[Chapter 179: Chris's Romantic Encounter]
"Heh... heh..."
Heavy gasps mixed with the wet, sticky sound of saliva splashing echoed sharply in the silent room.
Chris's pupils finally refocused; his vacant stare resembled someone struggling to surface from the depths of the ocean. He arched his back, hands planted on his knees, swallowing mouthfuls of air as if he'd just been dragged out of water.
It took him a long moment before he registered Daniel's presence.
"Daniel..." Chris's voice was hoarse, trembling with the relief of a survivor. "Thank you... thank you for coming."
His gratitude mingled with lingering fear, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, glistening under the light.
Daniel nodded slightly.
He hadn't rushed here merely because of the warm hospitality that night -- it was because he didn't want Chris to die.
After all, Daniel had purchased the rights to Captain America. And Chris was supposed to play that role soon.
Though Hollywood never lacked talented actors, for a franchise already on a solid track, it was safer to keep the original path.
"Get up."
Daniel reached out and gripped Chris's arm. It was ice-cold, muscles twitching involuntarily. With effort, Daniel hauled him off the floor.
Chris staggered a step and shook his head violently, as if trying to dislodge some sticky residue from his mind.
He wiped his face -- his palms slick with sweat.
"Tell me what happened." Daniel's voice was steady and reassuring, carrying quiet authority.
Chris took a deep breath and rubbed his cheeks, as if scrubbing away an invisible layer of filth.
"I... I met a woman online."
He paused, his eyes drifting into the void, voice touched with a strange, morbid attachment.
"She was beautiful... so beautiful she didn't seem real. Every curve was like a carefully crafted temptation. But what mattered most -- she understood me. She understood every high and every low I felt, always saying the right thing at just the right moment..."
Chris's voice faded as a dazed smile crossed his face, like he'd sunk back into that illusory sweetness.
"You fell in love with her," Daniel said quietly. It wasn't a question -- it was a statement.
"Love?" Chris gave a bitter laugh, voice dry. "It was more than love... it was an addiction. I couldn't find a single reason not to be obsessed with her. None."
"And then?"
"Our relationship got closer, and eventually, we made it official online. I suggested meeting in person, but she always said to wait -- that she wasn't ready yet. Out of respect for her, even though I was desperate, I didn't push. Then today, she suddenly said she was ready to meet. I was thrilled and asked where and when. But..."
A flicker of terror crossed Chris's face, his breathing quickened. His voice shook.
"But... she said, 'Right now, right here.' Then, everything around me changed."
He instinctively placed his hands over his chest, as if seeking comfort.
"I found myself standing in a room bathed in ambiguous pink light, the air heavy with a sickly sweet fragrance. She was there -- more beautiful than her photos, so stunning she didn't seem human. Every movement, every glance -- pure, irresistible charm. At that moment, I believed she was the incarnation of all beauty in the world."
Chris swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"I lost my mind. I forgot how I got there, forgot everything that didn't make sense... I only wanted her. I lunged at her, and she didn't resist. She just smiled -- that smile, the kind that feels like the most beautiful thing you'll ever see."
He raised a trembling hand to wipe sweat from his brow.
"I kissed her... every part of her. And then... then..."
Chris's face suddenly went deathly pale, his pupils constricted.
"Her skin... started to peel off."
He forced the words out between clenched teeth.
"It was like taking off clothes -- the entire skin slid down, from head to toe. Underneath was a bloody, raw body -- muscles exposed, veins pulsing. She grew taller, a whole head above me. And she just kept kissing me."
Chris gagged and covered his mouth.
Waves of pallor swept across his face as his breathing grew heavier.
Daniel waited without interrupting, giving him space to gather himself.
After a moment, Chris resumed.
"I was terrified. My mind snapped awake instantly, and I shoved her away. She was stunned, surprised I could come to my senses at a time like that. But then she lunged at me again, kissing me. I struggled with everything I had, but I was no match. Suddenly, she got angry. She said if I didn't listen, she'd trap me there forever. Then she walked out, and the room sealed up tight. I couldn't find any escape."
Chris's eyes shot up at Daniel.
"I pounded on every inch of that room. There was no way out. I started to realize it wasn't my body trapped there, but my spirit. That I'd never really left my room at all. I closed my eyes and screamed inside, desperate to wake myself.
I tried over and over -- and failed every time. But I didn't give up. Then suddenly, a surge of power jolted through my mind, and I broke free, back into my own room. I was ecstatic that I finally escaped. But then that sinister room flashed before my eyes again. My room and that place flickered, overlapping.
I realized, I hadn't truly escaped; just broken free briefly.
Then I thought of you. I grabbed my phone to call you. But before I could finish, I was pulled back into that room.
She appeared again, beautiful, and I was so entranced I forgot everything that happened before.
I started kissing her again. This time, I didn't notice any change in her appearance. We grew closer and closer.
Then suddenly, a force slammed into me, trying to pull me away.
I snapped awake to find her still skinless, bloody and raw. I screamed and pushed her away again.
This time, she didn't scold me. Instead, she sensed the power on me. She pinned me down, refusing to let me leave. That force wrestled with her for a while, then faded. Just as I thought I'd won, the force returned -- stronger than before. Suddenly, my vision blurred, and I finally came back."
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.
https://discord.gg/HjHHhUXPn7.