Page 158 of Cruel Legacy

My gaze flicks back to the center. The guy finishes and another takes his place. I’m looking at the girl on the altar. She hasn’t spoken. Is she even conscious? Her head turns answering that question. Her back arches meeting the new guy's thrusts. He’s finished faster than the last guy, and then a third enters her. What the fuck is going on here? And yeah, I’m hating a little cause whatever it is, she’s living my dream of having a multi-dick life.

I look down at my phone as it buzzes in my hand and immediately dismiss the text from Moira. I don’t have shit to say to her. My eyes snag on the date before I can re-lock my screen. I swipe open my calendar. It’s Mayhem Night? I look back over at the scene in front of me. What I’m seeing makes even less sense. I thought this was a major prank night. I guess those are the lies being told, so nobody finds out thatthisis what all the frats and sororities are doing. Having one big outdoor orgy. Thank god LJ and I dropped out of pledge season.

I’ve seen enough. I slink back into the safety of the trees and hurry back towards the main part of the cemetery. Someone steps in front of me just as I reach the turnoff towards the woods that I’m pretty sure leads to campus.

He’s dressed just like the guys in the orgy circle. I can’t tell who he is, but from the set of his shoulders, his feet and the tension radiating off of him, Icantell I’m in trouble for breaking the rules. Don’t come outside during Mayhem Night. I saw the posters, trashed the posters, and deleted the messages from the school administration and campus police. Someone moans, drawing his attention to the action behind me. I take advantage of the distraction and run.

Turns out that’s the worst thing for me to do. He yells, alerting everyone to my presence, and an answering cheer follows. The next sounds I hear are the heavy footsteps of him behind me.

I’m running through the trees as fast as I can, but with those long ass legs, he has no problem catching up to me. He laughs, a dark and menacing sound that causes my flesh to break out in goose bumps. I throw on another burst of speed, pushing myself to run faster than I ever have.

The path ahead of me splits. I dart left at the last second, but he doesn’t fall for it. He catches me, grabbing me from behind, effortlessly lifting me off my feet. I twist and squirm. His hold on me tightens as I struggle to break free.

He’s panting against my ear. I’m glad he had to work to catch me. His menacing growl says, “Here’s what’s gonna happen. We’re gonna play a little game. You like games, don’t you?”

He sets me on my feet but maintains his hold on my hip, to keep me in place. “Fighting won’t change your fate. I need you to understand from the beginning that you will be punished for being out here. A punishment that includes pain, and whatever else the people lurking in these woods decide to do to you. But I’m willing to give you a chance to save yourself. When I let you go, you run. Run as fast as you can, back to the safety of your dorm. If you make it, I’ll forget all about you being out here snooping, but if I catch you…”

I wait for him to finish. My back stiffens when he drags his tongue across my face. “If I catch you, I’ll claim my reward, and I won’t stop until I’ve hollowed you out. Eviscerating your soul until there’s nothing left but a desolate feeling of emptiness and despair. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

I don’t answer. I’m not afraid of him or his macho posturing. Seriously, what can he really do to me? He yanks my hair, tugging my head to the side. “If I win, I’m going to fuck you hard. In every single hole. You’ll scream and bleed and I’ll bathe in your tears, your fears, and your pain.”

I gasp at the image of brutality that conveys. “Does that disgust you, Rey? To hear that I’m going to split you wide open? Guess what? I don’t give a shit how you feel about it. I’m gonna hold you down and make your lying lips scream for me to stop. But I won’t. I’ll keep going until you feel so violated you’ll never look at me the same again.”

Look at him the same? With this creepy ass mask on, I don’t even know who it is. As if reading my thoughts he says, “Don’t worry little liar. When I’m inside you, I’ll tell you exactly who I am.”

He’s delusional. Or drunk or high. Maybe a bit of all three. “Whatever you think you’re about to do, it’s never gonna happen. Some girls might fall for this Halloween vibe you’ve got going on, and fall down with their legs open, but I won’t. Your putrid dick isn’t getting anywhere near me.” His hand clenches in a fist. “Awe, does that give you the sads, knowing I’ll gut you if you try anything?”

He drags his nose through my hair. “It makes me feel so good, Rey. Tonight, I want you to fight. To draw blood. To make it hard. Because when I finally overpower you and take what I want, it’ll be that more satisfying.”

What the hell is he on?

“Since you’re new to this game, I’ll give you a two-minute head start. If you have any sense of self preservation,” He grabs my face and squeezes. “You’ll run.”

He releases me with a shove and steps back, folding his arms across his chest, then starts counting, “One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi.”

Chapter68

Thea

I’m a fighter. I have no problem defending myself, but with the number of people out here, and the threat from this guy bouncing around in my head, I decide the best defense I have is to run.

So, I do. I know more than two minutes have passed, but I don’t slow down to look behind me. He’s coming. I can hear him. My breath comes in heavy pants, my chest is on fire. Coach might need to add a lot more running to my cardio plan. The pace I run for the ten minutes he makes me do on the treadmill isn’t shit compared to this full out sprint.

The footsteps behind me quiet down as I break through the trees onto the asphalt parking lot behind the football field. This lot is on the visitor’s side of the stadium. To get to the other side, I have to pass through the tunnel that runs underneath the scoreboard. I’m safer than I was under the cover of trees, but I don’t stop moving. I still need to make it back to the dorm before anyone else sees me.

I reach the bottom of the tunnel. The pit, the lowest part where the two sides meet, creates a bowl below the line of sight. You don’t know anybody’s in the middle of the tunnel until you’re right in front of them.

I smell the spray paint before I hear the hiss from the can. Then the vandals come into view. There are three of them down here.

One with a ski mask, one with a plastic store bought clown mask, and the third is wearing a ball cap with a scarf tied round the lower part of his face. They all have spray paint cans in their hands.

The guy with the ski mask slips his phone into his pocket and steps away from the wall.

“Well, well, well. Looks like it’s my lucky night.” I ignore him and walk towards the pink unicorn he was drawing on the wall. “What are you even doing out of your dorm? Are you spying for one of the sororities or frats?”

“Neither.” I cock my head to the side. “I gotta say, I’m in awe of your style. I especially love the unicorn fart trail.”

“It’s a fly and a tail.” The guy holding the blue spray paint adds another streak to the tail.

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