Page 70 of Venomous Kiss

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.