Page 100 of Lust

As Seth backs up, his phone light catches the cloaked creature, which no longer wears its hood, exposing wide black eyes in a narrow face and sharp fangs. It crouches, then steadily rises, towering over us before displaying its lengthy fingers with sharp claws at the ends.

I tighten my grip on the bat, and the Slasher hisses before coming at me.

“Stop!” Seth pushes, but it keeps coming.

I strike, and it moves out of my path. As I give it another go, it snatches the end of the bat and tosses me once again, throwing me as effortlessly as it did the first time. I release the bat as I hit a tree and tumble to the ground.

As I push back to my feet, the Slasher starts for me, when I hear Seth shout, “Hey, asshole!” He rushes the monster from behind, his phone in the clip at his waist so the light’s still illuminating the clearing. When he’s a couple of yards from themonster, he raises his arm, and a stream of pepper spray nearly hits the Slasher’s face, but it turns so it catches the back of its head. It cries out, but it’s not the sound we heard before, when it sounded injured. This sounds annoyed. It swipes at Seth, catching his wrist, and Seth curses as the spray goes flying out of his hand. He jumps out of the creature’s reach, inspecting the blood on his wrist briefly before readying his bat as the monster redirects its attention to him.

“Stop!” he cries out of desperation, but like his other attempts, the monster keeps moving toward him, assuring us Seth’s power has no effect on it.

Seth strikes, slamming his bat against the thing’s neck, but it doesn’t faze it. Just stands strong before unleashing a deep roar. Seth tosses the bat aside, retrieving the stun gun from his pocket. Realizing the bats are useless against this thing, I discard mine as well, arming myself with the stun gun and heading to join my fellow Sinner. I don’t know that I’ll get to it before it can get its hands on Seth, when something comes flying from the woods—a rock?—and hits the creature’s head. If only because of the surprise of being hit, it doesn’t attack Seth, turning instead to see where that came from, and I notice a figure moving quickly through the clearing.

The light catches a face, and I realize it’s Luke.

Luke!

The Slasher spins around and goes for him.

My boyfriend is unarmed, his arms spread to either side as he runs at the thing full force.

What the hell is he thinking?

“Luke, no!”

The Slasher roars again before lunging into the air. Luke mirrors the move, on a collision course toward this thing that could easily tear him the fuck apart.

I call out in vain, and the next moment there’s a blinding flash of light, so bright I have to momentarily avert my gaze. It’s followed by apop, then a wave of heat and a piercing screech. A fireball surrounds Luke and the monster, and at its center, Luke’s clinging to the creature, the fire searing through its cloak, revealing its lengthy arms and legs.

Fire…

No.

I start toward them. “Luke, stop!”

Luke turns to me, then looks away. “Seth, stop him!”

Like hell he will!

“Brad, stop!” Seth spits out, and I freeze in place against my will.

Fuck!

I struggle against the directive, trying to continue to Luke.

“Luke, what are you doing?” I call out. “You can’t do this!”

Luke’s face strains as he cries out. As the creature unleashes its own agonized cry, its flesh burns like paper. Luke’s own flesh starts to turn gray, then black.

I struggle to rush toward him. “Seth!” I shout. “Let me go!”

“You can’t help him now,” Seth says.

Fuck him.

I drop the stun gun, lock my fists, and punch through the air, willing my limbs to obey my command when Seth shouts, “I said stop, Brad!” My muscles stiffen like I’ve been turned to fucking stone.

Dammit! “Fuck you, Seth!” I scream, battling his push as Luke and the Slasher are consumed by flames, their screams becoming one.

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