14. Double Fucked

Runningthrough the dark streets of Salem, my chest hurts with each breath I take, and the taste of blood from Red nicking the back of my throat with the tip of his knife is still very strong on the back of my tongue. I shudder thinking about it as I flee for my life, knowing that four crazed, masked men are pursuing me and that I have little chance of escaping them.

I can"t get the scene from my apartment out of my head. The blood is everywhere, the dead bodies strewn about... But where was Melanie? I didn"t see her anywhere.

My thighs ache horribly, and running only makes the pain worse, but I know I cannot stop.

Trying to stay in the light rather than the dark, I stay on the sidewalks, hoping to run into someone who can assist me. For it being Halloween, there"s no one fucking out! I"m double fucked. Luck is, definitely not on my side tonight. Fear threatens to paralyze me and bring me to my knees, but it also drives me to persevere. I can"t let them kill me, and I know that"s what they"re going to do. I know too much. I"ve seen too much. There"s no way in hell they"re going to let me live after this.

When I see the Walmart, hope fills my heart, and I force my legs to carry me faster toward the illuminated store. Thank God! Turning around, there's no one in sight, but I don't dare to stop or slow down in case they emerge from the shadows. They always seem to be one step ahead of me. Not this time.

As I get closer to the store, I allow a smile to break through the frown on my face, but it's fleeting. Before I can reach the doors and escape, a strong arm from behind wraps around my waist and violently pulls me backward, right into the arms of one of the masked men. Blade. I can smell him. His hand clamps over my mouth, preventing me from screaming, and he drags me into the dark alley beside the store, bringing me right up to the other three monsters who are waiting for me.

"I told you we"d catch you," he says, pride filling his voice as he licks the shell of my ear, making me shiver uncontrollably.

I thrash in his embrace—one that used to make me feel so welcoming—now trying to get as far away from him as possible. He shoves me away, and I fall to the ground, my knees scraping against the pavement.

"What are you going to do to me?" I ask, tears streaming down my cheeks as I keep my gaze fixed on the ground, refusing to look at them.

"Whatever the fuck we want," Silver says, pulling me to my feet by my hair.

"Remember, Blade told you that you were now ours, so anything goes, whether you like it or not, Trouble. You"re fucking ours."

"You guys are fucking insane!" I scream, hoping that someone will hear me. But they don"t. Instead, Red sweeps his hand across my face, drawing blood from the corner of my lip, clearly wanting me to stop talking.

"Watch your fucking mouth. You never know who you"re going to insult with your words, brat."

I look up, stunned. No one has ever hit me before. When I look up, I see Nixon, and I realize he tried to warn me about this. He warned me about how insane they were, how obsessed they were... and I didn"t even think twice. Was he trying to save me? I clear the confusion from my head and turn to face the four of them, wondering what next cruel scheme they have in store for me.

"Now, we have to get going, sinner. Do I have to fucking knock your ass out and carry you? Or are you going to be a good little girl and walk with us on your own?"

I scoff under my breath at his ridiculous choices, but I know I have to choose one of them. Shit, I"d rather not be knocked out…

"Don"t touch me... I"ll walk on my own," I bite back, trying to keep as far away from him and the rest of them as possible as we begin walking again—to where I'm not sure. And to think, I just gave this asshole my virginity. I guess I have bad judgment, huh?

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