Page 38 of The Devil's Chaos

“What do you want?” I inched backward on the bed, putting distance between him and me. While he walked around the side of the bed, I looked around to see if there was anything I could use as a weapon. There was a lamp on the nightstand, and I grabbed it, sliding off the bed and positioning myself between him and the door. “Stay the fuck away from me!” I warned, holding the lamp like a makeshift weapon.

“Or what?” he asked, his voice distorted by some device.

“Or I’ll bash your head in with this lamp.”

“Before my knife plunges into your flesh? You’d better hope you’re faster than you look.”

“I’ll scream.”

“I hope you do,” he chuckled darkly.

“What the fuck do you want from me?”

“Why are you here?”

“What?”

“It’s a simple question.” He took a step closer.

“I don’t know. I guess to have a good time.”

“At a frat party?”

“It’s not just a frat party. It’s a fuck you to The Brotherhood.”

“Is that so? And what do you know about The Brotherhood?” he asked, curiosity in his tone.

“Nothing.”

“Wrong answer,” he scolded me, inching closer and brandishing his knife like I could forget he had one.

“Look, all I know is that they had some sick hunt where they chase after girls in the woods and then—” I stop, my skin flushing in embarrassment at how stupid I sound, especially now that fear has sobered me up.

“And then what?”

I stayed silent.

“I’m not going to ask again. What happens then?”

“The ones who are Chosen become theirsexslaves.”

“Is that right?”

I nodded, my throat tightening with fear.

“So you came to this anti-Brotherhood party for what?” He took another step forward, and I flinched instinctively. “What did you think you’d find here?”

My mind raced, trying to find an answer that made sense. “I don’t know.”

“Sure you do,” he tested.

“I don’t know!” I repeated, feeling frustration coursing through my veins. “Maybe I wanted to escape, to let loose for once. To feel alive!”

He studied me for a moment, my chest heaving with each breath. Then, slowly, he pulled something out of his pocket and dangled it in front of my face. My eyes focused on the small black material. The realization that he was holding the underwear that Bruno tore off me had me stumbling back in shock, and he knew his little gesture affected me.

“H—how did you get those?”

“Did you feelalivewhen you fucked whoever ripped these off of you?” he asked, like the very thought was abhorrent to him.

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