ROBIN

I never picked a call from an unknown number so I let the phone ring several times. It rang three times before I had to put it on silent.

Whoever was calling me wasn't about to give up. I answered the phone reluctantly. My heart was beating wildly against my chest.

"Hello, who's this?"

There was no sound on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

I shivered as a spike of fear ran down my spine. I hung up the call.

I knew who was doing this. The phone rang again.

This time, I answered it on the first ring, "Gage, I will kill you!"

Flinging the phone onto the couch beside me in frustration I stood up to lock all the windows and doors of the apartment.

The penthouse had security cameras and sensors to notify me if there was a break-in. There was no way anyone would even be able to step foot inside the house.

I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard my phone vibrate. It was face down so I couldn't see who had texted me.

I picked it up to check the screen. Swiping it, I noticed a message from an 'Unknown' number.

89675xxxx: Check your security camera.

Me: How did you get my number?

There was no reply to the text.

On shaky legs, I walked into the room with flat screens that showed me most of every corner of the apartment. There were four screens aligned side by side.

What I saw there on the screen, nearly gave me a coronary. A man stood outside my door. A large man with a muscular built wearing a military hoodie. He was familiar, I had no doubt as to who this was.

My heart sped up as I watched in the grainy video as he knocked on the door and waited.

My cell phone buzzed in my hand. I looked at the screen to see another text popped up.

89675xxxx: Open the door.

I watched shocked as he thumped on the door. I heard the sound in the room loud and clear. When I didn't move from the spot, he knocked again, hard this time. He punched at it, and looking at those powerful biceps, I could tell that he could have no problem breaking the locks.

It was a good thing I'd installed the best ones. He couldn't get in.

He dug his hand in his pockets and fished out something. I walked towards the screen to get a closer look. It was a lock picker.

He'd come prepared.

What would happen to me if he broke into the apartment? A cat and mouse chase perhaps? And why was I shaking uncontrollably if this is something that I'd wanted?

He began working the lock and I watched anxiously as he turned the sharp thing several times before the door unlocked. He gave it a gentle push.

He was going to enter the penthouse.

Dark images filtered my mind. Images of depravity, clothes ripped off, bound, and vile things done to me. Stuff that you could only see on the True Crime side of YouTube.Blurred images that were too gory to be put on the internet.

Apartment rampaged, bloody sheet on the bed, a man raiding the refrigerator for food while my dead body lay beneath the debris of my clothes. Lifeless, eyes vacant, no clothes. He's going to finally dissolve me in the jacuzzi tub with some strong acid. When he's done with his routine, he licked his fingers, the same fingers that were coated with my blood.

"No!" I screamed. "Nooooo!"

I locked the security room door and redialed the number he'd called me previously on.

He answered it.

"Game over," I yelled into it. "Game over...."

His hand stopped at the doorknob, when he heard those words, he closed it behind him and walked down the hallway, disappearing from the screen.

My body sagged with relief. Tears of relief sprang from my eyes.

I'd never been so scared out of my wits. It was true what Gage had warned me about.

This was no joke. It was a haunt, a real one.

I was playing with the devil.

This was similar to buying an Ouija board, playing with it, and thinking you weren't going to be haunted by demons.

This is what I wanted, didn't I? To be so scared that I wouldn't be able to think of anything else and in a fucked up way, he'd done just that.

That night I didn't touch my sleeping pills. My old therapist would have called this an achievement. That's me sleeping without the pills after sixty days of Julian's death.

I didn't want to be sleepy or drowsy if he returned. I needed to remain alert.

There was a text on the app.

RaisedByWolves90: You're not as strong as you say you are.

RaisedByWolves90: I could almost imagine the snot dripping out from crying so loud. Geez.

NotADamsel10: You were BREAKING INTO MY APARTMENT!

NotADamsel10: I could report you to the police. I bet you left the fingerprints on the knob.

RaisedByWolves90: You can but you won't, right, Snowflake?

NotADamsel10: Don't call me that.

RaisedByWolves90: Pets need to be named. Yours is Snowflake ❄️

RaisedByWolves90: Oh and I was wearing gloves, just so you know.

RaisedByWolves90: To be fair with you, I'll ask you again. Do you want to continue playing? If this is too much for you, we can stop.

RaisedByWolves90: Take your time to reply.

I slept the night thinking about it while also expecting the door to be struck down and killed in my bed.

Even though being constantly on your toes was not easy, looking over your shoulder for the guy who wanted to play these games, or even fearing the outcome of this, it still helped me to not succumb to my nightmares or go to that dark place into my mind.

I knew I wanted this.

The next morning I texted him back.

NotADamsel10: I want to continue.

RaisedByWolves90: Alright. I'm going to leave an envelope on your doorstep. Do not open it. It's for emergency purposes only. In the unfortunate event that something happened to one of us, that letter would explain everything.

A letter arrived that evening and as much as I was tempted to take a look at the contents of the beige envelope, I knew I would be breaking the rules of the game.

I'd agreed on his terms so I wasn't going to read it.

Instead, I wrote a letter of my own. I typed one page on my laptop, detailing my meeting with Gage and how I'd entered into this willingly. I also mentioned the terms I had agreed upon.

Lastly, I removed the laptop password and cleared my search history. Below the laptop was Gage's letter. On top of the letter were words written.

To whom it may concern.

I called my parents one last time and then talked to Kimberly. I told them I was going on a trip and taking a break from social media to concentrate on my mental health (they knew I was having a hard time dealing with my shit). I informed them that I wasn't going to answer calls for the next ten days.

It didn't strike them as strange as they were pretty used to me not being in touch for weeks. Kimberly asked me the "whys" and "when can I be in touch" but that was all. It reminded me how easy it would be for me to disappear from the face of the earth and no one would even notice.

I donated some of my clothes to charity.

I had a hunch that I wasn't coming back from these games and the fucked up part was that I didn't care.

* * *

It was the week when the real games were scheduled.

As per Gage's instructions, I booked a hotel room for a ten days stay, parked my car in the hotel parking lot, and commuted by public transport.

Since my phone was switched off, no one was going to contact me. There was a ton of money in my bank accounts which I'd already mentioned in the letter that I wanted to be donated to charities in case of my death.

For five days I would look over my shoulder and get scared because of the slightest of moments. By the end of the week, I was sure Gage had changed his mind about the games, he didn't want to play anymore.

Disappointment settled inside me.

Friday night I came to the bar alone and bought myself a Cosmo. I was mostly just people watching. It was my second drink and I wasn't even drunk enough to call it a night but there was a guy at the end of the bar who sat staring at me. It made my skin crawl.

I ordered a plate of nachos because I didn't want to drink on an empty stomach.

When I turned around in my seat, the man from before had sidled up beside me, he was still wearing that cocky smile.

"Can I buy you a drink?"

Ugh, the usual pick-up conversation.

"No, thanks. I'm good."

I stole a glance in his direction. He was kinda cute with his curly hair and large eyes. He reminded me of Quarterbacks.

He took that response as most guys would. I was just trying hard to get. He thought I was asking him to try harder so the next thing I know he was ordering me a drink.

"Nice shoes and I love that dress. I think red looks sexy on you."

Give me a break. I know the guy was trying and I was being mean but I wasn't in a mood to flirt.

"Thanks."

"You having a bad day?" He asked.

"Kinda."

He chuckled, "Well too bad, but if you give me a chance, I can at least make tonight better."

I sighed. "I really don't want the drink. Excuse me."

I climbed off the seat and made my way towards the neon sign of the bathrooms.

I did my business and walked out of there, calling a cab but the damn Uber was late. I was going to cancel this ride and call another one but that would just mean wasting more time.

I started walking down the street in the darkness. The dress was short and red hot. I don't even know why I was wearing this, maybe because it was collecting dust in the closet and it was the first thing I saw when I opened the wardrobe.

"Hey, do you want a ride home?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned.

The cute guy from the bar earlier stood a few feet away from me.

Oh my god, he just followed me the entire way from the bar.

"No. I'm good." I called out as I sped up.

Even though I'd told him I didn't need his help, I heard the sound of footsteps behind me.

I turned around, "Leave me alone!"

He wasn't taking no for an answer.

A black SUV came to a halt and a guy stepped out of the car. My blood turned to ice when I saw who it was. The same tall man that had been terrorizing me for the past few weeks, the same man that I couldn't stop thinking about, who I'd willing allowed to torment me.

I guess he loved wearing hoodies, or that was his trademark for fashion. This time it was a white one, beneath dark denim. He turned to the guy who'd been stalking me.

"You causing my girlfriend trouble?" His voice was a smooth baritone, dark and riveting. It was the first time I'd heard him talk.

I could only assume he had a murderous expression because the other guy flinched.

The stalker raised his hands in surrender, "Was just trying to help."

"Well, she doesn't need your help anymore. I'm here to take her home."

"Alright, man. You guys take care." Without another word he turned and walked towards the bar.

When he was gone, Gage spun around slowly to face me.

My chest rose and fell as I took deep breaths, taking a step back, then another.

From one predator to another.

I stepped back slowly and took off without stopping to look but before I could get any further, a hand grabbed me forcefully, the other was pressed to my mouth. He cradled me like a lifeless doll to his body.

I was no match to his power. I began thrashing and kicking him.

This was a bad idea. It was real.

Too real!

Tears began forming in the corner of my eyes. I started to yell at a passing car for help but he pulled me away to hide near the bushes where it was too dark. A ball of cloth was pushed into my mouth.

All the sexy softness from his voice was gone when he said, "If you scream, I'll slit your throat and you're going to bleed here. You don't want that, do you? Nod if you understand."

I managed to give him a small nod.

"Good, now you're coming home with me, Snowflake."

* * *

Chapters 5 & 6 updated on Inkitt. Read Free and early updates on my Inkitt! link in the bio. 

Please Like and Comment if you enjoyed reading.