The elegant grandfather clock rang out the hour. I stifled a yawn. The page or guard or whatever he was supposed to be announced the arrival of another partygoer. I yawned again. This was about as exciting as watching mildew grow on drying paint. This party was beyond dull and I had done my "employee duty" by showing up to my boss' Halloween/birthday party.

"OK," I said, boosting myself to my feet. The effect woke Dean from accounting causing him to sputter, "Who? What? Where?"

"This party couldn't get any deader if there were zombies here," said a soft voice from behind me. I spun. A face like sunshine greeted me. Her hair as dark as the night sky. Her lips matched red roses. Though her face was partially obscured by a mask, I could tell she was wonderful. "Nice to see I'm not the only bored one, Samuel."

I screwed my face in confusion. "How did you know who I am?" She lightly tapped the side of her mask. I turned back to the table—Dean had returned to his slumber—and on the table sat my purple mask. "Oh."

"I would have been able to tell it was you even without the mask," she said.

"Really?" I said, smiling. "How?"

"Because your special." She tickled the bottom of my chin, semi-stroking my goatee. She then walked off into the crowd. Before completely becoming submerged into the throng of dancers, she turned back to me glancing over her shoulder. I rushed to join her before the sea of body's drowned her.

Slowly the crowd began to part as we took center stage. A spotlight fell on us and the crowd hushed. She snapped her fingers and music began to play. It was a slow, yet romantic song that sounded almost like a tango. I placed my hands around her as she placed her hands around me. We began moving to the music.

"You said I was special," I said before I dipped her.

When she came back up, she responded, "And I meant it."

I twirled her briefly. "How so?"

She leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "I'm self-aware too."

"What?"

"I know that this is all just a simulation. I know that everything here is just part of EarthLife."

I drew her in close as we swayed in circle. "What?"

"Look around you."

I did. The people started to glitch like a bad computer connection. "I was right," I whispered. "We're all trapped in some...video game."

"Yes," she cooed. The hairs on the back of my head began to stand. I slowly faced her. She reached for her mask. "Now...you can join us."

Her mask fell to the ground as I screamed.

"Join the Wyrm!"

She kept glitching from rotting corpse to beautiful woman as she reached to put her hand to my face.

As she leaned in to kiss me she said, "We shall free you all from this prison."

________
Words: 500

My entry for the Romance Halloween Vault prompt.

https://my.w.tt/H6LUfgsEjR