Aftermath (Patreon)

Aftermath.

Carien walked down the streets, her hands in her pockets. She hadn’t been to work in a week. Ashely had told her that she could take all the time that she needed, but still, Carien couldn’t bring herself to talk to her, or well, anyone for that matter. She had spent the last few days curled up on her couch, wishing for what felt like a nightmare to just end. Hoping for Sarah to come home.

But as she watched the news reports, she knew that would never happen. She watched men and women she didn’t know talk about how giant women had taken a town in the upper peninsula of Michigan. How they had captured a giantess and were now interrogating them for information. Some of the people on the screen said that the arrested woman deserved what she got, while others said that this went too far, pulling a lady off the streets in broad daylight. Over and over again, she watched the augments as tears dipped down her cheeks. She knew it made her feel worse, but it was her only source of comfort, as sad as it was. Her only connection to Sarah.

After an entire week had passed, the food had run out in her house. She knew that Ashley wouldn’t help. As much as her boss was willing to be there, Carien knew that Ashely wouldn’t approve of her self-destructive actions. Ashely just wasn’t like that. So Carien grabbed some loose cash and walked out the door. She didn’t even bother to lock the door as what was the point?

As she walked down the streets, the chilly fall air nipping at her exposed arms, she once again thought about Sarah. What could she have done to stop them taking her away? She should have noticed something was off. There were just too many people interested in their wedding. It wasn’t right. Carien kicked a nearby pebble in frustration.  “I should have done something!”

“Hey, watch it.”

She looked up, realizing she had just shot the pebble at a young man who was pulling at his jacket as he shivered against the cold wind. “I am sorry.” She snorted as she walked past. “It won’t happen again.” She said coldly.

“Wait. Aren’t you Carien?”

She narrowed her eyes as she looked down at the pavement and the glistening snow covering it. “No. I think you have me mistaken for someone else.”

He walked up to her. “Yes. You must be. Carien Livingston. I am so sorry I missed your wedding.” He laughed as he put his hand behind his head. “It must have been something magical. You know my wife, she—”

Carien whorled on the man, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket. “Magical?

You think it was magical?” He shrank away from her bloodshot eyes. “It was the worst day of my life! A part of me was lost that day. Ripped out, forever taken. Do you have any idea what that is like? DO YOU!”

“Please. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

She blinked her eyes before dropping him to the ground. “Just go.” He looked up at her in confusion. “I said GO!”

The young man didn’t wait to be told twice, dashing down the street and out of sight. Carien had no idea who he was, and she was sure she would never get the chance again. But she didn’t care. She meant what she said. There was a hole in her heart that couldn’t be filled. She put her hands into her pockets and continued her trek through the town.

“How alien this place seems without her.”  She sighed as she walked up to the mall where she had worked before working up the courage to quit.  “I would have jumped town a long time ago if it wasn’t for Sarah. Now. . .”

She entered the mall, not bothering to look at anyone as she entered. There were a lot of people here who recognized her, but she couldn’t bear to talk to them. She quickly made her way into one of the many stores and bought what she needed. As she waited for the young lady to scan her food, she couldn’t help but feel like none of this mattered anymore. What was she even doing here? The entire reason for her being here was gone.  “Am I . . . what am I doing?”  She stared at the young lady singing happily as she worked.  “I. . .”

Carien paid the woman without so much as a word. She walked home, the sky above a grey cloudy mess. Her thoughts were troubled. She couldn’t help but shake the feeling that she was an outsider in this town. An outsider with nowhere to go. As she stumbled into her house, the light flickering on and off, the feeling really set in.  “This is my life now, isn’t it?”  She closed the door behind her and set the groceries on the counter.

Carien had always done her best to remind Sarah that she wasn’t alone, that Sarah deserved a chance to live. Well, in all honestly, it was the other way around.

Carien had spent most of her life wondering if she even deserved to be around other people. After her family dishonored her, she bounced around from town to town, cutting herself off from everyone and herself. As she sat down on the couch, she remembered those early days, feeling it was her lot in life to be alone. To watch other people from a distance and move on the moment things got tough.

Most people thought it odd the way she had acted around Sarah at first, but Sarah had been Carien’s first real friend. Most people didn’t even give Carien a second glance.

She picked up a picture of Sarah and remembered how Sarah took the blame for her coming in late to work one day when they still worked together for Gregory. Before that, no one had even cared what had happened to her.

Now, though, the one person who had cared so much for Carien was gone, and it was her fault. Because she wasn’t strong enough. Because she hadn’t been careful enough. Carien threw the picture to the side, sick of its sight and how it reminded her of how much of a failure she was. Of how she had failed the woman she loved. She lay down on the floor and closed her eyes. Tears didn’t come; they hadn’t come in a few days, but she cried all the same.

***

Sarah sat alone in the darkness with only her thoughts to keep her company. She had no idea where she was, only that she was in a prison of some kind. She hadn’t seen anyone since she arrived. Her only form of human contact was when they shoved their sorry excuses of food into their room, hitting her foot or knee in the process. Or when they banged on her cell wall, letting her know that the door was open, and she could fumble about in the darkness to either get some exercise or find the shower.

Otherwise, she was completely alone. Cut off from the world. She had no idea how long she had been there, how long it had been since the wedding, or even if she was still alive. For all she knew, this could be some kind of living hell.

Carien was always the center of her thoughts. At first, Sarah had thought about how to escape to see her wife again. She didn’t care that the wedding had been interrupted. Carien was now her wife, end of story. But as time passed, Sarah realized that there was no way she was going to escape. She couldn’t even tell where the door was. No light entered her cell, not even when food was thrust in. They seemed to retrieve the trays when she fell asleep.

After the thoughts of escape slipped out of her mind, she then thought about how Carien was doing. Carien had always been the strong one of the two of them. Surely, she would be trying her best to think of a way through this situation. If anything, it is better that Sarah is the one locked up, not Carien. Sarah wouldn’t know what to do if she was on the outside and had to figure out how to get Carien out of jail. That thought made her laugh coldly for a moment. She realized if she couldn’t laugh at her situation, she would go insane.  “Anything I can do to be somewhat happy. Somewhat contempt.”

Still, as time passed, it became harder and harder for her to keep happy thoughts. She soon began to play the wedding out over and over again in her mind. The thought of how she had almost crushed Carien in her hand terrified her.  “Maybe I shouldn’t be Carien’s wife. What if I do something like that again? What if I hurt her?”  The thought burrowed into her mind. The rational part of her brain that would have said she was crazy for thinking that way was long gone, taken by the perpetual darkness.

“I mean, look at me. Carien is a normal-sized woman, and I am a giantess. We can’t make this work. I. . . I could so easily. . .”  Sarah closed her eyes.  “I should be happy.”  Tears formed in the corners of her eyes.  “I should be happy that I have this as a wake-up call. Most people don’t get that.”

She slumped down in the corner of her cell, burring her head into her lap.  “I love her so much. But maybe it would be better if I. . .”

***

Ashely opened the door to Carien’s house. “Carien!” She looked around the darkened home. “Carien! You haven’t answered my calls for three days. I know that I said I would let you be, but. . .” She walked into the next room and gasped. “Carien!”

She rushed up to Carien, who was lying on the ground. “Are you ok? Speak to me!”

“Uhhh.” She slowly stirred.

Ashely put her hand on her chest. “Oh darling, you have me a fright.” She crossed her legs and sat on the ground.

Carien looked at Ashely with a dark glare. “What are you doing here? I am not coming into work.”

“Honey.” Ashely rubbed Carien’s shoulder. “I don’t—”

“If you are going to try and inflate my breasts for your pleasure, then fuck off!”

Ashely narrowed her eyes. “Carien.”

“Because really. That is all you do. When I mess up, you just make my boobs or butt bigger.” She threw her arms about. “All so you can throw some money at me. And—”

Ashely put her hand on Carien. “I know you are hurting more than anything I can imagine. But I want you to know I care.” She sighed as she looked at the ground.

“Yes, I do get a little taken away in my pleasures. But I respect you. I always have. It is why I stood up to you when my ex-husband tried to take advantage of you. That is why I didn’t ask when you needed time for this. It is why I am here now.”

Carien turned to face Ashely. “But why do you even care? Huh?”

Ashely took a deep breath. “I care because. . .” She sighed.

“Well, isn’t that a tricky question?” She smiled. “Truth be told when you first came to me, it was the normal business arrangement. You were to be my new maid and nothing more. But as time passed, I came to really like you. I see you as. . . it’s stupid.” She shook her head. “As someone I could possibly be friends with.” She crossed her arms and looked at the ceiling. “It is why we do so much. Normally, I would just have you clean the house or something. But I just. . . like having someone to talk to at the end of the day, and Dex is boring.” Ashely smiled. “Even if I couldn’t outright tell you. I was never one to do so. I always was the one to have such a commanding presence. Though I think in the end that is what drove everyone away.”

Ashely watched Carien look at the ground and ponder what she had just said. “Oh.”

“I need you to promise me something.” Ashely took Carien’s hand. “I need you to promise me that you will come to me if you need anything.”

“Of course. Of course.”

Ashely shook her head. “I am not saying this just to say it. I want you to promise me.” She looked deeply into Carien’s eyes. “I want to know that I can be there for you in this moment. That you are not going to shut me out!”

“I. . .”

“Because I don’t want to lose you too!” Tears formed in Ashely’s eyes. “I care for you, ok! Do you want me to say it! I do! I don’t want to see you hurt!” She looked at the ground. “It tears at me seeing you like this. I may not love you the way Sarah does, but you are still. . . please, Carien, let me help you!” She buried her head into Carien’s lap as the tears poured out. “Please!”

Ashely felt the gentle touch of Carien’s fingers on the back of her head. “It’s ok.

You shouldn’t be the one of us to cry.” She lifted Ashely’s face. “I... I just didn’t think anyone else even cared besides Sarah.”

Ashely narrowed her eyes. “That is horse shit. If no one else, I care. I want you to realize that right now Carien. And if I have to, I will spend as long as it takes here with you until this spell passes and you feel up to helping Sarah.” Carien gasped as Ashely grabbed a blanket off the nearby couch and laid down next to her. “I am not going anywhere. Do you hear me?”

Carien smiled. “Ok.” She pulled Ashely in close. “Thank you.”

“No problem, darling. Remember. You are not alone.”