Page 18 of Hunt Me
My body tenses as I take in a stuffed bear's outstretched claws and sharp teeth, his eyes looking directly at me.
Poor guy has been stuffed in a fighting stance for the rest of his existence, and people wondered why humans were the worst creatures to walk the earth.
I think back to my little deer’s earlier scream and grin. Did she stumble into the big bad bear and get a fright? Maybe that is why her markings are messier than her calculated ones next door.
She’s scared.
I’m hunting her and she’s scared.
I breathe deeply, feeling I can scent her in the air, taking sick satisfaction in her fear.
Various objects are on display. From where I am standing right now, they are mainly stuffed animals, but in the centre, a dozenmarble heads stand on top of boxes made for display. With the evening light, they look sinister, the eyeless stone watching my movements as I scan for any sign of my little deer.
To my luck, I spot her next to one of the statues, one that ironically seems to be looking directly at her as if it was made to give away her hiding spot.
I don’t make a move to go to her; I watch, waiting for her next move.
Her eyes are wide open, searching the grand room, but she doesn’t see me. The bear hiding most of my body from her. Her gaze lingers in my direction as if sensing the danger it holds. She must put the feeling down to her earlier fright as she shakes her head and creeps towards the grand staircase.
I wait, not wanting to move too soon in case I spook her into staying on this floor.
Once she is halfway up, stepping around the collection of buckets placed years ago to catch leaking water, I begin to step out from the shadows, standing in the centre of the marble heads facing her fleeing body.
‘Hello, little deer.’ I say, my tone low.
She spins around and immediately reels backwards. I know I’m scary but that was not the reaction I expected.
Her gaze does not come to me though. Instead, she looks straight ahead, above me, and I follow her line of sight. Extending from the ceiling are dozens of floating heads, each one with a different facial expression. Most of them are high up, but a few have dropped lower, extending from a section of the ceiling that has caved in, causing them to fall close enough that she can reach.
My little deer scrambles back, terror etched behind the mask. My mask.
I begin to laugh manically, and her eyes finally fall to me.
Her expression changes, but I’m not sure how. It’s still one of fear, but something shifts in her eyes, and it has me longing to get to her.
She turns from where she had fallen on her arse, and using the strength of her arms, she scurries up the remainder of the stonework steps.
I sprint after her, taking two steps at a time, and round the corner, seeing her running down the balcony that overlooks the ground level we just came from.
My little deer tries to run as fast as she can, her arms pumping at her sides, but she isn’t fast enough, and we cross into the same section I know to be where the organ stays, a haunting presence watching from the head of the balcony.
My hand reaches out, grasping her by the collar. Our bodies slam into the cold stone of the balcony as I tip her over the edge.
She screams, the symphony of her fear ringing out around us.
I press into her ass as I bring my mouth to where her ear will be beneath my mask. ‘I told you I would catch you.’
‘You’re a psycho,’ she pants, but I don’t miss the way her fighting causes her ass to grind against the front of my trousers.
I groan.
Her body goes ridged in response, and the only sound is our panting breaths as we stay like this, both waiting for the other's next move. Then she does something I don’t anticipate. She arches her back, causing her pert ass to push further into me in the process.
I grip her neck, bringing my other hand down to grip her hip as I flip her around and rip the mask from her head, allowing it to flutter over the edge and drop down to the lower levels floor.
My little deer’s cheeks are flushed, and a thin layer of sweat coats her skin, creating a perfect glow in the nighttime light. Fuck she looks perfect. The way her parted lips allow for her panted breaths, the warm air fanning across my lips.
I look to take in her expression, but all I find is her gaze glued to my mouth. Her chest rises in sync with my own as I lean us further into the balcony, the grip on her neck steadying her as I tip her further over the edge.
