Page 67 of Emperor of Havoc

“I’m giving you a ten second head start. Now…”

The demonic mask grins at me, taunting me, setting the tone of the vicious game we’re about to play. His broad frame is illuminated by the faint sliver of moonlight slipping through the gaps in the boarded-up windows.

“Run.”

The single word is distorted and guttural through theonimask, the sound making my skin prickle to goosebumps as it teases over me.

I don’t need to be told twice.

Instantly I whirl, my feet pounding against the warped wood as I sprint down the hallway, my breath gasping and uneven. The old house groans around me, each sound sinister and clawing.

Somewhere in the gloom behind me, I hear the low, dark sound of his cold laughter echoing after me, nipping at my heels.

I push forward, adrenaline surging through my veins. There’s pure fear, of course—like I’ve plunged through ice into an unmerciful frozen river that’ll sweep me away to my doom—but at the same time, the heady thrill of this is undeniable, a mix of fear and exhilaration that sends shivers down my spine.

“Ready or not, princess…” His voice rumbles from the blackness. “Here I fucking come…”

Behind me, I hear his footsteps, steady and unhurried. He’s not running. He doesn’t need to.

Obviously, Takeshi knows the mansion in a way I don't. He’s using that both to toy with me and possibly box me in to some dead end. I jog right, bolting through a dusty, half-looted kitchen with debris scattered all over the floor. Then I swerve left, pelting headlong through a dining room, my feet crunching on what feels like dozens of shattered dishes.

I dart into a side room, slamming the door shut behind me and pressing my back against it. My chest heaves as I struggle to calm my breathing, straining to hear any sign of him. The silence is deafening, pressing into my ears and making me question my senses.

And then: the creak of a floorboard, close.

My heart leaps into my throat as a door handle rattles, and I freeze, bracing for the inevitable. But the door doesn’t open. There’s just a low, sinister chuckle, muffled by the mask.

“You can’t hide, princess,” he growls, his voice a dark melody that sends chills down my spine. “I cansmellyour fear.”

I bite back a gasp, edging away from the door. There’s no lock. My only option is to run.

I bolt toward the opposite door, my legs shaking as I cross into another hallway. The house is a huge maze, each corridor almost identical to the last, and I have no idea where I’m heading. My only goal is to keep moving and stay ahead of him as long as I can.

I can hear his footsteps heavier and faster now. He’s gaining on me. My body screams in protest as I force myself on, my breath coming in desperate gasps. The walls start to close in around me, darkness wrapping me in its suffocating embrace.

I bolt through a doorway into an enormous library, dusty and hung with cobwebs, its shelves of old leather-bound books looming over me as I almost trip over a pile of them. I catch myself and I whirl, my eyes searching the gloom for another doorway.

Then a hand wraps tight around my throat from behind.

Raw fearexplodesinside me, hitting with such force that it feels like I’m plunging through ice again. My legs stop working as he grabs me by the throat and hip, spinning me around and slamming me against a bookshelf. Dust shakes loose, blurring my vision as theonimask leers grotesquely down at me, mocking me as he pushes me against the shelves, his grip unyielding.

“Look what I found…” he rasps monstrously.

Suddenly, he grabs the neck of my t-shirt and rips downward. My eyes bulge as he tears the shirt wide open, down to my stomach. His hand pushes inside, yanking my bra down and mercilessly pawing at my breasts.

I choke back a whimpered moan as his rough fingers pinch a swollen nipple, twisting and pulling until pleasure and pain blur to a red mist.

His hand drops lower, pushing roughly between my thighs to cup my pussy through my yoga pants. I shudder as he grinds his palm against me, rubbing me hard through the tights.

“What apliantlittle slut I’ve caught,” the demon snarls.

Reality rips through me as I shove at him, bringing my knee up, but he rams it to the side, making me wince as he pins me harder against the dusty books at my back. He rubs between my legs harder, grinding my slick panties against my swollen clit.

My knee jams up again. This time, even as he dodges it, he wrenches me around. My breath hitches as I go tumbling to the floorboards, catching myself with my palms, pure adrenaline and chaos exploding throughout my system like napalm.

Then his weight slams down on me, pinning me where I fell. I twist and writhe beneath him, my nails clawing at the hardwood floor, trying to escape. But he’s too strong.

Too monstrous.

---