Angela's Plaything

This is a story about a shrunken city under the ownership of an ordinary girl whose part of an ordinary family.
While it is a stand alone story it would not look out of place as a chapter of my other story "Cities for Sale."

It is based on an image created by DrCreep, and he gave me permission to write a short story about.

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"I'll be back before lunch, Mom!" Lucas yelled as he slammed the front door closed and hopped off his porch with his basketball in hand. He dribbled the ball like a pro as he ran over the pavement, evading startling pedestrians like they were his opponents, hell-bent on stealing the ball from him. "Miss, slow-poke! Dream on, slug!"

He aimed and flung his ball towards the storefront sign of a discount clothing store, causing it to rattle as it bounced off the wooden surface and sway back and forth. "And another point, ladies and gentlemen! Made by the incredible, sensational, and sen-tas-tical Mr. Twiss, better known as Mr Greater-than-the-greatest-of-all-time!"

"Sentastical?" A voice behind him said, dripping with sarcasm. "That's not even a real word."

Lucas spun around, his lips curling into a smile, when he saw Kevin, his closest friend, standing there with his arms folded across his chest while glancing at him through his characteristic droopy eyes.

"You're late. The others are waiting. I was on my way to get you." Kevin said as he reached down to grab the ball rolling towards them. Lucas smiled at his friend's familiar teasing tone.

Lucas greeted his friend with a fist bump, saying, "No game without the man, right?" He winked playfully at his friend.

Suddenly, the store owner, a large man with greasy long hair wearing a gross shirt that was bought a few sizes too small, came running out of the shop in response to the commotion he heard outside. "Hey, you punks!" he shouted, pointing an angry finger at them. "This was the last time! I'm going to get my bat!" His eyes were filled with fury as he vanished into his store, showing that he meant business.

Lucas and Kevin exchanged wide-eyed glances before sprinting away, narrowly avoiding tripping over a stray garbage can that echoed loudly as it rolled on the pavement. Three blocks later, the boys slowed to catch their breath, and Kevin punched Lucas on the arm. "Don't ever do something like that again!" he panted, shooting anxious glances behind them to ensure they weren't being pursued.

"Do what?" Lucas chuckled. "Making you feel insignificant by showing off my marvelous skills?" He gleamed.

Kevin was ready to respond, but his focus shifted to something else, causing him to gasp in shock. "The hell, man. Not the stadium."

Lucas followed his friend's gaze and ended up looking at a compressed heap that was once home of the Net Rippers – the city's beloved basketball team known for bringing home countless trophies and bringing forth exceptional players. They scouted Lucas and were on the verge of granting him a contract, but then the war threw a spanner in the works.

"When did that happen?" Kevin asked while observing the work crews bustling about as they set up fences around the perimeter.

Lucas scoffed and shook his head. "Last night, man. What, you live under a rock or something? Everyone has witnessed her assault. How could you not?" A shiver crackled along Lucas's spine as vivid images flashed in his head of the onslaught their owner so casually caused. The chaotic scenes replayed in his mind, where at least six buildings had been reduced to rubble and countless lives ended or left trapped under debris, and all caused by just the pinky finger of a first grader!

Lucas had never felt so helpless before.

Angela's mocking laughter lingered in his dreams, even though the girl herself was long gone.

"I did see it. I just didn't realize it was the stadium she had set her sights on."

The two boys stood in stunned silence, staring at the flattened remains of what used to be an impressive basketball stadium. It made them realize once more the precarious situation they were in.

Even Lucas, known for his unshakable positivity, couldn't help but feel a creeping sense of dread at the sight before him. Once again, he was reminded that he and the 1.3 million others in this place were nothing more than insignificant specks, existing solely for the entertainment of a young ruler who loomed over them like a God.

Lucas despised everything about the girl who had taken over their lives with her frivolous behavior that left no room for escape. Lucas hated her smile, no matter how cute it looked. He hated her voice that rattled windows, but what truly grated on his nerves was her boisterous laughter that always seemed to accompany her mischievous antics.

Lucas had killed her a lot in numerous brutal ways. He had strangled her with a nylon cord, the thin thread slicing through the skin of her throat and causing blood to gush out. He had also shot her in the head with a shotgun, beaten her face until it was unrecognizable, and even tied her onto a train track - calmly smoking a cigarette - while waiting for the train to tear her body apart.

Unfortunately, Lucas always woke up every day and was forced to embrace another day of living in his hellhole that suffered under the tyrannical rule of a bratty first grader who had all the power in the world and made their lives miserable with her endless devilishness. There was no escape from this torment.

"Come, let's go to the court. The others are waiting." Lucas urged his friend, pulling him away from his shocked state at the sight of their city's prized possession being destroyed, all to satisfy the mischievous thirst of an unstoppable young girl.

As they approached the court and the final block came into view, Kevin suddenly stopped in his tracks and listened intently. "Do you hear that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lucas furrowed his brow, halting in his tracks. "What do you hear?" Before finishing the question, he realized what his friend was alluding to.

"Sounds like chanting or something." Gripped by curiosity, they both strode forward, entranced by the melodic voices drawing them in.

As they turned the corner, they found themselves in a small square surrounded by apartment buildings on three sides. In the center, about thirty people were gathered, singing and gazing at a wooden statue with expressions of adoration.

"Okay. What. The fuck. Is this?" Kevin exclaimed, stepping closer to his friend. They went unnoticed by the crowd, all facing away from them. As Lucas studied the statue more closely, he realized it resembled a young girl and one who seemed eerily familiar to him.

The chanting came to a halt, and an individual emerged from the group, turning to face them. Lucas listened in confusion as the man spoke with fervor about the young girl, elevating her to a sacred level that demanded worship.

Lucas turned to Kevin and whispered, "Are these people like really praising that bitch?"

"It appears so," Kevin responded.

Lucas shook his head in disbelief and couldn't help but snicker. "What pathetic, misguided individuals."

"What did you just call us?" an unfamiliar voice spoke behind them. Lucas turned around and saw three men and a woman staring at them, the gleam of their eyes anything but friendly.

Kevin quickly raised his hands in a non-threatening gesture. "Hey, sorry, guys. My friend and I must have taken a wrong turn. We'll be on our way now and leave you to your humble business." He motioned for Lucas to follow him, hoping they could leave without further confrontation.

Lucas snorted and trailed after Kevin, heading back the way they came. "Humble my ass. You guys are all freaks," he mumbled a little too loudly.

Kevin shot his friend a withering look.

"What did you just say?" One of the hostile guys said.

"That you're all a bunch of freaks! What are you deaf?" Lucas screeched, not able to restrain his frustration. His voice reverberated all over the square.

"I so want to kill you right now." Kevin seethed through his teeth at his friend for igniting the anger of a whole mob with his impertinent behavior.

"You two will make perfect sacrifices to appease our Goddess!" a voice from the approaching angry crowd yelled.

"Run!" Lucas and his friend took off, sprinting as hard as they could with an enraged mob hot on their heels.

"That's the second time you've made me run from people this morning!" Kevin shouted as he leaped over a fence. Lucas narrowly avoided being hit by a car that screeched to a stop just in time as he attempted to cross the road.

Then it started - the rumblings.

The ground began to shake, and buildings groaned under the weight of an approaching force that incited fear into the hearts of all inhabitants.

People froze in their tracks, gasping and abandoning whatever task they were doing, their eyes glued to the sky, radiating nothing but terror.

Kevin's eyes widened in fear as he looked at Lucas.

Angela...

"She's coming! We have to hide!"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "To hell with that, man. Nowhere is safe. Hey, would you look at those freaks?" Lucas's grin widened as he saw the furious crowd chasing them, suddenly dropping to their knees in reverence in the middle of the street. Despite the looming danger that held the whole city in its grip, this sight seemed more important to Lucas at the moment.

A massive, dark object glides over the city, casting a haunting shadow over every structure in its wake, inciting gasps of fear throughout the entire metropolis.

"Fuck this, I'm out of here," Kevin said, his heart racing with adrenaline. He raced off toward whatever safety he could find.

Lucas was not that caught up in fear anymore. He stood his ground, observing the ominous presence with a sense of detachment and resolve.

He had already passed that station.

Despite being powerless against every attack that force could throw at them, Lucas refused to succumb to fear.

As he surveyed his surroundings, it became clear that he was the only one with this mindset. Everyone else around him followed Kevin's example by running off, or they were frozen in fright, their eyes fixated on the sky as they waited helplessly for whatever fate had in store for them.

On the horizon, far beyond the city's skyline, loomed something monumental and impressive, serving as a painful reminder of just how small their city had become in comparison.

It was a sight that Lucas had seen far too often, but it remained an awe-inspiring spectacle nonetheless.

A massive hairdo of straw blond hair dominated the city's skyline like an island rising from the sea. Two sparkling blue eyes appeared, each terrifying big as they scanned the scene below with a terrifying intensity.

The eyes crinkled at its corners, revealing their owner's joy as she looked down upon her microscopic Queendom.

All eyes in the city were drawn to Angela's youthful face that filled the sky as they anxiously waited to see what kind of trouble she would cause this time. Her mischievous reputation preceded her, and people couldn't resist staring in both fear and anticipation.

Having learned from past experiences, Lucas quickly covered his ears with his hands just in time before Angela let out an explosive giggle that seemed to make every window in the city vibrate dangerously on the verge of shattering.

Many people in town suffered hearing damage while being forced to deal with Angela's inhibited enthusiasm as the first grader lacked the subtility to hush her voice while speaking to them. The girl seemed to bellow at them like she had to overrule the roaring of a passing motorcycle while talking to a friend standing on the other side of the street.

He pressed his hands against his ears desperately, but the pain still seared through his eardrums as Angela's voice assaulted them. The girl spoke a language he understood, but it was still hard to deceiver most of the time as her voice sounded like thunder that tried to speak.

In a vain attempt to shake away the pain, Lucas averted his head, and his eyes fell on the city's east side, where gigantic red letters were chalked on the indestructible translucent wall surrounding their city.

Angela scribbled it there two days ago with a lipstick tube she borrowed from her older sister.

The word was mirrored, but its meaning was unmistakable: FUCKERS!

Each letter loomed tall like three skyscrapers stacked on top of each other.

A thundering click was heard as Angela opened the lid of their prison, granting them a nice view of her bedroom ceiling, littered with pink glow-in-the-dark stars upon a white-painted ceiling.

As Angela stood tall, her full height blocking their view of the ceiling, the first grader displayed her terrifying size to the thousands of helpless, shrunken people.

She was so incomprehensible powerful compared to them.

With one hand resting on her hip, her thick blond braid draped over her shoulder, Angela stood confidently while looking down at them with glee – a mischievous glint in her eye as she contemplated her next move. It was a spine-chilling moment as the city lay exposed and vulnerable to Angela's mischievous delight. Any moment, the girl could act on some wild idea that crossed her mind without consequences, and there was nothing the residents could do to stop it.

A loud, booming voice, seemingly distant yet still commanding, caused Angela to turn her head and shout a response in return.

People were about to heave a sigh of relief when it looked like Angela wanted to leave and was about to close the lid.

As people eagerly awaited Angela's departure and the lid to close finally, they failed to notice one thing: she was chewing gum.

Suddenly, her loud voice interrupted the silence, and she began blowing bubbles with the gum in an attempt to show off her skills. But it wasn't going as planned; she let out a frustrated groan as she repeatedly failed to create a bubble as impressive as the ones her older sister could make.

Angela had enough of it. Feeling embarrassed in the eyes of thousands of spectators, she felt the irresistible need to vent her anger.

She glared at the miniature metropolis sprawled beneath her in its vulnerability and, suddenly, launched a wad of chewing gum through her lips, its sickly sweet scent filling the air, straight at the heart of their city. The sticky gumball hit with a fiery explosion that illuminated Angela's face, taking down a grand mall and two skyscrapers and drenching hundreds in a sea of inescapable saliva.

Angela's hearty laughter rained down from the skies as families tried to find safety in the calamity the first grader so casually caused them.

As icing on the cake, Angela slammed the lid shut with excessive force, causing thousands of windows to shatter and eardrums to burst throughout the city.

Angela's thoughts were already elsewhere as she hurried down the stairs. If her sister dared to take her seat at the table again, there would be hell to pay!