Chapter 6 " Lust "

 “Desire can burn, dear reader, but some flames consume. Ethan’s about to learn what happens when you feed the wrong fire. Watch closely don’t let it burn you, too…”

Ethan Parker, an 18-year-old senior, sprawled on his bed in his cluttered bedroom, the glow of his phone casting shadows across posters of bands and half-finished sketches. 

He was restless, a loner who filled his nights with fantasies to escape the monotony of school and a strained home life. 

His parents, strict and distant, didn’t get him, and his classmates thought he was weird too quiet, too intense. 

Every night, he indulged in private moments, touching himself to chase away the loneliness, a habit he couldn’t shake despite the guilt gnawing at him. 

At 11:00 p.m., as he tossed his phone aside, he noticed something on his nightstand  a book, old and leather-bound, its cover cracked and etched with twisting branches that seemed to pulse in the dim light. 

No title, no author. He frowned. He hadn’t put it there, hadn’t seen it before. His door was locked; his parents were asleep.

Curiosity sparked Ethan loved dark comics, the kind with twisted endings. He grabbed the book, its weight heavy, its cover warm like skin. 

The pages crackled, releasing a faint smell of ash and something sweet, like overripe fruit. 

The first five pages were missing, torn out with jagged edges, leaving a reddish stain. He flipped to the first intact page: 

Chapter 6: Lust. The text was handwritten, the ink uneven, as if clawed into the paper. Ethan smirked, intrigued, and began to read.

I was ruled by desire. Every night, I lost myself in it, chasing pleasure to drown out the emptiness. 

Until he came. He appeared in my room, his body a silhouette of blinding light, like a star about to collapse. No face, just two massive eyes, glowing white, unblinking, boring into me. 

His voice was a low hum, sharp with accusation “Will this make your parents proud ? ” I froze, shame choking me. He didn’t move, just watched, his light pulsing with my heartbeat. 

“I’m always watching,” he said. “This is your last warning. Ignore it, and suffer.” He vanished, leaving the air cold, the room reeking of ash. 

I ignored him, too stubborn, too weak. The next night, I gave in again. He returned, but his light was darker, his eyes burning red. 

My body wasn’t mine anymore it moved to his will, my desires twisted into pain. Now I’m his, trapped in a fire that never stops burning, watched forever by those eyes. Don’t feed the flame. He’s waiting. 

Ethan slammed the book shut, his face hot. The story hit too close his habit, his guilt, the bedroom setting. “

Just a coincidence,” he muttered, but his voice trembled. The room felt wrong, the air thick with that sweet, rotten smell. The book’s pages rustled faintly, though no breeze stirred. 

He shoved it under his bed, heart racing, and tried to sleep. But the words lingered: I’m always watching. 

He pulled the blanket over his head, avoiding the mirror across the room, its glass glinting in the moonlight.

The next night, Ethan’s resolve wavered. He reached for his phone, tempted, but hesitated. The room grew cold, the sweet smell turning sour, like decay. 

A faint light flickered in the corner a silhouette, radiant yet blinding, its massive eyes glowing white, unblinking. 

Ethan’s breath caught, shame flooding him. “Will this make your parents proud ? ” the entity hummed, its voice vibrating in his bones. 

He shook his head, mute, his hands trembling. “I’m always watching,” it said, fading into the dark.Ethan swore he’d stop, terrified. 

But the next night, alone, the urge overwhelmed him. He gave in, heart pounding with defiance and guilt. 

The air turned icy, the smell choking. The entity returned, its light now a sickly red, its eyes blazing like coals. 

Ethan’s body seized, his hands moving against his will, pleasure twisting into pain. The book, now on his nightstand again, glowed, its pages open to a new line: You ignored him, Ethan. 

Now you burn.The narrator’s voice hissed in his mind: “Quola sees all, Ethan. Her book claims another.” 

The entity’s eyes flared, and Ethan’s scream was swallowed by a blinding red light, the room’s shadows twisting into branches that reached for him.