Jake awoke with a start, thrashing and groping for something familiar.  Blinking, he still couldn't see anything.

ohfuckohfuckohfuckohfuck where am I ohhhhh fuuuuuccckkkk

He already knew the answer— in his own clothing— but his brain was refusing to accept what he was now experiencing.  It started so innocuous, with just a bit of extra sweating.  Just your body burning some extra energy, the doctors said.  Jake couldn't remember why. Something about how you couldn't create or destroy energy.  It didn't matter.  Some men lost a couple inches.  Some a couple feet.  Some just vanished.  He had tried not to worry, had stopped watching the news.  Just a bit sweaty.  No reason to visit a doctor over that.  No reason to worry.  He wasn't going to shrink... much.  When he started to feel even warmer, Jake had bailed on work and started walking home.  The restaurant would have to handle the evening rush without him.  Nobody knew where he'd gone off to, to his fellow waiters and waitresses he would have just disappeared.

Fuck I am so fucking fucked

His eyes caught a glimmer of light and started crawling towards it.  His clothing was surprisingly heavy, making it difficult to move.  He didn't think it felt like his underwear, but then again, he wasn't too sure what anything should feel like, or even how big he was.  As Jake got closer to the gap, he wondered if it might be his shirt and jacket weighing him down.

The four women walked down the sidewalk, dressed in little black dresses, hair carefully done to look like it hadn't been touched, alternatively looking at their phones and talking to each other.  To the outside observer, there was just one continuous sound as the conversation ebbed and flowed among the participants.

"Margie, take a look at this!"

...

"Hey Amber how long are you in town for?"

...

"Have you heard about that disease?"

...

"Be honest, Cindy, have you been to these parties before?"

Cindy tucked her phone back in to her bra. "Oh yeah, Janet does such a good job.  You girls are going to be so happy you came tonight.  Last time, I—"

"Ohmygod, what the hell?" Margaret— Margie to her friends— was using her toes to poke at a pile of clothing on the sidewalk.  Amber came up next to her and gently tried to pull her along.  "C'mon Margie, it's probably just some homeless bum."

"No way, what homeless bum throws away all their clothes and shoes?  And look, this stuff is way too nice."

Cindy had her phone back out of her bra and was tapping away.  "C'mon, let's keep going, my shoes are killing me and I want to take them off!"

Jake heard loud rumbling and thundering voices just as he reached the opening.  The cool night air first felt good, but as he blinked and tried to adjust to the light his body involuntarily shivered.  Days of feeling warmer than usual had suddenly come to an end with a rapid loss of height, and without his clothing the night air was significantly cooler than he expecting.  When his eyes adjusted, he panicked.  A giant black shoe was just inches away from him, leading to a giant leg, leading up and up and up to a giant woman, looking what felt like directly at him.

Margie didn't notice Jake.  "I bet this guy just shrunk!" She shouted.  "Do you think he shrunk to, y'know... away?"

Amber didn't even look down at the pile of clothes as she rolled her eyes.  "Oh come on.  The shrinking disease is like... I don't even think it's real.  The news is just blowing things out of proportion like always."

The fourth member of their group, Tessa, looked over Margie's shoulder at the pile of clothing.  "I'm with Amber, the shit on TV these days... this is just some well-dressed hobo that's now not dressed, and I don't want to be around when he comes back."

"I'll bet you a bottle of wine these clothes aren't from a hobo." Margie said.  "Winner's choice, too."

Amber and Tessa shared a look.  Winning a bottle of wine is worth waiting a minute they decided without speaking.

Jake had overheard the conversation and couldn't believe his ears.  He was going to be rescued!  If these women saw him, he'd be spared any number of horrible deaths.  Exposure.  Starvation.  Being eaten.  It was do-or-die time, literally, to make sure one of these four giant women would see him.

It was Cindy to first spot the shrunken man.  She was about to put her phone back into her more-than-ample cleavage when movement near Margie's flats caught her eye.  A brief moment of jealousy flashed in her at seeing her friend's far more comfortable shoe choice before she refocused on the pale creature moving across the dark jeans.

"HEY!  HELP ME!" Jake scrambling away from the giant foot and across the waistband of his pants.  His belt was as wide a sidewalk now, but running across it he hadn't yet had time to focus on his newfound size.  All he could think about was getting away from the giant foot and getting seen.  Waving his arms and jumping, he felt a chill down his spine when he locked eyes with one of the women.  Wearing a low-cut and short black dress, her hair tied back, she was absolutely stunning.  But when her blue eyes fell on him and her bright red lipstick broke apart to reveal a gleaming smile, Jake suddenly felt the cold of the night chill him to the bone.

"I think you two owe Margie a bottle of wine" Cindy said quietly as she took a step forward and crouched down.  Jake couldn't help but stare as the building-sized woman moved closer to him.  As she crouched down, he got a clear view underneath the dress at the black lace underwear underneath— but when her hand reached out for him, his stomach dropped and his heart caught in his throat.

Cindy's fingers wrapped around Jake's body, her smooth skin brushing against his entire body.  Unable to comprehend what was about to happen to him, Jake stayed frozen as Cindy stood up.  In the span of a half second, he felt like he'd ascended to the top level of an apartment building.  Except now, he had four apartment buildings staring deep into him.