Page 67 of Twisted Legacy

I came here to relive that night and the universe delivered. I have no idea why it hates me so damn much. I wanted to remember that night, not experience a 3D re-enactment.

“I don’t know what kind of cultish sacrificial bullshit I stumbled on, but I do know if you don’t let me go, right now, you’re gonna regret it.”

The masked freak just tips his head to the side. Yeah, I know there’s probably no reasoning with him. I’m not even gonna try. I grip a handful of dirt and fling it at him. His hands fly to his face, forcing him to release my ankle, giving me enough time to get back to my feet and run. His long legs have him catching up to me in no time.

“You’re gonna pay for that.”

My adrenaline spikes at the threat in his voice. He’s fast as fuck. He must’ve run parallel to me, because somehow he’s now in front of me and is coming at me head on. I change course, and this time when he catches me, he slams me to the ground, his chilling laugh freezing me in place. “Caught you.”

The cadence of his voice causes my brain to fritz. It’s excited and menacing all at the same time. I turn over onto my back, dragging myself backwards, then pull to a sitting position, bracing myself against the tree. I’m gonna have to fight him off. I’ve been training on my own, telling myself I’m physically ready to fight. I guess I’m about to find out if that’s true or just wishful thinking. He kneels down, unfeeling eyes blinking at me from behind the mask.

“Move.” I hiss, slowly inching my fingers behind me.

“Can’t do that. You see, you were at the cemetery tonight. There wasn’t a ritual going on, but it’s still a sacred space. Since you’ve sullied it with your presence,twice, I think it’s only fair that you offer yourself to be cleansed.”

He nudges a strand of hair behind my ear. “I can’t wait to spread you open for everyone to see.” His head tips to the side, then he looks to his right and I follow his gaze. The appearance of two more cloaked and hooded figures fills me with dread. I’m not gonna let them beat me down again. I won’t stop fighting until one of us is dead.

“The rules regarding Mayhem Night were posted all over campus. You broke those rules, and look what happened to you. Why didn’t you go back to the dorm like I told you to?”

He removes his mask, and my heart stutters to a stop before galloping again. Holden’s in front of me. I suspected it was him, but a part of me hoped it wasn’t. The calm, impassive face I’m used to seeing is contorted into a mask of rage.

“You’re out here alone, again.” His lips twist into a sneer. “Now it’s my turn to break you.”

The cold bite of his voice with psycho undertones is nothing like the guy from class. The other two masked figures step closer. “Ready to play, boys?” He asks, his voice mocking.

I push down my fear. How did I survive my chastity vow and get LJ out of a damn flop house only to have to deal with this shit twice?

The other two remove their masks, revealing Pax and Finn. If this is a do-over. If we’re truly about to finish whatever the hell they started that night, I’m ready. A part of me hoped they were innocent. A part of me hoped I wasn’t so out of touch with reality, so blinded by my personal problems, that I lost the ability to spot a threat living right next door.

“Are you giving up already, Thea? I thought for sure you had a little more fight in you.”

I go over what I know about them again. Finn said some fucked up shit to me and I know he’s partial to knives and violence. Pax has never hidden his feeling about me, and now here’s Holden. His grey eyes swirl with hate.

The miscalculation, ignoring my gut, might have cost me dearly. I flick my gaze over to see what the other two Coxsuckers are doing. They hold their place. For now. Turning my attention back to Holden, I bite back a sigh. I hate to mess up his pretty face, but there’s no way in hell I’m staying here for an encore version of whatever sick, twisted game they’ve been playing with me. I just need to stretch my fingertips a little more. I finally grab the branch behind me and swing.

My shoulder’s on fire, as if I’ve re-torn the muscle with the force of the blow, but who cares? It does its job and I take advantage of his pain long enough to get back on my feet.

I finally make it back to the trail, but there’s still quite a way to go to reach the edge of campus. Even if I evade Holden, one of the other two might find me. God knows I don’t want to be wandering around with knife boy still lurking around. I already know he’ll get off on seeing me bleed, too.

Holden laughs again. His voice carries to me. “You can’t get away, Thea.”

I’m freaking out, but underneath it, a buzz of energy thrums through me despite the danger I’m in. Is this the way it was the last time? How did I get away? What did I do to throw him off my trail?

I make the last minute decision to run deeper into the woods, parallel to campus, hoping to get away from them. They’ll assume I headed toward campus and while they’re looking for me on school grounds, I can circle back around behind them.

It’s deathly quiet out here. My ears strain to pick up a sound. There’s nothing. Not even a breeze to direct the smell of their cologne or aftershave my way. I must be safe. I brace my hand against a tree, taking a moment to catch my breath. I should be far enough away from them to be safe. I’ll wait a few more minutes, then head back to campus. A twig snaps. I whip around, the smugness I felt at having gotten away, evaporates.

“Hello, again.” Holden’s arm snatches out, and I freeze the way I do so often now. He grips my throat and pushes me back against the tree. My teeth rattle from the force of my back slamming against the trunk. I smack at the hand he has to my throat, but it’s useless. I look around frantically, waiting for his buddies to appear.

“They’re off the other way. Looking in the wrong place. It’s just you and me, but we should probably go somewhere more private, don’t you think?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer. Not that I could, since I’m struggling to get air into my lungs. He pulls me to his body, dragging me through the woods, heading back the way I came. I don’t want private. Private is bad. I squirm, bucking, and fighting the entire way. We pass a tree and I try to wrap my arms around a branch to break out of his arms. Ignoring the pain in my bad shoulder. His hold on me tightens around my middle, pulling me more securely against his body. I reach back blindly, trying to find his eyes, but he moves his head around, avoiding my hands.

When we finally come to a stop, he drops me on the ground. He’s on me quickly, maneuvering me onto my back before climbing on top of me. His knees press against my arms, pinning me in place. He’s breathing just as hard as I am as he stares down at me.

“Warm-ups over, Thea. It’s time to play.”

I try not to flinch when he reaches out to touch my face.

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