Alice woke up in the darkness. She groaned in pain and tried to rise from the hard, uncomfortable surface she had apparently been sleeping on. Her muscles were sore and lethargic. At the back of her throat was a sour taste.
“Fuck…!” She cursed and pressed her eyes together hard in a futile attempt to ward off the intense headache. Sluggishly, Alice rolled onto her stomach and forced herself to stand up.
Immediately she was hit with a strong sense of dizziness, which sent her crashing back to the ground with a grunt.
“You’re awake.” A soft voice remarked.
“Sylvia?” Alice murmured. In the corner of her eye she could just make out the vague silhouette of another person. Her vision was blurry and there was no light, but it had to be her. “Where are we?”
She didn’t reply. “What’s going on?” Alice pressed.
“We’re getting what we deserve.” Sylvia said despondently. That didn’t sound like her at all.
Alice capitulated. In her current state she could not stand up, so she settled for leaning against the nearest wall. She noticed that her clothes were gone. Thankfully the lack of light provided some small privacy for both her and Sylvia.
The air was musty and still. Wherever they were, it lacked good circulation. A chill went down her back as the headache began to subside. Was she dreaming? No. This was real, but made no sense.
“I-I don’t get it. What’s going on?” Alice asked, more sternly this time. When she didn’t receive an answer immediately she raised her voice. “Hey! Tell me where we are!”
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Sylvia replied.
Alice frowned. “You texted me. I was on my way to meet up with you at Delphi’s.” She recalled.
Although she couldn’t see, Alice could sense Sylvia shaking her head from side to side.
“So that’s how she got you.” She muttered. “She must still have my phone, she used that to lure you out, right?”
“‘She’? Who are you talking about?” Alice asked, confused.
Before Sylvia could respond, the dark room they were in began to shake. Distant thumps like earthquakes reverberated through the ground. Alice froze in place. Soon the sounds became more frequent. Rhythmic in nature.
They grew closer.
Alice squealed in fright as she heard Sylvia suddenly scramble to her feet. She shuffled around for a moment somewhere in the center of the dark space before she went eerily silent, the only sound that escaped her mouth came in the form of quick, short breaths.
She could hear voices from beyond the walls. But they were unbelievably loud. Alice tried to figure out what they were talking about. Quickly she realized neither person was speaking English.
Mandarin? Alice closed her eyes and tried to follow the conversation. I don’t recognize their accents…
Sylvia remained quiet. Alice spoke enough Mandarin to consider herself conversational, but listening to a pair of native speakers with their own distinct dialect, speaking quickly with one another made it difficult to pick up everything. The slams became louder. Sylvia barely contained a squeal as some kind of mechanism shifted around, and the lid of the box opened.
Alice’s heart jumped into her mouth, as the giantess smiled from ear to ear upon seeing her.
(The night before)
“...I admire your resourcefulness, but Eren, I think this is a bad idea.” Tae admitted. “Taking advantage of an oversight like that is clever, but what will you do when they find out?”
Every night before they went to bed, they made sure to call each other. Sometimes they could chat well past midnight. Tonight had been no different, although this time she kept an eye on her phone for a text message.
Eren leaned back in bed and readjusted the phone so she would have a better view of his face on the video chat. As he expected, she had not taken to the idea of him working for Eureka very well.
Honestly, she was probably right. But it would feel wrong to back down. “The worst they can do is fire me.” Eren replied.
“Look, it’s… it’s more than just the job.” He murmured. “But I agree. It’s dangerous, and could get me hurt.”
“So why do you want this so much?” She asked. He remained silent for a few seconds. “Eren, you living with me would not burden me in the slightest. I think I eat more in a week than you could in a year. You don’t owe me rent, or payment, or compensation. Why do you want to take this risk so badly?”
“Tae, you saved my life. It’s a debt that I can never hope to repay.” He replied firmly. “But I don’t want to live off you, carefree and happy while everybody I’ve ever known suffers. It’s not fair.” Eren told her.
He spoke quietly, as if ashamed to admit it. Tae paused and considered what he had said.
You’ve lived such a miserable, unfair life Eren. I can’t fathom someone else in your position would resist the opportunity to spend the rest of it in luxury. Tae thought. The fact that we are even having this discussion in the first place is testament to your work ethic and willpower. But can’t you just swallow your damn pride?!
Tae closed her eyes and restrained herself from arguing further. She could see that he had made his decision. But her conscience demanded she keep him as far from danger as possible. Nobody would ever harm him again.
“Alright. If this is what you want, I will not fight you on it.” She relented. “On one condition. You come live with me and work remotely from my office.”
Before he could reply she continued.
“This is a virtual job, right? Do you really think you can design robots on a smartphone?” Tae said, pointedly. “You will need lots of software, multiple desktops, a workstation, and faster Internet than what you have now.”
She crossed her arms and smirked slightly as his cheeks became red. Evidently he had not thought that far ahead. “Also, even if the wages you make were enough to afford to live in downtown Norwich, who would you rent from? I think a landlord would be much harder to deceive than this Madeleine Lacroix. And this is all assuming you even get the job to begin with. What was your plan for the virtual interview? Do you own a suit?”
“I uh… no.” He admitted, slightly embarrassed to admit he was grossly unprepared.
Tae threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, but the smile never left her face. She was teasing, but brought up several good points he had not thought of beforehand. “Another thing you’ll need! Not to worry. I know a good tailor.” She mentioned. “Once your paychecks start to come in, you can pay me back for any of the software related expenses. As for the suit, you can just buy me dinner next time.”
Eren relaxed and let out a deep breath. “Thank you, I really appreciate your support on this.” As he was expressing his gratitude, Tae’s phone went off next to her desktop.
“Is that your cousin?” He asked as she picked up the phone.
“Yeah, she’s almost here. I’m going to go meet her at the airport.” Tae informed him and disappeared from the frame to slip her winter coat on. “At some point this week I’ll have to introduce you to her! She’s quite eager to meet you.”
“You two seem really close.” Eren noted when she returned to the desk. “From the way you talk about her, she's the sister you never had.”
Tae’s smile faded slightly.
“Yeah…” She replied softly. “I guess she is.”
“You okay?” He inquired, the sudden change in her demeanor easily noticeable compared to a few moments before.
As quickly as it came, her melancholy vanished. “Oh I’m fine! Just a little tired, it’s almost midnight after all.” Tae checked her phone again as another message came in. “That’s my ride. I need to go, I’ll get back to you sometime tomorrow about what we discussed!”
Eren waved goodbye as she blew in a kiss in turn, before closing out of the video chat.
‘She’s the sister you never had…’ Tae watched the buildings and snow whiz by the limousine window, and thought carefully about what Eren said. If that’s true, why am I so nervous? She thought with a furrowed brow and kept her hands from fidgeting.
From the driver’s seat, Kovit glanced at her from the rear view mirror. “Are you alright ma’am?”
“Just anxious, I suppose.” Tae responded. She noticed a bottle of champagne in the limousine’s mini-bar. Alcohol always eased her nerves.
Probably a bad idea. There would be plenty of time with Grace later on. Besides, she had other forms of entertainment.
Tenderly, Tae undid the first few buttons of her coat and fished around the layers of soft, warm fabric until her fingers gripped the chain of her necklace. With a gentle tug she freed the length from the confines of her outerwear.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Sylvia took a breath of fresh air unimpeded by Tae’s many layers of dense winter clothes. She was suspended upside down upon a pendant, with coarse string tying her to the metal in a terribly uncomfortable position with her arms bound behind her back at an odd angle.
The sweltering heat beneath Tae’s clothes was like a hot oven, and it showed from the sweat dripping from Sylvia’s body. Held upside down with the blood pooling in her brain made it impossible for her to sleep through the ordeal. Weakly she took in her surroundings, and swung back and forth in Tae’s grasp from the necklace chain.
“M-Mistress?” Her pet asked meekly. Tae smiled, satisfied with her progress over the past week.
Eager, Tae placed the groveling excuse for a creature on the floor between her boots. Instantly the speck fell to her knees as she was allowed to kowtow right side up. It felt as though the world had been lifted off Sylvia’s shoulders, the blood that had been pooling in her brain for hours was finally allowed to flow elsewhere. It took a disturbing amount of effort to repress the intense urge to pass out. She took several deep, labored breaths as her vision began to sharpen.
Warm air teased her cheeks as the pendant unlatched, now free from her oppressive shackles. The occasional street lamp the limousine passed was the only source of light which illuminated the silhouette of her mistress looming above, with one leg crossed over the other like a sadistic goddess. Her presence was simply overwhelming, with piercing eyes that carried an unnatural darkness. Sylvia could not speak, too awestruck by this divine being to whimper or mewl.
“Come closer, nyun.” Sylvia’s mistress said, expectantly. Tae swung her seemingly endless legs forward, swinging them back and forth playfully. At once Sylvia, or rather ‘Nyun’ began to crawl on all fours towards her, driven by an irresistible compulsion to obey.
With the tug of her foot, Tae freed one leg from the confines of her high-heeled boot. Expertly she flexed her toes around the brim of the shoe, before allowing them to topple over to one side like a great tree falling. She noticed the hesitation from the speck, now faced with her slightly wrinkled sole.
Nyun feared taking another step, but dreaded punishment more. Obediently she resumed her trek towards the monstrous foot after a short delay. Now free of the confines of her shoe, her meaty sole and five toes stretched the thin nylon trappings which had bunched up on her instep. She was unsure of how close to get, by now her mistress’s sole towered above her like a sheer cliff wall. The faint smell of boot leather overlaid the gourmand fragrance of Tae’s perfume, which made her feel conflicted, to say the least. Once Nyun was almost within arms length of the heel, Tae lowered her foot on top of her. Nyun gasped as she was engulfed by an insurmountable wall of soft, supple skin which forced her bare back into the floor of the limousine.
Above, Tae let out a relieved sigh as she felt the anxiety she had faced before dissipate.
Nyun tried feebly to wrestle against the gargantuan foot pressing her down, but was simply powerless against the lowest part of Tae’s body. Her face was pushed against the wrinkly underside of Tae’s instep, face-to-foot. The translucent fabric was slightly moist with sweat, smelling strongly of her mistress’s natural scent. She dragged her foot backwards, grinding against Nyun’s naked torso until her head was sandwiched between her toes underneath a netting of nylon. Sound finally escaped Nyun’s lips as she squealed, terrified as an assault from all five toes began.
The rest of the car ride went by much quicker after that for Tae. Almost too quickly.
Reluctantly, Tae pulled her foot away from the beleaguered speck and slipped on her boot. Nyun groaned in pain, every muscle in her body aflame from over exertion. She rolled over onto her back, just in time to see her mistress’s hand looming above with some kind of spray bottle. Too late Nyun closed her eyes as a pungent disinfectant washed over her. She screamed, her eyes burning from the cleaning fluids and her nose immediately began running freely. Before she had any time to recover, Tae pinched her ankle and raised Nyun into the air, then reattached her to the necklace beneath her coat.
Cool, wintry air blew into the limousine. Kovit opened the door to help her outside.“Do you feel better ma’am?” He asked before she exited the limo.
Tae smiled. “Much better.”
Although it was well past midnight at Norwich International, quite a few people were still inside waiting for their flights to arrive. It was a busy time of year with the holidays only a few weeks away. From their viewpoint in the airport gate, a few exhausted travelers noticed a few expensive looking cars parked in one of the auxiliary runways, and many men dressed in suits. Some wondered if either a high-profile celebrity or foreign politician was expected.
A few minutes after they gathered, a non-commercial private jet landed on the airfield. No announcements were made within the airport, so after some ruminations the novelty wore off and people resumed their wait amidst delays due to bad weather.
Outside, Tae most certainly felt that bad weather. Even all bundled up in four thick layers it was frigid. The entourage ahead of her was fully staffed. A small army of bodyguards, translators, personal assistants, professional drivers, and stylists. If any of them had qualms about the cold, they did not show it. Upon her approach the retinue collectively bowed in respect.
I almost forgot what this felt like. Tae thought to herself. She contemplated asking one of the many assistants or consultants for a warmer coat, but thought better of it. Most likely they would offer up their own and freeze while she felt guilty and warm. It’s not even been a year.
The jet landed with a rush of wind which blew back her hair. After losing most of its speed upon touchdown, it made a lap around the ramp before the plane pulled close to the patiently waiting limousine and SUV’s. The fuselage door swung open, and a stairway shuffled out onto the ground.
Collectively the retinue of assistants and bodyguards straightened themselves up, as Grace Chen emerged from the plane.
She was roughly the same age as Tae, although slightly taller with dark brown hair compared to Tae’s raven black. Grace scanned the crowd gathered for her, and quickly found her cousin. Gracefully she descended the stairs and approached Tae, closely followed by staff from within the plane.
Tae cleared her throat and bowed her head as she came closer. “Welcome to Norwich, I hope your flight was-!” Before she could finish the greeting, Tae found herself engulfed in a tight hug.
From beneath her coat, Nyun cried out in fright as she was suddenly crushed between both women’s bosoms.
“Oh stop! We aren’t at a ceremony.” Grace laughed as she finally pulled away with a grin from ear to ear. Tae broke out in laughter as well, any remnants of formality or anxiety vanished. “I’ve missed you so much, Ji-soo.”
It sounds so… wrong now. She thought to herself, and almost cringed. “Believe it or not I think I missed you more.” Tae replied. Both women strolled towards the black limousine Tae had first arrived in. Kovit opened the door and reentered after they stepped into the spacious, luxury interior. The head of Grace’s security joined Kovit in the front, seated in the passenger seat while the rest of the entourage followed closely in other cars.
The motorized fleet began to move, with an armored SUV leading the way and another directly behind the limousine. Grace reclined in her seat and yawned. “Soooo, what have you been up to for the past nine months?”
Tae shrugged.
“Like I said on the phone not much until recently… the first few months I just drank myself stupid.” She said plainly.
Grace leaned over and twirled her fingers through Tae’s hair. “You dyed it back to black?”
“I wanted to start over.”
“Hmm, but all the different colors used to look so good on you.” Grace pouted. “If Aunt Min didn’t have me moving around so much, I would dye mine.”
“Is that what you’ve been up to since I left?” Tae asked.
“Unfortunately. Quarter four results are scheduled for the end of December as always, so she wanted a family representative at practically every regional head office to ensure we are performing to the highest standard.” She explained. “I’ve been to Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, London, Paris… but before you ask, I’m not here for work. This is my vacation.”
Tae nodded. “Well you’ve definitely earned it. Although I would have picked somewhere more… interesting, than Norwich.” She mused. “I came here specifically because it’s quiet and nothing interesting ever happens.”
“With the two of us together again I’m sure we’ll find something fun to do.” Grace assured her. “I did bring the doses you asked for, by the way.”
“How many?”
“Fifty.”
Tae’s eyes widened. “Fifty?! I said a few!” She groaned. “Min is going to hate me…”
“She approved the number herself. They are a lot easier to manufacture now than you remember.” Grace dismissed.
After almost an hour-long journey, the convoy of luxury cars arrived at the hotel. Grace and Tae stepped out of the limousine and followed the retinue of assistants into the lobby.
Inside the hotel was lavishly decorated, with pristine marble floors and the staff dressed in immaculate suits. Evidently they were expected, and the entourage was welcomed inside. Personal assistants and translators handled all the logistics, while others led the pair into the elevator.
When the gold trimmed doors opened, it was on the top floor of the hotel. The presidential suite and penthouse where several more assistants made rounds. Grace had booked the top two floors of the five-star hotel for herself. It must have taken a tremendous amount of money to accomplish such a thing during the holiday season, but whatever the cost was most likely a tiny drop in the ocean to the Chen family.
By the time everything was set up, it was past dawn and rays of sunlight streamed through the wide balcony windows. Tae yawned and plopped down on a large couch in the enormous penthouse living room. Grace removed her coat and tossed it aside carelessly, where it was immediately whisked away by a servant.
Her cousin strolled around the suite. “It’s not much, but at least there’s a pool table.” Grace noted, running her fingers along the edge of the bar counter. She grasped a pool cue. “Care for a game?”
Tae wiped the matter from her eyes. “Maybe after I have a nap. It’s almost the afternoon and I didn’t sleep at all last night.”
Before she could doze off, a phone vibrated in her pocket. Not her right pocket, which was where she kept her personal phone. Her left pocket. Curious, Tae retrieved the other phone she kept on her person. It had been silent for many days now.
Grace noticed the look of concern on Tae’s face and approached her on the couch. “Someone text you?”
“Not me. Sylvia Collins.” Tae responded. “This is her phone.”
“Is she one of the girl’s who attacked your boyfriend?”
‘Boyfriend’? Eren isn’t…! Well… Tae ignored those thoughts and opened the text. “Yeah. She’s the one I shrunk.”
“Her friend just texted her phone. Alice Evans, the other girl.” Tae read from the message. “Something about leaving her parents place because of something her brother did.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And she wants to meet Sylvia somewhere.”
“Right now?” Grace asked. Tae nodded again in affirmation. “Give me the phone. I’ll have someone take care of it.”
Thank you for your application Eren!
We greatly appreciate your interest in Eureka, and we’re extremely impressed with your academic record! I would love the chance to have a virtual interview with you sometime soon to discuss your future role on the team.
If there is a time that works best for you this week please let me know! I can’t wait to meet you.
-Madeleine Lacroix
Eren felt numb after reading the response to his application. It was not a guarantee, but Madeleine seemed impressed. That was a good sign.
He checked the time.
It was now late afternoon. Tae and her cousin were probably just waking up. Most likely they would explore downtown together. With nothing else to occupy his time, Eren grabbed a few loose papers and old textbooks. It would be a good idea to refresh his memory on the theory of the trade.
Sylvia buried her head into her arms, while Alice finally managed to stand up. Instantly she took several instinctive steps backwards from the staggeringly large woman looming over their prison. She blinked several times to adjust to the sudden light.
What the hell?! Alice thought to herself, bewildered. How is she so big?!
Without warning the room they were in turned ninety degrees. Both Sylvia and Alice were sent sprawling on to a vast expanse of smooth granite. They were in a room befitting the Olympians, atop a bar countertop. To their right Alice could see the rim to a bottomless sink, and on their left a few tree-trunk like candles.
No, they aren’t giants… Alice realized. Alice’s heart jumped into her mouth. She recognized her.
“You’re the woman from the bar two weeks ago…” She mumbled in disbelief.
Tae raised her eyebrows. “You speak Chinese?” Her captress asked, almost impressed.
“Where am I?! What did you do to me and Sylvia, why are we so-?!” Before she could finish, Tae calmly reached down with fingers crossed in a very distinct position. Alice wheezed as Tae flicked her across the countertop with the force of a car ramming into her sternum.
She skidded along the granite before friction brought her to a halt a few inches away. Alice opened her mouth to suck in air, but found it impossible.
This can’t be happening! Alice clutched her side in pain. Below the cusp of her breast the skin was bright red. It would bruise later. I’m… I’m the size of a speck!
Tae sauntered over and leaned against the countertop with a smirk. Alice flailed about in an attempt to rise to her feet, as Tae got on her haunches to open a cabinet. She perused the various top-shelf drinks provided by the hotel and selected a bottle.
“Care for a drink, Grace?” Tae asked playfully. She set the bottle of rum next to Alice, along with a few crystalline glasses.
Alice forced herself to exhale. It was a fight with her body’s natural response to desperately claw for oxygen, but she had been in enough sporting accidents to react appropriately.
By the time she had recuperated, Tae had retrieved another bottle from the fridge. An icy cold bottle of cola dripping with condensation.
Air hissed from the lid once the cap was removed. “Unfortunately I don’t have any margarita mix to make that drink you stirred Eren into.” Tae lamented. “Rum and coke will have to do!”
“E-Eren?” Is she talking about the speck? Specks have names? Alice furrowed her brow. “Is this… is this revenge what we did to that speck?”
No response. “You already beat us up, and knocked out half my teeth! This isn’t necessary!”
“It absolutely is.” Tae shot back. “You would have killed him.”
Why the fuck do you care so much?! Alice clenched her fists in frustration. None of this made any sense. She was a real person. Real people didn’t just… shrink. Anymore. The Diminution happened over a hundred years ago.
People don’t just shrink… but she’s acting all calm. “What did you inject us with? How did it shrink us?” Alice demanded.
By this point Grace had roused from the couch and sauntered over to the bar as well. She seized one of the glasses and took a sip.
“It’s missing something.” She mused, unimpressed. Grace’s fingers splayed open like a net and snatched Alice from the counter, before she was plunged into the freezing cold drink.
Alice gasped. The mixture was not only frigid, but the fizzy soda got up her nose and went into her eyes. She floundered around the center of the glass and began to swim frantically towards a nearby ice cube for support.
Grace clicked her tongue in disapproval. Before Alice could reach the ice, a straw the same size as a birch tree slammed into the small of her back. Alice’s ears popped, her lungs filled with soda and rum which burned like lava on its way down her esophagus. With her eyes shut right lest she go blind, Alice swam upwards in the glass.
A thick ceiling of ice cubes blocked her way. Her lungs were aflame. Blindly Alice pawed at the ice until she found a gap that led to the air above. Eagerly she attempted to pull herself up and opened her mouth to take a breath.
Just as her nose broke the liquid surface, she was thrust back beneath the ice and swirled in a bubbly vortex guided by the straw. The mixture now had a slight tang to it.
Grace squeezed a bit of lemon into her drink and mixed it around with the straw, more vigorously than she normally would. After a few seconds of watching Alice’s body thrash about and crash into the glass walls like clothes in a washing machine, she took a sip. As she drank Alice rose to the surface to breathe, albeit in a fit of coughs. She felt a current dragging downwards from the rapid flush of liquid rising through the straw and past the pair of gigantic plush lips.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Sylvia undergo a similar ordeal in another glass.
Grace released the straw and smacked her lips. “Oooh, much better!” She teased.
“Fuck you!” Alice spat. For that remark she was once again swirled around the glass, more roughly than before. She bounced off the cylindrical walls and ice several times before most of the liquid was sucked up.
After finishing their drinks, both women decided to move to straight liquor. With a small pair of tongs Grace fished Alice out of the glass and dropped her into a much smaller, shallow shot glass. The sweet liquid then flooded into the cup.
“You don’t feel even a little remorseful over what you did. Even now in a situation like this, you would rather shout obscenities at us rather than try to apologize.” Tae noted after she finished filling both glasses with rum until Alice and Sylvia swam in it. “Are you really that evil?”
“Evil?!” Alice said incredulously. “How am I evil?”
“You tried to murder a person, a living, breathing human being, just because he’s smaller than you.” Tae replied, surprisingly calm. “How are you not evil?”
“That thing was not a human being. He was a speck! You are getting all worked up over the equivalent of a rat.” Alice hissed.
Tae raised an eyebrow. She lifted the glass that held Sylvia in it and swirled it around idly. “If that’s true, then are you a worthless rat now?”
“That’s… different. I was born human, I’m not supposed to be a speck.”
“Specks are born that way, Alice. Do you think they chose to live like that? You seriously think they chose to be hated for simply existing, for being weaker than everybody else?” Tae asked. “Don’t you think every speck wishes they were normal? So they wouldn’t need to suffer?”
Alice wrinkled her nose in disgust. “You could make the same fucking argument for a cockroach or a flea! I’m sure they wish they were people too.”
“Unbelievable.” Tae shook her head, astounded. “You really believe it. It’s not just reciting propaganda. These are your true thoughts.”
“If you’re going to kill me, just do it already.” Alice muttered. “But I did nothing wrong. I am a damn person. That little shit was a parasite, and killing parasites has never been a crime. You? You’re killing real people. You’re a monster.”
Instantly, Tae’s expression changed. She stood perfectly rigid as if she had just been slapped. Her lower lip trembled and her eyes seemed to gloss over.
The trio of other women went silent.
Sylvia had been consumed in perpetual rum whirlpool, and now came to a sudden stop. The pungent alcohol sloshed back and forth as the glass was no longer in motion. She could not understand any of what Alice had said, but the effect it had on the room’s atmosphere was palpable.
What felt like hours passed. Tae stared intensely at a seemingly random spot in the room, her lips faintly mouthed inaudible words. A tear ran down her cheek and dribbled down her chin.
And as it fell, Tae began to laugh.
She laughed so hard more tears began to form in her eyes, which she wiped away. It was a rather unsettling, yet truly transfixing melodious laugh which turned Alice’s veins to ice.
When Tae regained her composure, something had changed.
Tae smiled, and spoke in English. “You’re right. I am a monster.”
Without another word, Tae brought the glass up to her mouth. Sylvia screamed bloody murder as the giantess tilted her head backwards, and the contents of the shot entered her mouth, as Alice watched in horror. The rum splashed in the back of Tae’s dark throat, along with Sylvia.
And then Tae swallowed.
She traced the small lump traveling down her throat, the gentle burning sensation of rum followed the speck down her esophagus and into her stomach. Tae opened her mouth and exhaled in satisfaction, the taste of the rum lingered on her tongue pleasantly, undiluted. Tae licked it from her lips and touched her stomach, where she could feel a delicious tingle.
Alice’s body went numb. She felt the glass begin to move, but was too afraid to react. There were no words exchanged, or any hesitation. The path into Tae’s mouth was straightforward, and she had no time to contemplate it before she was within the warm, moist cave atop a mattress sized tongue.
It felt squishy, yet unbelievably muscular. She slid down the textured flesh in the humid darkness, into a pool of rum like a hot tub. Before her now was a long, black tunnel. Above her a uvula dangled like a pendulum, to welcome Alice to her demise.
I’m about to die. Alice realized. The adrenaline was gone. As was her bravado. This was it.
An ungodly pressure enveloped Alice’s body. She was smothered in gallons of vanilla scented liquid from the sweetness of the fermented molasses. It pressed upon her from all sides, before gravity took command.
She began to fall down Tae’s throat.
There would be no tomorrow. She would never see her parents or brother again.
Alice landed in a putrid smelling sac of gurgling fluids. She flailed about and stumbled for balance but it was simply impossible. Her skin was aflame with pain. Every surface she touched felt like hot metal.
Everything in Alice’s life would end here. Her years of hard work. Nights spent studying until she fell asleep on a textbook. Late night shifts to afford rent. It all ended here.
She stumbled over something. Sylvia. She was still intact but motionless. Alice’s attempts to suck in air were met with foul, acidic odors flooding her nasal passage. Everything began to go blank. Hopelessly, she fell on Sylvia’s corpse.
I’m going to die in this woman’s stomach. Alice thought to herself. If I hadn’t tried to drown that speck, this wouldn’t be happening. If I never went to that bar, this wouldn’t be happening. If I kept my mouth shut and begged for my life… this wouldn’t be happening.
Tears began to stream from her face. She had been drunk, but she still remembered that night in the bar vividly. She remembered the speck, and his little sobs when he thought he was about to die. His screams echoed in her head, the look on his face now etched into her memory.
She imagined they were identical to her own.