Temptation 12 - A Little Curiosity

Something catches Sandra's eye as she's cashing in her latest haul of jewelry. Suddenly she finds herself in very, very big trouble. 

This is the last chapter for now, the story will be on hiatus for a little while. Leaving on bit of a cliffhanger, but that'll just give me more incentive to continue it next year 

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Temptation 12 – A Little Curiosity 

By Dragonien

Sandra

We were rich. 

Ok, so rich might have been a bit of an exaggeration. It's not like we were going to be hobnobbing on yachts with fortune five hundred CEOs anytime soon but when your monthly income jumps from two digits to three digits it kind of feels like you've won the lottery. Especially when you didn't really have to do anything to get the money in the first place. With Chase's help I'd refined my system to be more efficient as well as reducing the chance that someone would catch on to what I was doing, or at least be able to finger me as doing anything wrong. After all, as far as anyone knew all I was doing was selling gold jewelry. 

the biggest change we'd made was buying gold jewelry to enlarge rather than simply using my own. Admittedly I'd been a bit embarrassed when he pointed out that I had no plan of what to do after my own personal jewelry supply had ran out but that's why I kept him around. I was the idea girl! he was the engineer in our relationship that actually made shit work. The other change had been not going to the same seller or buyer more than once or twice a month. If we kept going to the same cash-for-gold shop over and over and selling thousands of dollars of gold then red flags were going to start popping up. He'd also, as much as he had been clearly reluctant to do so, suggested I start selling in some of the seedier neighborhoods. The biggest difference was, when you knew the right place to go, they didn't ask questions or require ID. They probably thought I had stolen the jewelry but fences typically don't care where their clients get stuff as long as it’s worth the money. It meant I had to take less for each bit of gold, as the fences would pay less for them, but the investment was worth it for the lack of a paper trail. besides, when I could turn a hundred dollars’ worth of gold rings into eight grand with no effort at all, what was spending a thousand of that to keep people off my trail?

I was on my way back from another successful sale, netting myself another twenty thousand, when a sharp clatter of metal on metal caught my attention in a nearby alleyway. Instantly my hand had gone to my pocket where I kept a portable can of pepper-spray. Chase had insisted I have both that, a pocket knife, and a taser on me when I went into the bad neighborhood and, while I felt he was being over-protective, I hadn't felt much desire to resist him that hard on it. nervously I took a step closer towards the alleyway entrance, glancing back and forth trying to see around the various dumpsters and trash cans lining the old brick walls for what could have been the source of the sound. The alleyway was barely wide enough for me to walk through with my arms outstretched and while I wasn't claustrophobic, I had little desire to squeeze my way into the narrow space. I leaned back a bit to try to get an idea of what the buildings to either side were. One was an old, run down Chinese restaurant while the other looked to just be some old, boarded up warehouse. it was still far too early in the morning for the restaurant to be open so I doubted it was someone taking out the trash. Just as I was about to give up and leave, something moved and I nearly fell back on my ass in surprise and fear when one of the trashcans closest to me tipped over and the resulting clang of metal on concrete echoed through the mostly deserted streets. It was a god damn feral cat.

The feline locked eyes with me for a split second before hiking its tail up and prancing off down the street as if I had been the one to bother it with my presence. Forcefully suppressing the instinct to growl and chase the little shit down for startling me, I turned to walk away. Again, though, I was distracted by a noise. This one was much more recognizable as a door opening and closing. A casual glance down the alleyway saw a gray-furred rat in a rumpled pair of blue jeans and hoodie come out of the side door leading to the old, boarded up warehouse. He had his hood up so I couldn't see much of his facial features, I only knew for sure he was a rat from the whip-like pink tail sticking out of the back of his pants. As I started to turn away something caught my eye. As the rat walked his way down the opposite side of the alleyway and disappeared around the corner I saw something moving along the ground. At first, I thought it was just another wild animal or something. I would have dismissed it immediately if it wasn't for the fact that whatever it was looked to be running on two legs instead of four.

 

As I approached, I saw whatever it was seemed to detect my approach. It began to rapidly scurry its way across the ground, trying to get away from me. Unlike most small animals I'd see, though, whatever it was didn't seem to be able to move very fast at all. When I neared the door that the rat had come out of, I finally recognized it for what the little thing was and the realization made my eyes go wide as saucers.

 

It was a tiny little person.

 

"Hey, Wait!" I called out too it. "Stop running!"

It couldn't have been much more than a couple inches tall, hardly larger than an army man. I couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman or what species it was from how small it was and how far away I was. Something furred but with a long tail, probably some kind of cat. When I tried to reach for it, though, it seemed to panic even more than it already was and turned to strike up a dead run away from me.

 

"Damn it, stop! I'm not gonna hurt you!" I called out in exacerbation.

 

Intellectually I knew I must be fucking terrifying to the little thing and I didn't even know if my voice would even be understandable with them being that small but knowing that didn't make it any less frustrating. Apparently, the little thing was desperate not to be caught by me. Rather than risk stopping long enough for me to grab at them, they turned and wove their way between two trash cans. I was forced to shove them out of the way, gracelessly falling down onto all fours to save myself from face planting into the concrete when I slipped and tripped over one. Just as I had collected myself and scanned the area for the little thing again, I spotted them. Just as they fearlessly (Or desperately) jumped feet first in between the narrow grates of a sewer drain.

 

I sat there, staring in horror for several long seconds at the grate the little thing had disappeared through. I could only imagine how terrifying being trapped in the sewers could be at that size. Even if they didn't drown, they could find themselves facing down rats the size of cars or who-knew what else. I couldn't think of what could have possessed them to be so desperate to escape me that they'd risk their life like that! unless, they expected me to do something worse? As my eyes turned back towards the door the rat had come out of my thoughts started to catch up with what was going on. How had that person even been that size in the first place? The only thing that made sense was that there was more than one device floating around. That thought alone made me shudder in fear at what other people might do with such a thing.

 

I could only imagine what a criminal might do if they had access to something like that. They could shrink themselves down and get into any vault or store they wanted and rob it blind. Or... god. What if some egotistical nutcase got ahold of it and decided to see how high the grow setting could go? Where had the little guy even come from, anyway? he couldn't have gotten far at that size, which meant he must have been shrunken around here somewhere. Now, I'm no genius by any stretch of the imagination but even I could figure out that it had to be that rat that had just left. he was the only one that had been around. Maybe he'd shrunk the guy inside the warehouse, and when he'd opened the door to leave the little guy had made a run for it?

Curiosity gnawing at my belly, I decided to do a little snooping. leaning around the corner to ensure the rat was nowhere to be seen, I turned my attention back to the warehouse door. The last thing I wanted to do was get caught by someone that could shrink me to the size of a toy. It was times like this I seriously second-guessed the idea of leaving it hidden away at home instead of taking it out with me. The door was an old, heavy steel monstrosity. Surprisingly, though, it wasn't locked. Taking a deep breath to calm myself I pulled open the door just a crack and peeked inside. Some weird part of me, probably the part that watched too many movies, was slightly disappointed I didn't see something exciting like a serial killer's lair with victims painted on the wall or some weird sex dungeon. the inside was cluttered, but otherwise just a large, open living area from what I could see; complete with couch, chair, tv, and a small kitchenette in the far corner. The only odd thing I did see through the slightly opened door was a pile of plastic bags that looked like they were from a pet store with a large stack of at least a half dozen different hamster cages of various sizes and shapes piled up beside them. That didn't bode well. Taking one quick look around the alley again to ensure I was alone; I pushed the door all the way open and took a step inside.

 

Click.

The moment the door had swung all the way open and I'd taken a step inside I knew I already had fucked up. I didn't even have a moment to register the layout of the rest of the room before a flash of colored light blinded me and I felt myself nearly fall over from an overwhelming surge of nausea and disorientation. When I could finally open my eyes without hurling from vertigo I did so, and immediately wish I hadn't.

"Oh fuck. Oh No. No no no this can't be happening..." I said aloud to myself, ears flattened to the top of my head.

 

I had been shrunk. I was probably about the same size as the person I had tried to chase down outside, maybe four inches tall at the very most. looking up I could immediately see what had happened even as the now gigantic door swung closed behind me with a low whooshing sound. there was a wire attached by a hook to the interior door handle that traveled up along the wall, over some makeshift pulley hanging from the ceiling and right over to where across the room near the ceiling exactly what I feared was hanging. Another size device. The string was tied around the trigger, so when I had swung the door open it had pulled the trigger, intending to shrink down anyone that came inside that didn't know to reach in and unhook the door first. Which meant the person that owned this device was probably not keen on anyone finding out about it. What's worse is that from what I could see, the string attached to the device wasn't the only home security feature this place had. Next to the door frame looked like one of those motion activated censors that would tell you if someone or something was moving around your house. I was sure I was probably too small to set it off now, but damn sure it would have gone off when I'd walked in side.

 

Desperately looking around for a place to hide I spotted the couch across the room. I was too panicked to do any more investigation, the only thing I could think about was trying to get somewhere safe before whatever psycho was shrinking people like this found me. Even at a run at my size it took me a couple of minutes to run across the large, open floor of the loft. By the time I'd reached the couch though I’d calmed down at least enough that a few rational thoughts were getting through. The loudest one being the one calling me an idiot and realizing the couch was the first person anyone would look under! The second being the one that was laughing in that just this side of insane way about how, if I'd been at home doing this exact scenario with Chase it'd probably be one of my ultimate fantasies for years to come. Now, though, it felt like I was in some twisted nightmare.

 

Thinking about Chase suddenly gave me an idea. Quickly, I fumbled through the pockets of my jeans until I found the pocket knife he'd made me carry. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I ducked my way under bottom of the couch which now was easily as tall as my shoulder-height. Just as I got under the couch, is when I started to feel the vibrations. Footsteps.

Scrambling my way back around one of the couch legs, I had the perfect vantage point to peek out and watch the front door. A gray-furred arm reached through the barely opened door, fumbling around for the trip wire's hook. With the trap undone the door swung open all the way and revealed the hoodie-clad rat I'd seen in the alleyway minutes earlier. Upon closing the door behind him he took a moment to sweep his head around and examine his surroundings. I couldn't help but note he was rather obviously looking around the floors rather than at anything around eye level, meaning he knew exactly what he was looking for: Me. When he didn't seem to spot anything of interest right away, he turned his attention back to himself. A soft smile spread across the rat's lips as he pulled his hoodie down off of his head.

"You know..." His voice suddenly rumbled as he spoke aloud to the 'empty' room. "I know you're there."

I felt my blood run cold at his declaration. Out of reflex I pulled myself back behind the leg of the couch I was hiding behind, terrified that he might have seen me. My heart was beating so hard in my chest I felt like it was going to burst out of me like some alien from a movie. Thankfully when I didn't immediately hear footsteps booming their way right towards me, I figured that he was speaking to the room as a whole and didn't actually know specifically where I was. When I peeked out again I saw that he had already taken off his hoodie and was now taking off his socks and shoes. he only continued speaking one he was barefoot.

 

"You should know better than to invade someone's home without permission. Pretty sure that's a crime."

The twisted grin on his face made it abundantly clear he was happier than put out by the situation. Then, he took his first step. The impact vibrated through the floorboards beneath me like a small earthquake. I was startled by the impact enough that, thanks to my off-balance stance peeking around the couch leg, I nearly fell out from under the couch. I caught myself at the last second by digging my claws into the wood of the couch leg and hoisting myself back up but the scratch of claws on wood immediately caught the giant rat's attention. The second step was quicker, more purposefully heading straight in my direction now.

"I could do anything I wanted to you right now."

A footstep.

"You are invading my home, after all. I have to protect myself."

 

Another footstep closer.

"And you know, I've always wanted to say this... Fee"

His foot slammed down closer. I started scrambling for the knife in my pocket

"Fi."

The next impact made me stumble. quickly recovering, I reached up and jammed my knife into the rough linen cloth that covered the bottom of the couch.

"Fo..."

The impact this time did knock me on my ass. In the split second I was down I looked back out from underneath the couch and saw he was only a step away from the piece of furniture. Jesus Christ his foot was huge. It looked nearly the size of a car to me, and I couldn't even imagine how heavy it must have been. Definitely heavy enough to crush me if it landed on me. I quickly jumped back up and went back to cutting.

"Fum."

His last footstep sent me sprawling. It landed so close to the edge of the couch I actually felt a gust of wind blow underneath the furniture from the air his foot displaced with its movements. The loud groan of metal springs compressing filled the air as the rat rested one of his hands on the cushion above, leaning his weight down on it to help him get down onto all fours. terror rapidly building in my chest and urging me on, I finished cutting a hole in the layer of fabric overhead. With a quick hop, I shoved my arms and upper body through the fabric, claws sinking in to the material for purchase and frantically hurried to pull myself up into the inside of the couch itself. Just as my feet pulled up through the tear I felt the building sized piece of furniture shake as the rat's knees hit the floor. The light down below dimmed as his body blocked most of the light coming into the narrow space. I could even see his pink nose twitching near the couch's edge as he got as close as his face would allow to scan the space with an eye. I silently thanked whatever god was up there that he was a rat and not something canine, lest my scent instantly give away my hiding position. Mice had potent senses of eyesight and hearing, but they weren't bloodhounds. At best he might be able to tell SOMETHING had been there, but had no way of tracking me down.

For several long moments I stood there, balanced precariousness on the layer of fabric separating me from the floor, waiting for him to give up his search and move on. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he pulled back and the springs above me expanded back out as the weight atop them left. I could hear and feel the rumbling footsteps of the giant rodent walking back towards the middle of the room though I no longer had a way to watch him. His voice rang out again, more muffled I assumed from him facing the wrong direction now. He was still obviously speaking to me, though, but didn't seem to have as clear of an idea where I might have gone.

"Clever little thing already found a place to hide, didn't you? I'll give you points for not panicking. last few people that wound up in your position were too scared and confused by what happened to them to even think for the first few minutes. Don't worry though. I'll find you. there's nowhere for you to run. Even if you did escape what would you do outside? get eaten by a cat? stepped on by some ignorant passer-by? or just captured by someone else who would treat you as a pet or a toy? Face it. you've already lost. All you're doing is delaying the inevitable."

As his footsteps thundered further and further into the distance, assuredly heading to search his bedroom and bathroom I was finally able to relax slightly. Like a puppet with his strings cut I collapsed onto all fours on the floor of linen beneath me, tears born of an impotent mix of fear and outrage streaming down my cheeks. I only let myself stay that way for a few moments before pushing myself back up to my feet. My eyes still burned and my cheeks were still wet from tears I had yet to entirely dismiss, but I didn't have time to waste feeling sorry for myself anymore. I wasn't just going to sit here waiting for this psycho to find me and do god-knows-what to me. I was going to get back to normal size, kick his ass, and escape.

 

At least that’s what I told myself.