Page 56 of Boys Who Taint

Except for the man in the hoodie with the glowing red eyes slowly walking down the steps I had just bolted down from, a sharp knife tightly clutched in his hand.

I race to the door on the left of the stage, and I jerk the handle hard, but it refuses to budge.

I glance over my shoulder. He’s nearly all the way down.

Shit.

I dart to the other end of the stage right before he gets there, staking my hopes on the last door available, but that too is locked. But it doesn’t make any sense. Unless it was locked from the inside out.

My bones suddenly feel cold.

He knew I was going to run in here.

When I turn around, there he is, in the middle of the stage, staring right back at me.

A devilish smile forms on his lips.

He takes two more steps.

CLICK.

All the lights have turned off again, and my mind is reeling.

I kneel as my hand dives into my boot, where I keep my only weapon; a small knife my mom once tucked into my hand and told me to keep with me at all costs, no matter where I go.

But how do I fight my enemy if I can’t even see him?

I breathe in and start walking away from the door. I have no choice but to move. He’ll find me if I don’t. So I slide past some seats and try not to make a sound as I head back up the stairs to the only remaining door.

I slip on one of the steps.

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.

I can hear his hard steps moving up the stairs right behind me.

Two hands wrap around my ankle.

Shit!

I immediately swipe the knife left and right behind me, and the blade cuts through his arm. He hisses and retracts his claws as I swiftly crawl to my feet and jerk the handle of the door in front of me, to no avail.

All the doors are locked. There’s no way out.

I run to the opposite end of the hall and bolt down the steps there, back to the stage. There has to be another door, right? Somewhere, anywhere—

Suddenly, an arm wraps around my body from behind, and a knife slowly slips underneath my chin.

“Don’t move or my knife will taste your precious blood,” he whispers into my ear. “Now drop your knife.”

CHAPTER 13

Aspen

It takesme a few seconds to decide whether I’m going to cut him or do as he says.

“Don’t even think about it. You’ll be gushing blood along with me.”

Shit. He’s got the upper hand here.

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