Hunger (Patreon)

The crimson drops clashed against Mary's pale skin, leaving a rosy trail as they trickled down. The redhead wished she could scream, but no sound escaped her parted lips. Beneath the ringing tinnitus, Mary could barely hear Jessica, begging her to get up and run. It had all happened so fast.

A few hours ago, Mary, Jessica and Chloe had finally found what they had been desperately looking for over the past few days - food. In comparison with the dust-covered crumbs that had been reduced to scavenge, the berry looked suspiciously pristine. Jessica had refused to approach it at first, fearing it was a trap laid by the giant who lived above them. However, after being reminded that the titaness had left the apartment, the brunette finally touched the misplaced fruit.

The plan was simple - bring the berry back to their hideout and carve meals out of it for as long as it would last. The only problem was its size. At their new stature, moving the fruit would be a slow and hard endeavor. Determined and famished, the trio got on their way, pushing their bounty with difficulty. On their long trek, they would come across the cold fields of the kitchen floor, before crossing the living room's barren laminate. The trio's tiny bodies sweated and ached as the sun gradually lowered on the other side of the towering window they faced.

As the tiny women came in view of their objective, the first warning hit. Breaking the silence, the rattling sound of keys echoed throughout the empty apartment.

"Quick! Get pushing girls! We're almost there..." Chloe panted as her back pressed even harder against the supple skin of the berry. Jessica and Mary halted their efforts, carefully listening for more clues that the owner was on the other side of the door.

"C'mon, help me!" Chloe continued, this time annoyed to be pushing alone.

"Shhh!" Jessica retorted as the jingling sound diminished. Silence ensued. The tiny women looked at each other, unaware they had stopped breathing in anticipation of the familiar sound of the key fitting in the lock.

"It could have been the neighbor, c'mon!" Chloe repeated, desperately wanting to get the berry out of the giant's view before she came home.

"I said shhhh!" Jessica angrily whispered back. The seconds of silence felt like hours as the sound of their tiny pounding hearts resonated in their chests.

The rest happened in a blur. Before they knew it, the door opened and the giant's footsteps rumbled throughout the laminate floor. The shrunken trio trembled as the owner moved about at a speed their brains could barely comprehend.

As Mary watched, frustration quickly overwhelmed her mind again, as it often did since her shrinking episode. A week ago, this woman had been cleaning up after them as they tried mountains of clothes in a trendy apparel shop on Promenade. Now, she had transformed into an unaware god, terrifying them with each step she took. The virus had taken their lives away while she got to live hers. Anger clouded Mary's mind, as tears blurred her vision. She simply wanted food, but she'd have to let that go as well in fear of the titaness accidentally crushing her and her friends.

That's when the booming sound of Lex's shoe and the rumble below her tiny feet grew stronger. Drowned in the noise of the giant's foot steps, Mary swore she had heard a piercing scream. As she wiped her tears away in defeat with the back of her hand, she watched her skin turn red from the blood sprayed across her face. Beside her, what remained of Chloe spread beneath the thick rubber sole.

Above her, Lex looked out the window, her phone in hand, laughing with a friend. She had no idea of the horrors she was inflicting on her impromptu roommates. Though crushing bugs wouldn't keep her up at night even if she knew...

If you catch the shrinking virus and end up in Lex's shadow, run. She doesn't look down. Once you're tiny, you've no chance of ever growing back to normal size, making you a bug like any other in her eyes. It may seem cruel to you, but why should she care about insignificant things when she already has so much on her plate to deal with?

I hope you enjoy this new piece set in Lex's world. Tried some new things here in regards to assets, camera work and scale. I hope it's a success and you feel as tiny as our trio here!