Page 13 of Tormenting Me

“Then you fuck him,” I offer. Atlas knows I am a virgin. This has been a hot topic since high school.

“La La, he is hot. Why not? Who are you waiting for?”

That’s the problem. I don’t know who I’m waiting for. Someone who gets me and my quirkiness? Someone who won’t think I am fucked up for the things I like. My childhood was fucked up and I’ve just never wanted to drag someone down with my depressive spirals.

“I don’t know, Atlas, I just want something real. Someone who can see past all my brokenness and love me even though I’m fucked up.” Atlas hops off the stool and hip-checks me, his long chain smacking my knee as he throws an arm around me in a half-assed hug.

“You are the strangest chick! So moody and broody. So find you a moody and broody guy, match that energy babe! Let’s check the dating apps.” He takes out his phone.

“No thank you, that’s how girls end up dead. And why do you even have those apps? You have Sky.” Atlas rolls his eyes and puts his phone down.

“Maybe we wanna add a third?” He wiggles his eyebrows. “Fine, but let’s go out this weekend and maybe we can find someone for you to hook up with.”

I nod, knowing saying yes will be the only way to get him off my back this shift. Plus, it’s been a long time since I went out and enjoyed myself.

“Let’s go to a show. There are some good ones in Oakland this weekend. Sky sent me a list of a bunch that are going on.”

The great part about working in a place you love is that time flies by. We dance around the shop blasting music and read whenever we feel like it. We get plenty of business too, and that makes Kris happy. I took the closing shift tonight so Atlas left a few hours ago, making me promise I would text him tomorrow to figure out our plans. I close up the shop and as I’m locking up; I realize I forgot to schedule a ride.

Get your shit together Layne!

I lean up against the window of the shop as I attempt to order a ride but nothing is showing up on the app. Shit. This is what I get for being a procrastinator. I GPS the distance if I was to walk and it’s a trek, but I can do it. Maybe I can catch a bus if I pass one. I pop my earbuds in and start walking.

Is this the safest thing I could do? Probably not.

My walk is going unbothered despite my audiobook playing in my ears, and my legs are killing me. Need to exercise, Layne. I recheck the map and see I am still twenty minutes away from my apartment.

Up ahead is a park with lots of big, beautiful trees. I think about it for a second and decide to cut through it. Walking in the chill night air feels fantastic. The dirt trail with trees cuts right across the map to where I need to head.

Halfway through the trail, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I shiver, thinking it is just the cold, but the rustling of leaves on the ground puts me on alert. I spin around to take in the surroundings and as I do, stepping onto the trail from between some trees is a dark figure. It inches closer and I let out an ear-piercing scream. Covered head to toe in all black, a tall person in a zombie mask is staring back at me.

My brain is telling me to run, but my feet refuse to move. The figure moves closer and finally, my fight-or-flight kicks in, and I take off toward the trail’s end. I’m running as fast as I can, but it isn’t enough. Whoever’s chasing me is fast.

This is not how I die.

A deep, sinister chuckle echoes through the trees. “Ma Petite Mort, I told you I was coming for you.”

I trip at the sound of the shadow’s words. The paper this morning! Holy shit, this fucker has been inside my apartment.

I can see the street up ahead through the clearing of trees, and I try to get up. I get on my feet and just as I am about to take off, hands wrap around my waist, pulling me into the hard body behind me. I continue to scream as loud as I can “Help, someone! Please!” He spins me around to where I’m now face-to-face with them.

“You shouldn’t be out walking at night, alone, Ma Petite Mort. What if someone other than I would have found you? Then I would have had to make such a mess of them.“ His voice was a whisper against my skin. My skin prickles as his breath dances across the exposed skin of my neck.

My screams bounce off the surrounding trees. “Please, just let me go…” my voice quakes with fear.

“You’re so beautiful when you’re afraid. I can’t wait to see what you look like when my cock is deep inside you.”

Oh, fuck this!

I reach down to my thigh and grasp the handle of one of my knives, this zombie-faced fucker doesn’t know what he is getting himself into. I spin the blade up and get ready to drive it between his ribs.

Just as my momentum catches, he grabs me by the wrist. “Feeling stabby are we? If you wanted to play with pointy things you should have said so.”

I reach up with my other hand and hit him in the face, his mask doesn’t budge. He laughs, pushing me to the ground, falling on top of me. Using his body weight to keep me still, he reaches for my harness and yanks the other blade out.

“Now, can we play nice? Or do I need to tie you up?”

Chapter eleven

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