10. Barythaya
BARYTHAYA
T he wind whipped around me as I parked in front of The Black Pagan, the bite of the October cold seeping through the costume's leather, cutting down to the bone. The bike engines roared in the distance, a constant growl that blended with the chatter of men stationed outside the clubhouse. I stared at the bar, trying to summon the nerve to get out of the car.
My stomach was a twisted, a knot of nerves, and my anxiety was acting up. Bikers crowded the front of the building, all leather-clad, inked-up, and unapologetically intimidating. A cloud of cigarette smoke hovered above them, rising into the black sky. Their eyes tracked me as I stepped out of the car, boots crunching against the gravel. Some leaned against their bikes, others stood in small groups, passing bottles between them. The laughter was sharp, the kind that cut through the cold air like a blade, and I could feel their gazes on me, heavy, as if they were dissecting and undressing me with every step I took.
"Look at this one," someone muttered.
"She's a pretty thing," another voice called, low and gruff. "You lost, sweetheart?"
I didn't respond, keeping my head down, and focusing on finding the one man who mattered in this place. I forced my feet to move forward, heart pounding in my chest. My mind whirled, each step slower than the last. The Black Pagan loomed ahead of me, the faint glow of skulls and pumpkins dangling from strings of lights outside. It looked like a Halloween fever dream, the decorations casting eerie shadows on the brick walls of the bar, orange and red lights flickering above.
My mouth was dry as I reached the door, my pulse echoing in my ears. The warmth inside hit me like a wall, the smell of spilled beer and something fried settled in the air.
I paused for a moment, my eyes adjusting to the dim lighting as I scanned the space. The place was packed, voices were boastful here, a chaotic mix of laughter, curses, and rock music blaring from old speakers nailed to the ceiling. The bar counter was lined with bottles, with skull-shaped candles flickering beside them. Fake cobwebs clung to every corner, and pumpkins lined the edges of the room.
I suddenly spotted a familiar face, Sol, leaning against the far wall, a smirk pulling at her lips. She was dressed in a Mad Hatter costume, her makeup done perfectly. I recognized the man beside her as Brim, her husband.
Sol pushed off the wall as I approached, shoving Brim aside. "Oh my God, Barythaya! You came here alone?"
"Not exactly," I shrugged. "I was invited."
"You look like you're about to crawl out of your skin. Are you okay? Nobody did anything to you, did they? Cause I'll go out there..."
"No, it's okay," I lied, my voice unconvincing. "I'm just...not used to this."
Her eyes softened as she tilted her head, assessing me. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."
"I was actually looking for Virgil," I shouted over the music. That caught Brim's attention.
"I saw him out back," he told Sol."
She nodded and gave him a quick kiss before grabbing onto my arm. "Come on, I'll take you to him."
I nodded, relief washing over me despite the nagging pit in my stomach. Together, we made our way out the back door and onto a narrow path leading into the forest. The trail was dimly lit with jack-o'-lanterns, their faces twisted in all sorts of eerie expressions. Spiderwebs clung to the tree branches, and fake skeletons were scattered across the path. On one side, there was a large maze built out of wooden boards, black lights illuminating the entrance. I could hear screams from inside, the kind that might've been from either genuine terror or sheer fun—I couldn't tell.
"It's a good turnout," I said, seeing that there were more people here than I expected. Including families, bikers, and locals I'd seen before.
"Oh, isn't it great? I think the entire town came out for this. I never expected it to be so big."
She looked ecstatic but none of it felt real. Everything was coated in a layer of unease, like the decorations were hiding something darker underneath.
My throat tightened as we neared the back of the property. I was more on edge than I wanted to admit, scanning the faces in the crowd, searching for him. The weight of the forest pressed down on me, the shadows stretching between the trees, dancing in time with the flickering lanterns.
"There he is," Sol said, gesturing ahead with her chin. My heart stuttered in my chest.
Virgil was leaning against a tree, assessing the crowd with a beer in hand. His eyes locked on me the second I saw him. They grew dark, smoldering, and completely unreadable. His presence was magnetic, pulling me in even though I tried to resist.
I watched his large frame approach and my body reacted instantly, heat pooling between my thighs.
"Hey." His voice was low, a deep rumble that sent shivers through me.
"Hi," I whispered, dropping my eyes to the ground shyly.
Sol stirred beside me and she patted my arm. "Well then, if you need me I'll be around. Treat her right, Chaplain. And see if you can manage a smile every once in a while."
He grunted and I smiled at her as she walked away.
"You manage to get here okay?" He asked.
"Yeah," I managed, trying to steady my breath. "It was easy."
He handed me one of the beers, his fingers brushing mine—just a small touch, but it ignited something. His eyes lingered on mine, heavy with something unspoken.
"You look…" he trailed off, taking a slow sip of his drink, eyes dragging over my body. "Dangerous."
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way my skin prickled under his gaze. The voices inside my head stirred, whispering dark things in my ear, urging me to drag Virgil into the shadows and lose myself in him.
"Have you been okay?" he asked, a slight furrow in his brow, as if he already knew the answer.
"I've been managing," I replied, though the lie tasted bitter on my tongue. The truth was, I wasn't okay. The dreams, the visions—they were clawing at me every night. I hadn't been sleeping, and even now, as I stood next to him, the voices kept whispering in my mind, taunting me with thoughts I wasn't ready to face.
"I'm sorry I didn't call. I wanted to," he began.
"It's okay," I started, but he stopped me.
"No, it's not. I should have called, checked in on you..."
"You found me that night?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I did. And I've never been so scared in my whole damn life."
My heart skipped a beat knowing he cared. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course. You can ask me anything, baby girl."
I swallowed hard at the sweet term he used on me. It did something to me. "What happened that night? What did you see?"
He watched me for a long moment, as if trying to decide what to say next. "You don't remember?"
I shook my head. "No."
He sighed, walking over to a bench and gesturing for us to sit. After a long drawn out moment, he spoke. "I don't know what the fuck is going on with you or me, but what happened that night was...it was fucking crazy."
"Crazy, how?" I leaned into his side, seeking his warmth.
"It was as if you called me that night. I'd never felt that type of desperate need to see someone like that before. When I got to your door, I just had this feeling of dread. So I broke in."
"That's what happened to the door," I murmured.
"You were kneeling, your wrists lay on your thighs. You'd slit your wrists, Barythaya."
"What?" I asked, now terrified.
He nodded. "You were already nearly half bled out when I found you. I keep thinking...if I wouldn't have been there. If I gotten there when I did..."
"I placed a hand over his thigh and he turned to me. "You would have died, baby girl."
The earnest in his eyes touched my heart and I slid my hand over his jaw. He pressed a hand to mine and squeezed it. "I don't know what to say to that..."
I shook my head, my eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "You don't have to say anything. I should say thank you. Thank you for saving me."
I slid my arms around him, and he enveloped me in his heat. "What the hell have you done to me?" He whispered against my neck, pulling me in tighter. "I can't stop thinking of you."
"Neither can I," I whispered back.
He pulled back, cradling my face. "I didn't call because you're better off without me, Barythaya."
"That's not your decision to make," I stated. "It's not even mine anymore," I murmured softly.
He gave one nod as if he understood. "Can you forgive me for being a dick?"
I smiled. "I'm not sure yet. I'll let you know in a little while."
Grabbing my hand, we walked together, past the maze, where screams echoed out into the night. The trail wound deeper into the woods, the lights growing dimmer. There was a haunted house ahead, old and decrepit, with more decorations strung along the outside—grinning skeletons, severed heads, and spider webs clinging to the cracked windows. People filtered in and out of it, laughter and fear mixed together.
I could feel that voice in the back of my mind, gnawing at me, telling me to pull Virgil closer. To make him hurt me, make me bleed. I shook the thoughts away, focusing on him instead, on the way his hand brushed against mine as we walked.
But the voice was relentless.
It whispered, Lure him in. Let him break you.
I felt lightheaded as we stepped inside the haunted house, the air cooler, the smell of old wood and dust wrapping around me. The voice grew louder, more demanding, coaxing me and seducing me with its darkness.
I stopped, pulling him into a dark corner of the house, heart racing, and pressed my body against his.
"Barythaya—" he started, but I didn't let him finish. My lips were on his, hard and desperate. His hands gripped my hips, fingers digging in as he responded with a low growl. Heat surged through me, the voice whispering louder now.
Tell him. Make him hurt you.
I pulled back, breathless. "Choke me."
His eyes flashed, surprise flickering across his face. "What?"
"I want you to put your hands around my neck," I whispered, the words trembling out of me, the desire thick and twisted. "I need it."
He hesitated, something dark and dangerous flickering in his eyes. Then he reached up, his fingers wrapping around my throat, squeezing lightly as he pushed me up against a side wall, his lips hot as they crashed into mine. It was rough, frantic, and I wanted more.
I wanted pain.
His hand slid beneath the leather, tugging it down as his fingers found my nipples. Leaning down, I gave out a needy groan as his teeth bit down on the sensitive skin. I gasped, my back arching as he shoved his hand between my legs, sliding under my shorts. His fingers found me wet and needy, and he growled again, pushing them inside me.
"Fuck," I moaned, my head falling back against the wall as he worked his fingers deeper, rougher, flicking my clit.
The need inside me reveled in it, that demonic voice whispered for more. I was burning, heat flooding my body, the edges of my vision blurring as his pace quickened.
That's it. Be a good little whore. The voice growled in my ear but this time it didn't scare me, it excited me.
Bitch , it growled in my ear.
"Tell me what you want," Virgil growled against my neck, biting down hard enough to leave a mark.
"Cut me," I whispered, the demon's voice pushing the words out before I could stop them. "I need you to cut me."
Virgil froze, his breathing harsh against my skin. I felt his hesitation, but I also felt the hunger in him—the same hunger that burned in me. He pulled out a small blade from his jacket, holding it to my skin, the cool steel kissing my flesh.
"You sure?" His voice was thick with lust, but there was an edge of something else—something darker, more dangerous.
I nodded, my breath coming in shallow gasps. "Yes."
He pressed the blade into my skin, just a shallow cut, but it sent a shockwave through me. Pain and pleasure twisted together, my body tightening around his fingers. I cried out, the sensation too much, too intense, but I didn't want him to stop.
He slid his hand out, tugging down on the leather shorts. I fought with the front of his zipper, tugging at his jeans as I finally slipped my hand over him, we both gave out a deep sigh.
I slid down to the ground, jerking him in my hand as I knelt before him. A drop of white cream seeped out of the slit and hungrily, I licked at it. His groan was guttural as he braced himself against the wall behind us. My eyes met his as I devoured him, sliding his thick massive girth down my throat. He grunted, gripping my hair as my throat muscles constricted around his cock.
"Fuck, baby girl."
I fucked him slowly, teasing him with my tongue as his hips swayed forward. The grip in my hair tightened when I sucked him slowly out of my mouth.
"Nnngh, fuck, I'm gonna cum on your tongue."
Before I could get another drop of cream out of him, he tugged me off him, standing me and spinning me around. He shoved me up against the wall and now it was his turn to do dirty things to me.
With the knife in hand, he slapped at my thighs, demanding I open up my legs. That's when I felt it, the cold steel pressed up against my clit.
His deep voice sent shivers down my spine as he whispered in my ear. "You want to be my dirty girl?"
"God, yes."
"Tsk tsk, I don't think God should be brought in for this."
"I thought you said he wasn't around," I teased as he got down to his knees behind me.
"You never know," he muttered as he gripped my ass, spreading the cheeks and taking a long lick.
"Maybe he brought you to me," he grunted, licking at my asshole once again.
"Then maybe I should start praying more often," I gasped, my thighs shaking as he flicked the dull edge of the blade along my clit.
"Begging," he seethed. "I want to hear you beg."
A low growl emanated from him as he flicked the edge of the blade along my inner thigh, a sting of pain letting me know that he's slid through skin. Then another as I felt the sharp sting on my pussy lips. He spanked me with the base of the blade before his mouth was on me. Suckingand biting on me.
"You taste so fucking good," he hummed against my pussy, and I sniffed the faint smell of copper from the blood he'd spilled.
His tongue licked me from pussy to asshole in long thick strokes and that's when I began to beg.
"Virgil, please."
"Mmmm, please what, baby."
"Please," I begged again, my thighs shaking as his tongue dug its way into my dirty hole.
"Please put it inside me," I begged.
"Put what inside you?"
"Virgil," I moaned and he stood up, curling a fist around my hair as he pressed his hardness against my ass.
"You want a hot cock in that dirty little pussy?"
"Yes," I mewled, moving my hips back on him in a needy attempt to slide him inside of me.
"Such a dirty whore," he whispered in my ear as he pressed the blade to my neck.
The grip tightened as he pressed the knife into the base of my neck. "All I have to do is put a little pressure," he watched as the blade sunk into my flesh and I gasped, fear finally taking me over.
"Virgil?"
"Stay....the fuck, still." He placed a hand on my forehead, snapping my head back against his shoulder, the blade cutting along the side of my jawline. I cried out, and as I did he slid into me. His cock was hard, pulsing and unrelentless. His mouth covered my wound as he began to thrust. Fucking himself into my pussy as he fed off me.
I came hard, my body shaking as the pleasure ripped through me, mingled with the sting of my wounds. Virgil groaned, burying himself deeper inside me, his own release following as I fell apart in his arms.
For a moment, everything was still, the only sound our ragged breathing. He ran his hands down my neck, then down my back, as if assessing the damage. He then spun me around, got to his knees and softly licked at the wounds he'd left on my inner thighs. When he licked my pussy lips, I hissed in pain.
That's when he looked up at me, scanning my face as he tucked the blade away. He slowly got up and pressed into the wall, his hands cradling my face.
Without a word, he kissed me hard, his lips bruising mine in a way that made me want to pull him back and never let go. But then, just as quickly as he was there, his phone buzzed, and the moment shattered.
"Shit," he muttered, glancing at the screen. "I've got to take this."
My body was still humming with the aftermath of what we'd just done, the heat from him lingering on my skin. I didn't want him to go, not yet.
"Stay," I whispered, reaching for him again, but he was already pulling back.
“Virgil!” Someone called out for him.
He kissed me one last time, rough and possessive. "I'll find you in a bit, I promise."
And then he was gone, disappearing into the darkness of the haunted house, leaving me standing there, breathless, disoriented. I could still feel the ghost of his fingers on my skin, the sharp sting of the cut he'd made on my side. I pressed a hand to it, feeling the slick warmth of blood, and something inside me shifted.
Something dark and otherworldly stirred.
I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself as I wandered further into the recesses of the building. The air here was colder, damper, and the distant sounds of the party faded until all I could hear was the creak of the old wooden floors beneath my boots.
The deeper I went, the darker it became. The flickering lanterns were sparse now, casting eerie shadows that danced along the walls. I found myself in a hallway lined with mirrors, each one warped and cracked, distorting my reflection into something deformed. I stared at myself, the person in the glass looking back at me with wide, hollow eyes. Something was wrong. The face staring back at me wasn't mine—it was twisted, darkened, like a monster was staring out of my skin.
I blinked and the reflection shifted, but the unease continued.
It's just your imagination , I told myself. Just a haunted house…
But the voice suddenly grew rougher, devilish as it whispered in my ear, You can't hide from me forever.
My breath quickened, the walls of the house closing in on me as I kept moving. Each mirror I passed felt like it was watching me, distorting my image further, until I wasn't sure what was real and what was a reflection. My head spun, the lightheadedness creeping back in.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it.
A shadow moved in the mirror, something tall, looming—inhuman.
I froze, my heart lurching in my chest. The shadow was watching me, its eyes glowing red in the dark glass. I turned quickly, but there was nothing behind me, only the empty hallway stretching into more darkness. But when I looked back into the mirror, it was there again, closer this time.
"No," I whispered, my voice shaking. "It's not real…"
But it is , the monster hissed, the words slithering into my mind causing me to shake in fright. I am very real, and I am coming for you.
I stumbled back, my hand reaching for the wall as panic flared in my chest. The mirrors seemed to pulse with an eerie light, and the reflection of the demon grew larger, more defined. It was coming out of the glass, moving toward me, its jagged, claw-like fingers reaching out.
I turned and ran.
The hallway twisted, narrowing as I fled deeper into the building. The sound of my boots echoed against the wooden floor, but behind me, I could hear something else—heavy footsteps, a low growl that vibrated through the air. The monster was chasing me, its presence suffocating, darkening the already dim lights.
I rounded a corner, my vision blurring, the lightheadedness intensifying. My breath came in ragged gasps, my chest tight with panic. Every door I passed was locked, the windows boarded up. I couldn't get out. I was trapped.
"Virgil!" I called out, my voice barely more than a choked whisper, but there was no answer.
The shadows seemed to warp around me, twisting into shapes that crawled along the walls, figures with gaping mouths and hollow eyes. They reached for me, their cold fingers grazing my skin as I pushed forward, trying to find an exit.
I slammed into a dead end, a mirror at the end of the hallway. I turned around, the sound of growling closer now, the monster's breath hot on my neck.
It's a dream I fell asleep, it's a dream.
I tightly clenched my eyes, but I could still feel it—its dark energy pressing down on me, suffocating me.
Opening my eyes, I looked into the mirror, and there it was—towering over me, its eyes glowing red, its mouth twisted into a cruel grin. It had me cornered, nowhere left to run.
I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat as the monster lunged at me, its claws sinking into my skin, dragging me into the darkness.
Then everything went black.