1. Take his hand.
You take one last look at the light. It seems warm and soft, the offered hand sharply outlined in red against it. Part of you know what you're doing will have consequences. Part of you doesn't care.
You reach for the hand. Benny smiles.
You hesitate, inches away. Benny only widens his smile into a grin.
You grasp his hand. Your hand, which was bloodstained earlier, is now clean. But as you press your flesh into Benny's, the blood on his hand starts to spread onto yours, like a spilled glass of wine. And with it, a painful burning sensation.
"Man, you're so easy," Benny says, his fingers wrapping around your wrist like teeth. "All you have to do is dangle little miss no-hair-on-her-hole in front of you, and you rollover like a puppy."
The blood has covered your hand. It is spreading up your arm in solidifying tendrils. The sensation of pain spreads with it. You attempt to pull away, but it's like you're frozen in place.
Benny leans forward and whispers in your ear. "Wanna know a secret?" he breathes. "There is something behind you."
And as he says it, you suddenly feel it, a presence, a watching eye. Or eyes. Staring at you from out of the darkness behind.
"Don't worry," Benny whispers. "This will only hurt for a second."
His other hand comes up. You shift your eyes, the only part of your body not frozen, toward it. His index finger has a long, red nail.
He inserts it into your ear. Inside, you scream.
Pain explodes in your head. You feel something wriggling against your brain. Writhing. Twisting. Oh god. It's moving. It's --
The pain ceases. You feel suddenly calm. Peaceful. You don't even mind the burning blood spreading past your shoulder and onto your neck and chest. Benny releases your hand and it drops limply to your side. All your fear and revulsion has vanished.
Benny smiles.
"There, that's better now, isn't it? I told you it would only hurt for a moment."
You nod, smiling back at him.
"Now, don't you want to see Nicole again?" he asks, as blood drips from your face.
You nod again, your smile widening to a grin. You taste sweet blood. You tongue emerges and licks your lips.
"Then come on! There's no time to waste! She's waiting!" Benny turns you with his arms to face the darkness behind you, and walks around you, leading you with one hand gently pushing you from behind in the small of your back.
As you step into the darkness, you see it is not empty, but that it is full of life. They slither over each other and beckon you. They are beautiful and you want to touch them. You reach for one --
Benny grabs your hand and gently places it back at your side. "Oh no. Don't touch. You don't want to touch those, trust me," he says. You agree with him. They are too beautiful to ruin by touching.
You can hear them speaking to you. They want to be at one with you. You can think of nothing you desire more. Ahead, they are thicker, covering the path. Benny urges you toward them.
He is behind you now, you walk on your own toward them.
Behind you, Benny chuckles. "I wouldn't want to be you right now," he says. "Remember, bro. You owe me one. I'll be watching."
You step into them. They caress you. You're safe with them here. You never want to leave. They wrap around you, into you. You feel them crawling into your ears, your mouth, your ass, and finally, your eyes --
Your eyes.
***************************************************
You open your eyes.
Your first thought is:
Well, at least he didn't take my eye again.
Your second thought is:
Where am I?
Your third thought is:
Your world exploding into pain, and pain of memory. The revulsion of what just happened to you in that tunnel comes slithering back, and you throw up in your mouth. You try to turn your head, but you can't. Everything is pain.
Your eyes won't focus. The world is a blur of a blur. Pain is your only sensation, your only sense. Sight, hearing, touch, everything is superseded by it. It consumes you and becomes you. You wish you were dead.
And then --
A face. A face above you. For a moment it distract ever so slightly from the pain. You gather what will remains to you and focus. The face begins to take shape.
Nicole.
Her hand presses cool against your cheek.
"You're gonna be alright," she says. "I'll take care of you. Don't worry."
You smile at her. She smiles back.
You close your eyes.
***************************************
To be continued