Academic Accident by Viper07

“You idiot! You god damn, colossal, fuck,” Tyler shouted as he shoved his team's leader, an egghead by the name of Lucas, onto the cold floor. “Scientist my ass, you've gone and fucked us!”

The much shorter college student tried to keep his footing, pushing himself off the ground and back onto his legs, but his efforts were hopeless against his much heartier colleague. 

Though calling Tyler a colleague might be a stretch. As far as Lucas cared, the two of them hardly knew one another, brought together only for the betterment of their grades. 

That said, they were still stuck in this mess, along with several others.  

“Don't… don't call me an idiot!” Lucas shouted back, his voice cracking, his nerves shot. Through broken glasses he glanced from one teammate to the next, hoping any might come to his aid. Unfortunately, none had a mind to do so. They blamed him, after all, for what happened.

And really, Lucas couldn't hold it against them for thinking that way. 

It was His fault they were all in this mess, after all. Cast in the shadow of one of their professor's desks, no larger than a measly grain of rice. Maybe only just slightly larger.  

Lucas did this to them. And all their frustrations, anger, and fear, were being focused through the one most vocal towards these horrible events. 

Gritting his teeth, Tyler grabbed Lucas by the collar of his shirt, hoisting the smaller man up. “Then how about gnat?!?” He shot back. “Because that's what you've fucking turned us all into!” 

It wasn't as though Lucas had meant to. 

He was just as terrified as everyone else. 

But, as smart as he is, or as smart as he believed himself to be, even he didn't foresee the consequences of his actions.

It was meant to be a simple project, at least for someone such as Lucas. A formula to help with weight loss. Something that didn't kill someone's appetite, or melt away fat through copious amounts of sweat; that's already been tried and done and run right into the dirt. Lucas wanted something new, something more.

He always did. 

A concoction to literally shrink away the extra bit of mass that was built up from overeating. Complex on paper… for anyone other than himself, of course.

In practice though, that's where complications arose. 

Now, Lucas could have sat around for days explaining the length of the scale behind his idea, and how he even managed to make something otherwise impossible, but time was a concept he was never really good at managing. So, instead, he rounded up a few students from around his college. People he knew, or at least held a passing glance with, and would benefit grade-wise from his creation. 

Everyone needed a leg up, so there was no real shortage of that.

Once Lucas had who he needed, things were meant to go downhill from there. But often, intentions do not always follow in the footsteps of reality. 

It was a test run on one of the girls. Aimee, Lucas believed her name was. 

Pretty lady. Quiet. It took some time to convince her, though after a bit of coaxing and promising it was safe, she had agreed to drink the formula produced. And, at first, nothing wrong seemed to go wrong.

As it turned out, however, one sneezing fit as a result of an allergic reaction to one of the formula’s ingredients spelled disaster for the unwitting group of students. 

Lucas's concoction worked faster than anticipated, to the point that no one could have registered what was happening. Not until their skin grew tighter, their bodies hotter, and the world around them grew in but a few moments. 

Once Aimee finally stopped her sniffle attack and realized what she had done, the reality of their shared situation settled in.

Seven students, in the room of at least one of their professors, shrunken down so small that not even rodents would see them as potential snacks. 

Of course, blame would be shifted onto the one who started everything.

“Tell me you're going to fix this,” Tyler demanded, his hands raised, mere seconds away from choking the life out of Lucas. “Because I swear, if I have to live the rest of my life as a damn bug, I'm going to FUCKING end you!” 

Lucas panicked, trying and failing to push himself free of his colleague's grip. Again, nothing. His own strength amounted to little more than a further annoyance for his peer.

“I… I can fix this!” The would-be scientist exclaimed. He was terrified, less of being in a world now too big for him and more from the rage-drunk meathead threatening his life. “I just need some time! And a list of the ingredients we'll need! It'll take some time to get them all, but I'm sure-”

“We're fucking mite-sized, Dumbass,” Tyler shouted. “We aren't getting shit!”

As their fighting persisted, those students who were still in shock were only now realizing what had happened. Aimee was the first to notice and immediately found herself hyperventilating, crawling onto the floor as she hugged her knees to her chest. 

Two more joined her, a guy and a girl; Kyle and Sherry. Less in a state of panic, they attempted soothing the hysterical woman; though to little to no avail.

Another by the name of Sharon had already abandoned the group, making her way to the monstrously massive desk opposite them all. As though, were she to climb it, maybe she might find some form of aid.

The last was a guy by the name of Arthur, who found himself more intrigued than anything. Though rightfully afraid, there was excitement to be seen here. Opportunity, and a dream at long last fulfilled. 

Seven students total, lost in a world that held no knowledge of their shrinking, their sole hope resting now in the shaking hands of poor Lucas; who themselves seemed moments away from getting the pummeling of a lifetime. 

The shrunken Egghead swallowed hard, trying to come up with some plan that could feasibly work. A way to get someone's attention, a normal-sized person, and pray they did the heavy lifting for everyone. It was damn well the only way anybody might survive. 

The issue, however, was that none were present that could be considered for such a role. And worse still, even if someone were here, there was no way for the group to make contact with them, being as small as they were. 

They were insects. Truly, in both size and vulnerability. 

Lucas sulked, at his wit's end. “I… don't know,” he whispered in defeat. “I… I'm sorry…”

Tyler sneered, tossing aside the smaller student in disgust. “Bullshit, you don't! You got us all into this mess, so you better think of something to-”

The larger student would have surely continued ranting, had an ominous rumbling not cut him off. A quiet boom, distant but easily felt… and steadily growing in power with each excruciating moment. 

Large enough that all save for Aimee immediately became aware of its presence, and it didn't take long for any to recognize what this meant. 

In a panic, Tyler looked to teammates, each struggling through their own issues. Some ran, others comforted, and all he and Lucas could do was watch and analyze the situation. 

But, regrettably, there was no time to plan around this. No chance.

“Hey, whose room is this!?!” He shouted, holding out hope that one of his partners might listen and answer, in the process becoming aware of the approaching trouble.

They did not. Instead, they continued as they went their separate ways, each preoccupied with other matters. 

“Hey,” Tyler repeated. “Whose class is this!?! Quickly!” 

Again, nothing. 

And by the time Tyler would have received an answer, it would have already been too late. 

The door to the classroom swung wide open, and for the first time, those truly aware of the danger they were in comprehended the true scale of their problems. 

They were mites, just as Tyler had said.

All cast in the shadow of a goddess.

*****

Aimee couldn't breathe. Her body wouldn't let her. 

Too much had happened too quickly, and as a result, her mind refused to heed the simplest commands. 

Get up

Run

Find someplace safe.

None of it worked.

All she knew was the fear of the moment and the dread that was her new life. 

“I wanna go home…” The poor girl repeated to herself, again and again, even as Sherry and Kyle tried in vain to comfort her. They were good friends like that. 

Their efforts, unfortunately, were pointless. Aimee’s rambles continued. 

“I wanna go home… I wanna go home… please… someone take me home…”

The girl's maddening ravings persisted without end, growing tiresome. They reached a point where Sherry, the more rational of her two companions, had actually thought of leaving her broken friend behind in favor of security. 

Kyle and she knew where the terrified girl was, after all, and understood that, in their current state, they were little more than dead weight. 

And it wasn't as though Aimee was going anywhere anytime soon either, seeing as she was firmly set on crying to herself. So, for the time being, why not leave her here?

At least until someone else came up with a plan to fix everything. 

Hopefully, by then, Aimee would have calmed down a considerable amount. At least enough to where she'd be of actual use. 

It was a simple thought process for Sherry, and she saw nothing wrong with it. For her, this was entirely normal. 

She wasn't abandoning Aimee; merely stepping away for a short while, with plans to come back for them. Anyone else would have thought as such, as well. 

However, any hope that such logic would hold true was shattered the moment the first deep BOOM reverberated through the ground and air. 

Faint at first- distant. But it drew closer quickly, intensifying with every passing second. 

Kyle was the first to notice, his attention drawn to the occasional clack that accompanied every boom. He counted the seconds between them, his face turning pale as suspicions were steadily confirmed. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he realized what was coming.

Sherry knew as well. Only a fool would be blind to what was approaching… as well as where the three tiny students stood in relation to it. 

The door to the room swung open, and every fear they possessed was confirmed. 

They were in the shadow of a Titaness. Worse still, they were directly in her path. 

A colossal figure, towering over even the tallest of skyscrapers, strolled into the class with casual ease; folders and files pressed tightly against their ample chest, their green hair tied back into a bun and in utter disarray… and completely unaware of the little lives at their feet. 

“Holy… Shit,” Kyle muttered, unable to believe his eyes.

Sherry gasped, the reality sinking in. “Dear god…”

The only one who did not voice their disbelief was poor, broken Aimee; the rambling girl still unable to come to terms with what was happening, even as events were currently unfolding right behind her. 

She did not hear the opening of the monolithic door, nor was she even aware of the earth-shaking footsteps of the god-like being that had entered the room. It wouldn't be amiss to say she hadn't even noticed them before their arrival.

All Aimee did was speak her desire to return home, her life of normalcy, tuning out everything else that betrayed such wishful dreams. 

That included the voices of her friends, both desperate for her attention.  

“Aimee, we have to go NOW!” Kyle shouted as he tried his damnedest to move the terrified girl atop her legs.

She struggled free from his grasp though, eager to remain untouched. “Get away from me!” She screamed, bringing her hands up to her ears, shielding them. “This isn't real! This can't be real!” 

Aimee had lost it. 

Her mind was well and gone. 

Sherry could tell that much at a glance. 

And were that to be true, then despite every moral fiber of her being trying to tell her otherwise, there was no point in helping someone who didn't already realize they were dead yet.

Grabbing Kyle by the arm, Sherry tried to pull him away. “There's no point I'm helping her now,” she tried to explain, years of friendship quickly being washed away when faced with survival. “We have to get out of here before it's too late!” 

“We can still save her!” Kyle replied, unwilling to leave while a life was in danger. It didn't matter if it was his.  

Sherry grits her teeth. “You can't, not when we're-” 

Another earth-shattering BOOM cut the argument short as, before they knew it, a shadow swept over the panicking group. 

Sherry looked up, her gaze fixed on the monolithic professor as she began to move once again. Each step of her black flats shook their entire world, and the shrunken student felt her body seize up, her mind struggling to comprehend how something so massive could move so effortlessly, and so quickly. 

A single step forward was all it took for the unwitting professor to cover just less than half the distance between the shrunken students and herself.

In a panic, Sherry tugged harder at Kyle's arms, desperation fueling her strength. “Kyle, please!” She begged. “We have to go!” 

But again, she was met with resistance. “No, we can save her! We just need to-” 

Suddenly, the tension in his arms waned, replaced by a fierce gust of wind that swept overhead. An updraft powerful enough to nearly carry the brave, if not foolish, student off the ground. 

Kyle looked back, watching as Sherry had already given up on trying to convince him. Instead, she chose to run while she still could, leaving her companions behind.

The brave young man glanced up, afraid, his vision filled with the sole of a woman's well-kept footwear. Newly bought, no doubt, and soon to be blemished by the imperceptible splotches of two unfortunate souls. 

Glancing forward one final time, Kyle watched as his fleeing friend didn't even take the time to look back at him. No final words, no wishful prayers. Just their back to him as they ran for desperate safety.

“W… WAIT!!!”

CRUNCH

*****

Sharon fell to her knees, her stomach threatening to empty itself of its contents. She wished she hadn't shown up on campus today. 

Better yet, she wished she hadn't agreed to Lucas's stupid project.

But the credits were needed as Sharon's grades were humiliatingly low. As a result, she didn't have much of a choice if she wanted to recover while she still could. So, rather than listen to her gut, she just had to risk working with the infamous student whose inventions, though undeniable in advancement, knew no shortage of troubles. 

Sharon should have known better. 

Lucas’s reputation was well-known for all the wrong reasons. 

Now, as a result of her error in judgment, here Sharon was, shrunken down to an insect's height, forced to watch as two of her partners were reduced to mush beneath the building-sized sole of her English Professor's flats. 

“Dammit… damn it all!” 

Sharon didn’t want this. Who possibly could? 

A psychopath, for starters. 

But here she was, stuck in a nightmare she couldn’t hope to wake up from. 

Swallowing hard, choking down the bile that steadily rose in her throat, Sharon struggled to stand, knowing full well what could happen were she to give up. She didn’t want to end up like some bug, crushed and forgotten. Or worse, never even noticed as those larger than herself went about their day, her corpse steadily putrefying. 

Though it pained her to admit it, Sharon had to push the fate of Kyle and Aimee to the back of her mind if she wanted to make it out alive. She needed to forget them. 

It was Her idea, after all, to bring her team to this specific classroom, certain that they wouldn't be disturbed. It was Her professor who had casually killed two of the college's students. 

As such, it was partially Sharon’s responsibility to help fix all this… if that was even a possibility.

In all honestly, it very well might not be. But Sharon would be damned if she didn’t at least give it a try. 

So, with one foot in front of the other, the determined student soldiered on. Even as her Professor thundered past, settling at her desk; the remains of her classmates flashed by, only to disappear beneath the next footfall. Sharon stopped immediately, momentarily petrified at the prospect that, were positions to have been reversed, even for just a second, one of those splotches underneath her Professor’s sole could have easily been her. An inch more to the left, that’s all it might have taken. 

She steeled herself the second after though, the fear Sharon felt more compelling as a motivator than a deterrent. She wouldn’t allow that to happen. She couldn’t. 

She was going to get Her Professor’s attention and get everyone else home, that was a promise. Maybe, however, excluding Lucas. The bastard deserved whatever was coming to him. 

For now, though, the main priority was getting herself noticed. 

Sharon’s English Professor, Mrs. McDermott, was a normally kind, albeit eccentric woman who prioritized flair in her lessons, hence her unconventional appearance. Known for her professional yet stylish attire, she was often regarded as eye candy by both men and women alike as well. Despite that, her clothing never overshadowed her lessons, and her students frequently earned high marks thanks to her enthusiasm. 

If there was one person Sharon could trust, it was her. 

Yet trust can only take someone so far. The issue here came in just how Sharon was supposed to reach them. Because as breathtaking as they were, Mrs. McDermott was no different from an actual living, breathing natural disaster now. One wrong move on her part could spell death for her student, and an end to all of their effort. 

But danger was to be expected and safety was a luxury that couldn’t be afforded. 

Sharon considered climbing her professor’s desk first, believing it to be the safest route available to her. She tossed aside the idea quickly enough, however, once remembering how well Mrs. McDermott kept her room. Eccentric and tidy, and thus little in the way of finding a means to climb the furniture. A poor combination for those seeking to do a bit of scaling. 

That said, they were the sort to often fidget thanks to their enthusiastic behavior, and on hearing the first of her flats fall onto the ground, the Shrunken Student knew she had found her way up. 

It was a short enough walk from there, as Sharon made her way beneath her professor’s desk and towards their moving, tight-covered legs. 

Even in her seat, Mrs. McDermott was active, and Sharon couldn’t help but wonder how often they moved about at their desk during exams and tests. Really, it seemed the English Professor was the most lively during her lectures, reciting poems with gusto, and old English verses with pride. 

Sharon took a cautionary step back, however, upon seeing how quickly McDermott’s feet stomped upon the ground, as though they were caught in some dance. An active woman by nature, vibrant and young, and as a result a dangerous terrain to climb on. But there weren’t many other options available, and if Sharon wanted to make it out of here she’d have to do the unthinkable.

So, she waited. Until the right opportunity presented itself. When the dexterous, active extremities finally fell quiet, the determined student made her move; quickly sprinting forward to latch onto a single, hill-sized toe. 

Mrs. McDermott’s pinky toe, to be precise. 

Still a fair deal larger than her shrunken student, but the least active of her five digits. At least at first, until the colossal mentor began to dance once more; humming to herself as she set her minuscule student upon the ride of their life. 

Quickly had Sharon come to regret her choices, and faster still was she losing her grip. In another moment, she might have lost it entirely, had a hand not come down to save her. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you!” Arthur said, dangling from atop Mrs. McDermott’s fourth toe, hanging right beside Sharon as he offered his colleague a much-needed hand.

Sharon didn’t even know where he had come from, only recalling that, like the rest, he too was a part of the group. Stranger than the others, quieter than even Aimee, but in no less need of better grades. 

Why he was on top of Her Professor’s toes though, and more importantly how, felt more akin to a question that didn’t need to be asked; at least so long as there was regret in knowing the answer. 

The man was red in the face and covered in sweat, though given the distance he climbed it was unlikely that the result for both came from any physical exertion on his end. Were a guess to be gathered, Sharon would even say that Arthur might have been enjoying himself atop Mrs. McDermott’s foot, having begun his climb while she was lost in her thoughts, and thus unaware of his presence. 

It might not even be far-fetched to say he could have very well been pitching a tent, were his crotch to be seen. 

But… disgusting though the thought was… Sharon wasn’t going to turn down a helping hand. Even if… it was recently used. 

Sighing in relief, but shuddering at the profane thought, Sharon used the offered aid to lift herself further up, making use of her free hand to dig her fingers deeply into her pantyhose terrain. “Thank you…”. Her climb had only just begun, and already she was beginning to feel the effects of exhaustion. “I wasn’t sure what I was thinking, doing this by myself.”

“I’d sooner ask why you even thought it was a good idea,” Arthur wondered. “Wouldn’t say this is anything like rock climbing or something of the sort. For starters, it’s a lot more pungent…”

A result of Mrs. McDermott’s working hours, no doubt, as well as her choice of footwear. Not to say she was a filthy individual by any measure, certainly not, but to those small enough, the scent emanating from her overworked feet was… noticeable. 

Warm…

Sharon chuckled, finding strange humor in her colleague's actions. She hoisted herself up the rest of the way, settling beside her teammate. “I could ask the same of you. I didn’t expect anyone else to be here. Especially not someone so…” She glanced over Arthur’s body, noting his deeper breathing and sweat-soaked shirt. “You know…”

Arthur laughed softly, quickly catching on to what Sharon was implying. “Before you say anything, it’s not what you think.”

“Oh really,” Sharon questioned with a brow raised. 

“Yes, really,” Arthur replied nervously. “I’ll have you know, I was trying to get this lady’s attention too!”

A likely excuse, and one that was to be expected given the issues the group shared. But regardless of whether she bought into it or not, Sharon couldn’t help but smile; even if just a bit. It felt good to have someone helping you. Prior, she was fully intent on doing this by herself. 

Now though, things might not be so bad.

That is, until Mrs. McDermott’s active dancing resumed once more, shaking the two students around; practically throwing them off of their safe perch. They had become distracted, glad to have even had a minor moment of normalcy, before the reality of their terrain made itself known again.  

“Oh shit!” Sharon was the first to fall, having just arrived yet not having taken the measures to make sure she was properly secure. A costly mistake as she was thrown off of her spot atop her Professor’s toe, nearly sent flying had Arthur not grabbed her by the arm at the very last second. 

Instead, the woman was left to dangle, the constant motions of her mentor keeping her colleague from pulling her back up completely. 

Sharon panicked, looking down as the ground grew further away. Mrs. McDermott was lifting her foot, and in turn carrying the two students away from the ground. 

“Don’t let go!” She screamed. 

“I won’t!” Arthur shouted back, his determination to keep true to his word being the one thing that allowed him to press on when strength would have otherwise failed him.  

Sadly, promises meant to be kept were easily broken a moment later, as in the next second the monstrously massive Professor’s other foot had risen as well, rubbing against the toes that held the two lives, painfully pressing against the back of one of them. 

Sharon let out a heart-wrenching scream, only for a fraction of a second, before her body was popped… 

Reduced to a gooey, visceral mess. 

*****

The squelch was the worst part… Arthur hadn’t heard anything quite like that. Not in his daily life, trying to replicate such sounds for certain projects, nor in any of the videos he watched in his spare time. 

It was… horrible. So much worse than what he thought he’d be accustomed to. But reality was often more disappointing than fantasy, and Arthur's fetishistic dreams were cut short as a result.

This was real.

Someone had just died, right in front of him. And given the pace in which poor Sharon had been moving, including her moments of hesitation which Arthur, at one point, amounted to little more than fear, she wasn’t the only one to perish.

New concerns arose within the once lusting man’s head, as images of his own demise flashed before his eyes. Here he was, shrunken down so small that a minor step could snuff him out. Yet, rather than enjoy the thought as he once had, now it terrified him.  

Sharon had popped like a grape. For her, the end came quickly enough. It was still felt, sure, there was pain, but at least she didn’t suffer long. Could the same be said of everyone else, though? Could the same be said for Arthur, once it was his turn? That thought alone scared him the most and spurred his movements going forward. Desperately had the shrunken man been holding onto the remaining arm of his ruined colleague, as though were he to cling tightly enough she might reappear right beside him. Now though, once he had allowed reality to settle in, Arthur tossed the limb away, panic overtaking his body. 

She was just some woman he hadn’t even known all that long, dead after only a minute or two of talking with her. She even seemed nice, not berating him for his interests, even seeing a potential ally in this tragedy. But now she was gone, and any minute now could Arthur find himself sharing in that gruesome fate. 

“Fuck. That.” Arthur thought. 

Fantasies be damned, this was nothing like his videos. This was a wake-up call to them if anything! 

Standing up, Arthur immediately began searching for a way back down, regardless of the sense present in that course of action. In his mind, preservation was the only thing that mattered. How he reached it, and through what methods, didn’t. Unfortunately, as one might expect of those acting too carelessly, in his desperation to get away from the feet that had just snuffed out a life, Arthur forgot the thing that had actually kept him safe prior, while Sharon, in his stead, took the fall. 

Stability. 

Security. 

Holding onto the nylon padding below so tightly that, thanks to the type of material it was, the shrunken man was not sent flying. 

Now, in his state of mania, that sensible mind that once kept Arthur safe was all but gone, setting him up for failure. 

Once more, McDermott’s other foot had risen on high, crashing against the toes that suspended the small student, an itch assaulting her on the exact spot where Sharon was. 

The crash of the two extremities propelled Arthur forward, flinging him off of the professor’s foot and towards the ground below. There was no suspension of disbelief here, no relying on his tiny form to lessen the severity of his descent. 

Arthur fell with the speed befitting his weight. As that of an insect, yes, but with the mass necessary for the impact to hurt. 

Bones broke, and the air within the shrunken student’s lungs left his body, as he crumpled like wet paper against the force of the collision. Miraculously though, or rather unfortunately depending on how one viewed it, Arthur survived. 

Bruised and bloodied, but alive. 

His vision turned red, the corners of what could be seen growing hazy. There wasn’t much time left for him. 

Just enough, however, for Arthur to watch as a set of massive fingers reached down from the Heavens, the itch assaulting McDermott no longer being something she could deal with subconsciously. Now, her attention was drawn to it, and as a result, the shrunken student below was in her line of sight. Still too small to be properly perceived, but just maybe luck would be on his side. 

Wishful thinking that, again, amounted to nothing. 

McDermott’s arm came into view, followed by the rest of her body as she lowered herself down to find the persistent itch, unaware of Arthur’s broken form resting just beneath her notice. 

Arthur raised his fractured, splintered arm, hoping to God that he would be seen. But the Professor’s scowl dashed any such aspirations. 

“Damn shoes…” 

She lifted the foot that was the source of her distraction, crossing it over her leg as she leaned in her seat. In so doing, McDermott’s other leg came forward, blanketing Arthur in its shadow, her free foot coming down softly to rest as the Professor readjusted her nylon. 

Arthur’s eyes widened, forced to watch as the weight of the world came down on top of him. Unlike poor dead Sharon though, he wasn’t given the fortune of a quick death. Mrs. McDermott’s movements were precise, even her unconscious ones. She did not seek to stamp out any lives, only to get comfortable as she dealt with the effects of what she assumed to be a poor purchase. As such, not too much pressure was placed on the foot that slowly suffocated a student. 

Instead, Arthur was forced to lament in pain, taking in both the stench and sweat of a woman paid not nearly enough for the long hours she worked. 

He struggled as best as he could, with his broken body, breaking himself down further in a mad attempt to get free. But it amounted to nothing, as did the efforts of every student caught beneath the power of a Professor unaware. If anything, all Arthur did was create another itch. 

One that, unlike that which had got Mrs. McDermott’s attention directly, was little more than a minor nuisance. A subconscious issue that was quickly dealt with with just a teensy bit more pressure. 

Arthur didn’t even have the chance to cry. 

First, his legs gave out, their fractured frame hardly offering the least bit of resistance. 

Following that, his midsection and torso caved in on itself, his insides spilling out through any tears formed across his flattening body. 

Lastly, horrifyingly, his head was finally crushed… consciousness pitifully maintained until the very final CRUNCH. 

*****

Words would certainly be had with Lydia, once Mrs. McDermott was done with her grading. This was the last time she’d ever listen to her friend when it came to buying new footwear. 

“‘Trust me’,” Victoria McDermott mocked, parroting what her colleague and friend told her. “‘Toss out those old heels of yours and buy yourself some Glamour Flats. They’re super comfortable!’”

Victoria scoffed, regretting having taken such words at face value. “Super comfortable my arse. Super itchy, maybe, but that’s the furthest thing FROM comfort!”

And just before a stressful work weekend, no less, in which her students had submitted their assignments in bulk. All at the last minute!

It was infuriating! 

The Professor’s purple nails rubbed against the toes of her foot, working their way between them and getting at any harder-to-reach spots. In truth, she wasn’t sure if it was the flats themselves, or the nylons she wore, but whatever the case may be she’s been assaulted by itches for much of the day. 

She shouldn’t be focusing on something so mundane though, as there was work to be done. But paired with the stress of the week, as well as finding her classroom door to be unlocked, and holding no recollection of whether that was her doing or not… truth be told, Victoria needed the distraction. 

Any really, for as long as they’d be allowed. 

The Professor sighed, feeling the weight upon her shoulders lift the second she found the source of her itching. A small little spot, caught between her fourth and pinky toe. Cooing in relief, Victoria leaned further back into her chair, just taking in the brief euphoria. She could hate them all she wanted, even she couldn’t deny how pleasant it was to at last scratch a persistent itch. 

“Finally…”

Yet, as her scratching subsided, replaced with Victoria just running her fingers across and between her overworked toes, massaging them, eventually she felt her hand run across an almost imperceivable… wet spot. 

At first, she assumed it to be sweat. Given the padding within her new flats, cotton to ensure comfort, it didn’t seem far-fetched. But Victoria had an eye for detail, and running across it again, comparing the minor disturbance to the rest of her moist foot, she found it to stand out. 

Did it feel… thicker?

Squishier? 

Goopy? Was that even a proper word someone like her should use? It didn’t matter, it felt weird. Enough that the Professor’s interest was piqued. 

Sitting upright, Victoria angled her toes so that she could see the disturbance more clearly. And there it was, right on her pinky toe. A red little dot, only just larger than a grain of rice, but still big enough for its existence to be questioned. It stood out among the vast black of her nylon, and for a moment the Professor silently questioned what it possibly was. 

Gently removing a portion of her stocking from her leg, Victoria felt as though she needed to inspect the stain just a bit more closely, ignoring the fact that she was just giving herself further reason not to work. 

Basking in the sensation of cool air now on her bare skin, the Professor waited a bit before examining the little splotch, even taking the chance to rest her sole upon the cold floor. Considering the work she does for students who struggle to put in the effort unless she does so as well, it was needed. 

But, again, another gooey wet spot was felt. 

As small as the previous, and no less distracting. Fully removing her tights from both legs and allowing both of her feet to breathe, Victoria looked over the cloth only to discover two red splotches. So small that, had she not been looking for them, they could have easily been missed. 

Scowling in disgust, the Professor tossed her tights to the side, deciding she'd collect them once her work here was done.

Which now, coincidentally, involved extermination.

“Bugs… of course, I'd have to deal with bugs. Because why not?”

Sometimes, it felt as though it was one thing after another for Victoria. 

And she couldn't even blame Lydia this time.

Thankfully, from how things appeared, there weren't many pests to begin with. Two at a glance, and already squashed. But there could always be more hiding away. Among the students' desks, near her front door, much thought was put into where any little insects could sneak away to.

Perhaps… more than what was normal for a supposedly ordinary English Professor.

Victoria stood up from her seat, keeping a keen eye out for any little gnats that might be attempting to make themselves at home in her homeroom. Forgoing her flats, the professor further relished in the cool tile floor against the bare flesh of her soles, finding the sensation simply rapturous. Already, she wanted to fall back into her chair, taking this chance to simply relax.

But greater interests were present, and soon enough the Professor’s eyes fell upon two extra insects; both not too far from her desk.

Victoria smiled. Softly, at first, before her previous disgust turned jovial. 

They were running from her. Even at their size, that much was clear. 

On a clean white floor, where already the comparatively gargantuan instructor's sights were set on finding any little intruders. Of course, she'd be able to spot any out; mite-sized or not. 

And she was glad that she did. 

The two dead bugs plastered to her nylons had awoken old temptations. 

Victoria chuckled, amused by how quickly her older perversions had risen back to the surface. 

She really had thought she had grown past these specific tastes of hers.

But, alas, the more things change, the more they stay the same, as the old proverb goes. 

Victoria Dermott's eccentric personality had to come from somewhere, after all. Her minor tap dancing when she was seated. How she would boast and act out scenes during her lessons. 

All quirks she's built up through years of visualizing her own writing; her own stories. 

Adventures and smut, it didn't matter much where the thrill came from, so long as it did. 

Stories and tales relating to size were a personal favorite of Victoria's, always working to get her imagination running. Doubly so if said stories were of an… Erotic nature. 

The sight of two little bugs fleeing from her all-encompassing grandeur… well it was no wonder as to why the Professor's interest was so deeply aroused. 

There was no harm in teasing such temptations. Especially seeing as none were present to view her. 

“My oh my,” Victoria lulled, picturing just how massive she must have appeared to the little creatures at Her feet. Especially those caught in her stride, while she remained unaware of their existence until only a minute ago. How they must have been forced to watch her approach; her thunderous and ominous footfalls until it was too late.

There was no high greater.

“What do we. Have. here~?”

*****

“They're dead…” Lucas muttered, his voice thick with the grim realization of what he'd done. “She… she… I killed them…” 

Aimee, Kyle, Sherry surely, Sharon and Arthur. 

Gone. 

Reduced to stains. Fine red paste beneath the colossal soles of Professor McDermott. Less than insects, it was doubtful she had even noticed them. Their families would never know what happened to them, nor would they have any bodies to mourn. Friends would move on, their passing fading from memory with time. 

Only Lucas would carry the recollection. He was the monster here. 

“Why didn't I just do something simple???” The wannabe scientist lamented, sinking to his regret suffocating him. “Why did I think a shrinking formula was a good idea?!?!” 

In hindsight, Lucas should have known better. His overconfidence blinded him to what could go wrong, and now he was the unintentional architect behind a massacre.

It was too much. 

None of Lucas's colleagues deserved this. Not a single one. 

But he? It would be the only fair exchange Lucas could think of, to repay his debt. 

A hand jerked Lucas back to the present, his collar yanked painfully as his shoulder was firmly gripped. 

Tyler shook the shrunken scientist, snapping them out of their downward spiral. Just as horrified by the events that had transpired, but he wasn’t going to allow that to slow him down. He couldn’t. He already knew the consequences of letting fear take over. 

“Get your head back in the game, man,” Tyler growled with a sharp tone. “We're not dead yet!” 

“But everyone else-” Lucas began, but his colleague cut him off. 

“Had their chance,” Tyler replied with grim finality. “And if we keep on looking back at what happened, we’ll end up no different than them. We have to go.”

They needed to get out of here. Away from McDermott, the one person who could have helped them had she known about their existence, but was now their greatest threat. 

There was no plan, no certainty, but it was too dangerous to stay. At most, Tyler was making quick-minded decisions. A stark contrast to Lucas, who could only listen in despair. 

Eventually, though, the wannabe scientist agreed.

There wasn't anything more they could do here anyway. 

“Okay…” Lucas whispered, his voice weak with exhaustion. Not from running, but rather the emotional toll that’s crushed him. “Okay… let's go…”

Survival meant cooperation, even if Lucas and Tyler didn’t truly trust one another. Spite still remained, but only a fraction of what it had been before; tragedy bringing the two together. 

Yet, in agreement or not, that fragile alliance quickly shattered the second the ear-splitting creaking of a chair was heard. 

Tyler's blood ran cold.

Lucas’s heart hammered in his chest. 

Professor McDermott had moved. 

She stood from her desk, her towering form casting a long, indomitable shadow over the shrunken duo. For a moment, she seemed unaware, silently scanning the room with a casual gaze. Before long, however, her eyes fell on the two students, cold and calculating. 

A slow, predatory grin spread across the Professor’s lips. 

“My oh my,” Boomed her thunderous voice, silky yet sinister. “What do we. Have. Here~?” 

In that moment, cooperation died. 

Replaced by the primal urge to survive.

“R… run…” Tyler barely choked out. But Lucas remained frozen, paralyzed with fear.

Tyler’s voice broke through the haze. “I SAID FUCKING RUN!!!”

That snap of command was enough to wake Lucas up, forcing him forward, his heart racing, his legs aching. Though he had no idea where he was going. 

And McDermott was relentless. 

With every step she took, the floor trembled. The sheer force of her stride threatened to sink Lucas to his knees, as though he were caught in an earthquake. 

Tyler wasn’t faring much better; gusts of wind from McDermott’s movement were nearly sending him flying. 

Finally, in one last terrible footstep, Lucas was cast into a vast shadow, far darker than what had swallowed him and Tyler prior. The space around him vanished, consumed by the immense proportions of a sole looming overhead. It felt like the world had shrunk into nothing… or rather, McDermott herself had become the world itself. Nothing could be seen but her foot. No light, not life; all things beneath her belonged solely for her entertainment. 

One step

One foot

One moment, and it could all be over. 

A soft giggle echoed. “Aww, what's the matter little guy?” McDermott purred, her voice dripping with mockery. “Too scared to move?” 

Her toes flexed, polished in deep magenta, each delightful curve a reminder of the terror that loomed just overhead; waiting to come down. Escape wouldn’t even be allowed, though Lucas longed for it. 

Another light, mocking chuckle drilled in that truth deeper. “You like what you see? Does it excite you? Turn you on even? A little pest like yourself, that would mar my path?” 

The Professor's body trembled in anticipation, her foot still hovering overhead. “God, I must sound ridiculous… it's a good thing no one's here…”

The shadow deepened as, finally, McDermott’s foot descended. 

Lucas raised his arms in useless defiance, but the weight of his tormentor instantly broke any lingering bit of resistance. The world around the once-ambitious, would-be, could-be, great scientist crumbled, his final cries little more than gurgled pleas, bloodied screams, and one wet POP.

McDermott’s cheeks flushed red in pleasure as she ground her foot back and forth further into the cold floor, spreading around Lucas's every which way she could. “Goodness… and here I thought I was DONE with this chapter of my life…”

She dragged her foot back slowly, spreading Lucas’s body in a grim trail of red. 

…and then her sight returned to Tyler. 

The Professor snorted, amused by the death she had caused. “But oh, how I have MISSED this…”

Tyler stood frozen. Terrified. Eyes wide, having watched in horror as the last of his colleagues was just erased out of existence, the only thing left of them being a paste too fine to find any gore within. 

McDermott was cold, indifferent, and cruel… yet only because she thought these students were bugs. 

Of course, Tyler knew where that left him. 

“No…” He whispered, shaking his head in disbelief. Tyler’s legs felt heavy. As though they were made out of lead, impossible to move. “No no no, not like this…”

McDermott took a gentle step forward, propping herself atop the leg that had just snuffed out a life, stretching the toes of her free foot as she inched it forward, towards the last of her prey.

The weight of her presence was immense. Too overwhelming to flee from. 

She smiled. “Come here, Cutey,” The Professor cooed. “Mama wants to try something~.”

*****

This was so much fun. 

It had been years since Victoria’s last indulged herself in these older vices of hers. A strange and macabre fixation that’s hounded her since youth. 

Why, she was still a student at this very academy when she began to write her own set of size stories, depicting women as large as skyscrapers, and people as small as ants. It’s what sparked her creativity in writing and by extension her flamboyant personality as a professor. It all came back to this. 

Victoria knew she was eye candy for her students. 

She understood how some watched her, mouths agape, eyes glued to her body as she went about her lectures and speeches. 

Truth be told, she liked it. She relished in that, as it allowed her mind to wander. 

The Professor would even admit to fantasizing about what she’d do to those who drooled over her during classes, were they the size of bugs. How well they might take to her eye candy attire after shrinking, and when she was hundreds, if not thousands of feet tall.

Would she be gentle?

Would she be cruel?

Would she even care to differentiate? 

Honestly, it entirely depended on Victoria's mood at the moment, much as it did when she wrote. 

While exterminating a few pests may not be the exact same thing as her fantasies, it was certainly scratching an itch that hadn't been tended to for a very long time. 

“Careful now,” Victoria whispered as her focus fell upon the bug between her toes. “I don’t want to pop you just yet…”

She exercised more care than needed, especially when compared to the gnat she had just snuffed out moments prior. But the lustful Professor wanted to see if she still had some of her old skills. 

Pull off a few old tricks. 

Eventually, she felt the most minor of struggles between her toes. A soft chuckle escaped the Professor’s lips. “Theeeere we go, nice and snug~.” 

Shortly after, just as she had claimed her prize, Victoria’s leg shot skyward, tossing the fragile little thing up and into the air.

“Aaaaand…” 

Victoria had to observe the gnat carefully in its eventual descent, considering it was no bigger than a grain of rice. Yet, interestingly enough, it wasn’t the smallest thing she’d ever done this with. As it so happened, they were just the right size for her to pull this off. 

Turning on her heel, the nimble Professor turned her back towards her prey, lifting her other foot so that the insect might fall ‘safely’ upon her waiting sole. 

It took some time, as well as some patience, given the nearly unnoticeable weight she was working with here, but eventually, Victoria felt something land upon the soft flesh of the underside of her foot… if only just barely. 

Smiling, Victoria clapped to herself, happy that she had managed. “Got yoooou~.”

Admittedly, given her past, that was far from the most impressive trick she could have pulled off. A bit more effort, and were her pest just a little larger, she'd have juggled them between her toes, just as she used to do with action figures and toy soldiers. Or even have the bug land into her mouth as they fell, were that not so… unsanitary. 

Still, she was satisfied, and that was all that mattered. 

Victoria stood, beaming with pride as she turned her head to see her prize. There, upon her foot, caught neatly between her curvaceous toes, her little bug friend rested. A leg, no doubt, nestled too deeply within some gap. Or their body was broken ever so slightly, the fall still too much for them despite their lack in weight. 

All the same, broken or not, they had served their purpose. 

The Professor cooed, pleased with herself. “You’ve been such a darling, little guy,” she said to the bug, ever unaware of its true identity. 

If only she were to look a bit more closely and demonstrate more care in observing what had earned her interest. Maybe then, the tragedies that had transpired could have been avoided. 

Instead, and too suddenly for her pleasant gnat to react to, the Professor’s magenta-tipped toes clenched together, adding just a bit more crimson to her otherwise flawless polish. 

“But unfortunately, I’ve played around long enough. I’ve got work to do, and you're not helping me focus~.”

Victoria sighed, lavishing in the sight of her final kill. Truly, a sight to behold, the bit of red that covered both her flawless skin and manicured tootsies. 

She would leave behind the stains left on both of her immaculate feet. They would serve well as reminders for her, at least until the Professor’s next shower. 

Or a hot, relaxing bath, to pair nicely with this lavicious respite. 

Victoria McDermott no longer had a desire to remain on campus, and truthfully, after what she just did, she needed someplace private to indulge herself. So, after some quick inner debate, Victoria collected her things to head home. A cup of wine and a good book, there’d be no better way for her to end the day before a weekend of work. 

She fixed up her shaken, green hair, letting it flow free. 

She packed her stockings within her purse, hiding them behind the files and assignments she was meant to grade. 

And last, Victoria kicked on her flats, no longer caring about the itches they caused. 

Actually… after a few steps, it even occurred to the pleasured Professor that the source of that problem may… have been her stockings…

Though, were it not for that slight misjudgment, Victoria might have never had this quick bit of fun. “What a happy little mistake that was then.”

Nor would she have had a reason to take off her legwear, cluing her into the little lives that were otherwise beneath her notice. 

That included the sudden tickling sensations caught beneath her toes. Stuck between the fluff of her flats, and all her unconscious weight. 

“Oh my…” there was still one more. 

A straggler, no doubt. One that had separated itself from its group. For what reasons, Victoria couldn’t say. And she didn’t truly care.  

The Professor smiled softly, giving her foot a few light taps against the floor, hoping to force her guest more deeply within her footwear. Preferably under her arch, where they’d languish for hours on end.

Victoria wondered… how long would they be able to survive her walk home? 

Or better yet, would she even care to give them that chance?