This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/1000andonenites on 2024-09-21 15:31:53+00:00.

I had to agree with my girlfriend Emily that videocalls were not as good as being together in person, but there was no way around it. Emily had just travelled back from a foreign destination where she had spent a month for work, and the Public Health rules stated that a ten-day isolation period was required upon return from that particular spot.

Rules were rules. I was desperate to touch her, to hold her, to feel her in my arms, and the extra ten days seemed a cruel extension of our already month-long separation, but at least she now had good internet connection, and we promised each other long quality videocalls in the evenings- a luxury after having to deal with the flickering, poor quality internet of where she had been.

The first few days, however, she ended up being feverish – just some bug she must have picked up from the airport, she assured me in a weak voice. But by the sixth day, she was feeling much better, and I could barely wait to get home and call her. That was the highlight of my day, when I could finally lock the door and enjoy her virtual company, without the connection dropping or colleagues interrupting or any other distraction. Even online, I felt I couldn’t get enough of gazing at her beautiful face, now in crystal-clear high definition, and even her most innocuous statements aroused a deep emotion in me.  

Emily seemed also as delighted to spend quality time on video with me, luxuriating in my gaze and declarations of affection.

It must have been on the eighth day when it first happened.

I rushed home, opened up my laptop and placed the call.

Within a few seconds, she flickered in sight, wearing some kind of black zip-up sweater, zipped up to her neck. I felt mildly disappointed- during our previous calls, she had usually been dressed in what I called “date night” attire- revealing tops and lovely lacy things that barely brushed her skin- a wonderful change from the standard working gear that she had been wearing every day while she was away for work. But her face was glowing, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shining with an odd light.

.

“You want a peek babe?” she said, mischievously.

I felt almost as eager as if she were before me in flesh. “C’mon darlin’, lemme see. Please” I begged.

She unzipped the zipper with her freshly painted nails, just down her neck. “This good?” she teased.

She unzipped a bit more, I could see her jutting collarbones. Something was wrong with the internet quality - she flickered, her head was replaced momentarily by- what- no - her face - something glistening was under her sweatshirt -

“Liking what you see?” she cooed and pulled down a bit further.

I peered in- my face almost touching my laptop screen- a scaly greenish-black texture was becoming visible on her skin. Her face flickered again, and I caught glimpse of flaring eyes and sharp teeth in a scaly face. I leapt back as if stung, and  slammed the laptop shut.

My cellphone dinged.

-babe what happened?

I thought a bit, then responded.

-Idk my internet isnt working

-ok lmk when u get it back I rly wanna show something you

I didn’t go back online that night. Emily was not happy about that- she sent me some more text messages, but I pretended that my internet was still out, and went to bed as soon as I could, pleading a headache.

The next day she bombarded my phone with loving messages and gorgeous images of herself as never before. I put the scaly vision of last night out of my head, again feeling that old passion to at least see her online if I couldn’t actually be with her. I raced to my laptop at home as soon as I could.

She was waiting for me online, again covered to the neck.

“Here we go babe” she said, and in one swift motion pulled the zipper down, revealing for one tiny instant her beautiful body.

Then the image flickered, and a scaly glistening greenish-black creature seemed super-imposed on the body, with flaring yellow eyes and sharp protruding teeth.

I cried out, blinked, and the creature vanished, and I was once again staring at the body and face of my beloved Emily before me on my laptop screen.

“You likey?” she asked, smiling at me expectantly, her pink soft lips curving in what I would have thought until two seconds ago the world’s most beautiful smile.

“Yes- oh- yes” I whimpered. Did she not know what was going on?

She leaned in so far her soft lips almost touching the webcam- “It will all be yours, very soon, my sweetheart. All yours. We will finally be together. Oh, I can barely wait for tomorrow” and she ran her tongue over her lips in what was supposed to be a seductive gesture.

But her tongue was narrow and forked and her teeth fanged.

I jumped back.

She frowned. “What is it Matthew?”

“Nothing- I mean- oh, I can’t wait.” And despite myself, her suggestive movements started arousing me, and the image of what I had seen -or thought I had seen? once again receded from my mind, as I allowed myself to enjoy her virtual company.

It was only when we were almost done, saying our last long lingering goodnights to each other, that her image flickered again, and for a whole two seconds, while I was paralysed by fear, I saw on the screen a scaly glistening greenish-black shape, with fanged teeth and flaring yellow eyes.

I spent the next day at work in a fog of confusion and fear. I kept trying to dismiss the terrible vision as some hacking prank gone wrong, but it was too vivid, the scales glistening and the eyes flaring too brightly for me to convince myself.

The day after, she was out of isolation.

“Im coming over babe” she texted, as soon as I got home.

“Emily u dont have to” I texted desperately.

She texted back immediately “?? U got a new gf while I was stuck inside?”

My heart sank. “Don’t be ridiculous”.

“ok Ill be there 30 min”

Heart racing, I knew I couldn’t be alone with her. Frantically, I texted.

“Hey I was just going out to grab coffee meet at the usual?”

Barely five second passed “youre gonna a dump me! And ur too coward to do at home, ur doing it at coffee shop like a wuss on a first date!!!”

“I just want a coffee! I’ll meet you there- already outta the door!”

She arrived within five minutes of me seating myself outside, on the small pavement patio. Despite her red teary eyes, she looked as beautiful as ever, and the now-familiar doubt of what I had seen on screen crept in. I took her hands.

“Emily” I began.

She began ugly-crying. “You’re dumping me – I can’t believe- you started sleeping with someone else while I was away-“ she sobbed. Other customers furiously pretended to mind their own business, and the server discreetly stood away.

“No- I swear-“ I said, feeling helplessly. “It’s just-“

“Just what?!” she slammed her hands on the table, and stopped crying. A horrible hush fell over the patio. The server rattled his tray.

She leaned towards me. “Just what, asshole?” she hissed.

As I stared into her eyes, I saw her pupils swim and change shape. I swear I saw them become vertical slits, suspended into the greeny-blue of her eyes.  

I cried out in fear, jumped up from my chair and began running. I had no idea where, I just knew I had to get away.

Emily slid out from behind the table in a lithe movement and immediately began following me.

“Matthew!” I heard her cry- “please- stop- I love yo- “

Her voice was cut off by horrible skidding brake sound, followed by a high-pitched scream. A great shout went up. For a split second, everything was completely still, and then the spell broke. I looked back, in time to see the crowd surge to where her crushed body was lying on the street.

And then, with sirens wailing, everything seemed to heave on the street. The sun was shining in my eyes but I know I saw two men dressed in regular jeans clear the crowd. I saw them pick her up and take her, not to an ambulance, but inside a plain black van.

I never saw or heard of Emily again.