Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
LILITH
I know that voice.
I know it well.
But do I want to answer and let everyone know where I am? No.
The gun shakes in my hands as the ground gets colder beneath my feet, which are feeling very numb right about now.
Could I shoot my way out of this forest?
Or will I die here?
I really hope I don’t die.
I like death. I like dreaming of death. But others’ deaths, not mine.
Maybe this is payback for all those evil thoughts.
It has to be, right?
Why else would I be put in this situation? But the real question is, why was I stupid enough to come?
Oh, that’s right. I wanted Reon. A date with Reon means he would accept me into his world, so I was excited about the invite. A part of me wanted to be in this world. This Society is a taboo that I crave… not crave, but I yearn to know more about it.
Now I know better.
I need to re-evaluate my thought process because that is foolish thinking. And I like to think I’m not that dumb. Granted, I have made incredibly stupid mistakes along the way, but this one takes the cake.
Looking up at the black sky, I wonder if things would’ve been different—actually, I know they would be—if I’d given Deven a chance and stayed. Is this worse than that? A part of me says no. Why would I choose to stay in a loveless marriage? That’s just ridiculous.
Reon has made me feel things in the short time I’ve spent with him that no other man ever has. And I hate that he has that effect on me. I hate that when I close my eyes, I dream of him. Does my brain not understand that he’s bad for me?
We are bad for each other.
And it’s the exact reason I ran that first night.
My head falls between my knees, and I count to ten. How long until I move again? I’ve been running for what feels like hours, and I’m so tired.
So, so tired.
“Lilith.” There it is again, his voice. My back straightens at the sound, and I stand. I’ve dreamed of that voice. I wanted to hear it speak to me in all the dirty ways.
He sounds so far away, and I’m afraid to answer back. Instead, I sit here, clutching the gun in my hand, unable to move.
Do I have frostbite? I have no idea, but my toes and fingers have no feeling, and when I look at my fingers, they are a concerning shade of deep blue. I must get out of this cold before hypothermia becomes a real problem.
My teeth won’t stop chattering, and I’m not even sure I can pull the trigger with my fingers as they are now.
“Aww, there she is. What a pretty thing,” someone says from behind me.
Oh, fuck! It’s not Reon.
I know his voice like the back of my hand, and this voice is laced with something else—intent, maybe. I lift the gun, but it’s knocked from my hands and drops to the ground.
Fuck! My hands are too shaky, and I can’t grip anything.
“Reach for it, I dare you. I’ll squash your hand beneath my boot if you do.
” I don’t know who this is, and honestly, I couldn’t care less.
My legs are tired. I’ve been out here in the cold, running for my life for hours.
My dress is wet from sweat, and when I tripped and fell to the ground.
The frost from the forest floor has completely soaked me to the bone, so much so that my lips won’t stop quivering.
Ever so slowly, I drag my feet backward.
“No, no, no, that’s not what we do.” A knife appears in his hand, and he waves it in front of me.
“What did you do?” He shakes his head. “Actually, don’t answer that.
I couldn’t care less. The chosen always dies.
You will die, and we will bury you with the others.
Are you excited to be buried with the others, beautiful?
” He steps closer. “Maybe I can play with you first. Maybe slice your nipples off and gag you so the others can’t hear your screams. That excites me, makes my dick hard. ”
My bare feet move again, and he steps forward, the knife protruding from his hand. It connects with my arm, and I scream. It cuts so deeply that blood immediately starts pouring out as soon as he pulls it back.
I don’t wait for instructions.
Instead, I turn and run despite how lethargic I feel.
Or even how dead I feel on the inside.
He will not kill me.
I will not die here today.
I run as fast as I can, but I hear his footsteps closing in behind me. I don’t know how fast this man can run, but I do know he wants me dead.
The clouds obscure the moon, making it difficult to know where it is in the sky. The darkness is overwhelming and disorienting. My sense of direction is completely lost, and the forest floor feels unfamiliar in every direction. Panic creeps in deeper, flooding my core with adrenaline.
No! I need to stay calm and think rationally.
It’s me and the animals trying to survive, but the exhaustion is overwhelming, and desperation is overpowering my rational thought.
My feet halt as I come face-to-face with a coyote. It stands by itself right before me, and its eyes stare into my soul.
I’m not sure if I’d rather die by the teeth of the animal in front of me or by the blade of the one coming up behind me.
The footsteps edge closer, and I take slow, steady steps to veer out of the coyote’s path. I don’t know much about coyotes, but I do know I don’t want to mess with one.
Turning left, I start running again.
The man laughs behind me, and I can tell he’s gaining on me.
“Oh, how fun. A live one,” his voice singsongs through the forest.
My lungs are burning, and I’m struggling to breathe. Despite the fact that I’m running, I still feel the cold sinking deeper into my bones, which in turn drains what little energy I have left.
I’m going to die out here.
But no matter what I do, I’ll always be chased.
Why did I believe it was a smart move to get involved with the Forsaken Society?
I should have known better. I did try to keep my distance, but that was when it was too late, and afterwards, I found myself firmly in their sights.
But like the snow, I’ll fall and eventually melt.
Knowing full well, this is my end.
My father probably won’t even know what happened to me. I doubt Arlo will tell him. My aunt, with whom I have only just started to form a better relationship, will probably guess, but she won’t know for sure either, and that will bring another round of sorrow and misery to her life.
I wonder if they’ll clean out my apartment to make it look as if I were never there.
I know no one will find my body.
I’ll basically disappear.
Never to be seen again.
The thought sends a shiver down my spine.
Someone is bound to miss me. Surely.
“Lilith.” Reon’s voice rings through the cold night air.
I’m unsure if it’s him anymore or if my mind is playing tricks on me.
I wish I could have taken that dude’s black jacket, maybe then I would have half a chance of not surrendering to the cold.
But the fact that he was trying to stab me made that difficult.
Glancing behind me to ensure the guy wielding the knife is not near, I misstep and fall face-first into a murky puddle of mud. It splatters across my face and trickles down my neck, sending an icy chill coursing through my veins in an instant.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
After swiping my hands down my face, I then run my hands over a nearby tree to try to scrape the grime off instead of using my dress, which is barely surviving.
Why did I spend hundreds of dollars on this ridiculous dress?
To what? Impress Reon? To prove I’m not some broke-ass woman. A woman who could fit into his world.
Now, the expensive dress is barely doing a fucking thing to keep me from freezing.
You should have worn the jacket. I realize that now, but it didn’t match the dress, and moreover, I wanted to impress Reon.
I want to slap myself now.
It leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
Worrying about fashion now seems trivial, and the need to impress feels foolish with hindsight.
I curse my misplaced priorities, and the bitter taste of regret lingers in my mouth, a constant reminder of my stupidity.
I’ve never wanted to make an impact on anyone in my life, yet here I am, fighting for my life because I tried to impress the one man I should steer clear of.
A man whose world I should not be a part of.
A world that is poison and deception. Blinded by an infatuation, I was willing to dive headfirst into an abyss of ignorance.
Danger and deceit are a luxury I cannot afford. With each passing moment, the realization sinks into my being—I have entangled myself in a web of carnage and slaughter, with myself as the bait.
My world is about surviving.
I survive—it’s what I’m good at.
My father gets locked up. My mother dies. My aunt, who raised me, was a drunk. And I survived it all.
That’s what women do.
No one should underestimate us.
Getting back up, I wrap my arms around my waist, determined to keep going. Keep surviving. Keep running for my life.
“Oh, look, there you are. Thought I’d lost you.”
I run again. I know I am lagging, and no matter how hard I try, my feet are failing me. I hear more voices and twist in the opposite direction.
How many assholes are out here hunting me?
I know there is Arlo, Soren, this fucking dick who stabbed me, and Reon. How many more participate in the Hunt?
I should have asked more questions.
I should know more.
What are the rules?
Does anyone survive?
I already know the answer to the second question, even if I don’t want to remember it. Or even say it out loud.
No one survives the Hunt.
No one.
They have been doing this for years and will probably continue for many years to come. Police chiefs, senators, lawyers, and judges are all involved.
And yet, here I am, a nobody, trying to run for my life but failing.
“Lilith.” I hear Reon’s yell through the void. At least, I think it’s his. I’m becoming so tired, so cold, and so disorientated that I’m about ready to give up.
I can’t run any farther.
How much longer can my feet carry me before they can’t take another step?
Stopping at a large tree, I hide behind it and try to calm my breathing.
It’s not working.
“I can hear you.”
Sucking in a breath, I hold it as I hear his footsteps coming closer and closer.
I can’t tell what direction they’re coming from, but I try my hardest to listen.
As soon as I hear them to my left, I drop down and reach for something on the ground.
I find only dirt, mud, and fallen leaves before my hand lands on a thick stick.
Gripping it tightly, I stand back up and hold it to my chest. Closing my eyes, I try to calm my breathing and simply listen.
“You breathe so heavily,” he says. And I strike, my stick making contact with something but breaking on impact. “Fuck, did you just hit me with a stick, you crazy bitch?”
I turn to run, but he grasps my hair and pulls me back. I fall onto the ground, the wind knocked out of me. I hear some rustling as he stands over me. That broken mirror mask covers his face, but I can just make out his eyes, which are locked on mine.
“Lilith.”
There it is again, Reon calling my name.
What will he do when he finds me dead?
Will he be the one who has to bury me?
Was this all contrived, and Reon was in on it?
“I was told to leave you for him, that you were his prize. But if we did get to you first, to make it so your face is unrecognizable.” He grunts, and I see the knife in his hand.
“I wonder how long you can survive without your face.” The asshole leans down, and as he does, I lift my leg and kick him between the legs.
He groans, his hands going straight to his crotch to cup himself, and the knife drops.
I manage to catch it with shaky hands before it pierces me.
Gripping the knife, I get on all fours as he lies next to me, grunting and groaning, and I crawl over to him.
“Fuck. You,” I whisper, careful not to draw attention to myself.
I lift the weapon he planned to use on me and stab him in the throat.
Blood spurts out as the knife goes in deep, and the impact ricochets up my arm.
The warm, sticky liquid hits my arms and face as I pull it out, and a small, unhinged laugh leaves me as he tries to cover the wound with his hands, his eyes behind the mask wide and disbelieving.
“One down, however many to go.” I smile at him as I hold the knife, and it feels liberating.
Reaching into his pockets, I search for a phone but come up empty. “Come on! Fucking hell!” I stomp on his stomach with all my anger and step back as he grunts. I watch as his breaths become shorter and shorter, blood running down his neck and mixing with the dirt below.
He wanted worse for me, so I don’t feel bad watching this ass bleed out in front of me.
As I slowly step back, someone grabs my arm. I hold the knife up and spin toward them.
“Caterpillar.”
He pulls his mask off, an axe in one hand and the other wrapped around my forearm. I thrust out my free arm, stabbing him as fast as I can. I hit him in the stomach. He grunts, and I take off running with the knife still in hand.
“Caterpillar!” he screams.
Fuck him. I’m out of here.
He can shove that axe straight up that guy’s ass for all I care.