her palm. She could feel his feeble, frantic struggles as he pounded his limbs weakly against her skin with all the strength of a gnat. Muffled cries of primal fear echoed from her fist as she clenched her teeth, gradually compressing her grip until she felt like he was on the verge of exploding.

"I hope you understand that you brought this on yourself. A little human decency, a little dignity, a little respect... all you needed to do was talk to me like an actual person, and all this could have been avoided."

Relaxing her grip a fraction, Lauren allowed the battered figure to slip down her palm almost to the point of falling entirely - only to pinch his skull between forefinger and thumb, dangling the full weight of his own body by the neck. The agony on his face was quite apparent... and Lauren gulped it down like fine wine.

"But oh no... you had to treat me like dirt... go behind my back, deceive me, cheat on me! You're a rotten, repulsive little cockroach whose very veins ooze with dishonesty. If I squashed you right now, I'd spend weeks washing the lies off my skin. Well guess what Jeremy? I'm not going to lie to you... I'm going to grant you the gift of my total and complete honesty."

Lifting the writhing thing up to eye level, Lauren waited until Jeremy's tear-filled gaze met her own.

"I detest you, Jeremy. You hurt me. You ruined me... for a while at least. Turns out I'm strong enough to take care of myself even after all the shit you put me through though. I have a boyfriend who loves me honestly and whole-heartedly... I have friends who respect and adore me. I even have a friend who cares about me so much that he went out and brought me the best present I could possibly receive... you. At my mercy. It's beautiful really; I've honestly never been happier to see you in my entire life... because it means I get to watch you scream as you die. But first..."

Reaching down to the hand-bag she'd retrieved from the house during her time tying up Owen, Lauren unhooked one of the safety pins and brought it up to her flailing prisoner. His eyes went wide as he spewed forth an incoherent, garbled scream for mercy. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched closely, bending the full force of her focus to the moment at hand as the point of the pin neared Jeremy's groin. His hands clasped protectively around his crotch, but a subtle flick of Lauren's fingertip was all it took to slap them aside long enough for her to drive home the pin.

The wail of pain was like nothing she'd ever heard. On any other day, a scream like that might have made her quake in her boots and fear for the worst... but tonight? It was an orchestral note of delight that warmed her soul. A flame of vengeful passion surged in her heart as blood dripped to the ground far below, the force of her motion pushing the pin further and further through the little prick's body until it burst through the flesh of his lower back, drenched in crimson. The agonized cry was unending to the point of breathlessness, and Lauren sighed with satisfaction.

"God... it's beautiful..." she breathed, "you're so fucked. So very fucked."

Digging through the bag, she laid her fingers on a thumbtack which she gleefully lifted in front of her bloodied little plaything.

"Oop!" She caught herself at the last moment, "Can't go adding more without doing up the safety pin! That would be horribly irresponsible of me!" Attaching the clasp of the pin, she cocked her head and gazed at the petrified expression of disbelief etched on Jeremy's pale, Olive skin. "What's the matter Jeremy? Does it hurt? Maybe I can distract you from that pain... here," with a look of cold loathing she pressed the thumbtack into his stomach, snarling as she buried it up to the hilt in his flesh, "you can thank me in Hell."

Buckled over and wriggling weakly through the pain, Jeremy's body was still remarkably animated in spite of the two iron rods piercing his torso.

"Credit where it's due, he wasn't kidding when he said that you were sturdier than you look. I wonder if you can withstand blunt force as well as you can withstand piercing?"

Releasing her grip on Jeremy, Lauren watched as he dropped like a stone, colliding with the steel rim of the chair before landing with a 'thud' on the toe of her boot. Tilting it to the side, she watched his bleeding form flop out onto the ground. Lifting her leg into the air as high as it would go, Lauren paused to savour the anticipation as she watched her prey coughing up blood in the dirt.

"You. Are. Pathetic." With an almighty stomp, Lauren slammed the sole of her boot onto Jeremy, crushing his form into the grass and twisting her heel back and forth. She could barely feel anything through the thick sole of the boot, but she could feel that his body was still miraculously in-tact... for the moment anyway. Though she wouldn't have minded all that much if he had simply exploded beneath her foot, she quietly hoped he would survive long enough for what she really had planned.

After close to a minute of non-stop grinding, she lifted her heel up behind her and inspected it. There, smeared amidst the dirt and grass shoots, was the diminutive, dinky form of Jeremy. His arms were bent and broken, his legs snapped at odd angles and his body spattered with red... but still very much alive.

"Oh! That looks painful... asshole." Planting her foot on the ground again, she wiped him off on the grass, taking a moment to let her heart-rate calm before reaching down to scoop him up.

"Anyway... it's nearly midnight, and it'll be a new day soon. I'm going to go back inside to my friends. My friends who love me, who respect me, who treat me right... and I'm going to say farewell to you, you shameful waste of blood and organs." Lauren's voice was cold. Colder than the winter chill that gripped the country-side as she stood by the edge of the fire, dangling the broken mess over the inferno of burning coals. "I said I'd be honest to you, and I meant it... I'm sending you to Hell, Jeremy. I'm going to watch you burn... and then, five minutes from now, I'm going to forget you exist. You are nothing. Goodbye."

The gurgling, broken form opened its mouth to respond... but before it had a chance, Lauren tossed it into the very heart of the blaze. It landed with a wet 'splat' in the middle of one of the blackened logs, and almost instantly began to scream. It was barely audible over the crackle of the flames, but it grew louder and louder with each passing second. The fire glittered in Lauren's pupils as she watched the back arch, the limbs flail desperately as the heat engulfed them. Flesh reddened and darkened as the very skin ignited, superheating the metal jammed within. Meat sloughed off the bone as the wail of anguished terror faded away, lungs melting into slurry as everything that had ever been Jeremy burned to dust. His hopes, his dreams, his memories... scorched out of existence by the woman he'd scorned.

Lauren stood and stared at the burning log for a couple of minutes more, before turning on her heel and walking back inside.

...

A week had passed since the party, and now Lauren was back in town with her friends. She and Alice were curled up on York's couch as they drank in episode after episode of their favourite literature-inspired Gothic horror-drama.

"CHA-CHING!" The triumphant voice called from the kitchen around the bend as York switched off the stove, a gout of steam rolling across the roof as he strode into view. Clasped in his hands was a vast plate of stringy spaghetti, bathed in some of the most sumptuous pasta sauce Coles could provide. "Nyeh heh heeehh! Have some spaghetti to forgetti your regretti!"

"No regretti here mate!" Lauren replied cheerfully as she and Alice sat up, pushing their bags aside on the coffee table to make room for the plate of food. "Legit though..." She continued as York place the platter before them, "that actually looks delicious. Great job man!"

"Cheers hehe, we all know after all that spaghetti is a hugely complex dish."

"I don't know how you manage it, really." Alice chimed in, winding a large clump around her fork and dumping it on her plate.

"I'm a resourceful fellow, what can I say?"

"Indeed you are! Which reminds me... I've been meaning to ask," Lauren said, pausing to devour a mouthful of pasta, "mmm... yeah, anyway, wanted to ask: how the Hell did you get my present?"

"Oh that wasn't too hard; Facebook makes it pretty simple to track people down these days."

"Not that part you spoon; I meant... you know, how did you get them in that chest?!"

"Hehe, I knew what you meant. It's actually a little something I've been working on for a while." York strolled briskly over to his shelf of oddities before returning with an object that rather resembled a television remote, albeit with a somewhat different appearance. "In a nut-shell, it's a size-changer. You punch in the size you want, set how durable you want them to remain, then you just press the button and boom - done. Technically you can also undo the process, but I mean... not entirely relevant in the case of your present."

"Haha, yeah, not entirely applicable. Can I take a peek?"

"Sure, knock yourself out. Just aim it away from your face haha!"

"Oh don't worry," Lauren said with a grin, taking the remote in hand and letting her thumbs dance quickly across the controls, "I know exactly where I'm going to aim this thing."

With a casual flick of her wrist, Lauren pointed the business-end of the device directly at York, her gaze meeting his with a cheeky smile on her face.

"Toodles!"

Her thumb pressed down on the button, and an instant later York had vanished. Well, vanished from her cone of vision at any rate. Alice's eyes widened in shock as she looked rapidly between the device and Lauren, a look of bewilderment on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but Lauren silenced her with a wink. She tapped her fingertip quietly on the part of the remote that read 'Maximum durability' and gave Alice and significant look. The two exchanged a smile and a whisper as they rose from the couch, stepping heavily around either side of the table to flank the decidedly minute figure of their friend as he gazed up at them uncertainly.

"Uh... Lauren? Alice? What are you doing?"

"Just you wait and see..."

You must login (register) to review.