The Shrinker

CHAPTER SIXTEEN (PART-2)

Jamie rushed from the flat, firmly closing the door. She stood in the corridor alone, her back against the wall; desperately trying to calm her emotions and fully restrain the power as she'd practised. Before she had the chance to, the neighbouring door flew open.

An absolutely livid Mrs Finley stepped out, glaring and pointing a bony finger, "Oi, 'emo' bitch! Thought I told yers to be 'low-key!' The hell ya get off ignoring me and throwing a damn 'rager' with all that noise?"

Oh fucking great, just what I needed, Jamie thought bitterly, anger rising. She walked away to escape outside, "Shut up. Leave me alone."

Mrs Finley screeched, "How dare ya say that, ya 'cray sket'! Don't yers think ya can just 'bounce and swerve' me! First thing, I'll go ring up the big man on ya!"

"Shut up..."

"I'll have yers nicked, ya feel me?" Mrs Finley's tone grew threatening, "I'll tell the law what a 'sus creeper' ya are! I'll be sure they're 'woke' to ya, then they'll 'clap back!' I'll say you hang with a 'plug' and always get 'turnt!' You'll be outta here and lose that noisy little 'moggy' of yers! It'll be put down, I- -"

"SHUT UP!!"

NO, JAMIE!

But Trudy's warning came too late this time. The threat to Senna was the last straw for Jamie. As she yelled and turned to glare at the old woman, her hands unclenched. In her rage the power got away from her and went out of control. A blinding flash of blue light erupted from both hands.

She heard Mrs Finley scream with shock and terror. With the palms aimed in her direction, the ray enveloped her. Jamie squinted, watching with horror as the figure ahead within the light became increasingly small.

"N-No, I-I...I didn't mean..."

Jamie's chest tightened in panic. Elsa Finley's cries grew increasingly quieter the more she shrank. There was no sign any of the other tenants had heard or noticed a thing. In about five seconds that felt like minutes, the blue light faded. Her eyes bulging in disbelief and her heart pounding, Jamie stared at the floor.

Mrs Finley was around twenty centre-metres tall, looking at her surroundings with confused hysteria. After registering how terrifyingly large everything was, she looked at herself in fear and kept screeching and bellowing. Jamie could only guess she was calling for help; her voice was too small and quiet to make out her words.

Then the old woman looked at Jamie, who was now a giant to her; one who'd inexplicably shrunk her. Her milk-white face full of terror, Mrs Finley yelled and cried with uncontrollable hysteria as she tried to run as fast as her ageing limbs could take her. In her blind panic, she ran from her doorway and deeper into the corridor.

Jamie had watched in stupefied shock, her brain jammed in incomprehension at what'd just happened. As Mrs Finley began to run she jolted to her senses, desperate to undo her mistake.

"H-Hang on, wait! Just hold still Mrs Finley, I can fix this, I know I- -"

Jamie, it's too late. You can't restore anything you've shrunken and the effect never wares off, remember? You can't do anything to help her. But we HAVE to dispose of her. If anyone sees her like this- -

SHUT UP! NO fucking way, I absolutely refuse to accept this horseshit!

You've got no choice, Jamie. Do you want to be locked up?

I said SHUT UP! I can restore her, dammit! As she stubbornly shook off Trudy's objections, Jamie kept her eyes fixed on Mrs Finley's back as she aimed her hands at her. Given her size and age, the old woman was only moving very slowly away from her. She concentrated hard whilst picturing her neighbour growing from her current size to being restored back to normal. The blue lights glowed within her palms and flashed.

Mrs Finley took on a blue glow which caused her to halt as she stared down at herself. Then she screeched again as she shrank still further to about ten centre-metres tall. She looked back at Jamie in hysterical terror and tried to run further away with a greater effort. She was screaming surprisingly loud for someone so small. Jamie looked on in dismay.

No, no, no, I refuse to accept this! I'm trying again, I have to!

She took some steps to close the distance, then tried the same method again to restore her neighbour to normal. This time Mrs Finley shrank to five centre-metres. Barely keeping her in sight, Jamie raised her hand again in panicked desperation, sweat pouring down her face.

That's enough, Jamie! You're only making this worse! You can't help her, except to put her out of her misery! You can't get caught like this!

N-No, this can't be happening, there has to be another way. Trudy, I'm begging you more than I've ever begged anyone! Tell me how I can fix this- -

But Mrs Finley stopped running and screaming. Jamie could just make out a strangled gasp for breath as the old lady clutched her chest. Jamie carefully rushed around to get a good frontal look at the shrunken pensioner, and felt her blood run cold at the sight.

Mrs Finley's face was turning purple, her eyes were rolling up and she was beginning to cough blood out her mouth but taking little air inside it. She was grasping at her chest tightly. Her whole body language told Jamie she was in unimaginable agony and it was killing her.

Jamie could only watch helplessly as the massive heart attack the old woman had worked herself into claimed her. Her breath came to a halt and her body stiffened. Her limp legs collapsed under her and she fell to the floor. Even as she struck the marble, Elsa Finley was dead.

And Jamie Cooper, her accidental killer, could only stare in stunned horror...