Page 3 of The Devil's Hunt

He nodded slowly, almost imperceptibly, never taking his eyes off of me.

“She convinced me to come out.” My voice cracked when I said the last part, a dead giveaway of how uncomfortable he made me feel.

“I see. Well, I think I should thank your friend then.” His lips broke into an unsettling smile.

“Yeah, I guess if you can pry their mouths apart, you probably could.” My voice shook as I made a weak attempt at a joke, a normal occurrence when I was nervous, while I took a sip of the drink he gave me. It tasted like honey and fire combined, but there was a faint taste of something else I couldn’t quite put a finger on. It tasted delicious, and I found myself halfway through the cup before I realized it.

“You look really pretty tonight,” he told me, running his fingers up and down my arm.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and instinctively, Iwanted to run away. But instead, all I could do was take another sip of my drink and say, “Thank you."

The way he was looking at me made me wildly uncomfortable. He licked his lips hungrily and stared at me like I was an animal in a trap, and he was about to rip me to shreds.

Something felt wrong.

“I need to make sure that my roommate is okay,” I murmured, practically jumping off the hay bale and looking toward the direction that Lacey and Chad had been.

Neither one was where I last saw them.

She left me.

She neverleftme.

“She went into the corn maze with that guy,” Zach said behind me, pointing to the entrance of the tall stalks of corn and taking a sip of his beer.

Without another word, I pushed my way through the crowd, not caring who I brushed against or stepped on, until I made it to the maze entrance. There was screaming and laughter from inside, and groups of people pushing past me and disappearing inside. I looked around one more time for Lacey before I entered the maze. The tall stalks of corn were like looming giants, enclosing me in a soundproof prison of dark green foliage. The stalks blocked out all light from the bonfire except for a slight glow emanating above. The loud rock music that had been blaring vanished to a dull, manageable hum, and tension filled my entire being as I saw couple after couple disappear inside, looking for a secluded spot.

“Lacey?” I called. “Are you in here?” I looked for her blonde hair, but none of the couples were her or Chad. I moved farther into the maze, taking a right, then a left, doing my best to remember which way I came. But I hit dead end after dead end, and before I knew it, I was turned around. I could feel my heart racing faster as panic started to set in. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and a strange feeling of dizziness overtook me. I felt like I was drunk, but I only had two drinks. I quickened my pace, my desperation rising with each misstep.

This intoxication was unlike any I had experienced before, like a fire raging in my body. My vision began to blur, and my steps were heavy as lead, but I kept trudging forward, blindly bolting around corners, desperate for an escape out of this damn maze. I hit another dead end and stopped short when I saw red hair attached to the girl from the couch and the handsome stranger with his hands gripping the back of her head as she sucked his dick. Her head bobbed back and forth, and his eyes were closed as he moaned.

I felt like I had intruded on something intimate and private, but I couldn’t look away. His jaw clenched tightly, and he moaned with pleasure. The corn stalk I was leaning against gave way and sent me tumbling into their secret space, ripping away what remaining composure I had left.

Flustered and embarrassed, I tried to excuse myself. “Oh God, I’m sorry—I just…” I apologized, picking myself back up and pulling my dress back down.

His dark eyes met mine, and instead of anger, he gave me a mischievous look, like he wanted me to see what he was doing.

Like he wanted me to stay.

“I’m really sorry,” I managed to mutter, and my cheeks flushed hot with shame. My heart pounded against my sternum as I abruptly turned, fumbling through the maze, into the darkness, and hopefully toward freedom. I was lightheaded and didn’t know if I wanted to throw up or pass out. Either way, something was wrong with me, and I needed to get out of the maze fast, so I kept walking, hoping eventually I would find Lacey or the exit. I just wanted to get home, crawl into my bed, and stop the spinning.

I took another right, and then a left—maybe it was left…I don’t really know, I just kept forcing my legs to move because at that point, they felt like they were stuck in quicksand, struggling to push through the never-ending sandy nightmare. I stumbled again and slammed into the ground. Every breath felt like a chore, as if gravity was pulling me deeper and deeper into the ground.

I was so tired and just wanted to go to sleep.

Under the eerie yellow glow of the full moon, I lay there wide-eyed and helpless, hidden in the tall stalks.

Heavy footsteps broke into my haze, drawing nearer and nearer to my paralyzed form, the cut stalks crunching underneath their feet. I turned my head toward the sound and saw brown boots making their way toward me. My vision faded in and out, and a figure emerged from the shadows—Zach, a sick grin twisted on his face as he got closer until he was on top of me, his harsh lips bruising my neck as he squeezed my breasts so hard it brought tears to my eyes.

“No…stop…” I whimpered weakly, my voice no more than a whisper, knowing no one would hear me in this sea of corn.

He brushed aside my feeble protests with a chuckle, his hands pushing and pulling me in all the wrong places.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m going to take care of you,” he murmured against my skin before pushing my dress up and ripping away my underwear. Cold terror washed over me when I felt his fingers inside me, invading me without mercy.

“No…I don’t want this…please don’t do this…” I swatted at him, but my hands fell limp to my sides.

“I am going to make you feel so good…” he moaned.

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