Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72090 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 360(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Then I’d have no choice but to participate in The Hunt again.
A risk to teach Locke a lesson that I wasn’t some naive little girl.
I couldn’t let him continue to invade my privacy, to watch me like some sort of sick voyeur without there being consequences. But at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement building inside of me.
What would he do? Would he come and do The Hunt himself?
I stood on the porch beneath the red hue like before. Wearing white, barefoot, and waiting. But something felt different. Something was off.
Silencing the warning bells in my head, I tried to convince myself that it was simply because Locke was waiting to catch me in the act. That I was simply waiting for the confrontation.
But why hadn’t he come yet?
Why hadn’t he stormed onto my porch and demanded that I turn off the light? At least then I could confront him about the camera, we’d fight, but then all would be forgiven.
Simple, right?
So why wasn’t he here yet?
Maybe this was a game of chicken. He’d wait to see how far I’d go. Would I break my word to him again?
Maybe I should go inside. Maybe I should—
A whistle cut through the forest. The singsong melody I recognized all too well.
The Hunt would begin.
I glanced around, hoping to see him storming my way, rage in his eyes.
Where the fuck was Locke?
The whistle grew louder, and I knew the man in the mask would come.
But unlike the two nights prior when I’d participated, I didn’t want this. I was just testing Locke. I was just—
Fuck!
I didn’t want this!
The man in the mask emerging from the shadows wasn’t Locke.
Oh, dear god. I was expecting Locke, and he wasn’t him. This man wasn’t even the same as the one the two nights prior. Fuck! This was a completely different man. I could tell by his height and his build.
Yes, he wore the bone mask like the man who hunted me before, but this was a stranger. This was a man come to claim me in the most primal of ways, but this wasn’t who I was expecting.
My mind screamed at me to run, but my body was frozen in fear. The stranger’s intense gaze locked on to me, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
I’d made a mistake. I’d made a huge mistake.
Run!
It was my only choice.
But I couldn’t move. My body was frozen with terror. The stranger stepped forward, his leather boots thudding against the wooden floorboards of my porch. He towered over me, his broad shoulders filling the small space. His eyes were hidden behind the mask, but I could feel his gaze piercing into my soul.
Oh, god. No. This wasn’t Locke. Where was Locke?
He reached out and grabbed me by the wrist, his grip tight and unyielding. I tried to pull away, but he was too strong.
“Let go of me!” I screamed, but he only tightened his hold.
I struggled against him, determined to break free and run as far away as I could. I had to find Locke. He’d be able to save me.
Tears stung at the corners of my eyes as I realized the gravity of my situation. I was at the mercy of this stranger, and there was no one coming to save me.
The stranger pulled me closer to him, his hot breath on my neck. I shuddered at the feel of his hand sliding up my arm, his fingers rough and callused against my skin. I felt sick with fear and disgust.
Screaming and shoving him with all my weight, I was able to break free just long enough to jump off the porch and run toward the sea. I wasn’t going to run to the woods like all the other times.
No, this time was different.
I needed to get away. Now!
Run!
My feet pounded against the sand, the sound of my heart racing in my ears. I could hear the stranger’s footsteps behind me, his laughter echoing through the night air.
I could hear his ragged breaths coming closer and closer, and I knew that I had to keep moving. I chanced a glance back and saw him gaining on me. Panic rose in my chest as I stumbled over a jagged rock, nearly falling face first into the sand.
But I had to keep going. I had to keep running.
When I reached the water’s edge, I didn’t stop. I plunged into the icy depths, feeling the shock of the cold water take my breath away. I kicked and thrashed my way through the waves, feeling the weight of my clothes dragging me down.
I couldn’t stop.
I wouldn’t stop until I was far away from that stranger and his bone mask.
I didn’t know how far I could run before he caught up to me, but I had to try. I had to find a way to escape.