Jonathan sat stiffly on the couch, wrists and ankles bound with nylon straps, staring at Carly standing in front of him. His heart was thudding, and he felt a twinge of resentment toward Richard—how could the man leave a little girl here and just walk away? Didn't he realize how stressful this was for him? Couldn't he stay and keep him company for a while?
"Um… does it really have to go this far?" Jonathan forced a dry laugh.
Carly answered seriously, "It's absolutely necessary. I'm afraid you'll trash your own place in panic once you see what's coming. You wouldn't like that, would you?"
"All right." Jonathan drew a deep breath. He supposed he really should take this seriously; after all, it was a psychic's power. He was simply curious how convincing Carly's illusions could be. "Let's get started. I think I'm ready."
"Okay." Carly nodded. "First, tell me: what scares you the most?"
"Scared… hmm… probably the things from The Upside Down. Demogorgon, especially the Dimogogen Spider. The way that spider looks is still fresh in my mind." Jonathan thought for a moment and answered.
Carly blinked. "All right, I don't know about the Dimogogen Spider, but I think I know Demogorgon."
"You've seen one before?" Jonathan exclaimed in surprise.
Carly pondered. "To be precise, every psychic in The Lab has more or less sensed those things. That's why Brennan is so obsessed with studying our powers. He's known for a long time that the space Hawkins occupies is closely linked to another world, and he wants to explore it."
She wasn't lying. She had talked with Jamie and learned that during harsh psychic training at The Lab Jamie, too, had briefly glimpsed vile creatures crawling through a rotting, decaying Upside Down that mirrored the real world. When they compared their descriptions with what Eleven and the others who'd actually faced those things had seen, it was clear they were talking about the same entity.
Jonathan fell into deep thought. In other words, even before Henry appeared, the creatures of The Upside Down already seemed hostile and bent on invading the real world.
"Jonathan." While he was lost in thought, Carly's voice snapped him back. He lifted his head involuntarily.
Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle—
A squat, hideous blossom-headed creature gaped its blood-red maw. Dense, serrated teeth lined each petal-like lip. Saliva dribbled; structures like tonsils quivered in its throat. Its Anomaly shriek drilled into his ears, and its fetid breath assaulted his nose.
The room flickered and flashed, strobes revealing his living room rotting and filthy.
Jonathan's face drained of color, eyes bulging like bronze bells. He screamed, "Aaaahhh!!"
Richard seemed to hear someone's shriek of pain. He glanced back in puzzlement, decided it was an illusion, and turned his gaze to the curvy, bespectacled beauty in front of him.
"Hi… Chade." Barbara's eyes were shy and timid as she looked at Richard. She fidgeted, rubbing her hands between her thighs, the heart pattern on her chest distorted by the pressure.
"Cold today, isn't it?" Richard smiled. He wore three layers: a thermal shirt and a fleece-lined coat.
Barbara's heart sank at his words. She looked down at her outfit. Following Nancy's advice, she'd chosen form-fitting clothes that perfectly showed off her sizzling figure—just for Richard. Yet his comment made her feel it was all wasted effort.
He hadn't even commented on her body or clothes; his focus was on the weather.
"What you're wearing looks great; it sets off your tall, full figure perfectly. Still, take care of yourself—at least wear a warm coat." Richard smiled. "Think about it: outside, the coat hides your curves, but once you're indoors with a guy and you suddenly take it off—oh, goddess—no boy could resist."
Barbara's eyes widened, her lips pressed together, a crimson flush climbing from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.
A twist of fortune—he had noticed her intentions after all.
Richard's gentle smile was reflected in her limpid eyes. Her racing heartbeat fanned her courage, and she blurted, "Including you? Would you… be moved?"
"I have to say, you really can stir my desire," Richard replied candidly. He brushed a fingertip through the air along her cheek without touching, yet she felt its softness. "But I'll stay rational. This is something I can't do."
Barbara blinked. Hearing Richard's near-"you're a nice person" rejection, she wasn't angry—only unwilling. "Why?"
The moment the word left her lips, shame flooded her face. She'd never said anything so shameless, but this was the first man who'd driven her wild.
Mysterious, powerful, gentle, and a little devilish—he made her heart itch.
She searched his face for a lie, but caught only a fleeting trace of helpless sorrow.
Richard gazed at the everyday blue sky, watching a few clouds drift away from the sun, and said softly, "Because one day, all of you will never see me again."
"One Kingdom Iced Lemon Tea." Richard entered Heihe Tea, sat at the bar, and called to the busy figure in the back.
Robin glanced sideways, the corner of her mouth quirking in mock annoyance, though her eyes betrayed delight greater than her shyness. Turning away, she said, "Even the boss has to pay."
"Fine, dock it from your wages," Richard replied matter-of-factly. "Buying me a drink—how hard can it be?"
"Hard—so hard." Robin opened the fridge, took out a premade lemon tea, set it before This fellow Li, and tapped his forehead with a straw. "The boss is so busy he's never around. How tough is it to treat him to a drink?"
Richard took the straw, grinned, and punched it through the lid. "My bad—this one's on the house."
"How about a raise instead?" Robin folded her arms and teased.
Richard slurped down a quarter of the tea, frowned, swallowed, and licked his lips. "Dream on. No raise, but your rent's waived."
"Damn—there was rent?" Robin's eyes bulged in disbelief.
Richard chuckled. "There was. Now there isn't."
"Tsk, love watching you youngsters flirt," Joyce remarked, watching them. She leaned down to kiss the twin straws and shared a bubble tea with Bob.
Richard, Robin: "…"
Could this old woman not look at herself?
Bob laughed and patted Richard's shoulder. "Chade, I'm already writing the 95 OS. Progress is good. When can you come by and take a look?"
"No need—I trust your skills."
"It's not all me," Bob said admiringly. "You wrote the main framework; I'm just refining and filling in. Never thought I'd be part of such a great computer revolution in my lifetime."
"Heh—pretty awesome, right?" Richard smiled. He still had plenty of aces up his sleeve.