Page 9 of Hallow’s Eve

Out of nowhere, the room drops down to a freezing temperature. The hair on my arms stands up and I can see my breath clouding in front of me. I can feel the tension rise in the room but they fight to uphold their mask in place.

The house shakes again with the crack of thunder but this time a growl slithers through the house. Something demonic tries to enter the home but a force repels it back, keeping it from entering. I wonder if this is another one of their games. They thrive on fear and the chase. Maybe they’re bored of me now that they got what they wanted and are using this tactic as a warning that they’re about to terminate my existence. As soon as my walls collapse for them, they will strike like a venomous snake.

No, that can’t be it. The way they worshiped my body, addicted to my taste and touch, they don’t want to kill me. They may love the hunt when I run from them, but they won’t hurt me. I have to tell myself that because I let them have me. I let them worship my body and I liked it. I’m a stupid girl.

I glance over, noticing their demeanor has changed from the perfect mask just seconds ago and the three of them are on their feet on high alert. Cayson walks over to the window peeking out as if he’s looking for someone or something lurking outside. It’s just a storm brewing, I tell myself. But why are they acting like guard dogs?

Their reactions put me on high alert. The other two pace, mumbling to themselves in a language I don’t understand. Cayson moves from the window and nods his head towards the back room.

“What’s going on?” I ask in a whisper as I come to Cayson’s side.

He yanks me away from the window, shielding me from whatever’s outside. With a quick glance out the window, I don’t see anything but rain starting to downfall and leaves twirling in the wind. I’m so utterly confused why a storm would be of concern.

“I need you to stay away from the windows and doors. Sit at the table and don’t move. It’s not safe for you out there, Brooklyn. We’ll be in the next room as we assess the situation. I don’t have time to explain, but I need you to be obedient and stay put.” Cayson yanks me back over to the table and pushes me down in the chair.

He moves towards the other room but looks back at me, giving me a stern look. He’s daring for me to do something stupid with his narrowed eyes. As he disappears into the next room, the door shuts behind him, leaving me utterly alone. This would be the perfect time to get away if I was smart but they haven’t hurt me so why my stupid legs won’t move, I don’t know.

An unsettling feeling washes over me the longer they stay in that room. The storm seems to have settled down besides the rain that still beats against the roof.

My legs become restless as I sit here as minutes go by. What are they talking about that’s so important that they had to leave me here by myself? Why couldn’t they just talk amongst themselves here?

The more agitated I become, the more I want to get up from this chair and march right in, demanding them to tell me what’s so important that they have to keep it away from me.

Fuck this. I want to go home and snuggle in my bed. My body is sore from getting fucked for the first time and from being chased, and falling, eating shit about a half a dozen times. I want to clean off and sleep in my comfy bed, under my comfy blankets.

Deciding that I’ve had enough, I get up from my seat and walk towards the door they locked themselves behind. The wooden floor creaks under my bare feet as I inch closer. Before I can bring my hand to the knob, I hear arguing on the other side. Pressing my face against the door, I try to listen in before I barge right in giving them a piece of my mind.

“She’s a liability. Every minute she stays here, the more trouble comes knocking at the door. She’s addicting and I want nothing more than to keep her for ourselves, but at what cost?” Kallen protests.

“What do you suppose we do then, brother? Put her out of her misery? She finally came around to us. She gave her body to us to ravish. She’s ours. Are you willing to give her up before the sun rises? For what? To keep peace with the underworld? We’re fucked anyways. We might as well enjoy her and stay in this cottage. No one can touch her when the sun comes up.” Bryden’s voice rises as he attempts to defend me.

Am I so stupid to think that they might actually give a fuck about me? All they're worried about is getting their dick wet, but now I’m a problem for their world? Stupid. I‘m so fucking stupid.

“We need to get rid of her. It will be best for all of us,” Kallen whispers.

I’ve had enough. I can’t stand here listening to them debate on what to do with me or decide my fate. I control what the hell happens to me and I won’t be so naive to believe that our souls were meant to be together. That, maybe, they were here to protect me like they said. It was all false. They wanted to use me and discard me like trash.

I’m not going to stand here and wait for that to happen. They lured me here for their pleasure on the night that I was supposed to be taken. I should have known that they were lying, simply for the fact that they chased me down like I was prey. I was their prey, but I won’t be any longer.

I slowly step away from the door, making my steps light so they can’t hear me. As I’m halfway down the hall, I step on the wrong spot and the floor under me squeaks. I pause for a moment to listen, to see if they heard me, but nothing comes from the other room except for their continued arguing.

At the front door, my hand wraps around the cold knob and I slowly turn it, trying to avoid any noise. Slowly, I open it enough for me to slip out and shut it quietly behind me. As I turn around, I look down and notice the claw marks on the banister and the steps. How did I not notice the markings before? It gives me flashbacks from my nightmare the other night.

I shake my head, trying to push away the thought. Looking back towards the front door, I contemplate if I’m doing the right thing but their words stab me in the heart. Not waiting another moment, I descend down the stairs and make a run for the forest.

Branches slap me in the face as I push forward and sharp rocks prick my heels. Hiding behind a tree trunk, I get one more view of the cottage and suddenly, I hear crashing from all the way over here.

“WHERE IS SHE? BROOKLYN!” I hear Cayson roar as the front door crashes open.

I don’t wait another moment and make a break for it deeper into the forest. I’m not dumb; they’re faster than I am but if I can get as close to the edge as possible, maybe I can get over the mist barrier and escape the threshold of the forest. They can’t leave this place, I think.

Deeper and deeper, I stumble into the darkened forest. The feeling of eyes watching my every move pricks at the side of my face. A faint whisper twirls in the air. “Run faster.” I don’t hesitate to listen to the warning. Paws pound the earth behind me and the bushes rustle beside me. Mist begins to form under me and I force my feet to run faster.

I come across the open field that has the graves in the center and I push myself to enter to get to the other side. My limbs are screaming at me to stop for a moment. My chest heaves as I try to suck in as much air as possible. I can’t stop, not even a moment or they’ll get to me, but I just need a moment to fucking breathe.

Howling fills the air as if the wolves are alerting someone of my presence and that they have found me. As I get to the edge of the forest, a deep growl vibrates at my back before sharp claws catch me on the ankle, causing me to fall forward.

A sharp rock nicks the side of my temple, deepening the already existing wound, causing blood to bubble and leak down my face. My head becomes dizzy and my eyesight begins to blur. Panic rises and I try to blink to clear my vision but my head throbs causing the area around me to spin.