I checked my phone to see what time it was. 10:58 p.m., and the restaurant where I work closes at 11:00 p.m. It was a long day, and I had to get home by midnight. I cleaned up the kitchen, prepared what the crew needed for the next day, and resisted the urge to scream when a couple walked in at the last minute. Of course they want to eat in. After twenty minutes of waiting for their order, I quickly pushed the food out. “Order!” I called out to the staff. It’s 11:30 and it takes about thirty minutes to get to my apartment.
I got into my car and drove out of the parking lot as fast as I could. I sped through the road in silence, reflecting on the events of the day. I used to enjoy cooking. I used to enjoy the sense of fulfillment I felt when someone ate a dish I had made. Though, for the past few years, every day has been pure hell. Twelve hours a day, six days a week of messed up orders, missing tickets, short staff, and stress on top of stress killed my love of cooking. Despite this, there is one thing that kept me going.
I rushed through the door of my apartment and logged onto my laptop as soon as I arrived. The screen was occupied by the lovely face of a young woman with long bright red hair, a piercing on her cute button nose, and emerald eyes. To hear her voice, I turned up the volume. “Hello, guys! It’s your girl Shelby!” she exclaimed cheerfully. The chat room gradually filled up with greetings and emojis. She put on a stunning smile, and the donations poured in. Looking at her made all my troubles fade away.
“Thank you for stopping by tonight!” Shelby said as she walked away from the camera. “I’ve prepared an incredible spread for you!” She returned with a cart full of various foods and began setting the table in front of her. She took her seat, surrounded by spaghetti bolognese, lasagna, penne alfredo, and linguine in a clam sauce. I couldn’t help but smile as this woman squealed with delight after taking a bite of food. “I’m so sorry guys,” she said as her face started to turn red and she wiped her lips on a napkin. “I couldn’t wait to eat. How is everyone today?” She inquired sheepishly.
I started looking through various streams a few months ago. The majority of them involved people playing horror games or music. When I first discovered her stream, I was drawn in by how stunning she was. When I clicked on her window, I was taken aback by the sight of this delicate woman devouring plate after plate of food. I’d never seen a mukbang stream before, and it triggered something in me. It’s nothing sexual, but seeing someone like her enjoy the food she prepared made me feel…happy.
Shelby is more than just a pretty face; she acknowledged her viewers as if they were real-life friends. I fell hard and tried my hardest not to miss a stream. She doesn’t have many viewers, maybe twenty at most, but she keeps logging on with large plates of food and talking to us, to me. I tell her about my difficult day at work, and she comforts me. She even welcomes me to come over and cook for her, which made my heart skip a beat. The chat is full of messages, but it still feels like she’s speaking to me one on one.
I make her appear to be some perfect angel, but she was a person. A genuine human being who struggles to make ends meet and enjoys our company as much as we enjoy hers. “How’s the food?” someone asked. She wrinkled her nose and replied, “It tastes fine, but this other dish is kinda bland.” I chimed in with a couple of suggestions to make the food a bit better, like a squeeze of lemon juice. “Oh! Great Idea. Be right back.” as she hurriedly got out of her seat and returned with half of a lemon. Shelby slowly squeezed the juice over one of the pasta dishes and her eyes rolled back after taking a bite.
“Of course, Chef, you know all of these secrets.” She thanked me with a kiss directed at the camera. This has been my daily routine for months. Shelby streams a few times a week, depending on her personal life, and I’d rush home from work to catch her. She claims to have a hectic work schedule, so she only goes live for a few hours at midnight. She doesn’t do anything crazy, just talking about life over food. I have her channel subscribed and notifications enabled on my phone and laptop.
I sent in a donation of twenty dollars with a message, “I’d love to have dinner with you someday.” She gave a smug smile and responded on screen, “Maybe I’ll take you up on that offer.” My heart was elated. It sounds dumb, but I’m head over heels for this girl. I’m just an average guy working a shitty kitchen job. I hoped that one day, just maybe, I would have a chance to meet her face to face and do more than just talk.
The hours flew by, it was 3 a.m my time. She let out a long yawn and set her fork down. She had completely devoured all the food in front of her. “Okay my lovelies. It’s getting late for this old lady.” she joked. She said her goodbyes and blew a kiss before logging off. I stretched and rubbed my eyes as my body snapped back into reality. I was exhausted, but as I was getting up to go to my bed a notification chimed from my laptop. There was a private message from an unknown username.
“I think I’ll take you up on that offer,” the message said. “What do you mean?” I asked, perplexed. “What is your name?” A minute later, I received a response claiming that they were Shelby. My heart almost leapt out of my chest, but the possibility that this was a joke kept me grounded. There was no way this could be her until they texted me a phone number and said, “Call me.” I quickly dialed the number; this had to be a prank, but I didn’t want to risk not speaking with Shelby. I was sweating bullets as I placed my phone to my ear. Ring…ring…ring…..and a familiar angelic voice said, “Hello.”
My head felt like it was spinning, I stammered out, “H-he-hello!” Her giggle filled my ears, the familiar sweet tone that I’ve grown accustomed to. The words began to pour out, “Um, ah, Wow, It’s you…it’s really you on the phone.” “Of course it’s me. Who’d you think it’ll be?” she teased. “I…I don’t know. I just can’t believe it’s actually you.” The dulcet voice on the line let out an embarrassed sigh. “Gosh, this is embarrassing. A random person just messaging you out of nowhere. It’s so creepy.” I interjected, “No! I mean yeah. But wow. It really is you.”
Shelby groaned, “Well, I have a separate account for messaging and we talk all the time so I guess I was just used to it.” My whole body suddenly turned so hot that I thought I would pass out from overheating. I tried to keep myself sounding cool and composed, but what came out was, “Oh. Yeeeaaaahh. It’s all cool and good. Soo. What do I owe the pleasure?” I wanted to punch myself in the face until she responded. “Well. Sorry this is going to sound insane, but I wanted to have you for dinner.”
I was certain that this was a fever-induced dream or hallucination. I was stunned for a moment before she snapped me back to the conversation. “I remember you mentioned working at a certain restaurant. Well, I happen to live near a restaurant with that name.” The restaurant in question was Stellaluna, a fine dining Italian restaurant where I worked. I couldn’t believe that it was just a coincidence so I gave her the place’s address, which she confirmed.
What were the odds? The girl I thought was thousands of miles away, the girl I was talking to online, was actually living in the same city as me. Shelby let out an excited squeal over the phone, exclaiming, “I fucking knew it!” We forgot to sleep and ended up talking on the phone for a few more hours. We talked about what we liked and disliked about our city. We talked about life on a more personal level. We talked for hours about nothing. It was just pure fun talking to her.
The sun was rising, and I needed to get to work in a few hours. “Gosh. I talked your ear off. You must be tired.” To be honest, I was completely wired after talking with her. I was afraid that once I hung up, it would all be a dream. I assured her that I was fine, but that I needed a power nap before my shift. “Oh right,” she said as I heard an audible slap on her forehead. “Since we’re on the phone, the reason I called was to have you for dinner…you know it’ll be fun.”
The first thing that came to mind was, “Why me?” I kept that thought inside and accepted her proposal. “I just feel comfortable talking to you” she explained, “Now I know for sure that you’re close AND you’re definitely not a creep or anything.” She laughed a bit and continued, “I just want a real friend ya know? Just a night out with a real person instead of strangers online…something real.” Those words grasped my heart, that was exactly how I felt about her.
So we concluded our phone call and switched to texts, coordinating a time and place for our dinner. We decided on the upcoming Sunday night to meet at a popular gastropub that supposedly has some of the best food on that side of the city. Plus it’s a crowded place so both would feel a bit more comfortable. I spent the next few days with my emotions in a cocktail of excitement and worry. I was more nervous that she would be disappointed in how I looked. I’m average height, chubby with shaggy brown hair. So I spared no expense with brand new clothes and a fresh haircut.
It was 8 p.m and I was pacing on the sidewalk outside of the pub. My hair felt sticky from the product and the clothes were a bit too tight. I hoped that I looked decent enough to impress her. I rubbed my eyes and groaned as anxiety was overwhelming me. “I’m sorry I’m late. You don’t have to be upset.” I turned to see Shelby, the image of perfection dressed in tight jeans and a black shirt with a cartoon cat eating noodles on it. She eyed me up and down and her face turned flush, “I guess I’m a little under dressed..” she said sheepishly.
I assured her that I was just nervous and she poked at my chest. “C’mon. I’m starving.” The night was just perfect. We were surrounded by a sea of people and yet it felt like it was just the two of us there. We had a few craft beers over some amazing food and we talked about my cooking. Things were going so well until a moment when she looked towards me and her face turned pale. “I’m sorry…I have to go. Now!” she said as she quickly got up from her seat and towards the exit. My stomach started to turn, I didn’t know what was going on so I went after her.
I bursted out of the pub, the noise of people dining disappeared behind me. The street was completely silent and I turned towards the sound of quickened footsteps on the pavement. Shelby was rushing away so I dashed towards her. “Hey! Hey! What’s wrong?!” I shouted. She turned to me and I saw her beautiful face twisted into terror. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me with her. I quickened my pace to match hers and we kept walking forward. She whispered, “There’s a guy that’s been stalking me for a while. I saw him at the bar…and he’s following us right now.”
I tried to turn around, but Shelby’s grip tightened on my wrist as she yanked me to move forward. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think he would follow me..” I looked at her and I pulled my wrist away from her. I grabbed her hand and I tried to assure her that things were okay. I wasn’t sure what to do, I’d never been in a fight before. I was going through multiple scenarios in my head, but before I could take action I felt something pierce into my neck. My body suddenly felt numb, I couldn’t feel Shelby’s hand in mine anymore and my vision blurred. The last thing I heard before succumbing to unconsciousness was Shelby’s screams.
When I finally came to, I jolted up but I couldn’t move, “SHELBY!” I screamed. My body shivered as I felt a cold air wrap around me. I found myself in a small cement room, like a basement. The room was completely empty aside from a few cameras set up on tripods that were directed at me. I looked at my arms and legs to see that they were tied with rope, the ends fastened to hooks on the cement floor. I shivered and looked down to see that I was completely naked. I heard a muffled sobbing beside me and I turned to see Shelby lying in a fetal position. She was also unclothed but she still had her underwear on. She lifted her head and before I could say a word she scrambled towards me
“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” she cried into my chest. I wanted to console her but I took another glance at our surroundings. “What happened?” I asked. Shelby told me that a man in a black hoodie came up behind us and injected me with something. She tried to resist but was completely overpowered and injected also. We both passed out and now we’re both in this room. “So what does he want?” When the words left my lips I saw Shelby’s expression turn into fear and disgust.
“Please, just untie me and let’s find a way out of here.” I pleaded. Then I heard a light buzz coming from her hand and I saw that she had a cellphone. She turned expressionless and showed me the phone screen.There was a chat wall filled with obscene messages and a repeated phrase of “Do it! Do it! Do it!” Puzzled, I asked, “Do what?” The chat answered me happily with a nonstop stream of texts saying, “EAT HIM! EAT HIM! EAT HIM!”
“What the fuck?” I muttered under my breath. I looked back at Shelby who just sat there. She slowly turned to me and simply stated, “They said they won’t let me leave unless I do it..” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, just a moment ago we were having an amazing dinner date and now we were in a nightmare. I let out a hysterical laugh, “You can’t be serious. Eat me? What the actual fuck?!” I shouted. She began to sob, “They said they’ll kill me and my family if I don’t do it..”
“Shit, shit, shit!” I cursed, “This can’t be happening!” The buzzing from the notifications went on and on, the noise drowning out any hope I had in me. “They said they won’t stop until I do it.” She said as she placed a comforting hand on my face. “They said that I have to do this or they’ll kill both of us.” Either way there was no salvation for me. TIme passed and I just laid there staring at the cameras. Hours…minutes…I wasn’t sure, all I could do was exist there thinking about my life, this situation, Shelby. I weighed out my options and leaned towards the obvious answer.
“Just do it..” I whispered under my breath. She looked shocked and began to cry. “I don’t think I can..” “At the end of the day, we’re just raw meat..” I joked. She gagged a bit at my statement. “Look, I suppose I don’t have much going on in my life. Maybe a bite will satisfy these freaks and we can go home. Honestly I’d rather have you out of here..” Shelby wiped her face and set the phone beside my head. “I’m so sorry…” She grabbed my left arm, gripping it tightly as she leaned down towards it.
The notifications were going wild and I felt her teeth press onto my skin. She began to sob, her cries filled the room. I felt her mouth tear at my flesh, her teeth sinking into the meat on my bones. I screamed with all of my might but the only thing I could hear were the primal noise of chewing and the squishing of meat and blood. I turned towards the phone, I didn’t want to see the angelic face of Shelby feasting upon my body. I saw the messages on the phone and my quickened heart stopped dead in its tracks.
Amazing Work!
We Love You!
Looks Amazing!
So Hot!
The strings of messages were nonstop and Shelby’s sobs shifted to…laughter. She laughed and laughed and laughed. I looked at her and the one beautiful face of the woman I fell in love with was now a bloodied face of a demon. She looked towards the cameras and spoke calmly, “I’m so sorry for the wait, boys. It took a bit longer to set up than expected. The chat was going insane and I couldn’t keep up with the messages anymore. “Boys, I’m starving. I hope you enjoy the show..” She spoke with a sinister delight.
Shelby looked down at me, crimson smeared all over her face and her eyes were dark. She smiled, licked her lips and said, “Thank you for dinner..” She continued to bite into my left arm. The pain was intense and I used every ounce of my strength to pull on my right arm. Shelby began to moan in ecstasy as he continued to feast upon me. I didn’t want to give up, I didn’t want to give my life…my body to this monster.
I felt the rope rubbing on my wrist as I pulled harder and harder till I heard a snap. I shouted in pure agony as I was able to free myself at the cost of a broken hand. Despite the crippling pain and a couple of broken bonesI used my elbow to strike at Shelby’s temple. I dealt a hard blow as she went limp over me. I didn’t have much time, I didn’t know how long she’d be out so I pulled and pulled at my gnarled mess of a left arm. I had gotten the rope lose enough to use my damaged right hand to untie the restraints on my arms.
I heard Shelby groan in pain, she sounded drunk. I didn’t stop, I pulled myself together and made quick work of the rope on my ankles. I lifted myself up, my whole body could barely carry itself as the world began to spin and I felt woozy. Blood was pouring out of my left arm and thankfully the pain at this point was numbed by pure adrenaline. I staggered towards a door but as I took a step Shelby lifted her body in one fluid motion.
She darted towards me, screaming a high pitched wail. Shelby grabbed my throat and pushed me back. Suddenly my body came crashing down, reuniting with the cold cement floor. She pressed all of her weight onto my neck and her face came down with an open bloodied mouth. She began to snap at me like some wild beast but I was able to ball it with my right hand and strike her way. She laid on the floor and before I could make a clear rational thought, instinct kicked in. I grabbed a tripod camera and with all of my might used it to strike down on her head. I did it again and again and again until I heard a familiar noise of meat and blood squishing underneath my improvised weapon.
Shelby’s garbled noise as her mouth filled with her own blood was all I could hear now. It took a herculean effort to get out the door and up the stairs to an empty house. I walked slowly…steadily out the front door into a quaint neighborhood. The pain returned as the night air pressed against my skin. “HELP ME!” I yelled as I staggered down the street. PLEASE HELP ME!” Then, one by one, the lights in each house turned on and the doors began to open. I stood in the middle, bloodied, damaged, and partially eaten.
When the cops and ambulance arrived, I was a complete mess. Everything after that was a blur…a hell within a nightmare. I’m not sure how long it took for me to realize what was going on. I didn’t mind… I was just relieved to be out of there. The cops assured me that everything was in order and that Shelby was dead when they arrived. They interrogated me for quite some time, but it was clear that I was the victim.
The cops told me she was streaming the entire thing on some platform on the dark web, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Apparently, this was not her first time doing this. But I didn’t care; all I wanted was to put this experience behind me. I didn’t want to remember her or that night. I didn’t want to remember the joy I felt on that dinner date and the agony that followed. Shelby took more than just a piece of meat from me, and I’ll have to live with the consequences for the rest of my life. I wanted to forget everything until late last night when I received a message asking if they could have me for dinner.