Tyler had always known there was something off about Matt, but he never imagined it would come to this. He stood outside Matt’s apartment door, his hand hovering above the wood, hesitant to knock. For the hundredth time, he questioned why he’d agreed to this meeting. Matt had texted him out of the blue, offering to “bury the hatchet.” He claimed he wanted to move on and make peace, and Tyler, still nursing the raw feelings from his breakup with Zack, thought maybe this could be a way to finally close that chapter. Besides, a part of him still clung to the hope that maybe, just maybe, things between him and Zack weren’t entirely over.
Taking a deep breath, Tyler knocked.
The door swung open almost immediately, and Matt’s tall frame filled the doorway, a practiced smile on his lips. It was too wide, too friendly.
“Tyler, glad you could make it.” Matt’s voice was smooth, polite, but there was something about it—something oily, something insincere. He stepped aside, holding the door open for Tyler to enter.
“Yeah,” Tyler muttered, stepping in cautiously. “I guess it’s time we cleared the air.”
Matt shut the door behind him with a soft click, the sound louder than it should have been in the stillness of the room. It sent a shiver down Tyler’s spine. He glanced back at the door, the uneasy feeling gnawing at him, but he pushed it aside.
Matt gestured toward the couch. “Make yourself comfortable. Want a beer?”
Tyler nodded absently, taking a seat, still unsure why he had agreed to meet. Matt disappeared into the kitchen, returning moments later with two cold beers in hand. He handed one to Tyler, who accepted it but only took a tentative sip.
“So,” Matt began, sitting across from him, “how’ve you been?”
Tyler shrugged. “You know, getting by. Things have been… weird.”
Matt’s eyes narrowed as he studied Tyler, a faint smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Zack talks about you sometimes.”
That made Tyler’s heart skip a beat. “He does?”
Matt nodded, taking a long drink from his bottle. “Yeah, he’s still hung up on you, if you ask me.”
Tyler blinked, unsure of how to respond. “I didn’t think… I mean, we haven’t talked much since we broke up.”
“Exactly,” Matt said, leaning forward with a predatory gleam in his eye. “That’s the problem. Zack still has feelings for you. It’s been making things… complicated.”
Tyler shifted uncomfortably. “Look, I never wanted to come between you two. Zack made his choice.”
Matt’s smile twisted, and for the first time, Tyler saw the malice behind it. “Oh, don’t worry. I know exactly how to fix this situation.”
Before Tyler could react, the room began to blur and spin. His vision swam as a heavy, overwhelming sensation took hold of his body. He tried to stand, but his legs gave out beneath him. The beer slipped from his hand, crashing to the floor, but he didn’t have the strength to register it.
“W-What’s happening?” Tyler gasped, his voice weak, distant.
Matt loomed over him, watching with cold amusement as Tyler’s body began to shrink before his eyes. The room around him grew larger and larger, the furniture towering over him like monuments until he was no bigger than an insect on the floor.
Tyler’s breath came in short, panicked gasps as he looked up at Matt, whose massive figure now loomed like a giant. The smile on Matt’s face had twisted into something dark and sinister.
“Much better,” Matt mused, crouching down to peer at Tyler with a wicked grin. “Now you’re exactly where you belong.”
Tyler scrambled backward, trying to escape, but Matt’s hand shot out, and with terrifying ease, he pinched Tyler between two fingers. Tyler screamed, thrashing against Matt’s grip, but he was helpless. The world spun around him as Matt held him up to his face.
“You see, Zack still has feelings for you,” Matt said, his voice booming in Tyler’s tiny ears. “And that’s a problem for me. But don’t worry—I’ve figured out the perfect solution.”
Matt carried Tyler across the room toward the door, where a pair of Zack’s old sandals sat, worn from years of use. The faint scent of sweat and leather hit Tyler, making his stomach turn. His heart raced as he realized what Matt intended to do.
“No!” Tyler screamed, kicking and thrashing in Matt’s grip. “Let me go! Please!”
But Matt ignored his pleas. He set Tyler down onto the rubber sole of one of Zack’s sandals, the heat from the shoe hitting him instantly. The smell of worn leather and sweat filled his lungs, overwhelming him.
“You’ll be right where Zack wants you,” Matt said, grinning as he pulled a small knife from his pocket. With a quick, precise motion, he sliced a narrow slit into the rubber of the sandal’s sole. Before Tyler could react, Matt’s massive hand pressed down on him, forcing his tiny body into the gap.
The rubber closed around him, squeezing him tightly, pinning his arms to his sides. Only his head and shoulders were visible above the surface, leaving him helplessly trapped, his body squeezed uncomfortably against the material.
“There,” Matt said, smiling with satisfaction. “Now you’ll never be in the way again.”
Tyler struggled against the rubber, trying desperately to push himself free, but it was no use. The material clung to him like a vice, holding him fast. His heart pounded in his chest as he heard footsteps approaching from the hallway.
“ZACK!” Tyler screamed, his voice hoarse and desperate. “ZACK, I’M DOWN HERE!”
Zack’s familiar figure appeared in the doorway, his broad shoulders filling the frame. Tyler’s heart leapt as he saw the man he still loved, but his relief quickly turned to horror as Zack’s eyes never once strayed to the floor. He didn’t see him.
“Hey, babe,” Zack said, glancing at Matt with a warm smile. “Thought Tyler was coming over?”
Tyler screamed again, thrashing wildly in the rubber, but his tiny voice was drowned out by the casual conversation above him. He was so close, so painfully close, but Zack had no idea he was there, trapped in his sandal.
“Oh, yeah,” Matt replied smoothly, leaning against the wall with a sly grin. “Tyler texted me earlier. Said something came up. Guess he couldn’t make it.”
Zack frowned, glancing around the room as if expecting Tyler to appear any second. “Really? He told me he wanted to talk. Seemed important.”
Matt shrugged, flashing Zack a reassuring smile. “People flake, you know how it is.”
Zack hesitated, his brow furrowing as he looked toward the door. For a fleeting moment, Tyler’s heart soared with hope. If Zack just looked down—just noticed the sandals—he would see him!
But Zack’s gaze never wavered, and Tyler’s hope crumbled as Zack sighed and walked toward his sandals.
“Alright then. You ready to go?” Zack asked.
Tyler’s world slowed as Zack’s massive foot lifted into the air, hovering above him like a dark, suffocating cloud. The heat radiated off Zack’s skin, the familiar scent of his sweat filling the air as his foot slowly descended toward the sandal.
“ZACK!” Tyler screamed, pushing with all his might against the rubber that trapped him. “PLEASE! LOOK DOWN! I’M RIGHT HERE! PLEASE, YOU'LL KILL ME! DON'T-”
But Zack didn’t hear him. His foot lowered steadily, the soft skin of his sole pressing against Tyler’s face. The weight of Zack’s foot bore down on him, crushing him into the rubber. Tyler gasped for air as Zack’s toes wiggled into place, grinding him deeper into the crevice.
The pressure was unbearable. Tyler’s body screamed in pain as Zack’s foot settled into the sandal, pinning him mercilessly against the insole. His tiny lungs burned as he struggled to breathe, the overwhelming heat and stench of sweat filling his senses.
“Damn, these sandals are worn out,” Zack muttered absentmindedly, lifting his foot slightly to adjust the fit.
Tyler’s body jolted with the movement, his tiny frame rattled by the simple shift. He screamed again, but his voice was lost beneath the crushing weight. Zack’s foot settled back down, trapping him deeper in the sandal.
“Yeah, maybe time to get some new ones,” Matt said with a smirk, watching as Zack’s foot shifted again, unknowingly grinding Tyler further into the sandal. “But those have sentimental value, right?”
Zack chuckled, oblivious to the tiny man suffering beneath his sole. “Yeah, I’ve had these forever. They’re just comfortable.”
Zack grabbed his keys from the counter and glanced at Matt, reaching a hand out. “Ready?”
“Ready,” Matt replied with a satisfied smile, taking his hand happily.
As Zack and Matt left the apartment, Tyler’s world was reduced to a cycle of crushing pressure and fleeting moments of relief as Zack’s foot lifted and slammed back down with each step. His screams turned to sobs as Zack’s footsteps echoed like thunder around him, the weight of Zack’s oblivious foot crushing him deeper with every step.
Matt glanced down at Zack’s sandals as they walked down the street, his smile widening. Tyler was gone, reduced to nothing more than a helpless speck beneath Zack’s sole, forever trapped and forgotten.