Page 25 of Horror and Chill

I freeze.

The room doesn't.

The chat goes feral.

User259:WHAT THE FUCK

SnackPackSlut:WHO TF IS THAT

CrimsonMouth:MODS MODS MODS

GoreSlut420:IS THIS A BIT OR???

VelvetNoose:Oh my god is that HIM is that ACTUALLY HIM

My pulse hammers. I shift forward without meaning to, elbows pressing into my thighs as I stare at the name. The profile picture is nothing. A black circle. No post history. Joined today. No tip record.

But I know it’s him. The name tells me everything I need to know. I reach for the keyboard, type nothing, then pull my hands back. Let them wonder. Let him know I saw it.

I keep the mask on, but I lean closer to the mic. “I’m filming something new this weekend,” I murmur. “Someplace quiet. Out past where the road forgets to be a road. Where the only thing left breathing is the wind through broken rafters.”

User259:Uh what does that even mean

SnackPackSlut:Girl just say you're going to the woods again???

CrimsonMouth:This is why I have anxiety

VelvetNoose:No because she’s being POETICALLY UNHINGED

GraveyardDaddy:The road forgets to be a road???? Help

“Maybe you want to play again,” I say, low. “Maybe this time, I’ll makeyouscream louder than I did.”

CryptCummin:THIS IS NOT A BIT

User259:DO NOT DO THIS

CrimsonMouth:If he shows up again we all sue

CreepCreepCreep:SHE’S BAITING A KILLER

ThighHighPriestess:She’s my Roman Empire

I pause. Let the wave of panic roll past me. Then I speak again, soft, thoughtful, like I’m wondering aloud.

“Maybe he’s a killer.” Another beat. “But maybe that’s my kink.”

And then I log off.

10

Him

She’s baiting us.

Good. Let her. Let her try.

She’s calling to us.It’s not a taunt. It’s not vengeance. It’s a lure. The way her legs are spread beneath that oversized sweater. The way her voice drips sweet and slow, like molasses on a blade. She isn’t scared.