Downsizing

Exploitation Makes the World Spin

===

“You’re coming with us,” Pearson said, pointing his gun at Emma.

“Wait,” Mateo said, stepping forward. “Can we please talk about this? What about a deal?”

“Deal?” The mayor's laugh was hollow as he lowered his gun back to his side. “You want to make a deal?” He paced in front of them like a meandering shark. “Let me explain something about deals in Lilliputian Lakes. Unless you’re a big-time business owner or the CEO of NanoHabitats, you don’t make deals, got it?”

“So? Why would they matter?” Mateo spoke while making gestures of frustration with his hands. “Why do you care so much that Beth is taking care of unregistered downsizers? The city doesn’t care about them. You’re not willing to let them live here. So what if they find peace living in Beth’s apartment? It looks to me like we’re fixing a problem for free.”

“You’ve got no clue how the world works, do ya, kid?”

“I guess not. Because helping people gets you kidnapped by the mayor, who doesn’t want to fix the unregistered problem.”

“Problem? They’re not the problem. Them not working here … now that’s the problem. If everyone downsized and became rich, who do you think would work in Lilliputian Lakes? We still need workers. Retail, mechanics, technicians, chefs, fucking bus drivers. Everything!”

“Okay, sure, but what does that have to do with unregistered downsizers?”

“Everything! Lilliputian Lakes is a mirror of the big world’s economy. Do you see humans having constant parties and spending unlimited money on hedonistic lives? No! They work. And some work for less. Do you have any idea how many 'private sessions' of the chamber of commerce I've had to sit through? Countless hours listening to those greedy-ass business owners bitch they can’t run their companies without cheap labor from unregistered downsizers?” He laughed. “It’s practically slave labor. If you ask me, those dingleberries shouldn’t be running a company if they could only survive by paying their workers pennies.”

Mateo and Emma couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Was that the reason the mayor was going so crazy over Beth aiding the unregistered? Because she removed the slave labor from Lilliputian Lakes? It sounded ludicrous to them. But to Isaac and Roslyn, it was the truth they’d known all along. The reason they were political prisoners.

“And don't even get me started on NanoHabitat,” Pearson said. “That goddamn company won’t be happy until they downsize all humans. Because every human that fucking CEO sees walking around, he just sees dollar signs. And with your steroid-sucking girlfriend stealing our invisible workforce to make them her pets, there’s a potential they’ll blow the whole lid off this operation. Downsizing fucking sucks for 90% of people who do it. It’s no vacation or party unless you downsize rich. Oh, you think one dollar has the purchasing power of 100 dollars? Fucking wrong. Most everyone that downsizes has to keep working to survive. And if your big girlfriend blows the lid on the unregistered workforce, then no one will ever downsize, and NanoHabitat’s stock would plummet!”

Mateo shook his head. “It’s all about money?”

“Always has been,” the mayor snickered. He looked over at one of his goons named Thomas, who was wearing a brown suit. “Take the girl.”

“Wait!” Mateo and Emma shouted. There were words exchanged, but when the mayor and others held up their guns, the commotion stopped.

Tom grabbed Emma by the arm and pulled her roughly away from the group. She was now on the other side of the room with the mayor, looking desperately at Mateo.

“What’s going on?” Mateo shouted.

“Call it insurance,” Pearson said. He turned to Tom. “Take her to the top of Swift Tower. I’d like to see her dumb girlfriend reach you from up there.”

“What are you planning on doing?”

“Calm down, kid,” Pearson said.

“Mateo, I’ll be fine,” Emma said sternly.

“But …” Mateo said, losing his train of thought. “Tricia is not her girlfriend!”

“Yeah, she is!” Emma shot back. “He’s just trying to protect me. Tricia is my big, dumb girlfriend. Emphasis on the dumb.”

Pearson turned to Mateo and lifted the gun. “Tell the truth.”

Mateo felt defeated. He looked over at Emma, who gave him a just-go-with-it expression. Mateo was so eager not to place Emma in any more danger than he already had. Even with a gun to his face, he wanted to reach out and hug Emma. She’s done so much for him ever since he shrank. It reminded him of the trust falls he did with her and Hazel.

“Yeah, I was trying to protect her,” Mateo said finally. He sighed and slumped his shoulders. “Emma and Tricia are lovers.”

“Okay, let’s not go too far,” Emma said. Tom was holding her by both arms pulled behind her back. “Girlfriend is good enough.”

“I’m done with this shit,” Pearson said, putting both hands up in a stopping motion. “Go!” he yelled at Tom. “Take her to the observation deck and keep your radio on.”

Tom dragged Emma out as she and Mateo said their goodbyes.

Tricia’s Downtown Walk

===

Firetrucks and ambulances followed Tricia right behind her massive heels. They had their emergency lights, but no sirens. The emergency vehicles were blaring their sirens earlier, but when Tricia yelled at them to turn them off—they did.

Tricia’s mood was sour. Her mind was … elsewhere. She needed a distraction. Something to make her happy. This should’ve been fun—she was walking in a miniature city, after all! Tricia had the attention of everyone in the downtown area. Whether they gawked at her from the high-rises or from the streets, she could feel all their eyes and wonderment devoted to her. It didn’t feel bad.

A red, shiny firetruck, with its white ladder on its back, stuck close by. It was cute. Everything was tiny and cute. But the firetruck, with its uniformed men inside, was especially cute. Tricia grinned as she looked behind to watch the firetruck following her like a puppy. Her worries faded away. It’s working; think of something else. She wondered if the firetruck had put out any fires. Were there fires in Lilliputian Lakes? Did fires bigger than a candlelight need a fire department?

Didn’t Gulliver help the Lilliputians put out a fire? Puffs of air escaped her nose as she chuckled to herself. What if City Hall catches fire? I’ll put the flames out like Gulliver. This time, she laughed harder. Mateo and Emma would get peed on again. God, they would hate that! But this would be about saving them—not trying to kill them. Fuck … I hope those idiots are alright.

Tricia ran her index finger across a rooftop that was hip-high. It would be cute if Kamila lived in one of them. She’d probably like that better than her bedroom. But if Sofia downsized Tricia after she returned from Lilliputian Lakes, would Kamila still be interested in her? Would Tricia be interested in Kamila if they were the same size?

Tricia stopped in her tracks. “What the fuck? Am I gay?” she asked the city. No one answered back. The firetruck screeched to a stop right before her bare heel. Tricia pushed the thought away and resumed walking but was a lot more confused.

The thought of holding, hugging, and making love to Kamila brought Tricia unbridled joy. But she wasn’t interested in an intimate relationship with a woman her size. Mateo was her boyfriend, and she was intensely attracted to him when they dated. He had such an attractive personality and respected her like no man before him.

No longer was Tricia thinking about her past sins. She was thinking about her future with Kamila once she downsized. If there were to be a relationship …

Felicia & Kamila

===

“Slow down!” Kamila shouted while gripping the dashboard.

Felicia hollered with the biggest smile on her face. “Yaaa-hoooooo!” The tires didn’t squeal at this size, but made a playful puttering sound, like an R/C car as they took corners. The tires hummed against the pavement as Felicia sped up the classic car through the suburbs of Lilliputian Lakes.

“Felicia, please!” Kamila pushed her back into the seat as they zipped past other cars and obstacles.

“Lighten up, Kay!” she shouted over the howling wind and the reproduced sound of a gas engine, accurate to a ‘67 Cobra. “This is so much fun!”

“I want to make sure we make it downtown in one piece!”

“Oh, I love that song,” Felicia said, fiddling with her phone.

“Felicia! Keep your eyes on the road!”

“Ah, here it is.” Felicia set her phone back down and brought both hands back to the wheel. “When you’re alone, and life is making you lonely, you can always go—downtown!” Felicia sang to Petula Clark’s Downtown without a care in the world.

Kamila turned her head with a raised brow as she watched Felicia singing at the top of her lungs. The suburbs passed them as the Lilliputian Lakes became larger on the horizon.

Tricia & the Jumper

===

(CW: Self-harm)

Tricia passed a red-brick and concrete building which was a head taller than her. It never ceased to amaze Tricia how intricate these structures were. They didn’t feel like cheap scale-models of real buildings you’d see at a hobby shop. On more than one occasion, Tricia had to remind herself she wasn’t a giant. She was in a miniature city with tens of thousands of shrunken people.

She stopped walking because she thought she saw something beside her. Her bare feet backed up, causing the firetruck and ambulance to swerve onto the sidewalks. Turning to the building to her right, Tricia saw a man standing on a ledge, with his back against a closed window.

He was in a long-sleeved shirt, collar unbuttoned and tie loose around his neck. His palms were flat against the window, head tilted, and wore a solemn expression. The toes of his dress shoes hung over the windowsill as he looked down at the street below.

“What’s your story?” she asked the man that was level with her eyes.

The man didn’t look up. He simply shook his head stiffly and continued looking at the street over 180-feet below.

“Are you trying to do … what I think you’re trying to do?”

He blinked his eyes slowly.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Tricia almost overlooked him shaking his head because of how minute his movement was.

“Hmm. Not even a little? You don’t even want to ask me how I’m here?”

“No,” he said. It was soft and pitiful.

“If I walk away, are you going to jump?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to live anymore. I can’t do this.” While talking, he kept shaking his head slowly. “I don’t want to do it. I just don’t.”

“Why not?” Tricia turned her body and leaned on one leg as she waited for him to speak. She was about to cross her arms but opted to keep them to the side.

“What’s the point? Why should I keep on living?”

“Tons of reasons. But you wouldn’t want to make people sad, would you?”

“I don’t have friends or family that would care if I died.”

“I was talking about me,” Tricia said, pointing at her chest. He looked up. “C’mon, nothing can be so bad that suicide is the answer.”

“You don’t know me. The shit I’ve been through. The downsizing, the promises that were all lies, the debt, my wife who hates me … I got no job. Shitty house.”

“Seriously, that's why you're doing this? Your problems sound like everyone else's in the world. Shit, you think you got it bad? Let’s see … Did your mom murder your downsized dad? Did your mom get downsized and become a prisoner? Did you lose both your parents in less than a month? At least you got a home. I’m living with my bully, who’s looking for any excuse to beat the shit out of me every second she’s with me.”

“Not exactly. But it’s close enough.”

Tricia let out a laugh. “Puh-lease! You downsizers have hope. There is always an angelic human out there, willing to look after you and provide you with a better life.” She thought of Beth.

“Like you?”

Tricia smirked and rolled her eyes. “I said angelic. Not me. I’m the opposite, and I’m actually planning on downsizing.”

“Why?”

Tricia shrugged. “I don’t deserve my humanity. I deserve a fate worse than my mom. Shrink and given to a sadistic human. Like my bully. She’ll love tormenting me for the rest of her life. Unless she wants to get it over with and kill me. I’m fine with that too.”

The jumper shook his head, unconvinced by what Tricia was saying. “Just keep walking, girl. You’re in the way of my destiny.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” This time, Tricia crossed her arm and moved her face close. “I won’t let you kill yourself.”

“Whatever.” He jumped.

Tricia’s eyes widened in shock. She sprung her hands forward and positioned herself like she was about to catch a water balloon. The man jumped far to the side, trying to avoid Tricia. But catching him in her hands was trivial, thanks to her size.

“The hell, man?” she almost shouted, as she lifted her palm up to her face. “Are you fucking cra—” Tricia bit her lip and froze in place. She was trembling. She had never seen someone try to take their life like that. “I just told you that people care about you. If shit’s too hard here, I can take you somewhere that will treat you right.”

“I don’t care,” the man said, crying. “If you’ve given up on your humanity, why shouldn’t I give up on my life?”

Tricia handed the man to two paramedics who were assigned to the ambulance that was following her. Tricia asked the man for his phone number, so she’d keep in touch with him. She quickly told him about Beth and her village. She was sure he’d fit in there.

Before the paramedics hoisted the man to the back of the ambulance, he stopped them so he could thank Tricia.

“Are you sure you’re no angel?” he asked.

“I’m fucking not. Trust me.”

“Could’ve fooled me. Maybe you should reconsider shrinking. The world could use more humans like you.”

The paramedics wheeled him to the back of the ambulance, shut the doors, and drove off. Tricia remained squatted, stunned. What the fuck is going on in this stupid-ass city? Her eyes drifted around and saw everyone looking up at her. They didn’t dare clap or cheer but gave her thankful nods of appreciation.

Tricia rose up and continued walking. Her bare feet stepping close to the masses of people that they could feel the tremors of her steps in their bodies.

Felicia and Kamila

===

“There she is!” Kamila said, pointing downtown where Tricia's head and shoulders rose above a dozen stone-and-brick buildings like a wandering Godzilla. The glass-and-steel skyscrapers in the center of downtown soared above Tricia’s head. Of note, the central building, Swift Tower, was close to three times her height, at approximately 16 ½ feet tall.

Despite these colossal structures dominating the skyline, Tricia still looked gigantic in her own right. For a breathtaking moment, Kamila watched her giant girlfriend's long, bare legs and feet juxtaposed against the sharp edges of the buildings surrounding her. She wondered what chaos ensued at Tricia’s feet. But her attention was on Tricia’s toned leg muscles, tensing and relaxing with every step she took before she disappeared between a row of buildings. Kamila fantasized about exploring Tricia’s legs, starting from her toes and ending at her crotch.

Once Tricia was out of sight, Kamila only then realized she was in a trance.

“Where’s she going?” Felicia asked. “She’s going the long way to City Hall. Should I follow her?”

“No.” Kamila shouted over the sound of relentless wind. “We go straight to the mayor.”

Traffic got dense in the downtown area as everyone was driving away from the visiting human. Felicia frightened Kamila as she haphazardly drove between alleyways, up on sidewalks, and through parking garages. The urban landscape was one big video game for Felicia. But in no time, they were in front of the government building.

She drove up on the sidewalk after honking at people to get out of the way. “Let’s go,” Felicia said as she stopped the motor and jumped out.

Kamila followed and pulled out her phone. She opened the camera app and recorded a video selfie. “I’m at Lilliputian Lakes City Hall. The time is half-past nine. Mayor Pearson is holding prisoners …” Kamila described the situation, leaving out that Tricia was in the city.

“Over here, Kay. I see a spot.”

The women ducked down and rushed to the side of the building when no one was looking.

Evie, Sofia, & the Ugly

===

A black handgun was aimed at both their chests with a twitchy finger trembling on the trigger. Agent Johnson was on the phone, letting his counterpart at the mayor’s office know he got to Evie and caught her with another agent.

Evie and Sofia stood side-by-side with their hands up. Sofia shook her head at the betrayal. Johnson was her partner, the one that told her to hurry with Harper and Ava from their last case.

Johnson hung up the phone and slipped it into his trouser pocket. “Let’s go for a walk.”

“You wouldn’t shoot me,” Sofia said. “Jesus Christ, Johnson, we’re partners—”

He pointed his gun at the wall behind Sofia and fired a round. The bullet ricocheted once before bouncing against a metal shelf in the storage room. Sofia screeched while Evie flinched but made no noise.

“Enough talk!” Johnson shouted. Evie could hear the nervousness in his voice. “The downsizer. Now!” He pointed in the direction he wanted them to walk with the gun.

Evie and Sofia walked the long corridors through the clinic until they were upon the downsizing machine. Johnson flipped a few levers on the control panel, awakening the giant microwave-looking machine inside a bland room constructed out of gray cinder blocks. It looked more like an underground government laboratory built on the cheap than it did a state-of-the-art bio-shrinking machine room.

“What are you going to do after you shrink us?” Evie asked. She looked angry and bored, refusing to give Johnson the satisfaction of showing her fear. Downsizing itself didn’t scare Evie—but certain humans did. She glanced at Sofia before turning back to Johnson. “Are you going to kill us? Why not just shoot us?”

“Not going to k-kill you,” he said. He pressed a button that began opening the chamber doors to the machine. “And I’m not shrinking both of you. Sofia is invulnerable.”

The door to the downsizing machine finished opening, revealing a brightly lit room with no shadows. Johnson came around the control panel and nervously held the gun to Evie’s face. “Get in,” he said. Evie gave him a death stare as she backed into the downsizing machine, never turning around and never averting her gaze.

“Johnson, don’t do this,” Sofia said.

“I won’t.” He pressed a button on the door that caused it to swing back and seal the chamber with only Evie inside. “You will.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Giving you a choice, Sofia,” he said, still pointing the gun at her chest. “Join us. I work for some powerful people. Even the mayor of tiny town works for them.”

“That fucking dirtbag is holding my son as his prisoner.”

“I can make a phone call and tell them you’re on our side. He’ll release your boy without a scratch. I promise.”

“Really?” Sofia’s arms strained from holding them up for so long.

Over at the downsize machine, Evie peeked through a porthole window and listened to the muffled conversation. Her stomach dropped as she heard Johnson’s proposal and how Sofia’s reaction changed with the promise of her son’s safety. Would Sofia go through with this? Would Sofia take possession of her? How would Sofia treat her? After everything Evie’s done to Sofia, including her nearly daily trysts with her ex-husband, she was sure Sofia would be out for revenge.

“I know how much you hate that bitch,” Johnson said, pointing at the machine with his gun. “You bitch about her every day at work. You’ve even fantasized about this very moment. Having her tiny in your hands. Here’s your chance. C’mon, Sofia. Do it. Work with us—you’d fit right in.”

Sofia walked up to the machine, stealing a glance at Evie through the window. Her hand gripped the lever on the side that would start the downsizing process. Johnson was behind her, holding the gun still. Evie shouted something, banging the door with her hand out of frustration.

“Goddammit Johnson,” Sofia said. “Have you ever ran a downsizer on your own before?”

“What are you talking about?” He took a step towards her.

Sofia pointed at the touchscreen panel. “The molecular compression field is empty. Did you wipe when you were fiddling with the controls?”

“What? Let me see that.”

It took a split second for Johnson to let his guard down and lower his weapon. Though Johnson was heavier than Sofia, they both were the same height, and he wasn’t an intimidating man by any stretch of the imagination. Sofia felt confident in her abilities, though her heart pounded in her chest. With the gun lowered in one hand, Sofia jumped for it.

Two shots rang out, bullets chipping tiny chunks of concrete from the floor.

“Sofia!” Evie shouted, while futilely pushing at the door. She might as well have been inside a bank vault. There was no escape for Evie from the inside of the downsizer.

Sofia pushed herself into Johnson, his feet tripping underneath him as he landed hard on his back, his head thumping against the concrete ground, enough for him to see stars. Sofia had one hand on his wrist and the other on the gun. It went off again, shooting at a wall behind them. The younger, though muscle lacking, man tried with all his might, pushing the buxom Latina off him. Her breasts smothered his chest, and although he’d always dreamed of feeling them up ever since meeting Sofia for the first time, this wasn’t exactly the sexy situation he imagined.

The gun swept over, facing Sofia. She jerked to the left and two more rounds shot off, striking the door of the downsizing machine. The heavy-duty industrial machinery stood unbothered by the pebbles striking it. Some paint chipped off from the door and the bullets ricocheted somewhere in the room. Evie yelped and jumped back but quickly returned to the porthole window to see what was going on.

Johnson brought the barrel back to Sofia’s face. Her arms were failing her. She thought fast and dropped her face on his fingers, snarling as her teeth sunk into his hand holding the gun. He pulled the trigger, and another round went by Sofia’s right ear, temporarily deafening her.

“Oww!” Johnson shouted and loosened his grip on the gun.

Sofia maneuvered her hand over his, and holding it together, pulled the trigger until the last two rounds fired off. She forced the trigger, pulling it multiple times, hearing that satisfying click signaling the gun was empty.

They both dropped the gun and wrestled with each other. Sofia was in no mood to have a clean fight, so she kneed Johnson’s Johnson. With him howling and curling in the fetal position, Sofia jumped to her feet and slapped the door release on the downsizer. The heavy chamber doors opened with painstaking slowness.

Evie slipped out as soon as there was enough room.

There was no time for words. Sofia went back to Johnson, walking behind his wriggling form and wrapping an arm around his neck. She pulled his body towards the downsizer. Evie tried helping, but as the weakest one in the group, all she could do was hold his legs.

Johnson struggled, but when he found out they were intending to shrink him, a new panic caused a surge of adrenaline in his body. He kicked Evie off his legs, planted his feet on the ground, and then jumped back into Sofia. They both went tumbling to the ground.

He rolled off to his side and turned to face Sofia. Without ceremony, he backhanded Sofia’s face with all the power he had. Sofia screeched but turned back to face him with renewed ferocity. She lunged at his head, avoiding his hands, and gripped two handfuls of his dumb haircut.

He struggled like a child. Sofia pulled and yanked him inside the downsizer. Evie was ready at the controls and sent a command to close the door. She worked on the settings and realized the molecular compression field was completed correctly and that Sofia lied to trick Johnson.

The two continued fighting inside, with neither realizing the door was shutting behind them. Their ears, still ringing from the gunshots, didn’t hear the whine of the downsizer ramping up.

Johnson shoved and pushed Sofia back to the ground with his body landing on top of her. His eyes were red, his teeth exposed like a rabid wolf. His hands clamped down on Sofia’s neck, thumbs pushing against her windpipe. Sofia choked, her eyes widening while she fought to push back on his wrists. Her vision was fading as oxygen failed to reach her brain.

Just as she thought she was about to pass out, Johnson’s grip on her loosened. His hands also became softer and … smaller. What felt like an iron claw around her neck now felt like a toddler’s hands at her neck. But then it felt smaller. Smaller and smaller. The weight on her chest diminished, and no longer did Sofia feel like she was under threat.

Sofia inhaled, filling her lungs with much needed air. A pile of Johnson’s suit laid on top of Sofia as she laid still, calming herself while looking up at the ceiling of the downsize machine. Her ears ached, her neck was purple, and her hands were trembling. Sofia wanted nothing more but to rest.

The chamber door reopened, Evie jumping in and looking around. “Are you okay, Sofia?”

Sofia lifted a thumbs up.

“Where is he?”

Sofia shook her head. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to talk for a couple of hours.

Evie walked up to Sofia and saw the disgraced agent’s clothes on her upper chest. The ground was flat white, and there weren’t many places to hide. Evie kneeled and pulled each article of clothing off one-by-one. Johnson was by Sofia’s head, and with Evie distracted, he bolted towards the downsizer exit by the wall; two-inches tall, naked, and with his dick slapping against his legs as he ran.

It would’ve been a comical sight under any other circumstance, but at that moment, Evie wanted blood. If Johnson succeeded in downsizing her, there was little doubt that Evie would be dead.

She took three steps over to the running nude man. She planted her light pink Converse in front of him. Johnson stopped, rotated, and ran in the opposite direction like a football player juking his opponent. Evie casually moved her foot and blocked his path again. Johnson ran, jumped, and slid over the white toe portion of the sneakers, as if sliding over the hood of a car. It would’ve looked smooth if he didn’t trip over his feet.

Evie pushed Johnson onto his back with her shoe. He tried scrambling to his feet, but Evie shoved him again. The height of her soles was as long as his legs and hit him like a truck. Another blow to the chest caused the air in his lungs to expel. He gave up trying to escape. Johnson lay on the ground, waving his hands as a sign of a truce. He pushed himself up to a seated position with one arm behind his back, and the other over his chest, heaving and trying to fill his lungs again.

The tip of Evie’s shoe struck him in the face, sending his body flat on the ground. He wailed while letting out a sputtering stream of apologies.

“Piece of shit.” Evie’s body quaked with anger. If this man shot and killed Sofia, surely, he would’ve downsized and killed her in one of so many brutal ways. The thought of being so close to death frightened and angered her more than anything she’s experienced in her life. She picked him up by placing her fingers under his pits and bringing him up to her eyes.

Johnson felt himself catapult hundreds of feet in the air. Held by his superior, who he tried shrinking illegally. Her skin was redder than the devil's, her eyes more furious than hell. Even if he was human-sized just then, she was so frightful looking he would’ve run away.

Evie regarded the pathetic man. Not even seeing him as a downsizer … but as a little worm. Again, she thought of the implications if Johnson killed Sofia. Mateo would’ve lost a parent, Evie could’ve been raped, tortured, or killed—or all three. A dirty agent inside the DPS would’ve continued poisoning the well from within. She would’ve lost Liam, Luna, and Miguel. Evie quaked, becoming angrier by the second.

“They made me do it!”

“Save it. You’re through,” Evie said. “I’m terminating your employment … and your life.”

Evie licked her lips. Johnson howled. “No! Anything but that!”

Liam had told Evie about the more gruesome ways he’s executed criminals. Vore was by far the worst. Swallowing someone whole so they would digest in a dark, wet chamber after excruciating moments alone. Evie wanted the worst for Johnson. She wanted him to suffer at the expense of her body.

Evie opened her mouth wide and brought him inside her mouth. His screams became muffled as she snapped her mouth closed. The man became erratic and bounced inside her mouth. The key to swallowing downsizers—or food—was coating the morsel in saliva. Not only did it make their trip down the esophagus smoother, but it also began the digestion process with the enzymes in spit.

As Evie’s tongue coated Johnson, his arm popped out between her lips. It desperately looked for purchase outside her lips, but Evie simply slurped his arm like spaghetti. She tilted her head back and waited for Johnson to tire himself out.

He was such a macho man, fighting two women smaller than him. Now he was having an impossible time with her tongue. When his movements died down enough, Evie loosened the back of her throat and let Johnson slide down with minimal resistance.

He was such a large lump in her esophagus that panic overcame Evie. But she relaxed herself and allowed her body to do its thing, letting it pulse, squeeze, and guide the man to her stomach. Once Johnson went past her collarbone and was somewhere near her heart, Evie felt relieved she would not choke on him.

She walked over to Sofia and looked over at her. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do we need to get an ambulance?” By this time, she felt Johnson struggling in her stomach. A tickle that felt like she had butterflies in her stomach.

Sofia shook her head. “I’m fine,” she struggled to say. Her voice was hoarse, and it came out hardly louder than a whisper. “Where’s Johnson?”

“In my stomach.”

Sofia was the first to laugh, and then Evie joined her. When the laughter died down, Evie hiccupped and would continue to hiccup for the next ten minutes.

Sofia said, “Whatever happened to an eye-for-eye?”

“Yeah … well, there’s another saying I go by.”

Sofia lifted a brow and made an expression that she didn’t know what Evie was getting at.

Evie patted her stomach. "Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

Can’t Fight City Hall

===

Tricia finally made it to the stately government building. Red brick facade with white columns and decadent statues and murals etched into the frieze. Paved streets gave way to a lavish green lawn with bonsai trees decorated around the building. The soft soil with golf course quality green grass felt nice against Tricia’s tired soles. Her feet had become filthy, walking on the roads and now grass.

City Hall was half the size of a footlocker. Not small enough that Tricia could bear-hug it, but close. It was three stories tall, with floors taller than typical. Windows encircled the structure, framed by white linings.

Tricia got on her knees and looked through the windows. Most rooms were dark and lifeless. A wash rack of steps led to the front of the building. Four columns in the front with a grand chandelier over the entrance. Tricia tapped the mahogany front door, which was impressively large, even for Tricia.

“Knock, knock. Anyone home?”

Tricia didn’t expect an answer, so she kept walking around the building, peering into the windows, hoping to catch something.

And catch something she did.

Everyone stood in the back of the room, opposite the window. Tricia’s large brown eyes, with dilated pupils, adjusted for the darkness, then moved away from their view. Isaac and Roslyn stood in front of two of the mayor’s henchmen while Mateo was in front of the mayor. They all had guns pointed at their backs.

To Tricia, the windows were about two-and-a-half inches high by two-inches wide. She pressed her two fingers against the window until they eventually popped backwards after a forceful push.

It was a reminder to Tricia that she wasn’t a giant with heroic strength. She was a normal girl inside a miniature city, walking around structures that wouldn’t crumble under her touch or crush under her feet. Buildings were made of hard plastic and materials that would have resistance against her. But of course, in the interest of saving money, NanoHabitats went cheap on the materials when they constructed Lilliputian Lakes.

Tricia hooked two fingers in the window opening and pulled back. It was like prying back a child’s toy packaging in those hard plastic egg carton things. It wasn’t impossible to pull back, but it was quite annoying. Chunks of buildings snapped back. Fortunately, the building wasn’t constructed as a single piece, but in sections. Tricia unrolled a section of roof, feeling its cardboard construction with plaster coating fold underneath. It took some finagling, but Tricia exposed the entire room by her deconstruction.

Floor lamps, bookcases, indoor plants, and a coat rack fell to the ground from the rumbling Tricia caused. As dusty white plaster snowed around them, the mayor stood defiantly, looking up at Tricia with contempt. Mateo’s heart raced as he stared at his ex-girlfriend, unsure what her motives were and how the hell she was there. She was looking at jail for life—and if she had nothing to live for, what did that mean for them?

Isaac, Roslyn, and the others backed into the wall. The girl’s looming body occupied their field of vision and terrified them to the core, no matter how attractive she appeared.

Tricia hooked her hair behind her ears and regarded the downsizers frozen in her shadow. Mateo … She wanted to pluck him out of there, but his body language and the strange men behind him made her rethink her actions.

Suits versus civilians, Tricia noted. Was this a standoff, even though they all faced her, thinking she was the threat? Something more troubling came to her mind … where was Emma?

“Yo, Mr. Mayor,” Tricia said with a mocking tone and wry smile. “Question about building permits. Do I need one if I want to add a skylight here?”

“Don’t joke with me, girl!” he said with the slightest hesitation in his words while hiding behind Mateo.

“Girl?” Tricia lifted one brow. “How about instead of a permit, you hand over my friends, and I’ll get out of your hair? Hmm? Sounds good?”

Pearson shook his head. “You’re in no position to make demands.”

“I beg to fucking differ.”

“You might think of yourself as an unstoppable giant in our humble city, but there are situations here that even your height can’t help you with.”

Tricia rolled her eyes. “You handing over my friends or not? I can just grab them, you know?”

“Not if you want your girlfriend to live.” A sinister smile formed on his lips.

Tricia paused, feeling like she was gut punched. Her mind immediately went to Kamila, and dread filled her. How the fuck does he know about Kamila? She’s with Beth … how …?

Mateo bulged his eyes to get Tricia’s attention. He mouthed Emma repeatedly until Tricia understood what he was saying.

“My girlfriend … Emma?” Tricia asked.

Pearson gave a sniveling laugh. “You didn’t think I’d find out, did you? I’m two steps ahead of you! In ten minutes exactly, Emma will go flying off the observation deck of Swift Tower. If you don’t wish for your girlfriend to splatter on the ground—well, I suggest you head over there and hope you’re a good catcher.”

“What the fuck? You’re going to have her thrown off a building? You monster, I’ll fucking kill you!” A fine mist of Tricia’s spit sprinkled on them as she yelled.

Mayor Pearson flinched, but held his ground. “Ah-ah.” Pearson pulled out his gun and placed the barrel against Mateo’s temple. “Make one wrong move and I’ll splatter your friend’s brain against the wall before you can blink.”

Evie in the City

===

Evie and Sofia returned to the supply room and stood over the chute that led into Lilliputian Lakes. Sofia eagerly waited for Evie to crawl through, but the much shorter woman stood there with something on her mind.

“Why didn’t you do it?”

Sofia raised her brows. Unable to speak, she made an expression asking Evie to elaborate.

“Why didn’t you shrink me just then? You would’ve got your son back, and you would’ve had me at two-inches tall. Aren’t you angry at me? The jobs I’ve been assigning you, me and Liam—Miguel … I thought you would’ve pulled the lever for sure.”

Sofia leaned in for a hug, which surprised Evie. Sofia whispered into Evie’s ear, “I’m not mad at you.” She broke the hug and gave Evie a pat on the back before motioning for the chute. With an injured throat and time of the essence, she was in no mood for a heartfelt talk.

Evie hardly had room for her shoulders in the tight opening. She wiggled and crawled through the smooth metallic chute, feeling as if she were being crushed from all sides. She felt Sofia grab her pink shoes and help give her a starting push.

Once she broke through the other side, Evie used her hands and elbows to drag herself the rest of the way out. It felt like she was being birthed into another world. Standing up, Evie took in the surroundings. She was in a supply yard with teeny forklifts, pallets, and trucks strewn about. She spotted a few workers scattering when they saw her. Everything looked so adorable to her, and she would’ve taken a moment to enjoy it, had it not been for pressing matters.

The field nearby had impressions on the ground caused by Tricia’s footsteps. Evie followed the tracks. Dirt and grass carried into the streets, heading towards the downtown section of Lilliputian Lakes.

The trail ran cold within a neighborhood of mansions. Evie knew little of Tricia but tried putting herself in the girl’s shoes. A large house party attracted her attention, so Evie walked there. Sure enough, hundreds of college-aged adults were partying their brains out in the backyard. Evie spotted some of them passed out on the lawn. A human-sized beer can was on a table, with a spigot installed on it. Human-sized food on the catering table, like grapes, one strawberry, and a couple of chicken wings providing a feast to hundreds of partygoers.

“I’m Special Agent Hammond,” Evie announced. “Any of you seen another human around here?”

She wasn’t expecting the reaction they gave her. The party goers cheered and wanted her to join them in the party and have a drink with them. One woman ran up to Evie’s shoe and waved her hand like she wanted to be picked up. Evie kneeled down and provided her palm.

“She was here,” the woman said. “But she left, walking straight over there.” She pointed, and Evie followed her fingers through the lawns of the mansions. “If you find her, can you tell her ‘Thank you’ for me?”

Evie raised a brow. “Uh, why?”

“She prevented someone from …” She couldn’t finish the sentence just then. She searched for the right words, but chose to be blunt. “Someone almost raped me and she stopped it.”

“She was here!” Nia said. Her parents tried pulling her back into the house, but Nia slithered from their grasp. She ran out onto the front lawn where Evie was kneeling down. “She was super nice to me and helped get my toys off the roof. I loved riding in her hand. Can I ride in your hand?”

Evie giggled and extended her palm. Nia’s parents looked on worriedly, but Evie flashed her car-sized badge as reassurance to them. If they were going to trust any human, it should be an agent from the DPS. Evie brought the girl up, so she was level with her eyes. She spotted the cast and felt sorry for the girl.

“Tricia didn’t scare you?” Evie asked.

“Yes! At first, but she was so friendly with me. I wish I could be her friend. It’s so much fun being with a giant!”

Evie smiled at her innocence. She set the girl back down with her parents and gathered what little information they had on Tricia. She got back up, her booming footsteps causing their heart to skip with every step she took. The brochure explicitly said there would never be humans inside Lilliputian Lakes! they recalled.

Evie thought about Liam while walking in Lilliputian Lakes. Under different circumstances, it could’ve been fun having a picnic together in the middle of the city. Miguel and Luna could join them. Evie laughed loudly as she pictured fucking Liam in front of the other downsizers. She was no exhibitionist, but that would be such a thrill to have giant sex in front of thousands.

It was often easy to forget how big she was to downsizers. Sure, she felt big around Luna, Miguel, and others. But with the city surrounding her, Evie felt so … powerful. Neighborhoods fell silent, and cars scurried away from her. People screamed and locked themselves in their home. If she wasn’t careful with her steps, at least three cars would disappear under one footstep.

Evie consistently looked down at her feet as she walked. The entire place felt like a playground, and her wandering mind thought about playing with the downsizers. Those college kids might be fun to hang out with. Have a couple of beers with them. How fun would it be to take off her shoes and watch them have an orgy with each other? Another audible laughter left her. Any downsizer watching her might’ve thought she was mad.

When she reached the Tramecksan River, Evie found a collection of fire trucks, police squad cars, and three ambulances on the opposite side from where she stood. On the boulevard, she saw three gondolas in a row, with hundreds of people gathered around. Some with blankets over their shoulders while drinking a hot drink.

Evie’s stomach dropped. This was exactly what she was worried about. Tricia’s mischievousness or carelessness brought destruction and turmoil to Lilliputian Lakes. She had to find and stop Tricia before she did something stupid. But first, she wanted to help the downsizers on the other side of the river.

The petite giantess thought about jumping across the river, but the gap was much wider than her physical capabilities. Not to mention that such an action around two-inch people wasn’t smart. This left Evie with only one option, and that was treading the water.

Not wanting to walk in soggy shoes for the rest of the night, Evie kicked off her shoes and rolled up her jeans to about mid-shin.

She held her shoes in her right hand and walked through the refreshing water of the river. It was a beautiful river, complete with docks, teeny boats, framed right against the dense downtown city. Everything was adorable, and although Evie’s seen plenty of photos of Lilliputian Lakes, getting a walking tour like this made her appreciate the architecture and design of the city.

Holding up her badge, she reassured the downsizers before she finished crossing that she was there to help. She asked about Tricia and if she was responsible for the gondolas. The fire chief, who took the lead of the scene, spoke to the giant DPS agent.

“She was. And thank God for her. The gondola’s wires snapped and if it wasn’t for that human, we’d have a mass casualty site on our hands.”

“Are you saying Tricia … saved you all?”

Talking to Evie differed vastly from talking to Tricia. The giantess was soothing with her booming voice and kneeled as low as she could to speak to the hundreds on the streets. Her DPS badge also helped comfort people knowing she was there for Tricia.

“Yes,” the fire chief said. “Like a heaven-sent guardian appearing out of nowhere.”

“If you see her,” Jane said, running past the fire chief to address Evie, “tell her thank you for saving my life—and the lives of all my friends. I have a wedding in a couple of days, and I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if she wasn’t here. I would’ve probably …” She sniffled. “Just thank her and let her know she’s invited to my wedding if she wants.”

Evie smiled and nodded. “Is there anything I can do for you all?”

Murmurs and rumblings reverberated through the crowd, but no one asked for anything from Evie.

“Well, I’m glad to see everyone’s being real chill about two humans in your lovely city.” Evie’s smile showed off her perfect row of teeth.

“We weren’t at first,” the fire chief said. “We assumed the worst. But that other human has been a real treasure.”

The crowd murmured in agreement.

Evie nodded and was relieved Tricia was not wreaking havoc upon the city. And the downsizers were wonderfully comfortable with her talking to them in their city. She hiccupped once and felt her stomach gurgle. What remained of Johnson was proceeding further down her digestive tract, just like any other piece of food. A secret she would keep from the hundreds of unknowing downsizers at her bare feet.

Downsizing by MXP