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She laughs, the sound as light as air. “Not exactly. My mom is from Osaka, but my dad is from Michigan. I spent most of my years in the States.” That makes more sense. Her eyes curve slightly in a way that must be reminiscent of her mother’s heritage. My gaze drops to her lips, pink and pouty. They tilt with a smirk. Her beauty captivates me in a way that’s impossible to describe. “What’s your name, stranger?” she asks with another soft smile as I continue to openly gawk at her.
“Everett.” A flush of heat burns up my neck. I’m surprised my embarrassment can make itself known through the plethora of beer sloshing around in my stomach.
“Nice to meet you, Everett. I’m Rika.” There’s something about her voice, it’s hypnotic, mesmerizing. She takes a step closer to me. “Do you need a ride, Everett?”
I nod, my tongue too thick to speak as she moves even closer. Her hand touches mine and I melt. Her skin is soft, but cold. Too cold. “Here.” I shrug out of my suit jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders. She gives me a pitying look. “I’ll be fine,” I assure her. “I don’t get cold easily.” It’s the truth. She accepts the jacket and takes my hand, leading me down several streets and alleys until we come across a seafoam-green scooter.
“Hop on.” She gives me another of those warm smiles. I swing my legs over, feeling far too large for the small seat. Do these things have a weight limit? Rika slides into the seat in front of me, nestling in close. My arms wrap around her thin waist without thought. The sight of her in my jacket causes something inexplicably possessive to rise to the surface and my grip tightens. We ride through the darkness in silence, encountering no other people.
The Japanese landscape blurs past as we leave behind all signs of the city and head ever deeper into nature. I sober up enough to notice the enormous shadow of Mt. Fuji before us. The snowy white top is visible even at night. It’s getting larger. Which means we’re getting closer. Unease attempts to push past the alcohol swimming in my brain.
“Hey, I never told you where I was staying, and this isn’t the way back into Tokyo.”
“It’s a quick detour. Aren’t you up for a little adventure, Everett?”
My unease never quells, but I quiet my protests nonetheless. We ride for a good half hour before stopping. Rika parks in front of a sign with several warning symbols on it.
“What does it say?” I ask, semi-dazed.
“No trespassing,” she replies with a grin. She holds a hand out, beckoning me. A trickle of concern slips through the cracks in my drunken consciousness. Something feels off. When I don’t move, she turns away. “Alright then. Suit yourself.” She grips the hem of her sweater, dragging it up and over her head as she walks away from me. My eyes trek up the expanse of her milky skin. She twists around, giving me a sly smirk over her shoulder. My cock jerks to attention when she bends forward, sliding her jeans down and revealing lacy white panties beneath.
I’m moving before I can stop myself, my newly reinvigorated legs carving a path toward her exposed flesh. She races off into the night, the gleam of her body calling me to it like a moonlit beacon. The thick forest is filled with rocks and felled trees, making me stumble more times than I’d like to admit. By the time I breach the forest’s edge and reach the spot where I last saw her, she’s gone.
My gaze is drawn to the large dark cave entrance ahead of me. Surely she didn’t run inside there.
“Rika?” I look around in the near-pitch darkness. The chill from earlier continues its ascent up my spine. Silence blankets over me like a warning. “Rika?” I call once more, taking a nervous step back toward the forest. A sharp pain slices through my hand and I look down just in time to see the small, black spider that’s just bitten me. “Fuck.” I shake my hand, dislodging the tiny creature. Within seconds, a throbbing red welt blooms up around the two small puncture wounds left behind.
A sudden wooziness races through my veins, making me lightheaded and nauseous. Leave it to me to follow some girl out into an abandoned forest and get bitten by a poisonous spider. It’s time to get back to the main road. I don’t know what game this chick is playing, and I don’t have time to stick around and find out.
I turn on my heel and the world spins around me. The forest floor rises up to meet the moon before slamming back down again. Pain in my knees alerts me to the fact that I’ve just collapsed to the ground. My vision blurs and my breathing labors. My upper body feels heavy, so unbelievably heavy as I sway in a kneeling position. When the weight becomes too much to bear, I drop, one shoulder slamming to the dirt. A sparkling darkness creeps in around the edges of my vision. A woman’s form steps forward from the darkness.
“I am sorry, Everett,” a sorrowful voice whispers from someplace close. Her words sting with bitter truth and in that moment I believe her. She is sorry. But for what?
All I can make out is the shape of her bare body and the soft glow of red eyes as I succumb to the dark.
2
EVERETT
Aharsh rattling drags me from a fitful sleep. My whole body aches, but the worst of the pain is in the concussive pounding that’s currently ricocheting around inside my head. This has got to be the worst hangover of my life. My eyelids are plastered closed. Every attempt to open them sends fresh pain pulsing through my skull. The rattling continues. What is that fucking noise?
“You’re in shock.” The sound of a voice so near me peels my stubborn eyelids open in an instant. Rika stands close by. Her soft brown eyes contain more sadness than I’ve ever seen in another human before. “The toxin will run its course and things will get better.”
I drag my eyes away from her and take in the unusual surroundings. Dark stone walls are partially illuminated by the flickering of torches situated every few feet. The chamber I’m in is small, no more than twelve feet in any direction. A lump forms in my throat as the fog in my brain dissipates. I’m underground.I’m in the cave.
“Where are we?” My mouth is dry, my words coming out in a fit of coughs. Rika kneels, ladling a spoonful of water out of a bucket and bringing it to my mouth. The cold liquid passes my cracked lips before spilling mercifully down my throat.
I reach down to take the ladle from her, needing more, and abruptly halt. My body shudders and the rattling starts up again. My arms are shackled to the ground, limiting my movement. The rattling is coming from the chains. They clang loudly together as I fight against the metal bindings. After a solid minute of throwing my full strength into trying to break free, I give up. The chains haven’t moved at all. My shirt is missing, leaving me chilled in the damp space. The skin of my wrists is red and raw.
Desperation sends a choking sound up out of my lungs. My eyes snap up to Rika’s. “Why?”
She chews at her lip, eyes dropping to the floor. “I had no choice. I’m sorry.” Movement from the entrance of my rocky prison draws my gaze to the shadowy archway.
“They’re ready for him,” a deep voice whispers. All I can see is a pair of twin red irises glowing against the inky backdrop. “Take him to the feeding chamber.”
My heart rate quickens and dread spirals through me. “What does that mean? What’s the feeding chamber?”
Rika says nothing as she unhooks the shackles where they meet the floor. Her small palm wraps around the point where the short chains of the two cuffs connect. She rises to her feet, tugging gently on the restraints. When I don’t move, she casts me a worried glance. “Can you walk? I can carry you if you can’t.”
