Car Containment

I slowly rolled out of bed, lifting my arm to stop the blaring alarm. I had forgotten to shut the dam thing off even though it was the weekend. Once the contraption was silenced, I blinked my eyes, trying to force myself awake.  What was it that I had to do today?

Slowly I sat up, my head full of cobwebs. I had been at an office party last night with my friend Cairen, or I thought I had been. I couldn't remember much of what had occurred last night.  Last time I go out drinking.

I stood up still, feeling a bit shaky on my feet.

I felt like I had something I had to do today, but I couldn't put my finger on it as I went to my dresser and picked up my phone.  I am sure I have written it down, at least.

The bright screen light gave me a slight headache.

I had one hand on my head as I thumbed my pin to unlock the phone. I then checked my notes on what I had planned to do today.

Head to the store and get some water.

Head to the bank.

Date with Matt at 6:00. P.M.

I sighed. I forgot about that. We were going to the park later, and I felt like shit. Good going, Sarah.

I slowly forced myself to get dressed. I hadn't done any laundry for about a week, so I had slim pickings.

I only had three crappy-looking t-shirts to pick from, all a bland-looking grey color and a single pair of tattered jeans. I made a note on my phone to wash my clothing after I returned home from my errands.

I am not going to see Matt like this.

Once dressed, I then went into the kitchen to realize I had forgotten to put on socks. The icy cold floor helped to banish my hangover. I ran over the tiles on my tiptoes to grab a box of cereal before rushing back into my bedroom, setting the cereal on the side of my bed as I pulled out a pair of socks, quickly pulling them onto my feet.

Then I went back into the kitchen and started to eat out of the cereal box. There wasn't much of a reason to pour it out into a bowl. I just needed to eat quickly and get out of the door. I looked at the box as I ate. Fredrick's Fancy Cereal line. Start your day off right with our new brand. Granted to help promote bone growth.

I almost spit the cereal out.  Not this again.

Suddenly the phone rang. I rolled my eyes and set the meal that tasted like cardboard down. Picking up the phone, I answered, "Hello?"

There was silence for a moment before "This is Horizon Limits. We have in our records that you missed a payment on your credit…"

I hung up. I was sick and tired of these scam calls.  I didn't even know what a bank is called that.

Once fished with my breakfast, I headed for the door, grabbing the car keys. Hopefully, this wasn't the same Fredrick's Fancy brand that had been causing me some issues over the last month. The last thing I needed today was some strange product to play tricks on my body.

I stepped out the door into the fresh morning air, and musty pine sent. My overly sensitive nostrils curled in disgust as I made my way over to my car.

Moving out of the country was becoming more of a priory and away from these stinky pine trees.

I pulled out my car key and used the fob to unlock my car. It was a used SUV that had seen much better days before I had gotten ahold of it.

After I opened the door, I slid inside.

I then started the vehicle, the engine having as much trouble getting started as I was.

Taking a few deep breaths, I thought about exactly where I wanted to go first. I needed money, but the bank was on the other side of town. As much as I hated it, I was going to have to drive all the way to the edge of town before heading back to get some water.

Well, let's get going.

I started the engine and pulled out of the driveway. I then turned onto the street and headed for town. I had had to shield my vision as sunlight poured into my eyes. It was still a brisk forty-five degrees out, but the heat was rising fast. Hopefully, by my return trip home, I could have the windows down.

I slowed down the vehicle as I came to the first intersection on my route. It wasn't much, just a four-way stop with a light that only seemed to work half the week.

Thankfully the township had put a sign last year, or people from out of town would have just sped through on the days that the light had been malfunctioning. It was kind of sad, though; they couldn't just fix the light.

As I sat there looking to see if I had the right of way, I felt a slight warmth spread through my body. I shook my head, thinking it was just another issue of my hangover.

I drove straight ahead, the country starting to transition into a small suburban district. My friend Carien lived, and I hoped to one day buy a home of my own. My parents had raised me in the suburbs back in Michigan, and it felt a bit like home.

I started to slow down to match the new speed limit, or at least I thought I was. I looked at the speedometer, and instead of going slower, the car was slowly speeding up. Not only that, but my right foot was also itching like holy hell.

I took a moment to look down. To my horror, I noticed that my foot was growing, shoe, and all. It was now twice as big as it had been a moment ago, and no matter how I tried to move my foot, I ended up pushing on the gas.  This isn't good at all.

As I tried to deal with this new fact, I could feel my other foot starting to swell as well. I began to slow down a bit as my other foot crammed itself on the brake.  Thank god.

Then I heard a terrifying sound. One of the pedals snapped. And from the car speeding back up again, I had broken the brake peddle. 'Noo."

I hit my hands on the steering wheel; as I did, my fingers extended out a few inches.

Taking in a few deep breaths, I tried to calm myself.

Everything will be ok. Everything will be… Why isn't there a cop around to try and stop me where there should be one?

I sped through another intersection, with cars blaring their horns at me. I didn't bother to wave my enlarged hands at them to say I am sorry. I was going seventy going on eighty miles an hour and had to focus on not crashing while also had to deal with my hands still stretching out. They were almost double their standard size now; holding the steering wheel was becoming an issue.  If they get any bigger, I will have to use one hand to steer.

The road ahead had a ninety-degree turn up early. I gripped the steering wheel as best I could and braced myself for the inevitable.

The car was going a good eighty-five as I went into the curve. I went over the sidewalk, skidded across a yard, and drove into some pool souls shed, breaking down one wall. Thankfully though, I ended up driving over something sharp as I heard loud "pop." I suddenly was fighting for control as the car skidded across the person's lawn to a stop.

I took a collective sigh—one problem over with. I now looked at my hands. They were both as big as my torso. "I have to get out of this car now."

I tried to unbuckle myself but couldn't press the button; my fingers were too large. My elbow couldn't even manage to get the dam thing down far enough to free myself.  Why did they have to make this dam thing so small? Next, I tried to pull on the seatbelt, but removing the contraption only made the belt more constricting. I then decided to free my feet, but they were firmly stuck where they were. "This is just great."

I felt a new weight on my head. "What now?" Dark long tendrils fell in front of my eyes. My hair was growing now. I brought my hands up to part my hair in front of my eyes so I could still see.

"This is getting ridiculous. If I am going to grow, why can't it be all at once?"

There was a knock on my door. I flipped my hair so I could see who was there. It was a young man with a blue t-shirt that matched his dyed hair and eyes. He knocked on my window again with his overly tan skin. I tapped the button that allowed the window to slide down with my elbow, allowing it to move fully downward with just one push. "What?"

"You wrecked my lawn. What is your deal? Halloween isn't for months, and your costume sucks."

"This isn't a costume."

He reached inside. "Right, these aren't just some plastic… What in the world?" He jumped out of his skin when he realized that her giant hands were real. "Look, I don't know what is going on, and I don't want to know." He was slowly backing away."

I reached out through the window. "Hey, don't' leave me. I am stuck here."

"Not my problem. You get unstuck, and we can talk about you fixing my lawn and shed." He paused. "After you fixed your health issue."

He started walking away. "Hey, call someone who can help me out of here!" But he was already gone.  Great.

My hair had grown stopped growing. From my scalp, it was at least 4 feet long down my back. I shook my head.  What is going to happen next?

I didn't have to wait that long. Suddenly my surroundings started to shrink. At first, I thought the rest of my body was catching up, but looking down, my torso, arms, and legs were shrinking as well. I tried to raise my growing head back up, but my weak neck couldn't take the new weight, and I fell forward onto the steering wheel, causing the horn to blare.

Rocking myself back and forth, I managed to move my head onto the dash. All I could think as my head became larger was that my hair won't look so odd anymore.

Suddenly the window shield was tapping against the back of my head. I pressed on the dash to pull myself out before I got another part of my body trapped.

Just in time, I was able to pull myself free, if only for my head to fall into the passenger seat.

I heard a voice from outside, it was the person who had run off before. "Dear God, what happened to your head?"

"Your back. Thank you."

"I just came to say I called 911."

"Really…"

"Can you not yell?"

I blinked. I thought I was just speaking in a normal tone. Lowering my voice, I said, "I am sorry. Are they are on their way then?"

"No, they laughed at me when I said I have a woman trapped in her car because she is too big. I doubt they will really believe me when I say she is growing as well."

"Well, why are you out here then."

"To get a picture of this."

I felt some anger swell inside of me. "I don't want you taking a picture of this."

"No, no. The people on the 911 hotline will have to believe me if they see proof."

I sighed. This wasn't at all how I saw today going. The last thing I wanted was for people to see this happen to me.  But if I don't, I might not get any help getting out of this car. I want to get out before the alterative; I outgrow it.

"Fine."

There was a flash at the edge of my vision before I heard. "Thanks.

I am going to call that 911 operator back."

"Wait. Who are you, and why the sudden change of heart."

"My name is Antony, and I want you off my property before you get any larger to do any more damage."

Of course.

I started growing again; this time, it was my legs. I felt my back rise up my seat as my legs stretched out, my shoulder strap starting to dig into my skin. Thankfully my clothing was growing with me. I had enough problems today.

My legs continued to stretch, my knees pushing into the dash. The seat started to groan from all the pressure my body was exerting onto it.

Suddenly the car seat fell back as the seatbelt snapped off my body. My head managed to knock the other car seat down as I was flung back into the rear of the car, my legs trying to push out to their full length. Even so, they took up the front end of the car and a bit of the rear.

I knew then that I was living on borrowed time with space.

I tried to get up, only to hit my knees on the roof of the car, causing the whole thing to shake.  Carful. If only my head wasn't so much larger than the rest of my body, I could sit up.

The sound of sirens started to worm its way into my ears. I rolled my head, so I wasn't resting on one ear so I could see the oncoming emergency vehicles better. Something was coming closer, but I couldn't tell what. All the emergency vehicle sirens sounded the same to me.  Whoever you are, just hurry. Help me out of here before I grow again.

Thankfully my body stayed in its current size until help arrived. I could see a massive red truck pull up at the edge of my vision. Firefighters and police officers walked up to the side of my car, staring at me and talking with Antony. They spoke in a soft tone, but I could just pick up what they were saying at the size I was at.

" See, I told you. And now she is even bigger than when I left her."

One of the officers with short blonde hair and green eyes said, "What in the world do you want us to do?"

"Get this thing out of here?"

Another bald officer and had dark blue pits in his eyes responded, "How are we going to get her out of there?"

I spoke up. "I don't care what you people do, just help me."

Suddenly my torso started to stretch. I could hear people gasp as my body started to expand outward, crushing the seats. I had to twist into a curled sitting position as space quickly evaporated; even then, I felt myself pushing into the frame of the car, creaks, and groans happening by the second. The roof started to dent upward, and I pushed the front out, trying to make more room for my legs. The growth spurt stopped before the car gave way, and I ended up unable to move an inch, my giant hands pressed into the walls and my back flatting the back end of the vehicle.

I took a few deep breaths. Looking at my side, I realized that my arms were still small.

I groaned as I realized that I still had a bit more to grow. "Get me out of here before my arms grow to match the rest of me."

I could hear someone say, "Get the jaws of life," But my hearing was a bit muddled at this point with all the metal pressing against my face. I wish I was able to see outside and not just a mass of dark blue metal.

This is the last time I ever have another Fredric's Fancy product. I am not imagining it. The dam things are causing me to change in size. I am not going to be stuck in my car, shrunk down, or anything else again.

My vehicle started to shake. For a moment, I thought I was growing once more, but I was still stuck tight. This was coming from outside.  Finally, they are trying to help.

"Just hold on. We will get you out of there in a moment."

"And you can take your giant ass off my property."

I held my tongue. Don't' insult me like that when I am large enough that I could probably step on you, Antony.

As her rescuers continued on the door, she felt a surge in her arms.  Noo.

Her hands started to press further into the car walls, causing even more groaning from the vehicle.  How much more can my poor car take?

Suddenly the right door flung off, her arm extending out and hitting something hard. The left door didn't last much longer, and my other arm felt the sweet taste of freedom.

My arms grew out a bit more, my right arm pushing back what felt like the firefighting truck until the growth came to an end.

I took a few deep breaths. I could hear everyone outside talking at once. I just ignored them. They were no help to me. Now that I had my arms free, maybe I could break loose. Planting my hands into the ground and pressing down with my feet, I pushed as hard as I could.

The process was painful, but inch by inch, I stretched out the car until suddenly my head popped out of the roof. It happened so swiftly I almost fell backward. I could see things more clearly now. My arms were nearly half the length of the tree trunks around me, and my body was cramped up inside my vehicle, but I had stretched it almost twice its average size. The SUV also had a more rounded shape than it had before. I was suddenly happy I hadn't fallen over, or I might have been like a turtle suck on her shell.

Dam.

How big am I?

"Please, can you get your hand off me?!"

I looked down, and my right palm was on one of the firemen. "Oh my, I am sorry."

The dark-skinned man crawled out as I lifted my hand. He looked a bit shaken. The bald officer said, "At this point, I don't think there is any more we can do. Especially if you can continue to break yourself out, miss."

I looked down at them. "Can't you pull my car apart or something?" Don't you just give up on helping me?

They all looked at me as if they wanted nothing to do with my situation. I sighed.

Guess I will get myself out.

Before I could try, though, I heard another vehicle pull up. It was a news car with a massive 5 on the side of the van. The last thing I wanted was to be on the news.  I have to get out of here before they plaster my image all over town.

A renewed fire in my heart, I pressed down against the earth as hard as I could, my hands sinking deeply into Antony's lawn. The car's metal started to stretch until my feet popped out the bottom, my legs sliding out. Suddenly I was able to stand. I shook myself, sending cart parts flying. A seat landed on the news truck denting the roof.

The frame of my car still clung to me like an awkward-looking piece of clothing. Now that I was standing, I just slid it up above my head and off my body, free at last. I brushed myself of what derbies were left in my hair on my clothing. I wasn't exactly sure how tall I was, but I was taller than Antony's two-story house by a tad extending to my full height.

I then noticed the news crew. They were almost done setting up. I started walking back, hearing my feet thud as I stepped. "I got to go. I have some business to attend to."

Not looking where I was going, I managed to step on Antony's car, crushing the front end. He started to curse at me as I reached down to pull the crunched car off my shoe. I had managed to get my heel stuck in the hood of his fancy-looking firebird.

After I had pulled myself free, I ran off before I got into more trouble.

Walking out of the suburbs, I headed for a small wooded grove, sitting down between the trees once I was a reasonable distance away.

Even then, I almost was peering over the treetops. I held my head in my lap.  What am I going to do?

Suddenly I heard my phone ring. The sound caught me off guard that I kicked my feet out and knocked over a tree.

"Crap." I reached into my pocket, and to my surprise, I found my phone in there. It had grown along with my clothing. In fact, everything I had been wearing was the same size as me.  Well, at least I have forty dollars and my id on me. That is sure to come in handy.

I brought the phone to my ear and answered, "Hello?"

"Sarah? It's Matt."

"Matt? How are you?"

"I am fine? Is something wrong? You sound stressed?"

"No. I am…"

I looked at the tree I had just knocked over. "Alright."

"I just wanted to say that my sister is flying in from Florida, and I have to get the house ready. Can we move our date to Friday?"

"Yes, of course, we can."

"Why do you sound so happy?"

I tried to calm myself down. "Nothing. I just have a lot going on atm. I need some time to get some big problems under control. We can talk about it on Friday."

"Sure. Talk to you later."

"You too." The line went dead."

I sighed. I was a bit relieved that I didn't have to go on my date when I was thirty-plus feet tall. I rested my head in one hand, tapping my fingers on my brow. "What to do now? Hmm."

After a moment, I thought I might as well try and finish what I had initially set out to do. Head to the bank and the store. "A growth spurt like this isn't going to get in the way of my day." I stood up. "Or maybe it is. How am I going to fit inside the store and bank? Hmm, well, I can try and use the atm.

I can start with that, at least."

I stood up, the tree line coming up to my waist.

I could see for miles at this height.

I spun around, trying to get my bearings. I still wasn't entirely sure where I had cashed my car, and running off hadn't helped.

I spotted a familiar gas station in the distance, the same crappy Midway where I had first met the salesman Fredrick who had started all of these crazy adventures.

I started walking in that direction, knowing how to get to the bank from there. As I came out of the woods, people immediately turned their eyes to me. There was a lot of gasping and pointing as I walked overhead. Thankfully they moved out of my way. I had no intention of hurting anyone, and I didn't want a repeat of when I had stepped on that car hood, even if the owner had it coming.

The gas station was on the corner of Center and Timber Street. I walked right into the center of the road, looking around, trying to figure out the best way to head to the bank. As I looked down the road, I could hear angry shouts from below as I started to back up traffic. "Oh crap, I am sorry." But before I could move, the impatient motorists sped past my feet.

"Sheesh.

I looked to my left down Center Steet. If I followed it to its end, I would be at the bank.

I will just walk there. Should be there in no time. Just try and stay on the sidewalk, Sarah. No need to impede traffic any further.

That was easier said than done, considering each foot took up about the entire sidewalk. It was hard, always looking down, so I didn't step on anyone or anything. Being this tall was obnoxious.  How long until this dam Frederick's product wears off? I preferred it when I had shrunk at work. At least then, I didn't feel like I was affecting my environment so much.

After about a minute, I could see my bank. I would be there in another ten awkward steps.

There was suddenly a loud crash from behind me.

I turned and saw a massive fire at a store a few blocks back. I could see a white SUV had jumped the curve and run into a department store from where I was standing. There was a fire in the car's engine, and it was spreading.

I looked on in horror. People could get out of the store, but I could see the driver was stuck in his vehicle unconscious, and no one was doing anything to help. I felt an urge to do something.

Not exactly knowing what I could do to help, I rushed over. My presence helped some people panic more than they had been. I ignored them as I looked the situation over.

I bent down with one hand on what remained of the building's dark roof, the other hand on the pavement. I looked at the scene, trying to think of how I could help, but the fire was spreading fast, and soon the poor soul in the car would be engulfed.

I didn't think; I just acted, reaching with my hand that had been on the roof into the car, squeezing it through the window, and grasping onto the man inside. I then pulled as hard as I could. It felt like I was trying to pull a stubborn tool out of a drawer as he would budge a little but wouldn't come out. I used my other hand to press against the vehicle for leverage, and with some effort, I yanked him out, falling backward onto my rear. I quickly stood up, hoping I hadn't smooshed anything; thankfully, I had managed to avoid landing on a blue truck and a pile of shopping carts.

Only after did I worry that I had broken any of the man's bones as I held him in my hand like a remote. I placed him down on the ground gently where he finally came too, wide-eyed. Before he could say something, a young, dark-skinned woman rushed up to us, her green-dyed hair waving in the wind, and said, "There are people still inside. Please help them as well."

I turned back towards the building. All I could see was rubble from where the car had knocked over a support beam. I was afraid if I started digging and there was something inside, I might end up crushing them under derbies.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark blue vest. A large beam covered a tan-skinned man. He tried in vain to push debris out of the way. Bending down, I decided to clear what rubble I could away to reveal an elderly man with pale white skin. He looked up at me and said, "Please, God, I am not ready to go yet."

"You are not dying. Hold on, I am going to get you out of here."

He started to mumble as I tried to get a grasp on the beam that was pinning him down. I had to use both hands to grasp it and slowly raised it off of him. The dam thing was more substantial than I thought it would be. Once I lifted it off the man, I set it on the street and quickly twisted back aground and pulled him out of the building, lifting him gently to safety.

I was greeted by cheers and praise. The emergency vehicles finally arrived, the injured being immediately tended to.

I recognized some of the same officers who had tried to free me from my metal prison just a minute ago. They stared up at me warily before asking, "What is going on here?"

The young woman who had asked for my help said, "A drunk driver jumped the curve. We tried to get everyone out, but this wondrous person came and helped those who couldn't escape in time." She changed the tone of her voice to a growl. "She also saved the hide of the one who did it."

The officers looked up at me. "Well, thank you, miss. We can handle things from here."

I nodded. I was just happy I had been able to help at all.  And to think, if I hadn't eaten that Fredrick's Fancy Cereal this morning, I wouldn't be here right now to help these people. Maybe some good that can come from all this.  For the first time seine I had grown, I had smiled.

I then headed for home. The errands could wait for another day, or at least until I shrank back down to my usual size. I had enough adventure for one day. I was going to go home, find someplace I could relax. Maybe even see if I can't get some home improvement while I am large enough to make the job a breeze.