35 | Liam
Liam
Ihave a bad feeling about this. Something is off.
Those two have been whispering and planning something all day.
They told me this is a special game. They refused to allow me to do my research like usual.
They overruled my objections when I said we have been too reckless in this town.
I even tried to convince them to finally leave town.
Nathan laughed in my face and told me to chill.
Nathan never tells me what to do. And he especially never tells me to chill.
I was already suspicious, but now I am sitting in the driver's seat, and that makes my instincts go through the roof. Nate never lets me drive. This man refuses to let anyone take the wheel unless it’s an emergency.
I am never the one to drive when the van is full.
I take my place in the driver's seat only when it’s time to drive away with the body.
This time, we also don’t have our motorcycles in the van with us. Nathan and Mike drove the van to the maze and parked the bikes there, ready for tonight. This isn’t how we do things. This is far from how the rules work.
Both men are in the back of the van, with extra room now that the bikes are not in it—also something that never happens.
It’s risky to have only one person in the driver's seat with no passenger. It can be harder to ditch the cops if we’re stopped.
I don’t say anything, though. At this point, arguing is pointless.
We are waiting next to the church across from the diner.
Mike claimed it would be more fun to pick the prey after an AA meeting.
“It will be more thrilling. Things have been boring,” he said.
“We need excitement in our lives. The first game wasn’t planned, and it went just fine.
Ditching the rules for once isn’t going to bring a catastrophe to our doorstep.
” He kept talking and talking, and I kept wanting to punch him in the face.
Instead of doing that, I am sitting here waiting for the poor woman we are about to kidnap.
My mask is resting on my lap. There isn’t any point in putting it on.
It’s not unusual for me to be parked on this road.
The van is new. It might look a little suspicious, but if anyone asks, I can claim it’s my work van or something.
A crowd of people leaving the AA meeting fills the street, and before I know it, the van’s back doors open and both men jump out.
A scream echoes through the night. I look into the rearview mirror as they drag a brunette wearing a pink dress, kicking and screaming, into the car.
She is pleading for mercy and help, but her pleas reach no one.
The voice sounds familiar, but I convince myself I am being paranoid.
It can’t be Jessica. They don’t know about her.
Even if they are suspicious about my behavior, they can’t know about her.
Could they? I force myself to start driving because there isn’t much else to do.
A short drive later—everything is too close in this town—we arrive at the maze.
The guys drag the poor woman out of the van as I leave the driver's seat.
I walk toward the spot where they are standing, only to see Jessica being held down on her knees by the two men.
They stand over her, their hands on her shoulders, pushing her into a kneeling position.
I try to pretend that I don’t recognize the woman. Mike leaves her side and climbs onto his motorcycle. I do the same. I am trying to act normal, but my heart is threatening to beat itself out of my chest and land on the hay in protest.
“Do you like our little prey?” Mike asks, a sinister laugh follows his question, which gives me chills.
“I am sure he loves this one.” Nate approaches his motorcycle, dragging Jessica by her hair with him. Her eyes grow wide as she recognizes me, and I freeze in my seat, not knowing what to do next.
Mike revs his bike and greets her. “Hello, angel.”
She looks at me, then back at the boys. Nate’s voice comes next. His grip loosens on her hair, and he climbs onto his bike.
“If you reach the scarecrow, we will let you go, but keep in mind, no one ever has. We have been playing this game for a long time.” The familiar instructions sound like a nightmare.
“Three rules: You get a five-minute head start. You are only allowed to run through the maze. If dawn comes first—before we find you or you reach the scarecrow—you may try again tomorrow.” Mike’s voice sounds more evil than usual.
He’s never the one to talk at this point in the hunt.
Nathan is always the one to announce the rules.
It gives the women the illusion that he is in charge.
Nate takes a turn, his voice low, almost like a growl. “Run, darling.”
We know the maze to a point that we could be hunting her blindfolded, and she still wouldn't escape.
It is the first thing we learn in a new town, our hunting grounds.
Never has a woman managed to escape us. Jessica will be no different unless I help her.
But the two men already know that, and are counting on it, I am sure.
This will end badly either way. There is nothing I can do to save her, and as the minutes pass and I see her run, I realize the game has begun.
“You really thought we wouldn’t find out?” Nate asks me.
“I just needed to keep something to myself,” I say, defeated. It’s not a lie. I needed a glimpse of what they have in their lives because, in reality, I know I will never have that. I wanted the delusion for a few moments. I wanted, for just a few days, to feel like I had someone by my side.
“Now you will have to share. Is she as good as she sounded when you fucked her in that alley?” The words coming out of Mike barely register, and before I can say anything, he revs his bike and takes off.
The game is different tonight. Because tonight, I am being hunted by her side, even if I am not the prey.