Page 142 of Hunt for You

SleepingBeast:I didn’t think you were a liar. You and I both know you’d chew him up, spit him out, and be back in my pocket in days.

DeadGirlWalking:Being in your pocket has brought nothing. I thought we were connecting. I thought we had an agreement. Then you just ghosted.

SleepingBeast:You changed the rules.

DeadGirlWalking:And now I’m changing them back.

SleepingBeast:And maybe you’ve noticed that we’re talking?

---

I blinked.

He was right. He was here. He was messaging again.

Hope and thrill and fear and need all churned in my guts.

---

DeadGirlWalking:Whatever. I’m getting desperate. I can’t just sit here waiting. It’s driving me insane. Are you in? And are you in NOW? I need this. And I need it to be soon.

[SleepingBeast is typing…]

SleepingBeast:>>> We. Aren’t. Finished. <<<

DeadGirlWalking:I’m done with the vague-posting. I told you at the beginning, if it’s not you, it’ll be someone else. If you’re real, and you’re in, come for me. Otherwise, stay out of it. Because I’m going to find someone.

SleepingBeast:Soon.

[SleepingBeast has left the chat.]

---

I slammed my fist on the desktop and screamed a curse at the screen. There were tears in my eyes.

My DMs were lighting up and the post notifications were increasing in front of my eyes, but all I could do was look at that line.

[SleepingBeast has left the chat.]

I wanted to reach through the screen and grab him by the throat and shake him until he returned the favor.

I wanted to fall into his arms and weep.

I wanted to fuck him silly and beg him to stay with me.

I wanted so many things and none of them seemed possible in that moment, and suddenly I was in a cage again. My breath got quick. Too quick.

My ribs were too small. My lungs wouldn’t inflate properly.

Lights flashed on the edge of my vision as my head began to spin.

Suddenly woozy, vision blurred with tears, naked and shaking, I stumbled back to my room and dropped onto my bed. But dropping so fast, my head lurched and the world flipped. A wave of nausea rocked through me. I gripped the quilt on top of my bed because it felt like my bed was rising and falling, threatening to roll over.

And my heart was beating so fast it felt like a vibration in my chest.

Shit…

Shit.