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eleven

Unmasked Manipulation

Scarlett

S ince our apartment's air conditioner broke, the sweltering heat has followed us inside, engulfing us in brutal, suffocating heat waves. Melanie and I are sitting on the couch, fanning old newspapers in front of our faces, attempting to create some sort of fan to cool our hot bodies. This summer has been brutal, and I’m glad it’s coming to an end. But with it comes autumn—and Halloween. It will be a year since Carli's murder and Shawn's disappearance. I shiver at the thought, fanning the newspaper in front of my face in an attempt to think of something else— anything else.

"Ugh, can we please get out of here and go do something?" Her body sweat covers the leather cushions as she adjusts her position on the couch.

For once, I agree with her, desiring to leave the apartment, even if it is late at night. We are both aware of the dangers that lurk in the shadows, but for the time being, we’re willing to take a chance.

"Yeah, but what?" I finish the wine cooler in my hand, adding the empty bottle to the others on the coffee table.

"How about we go down to the lake and take a little swim?"

"Oh, that sounds like a good idea."

"And maybe we can see if River wants to come. I mean, we all used to hang out there, Scarlett."

"And now you went and ruined it." Rolling my eyes, I shrug my shoulders and get up from the couch, stretching out my sore, tired muscles.

"Come on, girl. Please ? It's too hot here, and with River with us, we wouldn't have to worry about any weirdos coming after us."

"I don't know, Mel. We haven't hung out much since we broke up."

"So, just tell him we don't want to go alone at night. We need his protective, manly ass to go with us." She makes a joke of it, giving me a wink as she gets up too.

"Fine, I'll text him, but I can't promise anything." We walk down the hall, each going to our rooms to change.

Before I undress, I grab my phone and send a text to River, hoping he texts back, but a small part of me hopes he doesn't.

Hey, Mel and I are going to the lake tonight to cool off with a swim. You wanna come with us?

Since we broke up, we haven't hung out, but we've talked. I'm not sure how awkward things will be if he comes with us tonight. Luckily for me, I guess, he texts back right away, and I hold my breath in anticipation of what his message says.

When are you guys going?

Getting dressed now.

Yeah, I could go for a swim too. You want to all go together, or you want me to meet you guys there?

I only think about it for a second before my fingers quickly tap away on the screen.

Can you just come here, and we'll all go together?

Lol yeah. Still afraid of the dark, huh?

A little, yeah. Can you blame me, though?

If he only knew what happened to me in the dark, he would understand why I was still afraid. Not only am I afraid to tell anyone about the masked men, but I’m also ashamed of how much I enjoy the way they make me feel. Not the pain, of course, but the pleasure.

Shaking the disturbing thoughts from my mind, I lay my phone down on the bed and get up to change, quickly removing my shirt. When I look down, the bruises, burns, and horrifying-looking bite marks all over my breasts and stomach serve as a stark reminder of what the man in the red mask did to my body.

I cringe and blink, trying to keep the tears from falling, knowing there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to wear a bathing suit without being interrogated by Melanie and River. I decide on a t-shirt and a pair of booty shorts, slip my feet into a pair of flip flops, and gather my belongings before heading out.

When we walk outside, River is standing at the curb, a cigarette tucked between his lips. As he looks down at the ground while kicking loose stones with the tips of his sandals, his long, dark hair falls into his eyes. Under the streetlight, his sharply defined jaw pops as he tightens it.

Before he realizes we are outside, I briefly admire him and miss the man I used to be able to call mine—the one who put up with my shit for four long years and stuck by me until circumstances made it impossible to continue. His shirt clings to his body, revealing the rippling muscles that define his abdomen beneath. He turns as we approach, grinning, and flips his hair out of his eyes.

"Ready to go?" As he speaks, he grins, his eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"Yeah, let's go."

When we arrive at the lake, we notice that there are a few other people swimming there as well. We lay our belongings on the grass, and while River and Melanie change into their bathing suits, all I do is slide my feet out of my sandals, which earns me a couple of odd looks.

"Um, why are not you wearing a bikini like you usually do?" Melanie exhales, pulling her bottoms out of her ass.

"I just didn't feel like wearing one."

River looks at me suspiciously, his gaze falling on my ass, lingering, and making me shiver. "It's hot out, though."

"Yeah, and we're at a lake . I'll be cooled off in no time." Leaving the subject alone, she dashes for the water and dives in.

The moment River raises his gaze from my body to my face, a flirtatious grin forms on his lips.

"You're still sexy as shit, Scar. I've fucking missed you." He takes my hand in his and pulls me toward the water, and I follow him without hesitation.

As we jump in, everyone here turns to look at us, wide, bright smiles on their faces. They're the same guys from the beach, I think. I give a nervous smile in return and dive under the water to cool off. When I come up, I notice them still staring at me, not even trying to be subtle about it as they float in the water on their backs.

Saint

I keep staring at Scarlett, and as we drift closer to her and her friends in the water, I keep flashing her enigmatic, playful smiles that catch her attention. Rage surges through me as I notice she isn't in a fucking bathing suit, and I know it 's because of the encounter she had with Riley last night. I jerk my head in his direction, and my eyes narrow.

"What the fuck is that look for?" he chuckles, scratching the stubble on his chin.

"You know what it's fucking for. She should be in a fucking bathing suit right now, not in a damn t-shirt."

I turn my attention back to her and watch as she swims about with her friends, laughing carefree. That's all about to change again...tonight. My cock twitches at the sound of her laughter, and I know my brother is suffering just as much from it. Halloween can't come soon enough. I can't wait to tell her how this all started.

She's unaware of the dark, twisted secret that started this whole mess. The secret that will change everything when we finally tell her, is that when she finds out, it'll be too late to do anything about it because everyone she cares about will be dead, and soon she will be too.

We have no idea why we do what we do. We might do it because we thrive on excitement and pleasure. And we have never felt such intense pleasure as we do with Scarlett. We yearn for the chase, the taste of blood on our tongues, and the sensation of blood on our hands. One of the most beautiful sights in the entire fucking world is the fear in their eyes as they realize they are about to die. Almost nothing compares to it.

We move from town to town and state to state, terrorizing whoever the fuck we want. Everywhere we go, we leave our mark, and one day, the entire world will have experienced our wrath. We have never left one alive before. No one exists to tell the tale of what transpired to them. Nobody can describe the sadistic horror we subjected them to because we chose to slaughter them all. We discussed letting Trouble live, but once we’re done with her, she’ll be begging us to kill her... I almost feel bad for tricking her…almost.

"What are you in your head about over there?" My thoughts are interrupted by Blade's voice, which forces me to refocus.

"Oh, just the usual. "

"Should we make our move?" Nixon looks over at the group with a sadistic expression covering his imposing green eyes.

"Might as well. Riley, back the fuck off after what you did last night," I growl a warning and dive beneath the surface of the water, swimming right over to my troubled little dead girl.

Blade

Even as I stand on the grass, smoking my cigarette, I keep my gaze fixed on my little black-haired sinner. She looks in this direction occasionally as she paddles her legs through the water while holding out her arms. She already has my cock hard and throbbing.

The soft fabric of my shorts brushes against the piercings in my shaft as I walk, causing pleasure to jolt inside of me every time. My knife felt almost as though it were burning a hole inside my pocket as it pressed against my thigh. I just want to use it . Soon enough.

I grab the football and make sure I have a firm grip on it by putting the pads of my fingers over the laces. I walk back toward the water, my cigarette in the corner of my lips, and throw the ball in a spiral in the direction of my little sinner. Saint and Nixon dive after it, oblivious to Sinner or her friends, and purposefully collide with them. Gotcha. Saint leaps into the air and catches the ball, landing next to her with a splash.

"Shit, sorry about that." I keep my voice low, even deeper than usual, making sure she doesn't recognize it from our many other encounters.

"Oh, you're fine." She smiles—God, does she smile—and it's the sexiest fucking smile I've ever seen. She wipes the water from her eyes and runs her hands down her face, missing my grin.

"You wanna toss the ball?" Nixon looks at River and asks while feigning an evil grin.

"Yeah, sure." He takes the bait and swims in our direction.

I see Melanie batting her fake lashes in a blatantly flirtatious manner as her inebriated eyes flick at each of us. A timid smile appears on my little sinner's pink lips as she alternately casts her curious gaze between Saint and me. It's working.

"What about you, ladies? Do you want to play? " Melanie squeals before Scarlett can respond, sounding like a pig being gutted, and it makes me want to slit her fucking throat right now. But it's not her turn just yet.

"No, I think we'll just watch you guys. At least I'm going to watch you. I don't know what Scarlett's doing."

I turn to face her and smile while feigning ignorance of who she is. Saint swims up beside me, lowering himself so that only his eyes are visible above the surface of the water as he looks at her. The moonlight falls on us, bouncing off the surface of the water and giving it a sinister glow. As I bore my eyes into her, the darkness whirled in them as I watched to see if she saw a similarity between Saint and me.

"Scarlett, huh? Such a pretty name." My voice is raspy, which causes her to shiver as she smiles at the compliment.

"Than…" She pauses, and as I follow her gaze, I grin, realizing she’s looking right into Saint's eyes, which I know she recognizes. She attempts to shake herself out of the trance he has trapped her in by clearing her throat and shrugging her shoulders. "Thank you." Her voice is shaky as she finally speaks.

She jumps as Saint rises for air, which causes her to heave a small gasp. As she struggles to remember where she has previously seen those eyes, she blinks and tries to suppress a nervous smile.

"This is Blade, and I'm Saint." He shakes his head and hurls water at us while grinning devilishly.

Without warning, he spins around and tosses the ball to River. I catch a glimpse of my little sinner looking directly at me out of the corner of my eye.

Scarlett

They seem to have a certain familiarity about them that I can’t quite place. When they look at me, a chill spreads through my bones, as though I have seen those eyes before. But where?

We emerge from the water and sprawl out on the grass, gazing out at the lake while still drinking and hanging out with them. River laughs, seemingly at ease—the happiest I have seen him in a long time. Riley caresses Melanie's bare thigh and whispers into her ear as she relaxes on his lap, despite the fact that she already has a boyfriend. She devours his words, which is truly sickening. But who am I to say anything? Being out here in the night like this reminds me of my time spent in the cemetery both times. And I sort of like it.

I’m left seated here with my feet in the water, sandwiched between the two brothers of the group, while Riley and Melanie flirt and Nixon and River chat.

"I haven't seen you guys around here before. Is this your first time? Melanie asks inquisitively while popping her gum between her teeth.

"We come all the time, but we prefer to come at night." Keeping his gaze fixed on mine, Blade tells her.

"Oh, we usually come during the day. That's probably why we've never seen you before." One of them lights a blunt, and the smell of Marijuana permeates the air, tingling my nostrils as it wafts up deliciously.

"Do you guys want to hit this?" Saint asks with a soothing, hypnotic voice. With her eyes glazed over from the alcohol, Melanie reaches for it as she leans over my lap and smiles cunningly.

"Yes, please!" She laughs and takes a huge rip off the blunt.

The guys all look at us with interest, including River, who is taken aback by her actions. She is usually much more cautious.

"It's not laced or anything, if that's what you're worried about." In keeping with the seductive tone of his voice, Blade continues with a sexy smirk on his lips.

"Nah, we brought shrooms with us, though. We don't lace our weed." Now the three of us are looking at each other, remembering what happened the last time we all tripped in the woods. We tripped in the graveyard the last time, but it was acid and ecstasy.

"Did you guys want to have a little fun?" Saint asks, his brows raised, and as he licks his lips, I start to perspire.

My stomach flutters with nervousness from their intense gaze, but when I notice River's unperturbed expression, it seems to calm me down.

"By fun, you mean?" I ask, wanting to know what we are getting ourselves into.

"Well, we can smoke, eat some mushrooms, and play a game of manhunt—the adult version," Blade responds, moving in closer, his hand brushing against my thigh.

His smile soothes me, and his crystal blue eyes make me melt against him, assuring me that everything will be fine. As the alcohol flows through me, it warms me up, lowers my guard, and unknowingly makes me stupid. I take the blunt out of Melanie's hand, inhale the flavor-infused smoke, and let it fill my lungs. Blade takes the blunt from me and puffs on it before grabbing the back of my neck and pulling my mouth to his. Instead of pulling away when he grabs my lips, I allow them to part and fuse together as he blows smoke into my mouth, giving me a shotgun.

I can feel the blush on my cheeks as I pull away, but the darkness around us prevents the others from seeing it. Thank God. Along with the alcohol, the blunt is passed around, and before I know it, the baggie of mushrooms has been opened, and Nixon is handing us the foul-smelling dried stems and caps.

We eat them, chewing without breathing and trying not to taste what we're swallowing as they slide down our throats. I gag and try to ignore the taste of the rotten mushrooms as I sip the beer Melanie gives me. In an instant, Nixon and River are standing and laughing together as if they have known each other for years.

"We'll be right back, we're going to grab some wood to start a fire." River winks at me, and I return the gesture, grinning that he’s finally enjoying himself following the Shawn incident.

I’m left sitting with Saint and Blade, who haven’t left my side, as Melanie and Riley are still deeply absorbed in each other. And, strangely, it’s oddly comforting out here in the woods to know that I’m not alone with those sadistic masked men still on the loose.

"So, Scarlett, are you having a good time tonight?" After River and Nixon have left, Blade is the first to speak, his hand still resting on my upper thigh.

"Yeah, surprisingly, I am."

Saint reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and I smile. "Sorry, I couldn't see your smile," he says, which, in my opinion, makes my blush even more obvious. "Do you have a boyfriend? Is someone going to come out of the woods and kill me for sitting so close to you?”

"No, River and I broke up."

The corners of his lips pull up to meet his gleaming blue eyes as he jokes. His choice of words causes a shiver to run through my body and slowly descend my spine, but I ignore them and continue to smile.

The wind blows, whipping tree branches back and forth, giving the impression of long arms reaching out to grab me in the shadows. I shiver and blink a few times, aware that I’m just hallucinating due to the drugs taking effect. My eyes are drawn to Blade and Saint, whose large, button-like pupils catch my attention. Their curly hair reminds me of a shaggy carpet, and I want to reach out and touch it. The clouds in the sky behind them resemble cotton candy, fluffy and dark blue and glistening with glitter. I try to reach up and touch it, but everything appears to be so far away.

"Feeling okay?" One of them asks, but I’m not sure which.

My head is cocked, and my gaze is fixed on the clouds. I have no worries in the world as I gaze at them both and feel as though my body and I are feathers floating aimlessly in the sky.

"Oh, I'm feeling great. Everything looks so pretty out here."

"That's the shrooms talking." Intense shudders run through my body as Blade whispers in my ear, sending my body into overdrive. "But you're right, everything does look so pretty out here."

I look down and notice both of them staring at me, hunger visible in their eyes. Saint begins to feather his fingertips up my thigh, while Blade drags his across my forearm, tracing over my Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo.

"I bet that feels really good… doesn't it?" Blade poses the question, his touch turning playful and his voice dripping with seduction.

"Actually, it does," I admit that as the Psilocybin invades my body and the drugs run through my veins, shaking my world with uncontrollable hallucinations, everything feels more intense.

"I bet I could make you feel even better," Blade says, almost like a challenge.

"Actually, we could make you feel even better," his brother adds, giving the spot right near the apex of my thighs a gentle brush .

I shiver, losing myself in the bright blue swirl of their eyes as mine flicker back and forth between them. "Is that right? And how would you do that?"

"Let's play a little game, Scarlett… You'll see," Blade remarks while grinning mischievously as River and Nixon return carrying firewood.

My body lightens even more as I giggle out loud and struggle to sit up on my own, enlisting the brothers' assistance. Like I'm trapped in a Van Gough painting or something, my head feels heavy as the world around me spins and the colors become more vibrant.

I'm eager to find out what this game is all about.