Page 42 of Horror and Chill

VelvetNoose:Some of us like you better when you’re quiet

SoftlySadist:Whoever pissed her off is gonna regret it

My laugh is soft. “Quiet isn’t my thing anymore,” I say. “And if you think you can take from me, maybe you should be ready for me to take something back.”

The cardigan slips a little more, baring one shoulder. I don’t fix it.

The chat is chaos now, half of them trying to guess the “bit,” half of them leaning in for the tease. I keep my eyes locked on the lens.

“This isn’t a plea,” I tell them. “It’s not an invitation. It’s a reminder.”

I lean forward, letting the camera catch the low neckline, the shadow between my thighs. My hand rests there, lazy, not quite moving.

“You don’t scare me,” I whisper. “You can’t scare someone who’s already survived hell.”

I let the silence hang. Just me, breathing. Waiting. The viewer count ticks higher. Then higher again. It’s not normal. One notification pops up in bright red at the top of the chat.

Anonymous tip. Four figures.

PurpleTights:We’re listening.

My skin prickles. I smile anyway.

“Good,” I say. “Then pay attention.”

I end the stream before the chat can catch up.

It doesn’t take longto figure out where the spike came from. I knew that big of a jump in my followers and viewers didn’t happen organically. Someone had to have leaked my link or name somewhere.Fucking bastards.

VelvetNoose. The one who told me they liked me better when I was quiet. He…she…whoever they are didn’t even pick a different username. Used the same one on Reddit as they do on my site. That’s not a coincidence.

They leaked the link. Screenshots of my stream, pulled mid-pose, tossed up on some sleazy Reddit thread forlocal whores. They listed me under my state, like I’m a cheap listing on Craigslist. Comments are already stacking up under it. Asshole.

I’m not letting that slide.

The next night I set up early. No music this time, no lingering warmup for the audience. I go live, already pissed, already smiling about it.

“This,” I say, holding up my phone with the thread pulled open, username circled in thick red marker, “is against the rules. Against the club. You don’t out people like this. Not if you want to keep your teeth.”

The chat explodes.

ChurchofAgatha:What the FUCK?

ThighHighPriestess:Not cool velvetnoose.

SnackPackSlut:Shame shame shame

TonyFromAccounting:Get ‘em girl!

I set the phone down and pull out the prop I prepped: a Barbie doll with a printout of VelvetNoose’s profile pic taped to its head.

“This,” I tell them, turning it so the camera gets a good look, “is what I’d do if I knew who you were.”

I start with a lighter, running the flame just close enough for the heat to melt the hair into a long, sticky black clump. The smell of burned synthetic hair fills the air.

The chat’s going wild, the feed scrolling faster than my eyes can keep up.

Sk8erSlut97:Oh shit she’s serious.