06 Nov It’s Hard to Resist Omegle

Before I even get into this, I’ve got a very important public service announcement for those of you already judging me based on the title of this alone. I don’t want any of you giving me lip in the comments about how I shouldn’t have even gotten on Omegle.

“Oh, it’s Omegle! What did you expect?”

“Come on, bro, you should have known you were gonna see some wild stuff on there.”

“What were you even doing on Omegle?”

Yeah, I don’t want to hear any of it. Trust me, I’ve been through enough. In fact, you should be glad that I’m posting this at all. At the expense of my dignity, I’m going to explain my situation, so I really don’t need the judgment, okay? I just need you to listen, and please heed my warning. Stay off of Omegle. Sure, the allure of talking to strangers is cool and whatnot, and it definitely helps to pass the time, but sometimes you get yourself into situations that you can’t easily get out of. This is one of those instances…

It all started last Friday night. One of my friends was stuck with his girlfriend, one was out of state, and the other two were at a party that I had no interest in attending. So that meant that I was going to order a pizza, maybe play a little Halo, and throw back a couple beers.

“Papi’s Pizzeria, this is Daniella speaking.” The girl’s voice on the other end of the line was monotone and uninterested. She sounded like she hated her job. Great… I could already tell that the customer service was going to be stellar.

“Hey, yeah, I’d like to place an order-”

“For carryout or delivery?”

I scoffed, the snarky teenager cutting me off and loudly smacking her gum into the receiver. “Delivery…”

“Gotcha, what can we get started for you?” I internally cringed when I heard her pop a bubble before she said, “Hello?”

“Yeah, sorry. Can I get one large pineapple and ham pizza?”

“Got it. Anything else?” I could hear her annoyance the longer I stayed on the line. And then, the muffled sound of someone in the background.

“Dani, you almost done with that call? Addison Rae’s mom is going live on TikTok, and you’ve got to see this.”

“Yeah, one sec! I’ve got to get this boomer off the line first!”

“Excuse me?!” My brows furrowed as I clenched the phone. I was twenty freaking four!

“Oh, sorry about that. I thought I had you on mute.” She sort of giggled before she said, “Is that it or…?”

“Yeah… that’s it.”

“Name for the order?”

“Ryder Kentwood.”

“Okay, give me one second.”

I spent the next few minutes on hold. She was probably watching that stupid TikTok live. This was ridiculous. Right when I’d thought about just hanging up and calling another place, she finally got back on the line, and I gave her my address. She said it would be about thirty minutes, so I decided to find something to keep me occupied until then. Something told me it was going to be a lot longer than thirty minutes…

As I scrolled through some YouTube shorts, I came across one from a guy that I’d subscribed to a couple months back. He always did these hilarious Omegle videos where he catfished the men on there into thinking he was a woman. That was what gave me the brilliant idea to try out Omegle for myself. I’d always watched other videos of people checking it out, and it looked like harmless fun. Looking back now, I wish I’d have poured bleach into my eyes instead.

After the first couple of people, I was starting to get kinda bored. It was all the same thing. Guys with guitars, Omegle “rizzers,” girls who had eyelashes so fake that they looked as if they would fly away every time they blinked, and countless dudes with their third le- Well, for the sake of keeping this clean, let’s just say they “forgot” to put their pants on.

By the time I’d decided to call it a night, I connected with a woman. And she was drop-dead gorgeous. In a way, I was completely and utterly mesmerized, and this time, I didn’t find my finger hovering over the skip button. Instead, I found myself sitting there and staring at her like a lovesick puppy.

“Hey, how are you doing tonight?” Her voice was like velvet, silky and smooth.

“Oh, I-I’m good!” I smiled, stuttering over my words. A deep blush settled over my features as I tried my best to contain my nerves. My fingers toyed with a string on my hoodie as I looked her over.

Raven-colored hair cascaded down her shoulders in a mass of voluminously shiny curls. My eyes moved down her face slowly, drinking in features that stood out in stark comparison. Seafoam green eyes gazed back at me, framed by thick, dark lashes.

“I’m Lili. What was your name?” Then she smiled. And I swear to you on everything holy that in that very moment, I’d thought the heavens themselves opened up and angels started singing. Perfectly full lips painted a dark shade of crimson slowly parted and revealed a row of pearly white teeth. This woman was absolutely stunning.

“Are you okay?” she asked, a singular dark brow raised as she smirked. This woman had to know what she was doing. There was no way that she could look as good as sin and be totally oblivious to the effect that she had on me.

With a nervous chuckle, I wiped the drool from my mouth and rubbed the back of my neck anxiously. She was easily an 11/10 on the smokeshow meter, and I was going to kick myself if I fumbled this.

“Hey, yeah, sorry! You’re just really beautiful, is all. I’m Ryder, but uh, you can just call me Ry.”

She was silent for a moment, and this silence is what caused me to ramble. “In fact, you look a whole lot like someone I know!” I laughed awkwardly and then continued on. “Yeah, you know what? You sort of remind me of my ex.”

I internally cursed when I realized what I’d just said. I accidentally word vomited, and now I’d absolutely obliterated any chance I had at bagging this smoking hot babe.

It’s over for me now. I might as well just throw my whole entire PC out the window.

“Your ex?” Lili gave me a funny look before she announced, “Well, she must have been absolutely stunning!” With a wink, she smirked before running a hand through her luscious locks.

Once again, I paused, a bit caught off guard. I didn’t know what good I’d done in my past life to deserve that second chance, but I was incredibly thankful for it. I thought for sure I’d screwed it up.

“Do you live by yourself, or do you have a pretty little roommate to keep you company?” she suddenly asked, distracting me from my internal dialogue.

“Oh, um, yeah! It’s just me! Why?” A part of me was completely flabbergasted. Was she seriously asking me that because she wanted to know if I was single? Maybe I was just overthinking this… she was completely out of my league.

“Perfect!” Lili’s face lit up at my answer, jet black fingernails twirling a piece of hair around her finger before a cheeky look slid across her features. “I just so happen to live in the heart of Dixie myself.” With a sly grin, she bit her bottom lip and continued. “Want some company?”

For all of five seconds, I freaked. I couldn’t help but wonder how the heck she knew where I lived until I realized that she could probably see the “Alabama, born & bred! Roll Tide!” poster on the wall behind me. At this revelation, I breathed a sigh of relief and got my head back in the game. An incredibly gorgeous woman was asking to come over to my house, and I was not about to miss out on the time of my life. Now, before I continue, I know what you’re thinking. “Dude… she’s a complete stranger!” But you don’t understand. I wasn’t thinking of the consequences. In fact, I wasn’t doing much thinking at all.

From the moment Lili smiled at me, I was a complete goner. I was eating out of the palm of her hand. I was wrapped around her little finger. I promise you, usually I wasn’t this desperate, but you’ve got to believe me. This woman altered and rewired my whole entire brain chemistry every time those gorgeous lips of hers opened. She could be telling me that I was a dirty, filthy, worthless piece of crap and I swear to you, I’m convinced that I would have heard the complete opposite.

“You live in Tuscaloosa?” My lips moved, the words sliding past them before I fully understood what I was saying.

“I’m in the area.”

* * * * * *

This night was getting a whole lot better by the second. I mean, what were the chances?

“I’m sure a little company wouldn’t hurt!” With the most charming smile that I could muster, I leaned back in my gaming chair and cracked my knuckles. This was going to be one heck of a night.

“Just give me a few minutes to run a quick errand, and I’ll be over there in two shakes!”

That’s when I realized that Lili wasn’t in her room anymore. I’d been so caught up in what she looked like, that I’d totally disregarded anything in the background. In fact, it sounded like she was in her vehicle. A couple of car horns could be heard blaring in the background, the typical sounds of Friday night traffic.

“No rush!” I reassured her before continuing. “Say, are you hungry?”

“Starving!” she exclaimed, bottom lip jutting out in a playful pout.

“Well, you’re in luck! I just ordered a pizza, and it should be delivered here in a little bit! I hope you like pineapple and ham?” I knew pizza wasn’t an impressive dinner. Nothing fancy or candlelit like she was probably used to, but I did have a couple bottles of wine that might spice it up a little. She deserved that much, at least.

“That’s crazy!” she giggled. “That’s actually my favorite! Where did you order from? Gio’s is sub-par, and I’m not a fan of Pizza Hut’s sauce. It’s always too sweet!” I watched in slight amusement as Lili pulled a face, her pointer finger sliding down her throat in a barfing motion.

“It’s a family-owned one! Papi’s Pizzeria has some of the best pizza. The teenagers that work there are a little snooty, but their thin crust is to die for!”

“Oh, I love Papi’s Pizzeria!” Lili’s smile brightened before she said, “I’m actually-”

I didn’t get a chance to hear the rest of her response, though. The video cut out, and my screen went black. I didn’t even get a chance to give her my number.

With a frustrated sigh, I leaned back in my chair and kicked my desk. I reached for my phone, absentmindedly scrolling through my Twitter for a couple of minutes before I threw it down and stared up at the ceiling. This pizza was taking forever, I was already annoyed, and my patience was hanging on by a thread.

Suddenly, the ding of the doorbell caught me off guard. It was about time… whatever tip I’d even thought about giving that driver was going to stay buried in my wallet. Papi’s Pizzeria had top-tier pizza, but their customer service sucked. As I got to the door, I snatched up my wallet and pulled out some cash. I’d been waiting on this pizza since the dawn of time, and if this wasn’t my pizza delivery, I was about to go kick some kittens.

I pulled open the door, wholeheartedly convinced that it was going to be one of the snotty teenagers from the pizzeria, but instead… I was met with raven-colored hair and seafoam green eyes.

“Wait a minute… what the heck?” I faltered, confusion settling over my features until I noticed that Lili was holding a pizza.

* * * * * *

Once again… what were the chances?

“I figured I’d just swing by and pick it up for you!” Her smile was big, and her eyes twinkled innocently. “I just so happened to catch the pizza boy out in the parking lot, and it turned out that he was getting ready to deliver your order!”

Literally everything Lili said felt incredibly fishy, and any sane man would have slammed the door in her face. But unbeknownst to me, she had a trick up her sleeve. Before I even had time to react, I felt her hand reach out and grab my arm, her fingers lightly caressing my skin. And that’s when I felt it.

All my doubts. All my confusion. All the questions dancing on the tip of my tongue melted away the second she gazed up at me and whispered, “Ry, you believe me. I’m telling the truth.” Lili’s voice was like warm honey dripping into my ears. In the second it took her to grace my skin, she had easily willed me into submission, soothed my thoughts, and completely snuffed out the warning bells that were screaming at me only a few seconds beforehand.

My head nodded, almost on its own accord. Suddenly, I didn’t care where she came from or what she was doing here, I just knew that I couldn’t get her inside my house fast enough.

Charm radiated off of Lili like the aroma of melted cheese was radiating off of that pizza, and before I knew it, I was inviting her in. In fact, my brain was so clouded that I couldn’t figure out what I wanted more, the pizza or her.

Please understand me when I say that all of this was the biggest red flag to have ever graced mankind, but I was far too gone to even care. My mind was buzzing, and my heart was beating so wildly within my chest that I thought I was going to die if I didn’t touch her. I didn’t know what the heck this feeling was, but I wanted more. No… I needed more. Every smile, every laugh, every flutter of her lashes was intoxicatingly addicting. I felt like a druggie begging for his next fix, and everything about this woman was absofreakinlutely euphoric.

The second Lili stepped past the threshold of my front door, it was like every fiber of her being called out to me. So, when she set the pizza down and made a move to kiss me, it was no surprise when things got heated. My hands flew to her hair, bunching up dark curls within my fingertips as she moved her lips fervently against mine. From that point forward, everything was progressing rather quickly. An overwhelmingly hot whirlwind of emotions encompassed my entire being all the way up until she got an unexpected phone call.

With an irritated scoff, Lili pulled away from the kiss and apologized before picking up her phone. A name glowed up at her that made her falter.

“I need to take this. Mind if I step out of the room for a bit?”

“Yeah, sure…” I breathed, my chest rapidly rising and falling, still worked up from our heated makeout session. “The bathroom’s right down the hall if you just want to step in there.”

“Perfect.” She smiled. “I’ll be right back! Just sit tight for a second!”

With an obedient nod, I watched her disappear into my bathroom before I sunk back into the couch cushions. In all honesty, I was glad to have a bit of a breather. My thoughts were a swirling, muddied mess, lips swollen and red as I peered down at my embarrassingly sweaty palms. As I dragged in another breath, I couldn’t help but close my eyes for just a second. I was so incredibly lightheaded that I thought I was going to pass out. But now that she had left me alone for a bit, I slowly regained my thoughts, the haze from before clearing just the slightest.

I stood from my spot on the couch, deciding to go plate some of that pizza. The second Lili stepped through the door, I’d forgotten that I was even hungry at all. But now, I was starving.

When I flicked open the top of the pizza box, though, that feeling quickly dissipated, and I nearly vomited. A large, serrated knife was laying right smack dab in the middle of it, coated in blood, meaty tissue clinging to the teeth like poorly shredded chicken.

Fear skittered across my arms in the form of goosebumps as I stumbled away from the pizza box, my eyes darting to the bathroom. I could hear her voice, low whispers floating out from under the closed door.

“Yes… Yes, I’m sure.” I strained to hear bits and pieces of the conversation as I backed into my front door, fumbling for the door knob. “He’s completely enraptured. I swear, I won’t get caught this time! I took precautions to make sure…”

That was all I needed to hear to realize that I’d gotten myself into quite the pickle. Whatever this lady was, she was freaking crazy… and I wanted no part of it. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the red flags were glaringly bright. I couldn’t for the life of me understand how I just let this psychopath waltz into my house. It was like she had me under some type of mild hypnosis…

Without a second thought, I threw open my front door and raced out to my driveway. All the blood drained from my face the second I realized that my car was nowhere in sight… there was absolutely no trace of it. My mouth went dry as my eyes blinked several times. What the actual…

Parked in the ditch across from the street was my vehicle. It was turned completely upside down, parts of it littering the street. Adrenaline was coursing through me like a tidal wave. I didn’t have time to think about how it got there, but part of me knew that she had something to do with it.

My eyes quickly darted to the pizza car parked just beside my mailbox. It was still running… Lilli had left the keys in the ignition. Another wave of nausea rushed over me when I realized that she was so confident in her skills that she had purposely left the car running. She wholeheartedly thought that I was going to be an easy kill.

As the gravity of the situation slowly sunk in, I couldn’t help but be thankful for that phone call. If whoever was on the other end of that line hadn’t decided to interrupt her, she might have been right. I would have been dead as a doornail.

Without another thought, I rushed over to the car and tugged the door open, throwing myself inside and shoving the car into drive. Terror was racing through me so fast that I didn’t even realize the horror awaiting me in the back of the car. I only made it about a block down the road before I realized something wasn’t right. And then I froze. For some reason, my jeans felt wet… And sticky.

And then I noticed it. Blood. Everywhere. My hands shook as I pulled into a random driveway. I was hyperventilating at this point, nearly catapulting myself into a full blown panic attack when I discovered something even worse.

My eyes widened large as saucers when I peered through the rearview mirror. There was a boy in the back, slightly slumped over in his seat. A hat was perched on his head, bloodied curls peeking out beneath it. My eyes zeroed in on the words printed across the front before I stumbled out of the car and took off sprinting down the street.

* * * * * *

Staring back at me in big block letters was “Papi’s Pizzeria.”

I’ve been staying at my friend Mark’s house ever since that night. When I crashed him and his girlfriend’s Friday night slumber party, they were both slightly annoyed… until they realized I was covered in blood. Both of them were quick to console me before they shooed me off to the shower. My clothes were ruined, but Mark was more than glad to supply me with some new ones, stuffing the dirty ones into a freezer bag for the police.

The authorities carefully scoured the car and my house, and very quickly, everything around me was tied up into a big bow of bright yellow crime scene tape. The police had been thoroughly investigating everything, explaining to me that there had been a string of unusual murders tied to Lili, and unfortunately, they had been coming up empty-handed. As of right now, she’s evaded their every move. Always one step ahead…

I don’t know exactly what she is, but Mark is convinced that she’s a succubus. I gave him the rundown on everything that happened the second she stepped foot into my house, and honestly, his assumption sort of makes sense. This woman, or demon, or whatever she is, had a hold on me that I can’t quite explain, and she’s still out there. She’s still killing. And she won’t leave you alone until she’s devoured every last bit of your soul.

I know she’s not done with me. I got a text from Lili last night. I’d thought I was safe at Mark’s, but now I’m not so sure. If anything, I feel incredibly guilty for pulling him into the crapshoot that has become my life. Everything is in shambles, and now I don’t know what to do or where to turn. I’m stuck with an impossible decision.

“Hi Ryder, you’ve been very naughty. The police can’t help you, but I can. In fact, I’ll make you a bargain… if you give me Mark’s soul in exchange for yours, I’ll spare you. You have 24 hours to make your decision. See you soon! ;)”

Mark and I are heading out to his parents’ lake house tonight when I get off work. I read him the text, purposely glossing over the part about Lili’s bargain. I was terribly conflicted. He had been a good friend to me for as long as I can remember, and the last thing I wanted was to be a coward. Both of us decided after that text, that going off the grid to wait this out was our best bet for the next few weeks. But little does he know… That might not work out in his favor.

I still don’t know what to make of her text, but I’m sure she isn’t bluffing. One way or another, Lili’s going to find us, and when she does, I’m going to have to figure out whether our friendship is more important than my life. The pressure that I’m feeling is so incredibly heavy, and I can’t help but feel that I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.

On one hand, I brought this upon myself by talking to a complete stranger, but in my defense, my mind wasn’t my own. This woman, Lili, she’s not normal. She’s got abilities that I can’t even begin to comprehend. I know I said before that when she spoke, the heavens opened up and sunshine spilled out, or whatever bullcrap I spouted when I was under her trance, but now I’m seriously wondering if that was hellfire instead…

In the meantime, those of you in the Tuscaloosa area, or any part of Alabama, heck, even those of you in the surrounding states, I’m begging you… please stay OFF of Omegle. I’m pretty sure I met a succubus there, and now I’m bargaining for my life.