Alex was just waking up that morning when his phone started ringing. He pulled himself up to a sitting position in his bed, reached over to the nightstand, grabbed his glasses, then grabbed his phone.

He checked the caller ID. He sighed.

Liberation movement…of course.

He accepted the call and brought the phone to his ear.

“Tina, it’s too early for this,” Alex said. “Can you get someone else to do the mission you have for me if it’s urgent?”

“Mr. Neyord, I’m not calling about a mission,” Tina said. Her tone was solemn and heavy.

Alex lowered his eyebrows in confusion. “Huh? What’s up?”

“There’s no easy way to say this, but we’ve got confirmation that one of the people you put out a search for is dead.”

Alex’s eyes went wide. He pulled himself to his feet, staring at the wall in disbelief.

“Wh…what?” he said. “But…the only people I put out a search for were…”

“Your friends and family, we’re aware,” Tina said. “We’re sorry for your loss.”

Alex’s heart sank, mouth hanging open slightly from the shock. He took a seat on the bed, feeling the grief already worming its way into his soul.

“Who died?” he asked.

“They didn’t tell me,” Tina said. “All Jonathan said was for me to tell you to meet with him later this morning. He wanted to see if he could help provide you with closure on this.”

Alex took a shaky breath. “…Do you know how they died?”

“Eaten,” Tina said.

Alex had a feeling that was the case. His shaky breath became a restrained cry. He stopped himself from losing composure, keeping it for just long enough to finish the call.

“Thank you,” Alex said. “See you later.”

He hung up. Alex sat there in heavy silence.

He sniffled. And then, he began crying into his hands. At first it was soft, but then it became louder and unrestrained until he was bawling.

He heard footsteps from the foot of the ladder leading to his room. He glanced up just as he saw his dear friend, Maryann, climb up. She was still in pajamas, and her short purple hair was suffering from bedhead.

“Alex!?” she said, gazing at him with concerned eyes from the ladder.

“Maryann…”

“What is it…?” she asked.

Alex scratched the back of his head. With a heavy heart, he told Maryann what had transpired.

Maryann’s eyes shrank in disbelief. “No…”

Alex nodded. “I don’t want to believe it either, but…”

Maryann covered her mouth with one hand. Then, she climbed up into the room and sat next to Alex.

“This is awful…” Maryann said. She hugged herself. “I expected it might happen, but…”

“…Yeah,” Alex said in agreement.

Maryann and Alex just sat for a good few minutes together, feeling the grief welling up in their hearts.

“You hungry?” Alex asked Maryann.

“No,” Maryann said.

“Yeah,” Alex said. “Me neither.”

They sat for another few minutes. Alex finally stood up.

“I think I’ll just go ahead to the liberation movement’s headquarters now,” he said. “I’ll be sure to text you everything.”

“Thanks,” Maryann said. “Please, just…tell me straight who it is. Especially if it’s Eleanor or my parents.”

Alex nodded. “I will.”

Alex walked down to the front door. Maryann followed behind him, hoping to see him off.

On the other side of his front door was the house of a giant, where everything dwarfed the two tinies. Sitting in the kitchen was Danika, the giantess the two were living with, who was eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.

She took notice of the two tinies walking out of their home and gave a smile. “Morning, guys!”

Alex tried to say “good morning” back. But his words escaped him. He just walked closer to her.

Danika took a closer look at him and saw his grim expression. Her smile disappeared. “Alex, what’s wrong?”

Alex gazed up at her. “D-Danika…”

Danika glanced at Maryann as well, noting her similar expression. “You too? What happened?”

Alex tried speaking, but he started crying again.

Maryann replied to the question instead. “We got a call saying someone close to us was eaten.”

Danika’s face fell. She looked at the tinies with a sympathetic gaze. “Oh…oh guys, I’m so sorry.”

She bent over and placed her hand on the floor. Alex wasted no time running over to it, holding her palm as she brought him to her face.

“Alex…is there anything I can do for you?”

“I-I don’t…” He faltered, overwhelmed with his emotions.

Danika pressed the tiny gently into her chest where her heart was. “I hope this helps, at least. I’m here for you.”

Alex let out a loud sob, audible even to Maryann who was all the way on the floor. Danika’s attention turned to her.

“Do you need a hug too, Maryann?” Danika asked.

Maryann looked to the floor and clasped her hands, shaking. “I’m…good. I-I just want to see Alex off…”

Danika nodded. “Okay, but the offer’s always available.”

Maryann nodded, not looking up.

Alex looked up from Danika’s chest. “Th-Thanks.” He sniffed.

“Do you need me to let you down now?” Danika asked, still pressing him gently to her heart.

“Every part of me wants to say no,” Alex admitted. “I want to stay here for a while, but…I need to get going. They said someone wanted to meet with me to give me closure.”

Danika drew Alex away from her chest and brought him toward her face. “Okay,” she said. “But please let me know if there’s anything I can do to support you through this. Even if it’s just talking.”

Alex nodded. “I will.”

“Good.”

Danika planted a kiss on his head. Alex kissed her upper lip back. Alex felt joy in his aching heart, something he felt he needed to get him through this day.

The giantess then set him down gently on the floor. Alex walked out of her palm and approached Maryann.

“I’ll text you everything the moment I can.”

Maryann nodded, still looking at the floor. “Please.”

The two gave each other a hug, one that lasted nearly a minute, trying to find comfort in the other. Maryann sniffed, while Alex tried to get his composure back.

“Okay,” Alex said, breaking away. “See you both later. I’ll be back.”

Alex arrived at the liberation movement’s headquarters in Smarheim, an underground town filled with liberated tinies. He stood in front of the skyscraper at the far end of the town. He steeled his nerves and went inside.

He approached the reception desk directly across from the door. “Heya, Tina.”

Tina, an older tiny with braided white hair, looked up to him. “You’ve arrived already? I assumed you’d need time to take in the news.”

“I just want to know who died,” he said. “You said that Jonathan said he’d provide me closure. I want it as soon as possible.”

Tina nodded. “You take a seat. I’ll let him know you’re here.”

Alex turned to a nearby seat in the corner, lost in thought.

He thought about everyone he put out a search for. Deep in his heart, he knew it wasn’t realistic to save them all. But he wanted to. He really, really wanted to.

And now one was lost. A more horrifying thought hit him. What if more than one of them had died? One person was already too much, but two people? Alex could feel his heart ready to burst already.

I’m so sorry… Alex thought.

The few minutes he was sitting felt like hours to him. Anxiety and grief rose in his heart and only continued to build as the time ticked by. Not knowing was killing him. But at the same time, did he really want to know?

Then, Tina called for him.

“Jonathan will see you now,” she said. “Twentieth floor. Search Party division, room 5C.”

Alex muttered a quick thank you before he ran to the elevator at the very back of the lobby. He nearly knocked someone over, but he didn’t even notice. He then quickly hit the button, impatiently tapping his foot while he waited for the door to close.

At that moment as the elevator ascended the skyscraper, Alex felt his anxiety leave him all at once, replaced by an even heavier grief. Everything seemed to slow down. His limbs felt heavy.

He glanced behind him. The elevator had a see-through glass wall, letting the occupants see a view of Smarheim as they ascended.

Alex and Danika had saved many people over the course of them being together. He felt one hundred was about a rough estimate. One hundred people, now living safe and sound in the town below.

Yet just one of his friends and family meant so much more to him than those one hundred others. He was glad he was able to rescue so many people. Yet, the grief of losing those he cared about outweighed the knowledge that he was making a positive difference in the world. He felt guilty feeling that way, yet he couldn’t deny that his mind was only on the loss of his loved one. In the face of so many rescues, that loss was enough to shake him.

The elevator suddenly opened behind him. He’d arrived at his floor.

Alex moved slowly through the building, walking past professional rescuers or administrators who were doing their damndest to help as many people as they could. He wondered if they had experienced loss like he did.

Of course they have, he thought. That’s why everyone’s here.

He guessed that meant such loss was common. He wasn’t special in that regard, he knew that. But despite that, it was a pain he would always remember.

He reached Jonathan’s door. He hesitated a moment, then knocked on it.

“It’s open.”

Alex walked in. In front of him was a large, oval-shaped table with several chairs around it. On the far-right hand side sat Jonathan, an aged man with graying hair and a business suit. He turned his gaze toward Alex.

“Good to see you, Alex,” Jonathan said. “Can I call you Alex?”

Alex walked in and took a seat across from Jonathan. “Yeah, sure…I’m just here to get this over with. I wanna know who died, and…” Alex restrained himself to avoid crying. “I…wanna know how I can honor their memory and get closure.”

Jonathan nodded. “I understand, Alex,” he said. “Let me go fetch the dossier on it.”

He got up from his seat and walked over to a filing cabinet in the corner of the room. Alex tapped his foot anxiously.

“I’ve been in your shoes, y’know,” Jonathan said. “It’s part of why I’m here. I’m sure it’s why you took up rescuing, despite not officially being part of our group. It hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah…?” Alex said.

“You’re a skilled freelance rescuer, Alex,” Jonathan said. “We could use someone like you working officially for us.”

“I really don’t want to,” Alex said.

Jonathan shook his head. “You say that now. But there’s a lot of people out there who have lost loved ones, not knowing if they’re alive or not, feeling exactly how you’re feeling at this very moment. Crying shame it is.”

“Are you seriously trying to sell me a job right now, of all times?” Alex tried keeping his tone even, but he was disgusted that Jonathan was pulling that sort of tactic on him.

“I’m not selling you anything,” Jonathan said. “I’m just saying there’s a lot of people who relate to you, is all. That fear of not knowing can really drive a man to despair, can’t it?”

Alex lowered his eyebrows. Did he purposely not tell me anything earlier to try and take advantage of how I feel?

Alex held his tongue. “It can.”

“Well, our job here in the Search Party Division is to prevent that from happening to anyone,” Jonathan said. “You could really make a difference, you know.”

“I told you before,” Alex said, “I work best as a freelancer.”

Jonathan glanced back at him. Alex’s heart leapt when he saw a folder in his hands.

“I understand what you’re saying,” Jonathan said. “But our resources are spread thin, and as a result, we can’t always save everyone.” He slid the file across the desk to Alex. “And sadly, this is one such case. I’m truly sorry. If we had more, we could’ve prevented this.”

Alex gazed at the folder in front of him. A cold anxiety gripped his body. The moment of truth lay before him.

He swallowed and shakily grabbed it. He steeled himself for what he was about to see. He took a breath.

Everything Alex felt reached a boiling point. His grief, his anxiety, and his sorrow rose to their zenith in his heart…

…and then they all immediately fizzled out when he opened the dossier, replaced with all consuming befuddlement.

Huh?

Jonathan nodded solemnly. “I’m dearly sorry, Alex. I know she meant a lot to you. But we have our limits. And well, she was beyond them.”

Alex had no idea what to say. He simply read over the dossier, completely confused.

Name: Maryann Frayya

Age: 24

Status: Deceased

Cause of Death: Digestion

Date of death: 7/25/2563

Born and raised in the town of Aldgard, Maryann Frayya was an aspiring scientist who was working toward her degree in biology at Aldgard University. An erudite student, Frayya received several scholarships from many reputable institutions, but chose to remain in her hometown for her friends, family and her romantic partner: the rising star athlete, Eleanor Udr.

She was among the many who were captured and sold following Aldgard’s destruction on 3/13/2563. Her life came to an unfortunate end when she was eaten by Danika Sckadee at a dinner party hosted by Derrick Loakie. The two other guests that attended were Amy Boda and Uther Haloky.

“No no,” Alex said, shaking his head. “This is a mistake-“

Jonathan nodded sadly. “There is no mistake, Alex,” he said. “I’m afraid your friend, Maryann, is gone. She’s been dead for nearly a month now, by our estimates. We’re truly sorry it took so long to confirm this. We’ve had an influx of these sorts of reports that we needed to sort out, and we’re finally caught up.”

“No, I mean this is literally a mistake-“

“I know it’s hard to accept,” Jonathan said. “And I know Maryann could probably survive a lot. But sadly, our findings show she got eaten. It’s a shame too. She was nearly rescued. Just pure tragedy all around.”

Alex blinked. “I don’t think you understand-“

“Alex,” Jonathan said. “Please, stop. You’re only making it harder for yourself to accept what happened.”

“But she’s alive!”

Jonathan’s expression soured. “Alex, you need to get a grip. You can’t change what happened. Reality is not something you can argue with.”

“You’re not listening to-“

“You’re the one not listening!” Jonathan said.

The man sighed. “I didn’t want to have to do this. But you left me no choice.”

He procured a remote that had been sitting in the adjacent chair. He pressed a button, and a big TV screen began to slide down from the ceiling. Jonathan hit another button, turning off all the lights in the office.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked.

“Showing you what happened to her.”

Jonathan hit another button, and the screen turned on.

What Alex was watching from the point of view of someone climbing a rope, up to an open window.

“What’s this?” Alex asked.

“One of the former captives at the party told the driver that someone went back in,” Jonathan said. “Apparently, the rescuer had already left by that point, so they sent in a few of their own to see if they could extract the last captive. And…well. You’ll see.”

Alex returned to the video. The person taking it eventually made it inside.

“O-okay, I’m in,” the tiny taking the video said. “I-I don’t get why I’m being forced to record this, but this is where I last saw her, and-“

“What’s going on in here!?” came a male voice.

“Shit!” The person taking the video whispered. They turned to their right and hid behind one of the curtains, turning the camera toward the front door.

Standing there in the video was Danika, holding Maryann in her fist—the same Danika and Maryann that Alex had cried with earlier that morning. Nearby was a giant with short blond hair and a beard, Derrick Loakie.

“Oh fuck!” the tiny taking the video whispered.

“I just found that little upstart’s partner in all this!” Danika said to Derrick in the video. She spoke with gloating triumph, completely unlike her usual self. Alex knew it was just an act to fool other giants, but it also had the unfortunate side effect of fooling unsuspecting tinies as well.

The camera zoomed in on the frightened looking Maryann in the video. She said something, seemingly pleading with the giants, but was too far away for the recording to pick up her voice.

“You, zip it!” Derrick said. “You and your friend caused a lot of trouble tonight!”

Danika muttered something under her breath that the recording didn’t pick up.

“This is sooooo fucked up,” the tiny holding the camera said shakily, talking over Danika and Derrick calling to their friends in the other room.

Maryann turned a horrified gaze to Danika, who simply smiled at her.

“Alright, in you go!” Danika said to the scared tiny.

The recording picked up Maryann screaming “NO” as Danika brought her to her mouth. The giantess briefly paused for a moment, before then shoving the screaming tiny into her mouth.

“Oh shit, oh shit!” the tiny holding the camera said fearfully.

There was movement from inside the mouth, likely Danika’s tongue as it tried to bring Maryann to her throat. Maryann was screaming in fear within it, even pleading for the giantess to spare her life.

Alex was grimacing, mainly because it was hard watching his best friend like that. She had no way of knowing at the time that Danika’s stomach was dysfunctional, rendering it harmless to tinies and solid foods. If Alex hadn’t been so reckless on that mission, this wouldn’t have happened.

Jonathan, however, was taking a wholly different meaning from Alex’s expression. He glanced at him, and took his look to mean it had finally sunk in.

The giantess finally swallowed Maryann, whole and alive. A tiny sized lump struggled as it slid down her throat, which disappeared into her body, toward her awaiting stomach.

“Oh fuck!” the tiny holding the camera said. “I ain’t doing this!”

The camera began shaking as the tiny scrambled to get back down out the window.

“I think you’ve seen enough,” Jonathan said.

He pressed the button, stopping the video. The lights came back on.

The video was meant to horrify him, to tell him without a doubt that his friend was dead. Alex, however, had other thoughts in his mind.

Thank gods…it was just a misunderstanding…

Jonathan looked back at Alex. “As you can see, Maryann was erroneously mistaken to be the rescuer’s partner. So, the giantess there saw fit to give her the worst possible death imaginable. Do you get it now? If somehow you still insist that your friend is alive despite the proof, I may need to call psychiatric services to get you an evaluation.”

Alex blinked. That was very clearly a threat, rather than a concern for his mental state. He had no doubt Jonathan believed Maryann was dead. But Alex picked up on his game.

He was disgusted beyond measure. But the relief that no one had died kept him in check. If he didn’t want to be detained, he needed to play along.

“I…I can’t believe this happened,” Alex said. “I thought Maryann would be around for so much longer.”

Jonathan’s look went back to being solemn. “I’m sorry, kiddo. You’re taking this much worse than I expected. I never thought you would try to deny it or be so shocked that you can’t even emote.”

“W-well, you know,” Alex said. “It’s just…so, so shocking. I’m just…just too stunned to comprehend it, even now. I wish I could’ve done something.”

Jonathan nodded. “Would that I could help comfort you in this trying time. I would offer a chance for revenge against this Danika Sckadee for what she did to you, but our own resources aren’t nearly enough to take on a cruel giantess of her caliber. She would make far too many of our men into her dinner.”

It felt so wrong to say something horrible about Danika, but Alex had no choice. “Such a shame, but it would be suicide to risk people against a tiny-eating glutton like her.”

Jonathan nodded. “We’re doing our best, since she has been a rising threat over the past few months. Word has it that she’s already eaten nearly one hundred twenty of our own. It’s horrific.”

Alex nodded, hiding his distaste of Jonathan’s comments toward someone who had saved one hundred twenty tinies—and that had been without Alex.

“I’m sure you know by now that I didn’t just call you here to break the news of your friend’s death,” Jonathan said.

“Pardon my language, but no shit,” Alex said, surprised Jonathan was admitting to it.

Jonathan nodded. “Well, truth be told, we also have some good news, it’s truly heartbreaking in light of all this. You see, we found Ms. Frayya’s parents just a few days ago.”

Alex’s eyes lit up. “Maryann’s parents? Both of them? They’re alive!?”

Jonathan nodded and smiled. “Alive, and right as rain! But we haven’t been able to relocate them here yet due to issues with the teleporter. They’re currently in a tiny shelter located in Jotunheim City’s northern district. We still don’t have info on the other people you put out a search for, sadly. Just Ms. Frayya and her parents.”

Alex had to pause for a moment. He looked down at the table briefly, and let a smile overtake him just for a moment, before he had to water it down to avoid making Jonathan suspicious.

“Where are they? Can I see them?” Alex asked.

“You could, if the teleporter that led to the northern district wasn’t being a useless piece of trash,” Jonathan said. “Afraid it’ll be a while before it can be fixed.”

“Ah,” Alex said, nodding. “I see.”

“I know what you wanna do,” Jonathan said. “But rest assured, I wouldn’t wanna put you through that. I already sent a guy ahead.”

Alex furrowed his brow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean I already sent someone ahead early this morning to inform them of their daughter’s death,” he said. “They should reach them by this evening.”

“Wh-what?” Alex leaned forward.

“I know,” Jonathan said. “It’s depressing business. I thought I’d spare you that pain of telling your best friend’s family that Ms. Frayya is gone. Fear not, I instructed the guy we sent to tell them she didn’t suffer…even though she probably suffered unimaginable pain and agony for several uninterrupted minutes at minimum after being swallowed like that, but I couldn’t tell that to old folks like them, you know?”

“But do you think they can handle the news?” Alex asked. “They’ve got weak hearts, and they’ve been through so much already. Don’t you think after all this, this news could…you know…make things worse?”

“If you’re expressing concern that such a revelation would negatively impact their health,” Jonathan said, “we’re aware of that risk. But we cannot just simply keep false hope alive for them either. That would be cruel. It’s better we tell them. We will keep an eye on them if anything happens.”

Alex wanted to argue with that, to tell him to call back his messenger because Maryann was alive. However, Jonathan made it very clear what he would do should he step out of line again.

Alex simply nodded. “I…see. Thank you for your time. I need to get going.”

“Go on, take all the time you need to cope,” Jonathan said. “I am truly sorry for your loss. I could sign you up for our group therapy session.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Alex said.

“That’s what they all say,” Jonathan said.

Alex simply left the room. He hurried back toward the elevator he’d come from. He pressed the button for the lobby several times until the door closed.

Shit! Alex thought. I can’t let that messenger get to Maryann’s parents!

Alex was about to bolt out of the elevator when it arrived in the lobby. He’d taken only a few steps when he paused, realizing the problem.

Where’s that shelter located to begin with?

Alex pulled out his phone and looked it up. However, nothing relating to tiny shelters appeared.

Of course, that info wouldn’t be readily available, Alex thought. It would be easier for giants to snuff it out. But the information needs to be here somewhere.

But the messenger already left! It could take hours before I come across the right information. I wouldn’t be able to catch up in time.

Alex had an idea.

I might not be able to catch up, but…

He hated to involve them further in something that was his own fault. But he had no choice.

Texting would take too long. Alex ran to the bathroom for privacy, then started a call.

Maryann had gone back to bed, still in her pajamas from that morning. She laid there with a heavy heart, curled up underneath her blankets. She was awake, staring at the wall of Alex’s guest room, her mind both racing and completely devoid of thought.

Her eyes were puffy from crying. She’d cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. She didn’t know who died yet, but the waiting was killing her. Her anxiety seemed to rise with each passing hour.

Suddenly, her phone began to ring.

Maryann reached for it. Alex was calling. Her heart leapt with fear.

It’s time…

She accepted the call.

“Alex, please tell me! I can’t take this anymore!” Maryann cried.

“Maryann, get Danika,” Alex said on the other end in an urgent voice. “It’s a matter of life and death!”

“Huh?”

“Please! I’ll explain everything!”

“O-okay.”

Maryann flung her covers off and hurried out of Alex’s place. Danika was laying down on her couch, watching TV, somewhat affected by the sadness and grief that the two tinies were going through.

She glanced down at Maryann, seeing the phone pressed to her ear.

“Hey, Maryann,” she said. “That Alex?”

“It is,” she said. “Okay Alex, I’m with her.”

“Put me on speaker,” he said.

Maryann pressed the button. “Okay. You’re on speaker.”

“Alex?” Danika said.

“We’ve got a big problem that I need both of you to help me with,” he said.

“A problem?” Danika asked.

“What’s going on?” Maryann asked. “And please, Alex, tell me who died already!”

“No one did,” Alex said. “It was a huge misunderstanding that might have dire consequences.”

Danika sat up. Maryann paused for a moment, relieved by the news that it was just a misunderstanding, then spoke again.

“All right, what’s up?”

Alex explained everything. Maryann gasped.

“My mom and dad…” she said. “Alex, we need to stop that message! I don’t want them to think I’m dead! That extra stress and heartbreak might really hurt them!”

“I know, I know,” Alex said. “That’s why I’m calling you.”

“You want me to drive Maryann to the northern district of the city before the messenger gets there, am I right?” Danika deduced.

“Exactly,” Alex said. “The messenger won’t arrive until the evening. Thankfully, you’ll likely reach them first in your giant car. I’ll stay here and try to get the coordinates while you both get a head start.”

“O-okay!” Maryann said. “Please text us as soon as you find it!”

“I will,” Alex said. “And…I’m really, really sorry.”

“Hm?” Maryann asked.

“None of this would be happening if I had been smarter on that mission where I rescued you,” Alex said. “And told you from the beginning that Danika was on our side.”

“Alex, no!” Maryann said, shaking her head. “I made the decision to go back in the first place! This is my fault!”

“Maryann, with all due respect, I also chose to eat you,” Danika said. “That footage wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for me. Not to mention the only reason you went back is because you saw me eat Alex.”

“And the only reason you needed to eat me was because I was being recklessly stupid,” Alex said.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t change the choices we both made either!” Maryann said.

There was a pause from all three people as the consequences of their own actions sunk in. A moment of contemplation followed.

“Look, maybe we’re all responsible, I don’t know,” Alex said. “We can talk about it later, but for now we need to focus.”

“Agreed,” Maryann and Danika said.

“Alright!” Alex said. “I’ll start looking on my end. You both get going!”

“Keep us updated!” Maryann said.

“I will!”

Alex hung up.

Maryann looked up to Danika. “When are we going?”

“I suggest you get dressed first,” Danika said. “I need to grab a few things, then I’ll be ready. Meet me at Alex’s front door and I’ll take you to my car.”

“Okay!”

The two left to get ready.