Author's notes:

Here is the short story I promised to post on my Profile Page after having completed my ghost story on the NG BBS. First, apologies to my loyal readers for the long wait. Due to personal reasons, I wasn't able to post this sooner. I also wasn't sure which one of my stories should have the dubious distinction of being the first on my profile page. I could have posted the opening chapter of the sequel to "The Terror." Or one chapter of "The Jade Chronicles" (a continuation of Jade's character from my "5 Kings" story). Or even the opening chapter to a brand new, feature-length story. In the end, I decided it would be best to post a complete story, rather than just a piece of one. I hope you like it...
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"Love me."

Those were the two words that echoed in his head. Chris sat on the floor of the large cell. It wasn't as though he had much of a choice. He was chained to the stone wall by his wrists. He had room to move his arms, but not too much room. The monster had allowed him some length so that he could feed himself. Three meals a day... and some of the most delicious food he had ever eaten. During their last visit, the monster had confessed to doing all of the cooking. He tried to resist, but the smell of the food began driving Chris crazy. He had flipped over the first tray of food he was given. After that, the guards put his tray just out of reach. When he couldn't stand it any longer, the guards pushed the tray closer to him. They had instructions from the monster. Chris could either eat when fed, or the monster would feed him. His choice. But food would no longer go to waste. It wasn't much of a choice.

It seemed like a small victory for the monster, but Chris knew it was a victory none the less. To him, the score was tied. A guard had gotten careless. Coming into the old fashioned cell to retrieve the empty tray after Chris had his meal, the guard got too close. Chris had his chains wrapped around the guard's neck. The other guards heard the scuffle, and came running. One of them had begun beating Chris upside his head and face. It took five guards to pry his arms loose from the throat of the careless one. After the first blow, Chris' entire head went numb. He couldn't even feel the other blows.

The monster was not happy. Not with Chris, or any of the guards involved. No one is completely sure where the monster came from. Some said it was a demon, others thought it was an alien from outer space. But it didn't really matter. Not anymore. There weren't too many people left on Earth who cared about that. They cared about other things... Mainly, they cared about the monster. It had taken over 200 years, but the monster finally took over the entire world. Little by little, one small town after another, one small city after another; the monster's influence spread. Most of the world's population gave in so easily, without even knowing it. They just woke up, and the world seemed like a better place. Didn't happen all in one day. Just happened slowly for everyone. Well, almost everyone...

Sitting chained against the wall, tasting the blood that slowly trickled out of his mouth, Chris thought back to the moment he first realized that something just wasn't right with the world. People were too friendly, too nice. He thought back to the moment when he first learned of the monster, the first time he had met Tony, and the first things they did to topple the monster. Looking back, it seemed so foolish. The monster was too powerful. But neither of them cared. They got caught trying to create an underground newspaper to inform others of the monster's evil intent. Wasn't much of a newspaper. A computer, a printer, and a lot of determination doesn't make for much of a paper.

He could hear the monster's footsteps coming closer. He couldn't help but smile. He didn't know why. Maybe because he got blood all over the clean cell. His left eye was swollen shut, and he was a bit out of it; but he knew it was the monster that came to visit him. The celldoor opened, and the monster walked in.

She had long blonde hair that matched the yellow sundress she was wearing. The first thing Chris noticed was that she wasn't wearing any shoes. She leaned down, and took his head in her hands. As she slowly examined his bruised face and head, he still cotinued to be amazed at how warm & soft her hands felt against his swollen face.

"Looks worse than it is." Said the monster.

"Fuck you." Said Chris weakly.

"A lot of humans would like to... even the women of your species." She replied.

"You sicken me." Said Chris.

"Aww... Now you know my cooking never made you sick. Did you enjoy the crab cakes? I made them just for you."

"Why don't you show me what you really look like?" He said.

"I kinda like the way I look now. I think I'll stay this way. It's fun being eighteen."

"I'll kill you." He replied.

"I would suggest waiting until after I finish nursing you back to health. What you like for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Your head, on a silver platter." Replied Chris.

The monster couldn't help but smile at his last remark.

"Oh Chris, that's what I like best about you. Such a sharp tongue. Well, that; and the fact that you're a challenge. I've met very little resistence since I became active. But you and Tony are a breed apart. It's quite amazing that you found each other. Pretty much everyone loves me. Only a tiny handful left in the world who don't. But they'll come around."

"Fuck you." Replied Chris again.

"Are things really so bad with me in charge? No more wars, no more starving children, no more racism, no more drunk drivers killing moms and their babies..."

"No more free will." Chris interjected.

"Free will is overrated. You humans have had it for so long, and what have you done with it? Screwed each other out of money, lied, cheated, murdered each other. Sometimes, just for fun. I've been around a very long time. I've killed. But never out of fun. Never as a thrill. I don't like killing. I prefer love... I'm not sure which one of you will hold out longer. Maybe I'll stop trying with one of you. Put one of you in a guilded cage like a museum exhibit. 'The only person in the whole wide world who doesn't love me.' But that would be too cruel."

"You have no clue what real love is." Remarked Chris.

"Actually, I do. I've been around long enough to know what real love is. I don't take away free will, despite what you might believe. See, that's the funny part; Chris... It's the one thing that I can't take. It has to be given willingly. And that's rarely an issue. Love is not one-sided. I give it, as well as receive it. I make the world stress-free. I make the pain and misery of this world go away. I make it safe for children to play in the streets of every neighborhood, not just the 'nice' ones. Want a taste of real love?"

She grabbed his head, and shoved his face into her chest. For a split-second he felt disgusted. But only for a split-second. What he experienced lasted only for a few seconds, but it felt like several minutes. She was more than just warm & soft. It was a feeling he could not describe. He literally felt the pain in his body melt away. Chris felt a sudden jolt, as if hit with a stungun. His head nearly bounced off the stone wall of his cell.

"It's okay, Chris. It's okay. When you love me, it lasts much longer. A lot longer. And there's no sudden pain involved. You'll come around... They all did. I enjoy a challenge. But I enjoy it even more when someone loves me for the first time. That new love... It feels sooo good. You'll love me, just a question of when. Sadly, I think you'll outlast Tony."

There was genuine sadness in her eyes as she turned, and walked out of the cell. Chris wasn't sure if it was real, or if she had made him imagine that it was. He wondered where they were keeping Tony.

Two weeks passed, nothing had changed. Chris proved to be tougher than the monster had expected. She stopped visiting him. The guards no longer brought him food. That job went to a young girl who was a deaf mute. (Chris figured that the monster had re-considered not putting him on display in a museum. Or perhaps even monsters need a vacation). The girl looked about 14, or 15 at the most. Chris knew sign language, which surprised the young girl. The two quickly became friends. Their conversations soon turned to the topic of the monster.

Perhaps it was her lack of hearing, or even her lack of speech. But one thing was certain, the girl was not one of the monster's loving followers. Something caused her not to be affected by the persuasive techniques the monster used. But to his disappointment, the girl was not what you'd call a "rebel." She needed a job, and the monster was hiring.

"Probably hired her to keep a close eye on her. Try to find out why her powers don't seem to work on the girl." Chris thought to himself.

The girl treated him with kindness. But no way would she help him escape. Still, he had to try. She was reluctant at first, but she knew it wasn't right to put someone in a cell until they loved you. She knew the routine that the guards followed, she knew which one of them had the keys, and she knew where the keys were kept to the vehicles parked outside. It only took a couple of days for Chris to work out an escape plan. She would get the right key from the guard, the one who always took a nap at around 1:30pm. He would undo the chains, and pretend to take her hostage. They would climb into a vehicle outside, then after a few miles; he would let her out by the side of the road. She'd be safe, and wouldn't get in trouble with the monster.

It was a good plan. The day before the escape was to happen, he asked her to lean in a bit closer. He gave her a hug, and thanked her for the brave deed she was going to carry out tomorrow.

She quietly walked into his cell, keys in hand. Slowly, so as not to make too much noise, she unchained him from the wall. Once free, he stood up and smiled at her. But the friendly smile soon turned into a hate-filled one. As he stood facing her, Chris grabbed her by the throat! The look of surprised horror on her face almost made him let go of her. Instead, he tightened his grip around her throat.

"You almost fooled me. Almost." He said.

Chris lifted her off the floor by her thoat.

"You almost made me believe! So close! But you're not fooling me you filthy monster! I know it's you! Made me hug you yesterday! Nearly made me love you! But you failed you miserable bitch! I want to hear you scream, with your real voice! Scream bitch! Scream!"

And scream she did... But no sound came out of her. Chris relaxed his grip for just a second. (Maybe she couldn't scream because he was choking her too tightly). She kept screaming, but still no sound came out.

"You're not fooling me! Scream, dammit!!"

He continued to choke her. By now, the guards heard Chris screaming, and they came running! They got to the cell, just after her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Chris flung her to the floor. The guards were horrified by what they saw. None of them entered the cell.

"Ha! What do you think of that?!" Shouted Chris.

It was then that the guards parted, and the monster stepped forward. She looked at the dead girl on the floor, and then at him. His jaw dropped to the floor when he saw the monster standing there.

"Oh Chris, what did you do?... In all my time, I never killed a child. Never! You got loose, and look what you did... of your own free will. But don't worry, I'll make it better."

Without even having to say anything to them, she told the guards what to do. They rushed in with batons in hand. Chris was beaten to death, and his body carried out of the cell.

When it was over, one of the guards walked up to her.

"Excuse me, I'm just a bit confused why you told us to beat him to death?" He asked out of genuine curiosity.

"He murdered a little girl. He'd never be able to live with himself after that. And he's not the type to commit suicide. Life would be torture for him after today. Even I couldn't help him now. He'd never feel as though he'll ever be worthy of love. All I could do was end his misery in a way that he thought would be just. She died slowly and painfully. He felt he should be punished the same way... I just gave him what he wanted."

Another guard walked up to her.

"Tony wanted to know if he could have the crab cakes tomorrow, for dinner?"

"Everyone loves my cooking... There might be hope for him yet." Said the monster.

THE END.