Andrew Reynolds was having a terrible month. He'd been laid off from his job, his depression was getting worse, and he was short on rent. As he walked back from his latest job interview, which he thought had gone as poorly as the rest, Andrew thought "How could things get any worse?" He then immediately cursed himself because, by thinking that, he had surely tempted the gods of fate to ruin his life even further.
Sadly making his way down the street, Andrew had been staring off into space when he realized his gaze had settled on a young woman standing in front of an apartment building. She wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, but she was definitely cute. Her shoulder-length brown hair tousled in the wind as she looked side to side, as if expecting someone. Next to her was a large box labeled "MOVING". For some reason, Andrew felt drawn to her, and decided to walk over.
As he crossed the street towards her, she met his eyes and, for a brief moment, looked confused. As he got closer however, her expression became cheerful and she smiled at him.
"Hi, do I know you?" she asked. "You look familiar."
"I just have one of those faces," Andrew replied, shrugging. "What's your name?"
"Oh, uh, Melissa. Nice to meet you," she said, extending a hand.
Andrew shook it, and immediately felt a tingle on his hand. Shocked, both literally and figuratively, he was silent for a moment before he responded. "My name's Andrew. Are you waiting for someone?"
"Yeah, my friend was supposed to help me carry this box of stuff up to my new apartment, but I think he got lost."
"Well, if that's all you need, I'd be glad to help," Andrew said with a smile.
Melissa looked confused again, almost as if he had said something wrong, but quickly shook her head and said, "Yeah, um, sure, that'd be great. I'm in suite 3-D."
"Would you mind getting the door?" Andrew asked, picking up the box. "This thing is heavy!" he thought to himself. "What is she moving, rocks?"
Melissa walked up the steps and held the door open for Andrew. Once he was inside, she said, "I'll just go ahead and wait upstairs if you don't mind."
"Sure, no problem," Andrew huffed, not wanting to look like he was straining himself. It was a large box, but somehow it was even heavier than it looked. Andrew struggled getting up three flights of stairs, and by the time he reached Melissa's apartment he felt like he had nearly started sweating.
Melissa opened the door and showed him in. "You can put it over there," she said, gesturing towards a sofa. Andrew was surprised to see the apartment was very sparse, with few decorations or personal belongings. Was this her only box of possessions?
Exhausted from his effort, Andrew set the box down on the floor and sat down on the couch. "I hope you don't mind if I catch my breath for a second," he said, "That box was heavier than it looked."
Melissa frowned in confusion again briefly before walking into the kitchenette. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"No, no, I'm fine," he replied. "I'll be out of your way in a second." He still felt tired, but he didn't want to impose on a total stranger and decided to leave.
"Please, I insist," Melissa implored, and Andrew felt himself compelled to stay. Still, he was terrible at socializing, so even if she was trying to flirt with him, he would likely end up putting his foot in his mouth and ruining the moment. "Like I always do," Andrew thought glumly as he headed for the door. "Hope your friend shows up."
"Oh, he already has," Melissa said darkly, and suddenly Andrew found himself frozen in place, a few steps from the door. He could move his head slightly, but the rest of his body was petrified. Had she slipped him something? No, he hadn't even had anything to drink. Maybe his muscles were just cramping from the heavy box.
As he tried to rationalize his sudden immobility, Andrew felt a soft touch on his right arm. Straining, he glanced down and saw Melissa's hand. Or, he thought it was Melissa's hand, but something seemed off about it. Maybe it was the lighting, but her skin seemed almost pinkish-red. Not like a sunburn, but something otherworldly. As Andrew pondered this, he felt something brush his left arm. He expected to see Melissa's left hand, but instead he saw a palm-sized, heart-shaped appendage, attached to a long, slithering limb. Andrew realized in horror that it was a tail, and it was attached to Melissa! He looked in a mirror on the wall in front of him, and saw Melissa's face over his right shoulder. Her features looked sharper, more defined, and she somehow seemed more attractive. Her face was also a pinkish-red, but most noticeable were two horns that protruded from her forehead.
"Like what you see?" Melissa said, her voice amplified by some unknown source. It was louder than Andrew would've expected and boomed with more bass than a woman of her size should be able to produce. Despite this strange turn of events, Andrew was surprisingly unfazed. Sure, it was shocking to see this young woman who had only moments before been an average girl turn into some demon, but he didn't feel the bone-chilling terror one might expect to feel when paralyzed by said demon.
"I'm a demon. Well, more specifically, I'm a succubus," Melissa purred. "Some demons feed off of rage or hatred. I feed off of-"she paused, moving right next to his ear, "-lust." Andrew was vaguely familiar with the concept of a succubus, but he mostly just thought they were something made up to explain wet dreams.
"I'm going to drain your life energy now, but don't worry," Melissa whispered seductively into his ear. "It'll be the best moment of your life. And the last." She chuckled again and stepped away from him.
There was a moment of silence, then Melissa spoke. "Any last words, mortal?" Considering she's totally in control here, Andrew thought, she sounds kinda unsure.
