Sitting with her legs crossed on her bed, Melissa held Taro in her palm and watched as he indulged himself on shrunken food that she had bought from a nearby fast food restaraunt. Taro bit into the cheeseburger that he held in his hands; while he savored this meal, he was hiding his contempt for the evil giantess that literally held his life in her hands.

"You know she's coming over, right?" Melissa suddenly asked.

Taro did not answer; partly because his mouth was fully, but also because he knew that she already knew his answer. It was just past noon on Sunday, which meant that his sister Sayuko would indeed be making her trip to Melissa's house.

"I don't know what you two talked about last week," Melissa said, "but she certainly didn't sound too happy to hear what you said."

Taro looked up at the woman. "I just told her to forget about me. Of course, she didn't listen."

"Of course she didn't. You ARE her brother, after all."

"Mm..." He took a bite out of the now half-eaten cheeseburger.

"I hope she doesn't chicken out, though. I don't want to have to kill you, and cause her even more grief. There's no telling what the girl might do then."

Taro felt Melissa's palm shake underneath him; Melissa stood from her bed and then started to carry him to his cabinet, his dark prison. Once there, she placed him and his food in his cage.

"Whelp, you enjoy your meal, while I go find some bugs," she said.

Taro looked up towards her. "Don't you already have a whole closet of them?"

Melissa laughed. "No, silly. Not those kind of bugs."

Without another word, Melissa closed the cabinet doors, leaving Taro to ponder over her words in the dark.

Knowing that the show outside in Melissa room would be starting at any minute now, the Refugees were already crowding around "Melissa's Hole." Thomas and Shawn made their way towards the front, joining Dawson who was already there, a look of hunger on his face as he watched Melissa close the cabinet doors outside in her room.

"Man..." Dawson said. "She gave him some Burger King. That's totally not fair. I haven't had a nice cheeseburger and fries in ages..."

"I know how you feel," Shawn said to him. "But there's nothing you can do about it, so you just have to make do what we have here. Just imagine that you're eating McDonalds or Burger King or whatever."

Dawson sighed. "It's not the same."

Thomas watched as Melissa left out of her bedroom. "So, Sayuko is supposed to be coming over here, right?" he asked.

"More than likely," Shawn answered. "She's been here for the past three weeks, and considering what's at stake, I doubt she'd stop now."

"She really does care about her brother," Thomas said, before shaking his head. "And I understand how she feels, but really... What cost is it having on her?"

~~~

Donning a pink T-shirt, white shorts, and pink and white tennis shoes, Sayuko walked down the sidewalk that would eventually lead to Melissa house. It was a rather hot Sunday afternoon, though the heat did not stop her trembling; for she knew that once arriving at the dreaded manor, she would have to slaughter more of those poor miniature people.

Even though it had nearly been a month since this whole ordeal started for her, she still found it very difficult to coldly end their lives as easily as Melissa. Their final screams haunted her nightmares, and the images of those murdered victims dominated her thoughts, so much so that she had closed herself off from the few friends that she had; not to mention her dropping performance even in classes that she originally excelled in. She was certain that she was losing her sanity.

However, losing her sanity meant nothing compared to the well-being of her brother. As long as Taro was safe, she did not care what happened to her. That was why, as cruel as it may sound, she was willing to kill anybody just to ensure her brother's safety. That was why she once again was making this trip to Melissa's house.

That still did not make it any less horrifying for her.

Soon, she arrived at the doorsteps of Melissa's house. Her shaking arm reached out for the doorbell, and her finger slowly pressed the button. However, seeming even before the bell sounded through the house, the door opened, revealing the mistress of the house with a greeting smile on her face: Melissa.

"You made it," Melissa said. "I knew you would."

Without a word, Sayuko walked into the house, and Melissa closed the door behind her.

"So, how are you doing today?" Melissa asked, seemingly trying to make smalltalk.

Sayuko turned towards Melissa. "...Fine..."

"Don't lie to me." Melissa's smile suddenly faded, and she got a more serious look on her face. "You're shaking like you're at the South Pole. I know you don't want to kill any of them."

"But I have to..." Sayuko replied.

"Correct!" Just as suddenly, Melissa became perky. "You're finally learning, little Sayu. And I have a bit of a surprise for you, too! C'mon!" She then made her way for the stairs, and started to climb them.

Sayuko took a deep breath, and followed after her. She was not looking forward to whatever "surprise" Melissa had to show her, but what other choice did she have?

~~~

The Refugees peered into the empty room, until they heard two sets of footsteps approaching the area. As expected, Melissa walked into the room, followed by Sayuko.

"They're here!" shouted a male nearby.

"Sayuko..." Thomas' attention was focused more on Sayuko than anything else. At that moment, he wished more than ever that he could help her somehow, like his did many times before in their Calculus class.

~~~

After entering into Melissa's room, Sayuko looked around the floor, expecting to catch sight of the men whose lives would be ended by her. She did not see any; perhaps Melissa had not brought them out yet.

"Okay, for today, we're going to do something special," Melissa said. "You're going to kill some bugs."

Sayuko looked at Melissa. "But I do that every week."

Melissa laughed. "No, no. Not those kind of bugs." She then walked to her desk and picked up a cloth-covered jar that was set upon it. "They're in here. Wanna see?"

Sayuko shivered, but nodded.

"Alright then." Melissa kneeled onto the floor. "Let's take a look at these pests now, shall we?"

She tipped the jar to its side and removed the cloth from its opening. Sayuko was surprised to see not the small men that she had expected, but instead actual bugs; two shiny black beetles, a green grasshopper, and a dark brown garden centipede.

"Surprised?" Melissa asked. "Not the 'bugs' you were expecting, huh?"

Sayuko watched the creeping bugs on the floor below her as they crawled around with no prediction in their movements. In a way, she was relieved, but also suspicious; while she had no qualms over killing bugs and such, she could not shake the feeling that Melissa was planning something else. After what she had to endure in the weeks before, this seemed a bit too odd.

"So, I just have to kill these?" Sayuko asked.

"Of course." Melissa stepped back, and placed the jar back on her desk.

Sayuko took a deep breath, and then stepped forward. Eyeing one of the beetles, she lifted her foot over it and prepared to stomp down, to end its life just as easily as she had done many times before with the small people.

"Hold it right there!" Melissa suddenly spoke, holding her palm out towards her. "Before you get to killing those things, you have to do something else."

Sayuko pulled her foot back to her body. "What is that?"

"I want you to take your shoes off."

Sayuko was appalled. "WHAT?!"

"Your socks, too."

Suddenly, Sayuko's fear resurfaced. "But why...? As long as I kill then, why does it matter?"

"I see you still don't understand..." Melissa placed her hands on her hips while shaking her head. "This is my house, and what I say goes. After all, you don't want your brother to pay for your insubordination, do you?"

"N-No!"

"Then you better do what I say, little Sayu."

Sayuko, now sobbing a bit, sat down on the floor and began to unlace her shoes, before pulling them off of her feet. Afterwards, she pulled off her white socks, and then stood back up while wiping tears from her face with her hand.

"God, you are such a baby," Melissa said. "Now, you can step on them."

Sayuko shivered. The idea of crushing anything barefoot disgusted her, be it these bugs, or even food. However, for her brother's safety, she had no choice but to go through with this. She slowly stepped forward, towards the same beetle from before. She took a deep breath, and lifted her right foot over the beetle, and lowered it onto the insect. She winced as she felt its shell collapse underneath her weight as she applied more and more pressure to the bug. As its body gave in, she also felt a moist sensation under her sole, perhaps the beetle's blood.

Melissa applauded. "Bravo. That didn't take too long. If only you were like this with them."

~~~

Watching the events unfold outside, the Refugees were expressing a mix of disgust and amazement at what Sayuko was being forced to do. A few were even disappointed that none of the Homeless were being executed this time.

"She's making her crush those bugs barefoot?" Dawson asked to no one in particular. "...That's kinda hot."

"No it isn't," Thomas responded. "This is just cruel. It's like Melissa just keeps finding new ways to torture her."

"Would you rather her kill the bugs or the Homeless?" Shawn asked.

"If it's uncomfortable for her, neither," Thomas answered.

"I see..." Shawn said. "But why bugs? This is odd..."

~~~

Sayuko removed her foot from the now flat bug's body, and placed it back down on the floor beside her other foot. She then looked back towards where the other bugs were on the floor inbetween them, and noticed that they were not there; they had finally seperated and scattered around the room. Melissa also noticed this, and started to look around on the floor.

"Damn," she said. "I knew I should've made a wall or barrier or something." She then took a step back. "Listen, help me find-"

Suddenly, there was a crunching sound from Melissa's direction. Melissa looked on the floor behind her, and Sayuko saw that she had crushed the other beetle underneath the heel of her left foot.

Melissa sighed. "That's one less of these guys you have to kill."

Sayuko breathed a slight sigh of relief, and then watched as Melissa searched the room for the remaining bugs. Before long, she found the grasshopper underneath her bed. However, it seemed that the centipede nowhere to be found.

"That's one fast son of a bitch," Melissa said as she stood to her feet while cupping the grasshopper in her hands. "I guess I'll just have to replace them."

"Replace them?" Sayuko asked.

"Yep," Melissa replied. "But first, deal with this guy here." Melissa released her hands from around the grasshopper and let it fall to the floor in front of Sayuko.

Sayuko gulped, before she lifted her foot and stomped down on the insect below her. The grasshopper was larger than the beetle that she had killed before, and therefore its mess was larger as well. She shuddered at the feeling of the bug's body compressing beneath her, as well as its fluids oozing out. Finally, she removed her foot and slowly looked down at it. The grasshopper was completely flat, laying in a pool of its own blood.

"Good work," Melissa said. "Now, hang tight, and I'll be right back." Melissa turned around and walked towards her closet.

At that point, Sayuko's anxiousness rose even higher. She instantly knew what Melissa had in store for her.

Moments later, Melissa returned from inside of the closet, clutching two of the small rugged men in hand. Sayuko backed away, once again shivering in fear. Melissa noticed this right away.

"Oh, come on," she said. "I already told you that I was going to replace the other bugs, right? You'll be using these bugs." She then placed the bugs on the floor in front of Sayuko. "They're all yours."

Sayuko did not move in the slightest; she merely stared at the men who were likewise shivering in fear while looking back at her. As cruel as it sounded, she wished that she had her feet were shod with her shoes at that moment; she was more willing to snuff out these men with them on than without. Crushing the insects barefoot was bad enough, but the idea of doing the same to these men was nearly too much for her to handle.

"N-no..." Sayuko muttered.

"What was that?" Melissa started to grow aggrivated. "Don't start that shit again. The sooner you kill them, the sooner you can be out of here and do whatever it is that you do."

"But... I... I..." Sayuko backed away slightly, clenching her fists close to her body.

"Dammit, Sayuko!"

An angered Melissa rushed towards her--nearly trampling the tiny men in her rage--and then grabbed Sayuko by the hair. Sayuko yelped in terror at the tight hold that Melissa had on her, and tried to pull herself free, but to no avail.

"You better do this!" Melissa barked. "Or I will kill Taro right in front of your eyes! I mean it! You got that!?"

Sayuko nodded rapidly. "Yes!"

Melissa gave a devilish smile. "Good."

Melissa released her grip from Sayuko's hair, though in a forceful way that caused Sayuko to fall onto the floor. As Sayuko stood back up, she watched as Melissa walked towards the two men in the center of the room, and kick one of them clean across the room, until he collided with the far wall. As Melissa continued to pounce on her victim, Sayuko turned her attention to the remaining man, who looked back up at her; he was just as scared as she was, so much so that he seemed to not even move.

Sayuko quietly apologised to the man, before lifting her right foot over the man. It was at that point that he finally decided to try to run away. She lowered her foot down on him before he could get far, and pinned him to the floor. She then turned her attention to Melissa, who was toying with the man that she had kicked minutes earlier and not paying much attention to her. She felt the man squirm underneath her foot; the ticklish sensation of which caused her to wince.

Now with her prey underneath her foot as well, Melissa finally turned her attention back to Sayuko.

"You didn't kill him yet, did you?" she asked.

Sayuko shook her head.

"Well, at least you have him under your foot now, so that's a start." Melissa was much calmer now than she was before; a testament to her bipolarity.

Sayuko looked at the man underneath Melissa's foot. "Are you going to kill that one...?"

Melissa looked down at the man. "Maybe. I don't feel like sitting around and waiting for you to spend hours just to kll one pathetic little bug." She sighed. "Anyway, finish the job."

Sayuko gulped and then closed her eyes, before slowly pressing down on the small man under her foot. Like the insects before him, his body began to compress. However, unlike with the insects, she heard his muffled screams of pain, which served to increase the guilt that she already had. Those screams soon came to a stop, as his bones crushed under her weight and his blood spread outward from his flattening body. She opened her eyes after she was certain that the man was no more.

"Excellent," Melissa said, applauding once again. "See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Not responding to Melissa words, Sayuko dropped onto the floor and began to sob into her hands. Melissa let out a sigh.

"You need to grow up," she said.

Seconds later, Sayuko heard a loud scream. She looked up from her hands and towards Melissa, or more specifically, the man that she had pinned underfoot. She was crushing and grinding the man's waist and legs underneath the front end of her flip-flop. His arms flailed wildly while he screamed in agony; Sayuko could not imagine the pain that he felt, and how cruel Melissa was being to him by prolonging his death.

Then, Melissa stepped off of the man's demolished legs and made her way to his head. The man looked up at her face in horror, but she simply responded with a sadistic smile. Then, she lifted the tip of her right foot over his head, and then lowered it onto his cranium. She stepped down, crushing it like a grape, and then twisted her foot to shred and grind it on the floor. His once wind arms lifelessly plopped onto the floor.

Melissa then turned her attention back to Sayuko, and took notice to the mess that was on the sole of her foot.

"Look at that. Blood and bug guts," she said. "That's nasty."

She then walked to Sayuko, grabbed her by the shoulder, and pulled her onto her feet.

"Let's go, missy! Into the bathroom with you! And hop on your clean foot. I don't want you tracking blood all through my house."

With Melissa supporting and guiding her, Sayuko was escorted out of the room, all while doing as she said and not stepping with her bloodied right foot.

~~~

"Well, looks like the show's over, folks," Dawson said, before the rest of the Refugees began to head back for the campsite.

"I'm going to hurry up and head to the bathroom hole," Thomas said.

"Oh really?" Shawn said. "Why?"

"I just want to see what's going on there," Thomas answered. "I gotta hurry though, I don't want to be late."

"You just want to make sure that your girlfriend isn't hurt anymore," Dawson slyly said.

"Shut up," Thomas replied, though he knew that there was some truth in Dawson words; not that he could do anything to help her anyway. "I'm surprised that you don't want to come watch. She is about to get her foot washed."

"Nah, man... I already have enough mental material for today."

"Mental material?"

"Yep." Dawson laughed. "I'll be in my tent for a while; don't disturb me."

"Okay, that's TMI." Thomas shook his head, before rushing away from Dawson and Shawn, but not before hearing their last words before they were out of his audiable range.

"That's sick," Shawn said.

"Hey, a man's gotta take care of himself, right?" Dawson replied.

Thomas hasted his pace. He did not know how long the two women would be in Melissa's bathroom, and hoped that he was able to reach its hole in time to even catch a glimpse of them as they were exiting.

After a tiring run, Thomas could finally see light in the distance flowing through an opening in the wall. He could also just barely make out a figure sitting near the hole. As he drew closer, he could see that this figure was none other than Gloria, who was looking out into the bathroom outside. Hearing his fast footsteps approaching, she turned towards his direction.

"Thomas," she greeted as he reached her and stalled to a stop. "I wasn't expecting you to come all the way over here."

"Yeah," Thomas responded while catching his breath. "I want to see what's going on in here."

"Oh. You're not missing much. The bitch is just washing that girl's foot."

Thomas turned towards the hole, and saw both women sitting on the bathtub's edge. Melissa was holding Sayuko's right foot in hand, while scrubbing it with a washcloth.

"I see..." Thomas sat down besides Gloria. "Hey, why weren't you watching all of that happen back there?"

"You mean the slaughterfest?" Gloria replied. "I didn't feel like it."

"Is that right? Hm..."

Thomas turned his attention back out into the bathroom.

~~~

The both of them sitting on the bathtub in the bathroom, Melissa held Sayuko's right foot in hand as she cleaned it with a soap-covered washcloth. The faucet in the bathtub was running, and the water in the tub was a slight red from the blood from Sayuko's foot. The running water also helped to drown out Sayuko's sobbing.

"You really made quite a mess," Melissa said. "You always do."

Aside from her sobbing, Sayuko remained silent; she merely stared at the water flowing from the faucet.

"And since I'm nice, I'll let you talk to Taro after this." She smiled at her. "That sounds good, right?"

Sayuko nodded. "...Arigato..." She said weakly, which was barely audiable over the sound of the water.

"Girl, we speak English in this country." Melissa focused back on her foot. "Anyway, tell me... Is there someone you like?"

"What?"

"You know...? Is there a guy who's always on your mind? Besides Taro."

"Umm..." Sayuko was confused; she had no idea where this question came from all of a sudden. "Is there a point to this question?"

"Just curious. Sheesh..." Melissa sounded annoyed.

Sayuko sighed. "He's not as you say always on my mind, but there is someone in my Calculus class who helped me alot."

"What's his name?" Melissa asked.

"Thomas. I believe his last name was Kirkland."

Melissa looked up at Sayuko; for a split second, her eyes widened in what looked like shock. "Thomas? I... don't think I've heard of him."

"Oh. Well, he wasn't in class last week, and without his help, I'm going to fail the class. I'm so ashamed of myself. I'm going to disappoint my family..." She whimpered.

"Well, maybe you should study harder," Melissa bluntly said while focusing back on her foot.

"But Calculus confuses me, and I can't study it on my own with all of this happening to me..."

"...You are a weak woman, Sayu."

~~~

Thomas listened as Sayuko talked about him and their class together. "Poor Sayuko. I wish I could do something to help her."

"You sound like her knight in shining armor," Gloria slyly said.

"I wouldn't say that." Despite this, Thomas blushed slightly.

Gloria stared at him for a few more seconds, before she turned her attention back to the bathroom.

"There, I'm done," Melissa said, before standing up and turning off the water in the bathtub.

Sayuko examined her now spotless foot, before standing up as well.

"Let's go," Melissa commanded, before walked out of the bathroom.

Thomas and Gloria watched as Sayuko took a deep breath, and followed after her.

"They're gone now," Gloria stated.

"Yeah..." Thomas stood up.

"Hey, are you planning to do anything today?" Gloria asked.

"No, not really."

"Then would you mind staying here for a while?"

Thomas was surprised; he did not expect to hear such a request from Gloria. Though he did not have any reason to turn her down.

"Sure." He sat back down besides her.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Gloria asked.

"Huh?" Thomas was confused for a few seconds, before he understood what she was referring to. "...Oh right, the food hunt. Yeah, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"I hope so. I have no idea where Ray found all the food that he did have, so we could be out there for a while."

"I just hope that we don't go the way of Ray's group..."

"Yeah..."

Afterwards there was a few minutes of awkward silence, before Thomas finally broke it.

"So, where are you from?" he asked. "You live here in town?"

"Well, I DID live here before this shit started," she answered. "But I was really born down in Tijuana. My family crossed the border when I was 12. And no, we aren't illegals."

"I wasn't thinking it."

"My family... Looking back, I can't believe what I put them through. I was the rebel of the family; I didn't care about school or anything like that, I joined the 'Morena Chicas' when I was 14, and I dropped out of high school soon after."

"What's the 'Morena Chicas'?"

"A gang."

"Oh."

"Anyway," Gloria continued, "at some point, I asked myself, 'What am I doing with my life?' I went and got my GED, and I was able to at least get into the community college. But I didn't want to end up dying and not doing anything with my life, you know? But it looks like that might happen here..."

"I'm sure that we'll be able to get out of here someday," Thomas said, trying to comfort her.

"I thought so, too, but each day I lose hope."

"Also, if you don't mind me asking..." Thomas focused a bit more on the scar on her eye. "Did you get that scar from Melissa?"

"No," Gloria answered. "This was way before Melissa. I got into a fight a few years ago with this girl who was spreading shit about me. I confronted her, and we got into it. I was kicking her ass, but then she pulled a knife out on me and... well, you see what happened."

Thomas winced at the thought of his own eye getting slashed in a similar fashion. "Wow... I can't imagine how that felt..."

"It hurt like hell and there was blood everywhere. Lucky for me, my girls were there to get me away before the bitch did any more damage." Gloria sighed. "Angela... Dulce... Yesenia... I wonder how they're doing now...?"

Thomas could tell that she was becoming nostalgic at the moment, and he did not blame her. He too often wondered about his family and his life before this ordeal started. However, he was also wondering why Gloria had wanted him to remain with her. Perhaps she wanted to build a bond with him. Either way, Thomas figured that it was nice to have allies in a place like this.

~~~

Taro heard the lock surrounding his dark prison being unraveled, before he was blinded by the light from the cabinet doors opening. As his vision became clear, he saw Melissa standing over him. She smiled at the man, and turned her attention to her right.

"Here, come talk to your brother," Melissa said. "You know the deal. You can't take him, or else you'll be sorry."

Seconds later, Sayuko appeared in front of him. The two siblings stared at each other for a few seconds; just by looking at her Taro could tell that Sayuko was suffering on both the inside and outside.

"Brother," Sayuko said in Japanese. "How are you doing?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Taro responded, also in Japanese. "I heard some yelling and a thud earlier. Did Melissa do anything to you?"

"No... I just tripped and fell."

Taro knew that she was lying. "Are you okay?"

"Yes..."

"Sayu-chan... What did I tell you last week? I told you not to worry about me and build bonds with someone else."

Sayuko's eyes began to water. "Why do you keep trying to chase me away?! I told you I can't ever abandon you! You're my brother!"

Taro sighed. "I understand how you feel, but this is not healthy for you. What about Thomas?"

"I... I didn't see him all week..."

"Oh. Well, don't give up on him just yet. Next time you see him, offer to spend some time with him. Or if not him, then someone else. I know you have friends, right?"

"My friendships are withering because of all of this..."

"Build them back up. Seriously, this is too much for you. There are times where you just have to let go of the people you care about the most in order to move on with your life."

"'Let go'? Brother, how could you...?"

"Sayu-chan, listen to me." Taro walked closer to Sayuko. "I'm afraid of your mental well-being. I don't want you to end up in a psych ward after all of this is done. You need to just... never come back here. You can use all of the money left in my account to substain yourself for a year or so."

Sayuko burst into tears. "NO!! I just can't!! I love you!! More than anything in the world!! Whatever it takes, I'll make sure you're safe!! Please, Brother!!"

"Even if you're still killing people when you're an old woman?"

"Yes!! As long as you're safe..."

"Sayu-chan... you're being irrational. Living like this... living a life where you're forced to kill countless people just to delay the death of one is... it's just wrong. Just let her kill me. At this point, I would welcome death with open arms."

"Brother!! No!!" Sayuko was becoming more manic.

"It's the truth. I love you, Sister. I mean it, I do. But I've made peace with my demons. I'm ready any day now. I'll be seeing Mother and Father again soon."

"I won't let that happen!" Tears started to pour down Sayuko's face. "Even if I have to, I'll become just like Melissa! I'll kill as many people as I need to. I'll make sure you stay alive for years to come!!"

Taro jumped at this statement; her words shocked him to his core. "Sayu-chan, no! Didn't you hear a single word I said?!"

"See you next week, Brother! I'll keep you alive and safe!" Ignoring his last words, Sayuko turned and quickly ran out of the room, leaving behind a bewildered Taro and Melissa.

Melissa stood and walked to the opened cabinet. "Running again. You must've really upset her. But I do feel sorry for her."

"What do you mean?" Taro asked.

"In the bathroom, she told me about the guy she liked: Thomas Kirkland."

"What about him?"

"I've already shrunken him. Last week."

Taro's mouth dropped in disbelief.

"Though, he's gone now like the others. I almost feel guilty about taking away her crush, as well as her only chance of passing that class that she said she's failing. Almost." Melissa laughed. "Oh well... That's life for you."

Taro spoke in Japanese under his breath. "You evil woman..."

As she closed the cabinet's doors, she adressed Taro one last time. "I don't want you telling her about that little tidbit, so let's keep that between you and me. Alright?"

"...Sure..." Taro reluctantly agreed.

"Good."

The last thing Taro saw was Melissa's smile, before it disappeared behind the closing doors. He heard the lock and chain being placed back around the doors, to ensure that no one but Melissa had access to him.

Taro sighed, and sat down on the soft ground.

"Melissa, how many lives must you ruin to satisfy your sick pleasures?"