Page 10 of Run Little Fawn

"You've been chosen, Aria," the voice says, maddeningly calm in the face of my panic. "Chosen to play a very exclusive game. A hunt, to be precise."

"A hunt?" I repeat, my mind reeling as I try to make sense of his words. "What are you talking about? What kind of sick game is this?"

"The rules of the game are simple," he continues, ignoring my questions. "Rule number one. I am the Hunter, and you are the fawn. Tomorrow morning at seven sharp, you will leave behind your life as Aria Moreau. As the fawn, your one and only goal and purpose in life is to run. To evade capture for as long as possible.”

"And if I don't?" I demand. "What happens if you catch me?"

There's a long pause full of implications that leave an empty pit in my stomach.

I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly dry as sandpaper. This guy is a fucking psychopath. "And if I refuse to play?"

"Then the Hunt ends before it begins," he says, his voice hardening. "And your loved ones pay the price. Your sister, your mother, your best friend. Their lives are forfeit if you choose not to participate."

Tears sting my eyes, hot and bitter as the reality of the situation sinks in. This can't be happening. This has to be some kind of nightmare, a fever dream brought on by too much alcohol and stress.

But deep down, I know it's real.

This is fucking real.

"Why me?" I whisper. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Rule number two," he continues, ignoring my question. "The fawn may use any and all means to escape and evade the Hunter, up to and including lethal force, with one notable exception detailed in rule number three. Any legal or fiscal consequences for said tactics will be remediated by the Order."

"The Order?" I choke out. "What the hell is the Order?"

"Tonight, you will receive a package containing everything you need to fulfill your role as the fawn," he continues, ignoring me once again. "Rule number three. The one thing the fawn may not do in order to evade capture is to enlist outside help that would make any external parties aware of the hunt. This includes everyone from police to family, friends, and random civilians. If the fawn chooses to violate this rule, the Hunt will immediately come to an end, and the fawn immediately forfeits the lives of the following associates."

I freeze, listening.

"Ava Moreau, Olivia Moreau, and Natalie Chen."

The world spins around me as his words sink in, each one hitting me like a physical blow. I clutch the side of the phone booth, my knuckles turning white as I struggle to stay upright. My mind races, trying to make sense of the nightmare unfolding before me, but it's like trying to hold onto smoke.

He continues, his voice picking up speed as he rattles off the rules like a twisted game show host. "Rule number four. There will be seven hunts. Each hunt may last for as long as it takes for the Hunter to find and claim the fawn, up to a maximum of seven days. If the fawn manages to evade the Hunter for longer than seven days during any of the seven hunts, the game is over and the fawn is victorious."

Seven hunts.

Seven chances to escape, to outrun this madman and his sick game.

"Rule number six, the Hunter may not use any of the resources the fawn has been given to track her location. Rule number seven—if I catch you during the first six hunts, I fuck you."

I can't breathe.

I can't think.

This can't be happening.

It has to be a dream, a hallucination, a bad trip. But the cold metal of the phone booth bites into my skin, the static on the line crackling in my ear, and I know with a sinking certainty that this is all too real.

"And what happens," I manage to choke out, my voice barely above a whisper, "during the seventh hunt?"

There's another pause, a moment of silence that stretches on for an eternity. And then, in a voice as cold and final as stone, he purrs his reply.

"If I catch you during the seventh and final hunt, I kill you."

What?

"Why are you doing this?" I demand, my voice breaking on the words. "What the hell do you want from me?"

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