Corruption

3 | midnights

BANG. I sat up instantly, my heart racing at the loud thud. I looked around, hazily realizing I must've fallen asleep on the living room couch. I threw the teal throw blanket off of me, hearing footsteps come from upstairs. I crept over to the kitchen, taking a steak knife out of the knife holder. I scanned my surroundings, making sure no one was downstairs. I noticed my fathers briefcase was gone, signaling to me he had left for work. Through our glass back door it was dark, and looking at the stove clock I saw it was six in the evening. How long had I slept? I gripped the knife handle tightly, tip toeing over to the stairs. I gently pressed my foot on wooden step, trying to avoid the creaky parts I had become accustomed to over the years. I peeked up over the stairs, hearing footsteps come from what sounded like my room. I could feel my heart race as I quietly continued up the stairs, almost hesitating before I stepped over the final stair. My bedroom door was shut, but I could hear the footsteps through it.

I took a deep breath, bracing myself to open the door. I gripped the doorknob, flinging it open. I lifted the knife above my head, ready to swing it at the intruder. "Jesus Christ what the fuck?!" The intruder questioned. My eyes landed on Ben, who was casually sitting in my desk chair. I groaned, putting the knife down. "What are you doing here? I was fixing to stab you," I asked angrily. I noticed he had ditched the nerdy outfit, wearing a dark green turtleneck zip up. Black jeans covered his legs, black vans covering his feet. A correlating beanie covered most of his blonde hair. "I told you I was coming back, i'll admit i'm a little early but you can understand my excitement im sure," Ben grinned, eyeing my body hungrily. I frowned, smelling the cologne ooze off of him. "If you're here for a hookup i'm not interested, I told you to not come back," I told him sternly. Bens smirk faded, confusion spreading across his face. "You mean you weren't playing hard to get?" He asked me.

I scoffed at him, rolling my eyes. "I tried to hit you with a lamp and threatened to call the cops and you think that was me playing some sort of game?" I questioned. Ben awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, standing up. "My bad, look I didn't mean to come off as a dick and you know, with your boyfriend and everything I figured you just needed a good time to get your mind off of it," He explained. I crossed my arms, becoming infuriated. "My boyfriend and I are none of your concern, and i'd most certainly never cheat on him," I began, rambling as the man shoved his hands in his pockets. "And i'm not into hook up culture so you're more then free to get back into my computer and go the hell away!" I spat. I couldn't believe the audacity he had. Not only did he break into my house twice now, but the fact he thought i'd be that easy was absurd. "I'm sorry, look I think we got off on the wrong foot. If anything i'd like to be friends," Ben offered. I put down the kitchen knife on my desk, running my fingers through my hair. "And why would someone like you want to be friends with someone like me?" I asked.

"You want the honest answer?" He asked me. I nodded, crossing my arms. "Back home all of my friends have moved out. My two best friends got girlfriends and decided it was time to start their lives somewhere else. Something about wanting to start families or some bullshit. I'm alone in a mansion with three proxies who are too busy on missions, and, well, it's lonely," Ben began rambling. I raised my eyebrows, not entirely sure what he meant by proxies. I still hadn't decided whether Ben was actually real, but I had boiled it down to three options. Option A: he was a figment of my imagination that had been created as a reflection of some kind of deep rooted insecurity I had. Option B: he was a supernatural entity that was a ghost of someone who had a strange attachment to my computer. Or option C: he was real, entirely real. Despite me not knowing which option was the answer, I had come to the conclusion of one thing: he was lonely.

"So you're lonely?" I asked.

"I am, and from the looks of it, it seems like we both are," Ben informed me. I would've been offended if he wasn't painfully right. I watched as the blonde extended his hand out to me. "If you are willing to start over, so am I," He offered me. I hesitated, staring at his tan hand. I noticed his fingernails were painted black, chips of the polish coming off. "Alice Everson, nice to meet you," I introduced myself. I took his hand, shaking it firmly. "Ben Drowned, pleasure to meet your acquaintance," The blonde greeted me. Bens hand was warm, not sweaty or too hot, the kind of warmth that's comforting and loving. I let go of his hand, awkwardly rubbing my arm. "Well if you're gonna be hanging around here for a while, you can help me with something," I say. I walked past Ben, sitting down in my desk chair. "I need help figuring out how to break into a suitcase," I told him. Ben leaned over the desk beside me, eyeing the screen as I began clicking on the browser icon. "And why do you need to do that?" He asked me. I hit the inside of my cheek, contemplating telling him the truth. "I need to get inside of my fathers briefcase," I admitted.