The author narrates.
The air smelled of old metal and damp, as if the room had been sealed for centuries. The echo of foreign footsteps seemed to drag along the walls. Bi looked at him with unblinking eyes.
Bi: "Oh, what good hopes you have..." she murmured, flatteringly in a gentle voice, while looking away for a second, as if it were part of a learned ritual. "And answer me one thing..."
Vikram, still in disbelief at where he'd stopped, awkwardly scratches the back of his neck.
Vikram: "Sure." He smiles, unsure if he should.
Bi: "Do you have any idea how you'll get out of here?"
Vikram: "Honestly, no. Do you?" He tried to sound casual, but his voice trembled at the end.
Bi didn't flinch. But something flickered in her mind. The smile she didn't show was that of a good witch with less-than-pious plans. But I had to fulfill my role as a witch of that underworld.
Bi: Oh, of course, I know her. I know the way out like the back of my hand.
Vikram: Now that's lucky. And where exactly is it? Or how do I find it?
Bi: Hold it right there, sir. First of all, I need you to go to trial, a punishment, or something similar so you can move forward... and get out of here.
Vikram frowned, starting to feel like he was slipping into a conversation with hidden rules.
Vikram: What do you mean... punishment and trial? he asked, confused.
Bi: I'm saying that... of course, I know the way out, but to do that, you'll have to pass a test.
Vikram: I still don't understand anything, but okay, okay. What exactly do I do? Do you want to have sex with me?
The words came out clumsy, a mixture of nerves, desire, and a way of defying the strange.
Bi narrowed her eyes. She wasn't surprised. She wasn't judging him. But there it was: raw, almost unfiltered desire. And with that, the potential for something darker. She wanted to avoid not having heard that part. But she made a mental note of the value of the exchange.
Bi: First of all... I'll tell you about something important, so you're aware and don't run away from here and die defenseless at the hands of the creatures that live down here.
The tone changed. Her voice no longer sounded sweet, but ceremonial.
She felt a chill run down her lower back. Not from the threat, but from the tone in which it was spoken. She swallowed.
He felt a chill run down his spine.
He looked at Bi, searching for a reassuring gesture.
She simply raised her hand gracefully and placed it on his chest, like an unsigned pact.
Bi: My mistress wants your soul, to be honest.
Vikram: What...? Why?!
His voice cracked. It no longer sounded joking.
His eyes filled with that alertness one only feels in lucid nightmares.
Vikram tensed at those words. His soul?
Up until that moment, everything had been strange, yes, but bearable. The witch, the darkness, the elevator. You could react to those with sarcasm. But now... the air seemed thicker. The walls closer. And Bi deeper.
She approached calmly, as if unaffected by his confession.
Bi: "Don't freak out yet," she said in a motherly tone, placing a hand on Vikram's shoulder. "It's not that literal… or at least, not how the stories portray it. And don't worry, we haven't gotten to the most exciting part yet."
Vikram stood still.
His breathing was starting to slow down.
The phone was still recording, but the reactions were starting to slow down. Some emojis seemed to be repeating uncontrollably. Truncated comments. A digital bubble, about to burst.
The light in the hallway flickered less frequently. As if the surroundings were holding their breath around Vikram. His eyes, once curious, now darted around, capturing gestures, details, the invisible in the witch who couldn't stop smiling.
Vikram: "So your 'mistress' wants my soul? What does that mean?" he asked, his voice more serious than before. There was no laughter anymore, he continued. "And what's the most exciting part?" he asked, his voice trembling now, his arms slightly tense.
Bi narrowed his eyes, as if the answer was more for her than for him.
Bi: "So that she can't receive your soul... you will go through a punishment," he said slowly, like someone who has told this story a thousand times and is still fascinated by the echo it produces.
Vikram swallowed again.
The dry sound in his throat gave him away.
Vikram: You know what... I'll accept any punishment, as long as you help me get out of here alive and with my soul. It's all cool," he added with a nervous laugh that didn't convince anyone.
Bi tilted her head slightly, satisfied. That answer felt like a signature without ink.
Bi: Okay," she said softly. "Give me your hand, but take off your jacket. I need to see your forearm."
Vikram blinked.
Doubt was clearly etched on his face. His lips pressed together as if trying to avoid the gesture, but he knew there was no way out. With unsteady hands, he took off his jacket and extended his arm.
Bi took his hand with disturbing delicacy. She didn't squeeze. She just let her palm slide down his forearm.
Then she pinched right in the center, between muscle and nerve.
Vikram shuddered.
Vikram: Ouch... —she whispered, gritting her teeth. —It wasn't serious… but it was strange.
Bi: You see, this isn't about torture, or blood, or cheap horror. Here… things break from within. You came with a very strong desire—she looked at Vikram with feigned sweetness—sex as a symbol, pleasure as an escape, fame as a purpose. And that comes at a price.
And then came the twist.
The skin began to mark itself.
Black lines, branching like burning veins, spread down her forearm.
Vikram: "What is this?!" he yelled, jerking his arm back, his eyes wide, his breathing labored.
Bi held her position. She didn't flinch.
Bi: "Don't worry..." she said with a calmness that was almost disturbing.
The mark stopped just below her elbow. Vikram looked down and began to rotate his arm, observing the dark lines, the abstract shapes that seemed to move.
Bi: The mark will disappear once you're done with what I'm about to say next.
Vikram: Oh my God…" He let out a nervous sigh. "For a moment I thought it would be permanent." He forced a laugh, still uneasy. "But I have to admit, it looks great…"
Bi smiled. For the first time, his expression became more active.
Bi: Okay. The curse I'll give you, which you must complete... is that you sleep with and have sex with at least twenty Executioners around here, or more if that's preferable.
Her smile evaporated.
Vikram: "What are Executioners?" he asked in a choked voice.
Bi: Oh, no no no... not "the", hehe... "the" Executioners, he replied.
Vikram froze.
The silence grew thicker than ever.
His eyebrows rose sharply, his jaw tensed, and his eyes bored into Bi's, searching for any sign that this was a joke.
But Bi wasn't smiling out of sympathy anymore.
Now he was smiling out of destiny.
Vikram: I just want to have fun... Not have a curse mark.
Bi nodded slowly, as if reading a book he'd already finished many times.
Bi: Sure. Have fun. Be desired. Be watched. Be unable to stop seeing what you do, what you show, what you provoke. But in this place… your desires can become the rule.
And if your desire is to be desired and to fuck girls… that will be your curse, only in reverse.
The room remained illuminated by that ultraviolet light, flickering, almost mocking. With each answer from Bi, the space seemed to narrow. Vikram couldn't tell if it was claustrophobia or something else... something that was already touching him from within.
Vikram: "And what do I have to do? How do I get out of here?" he asked again, seriously, not joking. He wanted to confirm what he had heard from that witch.
Bi leaned closer, letting out a sigh. Much closer.
The cell phone unintentionally focused on her face.
Her gaze wasn't human. Not cruel.
Just… inevitable.
Bi: You're going to be part of a test. A trial of sexual desire. And if you overcome it… you'll be able to get out. But if you lose… you'll remain trapped in this cycle. Just another character. A living symbol. It'll only be a few Executioners, twenty to be exact. Or if you prefer, it could be more.
Vikram: "Don't even think I'm going to do that! You're crazy!" he snapped, his tone sharp, his jaw clenched. The words weren't just defense, they were fear disguised as fury.
Bi blinked slowly, his composure intact.
Bi: "But why?" he asked as if he genuinely expected a reasonable answer, as if his proposal was as simple as handing a flower.
Vikram: "That would ruin my reputation. Girls would stay away from me..." Vikram said, frowning, his voice cracking with pride and shame.
Bi let out a barely audible laugh, not opening his mouth too wide.
Bi: "No way you're going to broadcast that live." He pointed at the cell phone he was holding in his lowered hands.
The comment was like a silent gunshot.
Vikram looked down, then his thumb touched the screen. He muted the microphone with trembling fingers.
The broadcast continued.
But the followers could no longer hear.
He set the cell phone aside, along with his backpack and skateboard, as if those objects no longer belonged to him in this plane.
He approached Bi, step by step, like someone walking toward a verdict.
Vikram: "Let me get this straight..." He ran his hand over his face, trying to fully grasp the situation he had unexpectedly found himself in. "You want me to sleep with some guys? Is that what you want?"
Bi held his gaze, her expression soft, almost maternal.
Bi: Basically. They're not "guys," Vikram. They're Executioners. From the underworld.
Vikram: "It's the same shit!" he exclaimed, clenching his fists, feeling the heat of his rage barely shield him.
Bi narrowed his eyes, not raising his voice.
Bi: "Hey, watch your tone..." he murmured calmly. "I'm trying to help you with something super simple."
Vikram: "By sending me to get fucked by some guys!?" He pointed at himself with both hands, staring at the girl with wide eyes.
Bi: "That's the case. It's something simple..." she replied, crossing her arms and looking away, as if the judgment had already been written in an ancient language. "Or do you prefer me to take your soul and just like that... you're out of here?"
The words pushed him. Literally.
Vikram took two steps back as if the air had turned solid.
He fell to the ground, palms clutching the nearest wall. His eyes opened like two pale moons. His body trembled, between wounded pride and real panic.
Bi didn't come closer. She didn't touch him. She just remained standing, as if the ground responded to her.
Bi: "Then stop complaining," she said in a neutral voice. "Just keep your phone away and on silent, so your 'fans' don't see you sleeping with them."
Vikram remained crouched. His breathing was labored.
He looked at the black mark on his forearm, still raw.
He thought. What if that's the only way?
Nothing made sense, but there was no other way out either.
Bi leaned slightly toward him.
The black cape brushed the ground, like a sigh.
Bi: "So... what will you do, sweetheart?" She smiled, this time with a gleam in her eyes that wasn't human.
The transmission vibrated.
A new notification appeared on his phone.
"New challenge unlocked: TRIAL OF DESIRE."
Vikram looked at his phone from the distance he'd placed it. He could clearly see something that didn't add up. It was the first time he'd received that kind of notification, and it was strange. Two options: "Accept" or "Reject."
He had one choice: surrender to one of these guys, or rather, "Executioners of the Underworld," or surrender his soul and have his life end there. Everything was at stake.
______________________________________
Author:
Like all writers, we love seeing our characters suffer. For some, that's true. Not all of us have that fetish.
I like it, a little, but I also want them to experience their happily ever after, hahaha. When will that happen? God knows.
And tell me... Did you like today's episode 😏.
At least they're Executioners, Vikram! :P
XD.
Leave a star like and follow me for more episodes of "Doomed Desire."
Chao! Chao! See you later! Bye!
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