Affection Score: Absolute Zero
Chapter 5
A man's shaky sobs came through the phone.
"Heidi... I-I escaped... They had me at some abandoned factory in Westfield... They ran... I'm scared..."
"Don't be scared. I'm coming right now." Heidi's voice changed instantly.
All the rage from before vanished, replaced by a trembling softness I'd never heard from her.
"Are you hurt? Find somewhere safe and hide."
She didn't even hang up.
The second she let go of my wrist, she ran out.
I collapsed onto the bed and watched her disappear through the door.
The comments went quiet for a second before blowing up—
[She seriously just left?!]
[Rowan's still bleeding!]
[At least call an ambulance!]
[This is her version of love? She can hurt someone like that for Andy?]
[How did I ever think she was devoted...]
I forced my good hand up, trying to reach the phone on the nightstand.
My fingers shook uncontrollably.
The phone was only a few inches away, but it felt impossibly far.
Blood kept pouring out.
The white sheets were completely soaked, dark red spreading everywhere.
I gritted my teeth and dragged myself forward another inch—
My fingertips finally touched the edge of the phone.
The comments flooded in—
[You've got this! You touched it!]
[Call an ambulance! Hurry!]
[Don't fall asleep! Stay awake!]
I unlocked my phone, but my vision was too blurry to see the screen.
I punched in the number from memory and hit call.
The dial tone rang in my ear.
One ring. Two.
My breathing turned shallow. More black spots crowded my vision.
"Beep—"
The call connected.
"Emergency services..."
I opened my mouth to speak, but only air came out.
"Hello? Can you hear me? What's your emergency?"
I wanted to tell them I was in a hotel. That I was bleeding. That I was dying.
But my throat locked up. No words came out.
"Hello? Hello?"
The voice on the line sounded farther and farther away.
The phone slipped from my hand and hit the carpet with a dull thud.
The comments exploded—
[NOOO!]
[Somebody help him!]
[Where's the hotel staff?! Didn't anyone hear all that?!]
[Screw you, Heidi!]
My consciousness started slipping apart.
Everything felt distant, like I was floating.
I saw myself curled up in a pool of blood, skin pale as paper.
Then I saw the comments.
[Heidi found Andy.]
[Andy broke down the second he saw her.]
[She kept holding him, telling him, "It's okay. You're okay."]
[Andy kissed her.]
[...They're kissing. While Rowan's bleeding out alone.]
The comments disappeared for a few seconds.
Then the tone changed—
[I suddenly think Heidi's disgusting.]
[What did Rowan even do wrong? He just loved the wrong person.]
[He was real with her for six years.]
[What gives Heidi the right to treat him like this?]
[If Rowan dies, she killed him.]
[I want to see her regret this.]
[I want to see her beg him to forgive her.]
[But he might not survive long enough for that.]
[Can somebody please go save him? I can't keep watching this.]
The countdown still flickered faintly—
[8 days 9 hours 01 minute]
The game wasn't over yet.
But the player seemed ready to quit early.