If You Dare: An Erotic Sequel

Crossing Over

Surreal images of masked figures and bright overhead lights unspooled from your brain. Weightless, your body hovered in the center of a still pond, occasional ripples caressing your skin in cool waves. From the darkness emerged a figure dressed from head-to-toe in teal. His disguise melted to reveal Domino's painted visage as he hovered over you like a phantom. The weightlessness vanished and your body grew heavy, as though a switch had been flipped. A dull, throbbing pain radiated from your chest and left side. The light painted the inside of your eyelids a flaming peach. Slowly, the beeping of monitors became audible.

Your eyes fluttered open against your will.

A stark white room bathed in morning sunlight came into view. You glanced down at the IV inserted in the crook of your arm. You tried to move your arms, but the clink of metal-on-metal alerted you to the handcuffs placed around each wrist. You fought against your restraints, attempting to sit up, but a sharp pain, as well as a tall, lanky figure, rushed forward to stop you.

"Easy," the figure brushed a soothing hand across your forehead as he eased you back into a comfortable position. "You need to rest. You've been in the ICU for two days. There will be plenty of time for action."

Bleary-eyed, your swollen tongue lolled around your dry mouth, desperate for relief.

"Water," you croaked, your dry tongue sticking to your cracked bottom lip. "I... need... water."

The figure disappeared from the cold room that reeked of latex and disinfectant. Your addled brain splashed in an ocean of powerful pain-relieving drugs. Your body thrummed with intensity, as though it had undergone some sort of trauma. Images of a scantily-clad woman with a river of gleaming black hair flashed before your eyes. The sound of three gunshots firing echoed distantly in your ears. A figure in a black suit with a shadowed face emerged at the forefront of your thoughts.

Domino, you gasped with striking clarity, as though you had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Domino, where are you? I need you.

A moment later, the tall, slender figure appeared with a paper cup in his hands. With an intimacy that unnerved you, he spooned a few ice chips into your mouth. Temporarily blinded by relief and gratitude, you greedily lapped up the ice chips. The ice melted in your warm mouth and trickled down your throat. Your mouth awakened in response, like a desert receiving rain after years of an intense drought. You slipped out of consciousness the moment your eyes drifted closed, returning to that deep, dark place where nothing could touch you.

You dreamt of nothing. Your mind was a fathomless abyss.

A startling pain jolted you from your drug-induced slumber later that same day.

The first thing you noticed was a police officer standing guard at the entrance of your room. A man's voice murmured your name on a deep, relieved exhale.

Your head snapped in the direction of the voice. You blinked up at the man in surprise and a dawning sense of horror.

"Dan?"

You gazed up at the familiar long face, overlarge nose, and chocolate brown eyes. Except... one eye was different from the other. The eye Domino had injured was unmoving and colorless. The sight of it unnerved you, even as he gazed upon your face with nothing but longing, relief, and adoration.

"Hello again," he whispered as he reached forward to caress your cheek.

You withdrew from his touch. Hurt and disappointment flashed in his one good eye.

"Dan, what are you doing here?" you craned your neck to look around the room. "Where am I? Where's Domino?"

Dan placed a finger over your lips to silence what would become an endless barrage of questions.