This choice: Courtney Inadvertently Distracts Them • Go Back...Chapter #6Courtney Inadvertently Distracts Them by: Unknown Your heart was pounding out of your chest.
Perched high up on the exposed tiny arcade, you felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. Nowhere to run, nothing that looked like a good hiding spot on the open counter... you were ripe for the taking by these three young sadists.
Besides an excited giggle or two, the girls fell silent as they approached the counter. You could hear the slow, rhythmic thuds of three sets of feet closing in on you, each bearing the distinct sound of their footwear of choice. While Courtney's sandals and Avril's converse were each plenty enough to inspire fear, you were most focused on and terrified of the heavy clomps of Gwen's combat boots on the tiled flooring.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before you'd find yourself stuffed inside and stomped securely into the insole of one of those black leather monstrosities, baking and marinating in her putrid footsweat for as long as she desired. And if her reaction to Courtney swallowing a tiny was any indication, you got the feeling Gwen wouldn't be particularly merciful to your suffering either.
While you didn't know these delinquents very well, if you were a betting man, you'd put money on the idea that you wouldn't be seeing the light of day for a very long time if they got their hands on you. Might as well kiss goodbye that internship you'd worked and studied so many grueling years for, along with any dreams of becoming a lawyer to help tinies in need, if that happens.
No. There was no way you were just going to give up and let your hopes and dreams be unceremoniously snuffed out by a group of sadistic high school girls.
But with no other options, all you could do in that moment was lay down flat on the hard linoleum counter, hoping to avoid detection and hold out for a miracle for as long as possible. At your current size and in the dim lighting of the arcade, you had a few precious seconds before the girls would be close enough to spot you. Plenty of time to reflect on your life choices, and think about how you might have just spent your last minutes as a free man playing a crappy macro-fetish Mario ripoff. All because you had the brilliant idea of “meeting new people” at the arcade today.
As the footsteps grew louder and shook the earth more and more, you squeezed your eyes shut tightly. Waves of hot breath washed over your body as the delinquents leaned in closer, undoubtedly scanning the tiny arcade corner and gradually adjusting their eyes to the low light.
“Ugh,” Gwen muttered under her breath, sounding a louder closer than you were hoping. “This place is dark as shit.”
Thankfully the sunny day outside had bought you a few extra moments, but you knew you were on borrowed time. Once the girls were able to distinguish the shape of your body from that of a flimsy pinball table, you would be screwed.
You could only wait for the inevitable scream of delight when they spot your cowering form, followed by a massive hand snatching you up in its clutches...
“Omigosh you guys, look!!” Courtney squealed, nearly giving you a heart attack. Here it comes...
But just as you were making peace with your situation and awaiting your capture, you heard the slip-slap of the shorter girl's sandals running off in a different direction entirely. You didn't dare move a muscle, not even to steal a glance at where she was going.
“They actually put the new Street Fighter in here!”
..okay, that made you open an eye to steal a glance.
You nearly cried out in shock as you were met with the gigantic, pretty faces of Gwen and Avril only a few feet from yours, close enough to make out the finer details of their nose and lip piercings. Fortunately, you were able to stop yourself as you noticed their sharp, predatory eyes were not trained on you, but rather looking blankly at their bubbly friend a few machines over.
“Holy crap, it's been a minute, right?” Courtney continued, eagerly looking over the new game console as she motioned her friends over. “Hey Gwen, let's play a round!”
Gwen and Avril shared a knowing glance, the leader of the trio failing to hide the smirk at her underling's expense. Her sidekick only rolled her eyes in annoyance.
“Uhh, Courtney? Kiinda still checking for tinies over here, remember?” Gwen jeered.
“Aww, c'mon, it'll be like old times! I'll be R. Mika and you can be Juri!”
For her part, Courtney seemed entirely oblivious to the shade being thrown her way, still genuinely excited at the new addition to the arcade. You almost felt bad for the girl, having been in similar situations with so-called friends who mocked you behind your back while growing up. If only she'd come alone instead of with her girl gang, you might have even been able to nerd out about arcade games together..
..and if only she wasn't holding a tiny captive in her stomach, and probably more than ready to send you down the hatch to join him the moment that she finds you. Almost forgot about that part.
“Ooh, actually, I got an idea! How about we make a bet? Winner gets dibs on the next tiny we find!”
After a moment, Gwen's purple lips curled into a wicked grin. “Throw in your favorite thong, and you're on.”
“W-what?!” Courtney's cheeks flushed a deep red in embarrassment. “W-wait a minute Gwen, I just got him special for my birthday this year and he's actually my--”
“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Gwen interrupted, “let's just play already. Mama needs a new G-string to go with her next insole!”
God, is she detestable, you thought. Still, you said a silent prayer as, miracle of miracles, Gwen turned her back on the tiny arcade section and joined her friend on the other side of the room, boots stomping against the dirty, sticky floor with every step she took.
That just left a single pair of cold, calculating eyes scanning the countertop for any signs of movement, their owner still frowning in skepticism. It was enough to keep you frozen in place, sure that the slightest twitch would be instantly spotted and land you straight in her black nail-tipped grasp before you would even have a chance to scream. With the intensity of her glare bearing down on the whole area, you were a little shocked that she hadn't already noticed you.
She still can't see me... can she?
“C'mon, Avril, you can ref our match!” Courtney called.
After a final once-over with apparently no results, Avril sighed, wordlessly walking away from the counter.
You waited around half a minute, just to make doubly sure none of the terrible trio decided to take another glance in your direction. Once the familiar Street Fighter sound effects and voice clips roared to life and began echoing around the room to indicate the start of the round, you made your move.
*****
And move, you did.
With adrenaline coursing through your entire body, you hauled ass across the tiny arcade almost faster than you thought possible. Once you reached the top of the towering rickety metal staircase, you wasted no time rushing down the stairs as fast as you could without tripping. At your height, you guessed it might have been the equivalent of running down the entire stairwell of a 30 floor skyscraper, but you weren't exactly in the mood to count the stairs to check.
The entire structure swayed dangerously as you continued to make your descent. You held onto the railings with a white-knuckled grip, not wanting to make a fatal misstep that would cause you to fall and splat against the floor in a flesh-colored puddle of ooze.
You knew you couldn't afford to slow down, however. The staircase was dreadfully exposed to the main arcade area, and all it would take would be a single flicker of movement from the corner of a bored Avril's eyes to zero in on your location and pluck you away. If you wanted any hope of escaping, you had to reach a hiding spot before the girls finished their round and started searching again.
As you frantically sprinted down the stairs, the light pitter-patter of your shoes against metal was thankfully drowned out completely by the racket from a few games over. Both the game itself, blasting feminine voice clips and attacking sound effects from both fighters at obnoxiously high volumes, and the trio sharing rowdy laughter and trash talking as they played, allowed you to make your escape completely unnoticed. Still, you had to be careful – you'd nearly lost your footing a couple times when Gwen suddenly burst out with a particularly loud “YEAH, GET FUCKED!!” or “NIGHTY NIGHT, BITCH!”
You were terrified that you might not make it in time, especially as Courtney started swearing and sounding close to defeat. At last, you saw the light-purple glow of the tiny walkway within reach, giving you a extra burst of energy. Taking the last set of stairs two at a time, you finally reached your prize of solid ground, your legs feeling an immense sense of relief at the much-preferred sensation. Not wanting to pause and leave yourself lit up like a Christmas tree in the glow of the walkway, though, you made a mad dash for the closest giant arcade machine, diving for cover behind the dusty backside.
Not a moment too soon, either, as you hear a mighty “K.O!!” erupt from the other side of the room, punctuated by a melodramatic, faux-horrified “Noooooo!” cry from Courtney. All you could do in that moment was to lie back in the shadows of your hiding spot, your lungs heaving for air.
You were safe – for now, anyway...
1) Courtney convinces Gwen to play another round, giving you a chance to make a run for the entrance – but you'll either have to sneak past their machine to follow the walkway, or risk running across the dark, sticky floor of the main arcade.
2) Avril points out the tiny arcade game you had been playing is still on, and the hi-score name for today was A-N-T... the trio blocks your escape and searches the room from top to bottom, leaving you no choice but to hide inside the claw machine you're currently behind.
3) Writer's Choice   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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