Page 42 of The Devil's Hunt

Tiny eye holes peered back at me from a mask that covered my entire head and rested firmly on my shoulders. It wasn’t overly heavy, but enough that I felt awkward moving my head to take in my surroundings. It wasn’t a hood, but it felt tight like a mask. My wrists and ankles were bound with thick rope, and I was left sitting on the cold, hard ground. Bare feet exposed to the freezing air.

Someone had changed me into a white, long-sleeve dress that fellto just below my knees. The cold air chilled my bare skin, and I shivered as the orange glow cast shadows across my skin, stealing my attention.

As I took in my surroundings, terror gripped my heart.

Several enormous fires raged from a giant circle around me and several other figures.

Girls.

I counted five.

All wearing white dresses.

And masks…

Animal masks.

There was a fox, raccoon, chipmunk, bird, and squirrel.

All furry little woodland creatures.

All hiding the identity of the girl behind it.

I lifted my hands to my mask and felt fur. I followed the curves of the mask to a nose and then upward to two ears.

Rabbit ears.

The fucker not only drugged me, but he dressed me up like a rabbit.

Real clever.

I clearly had no sense of self-preservation.

I was annoyed at how naïve I was.

Swallowing his pill without question?

Idiotic, really.

And there I was, tied up next to five other girls wearing fucking woodland critter masks, in the middle of I-don't-fucking-know-where.

There was no time for self-pity as fear washed over me again.

The crackling of the fires and the scent of burning wood filled the air, mingling with my growing panic. The masked figures surrounding me remained eerily silent, their presence sending a chill down my spine. The fox stared at me intensely as if she was studying me, sizing me up. I turned my attention to the other girls, their eyes brimmed with fear behind their masks. We exchanged glances, silently communicating our shared terror and confusion.

Our captors must have been nearby, observing our every move from the shadows. I strained my ears, hoping to catch any sound that might give away their presence. But all I heard was the distant howl of the wind, carrying with it a haunting melody that sent a chill through my bones.

I strained against the ropes binding my wrists, feeling the coarse fibers digging into my skin. The more I struggled, the tighter they became, cutting off circulation to my hands. I glanced at the other girls and their eyes were filled with confusion and terror. It was clear that they, too, were just as helpless as I was.

I wanted to scream, to demand answers, but my voice was silenced by the weight of fear that constricted my throat.

Archer was a killer.

And I fell right into his trap.

Rustling around us sent us looking into the shadows for the source.

Figures adorned in black robes moved around the fires with purposeful strides. Their faces remained hidden beneath hoods, making it impossible to discern their identities. As the flames danced higher, casting flickering shadows across the clearing, I noticed three figures dressed in all black, moving through the robed figures to stand in front of us. They wore masks too—a horned beast with black eyes.

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