This nightmare would be over soon.
“Hey…” I said softly.
“It’s my fault. You weren’t supposed to get caught up in this…” he answered, sounding tortured.
“Well, I’m in it now, and I’m not leaving you alone.” I leaned in to give him a comforting kiss, but he rejected it, pulling back. I was briefly hurt but regrouped and moved closer to him. “Don’t give in to him. Please,” I begged.
Neil had already gone through more than enough hell for one lifetime; I wasn’t about to let this lunatic damage his psyche and wound his soul even further.
“I couldn’t give less of a fuck about myself. But you…” he hissed through clenched teeth. Abruptly, he cupped my face in his hands and moved closerto me. His grip was so powerful it made me flinch, and his eyes pierced me like he was trying to tattoo his thoughts into my skin. “You matter to me, and I am not going to let this asshole destroy your life. Not now, not ever.” He released me suddenly, as though he’d been burned.
Neil went back to typing, even more furiously than before.
Dark Knight:Why are you doing all this?
Player 2511:Because I enjoy humiliating you.
Dark Knight:What did I do to you?
Player 2511:Think about it…how much pain have you brought to how many people?
Dark Knight:Don’t answer my question with another question.
Player 2511:You turned my life into a tragedy. But now it’s my turn to decide how the story ends. Clock’s ticking…
I looked away from the screen as Neil got abruptly to his feet. He pulled a hand through his hair with a growl of rage.
“I have an idea,” Luke cut in. “Ask him to send the video of you and Selene together.”
Neil turned on him. “What the fuck? Are you nuts?”
“No, I’m not. I want to make sure this person actually has a video and that it’s not just a trick he’s using to manipulate you,” Luke answered, and we all fell silent, thinking.
“That could actually be a good move,” Xavier joined in, agreeing with Luke. “We need to level the playing field. This asshole has to know he’s fucking with the wrong people…”
“Hey!” Alexia shouted, drawing our attention back to the laptop. Instinctively, I clutched Neil’s arm.
Another window had popped up on the left side of the screen with an incoming video call, waiting for us to accept.
I was shocked. Was Player actually going to show himself?
Neil didn’t waste any more time, reaching out to click accept on the video.
For a few seconds, we waited.
They seemed to pass so slowly that it ratcheted up our fears all out of proportion. Then, a woman appeared, sitting in a chair. She wore a white mask that completely obscured her face with just two slits for eyeholes.Her long blond hair fell over her breasts, and she wore a tight leather top with thin straps.
She was sitting in a bedroom. I caught just a glimpse of a round bed covered in black sheets surrounded by LED light strips that constantly cycled through colors. On the wall above the upholstered headboard was a fire-red light emitting a soft glow that gave the whole room a potent, disquieting vibe.
“Fuck!” Xavier blurted out. “I fucking told you it was a woman!”
“Neil…do you recognize her?” Luke put in. Then he turned to look at Neil, who stood frozen, staring at the laptop. I squeezed my fingers around his stiffened arm to show him that I was right there, but he remained blank, his cloudy eyes fixed on the woman on the screen.
He shook his head slightly but said nothing.
“How’s he supposed to recognize her? With all the chicks he’s fucked, I’d have trouble picking out one specific one too!” Xavier joked. Luke elbowed him.
“If you don’t shut your fucking mouth, Xavier, I’m putting my fist in it,” Neil threatened, surfacing from his fugue. His look of menace was enough to get Xavier to perk up into a battle-ready stance.
