Aaron wakes up

The first thing Aaron felt was the throbbing ache in the back of his skull, a rhythmic pounding that matched the beat of his heart. The second thing he noticed was the smell—damp rot, stale dust, and old rust.

He groaned, rolling onto his side. The ground beneath him was hard and cold, littered with grit that dug into his skin. He pushed himself up, his arms shaking slightly. He looked down at his hands. They were large, slightly calloused, and definitely male. He touched his chest—flat, solid.

"I'm me," he whispered, his voice raspy. Relief washed over him, momentarily drowning out the pain. He was back in his own body.

He blinked the blurriness from his eyes and looked around. He was in a large, cavernous room with high, vaulted ceilings. Sunlight pierced through shattered windows high above, cutting through the gloom in sharp, dusty beams. Piles of debris, broken pallets, and rusted machinery were scattered around. It looked like an abandoned factory or a warehouse, the kind of place that hadn't seen a living soul in decades.

"Cody?" he called out, his voice echoing in the emptiness.

No answer.

Then, movement caught his eye. A splash of bright pink and denim against the grey concrete floor.

"Hailey!"

Aaron scrambled to his feet, swaying slightly as a wave of dizziness hit him, then rushed over to where she lay.

Hailey was lying on her back a few yards away, her limbs sprawled in an unnatural angle. She was still wearing the outfit Aaron had picked out for her—the tiny denim shorts and the pink crop top that left her midriff completely exposed to the dank, chilly air of the warehouse.

He dropped to his knees beside her. "Hailey? Hey, wake up."

He reached out, hesitating for a second before touching her shoulder. The memory of being *inside* that body, of the intimate things he had done with it just hours ago, flashed through his mind, making his face burn with guilt. He shook the thought away. She was just a girl right now. His best friend's sister.

"Hailey!" He shook her gently.

She didn't stir immediately. Her chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. Ramsey must have left her body. But where was he? And why bring them here?

Suddenly, Hailey gasped. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified. She bolted upright, sucking in a jagged breath as if she had been held underwater.

"NO!" she screamed, her hands flying up to protect her face.

"Hailey! It's me! It's Aaron!" He grabbed her wrists, trying to stop her from flailing.

She froze, her eyes focusing on him. The red glow was gone. These were Hailey’s eyes—warm, brown, and currently filled with absolute confusion and fear.

"Aaron?" Her voice was small, trembling. She looked around frantically at the decaying building. "Where... where is this? Where's Cody?"

"I... I don't know," Aaron said, sitting back on his heels. "We're somewhere... else."

Hailey rubbed her temples, wincing. "My head is splitting. I was... I was in the shower. I remember the shower. And then..." She paused, looking down at herself.

Her eyes widened as she took in her attire. She pulled at the hem of the crop top, which barely covered her ribs, and then looked at the short shorts that left her long legs completely bare against the dirty floor.

"What am I wearing?" she shrieked, her voice pitching up. "This isn't mine! Why am I dressed like a slutty Barbie? And why am I sticky?"

Aaron froze. The "sticky" comment made his stomach drop. He prayed she was talking about the sweat from the fight or the humidity, and not the *other* fluids he might not have cleaned up thoroughly enough.

"We... uh... we had to leave in a hurry," Aaron stammered, his mind racing for a cover story that didn't involve *'I possessed you and touched myself in front of a mirror.'*

"Leave? Leave where?" Hailey tried to stand up, but her legs wobbled. She grabbed Aaron’s arm for support. Her skin was cold. "Aaron, what is going on? The last thing I remember is washing my hair, and now I'm in a horror movie set with you!"

Before Aaron could answer, a slow, mocking slow-clap echoed from the shadows of the upper catwalks.

*Clap... Clap... Clap.*

Both of them snapped their heads upward.

Standing on a rusted metal walkway twenty feet above them was Ramsey. He wasn't a ghost anymore, nor was he possessing anyone. He had manifested his own form again—the tall man in the sharp black suit, his white hair gleaming in a shaft of sunlight. He leaned over the railing, looking down at them like rats in a maze.

"Touching reunion," Ramsey called out, his voice booming through the warehouse. "Truly. I almost shed a tear."

"Who is that?" Hailey whispered, gripping Aaron’s arm so hard her nails dug in.

"That's Ramsey," Aaron said, glaring up at the entity. "He's the one who did this."

"You brought us here!" Aaron shouted up at him. "Let us go!"

"Go?" Ramsey laughed. "I just got you two alone. You see, Aaron, I realized something back in that alley. Fighting you for your body is messy. And frankly, your friend Cody is a buzzkill."

Ramsey began to walk along the catwalk, pacing like a tiger.

"I want to play a game. A test of compatibility. You seem to like being inside your friend's sister there," Ramsey gestured to Hailey, causing her to flinch. "And I want your body, Aaron. So, here is the deal. This building is sealed. No way out. Except one."

"Aaron," Hailey said, her voice trembling. She looked at him, her eyes wet with tears. "He said... you liked being inside me? What did he mean?"

Aaron swallowed hard.