The streets were bustling, much to Mayas annoyance. Too many people, too many witnesses. She hated working in broad daylight but also knew the streets would all be empty by night. That fault fell on her. Too many bodies have popped up, some because she didn't properly hide them. It made Lyzas list all but pointless since she couldn’t find a single Beta.

"I’ve gotten sloppy..."

With a sigh she surveyed the area as she walked amongst the crowd of people, none of them wise to the plans her and Lyza had in store.

"It's not like I'd be able to ask anyone..." She thought. "Really they should all be grateful for that kind of opportunity. If they continued to live like this..." Maya watched as people talked and bickered over pointless things. She watched as the homeless were ignored and forgotten. She saw people go about mundane lives for pointless reasons. "Whatever happens to them is pretty much a mercy."

Los Demonios, a beautiful city only on the outside. Walk through its streets and you'll see just how dirty it really was. How else could a killer like her have managed to escape capture for so long?

She saw a businessman on what was no doubt an important call and already knew just where to cut to get him to bleed out. She saw an old elderly couple and knew just how hard she needed to turn their necks to hear the snap.

She knew how to kill and how to do it well. She's killed so many people in so many ways and she'd be the first to admit that it's begun to get repetitive. Not to the point where she'd stop but just enough that she was getting bored.

It was hard to find enjoyment in killing regular sized people now. Her interests continued to fall upon the diminished. Those who were most affected by the epidemic. The Betas.

Low on the social ladder, it didn't matter if they were rich or poor, young, or old, obese or fit. If you were a Beta you were soon to be a victim of criticism. But if you were a Beta and only a few inches tall, then your old life was effectively over. You'd always need to treat yourself with Antilirin, the miraculous pink powder that reverses the effects of shrinking. Doesn't do away with the pale skin and strange lines upon it. Nor did it turn the bleached hair and red eyes of a Beta back to normal. All it did was give someone their height back, but only for a time. Some needed to take it once a month, others once a week. Rarer still were those who took it once a day, like Lyza.

Such a miraculous little drug- concocted by Saint Minerva, the miracle mind behind the "cure". Maya wondered how the world would react if they the beloved martyr Josephine Minerva was behind the epidemic several years ago, or what they would think if they found out Saint Minerva was strangled to death by a certain blue haired killer.

Mayas lips curled upwards into a smile. Back them she had lost herself in the moment and killed what would have potentially been an amazing little toy. The rich ones, the powerful ones, always struggled the best. As though their statuses still held some sort of merit when so small.

Maya almost drooled when recall how she kept a lawyer trapped in her shoes after she took up running thanks to a shrewd commit by Lyza in regard to her weight. Poor little girl suffered through a heat stroke. Must've never been active before in her life.

Another, a CEO, she tossed in her mouth and sucked on him ad though he were candy. Didn't taste like anything sure, Betas never do, but his struggles kept her entertained for hours on end. Even up until the point where she had effectively licked him raw and red.

But those were kind kills, at least in her eyes. The kind of kills where she barely did anything other than exist around them. Fun to recall but dreadfully dull when enacting, especially when you’re as busy as her.

Her favored forms on executions came when her victims refused to settle down, only thrashing around more when she warned them.

And when those warnings went ignored she'd tear off a limb or two to gain the compliance of others. Heads would be crushed with the most minimal of squeezes and she even go so far as to chew any that still had fight alive before presenting their mashed remains to their friends. The expressions that always followed never failed to elicit a laugh from Maya.

Apparently the simple act of reminiscing was enough to force one from between Mayas lips as she noticed the concerned gazes of a few unaware passerby’s.

She waved them off, saying that all she recalled was a funny joke. Just like drones they went back to their daily lives, none even giving the blue haired woman a second thought as to why she laughed in the middle of the sidewalk.

Maya exhaled, the notion that she's failed to capture even a single Beta weighing down heavily on her mind.

"They're hiding particularly well today."

Or at least the little ones were. There were many large Betas about, but those weren't her target. Usually they were our scavenging at night, those who couldn't find a place to live. Again though, even that was starting to become difficult.

Maya was beginning to think this day would probe fruitless, that was until she saw, several yards in front of her, a man almost trip over himself before he started cussing at his feet. He took on large step forward, stepping over the seemingly three-inch beta that nearly cause him to fall over.

They were shaken up by the near death experience apparently, having remained in the same spot up until Maya walked towards them.

Female and young. A teenager perhaps. And judging by their tattered clothes homeless as well. Poor thing must've lost her home or couldn't find her way back to it. The possibility that she was thrown out was also on the table. So many ways this Beta could have ended up here.

Not like it mattered, however. Right now she was exactly where she needed to be.

The young girl was frightened at first upon seeing Maya bend down, offering her an open hand to stand on. But once she saw Mayas smile that fear seemed to melt away.

"Are you alright?"

Mayas blue eyes lulled the Beta into an odd sense of peace, her smile seemed to sooth her spirit. She seemed different from the people who looked at her. They saw her as though she were an insect. But when she looked into Mayas eyes she found that wasn't the case her. Maya saw her as something else.

"I-i'm good..." The Beta answered through a shakey voice. Even as she was lifted into the air she kept her calm.

Maya seemed different when compared to the other citizens of Los Demonios, and that wasn't just cause of her attire. A red button up shirt and black jeans, along with matching dress shoes. Paired with her tied back hair and Maya gave off a professional look while also maintaining to appear kind and considerate.

"I'm so glad to hear that." Maya had already continued her walk, now with a prize in hand.  "You poor little things are always in so much danger. You must be insane to walk about in such a crowded area?"

"Not insane..." The woman corrected. "Starving"

Maya showed genuine concern when she saw just how emaciated they were. Through what little clothing they had Maya could see ribs and bones. A shame as upon looking at the Beta Maya could easily tell that they were very beautiful once.

"Poor dear, you really are starving." Maya pondered for a moment before smiling. "Lucky for you I know an incredible little restaurant that serves an amazing crab bisque."

The teenage Beta quickly found herself salivating at the thought of real food and not the scraps she was usually forced to scavenge for. So lost was she in the thought that she didn't have time to even think about refusing Mayas invitation as the giantess quickly shot that down.

"I won't take no as an answer mind you. You're nothing but skin and bones right now. Why, we just need to do something about that."

Mayas voice was as soothing as can be, filling the Beta with only a sense of security.

"Do you have a name?" Maya asked. "Or should I just call you little thing?"

"I-it's Caroline." The Beta answered. "Caroline Marks."

"Delilah Basque" Maya replied as she extended a finger towards Caroline for them to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you Caroline. You have a lovely name."

Over an hour later Maya was happily watching as Caroline helped herself to a spoonful of bisque, the three-inch Beta slurping up the large quantity before she was offered more. She didn't refuse, the food being more then she's had in weeks.

"Is it good?" Maya asked with a smile. She truly did enjoy watching as Caroline gorged herself.

"Amazing!" Caroline shouted in between mouthfuls. "Thank you Delilah! Thank you so much!"

As Coraline continued with her meal Maya could only reminisce over how she had acquired her current name. Delilah Basque, the real one, was a cruel woman. Someone from Mayas own childhood in fact. Old, vindictive, and took joy in bringing misfortune upon a young Maya and her family.

Maya smiled as she remembered the last time she saw the old hag. She was older by then, of course. And she had a better understanding of how to dispose of evidence by then.

The old hag's still reported as missing.

"So, what's your story Caroline?" Maya asked, breaking her own train of thought. "Judging by the way you eat I'd imagine you've been on your own for a very long time."

Caroline ceased eating the moment Maya asked. The next second she was shaking, as though the memories that arose in regard to Mayas question terrified her.

"Oh no no, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to!" Maya assured. "I didn't know it was such a sensitive topic for you. I didn't think."

It took Caroline quite a few minutes to calm herself down, the whole while Maya looked on in worry. When finally the Beta looked up at her the blue haired giantess felt her spirits lift.

"I... was thrown out." Caroline revealed. "By my own family. My aunt and uncle."

"Not your parents?" Maya wondered.

"No... they were shrunk too. My dad was two inches, my mother one."

Maya was taken aback by that. The mothers height nearly put her on even footing with Six. Maya couldn't help but wonder if there were some even smaller than her one and only.

"We lived in an apartment complex with my aunt and uncle. They owned the building but we all never really got along."

Maya noticed Caroline tense up again and placed her index finger atop the Betas head, gently moving to her cheek to stroke it. She was calming Caroline and doing an excellent job of it. Any fear of recalling the past melted away just as it had before.

"Once...once my parents and I shrunk my aunt us all gone. She said she didn't want to take care of bugs. My dad's always been a headstrong guy. Nice, but doesn't always think things through. He argued with my aunt for a few minutes before she...she..."

"Took care of him like a bug." Maya finished. She already knew the ending to this story. It's one she's already heard dozens of times.

A slow nod confirmed Mayas suspicions.

"I imagine at that point you and your mother knew it was best to run away right?

Another nod signified another confirmation.

"It's only been us two ever since. We've managed to live for the few months we've on the streets but only barely. My mother's been too weak to leave the bed and I've barely been able to find any real food. At least until i met you..."

Maya felt her heart skip a beat when she heard that. It was adorable to her. "Oh spare me please. It could've been someone else that helped you.

"But you were the only one that did!" Caroline said as she stood up. She crossed her arms, seemingly determined to have what she felt she should heard. "You were the only one who offered a helping hand after all these months. To me that places you leagues above the assholes in this city."

Maya visibly blushed, not having expected any sort of compliments from anyone other than her Six and Lyza. "Oh, you wouldn't say that if you knew me more. But please do go on. I like hearing your praise."

The two continued talking, enjoying each other’s company a great deal and both sharing details about themselves. Their pasts, their hopes and their desired futures. Maya of course saw that it was best to withhold any sensitive information but for the most part she was truthful. And as such she learned a great deal from Caroline as well, including the location of a certain aunt and uncle that cared so little for family. Two people she made certain to see before the days end.

"Caroline I must say you are a sparkling conversationalist!"

"And you Delilah live such an incredible life! You sound like you have an amazing girlfriend."

Maya chuckled at all the luxuries she was afforded thanks to her relationship with Lyza. "She spoils me I know. And I love her for it. It's just..."

"You don't know what to expect from your boyfriend right?" Caroline asked. "I'll be honest the thought of a three-person relationship doesn't seem like the best idea."

"I know!" Maya exasperated. "But I love them both so much! And they're both aware of the situation it's just that I don't think they get along all too well."

"Well how can you be certain?" Caroline asked. "Maybe they just need to find common ground in something?"

Maya recalled back to the recent days. How Six has both insulted and angered Lyza while the latter belittled him. "Yeah that may be a bit difficult..."

Maya bit the nail of her thumb in frustration as Caroline looked on in silent amusement. She felt that all Maya needed was for all three of them to find something they shared interest in. She also believed that this was something Maya needed to understand herself.

"Whatever it is Maya I'm sure they'll come around." Caroline said with a yawn following after. "You're an amazing woman. They'll see how lucky they both are."

Maya saw the young Beta struggle to keep her eyes open. A good meal is likely to do that to one so small. And seeing as the two have enjoyed each other's company for quite some time Maya saw it fit to ready herself to leave.

But not without offering a helping hand.

"Do you have someplace to live?" Maya asked as she placed her palm besides the now extremely calm Caroline. "You said you live with your mother right."

"I did." Caroline confirmed as she found herself yawning again. "Actually, we live in a small community with other Betas. All homeless with barely enough food to share. It's a few blocks away from where we met."

Maya didn't even have time to offer Caroline the choice of being taken there. Already the little Beta was sitting cross legged in her palm with a smile on her face. She trusted Maya completely.

"Bolder now are we? Alright, just show me where I need to go then."

Caroline navigated as though she were on a ship, holding onto Mayas thumb as she guided the giantess. In Mayas other hand was a Styrofoam cup filled with Bisque, the leftovers she hadn’t eaten. She was certain she could use it for something.

Caroline had not trouble relaying the directions Maya needed to find the little Betas home. A task that only took half an hour. It was Mayas first time seeing a Beta settlement and as such she didn’t know what to expect. Needless to say her first viewing of it was rather underwhelming.

It was hidden away, this home of theirs, resting between two buildings so deep in an alleyway that no one was bound to look here. To keep safe from anyone wishing to invite harm upon the minuscule community. And it worked for the most part, at least until now.

It was trash. Literally. They used garbage to not only cloth themselves but also to build makeshift homes. Cardboard boxes seemed the most common but there were also a fair amount of cartons and newspapers being used as homes and tents as well. It was disgusting, enough to make Mayas nose curl. She did have to admit though, they were rather inspiring to have managed for as long as they did.

It was simply amazing how many Betas could be found in the hard-to-reach places. It made Maya realize that she was going about her search wrong. Of course they wouldn’t be out in the open, they’d be hidden away. All it took to find them was the trust of an oh so innocent teenage girl.

“Where’s your mother?” Maya asked the still sitting Beta. There was a crowd forming at her feet, all looking up in awe. “She’s not here is she?”

Caroline looked down to the people at Mayas feet before pointing towards a house right at the very edge of the little settlement. “My mom stays in doors most days. Like I said, she’s usually too weak to walk.”

Maya practically beamed down at the young Beta. She really did make things too easy. She helped to turn a fruitless day into a bountiful one.

“Sweet little Caroline. You truly are a gem.” Maya praised. “Such a sweet soul. A life like this doesn’t deserve someone like you. I hope in your next one you get the kind life you deserve.”

Caroline, while at first was bashful, didn’t quite understand what Maya meant by her last statement. No, whatever thoughts she had were quickly silenced once Maya closed her fingers around the Beta and crushed her before she even had time to realize what was happening.

It was a kind kill. Quick, with the last words being heard were those of genuine praise. Poor little Caroline was too good for this cruel world and as such Maya saw it best to kill her quickly. The blue haired giantess allowed the body to fall from her hand with an oh so tiny tilt of it, letting gravity bring it down on two terrified onlookers within the crowd. Just as the crowd was beginning to disperse Maya brought her foot down on three more, not even offering them the time to resist.

“Anyone tries to run away, and I’ll make my next kill last longer.” she explained with a calmness that almost bordered boredom. When another was beginning to run away a simple step proved her threat as she didn’t outright crush them. Instead Maya dragged the poor soul across the ground, leaving behind a red streak as she did. The Beta proved to be a fighter, trying to crawl out from underneath Mayas shoe even as their skin was torn apart from the constant dragging. It was entertaining, if only for a moment, but soon enough and with one final drag the Beta was little more than another, far messier, streak that proved to be just what Maya needed to instill obedience in the now motionless crowd.

Maya silently counted each and every Beta, wondering if perhaps there were too many.

“Thirty-seven in total...” Maya thought. “Bit too many to carry on me. May have to cull the numbers. It’s a good thing I don’t mind leftovers.”

At that Maya opened the styrofoam cup she’s held on to, a meal for later she’s glad she had brought with her now. By her estimate she believed she could carry six, maybe seven if she forced an extra one in. The rest though she’d have to deal with. They’d likely move should they live; warn others if they came across any.

Maya chugged the whole cup of Bisque, uncaring for whatever crab chunks were in it. They just slid past her throat, each time a lump passed that gave the Betas below an idea of what could happen to them. It seemed an eternity before Maya finally finished, the giantess pulling away the cup as she exhaled a terrifying amount of steam.

“Hot!” Maya breathed heavily as she tried to cool her burning mouth. “Fuckers! I told them I wanted it warm! This isn’t going to sit well later I just know it!”

Maya clutched her stomach and then her throat, the hot soup clearly having left its mark on both. “Oh yeah, that’s gonna start hurting in an hour. I better wrap things up.”

Maya wasted no time in scooping up two Betas, each about two inches. Both female and both screaming as though they were in a contest to see who could tear their vocal cords first. One of their heads was easily popped in between Mayas finger, silencing the other as she understood what would happen if she continued. Even as she was lowered into the still steaming cup she didn’t produce so much as a single decibel.

Two more came after, one three inches while the other was four. These were far more silent then the previous, but they did possess more spirit, trying with all their little might to break free from Mayas grasp. With how they were positioned it was easy for Maya to hold a leg from each in between two fingers from her other hand. Even while holding the cup she had no trouble breaking their legs and inducing shock on them.

“That makes three~” Maya chuckled. Only now was the crowd beginning to disperse once more, the fear from the example made before effectively being replaced by the fear they felt now. Maya was untroubled by this, targeting the biggest Betas to step down on with effort so that the resulting gore would instill more fear in the crowd, and by extension error.

They practically killed each other in their panic, with family and friends trampling over their own kin in an effort to escape. It made Mayas job easier in thinning them out.

She collected another one, lifting the Beta by their leg as they tripped over a far larger one. Maya was almost certain she dislocated the limb as the little thing immediately went limp. Thankfully he was alive and as such he went right into the cup.

“That makes four~”

Another addition, this time trying to hide within what could only have been her cardboard home. The roof was easily torn away and without much fight there was another addition to the collection.

“Five~”

Maya was enjoying herself, even allowing a few to run a considerable distance before jumping right on top of them. She felt like a child again when she did that, playing hopscotch as her parents watched. Only now the game was bloodier.

A Beta tried to run in between her legs. An awful idea really, one that only ended with him being lifted by his head. Fear did what Maya already planned to and immediately knock the poor guy out cold. Maya did like the cowardly ones. They were fun to play with.

“And that makes Six.” Maya looked to see who remained, her own efforts and the efforts of the terrified Betas having killed just about everyone. All that remained was the house at the very end.

Caroline's house, where her mother still was. It’d be cruel to leave someone so frail alone in an abandoned community. She wouldn’t offer as much fun as the rest, but with their size of only a single inch they’d fit in the container no problem.

Unfortunately, as soon as Maya tore away the roof of the cardboard house, they found the frail woman in bed, unmoving and silent. Maya placed a finger on the woman's chest to garnish some kind of reaction but found that it didn’t work. She wasn’t even breathing.

“Weaker then Caroline thought. Poor thing must have passed some time ago...”

It made Maya question just how long Caroline was out scavenging for food before coming across her. With how their mother looked it could have been weeks. Maybe even a few days if they were already weak before.

Maya couldn’t explain it but she felt sad. Horrible even, and that feeling only grew worse once she saw Caroline's crushed body.

“She never really had a home to come back to. At least she died thinking that she did.”

Looking at the cup in her hand Maya forced a smile, trying to cheer herself up at the thought of the fun she and Lyza would have.

It didn’t work and before long Maya held no desire to stay in this now dead settlement.

Maya was so lost in thought that she didn’t even see a Beta crawling away, his lower legs crushed as a result on getting trampled on by two larger individuals as they fled. Both were dead now, crushed by Maya. Unfortunately the crawling Beta was doomed to join them as Maya never even registered that they were beneath her shoe.

Despite the rather audible crunch Maya was still oblivious to what she did. Instead she hoped that Lyza and Six would be able to better her mood once she saw them. That is, if they were getting along.