"Midnight ..." A Chain Story.
Introduction:
On March 1, 2007, fireyjen posted a thread with her idea for a chain story, soliciting interested authors. Shortly afterwards, fieryjens' ISP started giving her problems and she cannot get online, so on her behalf we thought we could give her a hand. The premise is that in each story the main character awakes at the stroke of midnight, or around that time. It can be a creaking floorboard, a rattling doorknob, a clap of thunder, a flash of lightning or just a feeling of unease and dread.
From this common beginning, each author is free to weave his or her own storylines culminating at midnight after 24 hours. Each story will be in a different Literotica category, with virtually all represented. All stories are titled "Midnight: (and the author's story identifier). After the initial New Story posting, all submissions will be in the Chain Story category.
We hope you enjoy this varied selection of stories by Literotica authors and your votes and comments are welcome. Below is an updated schedule of the stories.
TE999 & geekychick_76 on behalf of fieryjen.
* * * * *
"Dan Tanner," he said after stepping up to the counter at the La Quinta Inn. The flight had been a long one, with two connections and more than six hours in the air, three on the ground. He had left home eleven hours earlier; it was now almost nine at night. Dan's face was weary and haggard, with a shadow of stubble and the greasy sheen of Illinois humidity making his skin shine.
The middle-aged Asian woman was prompt and professional, calling up Dan's information on the computer before her. She cheerily handed him his room key.
"Dan Tanner," she repeated in her accented voice, dark eyes glittering above a playful smile. "Like that 70s TV show."
Dan tried his best not to look annoyed. "That was Dan Tanna," he corrected.
"Oh . . . ." she trailed off, still smiling. "Well, I hope you enjoy your stay, Mr. Tanner. Room 207."
He grumbled something along the order of a 'thank you' and headed through the doorway toward the stairwell. Room 207 was, thankfully, not too far from the second-floor door, opposite of which was a little nook with vending machines. Dan slipped the plastic card into the slot and pushed open the door.
Thank God
, he thought as he felt the cool air within the room.
They left the AC on
. The curtains covering the window on the opposite side of the room billowed out, filled with the chilly air being blasted up from the undermounted unit. Dan felt the oily drops on his forehead cool immediately; he anticipated a long shower before lounging back upon one of the two beds in the room, comfortably naked, eating microwave popcorn and watching 'Adult Swim.'
The shower did wonders, washing away the sweat and the dank air of the airplane that seemed to have soaked into his pores. He brushed his teeth, but did not bother with shaving. That could wait for the morning.
Still, the stiffness was leaving his muscles and the cool air felt delicious on his skin. Dan took up the remote, standing naked in his room as he flipped through the channels. He watched a few moments of Discovery Health before settling on Comedy Central. The weariness in his body overcame him quickly enough, and he was soon asleep even before
Tripping The Rift
was over . . . .
***
He jerked awake with a start, finding that he had tangled himself in the sheets and floral-print blanket atop the bed. The AC was still blasting, and now the room felt cold. Gritting his teeth in discomfort, Dan rolled from the bed and roughly twisted the dial to turn the air off.
The spiderwebs of whatever dream that had jolted him awake drifted away, leaving only a few ethereal images that danced in the back of his mind. The television was flickering with images of talking french fries and stoned-looking cartoon characters. Dan took a moment to let himself return fully to reality, rubbing his eyes and temples. A glance to the clock between the two beds in the room told him it was exactly midnight. The Witching Hour.
Hunger inexplicably gnawed at him, as well as thirst. He smacked sticky, dry lips and thought of the vending machines just down the hall from his room. The lure of sugar and sodium called to him like a siren song. Irresistible, like seeing a rack of personalized lighters at the counter of a convenience store.
He considered slipping his slacks back on and donning a shirt, but the vending machines were just a few steps down the hall. It was after midnight, after all, one minute past, to be exact; the chance of anyone being out in the corridors was slim.
Fuck it
, Dan thought, snatching up the towel he'd tossed on the bed. It just encircled his waist, with enough slack to tie the ends together. He looked at himself in the mirror and chuckled.
Have to make sure not to make any sudden moves
, he thought.
Key card and a few crumpled dollar bills in hand, Dan stepped from his door and padded on bare feet down the carpeted hallway. A mild thrill coursed through him as he felt a gentle breeze flowing over his body. The thought of being nearly naked, with the faint possibility of someone opening their door and catching him, sparked a tinge of arousal.
The reason for the breeze became apparent once he reached the nook with the vending machines. A door on the other side of the enclosure had been propped open by a trash can; Dan was not sure if it had been that way when he had first come up from the lobby. The fresh air was cool but not cold, carrying a scent of ozone with it. He remembered something about the Chicago weather report saying that rain was a possibility.
The faint breeze tugged at his towel like the hands of mischievous imps as he fed the vending machines the dollar bills. He glanced to the open door as he retrieved his Diet Coke and M&Ms. The sign on the wall beside the doorway read 'Stairs and Roof Access.'
His arousal spiked again as a memory came back, pulled up from one and a half decades of dormancy. Sophomore year in college, drinking with his buddies, being dared to streak through Hollings Hall in nothing but his tennis shoes . . . .
Dan laughed at the memory. He remembered the shocked, giggling, and sometimes interested looks the young coeds had given him as they watched him running through the dorm. Word had spread quickly, and girls were soon peeking out of every door. Some had even smacked his butt as he darted past. That single night, never repeated, had earned him the nickname 'Flash.'
His parents had always assumed it was because of his track records.
The lingering exhilaration of exhibitionism returned with the memory, enticing him. Dan eyed the stairwell speculatively. He knew that the reasonable course of action would be to return to his room, watch a little TV, maybe jack off if that was what it took to satisfy his libido.