Chapter - 5

"You are my nurse?" Rick looked confused.

"What else do I look like?" The nurse was suddenly amused by Rick's behaviour.

"Whoa, hold up!" Rick's confusion reached a whole new level when Amanda told him she was just a nurse. He couldn't believe it! This had to be a dream, right?

"So, am I actually dead or not?" Rick had no idea. And in this moment of bafflement, he did what any sensible person would do - he slapped himself, hard.

"Careful," Amanda, on the other hand, was perplexed by Rick's behaviour.

"Ouch! Okay, that hurts," Rick winced, rubbing his cheek. But to his surprise, he was still there, facing Amanda, who was giving him a perplexed look, "The pain feels real, but what if this all is an illusion by Yamraj?" Rick still could not decide.

In a moment of sheer absurdity, Rick's brain came up with a ridiculous idea. If he was already dead, at most, it would be added to his misbehaviour during the judgement. But if he was not...

Rick looked at Amanda, and his lips curled up. And that evil smile scared Amanda.

"You... What are you thinking?" Amanda asked.

But Rick was hardly thinking. His hand moved with a mixture of hesitance and boldness as if he was expecting her to disappear into thin air the moment he made contact. Instead, his fingers met soft flesh, and Amanda let out a surprised yelp. Rick actually pinched Amanda's butt.

"Rick! What the heck are you doing?" Amanda exclaimed, her face turning a shade of red. She could not believe he had done that. They have just met.

Meanwhile, Rick's eyes widened in shock. His hand could still feel the softness. He was actually not dead.

Slowly, Rick brought his hand close to his face.

"Now... Don't sniff it. I am still here," When Amanda saw it, she cried out in alarm.

Realizing he was about to cross the line, Rick stopped, "I... I'm sorry! I just thought... I mean, I thought I was dreaming. I thought I was dead. And you were the messenger of death."

Amanda shook her head, still flustered by the unexpected gesture. "Well, you're not dreaming, and that was definitely not cool. Keep your hands to yourself, mister!"

Feeling thoroughly embarrassed and regretting his impulsive action, Rick stammered out an apology. "I really am sorry, Amanda. I don't know what got into me."

Amanda sighed, her irritation softening into understanding. "Look, I get that you're disoriented and all, but that's no excuse for inappropriate behaviour. Just remember that I'm a nurse, not a character in your dream. I can assure you, this is very much real, and pinching me won't change that!"

Rick nodded, still red-faced and mortified by his accidental grab. "Believe me, that's not how I usually greet nurses!"

Amanda couldn't help but laugh now, her initial shock giving way to amusement. "I sure hope not!"

"But you are one lucky boy, you know? Lightning strikes can be really dangerous. But it seems like you'll make a full recovery. Just take it easy for now," Amanda told Rick. She could not believe Rick was hit by lightning. Most likely, he was a few meters away and was hit by some sparks.

"I have seen a few people get hit by lightning. But they are not as lucky..."

"Ding!" As Rick continued to listen to Amanda, he heard a soft, distinct sound and a digital interface materialized, appearing as a translucent overlay in his vision.

[System Initialization in Progress]

'Please remain calm during the initialization process. The system is integrating with the host's consciousness,' Rick heard a female voice in his head.

"What the...?" Rick was dumbfounded.

"What happened? Is it paining somewhere?" Amanda hurriedly asked, checking Rick.

"Nothing... I am alright. What were you saying?" Rick hid what was happening to him. He didn't think she would believe him. He himself was not sure if it was real or if his mind was playing games with him.

"Yeah... So there was this one man..." Amanda looked weirdly at Rick before continuing.

Initializing... Please wait.

A progress bar appeared in front of Rick, and he looked at it in surprise, trying to comprehend what was happening. The words seemed to hover in front of him, like a holographic projection only he could see.

Initialization sequence 10% ...

A progress bar appeared below the text, indicating the ongoing process. The system's presence felt surreal, like something out of science fiction.

Initialization sequence 25% ...

Slowly, the bar began to fill.

Initialization sequence 50% ...

Initialization sequence 75% ...

90% ...

95% ...

96% ...

97% ...

98% ...

99% ...

As the percentage increased, Rick's curiosity grew, and he could hardly keep his emotions under control. He couldn't help but wonder what this system was all about or was someone pranking him?

Initialization sequence 100% ...

System initialization complete.

Welcome, Rick Smith, to the Lust System: Lust-o-Meter

Where all your fantasies come true... And system helps losers like you get laid.

* * * * *

Here are the choices for the readers. Whichever gets more comments is what we will do in the next chapter:

1. Tell Amanda and ask if they are pranking him.

2. Believe the notification as Gospel truth.