“Quick, Sam, come on!”

Beneath a mass of matted blonde curls, a young man slowly raised up his head to the direction of the summons. One eye peaking out from between strands, only to catch sight of the last person he wanted to see at this time of day. He blinked wearily, shaking his head a little, before swiftly dropping back down to his pillow. His weary eyes shutting tightly as he feigned ignorance.

“Dude, we don’t have time, come on! They caught Ryan and the others!”

His eyes snapped back open, and within seconds he was bolt upright upon the mattress. “What?! What are you talking about?”

Within moments, any hint of exhaustion behind his eyes had vanished. Attention now fixed upon the figure peering through his bedroom door, the young blonde extended his arms and slowly dragged his fingers over his scalp, catching a little in his thick hair. Still straining his hears, Sam listening to voice beyond the door as he began to tear off his sleepwear and snatch up various bits of more appropriate clothing.

“No idea, dude. I haven’t be up long myself, just cause sight of them down the street as I passed. Safe to say, it ain’t looking good…” The slightly larger looking man now slipped away from the doorway, the increasingly hushed footsteps implying his return to the exit as Sam rushed to finished dressing.

After another minute or two, the young blonde dashed over to the door and, following in the path of his acquaintance, also made his way outside. As he was temporarily caught off guard by the cool morning air, he peered about until he managed to catch sight of his larger fellow. With a brisk jog, Sam hastily caught up with the bustling man.

“So.. huh, what’s up then? Who ratted them? What for?” Sam panted a little as he started to match paces.

“No idea,” Alex replied, keeping up a quickened pace as he pushed past various onlookers as they gradually neared the edges of the crowd, forcing them to clear a path towards the developing scene. “All I know is a couple of officers had ‘em pinned down and there was mutterings of an Inquisitor on the way over. So, yeah… not good, as I said.”

Sam swore under his breath, doubling his efforts to help push through the crowd, hardly pausing to offer faint apologies for his roughness. On the rare moment where he had just enough room, he hopped up in an effort to catch the slightest glimpse beyond the mass of humanity, but couldn’t really make anything out just yet. Neither men said anything further as they drove onwards, presumably keen to save anymore words until the situation could be properly addressed.

Eventually, after much barging and shoving, they broke into the inner clearing and instantly halted their journey, as if stumbling at the edge of a cliff. Alex even stretched his arm out to catch Sam, preventing him from moving too close to the figures that now stood several metres away from them. Neither of them dared to take one step more.

At the very centre of the increasingly large crowd, there stood eight figures. Five men, arranged in a curved line, and three women, two standing nearer to the men and the other between them, only a few steps behind, facing away.

All five of the men were knelt down in the dust, hands behinds their heads and nervous glances in their eyes. None dared to look at one another, instead all gazes were rapidly jumping between the three figures standing before them. Although most seemed unable to look away from the central woman. The two women stood side by side, slightly shorter than their counterpart, were dressed in dark blue uniforms, save for the bright white gloves and boots each of them wore. Both looked to be constructed from pristine leather, tight fitting and undeniably eye-catching. Sam couldn’t really see their faces all that much, even if he could figure they couldn’t have been much older than his young self, but still noted their contrasting hair colours, one bleach blonde and the other light brown. He also failed to catch his eyes from wandering further, cursing himself, admittedly impressed by just how tight fitting those uniforms appeared to be, even if the wearers were not to be admired.

As for the figure in the centre, it seemed as if the entire town was fixated upon her. Utterly incapable of looking away, even given they were well aware of her grim purpose. She was still turned away from the others, seeming deep in thought and yet Sam could’ve sworn he caught her eye as her head raise up. She was a little older than he, probably early to mid thirties, but that only seemed to enhance the enthralling aura she radiated. It wasn’t just confidence or superiority, both of which could certainly be felt. No, it was that raw, unfiltered dominance. The woman’s long black hair was aggressively tied back, fastened so tightly it looked ready to tear her scalp free. Her face seemed to mirroring this philosophy, with her pale skin pulled taut over her sharp features and only adding to this woman’s sheer presence. Her eyebrows were curved and pointed, framing her piercing eyes quite powerfully, helped on by her narrow lips and needle nose.

Everything else this woman possessed was concealed beneath a tight black uniform, only causing her striking appearance to stand out all the more. As for the outfit itself, it looked quite similar to the girls that flanked her, only with a total absence of any colour at all, besides the thin, dark red line that ran down the outer side of each arm and leg, disappearing as it reached the rims of her gloves and boots respectively. Her gloves seemed identical to her compatriots, only in opposite hue, whilst her footwear was radically different. Where the white boots of the Officers were smooth and featureless, the heavy, black boots of their commander had a great deal more going on. First of note, to Sam at least, was the shorter fit, only reaching around the middle of her muscular calves instead of the knee-high lengths the white boots reached. Each boot then had an intricate set of laces that covered the vast majority of its length along with a bright silver zipper running along the inseam of the leather, from her calf down to the sole’s arch. Finally, the outer surface upon the neck of the boots was emblazoned with what seemed to be an embroidered crest, highlighted in white, surrounding three numerical digits. In this case: 0 4 0.

Sam’s attention finally broke as the woman span around, moving to face away from him, back to the others occupying the focus of the town. Her arms were folded, legs rigid, as she finally addressed the kneeling men. Sam and Alex exchanged a dark look, the former feeling a lump starting to develop in his throat.

“This is your final warning. Understand? If one of you speaks now and confesses to the crimes I know have been committed, then I shall consider sparing that one, whilst the rest of you shall meet your end here and now.” The men watched on anxiously, noting how her face hardly moved as the words sprung from behind her pointed tongue, leaving only her parting mouth and shrewd eyes to convey her intentions. “This courtesy will only be extended once. Either you shall all perish, before this town of yours, or one of your may confess and be granted some small mercy whilst the others are dealt with.”

Not one of them moved. Not the Officers, nor the accused, and not the imposing Inquisitor that stood before them.

Sam watched on cautiously, scanning the crowd in search of any method through which this event might be avoided. Even with his varied experience, the options open to him seemed to be scarce. Looking to his side, Alex appeared to be doing the same, but inevitably their eyes were both drawn back to the tall, black figure at the centre of the circle. No matter what they might do, both of them knew better than to provoke the wrath of an Inquisitor.

It took a few moments more, the oppressive silence broken only the occasional mutter from the audience at large, but inevitably one of the five began to squeak. His timid voice was barely audible, even in the morning dim. And yet that made no difference to the Officers. Signalled by a nod from their superior, each of the women marched over to boy, hardly looking a day over eighteen and yet still entangled in this mess all the same. They each placed a white hand upon his quivering shoulders and dragged him forwards, causing his bared knees to scrape along the rough ground as he was brought before the Inquisitor. His bloodshot eyes didn’t once move from her as he was moved, not even to exchange guilty looks at his comrades.

“Speak, boy,” she snapped, still standing completely still, having only shifted her head forwards to look down at him.

When the boy first began to speak, Sam had looked intently to identify him, certain that he knew the hazy silhouette to some extent. But now, with him cowering before the formidable woman, he could see clearly who the boy was.

“Blake…” He heard Alex mutter from beside him, as Sam’s face dropped.

The crowd, along with the four remaining apprehendees, strained their ears to catch a word of what was said, but the boy’s speech was so rambling and frantic that making any sense of it seemed near impossible. Not to the imposing women however, all of whom stood in silence, with the Inquisitor nodding curtly as he spoke. The two Officers eyed one another as he whined, clearly amused or at least entertained by his confession.

However, unseen by the three women, one of the remaining men was slowly getting to his feet, looking around sporadically as he rose up. His face looked focused, but there was an unhinged glint in his eye, causing many in the crowd to gasp or whisper. Sam merely groaned, hearing his broad colleague’s face smack down into his hands.

The disheveled man took a few tentative steps forwards, looking for any reaction from his susbdjucators, and upon received nil, he broke out into a sprint. Aiming straight for the brunette standing to the left of the female triad.

He barely made it within several feet of the group, before he was sent crumbling into the ground beside them. With an audible crack, the brown-haired Officer had spun on a dime and swung her leg upwards, causing her heel to careen into his jaw as their momentum collided. Blood spurted from the man’s mouth as he soared, only to land in a pitiable heap upon the ground, shaking and clutching at his shattered mouth. The girl didn’t even cast her eyes over him as he fell, instead gazing at the crowd, not bothering to hide a smug grin before she turned back to the others. The boy had been startled by the loud noise, along with the blonde Officer giving her colleague an approving smirk. However, the Inquisitor hadn’t moved, not even to assess the source of the commotion.

Prompted by a raised hand from the raven-haired woman, the boy finally ceased his monologue, finally letting his eye slip to the ground on which he still knelt. “Enough. I accept your testimony and will grant you mercy, as promised.”

She then looked upwards, away from the meek boy and towards both of her subordinates, speaking bluntly.

“See to the rest.”

Unlike their commander, the two blue-uniformed women seemed to be much less stoic, far more willing to show and flout their emotions, as at this order they both grew broad smiles and exchanged a knowing look. Slowly turning around to face the increasingly panicked group to their rear. The two women walked back over to them, the brown-haired Officer reaching down to drag the bleeding man by his collar before tossing him back over to the others. Each stomped hard as they finally came to rest, several metres away from the men, grinding their soles into the ground and smiling darkly. They offered a glance and nod back to their superior, and then proceeded to draw their weapons.

The locals gasped at the sight, a few even crying out to plead for the group’s innocence, but no one was permitted time to react, as both weapons were fired without delay. Once, then again, before they were deposited back within their holsters hanging at their owner’s hips. Sam didn’t even have to look, casting his face down into his waiting hands. He knew what had happened. He’d seen it enough times by now to know.

Upon the dusty earth before both women, there now stood four tiny figures. Identical to their normal sized forms that they’d worn until a moment earlier, still clothed yet shrunken down to barely three inches in height. It was impossible to truly tell from so far away, but they must have been in awed by the gargantuan figures that now stood over them. It was a sight many of the onlookers could scarcely imagine, let alone wish to experience for themselves. And yet, the looming smirks upon the young women’s faces drove fear into the hearts of both onlookers and tinies alike, near to a level they couldn’t have conceived of moments earlier. But still, that feeling wasn’t to last long.

Without further ceremony, each woman raised up a boot, coordinated in their act, and planted their foot down firmly, landing upon two of the tiny men in unison. Once the first foot was replaced upon the ground, following a low crunch, they did the same with their other foot, ending both tiny lives in an instant. Each of the men hadn’t even been given a moment to scream or run or even comprehend what was about to happen to them. They were simply given an incomparable view of the giantess’ boot sole before their body was shattered beyond all recognition, leaving an almost imperceptible smear upon the dry dirt. Their bloody outline quickly mixing with the surround grime and erasing any evidence of their existence.

Each of the women took a moment to examine the rubber soles of their boots before wiping them across the small specks of grass that poked out the soil. Once satisfied, they each turned back around, still very much in unison, and drew their firearms once again. Aiming squarely at Blake. The blood rapidly draining from his terrified face.

“And now it is your turn. I promised you mercy, and so that is what you shall receive.” She incapable of speaking in anything but that clinical tone, devoid of empathy. “Do it.”

No sooner had she given the command, did both women fire and shrink the terrified boy too, his expression indicating he still hadn’t considered he might still be a target for retribution. The Inquisitor paid no mind to his increasingly quiet cries and pleas, instead leaning down and focusing upon her right boot, or more specifically, its sealed zipper.

“Do not protest. I promised you mercy, not absolution. You must still endure punishment for your delinquent behaviour, only in a more prolonged manner to that of your conspirators.” She continued, having now grasped the zip at the top of her right boot. “Not only did you also admit to the crime for which your fellows were sentenced. You also saw fit to betray them and seek salvation for yourself, condemning them in the process. And whilst I thank you for your cooperation, I can think of no punishment more suitable for such a spineless act.”

As she slowly drew down the zipper upon her polished boot, many of the crowd began to turn away in horror, some guessing at what was to come as others still puzzled over the . Sam noticed Alex had now turned his back, but the young blonde could not tear his eyes from the scene unfolding before him, his mouth opening and closing vacantly. He felt sick to his stomach, and there was nothing he could. “…Blake…”

The tiny boy was far from his formerly hushed self now, hands clasped together, knees planted and eyes glazed over, he belted out any and all pleading reasoning he could think of. Only for that panic to catch in his throat as her hand drew the zip down to the base of the boot and he caught the slightest hint of the aroma that dwelt within. Slowly squeezing its way from beneath her flushed ankle and out of the opening leather chamber. It was already causing bouts of distress to the surrounding public, some loudly complaining and others beginning to covering their faces, or just straight-up fleeing from the event having seen quite enough already. To the condemned boy, it already had to be quite intolerable given his proximity.

“Prepare yourself, boy. For you are about to experience the extent of my mercy.” And with that, she yanked the separated leather open fully, steading herself with one hand resting at her heel, and pulled her leg upwards.

There was an immediate, shocking effect. Both for the tiny boy, and the crowd at large.

Many people gasped and whined as the powerful scent reached them, now unleashed at its fullest potency, some of whom already seemed to be growing faint or clutching at those around them to stop from collapsing to the floor in response. Sam frantically pulled up his shirt in an effort to protect his own senses, but it did little good. The intense, clammy stench cut through him in mere seconds and moved onto the people to standing behind him, causing his lungs to cease up and contract desperately to keep from taking in any of the Inquisitor’s staggering stink. He had never encountered something so pungent, and even from a fair distance, it was causing his eyes to cloud as every fibre of his being told him to sprint in the opposite direction. This effect seemed to be universal, as Sam could already hear Alex stumbling away, coughing profusely as he staggered. And he wasn’t alone in that, as many others did the same. As for the tiny boy at the epicentre of the stench, it had to be beyond perception.

Flat on his back far below the three pairs of watchful eyes, the tiny boy was in a frenzy, clawing at his throat, convulsing and yelping as his eyes bulged out of his head. He seemed to have lost control over his limbs and senses, just flailing about helplessly as the titanic women watched on. His chest heaved up and down violently as his nostrils flared erratically, his neck spasming and nose melting. Even the slightest exposure to such a pungent stink would surely be enough to render a normal sized person pleading for their life, as demonstrated by the fleeing townsfolk, and yet to someone already greatly diminished in size, it seemed to totally obliterate them. Unable to move, beg or even think, when confronted with the reek of this Inquisitor. Instead, they could only pump the reeking air into their lungs and wordlessly pray for death. As Blake’s stinging eyes looked up, all his failing vision could make out was the colossal, crimson sole that dominated the sky above him. Greatly engorged with sweat and just leaking that same perspiration in a constant, thick rain onto the ground around him. It radiated so much heat that the air surrounding him had become obscured and hazy, causing him to start sweating and no longer make out the three giantesses that stood around him.

“As I’m sure you have already guessed, little one,” a cold voice boomed down at him from the obscured heavens. “The remainder of your now drastically short life with be spent in service to my foot and, more specifically, within the confines my boot. You shall be isolated and your tiresome pleas shall go unheard. The closest thing to human contact you will ever receive again, prior to your inevitable expiration, shall be the enormous and constant weight of my unyielding soles.”

The two uniformed girls beamed down at the pathetic sight. Side by side and arms crossed, loving every second of the tiny boys weak squirms and choked whimpers, both seemingly unaffected by the intolerable musk that was blanketing the now dwindling crowd and unused to seeing such an entertaining spectacle. As for the Inquisitor herself, she still wore that fearsomely expression and spoke with complete disregard for the tiny human being she had just knowingly sentencing to live and die within her fetid boot. But even now, the shadow of a smile didn’t go unnoticed by her fellows, creating the smallest of cracks in her otherwise impenetrable exterior. Perhaps it was due to the severe reaction her audience now displayed, or perhaps it was the pitiful attempts her tiny victim made to avoid the certainty of his fate. Or instead, it was merely the knowledge that she’d just condemned this nobody to one of the cruelest fate she could hand down, and all for a simple, petty theft that she’d sought to exaggerate after weeks of unbearable tedium. 

Angeline finally shifted her arms apart, bringing them to rest at her sides, elbows bowed and hands upon her hips. The dark haired woman kept her attention fixed on tiny being cowering under her attractive yet exceedingly pungent barefoot, as she allowed her mind to wander momentarily. She knew he wasn’t going anywhere, not for lack of trying anyway.

Although she would never admit it to another living soul, she quite enjoyed seeing how her charges handled the prospect of such a terrible fate, along with the reality once she locked them up. Of course, her profession was uniquely equipped to permit this oddity, however it had been quite sometime since she’d last been given the chance to break in a felon, at least in this fashion.

Casting her mind back, Angeline recalled the last girl she’d had the responsibility of sentencing, and therefore, the opportunity to imprison. Having made it to just over a week within those same boots before the Inquisitor’s uniquely wretched stink had put an end to her, the austere woman had actually been quite impressed. She’d only learned of this fact after the comforting squirms beneath her sole had come to an abrupt end and, upon peeling the girl’s face out from the gap between her long, indelibly foul toes, she’d seen all life had drained from the tiny thing. The expression practically baked onto the poor things face was quite a picture, one the Inquisitor still recalled well.

Her whole head, and most of her body for that matter, was soaked with sweat and had been boiled a bright red tint during her extended stay between the Inquisitor’s scalding digits, a mixture of indescribable terror and excruciating disgust chiselled onto her youthful face. In the aftermath, Angeline had found that to be the most amusing thing, given the girl had entered her boot a pristine, attractive, arrogant young thing, and yet had left a disgusting, sopping, stinking mess of a creature, completely unrecognisable as her former self. Still, it had garnered not posthumous sympathy from the giant executioner, simply tossing the girl’s corpse back inside her boot and leaving it to rot underfoot ever since.

Watching on as the towering woman composed herself, Sam continued to gag and splutter, hardly able to make out the Inquisitor’s next words over his own coughing, as she gradually closed the distance between her foot and his friend. “Perhaps you might find some of the previous recipients of my mercy down there. But then again, perhaps not. It isn’t an environment lowlives like yourself tend to leave much of an impression in. Not least when compared to the impression I’m about to make upon you.”

Abandoning her stoicism, she smiled, an empty, mirthless smile as her thin lips stretched. Carefully lowering her foot slightly nearer to the boy, the heat and stench only magnified further, causing his involuntary squirms to grow more violent and unhinged. Her gigantic toes appeared to twitch a little as they approached, no doubt eager for some time alone with their new cellmate. All this brought out a low giggle from the two guards, still acting in remarkable synchronicity, both of whom then hastily quelled their outburst before they could tempt their superior’s wrath. But, seemingly unfazed, the black-outfitted giantess continued her dissection.

“I should expect you to last no longer than a week within there, and I will not be making any special arrangements to prolong your stay once I seal my boots back up, understand? I doubt you’ll have to time to experience any boredom, but if you are feeling especially keen to make some use of your final days, might I recommend assisting me with my own personal hygiene? As I’m sure you’re now aware, all this leather can make for some rather unpleasant conditions, and I could certainly make very good use of both your mouth and nose whilst you’re otherwise engaged. Then again, I suppose that might prove a hollow choice,” she said dryly, the shade of a smirk returning again. “My feet can be ever so persuasive. Especially for criminals, such as yourself.”

Her foot now looked to be mere inches away from the trembling boy, eyes spurting tears from both fear and from the overwhelming stench still pouring out of her foot, whilst his mouth opened and closed weakly. The aroma wasn’t getting any less potent, in fact, it only seemed to get worse as he remained incapable of stopping her foot stink from having its way with him. Even when compared to any normal person, this Inquisitor’s foot would appear unusually large, but it was downright monolithic to Blake, and only getting larger as she neared. Her bright eyes flashed as she sensed his paralysed body draw near, only for her foot to tip forwards and present him with the tops of her well-groomed toes, each fidgeting and squelching in the morning light. All of the lengthy digits were crowned with a shining black polish, perfectly administered and expertly trimmed, contrasting nicely with her normally pale skin, now roasted a much darker, flushed shade of pink.

“I think it’s time we move on, you’ve already wasted enough of my time,” she snapped, slowly pulling at her tendons as the space between her big toe and index expanded and began to engulf the boy, filling his tear-stained view with only of sweaty toe gap. “This is the most I’ve had to air my feet out in weeks. I’m afraid I will have to punish you for that, also.”

Even after all the time spent airing, the smell had gotten no less powerful, particularly between her toes, where Blake had now found himself. And as the steaming vice moved nearer and nearer to his whimpering face, the scent started to become so intense that the very act of breathing became almost impossible. He vacantly watched the reddened skin slide past him, feeling the weight of her toes rest upon his shoulders, pulling him deeper towards his destination. Finally muffling his cries as his face slammed into the slick surface at the pit of her toes, smothered in her hot flesh and accumulated toe gunk.

As soon as she felt his head make contact with his new home, Angeline snapped her toes back together, squeezing the engorged flesh between with a grim squelch, all as their tiny captive became completely submerged. The giantess carefully drew her leg back up to her waist and framed it above the waiting boot, bending her knee and striking an elegant pose before her subordinates. Both were now giggling again, offering demeaning waves at the trapped figure whose limbs now flailed between the oppressive toes.

“Bye, kid!”

“Smell you later, loser!”

The Inquisitor was not as playful. Instead, eyeing up the boot far below so as to be sure her foot could make a single, unbroken descent back into the stinking abyss, taking her newest charge with it. She shuffled around a little, and once satisfied with the trajectory, offered a few parting words to the fading boy. “Best of luck down there. I imagine you’ll need it.” Then plunged her foot back into the boot.

She winced a little she felt her sole collide with the insole, the impact forcing a great deal of stale sweat to come splashing up between her toes and against her arch. This acclimatisation would pass quickly however, as it always did, and she could already feel her foot beginning to simmer once again given the latent heat trapped within those boots. Without any further ceremony, she reached down and dragged the zip back up her calf and stood up to her fullest height, finally taking some time to look around at the remaining crowd for the first time since arriving on the scene. Even after the events of the last few minutes, somehow her appearance remained impeccable, hair tied back and uniform tight.

Most had left the moment her boot had originally become unsealed, with many others doing the same since that time. Only a few still remained, the vast majority of whom were totally exhausted by the proceedings or just outright unconscious in a few cases, face down in the ground and breathing lightly. She’d anticipated this but was still impressed by the ones that still remained upright, having handled even a limited and distant exposure to her most effective tool. Eyes sharp, she took note of each of them, then turned back to face the two uniformed girls.

“Clear this mess, you too, and please provide the station with a detail breakdown of what occurred here. I shall do the paperwork for my charge, but you two ought to take responsibility for the other four,” she spoke plainly, before adding. “It’ll look better on your records.”

The girls smiled obediently, offering a nod and bow, before turning to address the remaining people. Meanwhile, the Inquisitor had already began to walk away, keenly aware of each stomp her right foot took. Every single one driving the tiny boy deeper into her foot, all as she felt him struggle to push himself free. It was losing battle, most obviously between her toes, but she enjoyed his fight all the same, although she didn’t show it outwardly.

Sam was upon his knees now, sapped of all his strength and resistance. Partly glad the unbearable stench had begun to dissipate, but unable to shake the mark it had undoubtedly left upon him. Along with the knowledge that it’s removal had come with the tradeoff of having his friend sealed away within the Inquisitor’s footwear. Even as he watched the smiling girls approach him and the remaining people, he could not tear the horrible images from his head. The bloody stains upon the ground. The Inquisitor’s black boots. The tiny boy trapped between her disgusting toes.

It was all too much for him. Sam’s knees gave way and he collapsed to the ground, almost colliding with one of the approaching girls. He didn’t see which one, given his tightly shut eyes, but heard the slightest sound of annoyance as his surroundings faded.

Back with the striding Inquisitor, it had only taken a few more minutes for Angeline’s foot to have properly acclimated to the stifling boot. Each step feeling as comfortable as it ever did. The tiny boy’s face also felt to have been firmly worked into her sweaty flesh now. She could feel his body now totally pinned underfoot, constantly mushed between her sticky sole and the cushioned insole that lined the base of her boot. Of course her colossal steps were the least of his problems, given his face was still tightly trapped and ruthlessly tormented by, what to him must’ve seemed like, the smelliest things imaginable.

She knew full-well that her toes were considered amongst the worst in her profession, beautiful as they were, at least by the metrics she’d been privy to. However it had never caused her any kind of guilt or regret, or even embarrassment, in fact she was quite proud and indulgent over that knowledge. After all, her job was arguably mandated their use. And on top of that, her favourite position for any tinies unfortunate enough to see the inside of her boots was to have their faces nestled deep in those very same toes. Not because the scent was at it’s most pungent there, although she appreciated that was certainly an added benefit, given even the hardiest of criminals were reduced to quivering wrecks when confronted by it. No, it was mostly due to the particularly sensitive skin between them, so all the shrieking and squirming and squeezing was immensely pleasurable for her. Not quite as pleasurable as she’d suspected it could be, however no tinies had ever been foolish enough to actually tongue the gaps between her putrid toes, so it remained an experience left unexplored. At least for now.

All the same, she had a new plaything now. And for all her posturing about keeping him entombed until death, Angeline felt entitled to enjoy herself a little from time to time, and this seemed to be the perfect opportunity. Maybe she’d check in on him at the end of her shift. She knew it was legally prohibited to do anything more than leave him to fester inside her boot, but how could he ever hope to stop her?