MiniMaxie

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Fatal Karma

In a reality where multiple universes coexist, there was one such universe where one of the many possible versions of Earth lay. On this planet, the advancements of technology were so far ahead that items we would not be able to comprehend were used as everyday objects for those who could either afford them, or have the know-how to make. One of these technologies wielded the power to pull in sections of other civilisations from coexisting universes, miniaturised within a relatively small space. Because of this, the fate of millions in one large city would be intertwined with and at the mercy of two fraternity brothers, Christopher and Mike. But our story first takes place in a universe far, far away, where the advancements of technology are similar to our world now. On this world existed a city similar to that of New York, filled with the day-to-day lives of ordinary people with hopes, dreams, families, the everyday worries and their jobs. Two of these people, Christian and Evan, lived in a small house in the middle of this bustling city, unbeknownst to what would become of them and their livelihoods.

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‘Bacon, I smell bacon.’

Christian’s eyes widened in excitement as the mouth-watering aroma filled the room. Ripping the bedding off, he traced the smell to the kitchen. Upon entering, he stood at the entrance, clearly visibly in his loose pyjamas, where he saw his brother Evan, fully dressed in a clean black business suit with cooking apron tied over, frying off the crispy bacon rashers. Evan turned to Christian standing in the doorway, letting off a cheeky smirk, while Christian had a look of skepticism on his face, raising a brow.

‘Dude, you’ve been making me eat nothing but lean beef and vegetables, what’s the catch here?’

He approached the table in the kitchen, taking a seat as Evan plated the sizzling bacon atop a piece of toast in the form of a smiley face. He responded with a grin.

‘How could I not treat my little brother on his big day? Three months off the wagon, not a single drop of alcohol and now you’ve got a job interview after all this time struggling. I’m so proud of you Christian, so I wanted to treat you today.’

Christian’s face filled with red as his blood rushed with embarrassment.

‘Oh stop it, you know I couldn’t have done it without you.’

‘You helped yourself in the end, that’s what matters. Now eat, we’ve got a big day ahead.’

The two brothers proceeded to getting ready for their day. Much like his brother, Christian was gifted with a new business suit, a sign of putting his life back together after months of chaos, drugs and unemployment. The brothers walked out the entrance together as the bustling busy streets of the city revealed themselves. The skies was clear with crystal blue as the early morning sun shone its warm and tender light upon the city. The warm feeling as the two brothers stepped onto the pavement gave them feelings of cheer and optimism about the day to come, yet little did they know that storm clouds were on the horizon.

Christian and Evan went about their day, splitting up at the end of the road for Christian to go to his job interview and Evan to work. The streets were packed with rushing crowds of people and the endless lines of cars in the bright morning of the weekday, as every individual was clueless that the beautiful dawn of that day would be their last experience of feeling the sun’s warmth.

And then, it happened.


It began with minor tremors, the small vibrations pulsing through the ground, slowly rising until pedestrians were knocked off their feet. Christian and Evan both braced to whatever they could hold onto as the ground became more violent. Moments later, an earthquake of immense magnitude sent a shockwave throughout the densely populated city. Windows shattered, buildings swayed and cracks in the ground began to form as the waves of people fell to he ground in a panic, and the sound of screaming was drowned out by the rows of cars and bleeping building alarms echoing throughout the streets.

Christian and Evan, along with many others, came to as the seismic shift settled. For one quiet moment, the city fell silent, as if to take deep breath of reprieve before the storm strikes again. The brothers got to their feet, checking their surroundings to understand the situation. They found themselves in shock at what they witnessed. What shocked them wasn’t the buildings, the damage, or the littered debris, it was the thing they could hear everyone around them saying as they pointed up towards the sky.

‘The sky…oh my god, where is the sky!? The sun!?’ One man cried out.

Then many followed joining in the confusion. Evan, his suit now covered in dirt and filth from the street, could only think of one thing.

‘Christian.’

Evan, at this point full of adrenaline, disregarded his surroundings and started running back towards where Christian was. Luckily for him it was not far, as they only began walking 5 minutes before. Trying to fight past the hoards of confused people, he started to call out to his brother.

‘CHRISTIAN! CHRISTIAN! WHERE ARE YOU!?’

He could hear a faint voice in the distance amidst the noises of crying and perplexed people. Evan then climbed onto a car in the middle of the road standing atop the roof, looking for his brother in the river of confusion. After about 10 seconds, a smile appeared on Evan’s face as he spotted Christian waving back at him in the distance, glad to have found he was safe. However, just as he was about to get off the car and run towards him, that smile slowly faded.

A loud thud in the distance was heard, followed by a small seismic shift. At first Evan thought it was an aftershock, or perhaps a repeat of the earthquake that had sent the city shaking before. But deep down inside, he knew it felt different, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Another thud and shake was sent through the ground, this time slightly louder. The crowd around the car fell silent, with Evan still standing on the roof frozen in fear, trying to hear discern the noise’s source.

The thuds started to turn to large explosive sounds, as if bombs were going off in the distance, until finally the answer to everyone’s confusion was answered with even more shock and awe. As Evan stood on the car facing down the road where Christian was, a large shadow was cast over the street. Bigger than any shadow that the tallest skyscraper could cast. His body trembled as his eyeballs slowly motioned upwards to be met with the most impossible sight.

Two colossal towers of peach could be seen stretching into the sky, met with an even larger wall of red. One of the towers raised itself in the air, at the bottom of it was what looked like a blue shoe as debris rained down from the bottom, as the tower held itself up, hanging above where Christian was standing at the end of the street. As the motion of the large tower paused, the world just stopped in silence. Christian turned his head towards his brother with tears rolling down his face, and Evan could only stare back with the greatest look of despair, and helplessness.

‘W - w - what?’

The tower then slammed towards the ground at an imperceptible speed.

‘WHAT!?’

*BANG*

A deafening boom sent a shockwave around the area of impact. The roads cracked and split as underground pipes burst under the pressure, causing large streams of water to explode from the ground. Clouds of dust spread throughout the streets clouding the maze of blocks from the now crumbling buildings. Evan was sent flying off the car, landing on his arm with an audible crack. He screamed in agony yet he could not hear his own cries of pain, as the bang left a high pitch ringing in his ear and the screams of the crowds around him were completely muffled. Evan quickly got to his feet, completely disoriented by what just happened, yet determined to find his brother. He limped back to the car, crawling back onto the roof in pain as the rivers of panic flowed past him away from the direction his brother was. After finally getting back on, he could see some of the dust settling. His eyes widened as he saw the familiar wall of blue closer up, caked in a layer of dirt and dust planted firmly into the ground where his brother stood. Allowing his eyes to adjust and focus, as well as the proximity to the thing that had slammed into the ground, he could now make out what it was. It was the impossible sight of a shoe, larger than any building in the city, and those towers they were attached to were legs, the legs of a gargantuan giant. The monolithic foot lifted again, with every crease of the shoe like a trench of fabric as it bent forwards to take a step, deepening the print of the step it just took. Evan recoiled, holding his arms above his head in an act of futile defence as the foot swung forwards past him and boulders of debris from the crushed street came tumbling down. The footsteps sent more shockwaves into the street, creating more loud bomb-like sounds, making Evan instinctively cover his ears to bear it. He turned his head backwards, witnessing the countless packs of densely packed streets snuffed out underfoot with ease, with screams that fell silent as quickly as a candle being blown out.

Evan then turned his attention back to where his brother was, looking onwards at the now demolished street. Splatters of red littered the uprooted land, with everything flattened save for the large gaps between the treads of the shoe. He could see past buildings that used to stretch out into the sky, now nothing more than compressed rubble and dense clouds of dust. There was no sign of life in the sole-shaped crater. Evan could only sit there on the roof of the car, still sore from the pain of his broken arm, trying to process everything that had just happened. The never ending mini-quakes sent fear into the hearts and minds of all the city-goers. Evan could see the giant that had crushed his brother in the distance; it seemed so close yet so far. The gargantuan size made it hard to see anything at the top, though now that the giant was slightly further away he could see the faint sight of red shorts and a blur to what would be his face. Then more quakes caught Evan’s attention, drawing nearer. Tears kept running down his eyes as the despair only deepened. Another giant? His thoughts were consumed with the loss of his brother, the dumbfounded confusion and the questions of why him? Why this city? Why now?

The new giant’s body once again cast a shadow over him as if the sun eclipsed, the face becoming visible as the giant bent its legs inwards as if the inspect the city below. To Evan’s surprise, the face was so normal. Aside from the size difference, the giant was no different to the people in the city. So why, Evan asked himself, why would they do this? At first he had a glimpse of hope, maybe it was a mistake and the giants didn’t know. But that faint hope was quickly squashed as a cold wave of fear was sent down Evan’s spine. The giant was smiling, teeth grinning with the most psychotic devious smile. The giant was enjoying himself, and that terrified Evan even more. The giant stood back up at a dizzying speed that sent gusts of wind around him. Evan could only watch in pain as he witnessed the giant torment the next block full of people, now visible because of the demolished buildings. friends, family, colleagues and strangers he passed by countless times. Their lives ended like it was nothing.

This giant, with his large red converses, had already caused untold amounts of damage. Evan could see the giant bending down again, but this time to undo his laces. The crowds around his feet could barely escape as debris blocked most of their routes, while others were trapped under rubble. The giant’s foot slid out of the converse, throwing the shoe to one side atop the city, tossed carelessly as if throwing an empty can of beer onto the street. Even though Evan was one a block away, the foot was so big that the air became dense with the heavy scent of foot musk. The people nearer to the giant foot began to cough and gag in disgust. The stench was so strong and overwhelming, their bodies couldn’t handle the foul air. For Evan, he knew the giant knew this. That smile that displayed pure evil and a lack of empathy told Evan all he needed; this was all for pleasure, and their lives meant nothing to the giants.

The giant taunted the pleading bug-sized people. Many on their knees, crying, praying, shouting in anger or begging for mercy, but all in vain. The giant foot moved forward to place a cluster of people between his two biggest toes, then slowly scrunched them together. The bodies didn’t take long to pop, painting the large walls of sweaty toe flesh with barely visible blots of red. The foot then moved to the rest of the clusters of people, raising its heel and moving the ball of his foot towards the ground. It was such a light step to the giant, but it instantly snuffed out those who fell under its merciless trap. As the foot twisted into the ground, a loud sound of rushing wind could be heard echoing from the sky as the giant let out a sigh of euphoric pleasure. Evan’s face, still in tears, contorted in disgust and anger at the giant’s sadistic enjoyment. The giant then walked on, finding more prey to hunt. Evan’s vision began to fade as the adrenaline levels decreased, with the last sight he saw of the blots of blood covered across the filthy giant’s sole.

And then, black.

————————————————————————————————————————

A few moments earlier…

Back in the other universe, Christopher and Mike were on campus in their private laboratory unit. Both majoring in science at one of the most elite and wealthiest colleges in the country the brothers, bonded not by blood but fraternity, had access to private lab space to use at their pleasure, spending their free time to use their advanced technology to, as they would put it, kill time. Mike being the smartest of the two was typing into a large computer built into the wall. The lab space itself was not the typical type you would think of where glass containers of chemicals of many colours took entire spaces of tables, this lab space was of steel, fibre cables and computer screens.

At the end-half of the lab there was a sealed-off room, the size of an entire floor of a house, surrounded by what would commonly look like stereo speakers with satellite dishes attached to them, all surrounding a completely empty space of floor. This was in fact a transmat beacon; a space that would materialise matter teleported from another space, something the brothers intended to use.

‘So, did you manage to fix it?’

A tone of slight irritation was emitted from Christopher’s voice, conveying his impatience. The sound of rapid tapping against the computer keyboard filled the room as Mike adjusted the complex coding on the monitor.

‘Not long now, just be patient.’

‘And you’re definitely sure it’ll work this time?’ Chris raised his eyebrows, resting his elbow on the table beside Mike as he held his face in a look of boredom. ‘Because you know what happened last time right? Mike rolled his eyes and sighed.

‘Look, I may have made a few typos in the coding before. It’s not entirely my fault that the city shrunk to the size of a sand grain. I’ve always recoded it to fit the entire space of floor this time.’

‘Alright, alright. I’m just making sure, because you know, this takes up a lot of power, and we can only use it a month at a time. So if it fails again this time, I’ll have to drop another grain-sized civilisation in my shoe again. There was no enjoyment in it, and I don’t want to wait another enti-.’

Mike interrupted Chris with a clearly annoyed expression.

‘Oh my god, please be quiet, I need to concentrate.’

Chris released his arm from the table, raising both hands in the air without saying a word then leaning on the table behind as he attempted to patiently wait for mike to finish. After a few minutes of waiting, the sound of tapping stopped as Chris stared at Mike’s face looking at the screen, making last minute checks. With a nod of approval from Mike, Chris jumped with joy.

‘Right then,’ Mike said as he turned to Chris. ‘I believe it’s time to get started. Ready?’

‘Dude, you even need to ask?’

As the brothers were both ready, Mike confidently pressed the enter key on the keyboard. The windows to the sealed room glowed bright blue as light flashed like strikes of lightning in the room. Mike and Christopher covered their eyes with their arms as the blinding light make it painful to see. The machines began letting off loud mechanical sounds as it processed an enormous amount of energy, with the sound equivalent to a concord landing on a runway. This went on for another few minutes until the machines stopped into dead silence, with one word flashing on the screen.

‘Transmat Successful.’

The brothers slowly approached the window of the room, both with eagerness and caution as they half-expected the transmat to fail again. To their great surprise and enjoyment, the topography of the floor was radically different, as various lumps of grey and what was clearly artificial infrastructure stretched across the room. They both high-fived each other, unable to contain their excitement and transporting their first proper sized city. Chris turned towards Mike and placed his hands on his sides.

‘Alright, you remember the plan right?’

‘Yea, we have some fun with the city now, but we take it slow, savour the moment and above all, don’t destroy it all.’

‘That’s right, we gotta make it last. We get too carried away, we’ll have to wait another month.’

After they both made their plan clear to each other, the two brothers entered the room. Both stepped towards the edge of where the city started; Chris looking down at his red converses and the skyscrapers that barely reached halfway up the toe-end of his shoe. The city lay on a thick layer of what looked like tar and concrete, the base of the city. As he looked down, he just stared in silence for a moment, contemplating and processing the world at his feet. A sudden rush of blood went to his head creating a feeling of light-headedness. He always heard the stories of wealthy people, including his family, using transmat technology to do this sport, but he never tried it himself. The power he felt, the chills going down his spine, the euphoric feeling of knowing what he was about to do. Chris bit his lip, finally blinking and snapping out of his trance, ready to get on with the sport. Mike had a look of concern for his fraternity brother, but quickly dismissed it as he could understand the excitement from what was in front of him. Deciding to take the initiative, Mike moved his blue sneakers over the starting point of the city, taking that first step. He gently rested his foot on top, then pressed deeper to try and make out what he could feel beneath his shoe soles. After slightly grinding his foot into the ground, he felt the slightest of pebble-like lumps pressing against the rubber soles of his sneakers, with an audible crunching and grinding sound as if he were stepping on crumbling stones and shells on a beach. He just obliterated and snuffed out a large amount of people like it was nothing, in an instant with such little effort. It was these thoughts that ran through Mike’s head; he felt like a god to this city. More, he thought. He wanted more, he wanted to know how much destruction he could do, as if he had just tasted a drug and had become addicted to it. He rested his foot and lifted the other, deciding to walk right into the city to explore, and see the barely visible mite-sized people scurrying about at his feet. After taking a few steps he just stood and watched, looking down, seeing his shadow casting down before him. As he saw the mites running away, there was just one word running through his mind. ‘Pathetic.’ They see him, his enormity and scale, yet they still run? What could that possibly achieve? He thought. These feelings of pity would grow, as he now felt it was more merciful to end their existence for being so weak. Wanting to announce to the entire city of their peril, in an act as if to signal the start of a battle, Mike lifted his leg as high as he could, wanting to see how much destruction he could cause in one full-forced stomp. With a pause, wanting the mites before him to absorb the site and take in what was about to happen, he slammed his foot right into the ground. Looking down, he saw the shockwave of dust blasting all around as the roads and earth compressed beneath his feet, obliterating the infrastructure underneath and shattering the buildings in the surrounding areas. He knew in his mind that the city must be full of screams, yet not a single one reached his ear, only making him pity their insignificance even more. He then continued on, taking long strides and examining the effects of each footfall, as if mentally noting the results of a scientific experiment in all its detail.

Not wanting to miss out on the fun and after witnessing the carnage caused by Mike, Chris decided to finally join in. As he placed each foot down on the densely packed buildings and people, the rush of power he was feeling would not cease realising the power he held just by pressing his converses into the ground. After reaching a part of the inner-city, he wanted to process the emotions the mites were feeling. He kneeled down, trying to take a closer look at the details of his destruction. Buildings crumbled and the squirming of masses of mites caught his eyes. They were scared, frightened to their core, their entire existence threatened, all because of Chris’ presence. This realisation created a grin across his face, as the exhilaration made it impossible for him to hold back and control his expression. He wanted to see them suffer more, he wanted to assert his dominance on the civilisation below, to make them feel like nothing. These feelings to Chris weren’t a ‘want’ but more like a ‘need’. In that cause, he began to reach down and unlace his right converse, sliding it off. With the cold, toothy grin remaining displayed for all, he slid the shoe off, throwing it to the side and guessing in his head how many he snuffed out with his trivial action. His foot now feeling the outside air, he splayed his toes as he sadistically watched the the mites reacting to the air around his sweaty feet. He held a hand to his mouth, attempting to hold in a laugh that was about to burst. Mites that were choking and falling to the ground around his feet, the very air they breath a result of his actions causing them such torment. He loved every second of this. He wanted to find out how much he’d feel crushing them against his bare skin, deciding to scoop some of the clusters of people between his grimy toes. As he scrunched them, he felt a slight wet sensation as if the sensitive skin between his toes had been dabbed with a droplet of water. It wasn’t a very noticeable feeling, but it was still there. That rush to his head once again occurred as he imagined the bits of contorted flesh and flattened bloody organs trapped in the creases and folds of his skin. He then wondered if he would feel a different sensation, lifting his foot and planting the ball of his foot onto another crowd. After slowly pressing down and grinding, he mostly felt the gritty concrete crushing under his weight and again the faint wet sensation. Realising that almost all the mites in the vicinity has been obliterated, he decided to find new prey, casually walking across the city as if it were a footpath with one foot bare and the other still with a converse. It was completely different crushing the buildings with his exposed sole. Initially he thought he might cause some damage to his foot, but was relieved to find the thickness of his foot flesh was too great to be cut or damaged by the infinitesimal shards of glass and weak building structures. Buildings crumbled beneath his feet like sand castles on a beach, scrunching his toes in delight at the feeling of hard metal debris, rock, earth and people scratching the spaces between his toes and caking the sole of his foot and the treads of his shoe in what used to be parts of the city.
After about 30 minutes had passed, half the city had been destroyed. Realising the cataclysmic damage they had caused, Mike and Christopher looked at each other, nodding in agreement that they should call it a night. The destruction they had caused from walking inadvertently created a convenient footpath to walk back on without damaging the city further. This was important to them, as with any game, toy or delightful treat, the longer you make it last the longer you can enjoy it. The brothers exited through the door, with Mike behind Chris as Mike turned his head back to look at the city once more, seeing small plumes of smoke and the obvious contrast between the dark, brown mud coloured ground where they had caused destruction, and the untouched those lightly damaged areas on the half of the city on the far side. Pleased with their fun today and attempting to risk the temptation of impulsively playing with the entire city at once, he finally exited leaving the city to rest…for now.

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2 weeks later….

As time went on, Chris and Mike were eager to put their plan back into action to take part in what they referred to as an ‘extermination project.’ One week from now, a week before they could use the transmat to bring in another civilisation of mites, was when this extermination would take place. In the meantime, Mike was in-charge of maintaining the reminder of the city, ensuring it had enough light and air to preserve the remaining inhabitants, as one looks after cattle before their slaughter. Chris was tagging along with his father on a business trip, as he was being groomed to take over his dad’s company one day and would therefore not be back until the next week.

Mike looking at his monitors to make sure everything was being maintained, was bored. Spending hours in the lab to babysit their project wasn’t his idea of fun, but it was necessary. However, because of this, a minor mistake would be made that would lead to catastrophic consequences for him.

One morning, Mike got tired of making the commute from the lab to the cafeteria, which was 2 miles away on the campus. He wasn’t a morning person and really loved his coffee. To rectify this, he decided to overlook basic health and safety regulations, buying a coffee machine and hooking it up in the lab. After finding an idle plug socket next to some advanced and complex machinery, he stuck the plug in, flipped the switch and was ready to make his morning Joe. However, the moment he turned the power on, Mike’s hand suffered an electric shock.

‘OW’ he cried as the shock of abrupt pain made him jump. But what happened next was even more disconcerting, as flashes of electrifying blue light shot out from the machine, causing it to spread to all the other machines in the room. Mike watched in horror as he witnessed the domino effect of technological disaster all around him.

‘Oh - fuck me…’

As the bolts of electricity grew more intense, he tried to keep his distance and run away, but to no avail. Running in the first direction he impulsively could, he made his way to the door to the transmat room. Quickly opening it in a panic to escape the frightful destruction, he darted himself right into entrance where just before landing, a bolt of blue lightning shot right through his body.

‘AHHHHH, FUCK!’

The intense pain of electricity surging through his body made him scream in agony, followed by instantly passing out on the floor. Once he wakes up, he would never be the same.
————————————————————————————————————————

‘Ugh, fuck, what happened.’

Nothing. No sound. No light.

That was currently the feeling of Mike, as he awoke from his blackout. Then, a high-pitched sound appeared into his senses, growing louder and louder, until finally the sound of the air around him, his breathing and the vibrations from attempting to move his aching body on the ground. He opened his eyes, waiting for them to adjust and check his surroundings. At the moment, Mike was going through the most painful migraine as he tried to regain his senses. He slowly stood up, getting to his feet and feeling the sore muscles ache as stressed is placed on them. Feeling winded he took deep breaths, finally being able to stand up straight.

‘Hello there!’

Mike jolted in surprise as his hearing recovered, quickly turning around to the voice directed at him from behind. Squinting his eyes he saw the figure of a man in a dirtied white shirt and a bandaged right arm.

‘I - I - I don’t have any m - money.’ Mike stuttered, still disoriented, confused and scared not knowing where he was.

‘Hey don’t worry friend, I’m not here to hurt you. I just saw you lying in the middle of the street and got concerned, that’s all.’

The blurry figure kept his distance, clearly not wanting to alarm Mike and scare him. His voice was gentle and kind though, giving him some relief and trust this person wasn’t there to harm him.

‘I’m - I’m sorry it’s just that I can’t see very well right now.’

‘That’s alright, listen we’ve got an aid shelter not far from here, what do you say you come with me? We can get you fixed up, find some food and water, that sound good?’

Mike felt he could trust this person, and so let his guard down, attempting to walk but unable to maintain his coordination. When he felt unbalanced and almost fell to the side, the blurry man caught him on his side alarm.

‘Woah there buddy, you must really be out of it, just lean on me ok? Also, do you have a name?’

The two began to walk as Mike was limping, but supported by the man who helped him.

‘Er, yea I think…I think it’s Mike.’

‘You think? That’s a little disconcerting. How did you get knocked out on the side of the road Mike?

‘I -‘

Mike tried to recall the events of what happened, but for some reason all he could remember was his name and feeling an intense pain throughout his body.

‘I can’t remember.’

‘Oh, I see. Well short term amnesia can happen if you got hit pretty good, I’m sure it’ll come back Mike, don’t you worry. Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself.’

Mike turned his head, his vision now becoming more clear as the blurry man’s features began to fill. He could now see him more clearly.

‘I’m Evan, pleased to meet you Mike. I’d shake your hand but I don’t really have a free one right now, haha.’

Evan let out a nervous laugh as he continued to support Mike walking down the street together. Something concerned Mike however. When he saw Evan’s face when he laughed, the face itself was smiling, but a deep sadness and a look of despair was hidden behind the eyes. Now that he can see, Mike looked around and realised the dark streets were empty and deserted, lined with buildings of fallen bricks and shattered windows.

‘Hey er, Evan. What the hell happened here?’

Evan suddenly stopped.

‘Wow, you really don’t remember anything huh?’

Mike shook his head, disappointed as he could not recollect anything.

‘I’ll tell you at the shelter, come on, fixing you up comes first.’

‘Right…’

After another ten minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the shelter, or that’s what it was meant to be called. It was a large rundown town hall, surrounded by debris-covered lawns with scattered clusters of people huddling around dumpster fires to keep warm. Fire-lit rooms could be seen glistening from the building’s glassless windows. The gloomy atmosphere of what looked like a post-apocalyptic refugee camp only made Mike even more curious about what happened as the eerie silence of not a single bird or gust of wind could be heard, with only the light chatter from the huddled masses filling the void.
Evan finally brought Mike to the medical station at the shelter, sitting him next to two people lying on rags, one missing an arm and the other covered in cuts and bruises all over his body.

‘Sorry we don’t have much room for a private suite, but we’re doing out best. Unfortunately only a few doctors and nurses survived. The hospitals got taken down along most of the city so we’re short on, well, everything.’

Evan looked through a small kit of medical knick-knacks, taking out some bandages and a box of painkillers.

‘Here, take a couple of these. It’s paracetamol. Not exactly the strength of morphine but its better than nothing. Managed to find it lying in someone’s car compartment.’

‘Yea, thanks. You’ve done so much for me I don’t know how to thank you.’

Evan took out a bottle of water and gave it to Mike to take the painkillers.

‘Make that last. We don’t get any rain and the water stopped working last week. We’re trying to find bottled water but it’s been getting harder each day.’

‘Right, thanks.’

Evan could see the concern and confusion in Mike’s eyes. He wished he didn’t have to be the one to relive the hell and tell him, but it seems he has no choice. He let out a deep sigh just before beginning.

‘Alright, I guess you want to know what happened.’

Evan looks at Mike intensely with half-dead eyes sitting atop a crate as Mike sat against the wall. Mike felt guilty, he could tell something bad happened and that it must have struck terror in the hearts of everyone, including his new friend Evan. But he had to know. He made direct eye contact with Evan, with his eyes conveying his resolve. Mike knew he had no going back now.

‘Alright. This city…was attacked by giants.’

Mike’s face quickly transitioned from curiosity to that of disbelief, listening earnestly to Evan’s story.

‘Almost three weeks ago, it was just like any other day. My brother had just got out of rehab from years of drug use. He finally had a job interview. But then…then “they” came. It was the early morning, and two giants of immeasurable size terrorised the city. I don’t even think this city is part of the world anymore, and that we’ve somehow been transported to another. My brot -‘

Evan began to stream tears out of his eyes as he began to choke on his words, unable to properly enunciate. He brought his hand to his mouth as he gagged at the memories causing him anguish. Mike felt helpless, knowing he wouldn’t be able to comfort his friend. Even so, he lifted up his aching body, put his right arm over Evan’s back and rubbed it, trying to provide some kind of consolation.

’S-sorry, it’s just painful to remember again. It’s alright, please, sit.’

Mike sat back against the wall, regretting being so forceful to make Evan bring up the horrifying events. Nevertheless, he decided to finish what he started. Evan’s voice was now broken down as he could no longer hold himself back.

‘They crushed him, my brother. I searched everywhere for his body, I couldn’t find a single trace. My poor Christian.’

Then suddenly, a spike of pain shot through Mike’s head causing him to hold it in both hands.

‘Ah, shit. Christian…Christian…Chris? Why does that name seem familiar’

‘Hey Mike, you ok there?’

Evan’s teary-eyed face looked down to Mike with great concern as he saw him in pain. He leaned in closer to take a look.

‘Maybe it’s because you’re getting a memory back, you know someone called Chris?’

‘I - I think so. I’m not sure.’

The pain eventually went away, causing Evan to calm down in relief as Mike started to breath normally again.

‘Listen,’ Mike said intensely, ‘I want to help you find your brother. Tomorrow, will take me with you?’

Evan looked down at his face, seeing those eyes of iron resolve again. He faintly smiled, albeit sorrowfully, and replied.

‘Yea, I’d like that. Thanks. Listen, you should get some rest, maybe you’ll remember something after some sleep.’

‘Right, thank you so much Evan. I don’t think I would have gotten this far without you.’

Evan nodded his head in appreciation, then walked away to wherever his resting spot was. Meanwhile, Mike moved himself a bit away from the wall to lie down, staring at the amputee in front of him and muttering to himself.

‘What a nice guy, maybe with him I’ll get through this. I hope we can find his brother tomorrow.’

Mike was about to slip off the blue sneakers he was wearing, until he realised he’d been wearing them for so long he didn’t want to bother the densely packed building with the smell, and so opted to keep them on. He closed his eyes, letting his exhausted body relax as best as it could, then falling into a deep sleep.

By the time morning had come, Mike felt fully rested with most of his aching gone. He stood up and could clearly everything in the brightly lit environment. He saw Evan in the distance serving out some scraps of food to the bedridden and sick. With a light limp, Mike made his way to Evan, to which Evan turned and noticed his approach.

‘Ah, good morning Mike, you look like you can move better. Any luck with your memory?’

‘Afraid not, still can’t remember anything other than my name. My body feels a lot better though.’

Evan smiles, joyed to hear someone managed to recover for once in the shelter full of the severely injured, sick and dying. The smile quickly faded away, almost as if Evan had forgotten how to hold one up for long.

‘Listen, I’ll be heading out to find my brother’s body today. There’s going to be a memorial service in the afternoon, so I want to try and find something in time for that. You still want to come? I could do with the extra hand.’

Mike smiled at Evan, feeling the warmth remembering back to how he selflessly helped and nursed him the night before. He wanted to do what he could.

‘Yea, whatever you need, just ask.’

‘Thanks’ he replied, with another sorrowful smile.

The two headed out after eating some light breakfast rations. Due to the lack of road infrastructure, they were’t able to use any vehicles and so travelled on foot.

‘By the way Evan, you mentioned we were teleported right? How come it was dark yesterday and now there’s light?’

‘Well, I don’t know the reason. But there’s no sun that rises and sets. It’s like a light switch. In the morning, or at least what we think is the morning, the light flashes on, then at night it goes dark. Whatever it is, it’s at least helping us keep track of the day somewhat.’

That explanation only reminded Mike of how wild the situation was, for in his mind it was still hard to process and felt surreal.

After an hour of walking, Mike and Evan finally reached the the site of where Evan’s brother died. Mike was still dumbfounded at the complete carnage all around him. Many traces of what used to be skyscrapers were left as nothing but plots of empty land and debris. Truly the sight of a war zone.

‘It’s just up here. See that big crater? I’ve been looking in that everyday for almost 3 weeks. I know it almost looks hopeless given how big it is, but I don’t want to give up yet.’

‘Yea, I totally underst- GAH’

It happened suddenly as a familiar pain struck Mike’s chest. Evan turned and saw Mike grabbing onto his chest where his heart is, sweating profusely as if he was having a heart attack.

‘Hey, Mike? Mike are you ok?’

Evan leaned down putting his one good arm on his back, trying to communicate with him, but it looked like Mike’s mind was somewhere else. It all suddenly began to make sense to him now. Mike saw the crater of the footprint; a wave of familiarity hitting him. He put his arm on Evan’s good shoulder to hoist himself up, looking again at the crater. Then, instinctively, mike looked down to the ground towards his feet, right at his blue sneakers. A flash of images and memories of Mike’s entire life then flashed before his eyes in an instant.

He remembered.

‘Hey, Mike, Mike come on talk to me buddy.’

Mike’s eyes snapped back to reality, his eyes making direct contact with Evan.

‘Man, thought I lost you there. You ok?’

Mike tried to formulate words with his mouth, but he wasn’t sure what to say. Then out of nowhere, tears streamed down his face as the same look of despair Evan was familiar with completely took control of his expression.

‘Looks like you got a bad memory back huh? It’s alright, come here.’

Evan reached in for a hug, holding Mike with one arm around his back and pulling him in. Mike himself wasn’t sure what to think. It was such a bizarre situation he could have never comprehended that his entire thought process just stopped. Evan then lightly pushed down on Mike’s shoulder to get him to sit on the ground.

‘Listen, you rest here, take it easy, and I’ll go out and find Christian. You can join in whenever you feel up to it, but don’t push yourself, alright?’

Mike was currently unresponsive, starring blankly straight ahead in nothingness. Evan could only assume he was traumatised by whatever memory came back, thus felt it best he sat and rested.

Many hours had passed since then, and with no luck Evan once again returned empty handed. He walked back to where he sat Mike, where he was still sitting holding his knees into his body with a blank and emotionless expression. Evan could only look in pity, sympathising with whatever trauma he may have gone through and felt it was his duty to look after him.

‘Alright Mike, let’s go. It’s best we don’t miss the memorial.’

Mike didn’t say anything. Instead he just stood up, walking back with Evan with his eyes fixed on the ground in front. Eventually they returned back to the shelter where preparations were finished for the memorial service. The city’s mayor stood atop a makeshift wooden podium, surrounded by half-dead flowers and photos of loved ones people displayed in tribute to those people lost. Evan made sure to walk Mike by hooking his good arm with Mike’s, bringing him to the front of the memorial as the mayor gave a heartfelt speech about the hardships faced and the suffering they shared.

Then something caught Mike’s attention. His eyes traced themselves along the makeshift memorial, scanning the photos. People of different races, hairstyles, eyes, some people pictured with family, friends, they’re all smiling, all so happy, each individual person with shared experiences.

Mike began to feel his face become wet as tears forced their way out of his eyes. His breathing erratic. His eyes exploding wide open in distress.
Mike, was finally pushed over the line.

‘AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.’

The mourners gathered around the memorial looked in shock as Mike yelled aloud a scream of terror. Evan jumped back in surprise after the loud outburst echoed across the memorial service. He then stood up and tried to calm the onlookers.

‘Ah sorry guys, it’s ok. He’s had some memory problems and I think his traumatic memories are coming back, I’ll take him inside. Sorry mayor, please carry on.’
The onlookers didn’t hold it against him. They all went through and saw the same thing. It was only a natural response after all to remember such horrific memories. Little did they know however that Mike was in fact one of the sources of their calamity. Evan rushed Mike back into the shelter, now empty as the occupants were in the memorial. He sat him down in the empty corner of a room to give them privacy, making sure Mike had his space.

‘Listen, you’re safe here. I know it might be hard, but perhaps talking about the memories might help.’

Mike, after not speaking all day, finally tried to choke out some words.

‘I- I- k…’

Evan leaned in closer so that Mike could more easily whisper the words out. And in one soft-voiced stroke, he said,

‘I killed them.’

Evan’s eyes widened with shock and surprise and brought his head back, confused at what he had just been told.

‘I don’t understand Mike, who did you kill?’

‘A- A- All of them. I killed, all of them.’

The sound of his voice made it seem as though Mike was pushing the words out of his throat with all his might. Evan could only stare back in disbelief, trying to process or understand what he was being told. Mike’s voice continued to crack and choke as he spoke.

‘I killed them…all. It was m-me. I…stepped on your brother.’

Evan’s face quickly faded from concern. His facial muscles lowering as his tone of voice become harsher.

‘What, Do you mean? This isn’t funny Mike.’

‘I KILLED HIM.’

Mike reached his limit, bursting into tears as his spirit completely shattered, yelling his words slurred and hysterically.

‘YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE MITES. YOU PEOPLE WERE NOTHING. NAMELESS. INSIGNIFICANT. NONE OF YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO MEAN ANYTHING!’

Evan’s teeth gritted in a furious rage. Then he stopped, as he came to a realisation. If this was one of the giants…

His eyes slowly moved their way down towards Mike’s feet, which once he saw his breathing became much heavier. It was the same blue sneakers, the exact same. How did he not notice? No, perhaps he just didn’t want to see, and his mind kept blocking it out because of the astronomical possibility they were the exact same. Evan then slowly raised his head, looking at the broken face of Mike with rivers of tears pouring down his cheek. Then, he snapped.

‘YOU, BASTARD!’

Evan lunged into Mike, ripping his bandaged arm and grabbing him by the throat, squeezing as hard as he could with both hands even as his arm gave off excruciating pain. Mike’s face was flushed red as the blood came rushing to the surface, but then Evan noticed something odd. Mike’s arms were limp on each side. He wasn’t fighting back. He could see in his eyes, Mike wanted this.

‘No…no.’

Evan stopped what he was doing, removing his hands away from Mike’s neck.

‘I’m not like you. I won’t be like you.’ He then stood up, walking out the room in a calm rage.
Mike just lied that, curling himself into a ball. He had no more tears left to shed. Exhausted and mentally drained, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

The night had passed and it was once again morning, as far as anyone could tell. Mike rose himself up as he scanned the room with heavy bags under his eyes and an exhausted expression. The people had returned to the shelter after the memorial and the building was once again bustling with the sick and homeless. Mike was surprised to find no one was looking at him and giving him suspicious glares. Could it be that Evan didn’t tell them about him? Speaking of him, mike caught a glance of him, once again following the same morning routine of passing out what little supplies they had. He moved his eyes down in shame, but felt he had to confront him. Stepping forward he dragged his exhausted body across the room, making his way left and right past the people occupying the floor. When he got near Evan, he looked back at Mike with a cold, murderous stare.

‘What do you want?’

Mike knew he was in the wrong and that he had no right to ask anything of Evan, nevertheless, he was going to try. Mike had to clear his dry throat, then forced a soft and croaky voice.

‘We need to talk.’

Evan’s instinct was to immediately tackle him to the ground and throw him out the shelter, but even then, in this situation, after what happened the day before, Mike was showing his iron resolve. Perhaps it was something Evan needed to hear. Evan moved his head to gesture to come with him, where he led them both to a storeroom cupboard.

‘Ok. Talk.’

Mike knew he needed to be concise, as he wasn’t sure how much patience Evan had for him. In his dry croaky voice, he did he best to enunciate.

‘You said you spent 3 weeks looking for your brother, right?’

‘Yes…?’

‘So it really has been three whole weeks. Listen, my frie-, the other giant, he’s going to be here soon. You all need to flee, find somewhere else to go, just go somewhere!’

Evan scoffed, then grabbed Mike by the collar and pushed him into the wall. His voice notably trying to contain his anger as he gritted his teeth and forced his words through.

‘Flee? Flee where? We have no where to go, thanks to you. So you were actually planning to finish us off this week??’

Mike had no defence, no excuse. His eyes moved away as he could not bear the shame, nor look Evan in the eyes. Evan let go of Mike’s collar, calming himself down and maintaining composure.

‘Just, do whatever, Mike. I don’t care anymore. Whatever happens, we’ll find a way to surv-’
A light tremor interrupted his words. The storeroom began to shake, with every few seconds increasing in intensity. Evan could then hear the words muttered under Mike’s breath.

‘Oh no…’

—————————-——————————————————————————————

A few moments later in the lab…

The entrance to the lab opened revealing Christopher, back from his dad’s business trip. He scanned the lab, now full of dead computers not showing any sign of life, for Mike. But Mike was nowhere to be found. For the last few days, Mike hadn’t been answering his calls or texts.

‘That little shit ditched me didn’t he. Always the nerd obsessed with being on time and collecting data, but here I am, and no Mike.’

Chris was visibly annoyed, as he was looking forward to his return for an entire week to finish off the city. They both promised they would both wait for each other at this time, yet no matter how much time passed Mike was still nowhere to be found.

‘Alright, fine have it your way. You going to ditch me? I’ll take your share of the city too. You’ll just have to learn your lesson for next time.’

And so, giving up on waiting for Mike’s return, Chris decided to indulge himself in his long-awaited fun. He opened the door to the chamber, ignoring all the black screened monitors in the lab, and removed both converses followed by rubbing his hands together in excitement, looking over the remains of the city they tormented 3 weeks ago.

‘Here. We. Go.’

—————————-——————————————————————————————

‘Oh no…’

Evan looked at Mike’s face, showing complete terror upon the realisation his giant bro had returned. Evan then turned towards the door, quickly rushing out of the shelter to take a look while mike followed behind. An unpleasant familiar atmosphere filled the air to Evan once again, as panicked screams and hysterical crowds did what they could to flee, while others tried to load the wounded onto trucks to drive wherever they could. For Mike, this was a different experience even though he’d been here before. Instead of looking down at a civilisation of mites to be crushed, all he could see was the screaming, terrified faces of the people around him. To him, they were now his fellow human, and the giant, a sadistic cold-hearted monster.

‘So this is what I looked like…’

The realisation that this is what they saw him as, a monster to be forever embedded in their psyche to haunt their dreams and become their living nightmare, it made Mike fall further into despair where he was rock bottom at the abyss. He felt he had to do something, to atone for at least the tiniest fraction of his sins. Evan, who started trying to calm the panicking people, caught Mike for a second in his eyes, then noticed he was walking towards the giant. Evan started to run towards Mike, then stopped, realising he was about to help one of the giants. He then turned back to the shelter, then stopped again, looking back at Mike limping away. Inside his mind he felt conflicted, thinking of his brother, then seeing the same broken look of despair in Mike’s eyes that was the last thing he saw on Christian.

‘Arrrr, god damnit.’

Evan ran as fast as he could to Mike, though finding it difficult with the seismic shift with each one of Chris’ footsteps. Once he got into shouting distance, he called for Mike.

‘MIKE!’

Mike turned his head seeing Evan call him and stopped, allowing Evan to catchup.

‘Mike, what in god’s name are you doing?’

Mike looked down with the face of guilt.

‘I..I have to do something. If I can try getting his attention, he might stop if he realises it’s me.’

Evan grabbed Mike’s shoulder, trying to keep his attention.

‘Listen to me, when you looked down on us, did we look like people? Could you see our faces from up there?’

Both Evan and Mike knew what the answer was, but Mike didn’t have the heart to say it to his face. Even so, Mike was still determined.

‘There’s no other choice, if I can’t stop him we are all dead.’

Evan sighed, then looked back at the shelter as they tried to evacuate people. After closing his eyes for a few seconds in deep thought, he knew, there really was no other choice. He opened his eyes again and turned back to Mike, no longer with eyes of sorrow but the same glistening resolve he’d seen in Mike before.

‘Fine, but I’m coming with you.’

Without much time to lose, Mike knew he wouldn’t take no for an answer. With great haste, they both jogged as fast as they could in their injured state as the tremors increased more and more.

Meanwhile, as Chris walked over the city, he questioned to himself why there were scarcely any people running around the places he was stepping over. That is until a large patch of green with a building in the centre caught his eye, where he could see many thousands of specks in the distance scurrying about the place. He found the shelter. The murderous evil grin once again appeared on his face as the euphoric rush from his bloodlust took over. One step after another his bare feet sunk into the ground with the sound of bombs going off. However, something made him stop just for a second, as a glimpse of yellow light caught his eye. It was hard to tell, but given the way it moved into the air, it looked like a flare from a flare gun. Curious about who this bold mite-sized person was, he leaned in to bring his eyeball as close as possible, even going so far as to place his gargantuan hands on the concrete, making the ground conform under the pressure.

Down on the ground, Mike was given the flare gun by Evan, which was initially meant for rescue missions, as a way to get Chris’ attention. Knowing what the stakes were, this was the best they could do, and he could only hope it would work.

The eyeball moved in to where Mike stood; stretching upwards in what could only be described as a colossal wall of white, and the complex details of the iris comprehendible to the tiny upon close examination. The pupil starred directly at Mike, which in itself was the size of a building to him. He sweated nervously as his giant frat bro looked directly at him. Mike muttered under his voice completely overwhelmed with anxiety.

‘Please…please Chris, see me. See me.'

What happened next completely froze Mike in a grip of fear, for as he looked straight into Chris’ eye, the eyelid dropped halfway down. A look Mike had always been used to seeing in Chris many times.

He was unimpressed.

Chris slowly raised one hand from the ground as he stared at his mite-sized friend. The debris of grit and pebbles raining onto the ground. Chris then spoke, whispering in a disinterested tone that shot out into Mike’s ears painfully and invasively.

‘Pathetic. I just see a speck, can’t even make out any features. What is the fucking point of your existence. But don’t worry, I’ll put you to rest now.’

Mike looked up at the dirt-covered hand, looking as if it’s ready to swat a fly out of existence. He could only look up in trepidation as he closes his eyes and prepares for the worst, that is until….

*VrrrRRRRRRRRRRR*

Chris’ hand freezes as he catches the glimpse of a bright white motorcycle driving straight up the road, snatching Mike in an instant and fleeing. Evan, now trying to use both hands as the intense pain spirals from his right arm, was too small to see coming as he hid in the shadows waiting to rescue Mike. However, as they reach halfway up the street, after Chris processed what bizarre thing just happened, his evil grin reappeared as he got an idea. He lay both hands down against the ground, opened his mouth and inhaled as much as his lungs would allow, then exhaled aggressively with the full force of a hurricane. The bike was sent flying off the ground as Mike and Evan attempted to grab onto whatever debris they could find. Both were left with severe bruising and cuts all over their bodies, but luckily fell off the bike before it crashed into a rundown building.

Feeling somewhat entertained by the unexpected event, Chris’ mind turned back towards the shelter where many mites remained. Thus, he decided to end the two mite’s misery and get that over with, not feeling satisfied with a half-done job. He hoisted himself up, making the road beneath his hands collapse inwards into a sinkhole. After getting to his feet, he lightly steps towards where Evan landed, looking down with a smiling face of pitiful contempt. Evan looked up in horror as the debris-caked sole cast a shadow around him, a sight he hoped to never see again. The smell of Chris’ foot filled the air as it lowered, causing Evan to gag, thinking back to the time he saw Chris torment those groups of people up from where he was. As he coughed in the thick air of the foot musk, he started to lose consciousness as his wounds were giving in to the pain. Chris stuck out his big toe from his foot, intending to make Evan feel as pathetic as possible; taken out, by a single, stinking toe.

‘AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!’

Suddenly Evan slipped back into an aware state hearing the scream from down the road. It was Mike, who came rushing with all his might, fighting through the immense pain of his wounds. He ran straight up the debris, completely powered by an adrenaline surge, grabbing Evan by the arms and throwing him down the debris away from where the toe would land and causing Mike to trip and fall.

‘RUUUUUUUUUNNNNN!!!!’

Evan looked back and despaired, as he was saved by the once giant person that obliterated his brother. Without too much time to think about it, he got to his feet, limping away as fast as he could as the blood kept gushing from his wounds, wrapping him in a warm blanket of liquid absorbed by his clothes and causing his insides to shiver in cold.
Despite what happened, the toe persisted, making its mark and landing on he tiny Mike. Chris, his brother in years of bond, his classmate, his friend, had his toe pressed right atop his entire existence. With one effortless push, surrounded by the fowl stench of his sweat and gunk, Mike was crushed to an unrecognisable pulp, meeting the same fate he had delivered to so many others.

The other moving speck was still in Chris’ sight, and before raising his foot again to crush Evan, he decided to try something else. He leaned back down onto his knees and supporting his weight with his hands, leaning into he spot the tiny Evan limped away in futility. Evan, looking back in shock with tears running down his face, saw the giant face of Chris like a celestial object hovering over him, causing him to collapse as he realises how pointless it is to run away in his state. What he did not expected, was the canyon sized mouth to to appear in front of him. From what looked like an uncontainable toothy grin became his lips parting in an terrifyingly awe-inspiring sight like the Red Sea being split in two, but in Evan’s case it was not salvation he was met with, but a pitch black abyss that sent a waft of his warm breath to wash over Evan’s body. The tongue, like a great monolithic beast layered in slime rising from its cave, had its tip make its way to the spot Evan was on. With a gentle tap, Evan’s body adhered instantly to the massive of flesh and muscle, embedded against one of the many thousands of mountainous taste buds. The beast of a tongue moved back into its dark dwelling, and the cave shut open. For Evan, it wasn’t so bad. The warmth of Chris’ breath and the thick ocean of saliva bathed him in warmth, while the soft flesh of the taste bud accommodated his exhausted body, after weeks of sleeping on rags and concrete, covered in dirt and rock-hard debris. This wasn’t a bad way to go, he thought. And so, Chris tilted his head back, collecting all the saliva in his mouth to make sure he gets the tiny, and in one big gulp swallows the ball of goop, causing another grin of exhilarating pleasure as he traces the lump slowly moving down his throat. As Evan fell into the burning hot pit of Chris’ stomach, only one thought crossed his mind.

‘Christian, I’m coming.’

Evan, was now at peace.

Chris, having had his fun with the two mites, made his way to the shelter. However, upon arriving his lustful grin quickly faded and turned to anger and irritation.

‘What the fuck, where are they?’

Chris looked around to where he saw the thousands of tiny mites scurrying about, only to be left with a completely empty space. Not a single sign of life. In the end, it seems Evan and Mike’s momentary distraction keeping Chris occupied allowed time for the evacuation. Chris in his full wrath rampaged violently across the city, trying to find the remaining people, but it was all for nothing. They had disappeared. Where are they? Did they escape? Will they survive if they did? There are many possibilities, but for now they have escaped Chris’ wrath, as Evan and Mike were finally at peace.

The end

Olly's Pet Speck

'I'm said I'm sorry ok!' Olly exclaimed. The sound of irritation echoing throughout the hospital room. The brown-skinned red-haired 5ft5 man sat in his hospital bed, eagerly waiting to get discharged and go home.

'Oh no you don't. You think you're going to get away with your recklessness unpunished?' Everett replied, scolding his short friend trying to get away. The tall 6ft5 pale-skinned man looked at Olly in anger, as his friend tried to avoid the freckled face of his taller friend.

Earlier that day, Olly decided to ignore the town rescue team's warning issued the day before. The icy conditions left the mountain range too dangerous for the usual activities of mountain climbers and skiers. But being the daredevil that he was, Olly opted to forgo the safety of his home and went on a skiing trip up Giant's Step Mountain, which ultimately ended in a dangerous fall that left him unconscious. Luckily, the mountain rescue team had recovered him and no serious injuries were found. Everett, Olly's longtime childhood friend and a senior member of the mountain rescue team, has the power to shrink and grow others. Historically, he has mostly used this power to aid him in his rescue efforts, shrinking those he rescues to safely secure and bring them back down, in addition to growing to great heights to patrol the mountain with ease. Recently, however, his powers have also been used for more personal indulgences, especially when it comes to Olly. Earlier that year he came across an old acquaintance, Eric, where they both went through a series of events that led to them starting a master and pet relationship, which will be put to the test by the shenanigans that will ensue as a result of Olly's accident.

Back in the hospital room where Olly was getting scolded, Everett reached into his pocket and held a familiar purple fleece, but its size was large enough to fit a small doll. Olly's eyes widened with anger. 'Hey!' He shouted. 'That's my fleece, grow it back!'

'Nah uh' Everett retorted snarkily. 'Starting today I'm supposed to be away on vacation and you just had to delay me, so I'm getting on the next train and when I come back after the weekend you can have your damn fleece regrown. Or if you want it back, maybe I can make you pocket-sized so you can fit into it again?'

'But, wait, my phone was in there!'

Everett chuckled at the thought of the tiny phone lost in the fleece pocket. 'Haha, then you can count that as part of your punishment. I'm sure you can find stuff to do without for the weekend.'

Olly huffed, crossing his arms and looking away childishly. 'Whatever,' he said, 'do what you want.'

Everett left the fleece on the table side, ruffling Olly's hair as he pouted in the bed before saying his goodbyes and preparing to leave on his long-awaited vacation. As he was left alone in the room, Olly lied back in his bed, turning his body to stare at the comically tiny purple fleece. Then, he closed his eyes, falling asleep and napping through part of the afternoon.

When he awoke, the room's lights immediately entered his vision as his groggy eyes opened. With a light yawn, he was facing the same position he fell asleep in, finding himself staring at the purple fleece again which stimulated his memories of the earlier day. However, something odd had caught his eye. An unusual black dot he could have sworn was not there previously. Wiping his tired eyes, he leaned in closer to the bedside table, gasping in shock as the dot became clearer in his vision. Jumping up and down waving his arms in the air, Olly could see Eric, no larger than the smallest of crumbs, trying to catch the attention of the giant celestial eyes that piercingly gazed on his speckish form. It was from then the red-haired man had regained his memories of the events leading up to his accident, realising his mind's omission of Eric, Olly's tiny pet, being with him at the time. Because Everett had shrunk them both, unaware the tiny was there in the first place, he ultimately became speck sized from being inside the fleece pocket.

The now gargantuan Olly perked up in a panic as a surge of adrenaline had stimulated his body back from sleep, realising Everett, the only one who could grow him back, had left. 'Ugh,' he cried out, 'sorry little bud, it looks like I completely forgot you were with me.'

Eric, whose face was too downsized to visibly comprehend, expressed his frustration by shouting to the top of his lungs. 'FOR FUCK SAKE OLLY, OF ALL THE THINGS YOU'VE PUT ME THROUGH THIS REALLY TAKES THE CAKE, YOU EVEN REMEMBERED YOUR PHONE BEFORE ME!'

Despite his protests, Olly was only able to discern a tiny squeaking coming from the bedside table. He leaned his head in with a puzzled look, prompting Eric to recoil at the sight of the head that looked like the moon falling from the sky. Olly turned his ear to the tiny speck trying to hear his words, but to Eric's surprise, all that happened was the giant moving his hand against his mouth as he burst out a chuckle, then began laughing hysterically. 'Oh my god, oh my god, I'm so sorry, it's just so funny,' he said between his laughs, 'you're just so tiny Eric, you're squeaking like a mouse, have you seen yourself?'

Eric was flushed with a mix of anger, frustration and hopelessness. His words fell on deaf ears and were not able to properly communicate while feeling the humiliation of his pathetic size. Olly wiped a tear from his eyes as h tried to calm himself and reassure his speckish pet. 'Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Look, we'll try and get back home and use the landline, maybe I can still reach Everett, ok?' Olly looked around, feeling around his pockets and shirt then looking to the tiny Eric. 'Hmm, it'll be too dangerous to carry you around in my pockets, and it's quite cold outside so I can't just hold you.'

He put his hand to his chin as he went deep into thought until finally, he grinned toothily as an idea came to mind. 'Hehe, I know exactly where to put ya.'

Eric looked visibly, at least for anyone his size, quite nervous. Whenever Olly had a mischievous look and a playful gleam to his eyes, it would spell trouble for the tiny pet. His giant master did his best to move slowly, not wanting to panic or accidentally blow the speckish man away. Olly reached down to his feet, putting his thin, black cotton socks on. Moments later, Eric's field of vision was filled with the enormous light-brown pad of Olly's finger, causing him to stumble back. As he closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable impact, he felt the finger pad gently press against him, causing him to stick right onto it. His stomach turned at the feeling of the force pulling his body from such great heights away from the table, as he experienced the fear of someone going on a rollercoaster with no restraints.

Eventually, the movement came to a stop, and he found himself peeling off the finger, landing on a soft warm surface. All around him was a sea of black threads with a smell of fresh cotton that permeated the air. Eric looked up, seeing the giant face of his friend and master looking down at him from the heavens. The visible blush of red filling Olly's cheeks as he smiled broke the thinly veiled attempt of the giant trying to hide his enjoyment of the situation. As much as he loved playing with his tiny pet at a more manageable size, he couldn't help but feel gratified at the overwhelming power and size difference, despite the fact he could no longer see the speck blending in with the top of his sock-covered foot. 'I hope you're getting comfy, make sure to grab onto what you can yea. I'm gonna slide my shoes on and walk back, but my foot will keep ya nice and warm below.'

There was nothing more Eric wanted than to scream his fury at his master's face but resigned himself to the reality that his voice would barely make it past the giant's ankles. He fell forward onto his face and grabbed what threads he could as his world completely shifted. Olly began moving his foot to the large snow boots. The tiny man held on with all his high as the tip of the giant foot faced down into the dark abyss of the boot, with the light slowly eclipsing the deeper it went in. By the time Eric opened his eyes, he was in complete darkness.

Despite Olly cleaning himself earlier that day, the old inside of the boots and the amplification of the tiny's senses meant the smell of his feet came to engulf his sense of smell, along with a salty bitter taste forming inside his mouth. For a long time now, Eric's guilty pleasure and desire over his giant master's feet had become his worst kept secret, yet at this new size the overpowering invasion of his senses with an amorous smell and taste he thought himself accustomed to, was actually leading to levels of unendurableness that Olly may have underestimated. The longer he had been kept there the hotter it grew, and so with it the humid sweaty atmosphere, especially given that Olly's body had the tendency to heat up at a fast rate. This assault on the speckish Eric's body left him in a haze of pain and pleasure, not helped by the headache-inducing tremors caused with each step and stride of the foot.

What was supposed to be a 15-minute walk from the hospital to the house felt like an eternity. Minutes before arriving, Eric could feel the thin net of cotton beneath him begin to tear. 'Oh shit, oh fuck, SHIIIIT!' He cried as he clung to a single thick piece of thread that fell through the newly created hole. His sweaty hands let slip from his grip as he screamed in futility, the momentum of his fall causing a loud slapping squelch as his face and body landed directly into the flesh between Olly's big and second toe. Because of the force, he completely adhered to the slimy sweaty surface of the brown salty skin. His nose completely embedded itself into the toe skin, while trickles of sweat forced their way into the speck's tongue. His entire body felt completely superglued, unable to move a single muscle from his piping hot sweaty prison.

Olly's experience was entirely different; strolling through the streets without a care in the world. But deep down inside was an impassioned sense of glee that, much to the dismay of the tiny between his toes, lit a fire inside of him which sent his blood rushing. Although he could not feel the tiny on his feet, just imagining his entire existence revolving around the smell and warmth of his feet alone was enough to make him feel elated.

Finally reaching his house, he stepped in, carefully sliding his thick winter boots off and revealing the now moist black sock. He leaned in, closely observing his sock to see if he could spot the tiny speck-man down at his feet. However, after focusing for a few minutes it was to no avail. He did however spot a small tear in the sock between his toes, causing him to feel uneasy. 'Oh boy...' he quietly muttered to himself.

Sitting down carefully, Olly slid the sock off, slowly peeling it off against his sweaty sole with great care. Placing his foot against the top of his other leg, he leaned in trying to discern between Eric and the specks of lint littered all over his foot. From Eric's perspective, the blinding light forced his eyes closed as it flooded through the sock's hole when the boot came off. After regaining his vision, he felt perturbation as he looked above him, spotting a droplet of sweat five times his size slowly trailing downwards towards him. With whatever strength he had, he pulled as hard as he could, trying to peel himself off the sticky surface. As it got closer and closer, the adrenaline of his fight or flight response kicked in, attempting to aid in his escape from the oncoming sweat droplet. But it was all in vain. As he shut his eyes to wait for the inevitable, a reassuring voice as able to calm him. 'Ah! Is that you down there?'

The voice of Olly boomed from the heavens above as his gaze was fixed on the tiny speck. A giant finger shot closer to where he was, landing just above where Eric was and wiping the droplet of sweat away. 'Phew,' Olly said playfully, 'that was a close call, did you almost get caught by my sweat?' The giant's boyish attitude expressed his amusement. Though he did care about Eric's safety, he couldn't help but find the idea of a single sweat droplet between his toes having the potential to overpower his tiny pet amusing. Eric on the other hand was furious. The danger was far from funny from his tiny perspective, yet more than anything he's annoyed at himself more than Olly for feeling the warmth of security when Olly was able to acknowledge his presence.

After wiping the sweat away, the finger then pushed softly into the speck, gently scraping him off the sticky surface, though prompting a muffled groan of protest from the tiny man. 'Don't worry little man, I'm going to call Everett so just wait a little longer' Olly said. Eric couldn't tell how seriously his giant master was taking the situation. His words were reassuring yet his face showed just how much pleasure he took in seeing the pathetic minuscule state Eric was in. Approaching the table with the landline, Eric was placed on the side as Olly typed away on the phone. As the phone rang away, a familiar noise could be heard in the table drawer, though muffled and barely audible. With a puzzled expression, Olly opened the drawer, and a blaring noise burst out. It was Everett's phone and ringtone, with a note underneath. 'What the...' he said, grabbing the phone and note. Opening it he read it aloud. 'Olly, you're probably reading this because you tried to call me. I've been waiting for this vacation for a long time, so unless a meteorite is heading for the town, I'm taking this time off. Whatever you've done, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it. See you next week! Love from Ev'. Olly looked up from the note to where Eric is, giving off a passive nervous smile.

'Sorry little bud, looks like you're stuck with me until Everett gets back.' He said. Olly couldn't see or hear Eric, but he had a pretty good image of the rage-filled curses he'd be spewing if the tiny was a more comprehensible size. 'Well, on advantage to you being so tiny is I can't hear your shit anymore, hehe.' Olly playfully stuck his tongue out, knowing very well how much he could provoke his tiny pet without any retorts or angry responses. When the giant looked at his watch, he gasped as he noticed the lateness of the time. 'Oh crap, it's the evening already and we haven't even done the exercise regime.'

Olly was quite unwavering in his pursuit of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially for his pets. Constant physical training and exercise was a regular requirement of being under the flame-haired man. Eric was no exception to his, having been put through lots of training. However, with his new miniature size, Olly had no choice but to mitigate his tiny pet's current predicament. 'All right then, I was planning on having you do laps around the room today, but that's gonna take you weeks.' As Olly was thinking, he looked down to his feet, remembering the state they were in when he removed his socks. It was at that moment an idea that crossed his mind. 'I got it! I injured myself earlier so I can't push myself too hard, so I'll probably take it easy and play some Dragon Quest. Because of that I'll give you a nice and easy task. I spotted some bits of lint between my toes, so all you gotta do is climb and remove them. Easy right?' Olly spoke with a prideful tone, feeling as though he as being generous to his pet. Eric on the other hand thought back to the time he spent stuck to Olly's foot, dreading the arduous task ahead. It was, after all, not like he could protest.

The tiny speck soon felt the familiar feeling of the giant finger pad pressing on his form. Olly made sure to keep the tiny stable between his thumb and finger as he carried him over to his desk. Reaching under the desk, the walls of the gargantuan fingers parted, letting the tiny speck fall to the smooth wooden floor. From his perspective, Eric could see very tiny crevice and crack within the floor, as well as the specks of dirt and debris invisible to the perspective of any normal-sized onlooker. Before the tiny man could properly scan his surroundings, large rumblings and tremors reverberated through the floor as Olly sat on his desk chair, planting his feet just in front of where he positioned Eric and playfully wiggled his toes. 'All right pet, I know there's a lot but do what you can ok. If you manage to get a big piece of lint off I'll reward ya, hehe.'

Eric wasn't sure if Olly fully grasped the full scale of the task he was asked to do. Looking from between the mostly still big and second toe was an endless wall of uneven brown, in the middle of which showed a large black piece of lint, almost double his size. 'Ugh, WHY THE FUCK IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME!' He yelled, knowing full well Olly wouldn't hear any of it. As he vented his frustration, standing in the shadow of the warm moist toe-gap, it was only then he felt his mind grasped by the strong alluring scent permeating around him. His face flushed with red while he felt his trousers tightening in the groin area. Looking at the positives, his master's attention was so far beyond his position that Olly would have no idea what Eric would be doing at his feet. Always wishing to show a tough front, to not show weakness or submissiveness, the tiny man was used to doing his best to hide his desires. But in his situation, he could be himself.

As he heard the sound and music from Olly's Dragon Quest game, this was more than enough confirmation the giant was no longer focused on him. As he looked at the toe flesh in front of him, he became further lost in a trance. Then, like a hungry child left alone at a table full of candy, he dug in with no feelings of guilt. The tiny man passionately kissed and licked against the mass of sweaty flesh, feeling each bump, ridge and groove slide against his tongue. Despite his passionate licking, a new sweaty patch was present, fresh to be worshipped. The smell became intoxicating to his senses, like a dangerously addictive drug. No matter how much he wedged his nose into the richly scented skin, it was never enough. At times, Eric would instinctively look around himself and above. Even though there was little to no chance of anyone observing his heated affection, the burning embarrassment in his mind made him feel cautious nonetheless. In the middle of his worshipping, the glimpse of the sock lint above caught his eye again. His trance not only sent him in a lustful daze but also made him feel hypnotically compelled to be more obedient to his master.

Wanting to please Olly, who was still idly playing his game though consciously aware of the tiny at his feet, he grabbed the thick ridgelines of his foot, climbing with all his might to reach the large chunk of sweaty cotton. Any aches, pains and exhaustion were completely numbed by the rush of endorphins and dopamine; the smell and warmth of Olly literally powering him through. After a good 30 minutes of climbing, he reached the halfway point, drenched in his own sweat and winded from the onerous endeavour. A large thread of black cotton draped down from the ball it was attached to. Eric, still clinging onto the surface, grabbed hold of the thread and pulled with great effort. Yet just like when he was stuck to the foot before, the ball of lint refused to give, as it completely adhered to the sweat on the brown surface.

Deciding to try and push it down from above, the tiny man used the lint's immobility to his advantage, climbing the thread and reaching the large, saturated ball. With every grip of the cotton's threads, Olly's warm sweat squelched out, making Eric need to maintain a strong grip to prevent himself from slipping off. Climbing deeper into the ball of lint to better secure himself, the web of soggy threads wrapped all around his limbs, like a monster with a thousand small arms trapping its prey. Eventually, Eric's ability to move became hindered. He let himself stand there, trapped within the threads, panting to catch his breath. Then suddenly, he heard a shout in the distance. 'GOD DAMN BASTARD!' The voice of Olly was unmistakable, as Eric figured he must have died in his game. While the struggling tiny thought little of what was going on stuck in his own predicament, he felt more alert as the toes around him shifted. The irritation Olly felt from above was reflected in his subconscious impulses causing him to twitch other parts of his body. As another shout from above was heard, Eric found himself consumed in darkness as the smell immediately escalated.

The tiny's entire body was squeezed between the clinging brown monolithic toes, with warm salty sweat forcing its way into his mouth from the liquid squeezed out of the lint. When the toes parted, Eric screamed as much as his lungs would allow as the feeling of free-falling in the air shocked him with fright. 'AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' He screamed. It would seem the clenching of the toes prior had dislodged the lint from its position. The ball span endlessly as it fell, until finally, with a barely audible plop, it landed on the wooden floor between Olly's mountainous toes. Luckily for the tiny man, the lint around him had served as a cushion, keeping him from meeting a fatal end. This did not however spare him the disorientation, as he dazedly attempted to remove himself from his sweaty bonds.

He gasped as the fresh air hit him, making his way out from the ball of lint. As he lied there panting, he bounced back in surprise as he saw Olly's giant face leaning down to look at him. 'Phew, looks like you're ok,' the giant man said nervously. 'I got worried because I kinda accidentally clenched my toes. Sorry,' He said teasingly.

To any ignorant bystander, Olly's response may seem cold and uncaring. But like Eric, Olly was good at showing a facade. Immediately after dying in his game, he panicked at the thought of accidentally crushing his tiny friend and pet. It is thanks to the relief of knowing he was relatively unharmed that made him feel he could act carefree. Even though Eric knew he couldn't be heard, he muttered between every long streak of breath, 'I'm going...to so...fucking...kill you.' Yet still, despite his irritation, as well as his facial express indiscernible, he averted his look from the baby-faced man's smirking face, blushing with glee as he looked at his tiny speckish pet with an expression of affectionate delight. 'Hey, little one,' Olly said softly, gaining back the attention of the speckish man down below, 'I know it's been a tough day, and you've been putting up with me the whole time, so I'll repay the favour yea?' Olly let out a beaming smile that made his cheeks puff out, causing Eric's heart to skip a beat, though he did feel somewhat sceptical about the reward his giant master alluded to.

The giant man sat in front of the desk's underside, with the tiny Eric being made to bear witness to the full might of his immense enormity, seeing his body and legs stretch out for miles from his perspective. Yet the familiar brown hand moving towards him at a speed of what would be hours of journey time for him cast a shadow over him, pinching him from the floor. Although being handled like this was still frightfully unnerving, he had enough experience by now to put his trust and faith in his giant master. 'I'll be as gentle as I can, all righty?' He said in a soft, almost whisper-like voice.

The hand lowered above the gap of Olly's big and second toe on his right foot, tenderly pressing the speck on his finger into the soft inviting fleshy surface. 'No demands this time, no tasks. Just take your clothes off, enjoy my foot and lemme do the work.' Olly said, his passion showing in the joy glowing from his face.

The giant master not only relished in his dominance over his tiny pet but also his benevolence and ability to smother him with affection. Using his gigantic body to make him feel good was just one way of asserting his power. For Eric, the culmination of the day's events had led him to an almost emotionally unstable state. With his senses constantly overwhelmed, he was finally ready to give in to his body's impulses. Throwing his clothes off, he knew this was an experience he couldn't miss. As something he would never dare to do when Olly was able to see him, Eric took advantage of his pathetically small size and doing, just as Olly said, basking in the amorous atmosphere he was engulfed in. 'Hehe, ok then, ready?'

The loud voice said from the heavens. As those words had echoed under the desk, new darkness had eclipsed the tiny speck, looking up from between Olly's toes. 'Make sure to hang on tight,' he said, in an almost sing-song fashion. Eric's world suddenly tilted as he fell to the fleshy ground, hanging tightly against it. The experience was different from before however, in that his naked body and expanding cock now pressed against the soft and tender flesh. As the shadow grew darker, the smell of feet and sweat intensified. As he turned his head, he saw the light brown pad of Olly's second toe from his left foot, with the clear trajectory of landing directly on top of him, completely enclosing him within the gap.

His minuscule heartbeat rapidly so much he could feel it pulsate throughout his body. Yet still, even then, he held faith Olly knew what he was doing. The soft pad of the toe finally made contact with his back, pressing him deep into the flesh between the toes, allowing it to conform against his body. The effect of the toe sandwiching the tiny speck into the gap allowed him to let go, being held in place and lose all sense of gravity. Not a gap remained where air or light could enter, with the atmosphere around Eric filled with nothing but the pure musky stench of Olly's mountain-sized toes, and despite having no clothes, the full envelopment of the toes kept him completely warm. He felt both physically and mentally airborne, floating on a cloud of bliss.

Down between his legs, he could feel the sensitive raw passion of his raging cock passing against the tight walls of his fleshy prison. Then, ever so gently, Olly's tongue subconsciously held itself outside his lips as he focused intensely on his feet below, rubbing and pressing his toe down on Eric. Without being able to move his own body, every tiny bit of pressure added along with each rubbing motion forced his lust-filled cock to grind against the flesh of Olly's sweaty toe-gap. The heat became so strong, Eric couldn't tell what sweat was his or his giant master's, not that his mind would be able to focus. The tiny's mind was completely lost, thinking of nothing but the exhilarating feeling pressing and rubbing his tiny form. The thought that gave both Olly and Eric mutual pleasure, was that everything Eric could smell was Olly, everything could see was Olly, everything he could taste was Olly. At that moment, in that place and at that time, his entire world, life and existence revolved around nothing but Olly, and it was that thought which gave the giant a sense of jubilation.

The tiny could no longer hold it in anymore. He was just about ready to explode, as his entire mind was consumed by thoughts of his master. His mind went numb, his body limp, and his fingers and toes clenched fiercely as tight as they could, as he felt the gush of cum shoot straight out of his solid penis. The orgasm and burst of pleasure and pure bliss had made his soul ascend the great heights. He let out a deep sigh as his heart rested, seeing the remains of his load sink into the sweaty crevices of the soft brown flesh in front of him.

As the toe lifted, Eric was flooded with light and fresh air. He just lied there, breathing at a normal pace and staring into the ceiling. 'Did ya finish?' The familiar voice of his master asked. Olly pulled his foot towards himself to look down to where the speck was, wanting to make sure he was left in one piece. Seeing Eric was all right, he lowered his leg and smiled at his foot, knowing in his heart Eric was looking back, probably with an irritated face after exploiting his deep desires. 'I love ya,' Olly said in a childish tone. Eric turned to look away from the giant eyes that stared right back, grunting to himself. Then he whispered in a soft voice to himself, 'I love you too.'