Rule 19 - Koi

She saw me. Now what? Was our little doll going to run?As I thought it, I decided that I didn't like the nickname Swayze had for her. I wanted something special, but that was for later.

Slowly, I turned my head sideways, keeping my eyes on the beautiful girl who"d been silently weeping and staring off into the darkness for an hour. It was clear on her face she knew I was there. Fear morphed into... resolve, and my cock grew hard with excitement. Oh, I liked a girl with fire in her veins.

Domino rose, keeping her hands on the tree trunk behind her. Was she going to run? Or was she going to wait and see what I did first?

Branches snapping loudly made both of us whip our heads around.

"She went this way," a woman"s voice said.

"Shut up! She"ll hear us," another said.

Who was here with us? And why?

I turned back to Domino, but she was already gone.

Fuck.

I dove into my pocket for my switchblade. Damn it. I knew I should have grabbed something with more power. Swayze and I had agreed last night. We"d do whatever it took to keep her alive. Whether that meant someone else dying in the process, so fucking be it. One life to help dozens of others. Domino"s list ran through my mind. All those people, complete strangers that she deemed worth helping, were going to get what they needed. Fuck Marisol and all the other park staff willing to do her bidding.

The sound of giggling and running kept me moving this way or that. I couldn"t figure out where they were. Or who they were. I didn"t recognize their voices. Had Marisol recruited more people today?

"What are you doing, Annie?"

"Julia, I"m going to be sick."

I turned and found the girls. Annie, presumably, was on her knees vomiting, while Julia held her hair up.

"What the fuck was that?" Julia"s voice came out panicked. "Annie, this was a mistake. We need to go."

"No! I need to find her. If anyone finds out I brought her to camp, I"ll be kicked out."

What was she talking about?

"No one"s going to know. We"ll leave the cabin door open tonight, and Cotton will find her way back in. Your kitty is smart. She knows her way back."

"You don"t know that!" Annie stumbled to her feet and vomited again.

"Come on, I don"t know what that is, but we need to get away from it." Julia tugged her crying friend along. I slid into the shadows and let them go. They passed by, not seeing me. I recognized them. They were just some concession girls. Once they were out of sight, I breathed in relief that they hadn"t come here to hurt Domino. But now that they were gone, where was she?

I started straight, then pivoted when I remembered the girls from before. Something had made them sick. What were they freaking out about? I went back, and the smell of death and vomit hit my nose. I choked back my bile as I stepped cautiously toward the large mass. I tripped on something half-buried, and I caught myself.

Despite not wanting to be seen, my curiosity got the best of me, and I pulled my phone from my pocket and flashed the flashlight. I leaped back as I recognized the mass as a body. A mangled, half-rotted, partially exposed body. It was that of an adult man, based on the clothes and large frame. I couldn"t see all of it, as it was still buried. Only his foot up to his knee, an arm, and his head was exposed.

Steeling my stomach, I stepped closer to the face. No one had gone missing from camp, so who could this be?

The body was bloated and in the process of being eaten by various insects, but I recognized the man. I bit back a scream.

Elliot Spencer.

He"d dated Marisol last summer. He didn"t return this year. It took everything in me to not get sick like Annie had. How did this dude end up here, half-buried? Using my foot, I kicked at the dirt under his chin to start digging him out. I didn"t want to touch him, but I needed to know how he died. It only took moving a few inches of dirt to find his slit throat. He"d been murdered and tossed here. Whoever had done it was shit at burying a body.

Twigs snapping off in the distance pulled me from my dark thoughts. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and abandoned the body. This was someone else"s problem, not mine. Right now, my focus was on getting Domino out of these woods and back to her cabin, safe and sound.

Swayze had texted me when she took off. He didn"t tell me why she ran off, just that she was upset and needed someone to keep her safe. Unsure of what to do, I"d grabbed the Jason mask off the table and slid it on when I stepped into the woods. At the time, I thought she was more likely to run from me than the man in the mask. Now, it felt ridiculous. I tugged it off and put it into my hoodie pocket. I waited for another sound to indicate where to go. Once I had an idea, I moved.

Domino wasn"t sprinting. I caught up with her pretty easily. She didn"t know these woods well. She was trying to get out but only moved deeper into it. Hopefully, there weren"t any more half-buried bodies.

Slowly, I stalked her, pausing when she did, stepping behind trees when she looked around. I was enjoying her panicked state. I imagined her racing pulse, the sweat on her brow, the exhaustion in her thighs. I was going to follow her until she gave up. I had way more stamina than she did.

Finally, she collapsed against a tree. She closed her eyes and started to breathe in and out deeply.

She was so pretty, scared and alone. Swayze called her his little doll because of how fragile her heart seemed to be. For me, she was making me see this place for what it truly was, a monstrosity. I hadn't realized how much I needed someone like her to show me the life I could have out of this place. Even though I'd yet to even kiss her.

She was a blessing in disguise.

Her dad was right.

Blessing, was a better name for her.

I stepped into view.

"Domino?"

She bolted up, then slumped again, too tired to fight off her stalker.

"What are you doing in these woods? You"re pretty deep."

"I-I don"t know. I just needed to get away from—" She waved her arms erratically. "Everything. It"s been a long day. How did you know I was here?"

She hadn"t even mentioned the man in the mask. Had I frightened her at all?

"Swayze asked me to come find you." I stepped over to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. Thank you. I"ll be okay. I just… I"m dealing with a lot of things. I needed to be alone." Her torturous state made me uneasy.

"Did someone hurt you? Swayze?" I found myself only a foot away from her. I stepped closer, bridging the gap. She stumbled back, only enough to hit a tree. I put my arm up, caging her in. "If Swayze hurt you, then you need to tell me."

"He didn"t hurt me!" she exclaimed. "He just… He kissed me."

Kissed?

"Did you not want him to?"

"No, I mean, yes. I mean, I don"t know. I"ve never?—"

"Never kissed anyone?" I laughed. "You just get straight to the good stuff? I respect that."

She shook her head, and I touched her shoulder.

"No, you don"t get it. I"ve never done anything."

I blinked. Anything as in anything?

"Don"t tell anyone. Please, I need time to figure out my feelings."

"What does that even mean? Tell me, Blessing." I bowed my head and whispered, "Are you struggling with your feelings because you liked Swayze"s lips on yours, or because you want mine instead?"

She looked up in surprise, and I brought my lips down onto hers. Was it my nickname or the other part that had her eyes so wide? I kissed her firmly and waited for her reaction. Would she slap me? Would she cry or run away? I counted each second, preparing for her to do something that would gut me. I parted my lips, and then suddenly, so did she. She kissed me back, tongue and all.

"I don"t know what I want," she gasped in between kisses.

"That"s okay," I said, trailing my hand over her shirt. "You don"t have to decide anything right now. Let"s just have a little fun first."

"Are you going to tell Swayze?" she asked.

I grinned.

"Only if you want me to. Otherwise, this can be our dirty little secret."