Page 107 of Depraved Desires

“What the fuck do you want?” I shouted, hoping someone would hear me and come to our rescue.

“You,” the stranger growled.

Rocky managed to punch him in the face, causing the creep to stumble backwards, but he managed to keep his hold on the guy seated beside me.

Fear was paralyzing as it coiled around me like a vice, immobilizing my thought process. I was so sick and tired of being scared all the damn time. It was time to truly fight back for once. It was this piece of shit or us, and dying wasn’t on my to-do list today.

The cloaked figure smashed Rocky’s head against the side of the window, knocking him unconscious. Blood trickled down the side of his face as he slumped forward against the steering wheel. My hand tightened around the blade in my palm. As much as I wanted to get out and run, to dosomething, my body wouldn’t move. It was like I was frozen in place.

The male reached for the doorhandle on the inside of the car after unlocking it. He pulled Rocky outside and dropped him on the asphalt with a thud. My breathing picked up as he leaned inside the vehicle, his face still covered by shadows.

“We can do this the hard way, or the easy way.” His voice was taunting, malicious, calculated. He knew exactly what he was doing. What was even more strange was how familiar his voice sounded, but it was like a fog had swept over me, clouding all of my senses.

“Fuck you,” I snapped.

Forcing the fear to the back of my mind, I tried to build up an ounce of courage. My heart raced furiously, knocking against my ribcage with a brutal force. Once I managed to somewhat compose myself, I reached for the doorhandle. My handstrembled as I made my way outside, the cool air kissing along my skin.

Running with a knife in my hand probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but it was the only thing I could think of. My feet pushed against the hard ground, urging me forward as I took off in a sprint, running through the parking lot. The wind blew my hair behind my shoulders as my combat boots thudded against the cement. There was only one thing on my mind:Stay alive. I hadn’t come all this way to be killed all over again. Fuck that.

The sound of his footfalls was like a shock to the system. He was gaining on me, and he was fast.

My ribs burned as I cut between two buildings, making a beeline for the woods. Once again, not my smartest idea. However, it would be easier to hide out there with no light and nothing but trees.

The urge to turn around to see how close he was nibbled at my mind, but I knew that could be a fatal mistake. One I wasn’t willing to make. So instead, I prayed to a god I didn’t believe in and kept moving.

Once I neared the entrance, I slipped between the trees with expert precision, having done this a few times now. I could no longer hear his steps or the snapping of twigs, and for some reason, that put me even more on edge. I ducked around a tree, leaning my back against the rough bark and released a shaky exhale.

How did I keep finding myself in these situations? This was so fucked.

Everyone and their mom wanted to hurt me lately. Why couldn’t I just live in peace? My hand tightened around the blade, the metal pressing against my hip as I stood as still as possible, hoping with all my heart that he’d managed to lose me.

Nothing but silence reached my ears, along with my panicked breathing of course. My chest rose and fell in rapid successionwhile I awaited the doom that may or may not come. My phone was in Rocky’s car, zipped up securely within my bag. I cursed myself, hating that I didn’t send an SOS to someone.

SNAP.

My shoulders tensed and I held my breath instinctively.

Avery, I love you. Raven, I’m sorry. Mom and Dad, I hope you rot in hell.

The last time I’d felt fear this potently was on the night of the Halloween party. It hadn’t done me any favors then, so why would I expect it to now? Maybe I should just go out there and meet my fate head-on. If I died, fuck it. This wasn’t much of a life anyways.

SNAP.

He was closer now. Way too fucking close.

Grinding my teeth together, my fear mixed with a surge of anger. The two emotions pulsed through my veins, warming my blood and triggering my adrenaline.

I chanced a glance around the tree I was hiding behind.Bigmistake. He was standing there, his body turned toward my direction, like he knew exactly where I was. He was toying with me, and he was getting off on it.

Sick bastard.

“What the hell do you want?” I demanded. My body was tired from my night at the club and then from having to run so damn much.

He tilted his head to the side. “I already told you, silly fucking girl.”

Clenching my eyes closed for a moment, a tremble spiraled through my body. I blew out a breath and removed my body from the tree, stepping out into the open. The knife was concealed against my side, the darkness hiding it from view.

“What do you want with me?”

---