Karl arrived at work the next day, his face carefully blank as he stepped behind the counter. The familiar beeping of the register, the distant hum of the refrigerator units, and the soft chatter of custors filled the air. It was almost comforting—almost.
And then he walked in.
Eric Langley.
Karl stiffened the mont he saw him, but what caught him off guard wasn’t the sight of Eric—it was the way he acted.
The bastard was smiling.
Not his usual smug, condescending grin, but sothing else. Sothing friendly.
"Karl, my man!" Eric greeted, walking right up to the counter with an exaggerated grin. "You wouldn’t believe the dreams I had last night—crazy stuff, man. But you? You were in them." He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "And dude, I gotta say, I think we’re ant to be best friends."
Karl’s fingers twitched, his jaw tightening. He had expected Eric to be shaken, disturbed—even paranoid about what happened last night.
But this?
He forced himself to stay calm, adjusting his expression into sothing neutral. "Best friends, huh?" he said, feigning interest. "That’s... unexpected."
Eric chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "Right? I an, I always thought you were kinda stiff, kinda boring, but man—what you suggested? That’s next-level thinking. I an, who even cos up with that?!"
Karl stared at him, his stomach twisting slightly. What the hell did the app do to his mories?
He thought the reconstruction would be subtle—sothing small, sothing harmless. Maybe make Eric forget so key details, shift his perception just a little.
But from the way he was acting...
Sothing much worse had happened.
Eric grinned wider, lowering his voice. "So, get this—you told , right? You told I should totally sleep with Lina, and while I’m doing it, you’d be watching." He burst into laughter, shaking his head in amusent. "Dude, that’s insane! You’re insane! But in a genius kinda way."
Karl felt his blood run cold.
What?
What the fuck?
He barely managed to keep his face neutral, but his brain was reeling. He hadn’t typed anything like that. Hadn’t even considered twisting Eric’s mories in such a grotesque way.
But the way Eric was laughing about it—like it was so joke—made Karl want to slam his head into the counter.
"I swear, man," Eric continued, wiping a fake tear from his eye, "I used to think you were just so boring guy. But now? I get you. We’re the sa. Twisted minds think alike, huh?" He leaned back, grinning. "I think we’re gonna be great friends."
Karl forced himself to breathe, his fingers tightening under the counter. He wanted to punch him—wanted to wipe that disgusting grin off his face—but he knew that would get him nowhere.
Instead, he exhaled slowly, offering a tight, unreadable smile. "Yeah," he muttered. "Sothing like that."
Eric laughed again, seemingly oblivious to Karl’s barely restrained disgust. "Man, I knew I liked you! Listen, after my shift, let’s grab so drinks. I got so many stories to tell you."
Karl didn’t respond.
He was too busy thinking.
What the hell had gone wrong?
And more importantly—
How the fuck was he going to fix it?
Karl forced a slow exhale, keeping his expression unreadable as Eric continued to ramble, the man’s words dripping with the kind of arrogance that made Karl’s skin crawl.
"Actually, wait, I almost forgot," Eric suddenly said, snapping his fingers. "Yo, give your YoChat ID."
Karl blinked, montarily thrown off. "Why?"
Eric smirked. "Co on, man. We’re tight now, right? You and , we think alike. Gotta stay in touch." He waggled his phone in front of Karl’s face. "Don’t be shy."
Karl hesitated for a fraction of a second before forcing himself to nod. He rattled off a fake-sounding ID, one he had set up for throwaway interactions. It was a burner account, completely detached from his personal data. If Eric sent anything useful, Karl could use it against him.
Eric grinned, quickly typing it in. "Gotcha. I’ll hit you up later." With a final, exaggerated wink, he turned and sauntered out of the store.
Karl barely suppressed a shudder of revulsion.
The mont Eric was out of sight, Karl pulled out his phone and checked YoChat.
A notification popped up almost instantly.
[Eric Langley has added you.]
He clicked on it.
Eric: Yo, Karl, got sowhere better than a bar tonight. You’re gonna love it.
A second later, a location pin appeared in the chat.
Karl clicked on it.
His stomach twisted.
The address wasn’t for a bar. It wasn’t even for a club or so high-end suite.
It was a house.
A house deep in a secluded part of the city.
A place with no caras. No prying eyes.
Then, another ssage.
Eric: This is where I do my real work. Gotta show you how I break in my young bitches. Gonna be a hell of a night.
Karl felt bile rise in his throat.
His grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white.
This was it.
This was Eric at his most unguarded. His most vulnerable. His sickest.
And now, Karl had an invitation.
His heart pounded against his ribs as a thousand thoughts clashed in his mind.
This is the chance.
But it wasn’t just an opportunity to expose Eric anymore.
It was sothing deeper. Sothing darker.
He clenched his jaw, his breath shaky.
If he went there tonight, he wasn’t just gathering information.
He was walking into the belly of the beast.
And he wasn’t sure if he’d co back the sa.
Karl barely had ti to process the weight of Eric’s ssage when he felt a gentle tap on his back.
He tensed for a split second before turning to see Lina standing there, her expression lined with concern.
"Karl... is Eric threatening you?" she asked, her voice soft but firm.
Karl forced his features into sothing neutral, suppressing the whirlwind of emotions brewing inside him. "No." He shook his head. "It’s nothing you need to worry about."
Lina didn’t look convinced.
Karl hesitated for a mont before offering her a small, reassuring smile. "You’ll be safe from now on, Lina. You can catch up on your dream again."
Lina blinked, taken aback. "My dream...?"
Karl nodded, keeping his voice steady. "You always wanted to move on, right? To live without looking over your shoulder. To feel free again."
Lina parted her lips slightly as if searching for words, her fingers tightening into fists for a brief mont before she exhaled, a slow, uncertain smile curling onto her lips. "That... sounds nice."
Then, her eyes softened. "But Karl... please don’t do anything reckless."
Karl felt sothing twist in his gut.
"You’re a good person."
The words felt like needles piercing through his skin.
A good person?
For a fleeting mont, nausea swirled in his stomach.
Because Karl knew.
He wasn’t a good person.
A good person wouldn’t have let his mind wander down the paths he had. A good person wouldn’t have entertained the twisted suggestions Chillie Jean had planted like seeds in his head. A good person wouldn’t have read Eric’s ssage and felt sothing other than pure disgust.
And yet—
Lina looked at him with so much sincerity.
So much trust.
It made him sick.
Karl forced himself to swallow down the bitterness clawing at his throat. He gave Lina a small, hollow chuckle. "I’ll be fine, don’t worry."
Lina studied him for a mont, as if sensing the turmoil beneath his words. But in the end, she chose to smile. "Alright. Just... be careful, okay?"
Karl nodded. "Yeah. I will."
Lina gave his arm a small squeeze before stepping away.
As soon as she was gone, Karl exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face.
Good person?
He almost laughed.
The thought made his stomach churn.
Because tonight, he wasn’t going to be a good person.
Tonight, he was going to step into Eric Langley’s den of horrors.
And Karl wasn’t sure if he’d walk out as the sa man he was before.
Several Hours Later
Karl sat on the edge of his bed, the dim glow of his bedside lamp casting long shadows across the room. His shift had ended, but exhaustion hadn’t set in. Not even close.
His body was still, but his mind? His mind was a storm.
His phone lay in his hand, Eric’s ssage and location staring back at him like a taunt. A test.
Karl exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. "Alright..." he muttered under his breath. "Let’s do this."
"Cadet Potato!" Chillie Jean barked, her pixelated eyes gleaming with mock authority. She smacked the riding crop against her palm, tilting her head as she eyed Karl with exaggerated scrutiny.
Karl sighed, rubbing his temple. "Really?"
Chillie grinned. "Really! You think you can just march into enemy territory without proper preparation? Absolutely unacceptable, Cadet Potato!"
Karl gave her a deadpan look. "You’re really enjoying this, huh?"
Chillie twirled the crop between her fingers, her smirk widening. "Oh, imnsely~ But let’s be serious, Karl. This is your first real operation. Your first deep dive into the abyss. You nervous?"
Karl exhaled slowly, resting his elbows on his knees. He didn’t answer imdiately.
Was he nervous?
Maybe.
Or maybe it was sothing else.
A low, dark hum in the back of his mind. A feeling that had been growing ever since Eric’s invitation.
Excitent.
Not the good kind.
Chillie Jean leaned in, watching him carefully. "Ohhh~ You’re thinking, Karl. I can see those gears turning~."
Karl ignored her, standing up and grabbing his jacket. "No more talking. It’s ti."
Chillie giggled, spinning on her heel. "That’s the spirit! Now, before you charge in like an overcooked potato, let give you a little tactical advice."
Karl arched an eyebrow. "I’m listening."
Chillie smirked, her avatar flickering for a second before stabilizing. "Eric invited you in, which ans he’s relaxed. He thinks you’re one of his own now. Use that. Blend in. Observe."
Karl nodded, already planning how he would act. "And then?"
Chillie’s smile sharpened. "And then... you decide just how deep you want to sink, Cadet Potato."
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