(( wonderful artwork commissioned from @lotminx​! Check them out, they have a lot of great artwork! ))

“Hello?” came the voice again, softer, but closer to Sam’s hiding spot.

Sam tried to silence his footsteps, slowly distancing himself from where the voice was coming from. Maybe the human would think he’d imagined it… 

His train of thought was cut off when something massive slammed into him from behind. The human must have reached around the nightstand while he was lost in his thoughts! Not to mention that he’d heard the human on the other side seconds before… Smart, very smart… that way I wouldn’t see him coming.

His satchel and the items inside dug into his back, compressed into him by fingers as long as his entire body was tall as they clenched shut around him, and far more powerful than he could ever hope to be. A wave of helplessness and fear hit Sam the moment he felt the sheer power in the fingers closed around him… this was far worse than his last close call. He had only been spotted that time, by a kid no one believed, thankfully.

Sam gasped in pain as the pressure increased, writhing to try and free his arms before the human could see what he’d caught. The wrist he’d injured falling was twisted even further in the overpowering grasp, shoved harshly against his ribs. He’d already failed one of the first and most important lessons his adopted father had taught him growing up: Never let a human get their hands on you. Once they did, it was almost impossible to escape, simply because of the sheer size difference. And this human was huge, making Sam’s chances of escape plummet even further. If only he could get his knife out, he might at least have a fighting chance to escape… Sam wriggled desperately.

And then it was too late.

The grip solidified around him and he was yanked backwards, out from behind the nightstand and into open air. Blinking as the bright, unfiltered light of the room hit him, Sam realized his eyes had yet to adjust to the new light. A huge voice echoed around him, deeper than he thought possible.

“Son of a bitch… what the hell are you?”

Still struggling to free either of his arms, Sam finally brought his eyes into focus in the light. A set of huge green eyes was bare inches away, sharp, dangerous eyes that could almost see right through him.

Sam tried to jerk away with a shocked gasp at how close he was, but the powerful fist kept him effortlessly in place. The human was crouched on the floor, one hand resting on the ground clutching the handgun, the other hand propped up on an elbow, wrapped mercilessly around Sam.

Sam was only suspended a few inches in the air at most. The floor wasn’t far beneath his trapped feet. At least he’d survive if he managed to get out of the grip of the fingers from this height. He still held out some hope of escape. His entire line of sight was taken up by the human… the man was so big it was unreal, like staring up at a living wall.

Since being cursed, Sam had never been this close to a human to fully appreciate how much height he’d lost and exactly how small he really was in comparison. Complete avoidance was the best way to survive in this world when you’re so small. His heart dropped at the knowledge that his life was out of his own hands… and literally in the hands of an unknown human.

Sam took in the shock on the human’s face briefly. Not many humans had ever seen people as small as Sam, and it didn’t seem like this guy was any exception. Truthfully, Sam’s face probably had the same shock painted all over it. He’d never gotten caught like this… completely helpless and with no way out, no hope of escape. The biggest problem he’d run into before today was being spotted from afar. He’d gotten out of that room long before the kid was able to convince anyone of what he’d seen and had stayed away from that room until long after they were gone, just to be safe. This time, he’d been overconfident, assured of his escape if anyone came into the room.

For a long moment, Sam and the human stared at each other in silence, faces unconsciously echoing the same expression of disbelief. 

Read the series here!