Page 272 of Primal

Behind me, Neck Tat exhales, ragged. Then the faint scrape of boot rubber on tile—he’s inching toward the cabinet again. It’s got either a weapon or a panic button. Neither would be useful—not with whoever’s puppeteering this horror show already in the systems.

I point my knife without turning. “Try it. I dare you.”

The monitor catches his faint reflection—hands raised, palms out. Smart choice.

Camera 9 shifts—now showing the hallway outside this very room.

There. Standing dead center, perfectly still.

Ghostface.

Head cocked, blade slick with fresh blood, staring right at us. He raises one gloved hand—and waves.

Neck Tat bolts past me, peeking out the door. “I-I don’t see him.”

Pre-recorded. He’s playing with us.

Sandwich Guy scowls at the monitor then at me. “Hey, is this some kind of prank? You’ve been messing with the feeds just to freak us out?”

Neck Tat glances out again before snapping his gaze back to me. “Yeah, man, you’re supposed to be hunting.”

I tilt my head. Match the Ghostface on Camera 9 beat for beat. “You really think I’d go through all this trouble just to punk a couple of rent-a-cops?”

Sandwich Guy’s jaw ticks.

The monitor flickers.

wanna save her?

Camera 9 switches to a grainy black-and-white feed with a heat map overlay.

Slumped against a tree is a figure with long hair. Impossible to tell the color. Motionless but warm—a faint red glow in the grayscale fog.

The shape could be anyone.

every moan she lets slip? that’s me carving my name into her skin. marking what’s mine.

My lungs lock. My fists clench.

you’re not her fantasy. you’re just her regret. spoiler: she called your name once. but only so i’d fuck her harder.

you ever hear what a safe word sounds like when it’s muffled by blood?

when i’m done, she’ll be bruised and broken, but she’ll still be begging for more. more sweet, delicious pain, more of that filthy little gasp when it hurts just right, more of me.

and you? you’ll be left with nothing but the taste of your own impotence.

My fingers hit the keyboard.

TOUCH HER AND I WILL TEAR YOU APART. PIECE BY FUCKING PIECE.

funny how the tough guy talks when his girl’s on her knees. let’s see if you can back it up.

A map pops up.

your prize → sector 5.

The route burns into my retinas.