I slammed my fists and feet against the skin surrounding me, but the hand didn't budge, was entirely unfazed by my assault. Rather, I lost my balance and fell against the inside of the hand as I was lifted high into the air. The hand opened, only to allow two huge fingers to pluck me out, squeezing tightly around my midsection. I shrieked in pain and tried to shake off my dizziness as I was dangled at least fifty or sixty feet off the ground. As my eyes drifted upwards to the giant's massive face, my blood ran cold. I took in the same green eyes, freckles, red hair, and monstrous teeth that had been burned into my memory from the day before.

"We meet again!" the giant declared with a bloodthirsty grin. "I'm here to finish what I started yesterday." He leaned his face closer to me, seeming to expand larger before my eyes. "I thought about it, and concluded I simply couldn't stomach the thought of going to the same school, and being treated as an equal, with the likes of a repulsive human like you. So, I decided I'd put you in your place, in my stomach instead."

My eyes widened in horror. I screamed for help and flailed against his hand, desperately hoping somebody, anybody, would hear me and stop this madness. He licked his lips gleefully and opened his jaws wide. The inside of his mouth, fleshy and red, was dripping profusely as he salivated with anticipation.

"No!" I screeched.

"Yes!" the giant jeered. "Down the hatch you go!" He dangled me over his gaping maw, clearly enjoying my suffering, before dropping my squirming form inside. My screams were abruptly muffled, cutting off any chance of outside rescue. Unlike before, he didn't waste any time. I slid across his slippery tongue right into the dark abyss of his gullet. He swallowed, and I slipped smoothly down his throat.

This was the end for me. The powerful muscles of his esophagus squeezed me with suffocating force as I was dragged down into hell, powerless to stop my long, terrifying descent. His thunderous heartbeat, along with bellowing gusts from his lungs, banged in my ears as I passed through his chest. I dreaded what awaited me below. I couldn't imagine the horrors of being digested alive, but I was about to find out what it would feel like.

I reached the end of the restrictive fleshy tube, and dropped into his stomach, a fleshy sack full of gurgling gastric juices. I landed in a puddle of stomach acid, immediately feeling an unpleasant tingling on my skin as the corrosive fluids slowly began to digest me. I thrashed about blindly in the pitch-black darkness, using every last bit of energy I had left to attack the squishy, churning walls of flesh that I was imprisoned within, to no effect. The unbearable heat, acrid fumes, and rancid stench began to overpower my senses as I struggled to breathe. While I bemoaned my horrid fate, I welcomed the loss of consciousness. I didn't want to be awake for my last moments as my body disintegrated into mush. I didn't really even have time to comprehend my own death or make peace with myself before gray static invaded my vision and I faded into nothingness.

The next thing I was conscious of was a feeling of rising. I was terribly cramped, and being squished again by powerful muscular contractions in the flesh all around me, but I was no longer inside the giant's belly. I didn't understand what was going on but I wanted it to end already. My ears hurt from disgusting, deafening retching sounds. From above I saw a faint glimmer of light. Was I dying? Was this the light at the end of the tunnel people always talked about with near-death experiences? I guess I always assumed the ascension into heaven by default would be painless, less miserable, less... meaty?

As I rose up, the light coalesced into a more distinct form, outlining the shape of a gullet and uvula. My mind, still fuzzy, started to understand. With a final, prodigious spasm in the throat, I was expelled out, flying on the wings of freedom as I sailed out of the giant's open jaws. Luckily, he was doubled over near the ground so I didn't have far to fall. I hit the concrete with a painful splat, knocking the wind out of me. I gagged and coughed and greedily sucked in the fresh cool air. Somehow, by some miracle, I was alive. I had survived.

I rolled over, and a bizarre display above me came into focus. The giant student who had just vomited me up had a black eye and an agonizing grimace on his face. He was gripping his stomach tightly with both arms, as if he had been punched in the gut. He probably had, since he had thrown me up after all. Standing above him, with clenched fists, was my hero, Mr. Henderson. The circumstances surrounding the incident became clear. Mr. Henderson must have shown up right after I had been ingested, seen the student crouched over the human dorm with the roof open, and recognized his visage from my description yesterday. Realizing what had happened, he beat the kid up, delivering a mighty blow to his torso to save my life.

As soon as Mr. Henderson saw me, he shoved the other giant out of the way, knocking him to the ground, and swooped over to me. He scooped me up in his hands without hesitation, even though I was covered in vomit, and brought me up close to his face to examine me.

"Oh my God, oh my God," he uttered frantically, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

No, I really wasn't alright. I was still in shock. My mind was blocking out my thoughts, preventing me from thinking about the full depths of the horrific thing that had just happened to me. Unable to really process anything, I checked my limbs and body for any physical damage. "I-I'm not injured," I stammered out.

"Okay, good," Mr. Henderson sighed in relief. "I'll be right back; I need to take care of this monster here first. Get yourself cleaned up, and don't worry about going to class today." He gently placed me inside the human dorm, along with some plastic bags full of stuff he had brought for me, and closed the roof lid on top so I would be safe and hidden. I watched through the window as he roughly seized the giant student by the shirt and dragged him off, ignoring his vociferous protests. I got some satisfaction seeing the giant bully get his comeuppance. Also, I was relieved to have Mr. Henderson on my side to protect me from danger.

I urgently needed to get clean. I hadn't been marinating in the giant's stomach long enough to get serious acid burns, but I was still soaked in repulsive digestive juices. I stripped off my clothes and took a cold shower to soothe my hot skin, thoroughly washing off all the grime. I hoped this debasing ritual would not become a regular thing at this school. After all, Mr. Henderson told me that giants wanting to eat humans was rare. I hoped he was right. I never wanted to have to endure that hellish experience again.

I got out, dried off, and dressed again in some fresh, simple clothes. I went over to see what was in the plastic bags the vice principal had brought over for me. All my new textbooks were in one bag. The other bag, I was surprised to see, was filled with human-sized snacks and groceries for me to stash in the dorm so I had something to eat. Unfortunately, in the chaos from earlier, some of the packages had been dropped and smashed, rendering the contents inedible. I didn't have much of an appetite after being eaten myself. Nonetheless, I still appreciated the thoughtful gesture. I salvaged what was still usable and retreated to the bedroom.

The furniture throughout the dorm had been flipped over and thrown around, leaving the place in total disarray. I navigated through the disorderly mess and set up a bed to lay down in. Getting back into bed just seemed to be the logical course of action, so I did. I pulled the covers up to my chin and gazed at the walls and windows around me, as well as the furniture so carelessly strewn about. Every once in a while the building shook as giants ambled past, vibrating the air with their reverberating voices. At any time, any one of them could pull open the roof and grab me. I felt very small and defenseless. I huddled up into a compact ball.

The shock was starting to wear off, and the true horror of what I had gone through was seeping into my brain. I tried to force it back, tried to push it away and ignore it, but the vivid memories rushed in with renewed vigor. I saw teeth and red flesh and darkness, could almost feel the slimy hot wetness engulfing me in a crushing embrace again. My chest tightened painfully and I strained to breathe. A delayed panic attack slammed into me like a semi-truck. I compressed myself into a fetal position, crying and shaking. I tried to convince myself I was safe and secure, no harm had befallen me, everything was fine, but my terror-stricken mind wouldn't listen to reason. I was beyond saving.

I'm not sure how long I stayed in this state, but after a while I finally started to calm down. I decided I was done with this place. I couldn't take being here anymore, being around gargantuan people hundreds of times my size that could do whatever they wanted to me. The whole situation was ridiculous. I was ridiculous. How could anyone believe giants and humans could live together in harmony? The very concept was ludicrous. The cold reality was that humans were inferior, and nobody could deny the truth.

I thought about Mr. Henderson. He had been so kind to me, and gone out of his way to help me. He was an optimist, an idealist, with good intentions and high hopes. I felt remorse thinking that I would be letting him down by giving up. I had already been a disappointment to my parents and everyone else in my life. On the other hand, the obstacles before me felt insurmountable. I felt like I was trying to climb a steep cliff with one hand tied behind my back, or slay a dragon with nothing but a butter knife. I would just have to suck up my regret and tell him I was dropping out. Simple as that.

As if my thoughts had summoned him, I heard giant footsteps approaching. This time, I could see the vice principal's black shoes from the window, so I knew it was him. Even so, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear that wasn't entirely irrational. In spite of myself, I remained motionless on the bed, curled up under the blanket, too scared to move.

"Eren?" the giant called, squatting down to the level of the building. When I didn't respond, he repeated, "Eren? Are you in there?" After a long pause, I heard the loud click of the roof as he peeled it open. I squeaked and ducked my head under the blanket so I was concealed. I realized how stupid I was being, but I was too frightened to care.

"Oh, Eren," he lamented upon witnessing the disaster inside. "I'm so, so sorry." I heard scraping and clattering as he started fixing the furniture. I peeked out from under the blanket. He had a saddened look on his face that broke my heart. It wasn't right for me to be scared of him. I pulled back the bedsheets and sat up.

"Mr. Henderson," I spoke up in a tremulous voice, "I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry."

He looked over at me, with softness in his warm coffee eyes. "I understand." He reached his hand forward towards me, wanting to comfort me, but then brought it back with a conflicted frown. He could plainly see I was still afraid of giants, and didn't want to scare me more.

"I'll call your mother and have her drive out to get you," he said gently. "Just... stay here for the day. With all the paperwork required, we probably won't be able to release you until tomorrow." I nodded in confirmation. I didn't like the idea of staying for another day, but I would have to manage. The giant hastily added, "You don't have to worry about that other student coming back. He's been kicked out. Obviously, eating another student is an expellable offense." I would have found his statement comical if not for the fact that I was the student who had been eaten.

Mr. Henderson gazed down at me sadly. For a long moment we sat together without speaking, before the giant vocalized, "I should have known integration would be a mistake. I never meant to hurt anyone, least of all you."

He turned away with regret, replacing the roof before plodding off. My face fell. I wondered, briefly, if I was making the right decision. Of course I was. I couldn't make myself suffer through another life-threatening event. Pushing my thoughts aside, I went to the dorm kitchen to eat some of the food Mr. Henderson had given me. Now I just had to wait until I could get the heck out of here.