Page 48 of Sour Lollipops and Sweet Nightmares (The Society #1)

Georgia

U nder the bed was the stupidest place for anyone to hide.

Yet there I was, tucked under the frame, hoping that no one would see.

Mind you, there wasn’t much else I could do.

The power was still off, so it wasn’t as if I could see my bag to grab my pepper spray.

That and Issac had already started his countdown, so I didn’t have time to search in the dark for anything.

“Six little Peaches tried to hide… Breath held tight while shadows slide… The hunter called with a voice like lead… Only five little peaches turned their head.”

The deep tone of his voice, combined with the ominous echo of footsteps, had my pulse thundering. How many of them were coming? Was it just Issac or all four?

“Five little peaches, sweet and shy… Hid in the dark while the night crept by… The hunter called with a voice that bled… Only four little peaches raised their head.”

The shuffle of feet vibrated through the floor to where I was lying on my stomach. Was it one person’s feet or more? I couldn’t tell. For how quiet the house was, it felt deafening. There was an incessant light knocking ringing through my ears.

Knock, knock…

Knock…

Knock, knock, knock…

Where was that coming from? That was when I realized that the wooden spoon held tightly in my grip was upright, and because of my trembling, it was tapping on the bedframe. I quickly pushed it down and silently scolded myself.

Great, Georgia, way to freak yourself out.

Issac’s voice drifting through the air wasn’t helping.

“Four little peaches tried to flee… Branches clawed where eyes could see… The hunter whispered, low and sly… Only three little peaches dared reply.”

Flee! That was a fantastic idea.

I rolled my head to the left. The window was right there, beside my bed. Could I make it?

“Three little peaches with hearts that pound… Shadows swallowed without a sound… The hunter laughed, ‘I smell you, too’… Only two little peaches slipped from view.”

I froze.

Hearts that pound? What the hell kind of fucked up countdown was that?

Only Issac could turn a children’s nursery rhyme into something eerie.

Then again, maybe there was a meaning behind it.

My heart was pounding hard. Maybe he could hear it or smell me.

The scent of my shampoo was light, but I could smell it.

No. Issac wasn’t in the room. There was no way. Right?

“Two little peaches, trembling and on the run… One got caught, and then there was one…” A massive figure blocked the sliver of moonlight coming in from the living room. “The hunter sang, ‘now don’t you hide’… Only one little peach remained inside.”

Shit, Issac was here. I could tell it was him because of the black no-face mask on his head. Thankfully, no one else was with him. Issac may be a lot bigger than me, but I stood a much better chance one-on-one.

That didn’t make this situation any easier. I could barely breathe. It took all my concentration to stop my body from trembling, but I managed to do it. Silence was the only advantage I had.

Issac took a menacing step into the room as I crawled back further under the bed, tucking myself into the shadows.

“One little peach scared and alone… She thought she could knock him off his throne… But the game was over, the hunter already won…” My heart jumped as he reached back and pushed the door closed, shutting away the only light I had. “Come on out, little peach, there’s nowhere to run.”

My other senses heightened, making up for my lack of sight. I could hear oxygen moving in and out of my lungs and taste the tension in the air.

I focused on the quiet shuffle of footsteps moving around my room. First, they were on the right, then in front of me by the foot of the bed, and finally over to the left.

“This will be easier if you come out.”

I almost snorted at the word 'easier.’ Easier on him, maybe. Issac might be able to see in the dark. That was obvious when someone pointed out that I had a lamp.

I assumed they had night vision in their masks. But night vision wasn’t foolproof, and it sure as shit didn’t let them see through furniture. I just had to stay quiet and wait for my moment.

The only problem with that plan was that I wasn’t the only one being quiet. The room had fallen so silent it pressed against me, weighing down my chest and suffocating me.

My own heartbeat was the only thing left. It rattled through my chest as I strained to hear something. Anything that would betray Issac’s presence.

But there was nothing. Not a shuffle, not a whisper, not even a rasp of breath. There was just us, the darkness, and the sound of my panic threatening to swallow me whole.

I stayed as still as I could while the darkness closed in around me. It was absolute—a blackened void swallowing every shape and corner. The room was alive. Watching and listening while Issac stayed hidden somewhere inside it. He was stalking me, and the darkness was protecting him.

The only ally I had was the soft area rug underneath me. The feel of the fibers on my skin gave me an odd sense of comfort as if I could bury myself in those silky threads and no one would find me, onlymy safety was an illusion. One thatcracked witha simple sound.

“Hooooooot.”

The owl’s call smashed through the silence, making me scream and jump up, whacking the back of my head off the bottom of the bed. Panic raced through my veins. I expected Issac to pop out of the darkness and grab me. What happened was almost worse.

Issac didn’t grab me, nor was I mocked or laughed at. There was nothing but the dark and quiet.

What the hell?

Did he leave? I would’ve heard him if he left. But would I? Maybe I was so focused on my own panic that I wasn’t paying attention.

Holding my breath, I waited for a few minutes.

Nothing.

Huh? Where did he go?

I cautiously crawled closer to the edge of the bed and tipped my ear to the left, then to the right.

Still nothing.

He must’ve really left. That was a relief.

“Whoooo.”

I slapped my hand up to stop my heart from jumping out of my chest. “Stupid owl.”

That thing was evil. It almost got me caught, and was probably laughing at me right now, perched in its tree. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were working with Issac.

Speaking of Issac…

I twisted my head to look around the darkened room. There was no sign of movement or sound of any kind. Was he really gone? That didn’t feel right. What was his plan? Come in here, scare me, then go home to laugh himself to sleep. That seemed like a lot of effort for a few seconds of amusement.

Then again, I wouldn’t put it past him. Issac Kratz was the biggest asshole I’d ever met. And the term asshole might be too nice for him. One thing was for sure: I was going to give him a piece of my mind tomorrow. Maybe? It might be a better idea to avoid him altogether.

“I should charge him with breaking and entering. That would serve him right.” I grumbled while shuffling my body over the edge of the bed.

Not that charging Issac with anything would do any good. The police in this city were corrupt and completely inept. Not having the boys in blue to protect me might be a little scary if I hadn’t grown up in a bad neighborhood.

We were lucky if we could get the cops to come a week after a break-in. So, fortunately for me, I was used to relying on myself.

What I wasn’t used to was being mean or rude. How did one out asshole an asshole? I could figure that out later. The first thing I needed to do was get out from under this bed, turn the power back on, and get some sleep.

In the morning, I could talk to mom. She should have a few good ideas for revenge. She was that girl in high school. Never thought I’d be asking my prom queen mother for tips on how to be cruel.

How the mighty have fallen. But I was so out of my depth. I had no clue how to handle guys like Issac. I could barely say hi to the outcast guy in the corner that no one wanted to talk to. At least with him I wouldn’t be hiding under the bed like a scared little girl.

Shimmying along the floor on my back, I started slipping out from my hiding spot.

A sudden flash blinded me as the hum of restored power rolled through the house. I never thought the sound of a refrigerator would be comforting, but it was. That is, until I blinked away the white spots blurring my vision.

Standing on the floor, no more than an inch away from my head, were the toes of two black boots.

Shit.

My heart dropped as my eyes rolled up the legs of a tall figure to a familiar black faceless mask.

Issac tipped his head down at me. “What were you going to charge me with?”

“Um…” I froze where I was with my back on the floor and one hand gripping the bottom edge of the bedframe. “Breaking and entering?”

My eyes shifted over to my bag lying on the bedside table. Could I make it? It wasn’t far, but Issac was abnormally fast.

“Your pepper spray isn’t in there.”

Damnit. I should’ve seen that one coming. “Any chance you’ve had your fun and will leave now?”

I could sense Issac’s brow arch behind the mask. “What do you think?”

Yeah, that was wishful thinking. “What do you want?”

He already scared me. Did he want me to scream or cry? I could do that. If that were what it took for him to leave, I would scream my lungs out.

“I want to break you.”

Okay, I wasn’t expecting that, nor did I know what it meant. I highly doubted he meant in the physical sense. “Good luck with that.”

“Oh, it’ll happen,” Issac insisted. “Everybody breaks, Peaches. But when someone like you breaks, you crumble. The stronger the will, the harder the fall.”

The determination in his statement sent a chill up my spine. It might’ve been easier to give in, but I was not going to bend to anyone’s will. I didn’t care who they were. If Issac wanted to break me, then he would have to drag me out from under the bed.

My arm tightened as I moved to pull myself back into my hiding spot, but Issac was faster. His hand shot down, fingers twisting in my hair before I could move an inch.