Ryan logged off in a hurry and quickly removed his helmet while simultaneously standing up. He looked around, his eyes darting rapidly from place to place. Yup, the house was indeed a mess. He had done some superficial cleaning earlier for the police and his friend but for his mother, he needed to do more.

If his mother came back right now, then everything would be exposed. He checked the clock and there were barely 20 minutes left. To clean up all of this mess in a mere 20 minutes?

If he was his earlier self, something like this was impossible, but now he had the full function of his legs and arms and his body. His brain was also not lethargic and in pain.

Ryan quickly got to work. He picked up the dirty clothes and piled them all in the hamper. He cleaned the sofa as much as he could, but it looked like he would have to resort to an embarrassing explanation for that one. He swept and mopped the floor, wiped the windows, took a shower, and finally, with 5 minutes left, he was ready. He sat back down on the couch with a big sigh.

"I covered everything, right?" His eyes darted around the apartment to check up on things once more. Everything seemed alright and in order.

Ryan let out another sigh and slouched back to relax. He was feeling a bit tired as too many things had happened today, things that weighed heavily on his mind and probably changed his life forever. However, there was also a small smile on his face. The future was uncertain, but he was excited about it. He stood up and walked over to his wheelchair to sit down on it.

Unfortunately, he did not have a better plan for this part. He only covered his legs with a blanket. He probably would look like an idiot to his mother for covering himself with a blanket in the hot summer. But what to do? This was his only option. As he finished all the final touches and readied himself, suddenly the one thing he had forgotten reared its head up.

Ryan was starting to feel thirsty. His bloodlust was back!

He froze on the spot when he realized what this meant. Not just in the game world but in the real world as well, he only had 20 minutes before he started to feel thirsty and he absolutely had to consume blood!

Now the time bomb had started ticking. He only had 5 more minutes left before he absolutely had to drink blood. Otherwise, he would lose all sense of himself, and the animal within would find the blood one way or another.

Ryan started sweating as a frightening thought occurred in his mind. What if he attacked his own mother in this animal state? "No." He shook his head. This cannot happen. He needed to log back into the game right now!

However, if he did that, then he would once again be unconscious and his mother would check up on him. She would lift his legs and hands and see if he was doing fine. As a nurse, she routinely did this every day to make sure that his condition did not deteriorate.

He was basically screwed no matter what he did. Something would be revealed to his mother today one way or the other. Was there really no way out here? Just as Ryan was scrambling his brain to figure some way out, a loud knock sounded on his door. Fuck! His mother was here! Now he was out of time!

But the next second, another familiar voice shouted through the door, "Ryan? Are you up? I couldn't find you in the game? Dude, come on. Log in fast. We are going for another dungeon run. You can get some more free exp." Mark was standing at his doorstep. Ryan's attention immediately went to the door. A solution to his problem had revealed itself! He could simply go to Mark's apartment and use the helmet there to log into the game.

All he had to do was leave a note explaining that he had gone over to Mark's place. His mother wouldn't be worried, and she also wouldn't bother him, at least until she was back from the night shift. By then, he would have had the time to figure out another better, permanent solution. Everything would work out.

Ryan quickly scribbled something on the notepad on the table and wheeled his chair to the door with the helmet in his lap. "Mark, move. Let's go to your place. I want to sit with you and play the game?" He abruptly said, as he opened the door.

"Eh?" Mark was surprised as he did not expect this. His friend was not the clingy type. He was usually the loner type who kept to himself, even more so after the accident. But he was not complaining. This was a welcome change. "Sure, dude!" Mark exclaimed in excitement as he started helping Ryan wheel to his apartment, which was on the same floor.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

2 more minutes. Come on. Ryan clenched his fist as he felt the thirst at the back of his throat build up. 2 more minutes and he couldn't care less if he went crazy within the game. He was technically in the middle of nowhere when he had last logged out, so chances were he would simply go berserk on a wandering dire wolf. 2 more minutes and everything would be fine.

But just as they were about to enter Mark's apartment, a hand pulled Mark aside. "You! Go down and get my groceries, you little rat. They are too heavy." Damn it. Ryan turned to see the drunk woman, swaying unsteadily as she ordered Mark around. This was nothing new. This was normal, but the woman had chosen the absolute worst time to do this!

"Shut up. You are so noisy, you old hag." Mark angrily retorted back. However, he then sighed and started walking down to do the chore. The drunk milf was unfortunately related to the landlord, so everyone usually did her bidding when she asked.

"Heh. That's more like it." The woman scoffed haughtily, swirling around to open her apartment door. She then once again turned around, as if she had noticed the stare boring a hole in her back. "What are you looking at, invalid? Hmph." She fumbled with her key, opened the door, and stepped inside. Unexpectedly, a leg popped inside, preventing the door from completely closing.

Ryan's eyes were already blood red. He was only barely holding on. Mark had also gone down without bothering to open his apartment door. Every single thing that could possibly go wrong had gone wrong!

And now, there was simply no other choice.

Ryan closed the door behind him and latched it. A loud click sounded, but the drunk still did not notice it. She had already collapsed on the couch and was snoring loudly. He stared at her like a wolf eying a helpless sheep. The heart beating inside her D-cup chest was pounding loudly in his ears.

But what he did next was important. So he did not rush in blindly and bite her. His teeth were a little rough, so he would definitely be able to draw blood. However, if he did that, he would leave a piece of incriminating evidence behind that would raise a lot of questions.

No, that was not the right way. Ryan's breathing was haggard now, as he was barely holding on to a shred of consciousness. He tried to think straight through the loud bloodlust blaring in his brain. Knife! He needed a knife.

Ryan hurriedly rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the big knife that was on top of the table. This was it. He couldn't think clearly anymore. In one swift movement, he slashed the woman's wrist.

Ironically, it was the same spot he had cut his own wrist a few days after the accident when he was too weak and just couldn't accept his reality. His mom and sister had both cried a lot that day, and Ryan swore he would never resort to something so cowardly again.

But even that scar had disappeared now. Everything had changed. He was not the same weak, helpless person. He was now a predator, and he was going to survive and get through this!

Ryan's reddened eyes locked on to the beads of blood starting to dribble from the woman's hand, and he immediately plunged down to suckle on the injury. Hng! His mouth made an audible groaning sound. This was heaven! Pure bliss! He squeezed the hand of the woman to let a few more drops dribble out.

This finally stirred the drunk up, as she tried to move and push him away, but Ryan used his other hand to hold her down. He did not plan on doing this, on taking advantage of someone who was at the lowest point in their life, but she brought this on herself. Now it was beyond his control.

The drunk struggled for a bit, but soon she passed out. The feeling of her body going limp under his hand snapped him awake, and Ryan finally pulled himself out of the bleeding injury with great difficulty. "That is enough." He controlled himself as he hurriedly backed away and stood up. He couldn't afford to go any further. If something happened to her, then his life would also be over.

He took a few deep breaths as he looked around. He still couldn't believe it. He had actually done something like this. Seeing the unconscious woman lying on the couch vulnerably with her shirt disheveled and her bra exposed, numerous urges arose in his body.

His mind was racing, and the smell of the blood that still lingered made his pulse quicken. As his gaze wandered over the seductive curves of the mature woman, another part of his body also stood at attention. This was bad. He needed to leave. Now.

He hurriedly grabbed the knife from the floor, erased all traces of his fingerprints using his shirt, and then got the hell out of there. Outside, a couple of grocery bags had already been placed, and Mark was just climbing the stairs, carrying the last one.

"Can you believe it! That bitch actually parked her car all the way across the street. I had to lug these around for 5 minutes! Dude, I am so pissed." Ryan clenched his hand on the sides of his wheelchair that he no longer needed and nodded. It was difficult to remain calm in this situation, but he somehow managed.

"Can we go now? I would like to log in soon."

"Right. Sorry about that."

Mark casually tossed the last bag outside the door, not even bothering to knock, and then the two of them went inside. They both immediately logged into the game, and only then did Ryan let out a sigh of relief. That was really close. Too close!

Under no circumstances could this happen again. He needed to figure something else out soon. He needed to upgrade this damned class ASAP!