I watch her drive away as my cab arrives seconds later.
“Where to?” the driver asks. He frowns when I give him directions. “The highway to hell isn’t safe for a young girl at night. You know what they say about that stretch of road.”
“I can take care of myself,” I snap, although I sense his lingering hesitation. Before he objects further, I wave a wad of bills in his face. “I’ll pay double.”
His reservations vanish instantly. Cash is king, after all.
Thankfully, he doesn’t talk for the rest of the drive, giving me plenty of time to think. Being close to the guys is the only good thing about our upcoming move to Pasturesville.
My stomach flutters with excited butterflies as we get closer, and I reapply my lipstick for the third time. I’m not the only one taking a risk tonight. The guys are risking everything to see me.They’ve planned their escape for years, and this will be their first time out of the asylum’s walls.
The cab slowly climbs the mountainside. We pass many warning signs, urging drivers to be careful around sharp bends and steep drops. A sign directing to Sunnycrest has been graffitied over with the warning ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here’. The same text that sits over the Gates of Hell. Spooky.
“You can stop here,” I say, checking the map on my phone.
We’re close to the trail where we’re meeting. From there, we’ll hike through the woods to the cabin.
“Here? Are you sure?” the driver asks. “The crazy house is a few miles up ahead. They say you can hear them screaming at night. Lock ’em up and throw away the key, I say. I can still turn around…”
“Here’s fine,” I insist firmly.
After passing him the cash, he shakes his head. “Look after yourself.”
“I plan to,” I say, stepping into the night.
I zip up my black leather jacket. The cold nips my knees, making me regret my choice not to wear tights with my high-waisted tartan skirt. At least my Doc Martens should withstand the walk through the undergrowth.
The cab’s rear lights vanish down the hill. Aside from the rustling trees, it’s ghostly quiet. I check my phone. Still no word from Lex. They should be here soon. I don’t know how they’re planning to travel from the asylum, but I assume they’ve arranged some kind of transport.
I slink into the tree line to wait, hoping they won’t be much longer. Twigs snapping behind me makes my head whip around. Is it a bear? I clutch onto my tiny purse, cursing myself for packing mascara instead of bear spray.
Silence descends once more, and goosebumps pop up on my arms. I squint into the dense woodland but see nothing. I stepforward, edging closer to the road, back to safety. Maybe the cab driver had a point…
Without warning, a shadowy figure lunges and wrenches me backward. Hands smother my mouth to muffle my scream, and I stare up at a masked face. My heart thunders, thinking that I’m about to die, until I breathe in the familiar smell of burning wood.
“Shh,” Lex purrs. “I prefer you blonde.”
Explosive giggles erupt from my mouth as he releases me, and I punch his shoulder playfully.
“You scared the shit out of me!”
“You need to be careful in the woods, Miss Acacia,” he says. “Bad men could be lurking around.”
“I was kinda banking on it,” I reply, attempting to regain my cool composure but not fooling him.
Lex snickers as another masked figure emerges from the trees. He’s wearing a Ghostface mask with a large white mouth and eyes that seem to glow. Judging by his height and broad stature, I can tell it’s Aiden.
“Where’s Eli?” I look for him, hoping he’ll appear too.
“We’re still working on getting him out,” Aiden replies.
He reaches to pull up his mask, but I grab his wrist.
“Leave it on,” I say, running my hand over his body, from his chest down to his hard cock bulging against his pants. “I like it.”
“As much as we’d love to fuck you right here, right now, guards use this road at night. We need to be out of sight,” Lex butts in to kill the mood. “Let’s move.”
“Follow me,” I say, holding up my cell phone to light the way.
