Chapter 4

As Krystal entered her apartment, she couldn’t help but sigh, the heaviness inside her chest growing with each passing second. She tossed her bag on the couch and kicked off her boots, making her way toward the kitchen. As she approached the fridge, she reached out and opened the door, scanning the contents.

“Let’s see ... nothing, and more nothing. And oh, look, more nothing.” Krystal mumbled, staring at the empty shelves.

She’d forgotten to pick up groceries on her way home, something she’d done dozens of times before.

“Shit,” she muttered, slamming the fridge shut.

She grabbed her phone from her pocket and pulled up a delivery app, scrolling through the options. Her finger hovered over the Chinese food option, her stomach growling. But she couldn’t bring herself to hit the order button, knowing how many calories and carbs were in each dish would add onto her slender frame. She scrolled past the Mexican restaurant and the pizza place, her stomach continuing to growl in protest.

Finally, she settled on a salad and a water bottle from a nearby healthy food store. She wanted to eat all of the options she had skipped, but she knew needed to maintain her figure. A means to an end, she told herself.

She placed the order and headed to her room, stripping off her tight jeans and her low-cut top. She changed into a pair of comfortable pajama pants and left her small breasts exposed. She walked over to her desk, sat down in the chair, and opened her laptop.

The screen blinked to life. But before she could dive deeper, she opened her VPN, carefully masking her IP address as she connected to a secure server. With a few clicks, she navigated through the shadowy corners of the internet, seeking out a place where her desperation could meet someone else’s darkness.

She found the site she was looking for on the dark web, the one that catered to her specific needs. As a member of the site, she logged in, scrolling through the members’ profiles, looking for someone new. There were more than enough men to filter through, but finding one who would fit her specific requirements was more difficult.

Finding someone to choke her until she died wasn’t easy. Most of the men wanted money or a long-term relationship. Both of which were impossible because she barely had any money, and relationships are hard if the point is to die. So she had to give up the only thing she could offer, her body. An agreement that once she was gone, the person responsible would be free to do what they pleased with her corpse. Since she wasn’t going to need her body anymore, she also allowed the person to bring up to two friends, she did have some limits after all.

She thought she may have found someone, but then the doorbell rang.

“Shit,” she whispered, closing her laptop.

She got up and headed for the front door, grabbing her wallet along the way. When she opened the door, she was greeted by a young man in a brown uniform, holding a bag full of food and a water bottle.

“Delivery,” he said, his gaze flickering briefly to her exposed chest.

Krystal glanced down, realizing she was still topless. But instead of hurrying to cover herself, she shrugged.

“Don’t mind, do you?” she asked, more curious than concerned.

The delivery guy swallowed hard.

“Uh ... no. Not at all.” He handed her the bag, his eyes flickering between her face and breasts.

“Thanks,” she smiled, grabbing the bag and setting it inside. “How much was it again?”

“You paid online already, ma’am.” he stammered, visibly struggling not to stare.

“Right, sorry, just tired.” Krystal smiled, handing him a $5 tip. “Thanks again.”

“Thank you,” the delivery guy muttered, still glued to the spot, his gaze darting nervously between her face and chest.

“Something else on your mind?”

Krystal leaned out through the doorway, gripping the frame with both hands, one on each side, her body shifting closer to him. She could already see the thrill this would become for him. A story to tell his friends.

“No, I just ... uh...” His gaze locked onto her nipples, his words trailing off as his eyes betrayed him.