Page 147 of Obsession

Her face doesn’t change, except for the way her eyes shut. It’s how children shut their eyes and angle their faces when it begins to snow.

Facing the portal again, I nod once—to myself. “Let’s see what you’ve got, universe,” I mutter.

And we step into the portal as one.

His cool, strong hold guides me through, as I think his name as a mantra while pushing past chunks of sludge and gray matter. Aris, Aris, Aris.

When we emerge on the other side of space, into a new plane of existence and an unexplored world, the first thing he says is, “Mary.”

End.

Or did it end like this?

As I step through the portal, feet finding purchase on solid ground, I do a double-take at my surroundings. I was expecting alien flora and fauna, but this is…

I turn, Aris stepping out of the gray portal right behind me. He smiles at the look on my face.

“Your hallway?” I say slowly, horror and understanding dawning.

“Did you think I would forgive you so easily?”

His grin widens into something feral, and he pushes me into an open room.

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