Page 46 of Mine To Hunt

Another blow lands. BOOM!! And then another, the rhythm steady and merciless, like someone is determined to reduce the door to splinters. My knees buckle beneath me, and I clutch the edge of the table to stay upright.

I know deep in my gut that this is him. The stalker, the one who's been watching me, sending those texts, the one who filmed me without me knowing. The one who promised the whole university would see me exposed.

My mind screams at me to run, to hide, but my body won't move, paralyzed by the overwhelming dread that's choking me.

The hammering stops as suddenly as it started.

Silence crashes in, thick and suffocating, pressing down on me like a weight I can't shrug off. I can hear my own pulse thundering in my ears, feel the hot tears drying sticky on my cheeks from Ryan's earlier slaps.

Ryan's breathing comes in ragged gasps beside me, and he takes a hesitant step toward the door, then another, as if he's trying to summon the courage to confront whatever is out there.

But his hands are shaking. I can see them trembling. And it only heightens my terror because if he's scared, what chance do I have?

Then the new sound begins. Slow, deliberate scratches climbing the stairs. It's metal dragging on wood, each scrape sending shivers down my spine like nails on a chalkboard, but a thousand times worse because it's real, it's coming closer, and it's intentional.

My stomach flips inside out, nausea rising sharp and bitter in my throat. I want to scream for help, but my voice is trapped, strangled by the fear that's wrapped around my neck like invisible hands.

Ryan's voice cracks through the silence, laced with panic he can't mask. "I said, who is it? Answer me, asshole!"

No response comes. Just the relentless scratching, growing louder, nearer.

The doorknob rattles once, the sound jarring in the heavy quiet, and my heart hammers so hard I think it might burst. It rattles again, more insistent, and I back up against the wall, my hands pressed flat to the cool surface as if it can protect me. Please, no, I think desperately, tears streaming fresh down my face. Please don't let him in.

The door flies open with a deafening slam against the wall, the force of it shaking the frame.

He steps in.

The white mask gleams in the dim light, blank and emotionless, hiding everything behind it. The hood is up, casting shadows over what little I can see, and he's tall, his presence filling the room like a storm cloud.

The hammer dangles from his gloved hand. The empty eyeholes of the mask fix on us, bottomless voids that suck the air from my lungs.

Ryan charges forward like a fool, his voice roaring with false bravery. "Get the hell out of here! Who the fuck are you?"

The masked man doesn't flinch. He dodges Ryan's wild swing effortlessly, and in one fluid motion, he brings the hammer down low and fast. The sickening crunch of metal meeting bone echoes through the room as it connects with Ryan's kneecap.

Ryan drops instantly, a guttural howl ripping from his throat that doesn't even sound human. "My leg! Fuck. You broke my leg!"

I scream then, the sound tearing out of me raw and piercing, fueled by the horror unfolding before my eyes. Terror overwhelms me completely, my body shaking uncontrollably as I scramble backward until my spine hits the desk.

I'm trapped, cornered between the window and this monster in a mask. "Stop! Please. Stop it!" I beg, my voice breaking on every word.

The masked man ignores my pleas entirely. He steps over Ryan as if he's nothing more than an obstacle, and raises the hammer again, bringing it down on Ryan's lower back with a wet crack that makes my stomach lurch.

Ryan's scream turns into a broken, sobbing wail as he writhes on the floor. "No… no… please, no more! Stop!"

I can't stop screaming now, the sounds pouring out of me in desperate waves. "Leave him alone! Please, God, just leave him alone!"

My voice cracks, tears blurring my vision so badly I can barely see, but the horror of it all keeps playing out.

The masked man drops to one knee in front of me, his blank white face filling my entire field of vision. I shrink back as far as I can, my body trembling so violently that my teeth chatter together.

The empty eyeholes stare into me, bottomless and soulless, and I feel like I'm being swallowed whole by the darkness behind them. "Please. Don't…" I sob, curling into myself as tightly as I can. "Please. Don't hurt me."

He doesn't speak. Doesn't make a sound. He just reaches into his pocket and pulls out a syringe, the needle glinting under the light.

Before I can even flinch or scream again, he grabs my arm and slides the needle in. The sharp prick is followed by a cold rush spreading through my veins, numbness following fast behind it.

"No…" I slur, my tongue feeling thick and heavy in my mouth. "What... what did you… do to me?" My vision starts to swim, the room tilting sideways as my limbs grow heavy.