Page 82 of Twist Me

I grabbed the knife from the ground, standing away from the fucking nut job.

“Come at me, mother fucker,” I yelled at him.

He charged me like a bull. I was tall and had tons of muscle, but apparently, brawn had nothing on insanity. The Reaper smashed into my body, and the knife jabbed into his leg. He didn’t even flinch, and I tried to wrench the damn thing free, but it was stuck in his body. With all my effort focused on freeing the weapon, he used his strength to smash me in the face, knocking me backward and jumping onto my chest.

Scratching away the fabric of my shirt with his dirty fingernails, he ripped into my flesh with his teeth.

“Fuck you!” I roared, throwing the creep off me. He ran back at me on all fours like something from a horror film.

The whimpering voice was closer, our fight bringing me just shy of the gravesite. My name stilled my body like a statue. The slightly accented tone was clear and pained.

“Ezello!” I turned to run for the graves, the sound faint.

There was dirt all over the freak, and my heart sank at the realization that the little doll…was Ezello.

The monster threw me to the ground, jumping on my back like a trampoline as my spine bent painfully. No longer interested in him, I tried to grip the earth and pull myself to the grave. I was on top of her. She was right beneath me.

Joe didn’t stop tearing into my back. The sound of my own flesh being flayed from my body was a sickening sound, but I justkept digging. Those whispered pleas got louder as I clawed the earth as fast as I was able.

The soil was becoming soaked with my own blood, and I wondered if I’d be able to free her before my useless body would succumb to the blood loss.

“Ezello!” I pleaded, my pain audible as the squelching sounds of him chewing on my back continued.

“I’m here, baby, just hold on!”

The fucking dirt kept concaving, and every time I made progress, a new mound would tumble into the hole. My vision was getting spotty, and I didn’t know how much longer he’d be content with chomping on my fucking back like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

“Please, Little Lamb,” I cried, my blood at least congealing the soil to become more solid and finally seeing some progress.

I couldn’t hear her anymore.

“Please,” I said again, smashing my hands as far into the ground as I could. “Don’t leave me, my feisty beauty.”

I felt a small hand, cold and still. My adrenaline was doused like a flame. I grabbed firmly onto the hand and pulled with everything I had in me. The Reaper was thrown off my shredded back as Ezello emerged from the damp ground.

She wasn’t breathing.

“No,” I roared, wiping her face free of the debris, and began performing CPR with tears flowing from my eyes.

“Hahaha!” I heard from behind me. “Pretty doll drops! Tick-tock!”

Ignoring him and pressing my hands firmly onto her chest, I tried over and over to get her breath. As her beautiful brown eyes shot open, hearing her inhale of breath was a godsend to my ears.

I tried to focus on her, but a shadow blocked my light, and I could see a silhouette of a knife. I knew I was going to die, but at least I saved my girl.

“Run, Little Lamb. Run and don’t look back.”

Shoving her to her feet, I kissed her. Her eyes filled with tears as she vehemently shook her head.

“No. You have told me to run from the moment I met you. I’m done running, Goliath!”

Her spunk was going to get her killed. The Reaper was hiding in the shadows, just waiting to strike us down. Why he hadn’t yet was probably just for his own sick amusement. She tried pulling me up and finally saw my ruined back. Her gasp of shock as she jolted backward let me know how truly fucked I was.

“Please just run,” I said again, weaker this time. I could feel the darkness trying to swallow my ass. Reveling in the fact, it finally got me.

“Help!” Ezello screamed instead, her eyes fearful as she eyed the trees and the shadow looming in wait within them. “Please! Anyone!”

I felt her hold me, her warmth a nice feeling as my lids were forced to shut. The last thing I saw was her beautiful eyes.

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