Bones, you’re so naughty."
"You make me like that."
Bones grinned lazily, his muscular form draped across the creaky bed that groaned under the weight of two bare bodies tangled in rumpled sheets. The humid air of the shack was thick with heat and desire, curling through the flickering light of a low-watt bulb overhead. The soft glow cast a golden sheen across their glistening skin, the scent of sweat, sex, and something wild hanging like fog in the enclosed space.
The woman beside him stirred, her body still trembling from their previous indulgence. Bones leaned in with slow, deliberate intention, his lips brushing against the delicate curve of her neck. She shivered at his touch, her breath catching in her throat. The moan she let slip was low and sultry, a sound that lit a new fire in his eyes. His kisses deepened with a hunger just beneath the surface, his mouth traveling along her collarbone like a whisper of flame.
She gasped when he leaned back, just enough to tug his already loose shirt over his head. He tossed it to the floor without a glance, his chest rising and falling with steady confidence. Then came the trousers, peeled off with urgency and flung aside. The tension between them surged again like an electric current, her body arching in response to his proximity, her hands gripping the sheets as anticipation bloomed.
Bones moved with an almost primal grace, slipping down between her legs with ease. His mouth lowered, and his tongue teased her with expert precision.
"Yes, yes... right there!!"
Her voice broke into a scream, her fingers fisting in the linen as her back arched off the mattress. Each movement of his tongue was a calculated push against her self-control. Bones licked and tasted her like he was starving, as if every inch of her was his to consume. Her cries only made him bolder.
He worked upward, hands squeezing her waist, trailing hot kisses back to her breasts. He took one nipple into his mouth and sucked, relentless, with the eagerness of a child denied a treat. She trembled beneath him, overwhelmed by sensation.
"Put it in me, Bones... put it in me!!"
She screamed the demand, her voice thick with lust, and her body shivering with desire.
Bones gave a wicked grin, poised above her, ready to plunge into her completely—but just as the moment reached its peak, the room was swallowed by sudden darkness.
The bulb flickered once, then blinked out.
A low mechanical whine died with it.
Bones sat up sharply, voice laced with irritation as he scanned the room, now enveloped in pitch black. He reached for the edge of the bed, planting his feet on the floor with a groan.
"What’s wrong, Bones?!"
The woman sat upright, confused, her body tensing with unease. Her silhouette shifted in the moonlight now barely filtering through the window.
"No—nothing!! The power just went out. I’ll be back. Let me go check it out."
He yanked on a pair of worn slippers from beside the bed, slipping into them hurriedly. The wooden floor creaked as he made his way to the shack’s door, a scowl pulling across his face.
Outside, the humid night wrapped around him. Crickets chirped endlessly in the trees, and a distant owl let out a haunting call. He squinted into the shadows and muttered to himself.
"Damn it... I know I paid my light bills, so what’s going on?"
His footsteps crunched through the gravel path leading to the weathered power box bolted crookedly onto the back wall of the shack. The metal was cool under his touch, and he bent down, opening the panel to inspect it.
Then—like a voice from the shadows:
"You have a lot of nerve not skipping town immediately, Bones!!"
Bones flinched and spun around, heart racing.
"Huh... who said tha—?"
Before he could finish, a searing pain exploded in his skull. A loud metallic clang rang out as a steel pipe slammed into his head. His body went limp, crumpling to the dirt in a heap.
Everything went black.
When Bones regained consciousness, the world was spinning. His head pounded like a war drum, and a burning nausea churned in his stomach.
His voice was hoarse, disoriented. He blinked against the low light, trying to adjust, but what he saw sent shock crashing through his body.
He was suspended in midair, arms stretched high above his head, thick ropes cutting into his wrists. He dangled from the shack’s wooden ceiling, his entire weight straining against the bindings. Beneath him, a large steel tank of bubbling oil hissed with heat, popping and crackling like a living thing.
The air stank of grease and death.
"You pushed me to my limit, Bones. I don’t think I’ve produced objects as big as this before."
The calm, familiar voice struck him harder than the pipe. Bones craned his neck and spotted Trey sitting casually in a wooden chair nearby, his eyes glinting with a kind of sadistic calm. He looked up at Bones with eerie serenity.
"Trey, dude!! What’s going on, get me down here."
"Woah, so you know it’s me!!"
Trey leaned forward slightly, voice laced with mock surprise.
"What do you mean, Trey? We’re homies, man."
Bones gave a nervous chuckle, his body twisting slightly in the restraints.
Trey repeated, softly. Then, louder:
He threw his head back and laughed—a sharp, cold sound that echoed around the room.
"Homies don’t sell each other out."
His voice dropped into something darker.
"Homies don’t give their people up to evil corporations to experiment on."
He stood now, slowly, deliberately.
"Homies don’t do that, Bones. So I’m confused—who’s your homie exactly?!"
Trey raised one hand, and with a small flicker of power, a shimmering kunai formed in his palm, glinting with malevolent beauty.
"Look, I did it for the dough, man. You understand, right!!—I knew you guys would escape!!"
Bones’ voice trembled with desperation, his words tumbling over each other as panic surged.
Trey remained silent.
Then, with a sudden snap of his wrist, he flung the kunai at the rope above Bones.
The blade sliced clean through it.
Bones plummeted into the vat of oil below with a wet, horrific splash. Instantly, his screams filled the shack, piercing and raw. Flesh sizzled and tore apart, the thick stench of burning meat choking the air.
Trey muttered darkly. He didn’t even flinch as he conjured a jug of gasoline, unscrewing the cap with calm intent. The liquid sloshed as he poured it around the shack, forming a circle of doom. His expression never changed.
A single matchstick flared to life between his fingers.
He flicked it into the puddle.
The flames roared up hungrily, engulfing the structure in seconds. Smoke billowed into the night sky, curling like serpents into the moonlit clouds.
"Rafik would approve."
Trey said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it from the blaze itself, inhaling deeply as the fire cracked and snapped around him.
He stepped back, standing just beyond the fire’s reach, the heat kissing his skin. His eyes lifted skyward as ash and embers floated around him like snowflakes in hell.
"The moon is beautiful, isn’t it, brother?"
Sooo... about those locked Chapters showing up earlier than expected... 😅
Yeah. That one’s on me. I owe y’all an explanation—and probably a cookie, but let’s start with the explanation.
First off, my bad. Seriously. I know how it feels to be deep in a Chapter, fully vibing with the story, only to be ambushed with that dreaded "This Chapter is locked" screen. That thing hits harder than a betrayal in a K-drama. One second you’re in the zone, next second you’re staring at a paywall like it just stole your lunch money.
And you’re probably thinking, "Damn, Author. That was fast. Weren’t these supposed to stay open a little longer?"
See, as the story’s been growing, so has the time, energy, and unholy amounts of caffeine it takes to keep everything running smoothly. And sometimes, adjustments gotta happen—like earlier locks. Not to be shady. Not to troll. Just trying to keep the engine running while still giving y’all quality content that doesn’t read like it was written by a half-asleep goblin at 3 a.m. (even though it kinda is).
Now I won’t hit you with a "It’s not you, it’s me" speech—but it’s definitely more of a "This is just how the Webnovel ecosystem works sometimes" kind of deal. Writers gotta eat. (And occasionally sleep. Very occasionally.) Earlier locks help keep the story going strong so we don’t end up with an abandoned plot and characters stuck in limbo forever. No one wants that.
I get that some of you were surprised, maybe even annoyed, and that’s totally fair. I’d feel the same way. I just wanted to be upfront, clear the air, and let you know that none of this was done out of malice. Unless the real villain of this arc is time management, in which case... guilty as charged.
But for real, I appreciate you. Whether you’re a loyal coin-dropper, a silent lurker, or the one who always leaves the funniest comments—this story exists because you show up. Every read, every vote, every bit of support keeps the Chapters coming. You’re the MVPs behind the madness.
And hey, if nothing else, this is a great time to pause and hydrate while we both wait for the next juicy Chapter to unlock. Water’s good for your soul. So are snacks. Go get a snack. You deserve one.
Anyway, that’s the tea. Thanks for sticking with me, even when the locks come flying out like plot twists. You’re awesome. You smell nice. Your taste in fiction? Impeccable. Just had to say it.