I took a few seconds to calm myself.   After all the harrowing events I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.  Closing my eyes for a bit allowed me to pretend that nothing had happened.   Of course that illusion was quickly dispelled by a sudden jolt followed by the feeling of falling over.  Opening my eyes I could see that the napkin and tape I was still attached to slowly sliding off of whatever it was on top of.  Which getting a good close look as I brushed against it was a partially eaten cheeseburger.   Samantha must've made a sharp turn, or maybe had hit her brakes hard.  

For a change things actually seemed to work out in my favor.  As the napkin landed at the bottom of the bag, the tape extended out a bit leaving me basically standing on the floor so to speak.  Grabbing the edge of the bag I pulled, slowly dragging myself off of the tape, wincing slightly as I felt some strands of my hair remain stuck.  Once again I gave thanks for it's prior use.  Seeing how hard it was to get myself off of it, I could only imagine if it'd been fresh.  

At least now I could get my bearings.   The light was extremely dim, almost dark but there was enough to see by.  Now that I had time to compare myself to familiar objects without them being threat to life and limb I could also get a feel for just how small I was.  Which was really damned small.  I was maybe the size of an ant.  Possibly slightly bigger or slightly smaller but it'd be so close that from the perspective a normal sized person they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.  
Which meant a number of problems that needed resolving.   How to return to normal was beyond any comprehension right now.  No point to even trying to figure that out.  As a more practical goal I needed to get someone's attention.  And especially someone I could trust.  Which was the one positive thing right now.  Samantha was a friend.  So the goal was obvious.  Get her to notice me.  

The next question was how.  At this size could I even make a sound Sam could hear?  Obviously not from down at her feet.  The walk across the street had made it very clear how well my voice carried.  My best bet was to get myself somewhere where she could see me, and specifically close enough where she could see I wasn't a bug.  Being squashed because she thought I was a bug would be a rather ignominious end to it all.  

And of course the more immediate concern.  I needed to get out of this bag.  Reaching out I tugged a chunk of bread off the burger.   Who knew what chances I'd have to eat?  Chewing on it I walked over to the edge of the bag, where I could see a giant wall rising far into the sky.   I followed along it, looking for an opening that I could escape from.   

One of the things I quickly learned was how much little things you don't think about could be major obstacles at this size.  Needing to detour around a fallen fry that was thicker than I was tall or keeping my distance from that dark yellow lake that turned out to be a broken packet of hot mustard.  If that came pouring out on me I'd almost certainly drown in it.   

As I was searching along the third wall of the bag the almost constant vibration I'd been feeling since I'd been trapped in here stopped.   The loud creak of an opening door told me that we'd arrived at Sam's destination.   I heard a thump and felt a slight swaying as something massive moved outside of my prison.  Shortly I heard a sound in the distance.  Of course.  Sam was getting her stuff out the trunk.  

I needed to hurry.  Who knew how long I had.  I didn't know Sam's habits for bags of trash.  Would I sit in here for days?  Or would she be coming for me soon?  I had to assume worse case.  I continued moving along the wall.  My answer was soon in coming.  I had reached a corner and was about to start down the final wall when I the ground shifted suddenly and brutally beneath me.  I instinctively looked up to see the former opening close up completely, sealing me in darkness.   I'm not really afraid of the dark, but the darkness made the sudden constant swaying and shaking nightmarish, even moreso as I couldn't search anymore as I was sent crashing across the floor, stopping only as  bumped into something large and then went flying back the other way, feeling that object come bouncing after me.  As clipped me, I felt a pain in my arm although I also felt greatful it hadn't hit me directly.

This continued for what felt like forever but had to only be seconds at most.  The movement suddenly stoppped as I felt the bag be put down somewhere.  Reaching out in the darkness I felt whatever it was that had almost crushed.  I had almost been killed....by a chicken nugget.  

"Samantha, be sure to throw away your trash!"  That voice I didn't recognize.  It was female and a bit scratchier for lack of a better word than Sam's.  Her mom maybe?  Sam's voice quickly followed.  "Just a second!  I need to put my books away first!"   I was out of time.  There was only one trash they could be talking about.  I started running, looking for an opening, anything to get out.  

As I ran I thought I saw light in the distance.  It had to be a way out.  I stumbled over something, falling against the wall.  I couldn't see what I'd tripped on and didn't care.  There was a way out.  I could hear a loud but steady thumping and it was getting closer.  I had to move faster.  Just a few more...and suddenly I felt the world rise again.   Time was up.   I leaped forward grabbing the edge of the opening.  I almost fell out of the hole as the bag swung back and forth.  I saw the massive blue wall that was part of Samantha's jeans as the bag started rising higher.   

There was only one chance and I was probably dead even if I did it.  But a tiny chance is better than no chance which was what my fate was if I ended up in the trash.  As I continued my upwards journey I could see a large brown road that seemed to go through tunnels of a sort and above it an undending black wall with what seemed to be streaks of pink.  Like graffitti but that would cover city blocks.  As the bag started going down again I leapt out of the hole, towards what I was sure was the belt.  More importantly the belt seemed to be coming towards me.  I apparently misjudged a bit because I slammed into part of the black mass before tumbling down somewhere.  As my head smacked against something I saw my former prison go tumbling down a massive biege pit followed by a lid crashing down, covering everything.   Then darkness.