Arianna looks at me like I’ve just grown a second head. “What! No, Cassandra, I –”
“Promise me! I can’t go back,” I urge, looking at her for a second before looking back down the maze corridor.
Arianna must recognize the haunted expression in my eyes because she mutters, “Fine.”
My legs are cramping from all the running, and I know I don’t have much strength left. Running blindly isn’t going to help us, but we don’t have many other options to choose from.
We careen around another turn, and my heart soars when I see something familiar.
The bench.
The fog has its claws in my mind, but I push against it. I could cry from relief, since I think I know the directions back to where I entered. I run faster, and Arianna keeps up, though we both breathe hard.
“I’m not sure how much farther I can go,” Arianna warns.
“We’re close,” I answer, trying to save my breath.
Leon calls out again, and I bite back a whimper at how close he sounds, “Run all you want, little mouse. But the second I catch you, I will love watching you come undone for me. I’m going to fuck that pretty pussy until you remember where you belong.”
My knees buckle at his words, the heat jolting through me like I’ve been hit by lightning. The moment my steps slow, the fog pushes further into my mind. The ringing grows impossibly louder as I use the last vestiges of my free will to push against it.
As my body starts to crash towards the ground, Arianna catches my arm, stopping me. She’s looking at me in horror now, and I vaguely feel my nose starting to bleed. I frown at the offending red liquid, confusion beginning to take hold of me, as I question what I’m doing here and why I’m not with Leon.
There’s something I’m supposed to do.
Looking back at Arianna, I notice the little squirrel-gnome creature on one of the hedges chittering at us.
Of course. I promised something for Mittens.
Reaching into a small pouch, I pull out the peanut butter, open the jar, and toss it at the bushes where the little creature just jumped.
The hedges start to get closer, and I frown at my legs, wondering how I’m moving when they feel like cement blocks. There’s a tugging at my arm, and I realize Arianna is pulling me. Her mouth is moving, but I can’t hear her. There’s only the ringing in my head.
My gaze skips over to Mittens again, and my eyes widen as I watch the hedges not far from us start to pull open. The forest lies directly beyond them.
The sight is enough to push back the fog for a few more moments. The opening can’t be more than ten feet away.
Arianna pulls at me, and I take a shaky step forward.
We’re so close.
But then my eyes catch on something else.
This corridor is long, skirting the edge of the forest. And there, at the other end, I see him.
Leon has found me.
He storms towards us, and his expression turns from smug to unadulterated rage when he notices the hole in the hedge.
Time stills.
I turn to Arianna. “Kill me. Kill me and run, now.”
She slaps me instead. “Move it!” she yells, yanking at my arm.
The sting helps clear my head, and I start moving towards the exit.
Leon starts running. “Vivian! Don’t you fucking dare leave! You belong to me!” he yells out.
