They were making good time. With luck, they'd even have a chance to get checked in at a hotel before they had to meet Anon and Ronnie. They didn't even have to speed, which was good, as Wisconsin state troopers love nothing more than to write tickets to drivers from Minnesota and Illinois.
Teri walked out of the station sipping on a Fresca and fretting. She had no reason to believe that Jake would ever, ever leave her. She knew well how badly Liz had mistreated him, and she believed him when he said he would never go back to her, even if she was alive.
But of course, that was easy to say because she wasn't alive. But if it suddenly turned out she might be, would Jake be so sanguine?
She shook off the feeling. No, he loved her. He wouldn't leave her for anything. It was just jealousy she felt.
"So," said Scott as he reached the van, "I don't take it things were heading in a good direction with Liz."
Jake laughed ruefully. "You could say that," he said. Then, in what seemed like a non-sequitir, he said, "Have either of you ever seen my back? I know you have, Teri."
"I have," said Sarah, blushing slightly.
"Oh...yes, of course. Anyhow, you should see this, Scott." With that, he lifted his shirt about halfway up, revealing a clean scar running the width of his back. It was fading a bit now, but the scar tissue was still clear and evident--as was the pain the injury must've caused.
Scott looked, then gasped as he realized what had caused the injury. "A fingernail?"
"Exactly," said D.X., pulling his shirt back down.
"Liz did that to you?" asked Sarah.
"That," said Jake, "and much, much more."
* * *
I don't know how long I was in the box that first night. It seemed like forever. I'm pretty sure it wan't more than two or three days; I'm almost certain it wasn't any less than half a day. At any rate, suddenly there was a click, and blinding light streamed into my prison. I raised my hand up to shield my eyes, and heard a booming, "GET ON YOUR FEET, ASSHOLE."
I stumbled to my feet, and said, "Liz, I didn't--"
"SILENCE! I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ONE WORD OUT OF YOU. YOU HAVE WRONGED ME DEEPLY, AND YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR ERROR. MORPHEUS."
"But Liz," I tried to plead. I wasn't able to plead, though; I was suddenly without a mouth.
I tried to struggle, but I was unable to.
I was no longer human.
With mammoth fingers, Liz reached down and plucked me from the box, and held me up to her deep green eyes and squinted just a little. Then, without comment, she lowered me to an enormous portal and dropped me into a chamber filled with person-sized white objects. Then, she shook the chamber.
Had I been able to, I would've cried out in pain as the objects crashed against me. I came to rest along the side of the chamber as she tossed the box into her purse, able to read ")IT )AT" backwards through the clear walls.
This couldn't be good.
* * *
The next several hours were torture, waiting for my execution. More than once, Liz poured some of my fellow tic-tacs into her hand and devoured them, or offered them to others. Finally, after a long wait, she poured me out into the hand of a woman I'd never seen before. She wore her blonde hair short and her sparkling blue eyes regarded me and the other two candies in her hand for barely a second before we were popped into her mouth.
I was tossed and turned by an enormous tongue, sucked on and slathered in saliva as the woman went about her business. Had I had any genitalia, I likely would've come from the stimulation--it was surprisingly erotic. But I was abruptly moved by the tongue to her molar.
And then she bit down.
My mind howled in pain as my confection body was crushed into a thousand pieces. Somehow, I mantained consciousness as the pieces of me were moved backwards, and then pulled down her gullet. Then, the pieces started impacting her stomach acid, and I howled again at the pain of the acid, dissolving my body. The world swam as I felt the end drawing near for me....
And then, suddenly, I was back in darkness. For a second, I thought I had died, but I realized that I could move again, that I was human again. And that the chamber I was in once again was Liz' jewelry box.
There was a click, and the lid opened again, and Liz looked down at me once more, a look of fury on her face.
I began to wish I had died.
* * *
The next few weeks are hazy in my mind. I remember getting the fingernail in my back after I tried to escape. I know at one point I was turned into Liz' tampon, and at another I was her deodorant. Much of the time she just beat on my tiny body.
I tried over and over to tell her that I hadn't tried to leave her, that she was mistaken, but that only made the beatings worse.
She was creative, I'll give her that. Once, she put my consciousness into a soccer ball being used at an indoor women's tourney. When she got bored with me being booted around, I became one with a midfielder's sock. When that bored her, she made be a piece of dirt in a goalie's cleat, and when she tired even with that, I found myself 1/16th of an inch tall in the panties of an enormous striker.
And in between episodes like that, I was punished. I was sat on, stepped on, hit and kicked. I was deprived food for days, treated like dirt.
And in between it all, I was back in the box, with nothing and nobody to keep me company save my pain and my own thoughts.
I knew in my heart that this was not Liz that was torturing me. The Liz I had fallen in love with could never hurt me the way the Liz that currently possessed me did. There was something deeper at work here. Whatever gave Liz her powers was driving her mad.
And it seemed I was the focal point of her madness.
I would find out later that The Coed had been active during this time. Eight men disappeared between January and March of 1993. Were they guilty? I don't know. I doubt all of them were.
Certainly, I wasn't.
What drove me craziest, though, were the times that Liz would reappear. There would be a flicker of kindness in her beating, a hint of the love she once felt for me. Some nights she would just take me out and talk to me, and for a few minutes I could almost believe I had imagined the horror my life had become.
But those moments never lasted.
I knew that I would not remain Liz' punching bag forever. Eventually, she would kill me, and I would have the release of death. Indeed, many times I wished that I had been snuffed out by her months ago. When the box opened in early March, I could see that my ending had come. And I was grateful for it.
* * *
"SO, LITTLE ONE" she said, looking down at me. "THIS IS GOODBYE. IN JUST THREE DAYS, I WILL BECOME MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY HUMAN IN HISTORY. I HAVE NO NEED ANYMORE FOR A LYING, CHEATING...MAN."
The last word was delivered with a cold sneer.
"Liz, I didn't cheat on you! I didn't...."
"SILENCE. YOUR GUILT IS EMBEDDED IN YOUR Y CHROMOSOME. YOU WERE GUILTY FROM THE START. NOW, JAKE, YOU WILL DIE."
She raised her hand high, and prepared to drop it on me like a ton of bricks. I closed my eyes, waiting for the blow. The end was coming soon, so soon. I would see my parents again, and my sister.
I was at peace as I felt the wind from her onrushing hand begin to butress me.
And suddenly, the wind stopped.
I opened my eyes, to see Liz' hand a few feet above my head. Suddenly, Liz stumbled backwards, shuddering violently.
"NO...NO...CAN'T..." she murmured. "I...CAN'T...WON'T...NO!" The last word was delivered in a deafening scream.
"Liz?"
She looked at me with a look of shock and surprise on her face. Then, the look was replaced with grim determination.
"LITTLE ONE, ARE YOU OKAY?"
I looked at her blankly. "Y--yes," I stammered.
"THERE ISN'T MUCH TIME. QUICKLY, I HAVE TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING. YOU HAVE TO READ IT AS FAST AS YOU CAN. I HOPE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND IT. JAKE, YOU HAVE TO STOP ME."
"I don't understand," I said, perplexed.
"JAKE, I AM NOT ME. YOU KNOW THAT I COULD NEVER HURT YOU. BUT THE THING I'VE BECOME...."
A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she wiped it away morosely. With that, she pulled a piece of paper from her desk, and unfolded it in front of me. "SPRECHEN SIE DEUTSCH?" she asked.
"Ja," I replied. I had five years of German behind me, and I was already reading the yellowed, handwritten paper as fast as I could. It was all here, all of the spells that Liz had cast over the past half-year. I was trying my best to remember everything I could.
"LITTLE ONE," said Liz. "I CAN FEEL WHAT I'VE BECOME TRYING TO PUSH THROUGH. I'M GOING TO LEAVE NOW. YOU'LL HAVE FIVE, MAYBE TEN MINUTES AT BEST. JAKE, MOST IMPORTANT...YOU HAVE TO GET READY. I HAVE TO BE STOPPED."
"Liz, I don't...."
"SHHH. KILL ME IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT. OR I'LL DO TO OTHERS WHAT I'VE DONE TO YOU. STOP ME. I LOVE YOU, LITTLE ONE. I'M SO, SO SORRY." With that, she bent down, and kissed me, gently.
And she turned, and fast as she could, ran out the door.
"I love you, too," I said to the closing door. And I meant it.
* * *
I raised my hands. "Shrink, 1:36 scale," I said. The massive parchment in front of me dwindled down to the size of a regular 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. I picked it up and folded it, and jammed it into one of Sue's purses, which I'd shrunk into an oversized duffle bag.
I was sorry to steal it from her, but I didn't have time to dawdle. At least seven minutes had passed, and I knew that I was already on borrowed time.
I had tried immediately to restore my size, and immediately found myself pushing against that rubbery wall of a spell cast in earnest by one skilled in GTS. I could feel the bar push against me and move, slightly, but the best I could do was to increase my height by an inch or two--not nearly enough to matter.
Fortunately, other spells were not so restricted. I could shrink almost anyhing, including myself. And I could transport myself short distances within the room. I even thought I might be able to transform myself, though I didn't want to test it on myself until I was sure.
For now, I was on top of Sue's dresser, gathering some items I thought might be useful--an earring (the end would make a nice spear), a piece of gum (which I may need to ward off hunger), and a pair of Sue's panties (because I would need something for warmth. Why else?) I was just about to leave when the door flew open.
"Shrink 1:100 scale" I whispered as the Liz-who-was-not-Liz stormed into the room. My heart was in my throat as the three-and-a-half mile tall beauty strode toward her desk.
I was barely above the microscopic; the world was disjointed and weird. But I could hear Liz swearing, then, saw a streak of red hair exiting the room, no doubt in search of me.
"Grow 100:1 scale" I murmured, and I was back to two inches tall again. My plan would have to change. I couldn't escape the room the way I had planned--by just walking out. Liz would certainly spot me. I would have to try another....
I felt the push at my mind, and suddenly I was parrying the Claris spell. Liz was trying to see through my eyes, I could feel it. "No, damn it," I muttered, before pushing hard and closing off my mind.
It was the first spell I had cast with full emotion behind it, and it worked a little too well. My mind was closed completely; only an adept could get through the parry spell I had cast. (This would later annoy Teri, but I had good cause).
I knew I couldn't just sit around all day waiting for Liz to come back.But I also couldn't just run out pell-mell. I needed a bit of luck.
And then, deus ex machina, Sue Nguyen showed up.
She was wearing a spring coat and carrying a backpack, muttering to herself in Hmong, quickly scanning the room. She checked her watch, and then headed for a duffle bag sitting by her desk.
I didn't know where she was going, and I didn't care. I was in the bag before she even reached it, and as she lifted up the bag, I prayed that I was on my way to freedom.
* * *
The bag swayed as Sue carried it though campus. Most likely we were walking down Observatory Drive; I could hear the occasional car passing, which ruled out the Lakeshore path. I could tell we were walking westbound, away from campus, probably toward the lakeshore dorms.
Was Sue going to her boyfriend's for a little assignation? It was possible, but I found it unlikely. From what light was filtering into the bag, I could see that Sue had packed shorts and a t-shirt and a pair of sneakers--not the kind of clothes one would bring to a men's dorm for changing into after a little kanoodling.
No, more likely she was going to work out. I knew there was an athletic center right at the edge of campus. Undoubtedly she was going there to try to keep her phenomenal figure phenomenal.
And I was going with her.
I tried to grow again. I could get to about eight inches before the resistance of Liz' spell arrested me. I shrank back down again.
If I had patience, I knew I would be able to break the spell completely. But I also knew that I didn't have forever.
I had less than three days.
* * *
We arrived in the women's locker room, and I huddled down in the corner of Sue's bag. I would have to get away from Sue, that was certain. Going back with her would lead me straight back to Liz, and that meant likely death. I found my way to her shoelace, diminished my height to one-fourth of an inch, and grabbed on. I hoped I could find an opportunity to work my way to someone else, and at least be able to find a safe place to crash.
My stomach dropped as Sue grasped her shoe and lifted it into the air. I hoped she would drop the shoe onto the floor to put it on. It would give me the opportunity to run to the shelter of the bench and plot. Sue didn't help me out there, though. She put the shoe on the bench and lifted her tremendous foot up to insert it.
I was on the outside part of her left shoe. I dropped to the bench and sprinted away from Sue. The locker room was pretty empty, fortunately, and I was able to get away while Sue tied her shoelaces and tossed her stuff in the locker.
I waited for an opportunity, and it entered in the form of a sweaty woman with short, dirty blonde hair, wearing bike shorts and a t-shirt. She walked over toward my bench and began disrobing.
She was pretty, but that didn't enter into it. She was a ticket out of here. I walked toward the clothes she had dropped on the bench, and knew as I reached them that I had a chance. As I was tossed with the clothes into her gym bag, I was already plotting how I could regain myself in time to stop Liz.
I didn't even know what she was intending to do.
* * *
The bag was carried unsteadily to the woman's home. I hoped we were in a lakeshore dorm, or somewhere off-campus. I didn't want to find myself back at Liz Waters. Even though I might be in another wing, I didn't want to be in the same building as Liz.
The bag opened, and a pair of hands yanked tennis shoes out of the bag, before the bag was inverted. I fell, surprised, into a heap of clothing that smelled of sweat and female pheremones.
I gritted my teeth, concerned that the basket might be lifted, that tonight might be laundry night. But I soon relaxed. She had just been neat; better to put your gym clothes in the hamper right away than leave them to fester.
I started to plan. I'd wait until the woman (and her roommate, if she had one) went to sleep, and then I'd make my escape--just a transport spell or two. Then, I'd find my way to a quiet corner of whatever dormatory I was in and try to restory my size to something approaching normal.
I also needed to try to find some clothes at some point.
The door to the room opened with a boom, and I heard the woman's roommate enter. They were chatting away about my hostess working out.
"OH, YOU'RE A SWEATY BITCH," said the roommate, jovially. "SO WHERE ARE THE CLOTHES?"
What the heck was this about, I wondered.
"I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, ERICA."
"OH YES YOU DO, JILL. THEY IN THE HAMPER?"
Okay, I wasn't sure at all where this was going, but I wasn't going to take any chances. I quickly reduced my height to 1/8 inch, and tried to figure out what in sam hill was happening.
I timed it well. An enormous face filled my horizon, pretty, with short, jet-black hair and a nose stud in a button nose. She reached down for the item I was on, which I realized quickly was a pair of--Jill's?--panties. The garment and I were lifted to the woman's face, and she breathed in the heady aroma. The air displacement caused me to lose my grip and fall past lush, unpainted lips to the front of a black t-shirt.
"DELICIOUS," said Erica.
"THAT'S DISGUSTING," said Jill.
"YOU KNOW YOU LIKE IT, MY LITTLE LIPSTICK LESBIAN."
With that, Erica came up behind her seated lover and kissed her on the neck.
I was too shocked to do anything. I was in a bad situation. But then again, I was male.
So I stayed put for the moment, and waited to see what happened.
* * *
D.X. sat back in the seat and sighed. "It was really stupid. Really stupid. But pretty fun."
The group was silent, until Sarah piped up.
"Uh, Boss, you going to give details?"
Jake smiled. He loved teasing Sarah. It was so darn easy. "Yeah Sarah. In just a second or two."