Page 4 of Of Monsters and Mazes

As much as I wanted to say something, I opted to let him finish. See where else this story went. If nothing else, maybe it would be fodder for a future game.

Jericho: You’re shaking, you’re confused, and you’re trapped. The sense of vulnerability seeps into your bones, and your heart stops when you meet my eyes. You’re now a rabbit staring down the wolf, and you have nowhere to run.

Me: I think you’re getting a bit too far from the assignment here.

His little fairytale had started to develop an increasingly sinister bend despite the outlandish basis, and I wasn’t feeling particularly safe with this stranger anymore. It was impossible to discern if this was an elaborate metaphor or a threat, but it certainly wasn’t dirty talk.

Jericho: In that case, let’s clarify the assignment, Sela.

The use of my name almost came off as malicious now, trying to emphasize some unearned sense of familiarity.

Pumpkin moved from his position on my chest to nuzzle against my chin. The small gesture grounded me again, and I focused on my cat’s soothing movements to keep calm.

Jericho: While you stand before me like a cornered animal, I present to you a maze: the only place you can hide from me, and the only chance you have of surviving.

Jericho: If you can get through it, you’ll be given everything your heart desires. If you can’t, you’ll be food for both monsters and men. Neither option will feel fair, but you’re a woman of action, right? Despite the nerves and adrenaline spiking in your chest, you’re so tough, clever, and capable, you confidently believe that you can take on the obstacle before you. After all, how can you resist proving me wrong. Proving everyone wrong.

Jericho’s tinge of mockery wasn’t lost on me, and even in a fantasy I didn’t want to put up with it.

Me: Seriously, you can stop now.

He ignored me, replying almost immediately with his next twist to the story that was even worse than the last.

Jericho: You’ve always been a survivor, so you’ll fight, you’ll lash out, and you’ll experience horror and pain like you’ve never imagined. You’ll know I’m always watching, and you‘ll put on a show for me, because you’re still so desperate to be worthy. You want me to notice you. You want me to take you. Even in the most dire moments, that intrusive fantasy will never go away.

Yeah no, not my kink.

Me: That’s enough.

If the first rule of any hookup was safe, sane, and consensual, he wasn’t offering any of that anymore with this story. This might have been engaging and exciting in a comic book, but it was disturbing on a dating app.

Jericho: Enough? No, there’s no such thing as enough for you. Even as you’re dragged through hell, you’ll keep enduring, suffering, and trying to escape. You’re already mine, but that adorable fighting spirit will refuse to accept it to the violent, bitter end.

Pumpkin mewed and rubbed his cheek on my cheek more aggressively, while I was stroking his fur with a nervous rhythm.

Jericho: I’m sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself.

I could practically hear the laugh through his text. I didn’t believe the apology in that statement.

Jericho: I nearly forgot to explain the most important rule. I’ll allow you seventy-two hours to get through, and should you fail to meet your deadline, you’ll be mine to do with as I please. I’ll chain you to my bed, and use your body until you’ve forgotten your own name. You’ll tell yourself it’s a punishment, but your body will know it’s a prize.

Jericho: And that is what dominating you will look like. I hope that answered your question.

I choked on my own saliva, then in an attempt to lighten both the mood and the feeling of nausea, I forced myself to stay cool and play along.

Me: And if I win?

I made myself ask when I should have stopped engaging entirely. I might have stumbled over those words if I had to say them out loud. The whole story was absurd, but he told it like it was his manifesto. He had the charisma that might make a girl believe in magic, combined with malice to make a girl believe in the devil, and neither sat right with me. It was only out of shock and morbid curiosity that I was still reading. Maybe I was waiting for the punch line where he invited me to game night. That was what I told myself, even if it felt more like attempting to diffuse any aggression before rejecting an unstable stranger.

Jericho: Ha!

He let me sit with his laughter for entirely too long, before he answered the fucking question.

Jericho: Losing to me is winning. There’s no reason to discuss impossible scenarios. You gave up your freedom the moment you chose to engage with me.

I shook my head then decided to press the issue.

Me: I’m not sure I get the joke.