Page 102 of Like A Moth To A Flame

This rabbit was hopelessly, helplessly trapped in the wolf’s deadly jaws.

25

I see monsters in my bed. I’ve got screws loose in my head…

Moth

The music continued to pulsate around us, a wild and discordant melody that seemed to mock my plight. The partygoers carried on, blissfully unaware of the battle raging in our small corner of the world. He pulled me along, gently swaying to the melody as we weaved through the crowd. Along the wall at the back of the ballroom, there was a single door beside the stage. Firmly yet gently, he pulled me toward the doors, and with a final look over his shoulder to be sure no one followed us, he threw the door open and led me through it. reaching over to snatch one of the LED candles as the doors slid shut behind us.

Through the door, the ambiance changed drastically. No longer were we in the crowded, vibrant ballroom, but instead in a long, dimly lit hallway. He pulled me gently along, gripping me tightly enough to assure me he had no intention of letting me go but also giving me a small reprieve from his heavy presence. My heart raced as I wondered what he had planned next.

The hallway seemed to stretch on for miles, but eventually, we reached a set of double doors at its end. They were black, made of heavy, ornate wood, adorned with iron handles and hinges. The wolf mask, still over his eyes, gestured for me to go first, and I did so, pushing the door open.

I knew where this set of doors led—it led to the three flights of spiral stairs that climbed all the way to the very top of the clock tower.

Why was he taking me there?

As I stepped through the doorway and onto the first step of the spiral staircase, a new emotion bubbled inside of me.

It was excitement or something like that. I wanted this, didn’t I?

Well, if I was ever questioning it before, I wasn’t now. I was batshit insane.

I remembered the things he’d said on the phone last night, and a heavy weight dropped deep down into my belly.

With each step, the air grew colder, and the silence grew heavier, as if the very walls were closing in on us. I could feel his hot breath on my neck, and I knew he was waiting for the moment to strike. The darkness enveloped us, the only light coming from the flickering glow of the candle in his hand. He climbed the staircase quietly, the only sound coming from my heels and my shaking breaths.

As we climbed higher and higher, each new landing shed more and more light from the moon glowing over our heads. In the shadows, behind his mask, he seemed more like a predator than he ever had before, his eyes glinting with a hunger that only grew stronger with every step we took.

We emerged into the tower’s observation deck, illuminated by the moonlight that seeped through the warped glass panes. I looked out onto the city, my chest rising and falling with every bated breath I took.

His grip tightened around my waist as he pulled me close to him, the warmth of his body a stark contrast to the biting bitterness of the night air—a sign that fall was coming quickly.

“Who are you, really?”

I couldn’t fight the question as it slipped from my lips, my voice a shaking whisper. This place, so high above the city streets, felt truly isolated. It was just us, and the towering shadows that bent and swayed all around us.

His eyes met mine, and I could see the flicker of a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

“Does it matter?”

“Of course, it matters,” I said, my courage rising so high in my throat that it threatened to strangle me.

“You’ll find out soon.”

“When?”

He stayed quiet, but the arms around my waist pulled me closer. He bent, his lips finding the crook between my neck and my shoulder, leaving a trail of heated kisses in their wake, scorching my bare flesh and pulling a violent shiver out of me.

“Soon,” he whispered, his voice vibrating through me. “Just wait and see.”

The scrape of his teeth against my flesh sent a jolt through me, and I turned, eyes wide in the darkness, as I stared into the eyes behind the mask.

Those eyes had a deep sort of familiarity that I couldn’t shake. I felt safe with him, even if I knew I shouldn’t.

Despite everything I had been taught about the dangers of trusting strangers, I couldn’t deny that I felt a pull towards him. It was almost as if something deep and buried in the back of my mind recognized him, even if the front of my brain didn’t.

He pulled me into a deep, searing kiss, his tongue slipping past my lips and exploring my mouth. I could taste champagne and secrets, the tang of the unknown hidden beneath. I lost myself in the taste of him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him down to me. His hand traced along my cheek, the touch gentle yet somehow firm. His other hand slid along the length of my back, tracing feather-light trails along my spine until I shuddered.

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