Page 24 of Ruthless God

“Of course. I’ll give you five minutes.”

“And if you don’t find me after five minutes?”

“Then you win, after all.”

I stand, smiling. “Deal.”

He stands, too, still holding the knife. “Time starts now.”

A nervous, or maybe even excited, giggle leaves my lips as I take off toward the pond. My plan is to make him think that’s where I’m going and then dunk under some low-hanging branches.

My heart pounds as I run. Each step reminds me that my time is slowly ticking away and while I feel like I’m going fast, the reality is that I’m not.

I reach the tree and dodge under it. A branch scratches me on the cheek, but I don’t have time to check if I’m bleeding. Loud footsteps pound on the ground somewhere behind me. Surely, my time isn’t up! Right? But the sound gets closer, which means I need to do something, and fast.

I dart to the left, running down a small hill. The trees are denser, making it hard to see, especially in the dark. If I thought Ghosty wouldn’t see it, I’d turn on the flashlight on my phone.Instead, I jump behind an enormous tree, holding my breath as best as I can so I don’t make a sound.

Footsteps crunch branches on the ground in the distance, which makes me all but freeze. It no longer sounds like he’s running. Instead, I think I can hear him whistling. It’s terrifying, in a way. Like, he wanted me to run like my life depended on it and he’s out here just strolling? Who does that?

The footsteps get closer. Close enough that I hear him chuckle darkly.

“Mama, you’re going to have to do better than hide behind a tree to win this game. I’m going to turn my back and count to twenty. You better run. Understand me?”

There’s no way he knows where I’m at! He’s bluffing.

“If you don’t, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to show you just how real this knife is.”

My breath hitches in my throat. What in the fuck?

“Did I forget to mention that?” He chuckles again. “Since I already know where you’re at, come out so I can show you. I promise I’ll still give you a head start when we start playing again.”

I debate what to do.

“Cecely…”

Sighing, I step out from the tree. Holy shit. He’s a lot closer than I thought.

He’s holding the knife in his left hand. In his right hand is a rock. He drags the blade, scraping it slowly over the rock.

“A fake knife wouldn’t make a sound like that,” he says. “But just to send my point home…”

He runs the knife under the sleeve of his shirt, cutting easily through the fabric.

“See? It’s real. And your time starts now.”

“This is madness.”

“You agreed to play my game, Cecely. Don’t disappoint me now.”

What the hell. I mean, even if it’s a real knife, that doesn’t mean he’s actually going to use it on me. It’s all part of the game. I giggle. Thatmightbe the vodka talking…

I take off running again, this time with a purpose. He’s not going to win. He’s not going to win! I chant the words with each step that I take. I push myself harder than I’ve ever pushed before. I’m smart. I don’t run in a straight line. I’m careful. I keep my steps as light as I can as I run to hopefully not leave footprints behind. I’m quiet. Well, as quiet as a girl who weighs two-twenty can be. The thought has me snorting as I make my next turn.

Where I run right into the hard body of Ghosty.

Our bodies collide, and I grunt in pain. He grabs on to my arms to stable me, but then doesn’t let go.

“Looks like I won again.”

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