Idol

I could not believe my luck. Out of the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, I was the one who won the sweepstakes. I had won the opportunity to meet and spend an evening with my hero, my most favorite celebrity in the world.

I got off the plane and saw the atmosphere was absolutely sublime for this meeting, as I am meeting the king of horror himself! The night was dark and cloudy, with not a single star in sight. I left the airport, got in the taxi to the public meeting area, and soon I was walking down the street, my heart pounding with anticipation. I was on my way to meet my favorite celebrity—the one I had been obsessed with for years. I had been counting down the days until I could finally meet him in person, and tonight I was finally going to make my dream come true.

I arrived at the designated location and waited for my idol to appear. To say I was nervous would be the understatement of the century – my heart was pounding so hard I thought that at any moment it would leap from my chest, and I was sweating so hard I thought I might start sweating blood, like Christ before the cross.

I had been waiting for what felt like hours when I heard a noise coming from the shadows behind me. I turned around and saw a figure walking towards me. It was hard to make out, at first, but as they got closer, I couldn't believe my eyes: it was him! The man himself, and here he was, to meet me!

I was so excited I couldn't contain myself. I ran up to him and threw my arms around him in a hug. He smiled and hugged me back, and it was the most blissful moment of my life thus far. With no hope of stopping, it a waterfall of questions poured from my mouth as I bombarded this man with my interest and curiosity. I stopped myself abruptly as I was worried about irritating him, but he only laughed again and clapped me on the back, saying he was more than happy to answer my questions but just one at a time. I laughed with him and agreed and took a deep breath and exhale. We started to walk as I asked my questions, and he happily answered each one of them – I could not believe how well this was going!

But as we hit the main street and the illuminating light posts hit us, I noticed there was something off about him. He seemed…different from the pictures I had always seen of him... He was pale and his eyes were dark and lifeless, as if looking at those pictures of the deep sunless ocean on the internet. I wouldn’t dare describe his face, for fear of being sued for libel.

I quickly stepped back from him, suddenly feeling uneasy. He laughed at me and cocked his head to the side and stared at me with an eerie grin. He asked me if I wanted to see what made him so special. I nodded, too scared to say anything. He grabbed my hand and led me down a dark alley.

We stopped in front of a large, dilapidated building. He opened the door and motioned for me to enter. I hesitantly stepped inside and gasped in horror. The walls were lined with pictures and newspaper clippings of me—my every move, every moment of my life, had been tracked and documented by HIM.

My idol laughed maniacally and told me that he was my biggest fan and said that he had a knife for my red curls. He had been following me for years and wanted to meet me in person. I was so scared and horrified that I couldn't move; I know I have read of people in this position countless times – by this man’s own writing – but I never thought I would truly experience what that meant, until now. He grabbed my arm and dragged me into another room.

My heart thumped hard, so hard I thought it was preparing to eject from my chest and make a run for it. Sitting in the middle of the room was a dead body. It was mutilated beyond recognition, save for its head that was left mainly untouched, except for the eyes – the eyes had been gouged out, and the skin around it was carved into with intricate designs I cannot describe as an acute, right angle or obtuse; they were all, yet none. The image of these shapes piercing my psyche would cause irreparable damage as such geometry should not exist – or at least, not be seen by human eyes.

Looking at the facial features, I actually recognized them – I had never seen this man in person, but as a profile picture of one who had aggressively trolled me online. They trolled me so hard, sometimes I actually thought of killing myself. Yet somehow with this knowledge, the thought that struck me the hardest was that My idol had killed someone—for me! I am ashamed to admit, a part of me was flattered; after all, he was the best horror writer of all time, and that was why I loved him, and this was truly horror. But it was more horrific than I was ever willing to experience; I was happy with it being only in stories, written by a regular man with a penchant for dark fiction like me.

 I screamed, shrill and loud, and I ran out of the building. I don’t know how far I ran, but every time I turned back, I saw that my idol was right behind me, his laughter echoing in the night.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, but I could still hear him coming after me. I knew that I had to get away from him before he could hurt me. I managed to find a police station and ran inside, sobbing uncontrollably.

The officers quickly took me in, and I told my story. Their concern turned to skepticism, repeatedly asking for me to clarify the name of my idol. They eventually agreed to let me lead them to where the body of my internet bully lay, and DNA evidence found on the scene revealed they belonged to my idol.     

My idol was found and arrested. I knew I was safe, but I will never forget the night I encountered my biggest fan.