Chapter 2
Ilet them stumble around through the maze. Elated and thinking they were untouchable, while letting them follow me like the little bitches they were. Their laughter grated on my nerves, like the fog against my skin, sharp and too fucking bright.
I wanted to hear it break, just like their fucking necks.
The women kept touching me.
Their hands fumbled over my ass, looping their fingers into the cheap handcuffs hanging off my belt loops.
The heat from their hands felt like a physical burn, and I hissed, stopping in front of them, only for them to run into me.
Their useless bodies smashed into mine like a brick wall of hate before they fell to the ground.
“Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Me…” I hissed, letting the threat blanket them, waiting for it to cement in their eyes.
My mask was slipping, not the white smiling one on my face, but the facade. The illusion of the sweet, controllable man these women wanted to exploit. They thought I was no different than the others, that I was just a complacent fool begging to bring their fantasies to life.
It made me angry.
The pathetic notion that anyone could make me submit was laughable, much less these drunkards.
“Oh, c’mon! You are a masked man, Baby. Don’t you want to take advantage of us poor, innocent girls?”
There’s an idea. These horny fuckwits wanted to be used?
Fine, but I hated sex. Sweaty, nonsensical flopping was not a particular interest. However, the pleasure that was earned from sexual encounters made replacing it with pain that much more worth it.
“How rude of me, ladies. You are right. Head down that pathway, and you’ll find the reward you seek.”
More fucking squealing.
Fucking hell, slaughtering a pig was less of a racket than these banshees. I was happy my mask was firmly in place because I couldn’t resist the curl on my lip at these animals.
“Oh, em gee! Rai-Rai. We’re gonna get fucked by a masked man.”
You have no idea how right you are, stupid whore.
We were far enough now that there were no cameras in the area.
The perimeter cut off due to my cheap ass father wanting to save every penny he was able to.
Mother told him he should have everything covered for safety and assurance, but he never listened.
His ears were as plugged as the bimbos he fucked on the side.
This was my hunting ground.
The trail led to the lake by the cabin. No one came this way.
The other actors knew better than to corral anyone this far from the center of the maze.
This was the outskirts, a windy trail that lay forgotten.
The cabin was beneath my family’s standards.
A memory of their poverty, yet one they couldn’t quite let go of.
It was where I was born, and where I brought others to die.
My escape.
My sanctuary.
When the women saw the lake, they froze, eyes wide in a dreamy-like state, their liquor intake addling their brains. “Oh my god, how pretty!”
Pretty indeed. It would be a beautiful view to die seeing.
Their incessant squawks were not as deafening out in the open. The maze had held their voices inside, like being inside a glass bowl.
Suffocating.
They stared at the stars above while the sounds of fake squeals and roaring monsters began in the distant arena.
“Oh fuck, Kiki. We’re missing it!”
The black-haired woman, Rai, shushed her friend, finally noticing the lake’s stillness by the cabin. Her friend was slightly more sober, but it was clear who was in charge.
“Why don’t you get more comfortable?”
It wasn’t a question, and any hint of charm was void in my voice. The girls noticed, and the one in front stiffened, her eyes wide, breaths shorter than before. I let my gaze linger on her, tilting my head, and I felt her panic finally bloom.
“What…what do you want?” she whispered, voice trembling.
“Want?” I echoed, chuckling softly, smiling under the mask. “I don’t want. I demand. I take. I devour. And you? You obey.”
I circled them slowly. Every shuffle, every glance calculated, leading them backward toward the silver-shaded pool. The moonlight made the water look like liquid metal.
“You two…think you’re clever, don’t you? Sneaking in early. Hiding. Laughing. Drinking like fucking fish. But now you‘re second-guessing your little wet dream of being destroyed by a man in a mask? Shame. I just wanted to play. Do you understand?”
They nodded, terrified, gripping each other instinctively.
“Good, then let’s…play.”
My black gloves were like a second skin, molding to my thick fingers. Every step forward, the girls stumbled backward, hand in hand, until they felt their feet sink in the shallow area of the lake.
“So pretty. That fear. Mmm…I can fucking taste it,” I said, my voice low, letting my finger glide along the sidekick’s lips. Hesitation. Fear. Their rebellion wavered under my gaze like cellophane.
“Do you want to taste it, whore?” I pressed my finger harder into the woman’s mouth, my words directed at the leader of their small pack. The best way to break an army was to convince its leader that it was worthless, show them they were just another drone to be controlled.
This woman clearly brought her shy friend here to prove some existential point that she was needed, and the only reason shy, sweet Kiki had any enjoyment was from the lust written all over her face.
What an unexpected turn of events.
Originally, I thought it was arousal for me, but now the way she held so tight to her friend, and the look of love swimming in her eyes, deeper than the lake behind them, was as clear as the sky.
“Kiss her,” I demanded. Yanking the redhead toward the other. “This night is supposed to be your fantasy come true?”
Thing One looked at her friend, bewilderment and confusion replacing her unease.
“Wh-what?” Thing Two stuttered. “That’s my b-best friend. You pervert.”
I laughed, letting the silence of the unsaid denial wrap around them like smoke, making it suffocating…agonizing.
“Kiki…?” Rai said, hesitance filling the space. “What is…I?”
I was bored watching the gears turn for these two dumbasses.
“Listen, Coco. It’s your lucky night after all. I am giving you one minute to do whatever you want to your best friend before I make you kill her.”
The girls paused, eyes fixated on the metal of my serrated knife. Unsheathing it from its plastic, fake covering felt like shedding a skin I was forced to wear.
“What the fuck? Okay, dude, this isn’t funny anymore. Where’s the exit, creeper? I am sooo reporting you.”
Queen bitch fumbled with her bag, the flashy spikes on her top brushing against her skin and leaving a red mark in its wake.
“Rai…”
Rai ignored her friend. She was the smart one who knew what was happening.
“Fucking asshole. This was a bad idea. I should have known—”
“Rai!”
Finally catching her attention by physically shaking her, Thing One stopped fidgeting and looked at her friend. “What?”
Her nervous gaze trailed to me, and she swallowed. “Tick Tock, Momo.”
“Rai…what if…what if this isn’t a game? What if it’s…” Her voice lowered to barely a whisper as her eyes became pleading, glassy with unshed tears. “Real.”
I saw the goosebumps rising along their arms, though whether it was from the cold or from me, I didn’t know.
The mask clung to my skin, every breath warming the air inside it. I liked the weight of it. It reminded me I wasn’t just a man right now.
I was a fucking hunter.
I let my voice slip into the night, quiet enough to make them lean toward the sound.
“Tick tock,” I whispered again, watching the girls scramble in the shallow water.
They were awkward, trembling, reluctant, but finally, they obeyed.
Lips and hands fumbling, the tension thick, dripping off them like sweat.
Every shiver, every gasp was like they didn’t realize they were performing for me.
I watched them, calm, precise, and savoring each moment of their pleasure, knowing it would be replaced by slice after slice of pain.
“That’s right,” I murmured, stepping closer, letting the fog hide the blade at my side.
Their panic flared.
“No hesitation. Let yourselves feel this. Every moment you falter…you’ll deeply regret later.”
Tears ran down their faces as I pushed them, teasing, controlling, continuing to watch them strip themselves bare of pretense, forcing vulnerability, testing their limits, their fear and desire twisting together.
“I’m sorry, Rai,” the redhead choked out, pulling the woman closer to her, letting her tongue collide with hers.
I leaned in close, the two unaware of my presence for the moment as the passion rose with their breathing.
“Do you understand now?” My voice cut through the veil. “This is my game. You are my little puppets. And guess what, you feral, little book junkies…I want more.”
I let the silence hang heavy before letting a cruel smile twist through the mask. “I could end this. Right. Here. Right now. But I have always been the performer. Maybe it’s time I enjoy a show for myself before your…final curtain call.”
Their eyes went wide as I snickered to myself—pure, unfiltered terror. They realized that this wasn’t teasing anymore. They weren’t just my playthings. They were mine to destroy if I wanted.
And that was when the real hunt began.
“Strip, Hoho,” I demanded, reveling in the irritation rising at the misuse of the woman’s name.
I let them falter against the cold air, shivering, hearts hammering, knowing I was in control. But control wasn’t enough—I wanted obedience.
“You think I’m kidding?” I murmured, letting the sharp tip of my blade trail over their shirts and nipples slowly.
“You’re trembling, but it’s not just from fear…
I see anticipation. Admit it. My game allows you to be free.
Authentically yourselves, with no masks to hide behind for society. I’ve given you a gift.”