Chapter 4: Shirley Walks Into the Trap
1046 Words
The siblings sat in anxious silence, waiting for the phone to ring—a sound that never came.
Anna Karenina's stomach rumbled menacingly, a sharp reminder of her scarce meals over the past days. As hunger gnawed at her patience, frustration bubbled to the surface. “What’s wrong with that guy? Doesn’t he know I’m giving him a chance to make amends? If he doesn’t appreciate it, well, I’ll just have to take matters into my own hands!”
She dialed James Lon once again, only to be met with the automated voice: “The number you dialed is no longer in service. Please check and try again...”
Disconnected?
Anna’s eyes widened in disbelief, only to narrow again in a mix of realization and fury. James Lon had blocked her.
“How dare he block me? He’s growing bold!” she fumed, fingers flying over her phone's keyboard as she tried messaging him on social media, only to find herself blocked there too.
An edge of panic crept into her voice as she turned to Jackie Won. “He’s still trying to scam women! What if someone actually goes to him? That i***t will waste our food!”
Anna reassured herself, “No woman would be that foolish. He can't have much food. Once it’s gone, they’ll starve too. Just give me some time—I know James is just pretending. He’ll come crawling back.”
Unbeknownst to Anna, her group chat access remained untouched by James. He knew that taunting her was part of the thrill.
By morning, James, refreshed from a shower and a breakfast of champions—oatmeal and an ice-cold Coke—considered how things had changed. Staring out the window, he noted how the Purple Mist had climbed higher, almost engulfing the 20th floor's windows.
How high would it rise? Higher than the 30th floor?
Nursing these thoughts, James finally turned his attention to Shirley Inr, who had messaged him in desperation the day before.
Slave Recruitment:
"Alright, you can come over."
Hunger-inspired motivation got the better of Shirley. "Can I come now? Where do you live? Can you come get me? I’m scared," she replied.
Slave Recruitment:
"I know where you live. Just step outside and wait. I’ll come to get you."
Shirley hesitated, caught between distrust and the gnawing need for sustenance, before opening her door cautiously.
James watched the hallway through the peephole, spotting Shirley as she closed her apartment door and stood, vulnerable, in the corridor.
With exaggerated casualness, he opened his door, leaning against the frame.
"Never seen a beautiful woman before?" she sneered, trying to weave her dignity from tatters.
“I’m the Slave Recruiter,” James revealed, a bemused smile curling his lips.
Shirley’s shock morphed into anger. “You liar!”
Just then, sticky footsteps echoed up the stairwell, accompanied by heavy, rhythmic breathing—like a creature in laborious pursuit.
Hoo… Hoo…
Instinctively, James withdrew, closing his door with urgency, leaving Shirley wide-eyed in the hallway. Panic seized her as she fumbled, trying to retrieve her keys only to watch them skitter toward the stairwell with a fateful clink.
The monster’s footsteps hastened. Shirley pounded on James’s door, fear-stricken, "Let me in! Let me in! Save me!"
Genuinely concerned about the proximity of the creature, James quickly assessed the situation through the peephole before wrenching the door open and dragging her inside.
“Ow! You’re hurting me!” Shirley exclaimed, more from surprise than pain.
“Shut up! Don’t make a sound,” James whispered harshly, fixing his gaze on the peephole again.
From the stairwell emerged a massive dog, like a silver-coated sighthound, but easily inflated to 1.5 meters tall and stretching beyond 2.5 meters long. Its sinewy build exuded strength and menace, its snarling teeth setting a primal chill down James’s spine.
The mutated hound sniffed the air, its hot breath audible through the door, as Shirley froze beside James.
Within moments, screams erupted from below, and the dog’s ears perked up before it bounded back down the stairs in pursuit.
James exhaled the tension from his chest, finally turning his attention to Shirley. Up close, he found it hard to ignore her beauty, though this meeting of circumstances offered no romance.
Shirley’s haughty demeanor quickly resurfaced, arms crossed and voice sharp. “Don’t get any ideas.”
James, an unimposing figure at 176 cm, chuckled at her defiance.
“Still playing hard to get during the apocalypse?” He smirked, then his face turned steely. In quick succession, he slapped her.
The slap echoed, more reproach than anger, shocking Shirley into silence. “You dare hit me?” she asked incredulously.
Casually, James retrieved a knife, its blade catching the harsh artificial light with dangerous luster. “Turn around and face the wall.”
Fear seeped into Shirley’s pores, turning her complexion ghostly pale. She stammered, “You… you… you…”
“I’ll say it again.” His tone brooking no disobedience. “Turn around, face the wall, and don’t test me.”
Nerves jangling, Shirley acquiesced, turning to face the wall with visible reluctance. “F-Fine... Don’t hurt me...” she pleaded.
The blade pressed coldly against her waist, amplifying her terror. “Raise your hands," James ordered, methodically beginning a search for any weapons she might possess.
He ran fingers through her hair, checked behind her ears, then compelled her to open her mouth.
“Open your mouth,” he commanded. Tears streamed down the sides of her face in silent obedience.
With no hidden threats discovered, he resumed his check, ensuring the absence of concealed intentions beneath her arms and between her breasts, methodically covering every possible area for subterfuge.
His examination finished, James pulled away, withdrawing the knife.
Shirley, appalled yet silenced by fear, glared daggers at him, fury flashing through her like lightning.
“Hmm, still feisty,” James mused, grabbing a handful of her hair to drag her further into the cluttered apartment.
“Ah! Don’t pull so hard!” Shirley cried, tripping along obediently yet begrudgingly.
He pushed her onto the sofa with decisive force. “Lie down. Don’t move.”
Bruised in ego more than flesh, Shirley lay still, comprehending the magnitude of her misstep as the world unraveled outside.
- Writer
