‘I’m so glad we came here, the food is always so good. I can’t believe you haven’t been before, the concept is amazing, don’t you think?’

She didn’t wait for a reply, not that you would have given her one. You had barely spoken to her all evening though she had done enough talking for the both of you. The waitress could tell this date was one sided, it was clear by the way she looked at you. Had the restaurant not been so busy you would have left the second she walked in.

Even though ten years had passed since you last saw her, the hatred you held for her was still as fresh as ever. The last decade had been unfairly kind to her.

Her clothes were expensive, as was the delicate jewellery that clung to her. People like her had done well out of the changing world and it was clear she was not afraid to show it. Her figure was sculpted by a daily workout, her beauty a natural weapon.

Under different circumstances, had you never met before, you would have found her attractive. You would have desired her and gladly attended this meal with her.

Instead you sat in silence, the rage you felt towards her causing your hands to tremble. Your food went uneaten, the glass of wine by your hand untouched. The gesture on her part was an insult, the idea that you would break bread with her absurd. There were some wounds that time couldn’t heal.

You could still remember the sound of her laughter as she walked away, your team mates restraining you as you cried in anguish. The tears you shed still burned on your cheeks.

The handler that had brought you here had given you no indication of who you would be meeting and why. It was a special request was all they had said before leaving you alone at the table. The waitress had brought you water but had said little else.

Her smile had dripped with sugar when she had first walked in to the restaurant. It was clear that only one of you were surprised by this date.

‘Hey,’ she purred, slipping into her seat, ‘surprise.’

From then she had only smirked as you spat your hatred at her, drinking it in like the expensive wine she swirled in her glass.

‘Are you finished? She leaned over the table towards you, tapping her fingers on the wooden surface as the waitress refilled her glass.

‘Fuck you,’ you snarled at her, ‘you murdered him you bitch.’

‘Did I?’ she chuckled, reclining back in her chair, ‘I’m pretty sure they don’t consider stepping on a Shrinky murder. Besides, it was a long time ago, who knows what you saw?’

Your knuckles went white as you plucked up the knife on the table beside you and squeezed the handle in your grip.  ‘I’ll never forget what you did to him,’ you hissed through gritted teeth.

‘Oh and what do you think you’re going to do with that?’ she teased. ‘Clearly your mind is going if you really think you’ll be able to do anything here. Look around you, I picked this restaurant for a reason: they are very much against violence between diners here.’

Her voice was like silk, ‘It’s ok to be confused, it’s a crazy world we live in these days. Have something to eat, let’s talk.’

‘I said fuck you,’ you snapped again, it was the only words that felt right, ‘I’m not confused. I know what I saw, what you did. I’ve thought about it, about him, every day for the last ten years. You’re the only one of us that is sick in the head.’

Your knife clinked softly against your plate as you released it. She was right in one respect, there was nothing you could do here.

A cold shiver ran through your body as thoughts of Dylan drifted through your mind. It had been hot that day, the start of summer. You were on the rec ground with your friends when Harrison came running up to you with the news. It was Dylan, the chubby kid panted, he had shrunk.

You had never run so fast in your life.

The pandemic had been present in society for almost three years at that point, everyone knew someone who had succumbed to it. Still, you had never expected it to affect someone you were close to. You never expected it to affect your younger brother.

He was in the grade below, barely a year your junior. He was popular, confident; both a scholar and an athlete. You were close, he was without a doubt your best friend. And now he needed you.

You tore across campus, crashing through whoever got in your way. A trail of angry shouts followed you as you burst through the double doors and into the cafeteria.

Only a handful of people remained in the hall, you knew immediately where Dylan would be. Your blood ran cold as ice through your veins as you called his name, pushing yourself forwards. His clothes were scattered across the tiles, trampled underfoot by the giggling girls that surrounded him. That next second would be seared into your mind for all eternity.

On the floor, in their shadow, cowered a shrunken person. He was naked, barely two inches tall, and terrified. Above him loomed the sole of a white sneaker. Her long pale leg was poised to step down on him, her hands clutching her slender waist as she laughed at her victim.

She had turned to face you, the grin on her face widening as she recognised you.

Over half the cafeteria remained between you. There was no way you could have got there in time.

‘Bye bye,’ she jeered, her foot falling from the sky.

His final scream, that thin squeak almost smothered by their laughter, would never leave you.

Neither would the horrifying crunch that followed, the sickening sounds of bone and flesh being compressed as her foot connected with the ground.

You roared with anguish, launching yourself at her as she lifted the heel of her sneaker to grind Dylan’s remains into the linoleum. Trails of viscera, the only thing that remained of your brother, hung from the treads as she compressed him beneath the ball of her foot.

It was Tyrese who caught you, tackling you low and dropping you to the floor. Your team mates crowded you, restraining you as you bellowed and sobbed. Your brother was dead, she had killed him. You needed to do, to do something!

In the end, there was nothing you could have done and she knew it.

The school councillor had tried to explain it to you, to your parents. It was regrettable, unfortunate, but legal. Though he had shrank on government property, the school was not liable for any incident up to and including death of any Afflicted student prior to acquisition by a trained member of staff. With the Repeal of Rights Act that had passed a month earlier, the remaining student rumoured to be involved with the incident was guilty of no wrong doing. The school would certainly support with counselling but no further action would be taken.

And now she was sat opposite you, enjoying her drink.

‘So,’ she continued jovially, ‘do you still see anyone from back then?’

You remained silent, your heart pounding with anger as you lowered your eyes to your plate.

‘Hmm, I guess that’s a no?’ she withdrew her phone from her clutch bag, ‘I’ve managed to get hold of a few people through social media and various websites. Want to see?’

She didn’t wait for an answer.

‘Do you remember Mrs. Knole? She taught geography. I caught up with her a few years back.’

Your eyes widened as she turned the screen towards you.

The display showed a familiar looking woman, her hair grey. She was crying, her thin arms wrapped around her naked body. She was barely over an inch tall.

Behind her, a huge pair of deep pink lips loomed hungrily. A pearly tooth bit the lower lip with excitement before she spoke, making the shrunken women cry aloud with fear. ‘Any last words Mrs. Knole?’

The woman dropped to her knees, sobbing and begging for her life as the lips parted to release a huge and hungry tongue. You watched as the teacher held up her hands, trying to stop the onslaught as the huge muscle overcame her.

The angle changed then, the camera moving away to reveal her smiling face. She was curled up on her bed, her lithe body draped in expensive lingerie.

‘I like to let them see what they’ve been missing,’ she smirked from the other side of the table.

On screen she flashed a peace sign at the camera before opening her mouth to display the screaming woman clinging desperately to her tongue. Saliva slicked her hair to her head, drenching her body.

She was helpless as her captor’s hand folded into a wave, bidding her goodbye. With unstoppable slowness the tongue retracted, her teeth and lips sealing her within the giant woman’s mouth.

Your own lips parted with shock and horror as you saw her swish her tongue back and forth, battering the tiny woman before biting down. The single movement was final, a slight bulge in her neck following as the former teacher was swallowed.

The mouth opened again, it was empty without even a bloodstain to mark the woman’s passing.

The video ended.

‘Why are you showing me this?’ your voice wavered as you spoke, your mind trying to process what it had seen.

‘I thought you’d want to see?’ your date pouted, ‘You did know her after all. Keep watching, there’s plenty more.

The folder was full of similar videos, each one a snuff film showing the final moments of a shrunken human; a Shrinky as they were now known. She scrolled through the videos that contained victims you hadn’t known in your youth, her thumb flicking away the stills of doomed strangers.

She paused on one video in particular. ‘Oh wow, this is a good one. You remember Haley and Jimmy right, they were sweethearts in school? Turns out they stayed together, even after Hayley shrank a few years back. Sadly Jimmy shrank too so they both ended up on the directory and then with me.’

The video started, releasing a flurry of sound; the loud moaning of the woman opposite as she approached climax. ‘Shit, fuck!’ she fumbled with the video, cheeks flushing pink as she hurried to extinguish the sound. A thin layer of perspiration prickled across her forehead as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

‘Whoops, guess that’s not the one I thought it was,’ she explained, minimising the file, ‘well it is Hayley and Jimmy but not until, well you know, later. Hayley was crying the whole time and Jimmy was saying anything to get me to let her go. In the end I made a deal with him; if he willing crawled into my pussy and made me cum, I’d let his wife go. Oh yeah, they got married by the way. Still, can you believe the little fucker agreed? Hayley begged him the whole time not to do it but I guess he just loved her too much. I have some pictures somewhere of her face as he started massaging my clit. I think he liked it if I am being honest. Shame he didn’t last too long.

Maybe I was a bit too rough but still, you wouldn’t believe how quickly he broke once he got inside of me. Hayley was a mess by the time I was done. I dropped his mangled and soaked little body in front of her but she didn’t even look at him, even when I threatened her.

I guess I could have kept my word and let her go but at that point why bother. I scooped them both up and swallowed her whole, at least that way she got some time to say goodbye.’

‘You’re a fucking monster,’ you growled, ‘a psycho, a murderer.’

‘Ah-ah,’ she chastised, wagging a finger back and forth, ‘remember, it’s not murder when the victim is a Shrinky. Shrinkies haven’t had any rights for a long time. I’m surprised you forgot that considering what happened to Dylan.’

‘Don’t you dare say his name!’ under different circumstances you would have dove over the table and attacked her.

‘Chill. You know you are a lot more touchy than he was you know. We became quite close in the end, do you want another drink?’

The waitress filled her order, you said nothing as you sat shaking with anger. ‘Don’t act like you knew him,’ you growled.

‘Pfft, I don’t need to act,’ she sneered at you over the top of her drink, ‘I was probably closer to him than you were in the end. The years we spent together, I don’t think there was anything I didn’t know about him.’

‘You didn’t know him,’ you insisted, your voice rising just shy of a shout, ‘you didn’t fucking know him. You saw him there, helpless and afraid and you, you killed him. You could have let him go, let me or his friends help!’

‘I suppose,’ she replied nonchalantly, sipping her drink, ‘but then I would have missed out on all the time I had with him. You know what, fuck this, I don’t want to toy with you anymore. I thought you might be more entertaining than this. Let’s cut to the chase. Dylan didn’t die that day, I fooled you.

Your voice caught in your throat as you stammered a reply.

She held up a hand to silence you, ‘Don’t talk, just listen. I knew that it was only a matter of time until someone at school shrank and when they did I wanted to have them. Back then I didn’t really know why, I was just obsessed. Now I know it’s because I am a kinky bitch that loves fucking with Shrinkies, especially ones I knew before they shrank. I don’t know why, it makes me feel good. It’s hot, that’s all you need to know.

So when Dylan shrank, I knew what I had to do. I did stomp on a Shrinky in front of everyone that day but it wasn’t your brother. I’d had a Shrinky in my bag for a month, an old guy that lived down the street from me. He was all skin and bones by the time Dylan shrank but that didn’t matter, it’s not like anyone can tell the difference between two Shrinkies after they have been stomped on.’

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing, the expression on your face betraying your thoughts. She caught the look and smiled, enjoying dismantling your world with her words.

‘It was really easy. When I spotted Dylan I knelt down as if I was talking to him and made the switch. Dylan went in my bag, the old guy went on the floor. Then, well you know the rest. You came bursting in just as that sad old fuck burst across the bottom of my sneaker.’

You swallowed hard. Your hands trembled though you were unsure if the cause was rage or disbelief. You had mourned Dylan every day for years, surely this was a game she was playing, a lie?

You stated as much, fighting to hide the quiver in your voice.

She raised a hand to her chest, drawing back in mockery.

‘It’s the truth, I swear! I knew that if I took someone on the campus grounds they would be taken off of me. Remember back then, people still thought they were human even if they no longer had rights? It could have been anyone, Dylan was just lucky I guess.’

She waited a moment, letting you drink in her words.

‘Here,’ she continued, poison dripping from her lips, ‘you want to see a picture of him?’

Your mind raced, the word tumbling from your mouth, ‘Yes.’

‘Say please,’ she grinned.

Your hand curled into a fist as your side. ‘Please’, you spat, the idea of begging her turning your stomach.

‘Ok, sure,’ she flicked through her phone and turned it to you, ‘see for yourself.’

The sound that escaped your lips was steeped in more grief and horror than you had ever thought possible. Her smiled widened as she watched your eyes take in the picture on screen.

It was Dylan, there was no denying it. He was older, this was a recent photo there was no doubt.

He was also emaciated, his back crooked, his body a patchwork of scars and bruises. His face bore the marks of rough treatment, his nose being broken multiple times, his mouth missing teeth. Worst of all, he lacked an arm, the limb vanishing just above the elbow.

The man on screen was bowed, his eyes screwed up with effort, his tongue extending from his mangled mouth to rasp against a wall of flesh. His brother had become her slave, the picture showing him licking her toes like a desperate animal.

She chuckled at your expression. ‘It’s much better than it looks, trust me.’

‘What have you done to him?’ you shouted, slamming your fists on the table, the force making your cutlery clink against the empty plate.

‘Whatever I like!’ she cheered back at you, ‘And why shouldn’t I? Don’t you understand that as a Shrinky he was my property, he didn’t have rights, he didn’t have purpose. I gave him life and food and shelter, in return he became mine to toy with however I wanted. It was a deal that worked for both of us. He loved being my property, he loved me, right up until the end.’

Yet another dagger of ice sank into your heart. You slumped back in your chair, your lip trembling. ‘What you do mean?’ You asked the question, aware of how stupid you sounded. The answer, when it came, was obvious.

‘Oh, I killed him,’ he replied, her sing song voice trilling with joy, ‘it was his time. Look how damaged he was, he could barely stand some days. I think he wanted it too, his face was so happy in the end. Look.’

Before you could react, a video appeared on screen and began to play.

It showed Dylan, your brother and best friend, kneeling amid an expanse of grey laminate. She filmed him from above, the camera shaking each time she moved.

‘Are you ready?’ she purred off screen.

Dylan looked up, his once piercing eyes dulled and defeated. ‘Yes Goddess,’ he croaked.

‘Don’t you think you should thank you for giving you a quick end?’ she scolded lightly, ‘There’s still time for me to change my mind and come up with something slower and much more painful.’

As though struck by a bolt of lightning Dylan snapped into position, bowing so low his head touched the floor.

‘Yes Goddess, I’m sorry Goddess, thank you Goddess.’

‘That’s better,’ she said softly as her bare foot appeared on screen. It moved through the air, her red painted toes flexing as they blocked the shrunken man from the camera held above.

‘No!’ you cried impotently as for the second time in your life you watched your brother disappear under the foot of the monster that sat opposite you.

‘Yeah, sorry it was for real this time,’ she commented as you watched the foot on screen twist back and forth. Blood bubbled through her toes, Dylan’s remains leaving a trail as she smeared him across the floor.

‘I’m really glad you got to see that,’ she mused, taking the phone away and slipping it into her bag. ‘I think you knowing that, in the end, your brother loved me will make our relationship so much stronger.’

Your bones were like bars of iron, your knuckles white. Not for the first time you wanted her dead, to kill her yourself. You wanted to choke the life from the evil bitch, watch the light die in those eyes.

You sat still, knowing there was nothing you could do here. Even if you tried to cross the table and grab her, you would be stopped long before you could achieve anything.

Her smile told you she knew this too.

‘Are you sure you don’t want anything else?’ she asked sweetly, ‘It’s a big day after all, finding out that your brother not only lived a long life without you but also that he fell in love and then died for it. Heavy stuff, it’s a lot to take in.’

‘Fuck off,’ you growled, your eyes focussed on your hands. You clasped your fingers together, trying to stop them shaking with rage.

‘Fuck off,’ she mimicked back at you, ‘Is that all you ever say, fuck? You’re gonna have to learn some new phrases if we’re gonna get along. I don’t want to hear you cussing 24/7 you know?’

You said nothing, not that it mattered, not anymore. Dylan was dead, the old wound wide open, and now you were here; with her.

She finished her drink.

‘So I guess there’s not much left for us to say huh? I wanted us to start off on an open footing, no secrets. Are you sure there’s nothing you want to tell me before we go?’

‘I’m not going anywhere with you.’ Your voice was low, the words bleeding from your lips.

Her disposition didn’t change. ‘Oh give it up will you? We both know you’re gonna leave here with me. The second I saw your name on the website I thought, yup I’ve gotta go and arrange a meeting. I had just lost your brother so how lucky was I to see your name up there. It’s like it was fate.’

She paused, her eyes scanning you for a response.

‘Do you know how easy it is to make these arrangements by the way? To get them to bring you here? Of course you don’t, what am I saying? Still, my time with Dylan made me appreciate how important it is to have someone around who loves you and supports you and is there for you. After Dylan wore out, well what’s the next best thing, you of course?’

The truth that had stalked you the entire evening now made itself known. You slowly pushed your chair back away from the table, ready to escape as soon as you could.

‘Oh like you’re really just gonna run out on me?’ she laughed, ‘Yeah right. You really think I would have come all this way to leave alone? Look, I have something for you. It was super easy to get, wanna see?’

She never waited for a reply. A padded envelope appeared in her hand and from it slipped a single piece of paper.

‘Do you know what this is, what is says?’ she dangled the sheet before her, twisting it in her fingers, ‘Guess, go on guess.’

You said nothing, your silence causing her to pout.

‘You really need to talk more if you want this relationship to work you know. So far it is very one sided. Maybe if I show you this it will make more sense.’

You were on your feet the second the plastic capsule was dropped onto the tablecloth. You should have left sooner, you should have gotten out of there the second you saw it.

Your eyes roved across the room, searching for an exit as you strode across the fabric covered floor.

She laughed at your display, ‘Now you get it! Oh man you’re so dumb. Still you’re cute and I’m sure we’ll get along great. Obviously you have figured out what this says and, look stand still and listen to me!’

The last two words came sharply, her voice raised. Her glass and plate chimed as she slammed her hand onto the table. The chair behind you rocked, your glass spilling beneath the force of the blow.

You stopped, her hand now a wall of flesh rising twice as high as you were tall.

She cleared her throat, ignoring the tiny wine stain that spread across the miniature table that sat atop her own.

‘Urgh, actually I can’t be bothered to read it but basically, this form here says I own you now. As I say, it was really easy. We went to school together and I knew enough about you to confirm I had enough connection to take you in. The government even sent me $100 as a thank you and to cover costs, how nice is that?’

She lazily let her hand fall towards you, smiling as you squeaked and ran out of the way. In her other hand she held the plastic capsule and presented it to you.

‘And this is for you. I don’t want my new little pet getting hurt now do I, well not straight away. Can you see these little handles? I just put you in here and you hold on all safe and sound as I go about my day. This one is just a carry capsule to put in my bag but they do others. There’s ones you can put in your shoes and, well, other places.’

She smirked, flashing you a wink as you stood helpless and defeated on the table.

‘But I prefer to feel skin on skin if you know what I mean. I’ll put you in this for today and well give you some practice in my heels tomorrow, ok?’

She flipped open the plastic door and set the capsule before you.

‘Get in.’

Her tone was unmistakeable, this was a command.

You held your ground as she loomed towards you, her expression cold.

‘Fuck you,’ you hissed, it was tired but all you could say in the face of such doom.

Sunlight fell across her features. ‘Get in,’ she repeated, the words singing through a returning smile, ‘Or I will drop you in my bag and you can spend the trip home trying not to get smashed by my makeup bag.’

Her smile widened and you took your first grudging step forwards. The door swung shut behind you, sealing with a click.

You stumbled, instinctively reaching for the handles as she lifted the capsule into the air. It hovered before her face, her beauty terrible at such massive proportions.

‘There,’ she purred, ‘don’t you look comfy. I can’t wait to get you home. Dylan left so much work undone, there will be plenty of activities to keep you occupied while you get used to your new life. Does that sound good to you?’

You spat through the bars, ‘You bitch, you fucking bitch!’ You had once been more eloquent but here and now, you felt nothing but hatred.

She chuckled as she dropped the capsule into the recesses of her bag. ‘There’s that potty mouth again, I really am going to have to knock that out of you aren’t I?’

She ignored your shouts of rage as her finger found the zip.

‘Oh and one last thing,’ she smiled, her face filling the sky beyond the closing zipper, ‘don’t ever call me a bitch. To you I am Goddess.’

The bag zipped shut, sealing you in darkness.