23. Horny Little Red Riding Hood
Horny Little Red Riding Hood
Onyx
I raced away, scared, but not completely terrified.
It was hard to understand what was going on in my head.
There was fear, but there was more of a sick thrill in the chase too.
My lungs burned way too fast, each breath searing as I pushed myself harder and harder and harder.
The cold night air sliced through my throat.
There was nothing but the rhythm of my feet pounding against the forest floor, the sound of my heart thudding in my ears, and the darkness pressing in from all sides.
Sometimes. . .the trees closed in around me, and gnarled branches reached out like claws, snagging at my bra.
My panties.
Whipping across my face.
Scraping against my skin.
Sometimes. . .roots seemed to rise from the ground with the sole purpose to trip me.
But, I would not let them.
I would not fall.
I would not stop to breathe.
I would not be caught by Havoc.
Even if the idea of him catching me. . .somewhat excited me.
Was this how Little Red Riding Hood felt when she tried to get away from the wolf?
Desperate.
Breathless.
Knowing the danger was just behind her, but not daring to look back?
And probably because I was so sleep deprived and dehydrated, I wondered if Red harbored a secret longing to be devoured by the wolf.
Was there something about the danger, about the wildness in the air, that called to the deepest parts of Red’s soul—the parts she kept hidden even from herself?
What if Red hadn’t been so young and innocent?
What if the wolf's waiting jaws, were more intoxicating to Red than being safe?
Maybe, just maybe, when the wolf finally caught up to her, when his teeth gleamed in the dim light and his breath was hot on her neck, Red didn’t scream.
Perhaps, she whispered his name.
And as his jaws closed around her, perhaps Red finally felt the release she had been chasing, the surrender she had craved.
And even more. . .in that final moment, maybe she understood that the chase had never really been about escape. It had always been about finding the one thing that could devour her whole, the one thing that could make her feel truly alive.
Good God. I really am losing my mind.
Or was it the forest—so dark and mysterious—whispering these seductive theories to me?
Enough.
I pushed the whole Horny Little Red Riding Hood theories out of my head and focused on the mission at hand—get safe from Havoc and find a way off of the island.
I have to be out of Havoc’s ability to smell me now.
I risked wondering a little bit about Havoc.
Like if he did catch me, would I sense his presence before I saw him?
Would my skin prickle?
I just knew for a fact that, if I did notice him first, I would run, but. . .perhaps there was a part of me that didn’t think I would immediately flee.
Maybe that part of me would want to see Havoc, to feel the heat of his gaze, to hear the low growl in his throat that promised a sweet, terrible end to his hunt.
I shivered and picked up my pace.
Stop it.
Sweat trickled down the side of my face.
You’re just not sane. Okay? Due to not getting any food or sleep. That’s it.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Havoc had gotten out of those ropes already.
Was he free, even now, tracking me through the shadows with that powerful nose?
Would he truly hunt me?
Catch me?
Fuck me?
The thought sent a fresh surge of panic through my body, and with that. . .also came this undeniable lust.
What is wrong with me?
I forced my legs to move faster, even as exhaustion clawed at my muscles.
Apparently, the island was much bigger than I had guessed.
The forest seemed endless.
This limitless darkness stretched before me.
Just keep going.
After a while, I found the stream.
I thought I heard trickling water. Good. I’m not completely going crazy.
Beyond exhausted, I slowed down and stumbled over to it.
The stream glistened under the moonlight. Its watery surface reflected the stars above. Smooth stones lined the edges and a few fallen leaves floated.
I looked around to make sure Havoc wasn’t near nor anyone else.
Okay. He isn’t here.
Cautiously, I knelt down by the stream, keeping my back rigid and ears alert for any sound that wasn't the burbling of water or whispering wind.
My heart pounded.
I found drinking water. This has to be a good sign.
With a trembling hand, I scooped up the cool water and splashed it on my heated face. Its chill was soothing on my skin, stinging slightly on the scratches earned from the unforgiving forest.
This has to be a good sign.
I filled my palms again, this time drinking from them, quenching the thirst brought on by fear and exertion.
The water ran cool against my parched throat.
This is perfect.
Next, I washed away some of the grime and sweat from my face, shivering as the chilled water trickled down my neck. It was a brief relief from my flight, and I soaked in every second of it.
My best bet would be to stay close to the stream for the rest of the day. That way I can have fresh water to drink as I’m searching the island.
So tired, I sat down, rested by the stream for a few minutes, and took in this vast island forest at night.
It was an unending sea of trees. Dark branchy silhouettes towered towards the starry night sky. Shadows danced and shifted among the trunks.
This forest was so vast, so seemingly limitless, that it was easy to imagine a life out here—hidden away from everything and everyone.
What if I never leave this island? Would my brother forget about me? Would the world even notice that I was gone?
I shook my head, trying to clear those thoughts from my mind. I needed to focus, to stay sharp if I wanted to survive.
Alright. You’ve rested enough. Drink a little bit more and then go.
But then. . .as I took another scoop of water, I caught a glimpse of something on the ground nearby.
Hold up. What’s that?
It was just at the edge of the stream where the moonlight touched the earth.
Oh fuck. This is good.
I spotted large boot prints.
Hope sparked in my core.
Someone was here. A person with big feet.
Slowly, I moved over to the two foot prints and stared at them.
Yes.
The prints were faint, barely visible in the soft light, but they were unmistakable.
Someone had been here, maybe not recently, but not so long ago that the forest had swallowed their presence entirely.
Okay. This is good. I hope.
My mind raced as I tried to make sense of it.
Who could have been out here?
Why?
And where were they now?
I carefully reached out, tracing the outline of one of the prints with my fingers. The edges were soft, the details worn by time and weather, but still clear enough to see that they were from boots—heavy, sturdy ones. The kind someone would wear for a long trek through the wilderness.
But the age of the prints was hard to determine.
Weeks, maybe?
Long enough that I didn't need to worry about whoever made them being around right now, but recent enough to remind me that I wasn't the only one who had wandered into these woods this month.
Where are you now? Are you still on this island? Or did you find a way off?
I scanned the area around the stream, searching for any other signs—broken branches, disturbed leaves, anything that might give me a clue about the person who had left these tracks.
But there was nothing, just the quiet murmur of the water and the whisper of the wind through the trees.
Alright. I have a clue. Kind of. . .
A chill crept over me, not from the cold but from the realization that I was standing in a place where someone else had stood, someone unknown.
The forest felt different now, less like a place of isolation and more like a place full of secrets.
First, I found a dead man holding a gun with three dead handcuffed kids. Was this person with the boots, a friend of the dead man? Or are the dead people and boot prints all unrelated?
Sighing, I stood up, my muscles tensed, ready to move on.
The idea of staying in one place for too long suddenly seemed dangerous, as if those boot prints were a warning to keep moving, to not let my guard down.
If Havoc does make it here, I hope he sees these boot prints. I wonder what his thoughts would be about them.
I took one last look at the stream, its surface still glittering under the moonlight, before I turned and started walking again, deeper into the forest, but keeping the stream close on my left.
The more I walked, the more I yawned.
I had to go to sleep soon, but the last thing I wanted to do was wake up to my wrists being bound by rope and Havoc wickedly smiling over me.
Even more. . .would Havoc just wake me up to his cock?
His words hit my head.
“And when that happens. . .I will fuck you, wherever we are.”
That got me to pick up my walking.
An hour must have passed by as I kept a rushed pace along the stream.
But it was in that hour when a twig snapped behind me.
Oh no.
My blood turned icy in my veins.
I froze in place and widened my eyes.
Was that Havoc? Did he find me? Or. . .is it the person with the boots?
I turned slowly towards the source of the noise, while forming my hands into fists and preparing my body for flight.
I waited for a silent minute.
But it wasn't Havoc who emerged from the darkness.
Instead, a shy doe stepped into the strip of moonlight.
Dear God.
Her ears were erect and her nose twitched.
Relief flooded through me.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
For a moment, we watched each other, and I wished I could have heard her thoughts or at least communicated with her.
How many humans have you seen this year? And what other animals are on this island?
After a minute, the doe must have understood that I would not harm her.
She took a step forward, and I remained still.
Continuing to protect herself, she kept her gaze on me and took a few more steps.
And I remained right there making no sudden movement.
Soon, the doe cautiously approached the stream several feet away from me and then dipped her head to drink.
Don’t worry, girl. I got your back. Go ahead and drink.
Every few laps of the stream, she would check me and I stayed still.
I should have rushed off, but. . .I felt this strange kinship with her.
On this island, we were both prey.
Both vulnerable.
Both trying to survive in a world full of predators.
The doe's dark eyes were wide, full of the same cautious wariness that I felt thrumming through my own veins.
She was a mirror of my fear.
But you have made it this long so. . .this island can’t be that bad.
I wondered how the doe survived here, how she navigated these same dark paths I now found myself on.
She was so small, so delicate, and yet here she was, alive in this wild, unforgiving place.
Maybe there was something to be learned from her, some secret of survival that I had yet to grasp.
Or maybe it was just luck, the same kind of luck that had kept me alive this far, even as I stumbled blindly through the night.
The doe’s ears flicked back, probably catching a sound that was too faint for my human ears to detect.
She raised her head and took a step back.
What did you hear?
I took a step back too.
Then, suddenly she bounded away, disappearing into the underbrush with a grace that I envied.
And no fool, I raced off too.
Whatever scared the doe, probably wouldn’t be good for me either.
I headed off with a light jog, but. . .now. . .I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched, that something—or someone—was out there, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Was it just my paranoia?
I quickened my pace.
All I could do was keep moving, keep pushing forward, and pray that whatever bigger predators were out there, they wouldn’t find me before I found a way off this cursed island.
Then. . .the rustling of leaves made me stiffen and stumble in my jog.
Shit.
A twig snapped.
No. It isn’t all in my mind. Someone is out there.
And then I heard something else.
Oh no.
A faint sound that wasn’t part of nature’s music. The sound of footsteps—human footsteps—crunching on the undergrowth behind me.
They were distant but growing louder with each passing second.
Havoc is coming. It has to be him.
I could feel his presence even from afar—a predatory aura that was both terrifying and intoxicating.
It was madness, but there was a thrill in this chase that I could not deny.
Fuck you, Havoc. I won’t be easy prey.
I pushed my body beyond its limits, my blood pounding in my veins like a war drum. My breath came out in short gasps; my lungs were screaming for mercy.
Sweat trickled down my forehead, stinging my eyes yet I didn't dare slow down.
He was near.
I knew it deep in my bones.
I ran as fast as my legs would carry me, the adrenaline pumping through my veins like fire.
Still, the footsteps behind me grew louder, closer, and I knew I couldn’t afford to look back.
Then, Havoc’s deep voice pierced through the darkness. “Wildcat, daddy’s home!”
Shit!
The fear that had been gnawing at me was now a roaring beast inside my chest, driving me forward with a single, desperate thought.
Don’t let him catch you.
The forest was a blur around me. Trees and shadows blended together into a chaotic mix of black and gray.
I want to look back, but I can’t. I just can’t.
But no matter how fast I ran, it didn’t feel like it was enough.
“Aww! Don’t run from my cock, wildcat!”
The sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves was relentless, an echo of my own frantic pace, but with a darker, more determined rhythm.
“Wildcat!”
“Shut up!” I dodged low-hanging branches and leaped over roots, my heart pounding so loudly in my ears that it drowned out everything else.
I could feel his presence behind me, like a shadow just out of sight, a dark force that I couldn’t escape no matter how hard I tried.
I have to keep going. I can’t let him—
My thoughts were cut off abruptly as his powerful hand clamped down on my shoulder, yanking me back with such force that I stumbled and nearly fell.
I screamed, “Ah!!”
My breath was knocked out of my lungs, and I was pulled backward and slammed against his solid, muscular chest.
Then, his arm wrapped around my waist, trapping me in a vise-like grip.
“No!” I choked out, struggling against him, but his strength was overwhelming.
I twisted and thrashed, trying to break free, but it was like fighting against a stone wall. His grip tightened, and I felt his hot breath on the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.
Then, he let out a low, vibrating growl, “Got you.”