Page 24 of Ring Around the Rosie

I did it. I finally outran him.

And immediately, a sudden pain pierced my back. I cried out in pain and realized where it was coming from. It was my scar. I groaned loudly. “Not this time, Sabbath.” I started to head in a specific direction, hoping it was the way back to camp. I wasn’t even afraid at this point. I was just angry. And I just ran.

Sabbath’s laughter quickly shadowed me, and I could tell he was close. “You can’t hide from me, Rosie!” I didn’t care if I got lost. Now, I just wanted to outrun him. “Go on and run as fast as you can! You can’t hide from me. I’m going to find you. And when I do, I’m going to make you fucking scream, spitfire!” I bolted through the trees as he laughed again.

The chase went on for what felt like hours but was probably only a handful of minutes. I couldn’t push through much longer. My body was beginning to feel off. Something weird wascreeping in my veins and left me grasping for sanity. I wondered if the blunt I shared with Sabbath. Maybe it was laced or?—

Sabbath suddenly appeared in front of me, and I ran straight into him at full force. Our bodies hit the ground and rolled a bit before we hit the base of a tree. Instinct took over and, despite how I felt, I quickly crawled to my feet. I ran ahead for a few minutes and noticed a strange light that seemed to be glowing from the depths of what seemed to be a cave. I aimed for it, hoping someone would be there, but it wasn't long before my legs were pulled from beneath me. I fell forward and was instantly dragged backwards, away from the light. My head looked over my shoulder to see Sabbath dragging me away. He was shirtless, his camp t-shirt tossed over his shoulder, and he was grinning. “I’ve waited years for this moment.” He laughed. “Oh, I feel so alive!” My hands clawed at the dirt, but it was useless. He was too strong.

I whipped around onto my back and broke a leg free to kick at his chest. Sabbath only swatted my feet away and pinned me to the ground. His hair swept along my face as he ran his tongue up my neck and along my ear. “I caught you,” he rasped. “And you know what that means.” He bit my earlobe with a low growl. Sabbath pulled away and sat up as his knees straddled me. He let go of my arms and gripped my neck as he shortened my breath. I tried to peel his hand away, but he remained still with a sinister grin. His blood was smeared across his mouth and chin from me biting him earlier. He was shirtless and sweating, which only made his chest glisten in the bleak glimpses of moonlight. He didn’t look human, he looked like a fucking animal. And I was his prey.

“Let go of me,” I strained. Sabbath ran his free hand up my leg and along my inner thigh. The sensation I felt was conflicting. I liked what he was doing, but I was also against it. I didn’t know what to feel. It was as if part of me was reachingout and begging him to keep going, while another screamed to get away from him. My head ached as the two fought within myself. Sabbath seemed to enjoy the chaos brewing within me and continued to touch me. “What is wrong with me?” I shouted through clenched teeth.

Sabbath’s hand moved and made its way to my back. He pressed against my scar, and I cried out. It was both painful and enjoyable. His smile grew, and he leaned in closer. “You’re fighting the very thing your body wants.” He pressed harder against my scar, and my back arched. “Oh yes,” he purred. “Your soul burns for me, Rosie. Now, stop resisting and let your darkness out to play.” He kissed me roughly and moaned into my mouth. A soft whimper escaped my lips, and I felt as though every inch of my skin ignited. “I’m going to fuck you until your heart stops and ruptures in your chest.”

“No,” I cried out. “No!” Somehow, I was able to knock Sabbath off of me and sprint towards the cave. I didn’t look back to see if he was following; I just kept going. I ran through the never ending tunnel towards that faint light. I was so conflicted, so confused on what the hell I was feeling. Sabbath was bad. He killed our family, burned my house down, scarred my body, and had spent years hunting down. And now I was enjoying the way he touched me? What the hell was wrong with me? Why did I want him? No, it was wrong. I needed to clear my head. I needed?—

Sabbath grabbed me, scooped me up, and tossed me over his shoulder. I tried to kick my legs and hit his back, but he only slapped my ass and kept walking. “No more running, Rosie.” He moved deeper into the tunnel. “You’re mine,” he growled.

I looked around and noticed the cave had opened to a larger cave-like area. Only it reached wider and taller than any cave I’d ever seen. The new area was huge, and the walls stretched higher than the trees. I noticed long, ashen roots stretched in everydirection. My eyes followed the path of the roots and noticed how they covered the walls of the cave and branched back to a large tree seeded in the center. It was an old and ancient looking redwood that grew from the earth and up through the top of the cave and out into the woods above, leaving the top open as if the tree had punctured a hole from within it. This ashen redwood was probably the biggest tree I had ever seen, filling most of the cave and reaching taller than any other tree in the woods. Redwood roots, branches, and leaves overflowed from above and stretched out along the walls and ground. Hundreds of candles were positioned between various divots within the cave wall and filled the entire cave with a flickering orange hue that made the old ashen redwood leaves burn a bright red in the dark. It was eerily beautiful.

Sabbath threw me down on the ground. I rolled and tried to crawl away, but he kneeled behind me and gripped the back of my neck. I groaned as he pulled my head back and spoke in my ear. “No more running.” My head was hit with piercing flashes. I felt my blood boil, and the room shifted, as if my mind couldn’t comprehend it fully. “No more lying to yourself, spitfire.” Sabbath pressed the old scar, and my back arched as I whimpered into the air. It felt as though something had seeped from within the fleshy wound and covered my entire body. My thoughts began to melt, and my brain felt fried. Instead of trying to stop him, or fight him off, I found myself leaning into him. It was as if the darkness I kept tucked away inside my soul had been unleashed and was starving for him. Nothing I did could stop it from feeding.

My body instinctively pressed back into his as his grip loosened around the back of my neck. His mouth hovered over my ear, and I listened to his heavy breath. “You have no idea how much I’ve fucking missed you, Rosie.” He kissed my ear.

No.

My muscles tightened, and he noticed the internal struggle.

Sabbath gripped the back of my shirt and ripped it clean down my spine. The quick and rough motion made my skin burn. He slowly ran his hands up my bare stomach and gripped my breasts as he growled into my ear. “I’m going to fill your soul with darkness until your dead, decrepit heart beats only for me.” I felt like my sanity had rippled, and I found myself enjoying his touch. Too much. And I lost myself. A weird, heavy sensation settled over me, as if I was stuck in some warped, drug infused trip, and instead of fighting, I embraced it.

Flashes of Sabbath touching me and moving against my body mixed with the sound of our moans and the same whispered chanting I had heard before. It felt as though roots and branches were wrapping around my limbs and body, moving me like a doll. I couldn’t focus on one thing as my mind melted and flashed between the woods and what we were doing.

I closed my eyes to focus, and suddenly, I found myself kneeled and naked at the base of the giant, ancient redwood tree. Sabbath’s hands wrapped around my body, and he surrounded me. I swear I even saw the roots of the old redwood tree move and twist around us, like it was alive. The candles burned and raged as he bent me over and kissed my spine. Heavy, loud moans rolled off my lips, and I felt his long tongue as he licked its way back up my spine to my cheek and found its way back to my mouth. I could feel his hard body rock against mine. It made my center hot and wet, while an aching desire throbbed between my legs. He guided the tip of his dick against my folds and moaned as he felt how excited I was.

“Oh fuck,” he whimpered into my ear. Sabbath pressed his tip gently against my aching, wet pussy and teased me. He pushed between them and pulled back, repeating the motion as we both enjoyed ourselves. “Say it,” he whispered into my gapingmouth. “Say you missed me. Say you still love me, Rosie. After all these years. Say you’re still mine.”

Such a desperate and starving hunger controlled me. In that hazy moment, I wanted nothing more than to just be with him. To not just have him inside me but a part of me. I wanted to consume his darkness. “Yes,” I whispered. My head turned as I stared deep into his dark menacing eyes. “I’m yours.” Sabbath’s eyes glistened, and he shoved himself deep inside me. I cried out at the sudden presence and closed my eyes while he began to fuck me from behind. His hands slithered all over my flesh before they made their way to my neck. He gripped it tightly and constricted my breathing. My face burned from the lack of oxygen, but I liked it too much. He increased his speed and grunted loudly as he pounded into me.

I opened my eyes, and the cave was swaying. It rocked back and forth, and the candles flickered like lightning. I felt lightheaded and dizzy and struggled to focus while my body enjoyed everything Sabbath was doing to me. With each blink, I noticed something strange. Dark shadow-like figures were appearing all around the cave. I peered through my distorted sight and noticed the figures each wore black robes and masks. Some wore masks made of animal skulls while others wore plague doctor masks. And for a second, I swore I heard them chanting. Fuck, my head was throbbing.

“Sabbath.” My own voice sounded distorted.

What is happening?

I opened my eyes, and suddenly, I was straddling him. I slid up and down his shaft, unfazed by the fact that we were being watched. All I cared about was how fucking good he felt inside me.

Sabbath ran his hands up my body and felt every curve before playing with my nipples. I leaned back into his touch andclosed my eyes with a loud moan. “Yes.” My pelvis rocked, and I rode him vigorously. “Yes!” My body was on fire.

“Rosie.” I listened to his own distorted and overlapped voice while I continued to ride him. “Look at me.” I opened my eyes and looked down at Sabbath. “That’s right, spitfire.” He took control. “I want to see the face you make when you come. And I want you to look into my eyes and remember exactly who it is who made you come so fucking hard.” My core tightened, and I squeezed my thighs. My body was fighting itself, desperately trying to hold out a little longer. “Fuck, I know you’re close. I can smell it.” I bit my lower lip, and we rocked together. He dug his nails into my backside, and I clawed his chest. My own nails dug so deep, he bled. Sabbath groaned and rocked harder against me, as if he had enjoyed the pain I inflicted on him. It was so fucking hot. His blood seeped through the claw marks, and I leaned forward, licking them clean. Memories of our night together, long ago, flashed through my brain, and my head rang with a piercing pain. I opened my eyes and suddenly both our naked bodies were covered in blood. It completely soaked us, as if we had bathed in it. Oddly colored redwood leaves rained from above, and the masked, shadow-like figures chanted louder. My body gave out, and I cried out as I began to orgasm. Sabbath moaned alongside me as he came too, the two of us nearly screaming together. The euphoria kept rolling through my body and didn’t stop. I felt crazed, licking the blood from his flesh while I kissed him. Sabbath did the same as his hands slipped and glided along my body. Blood smeared everywhere while we continued to come. The candles surged and discolored redwood leaves rained down all around. They flickered into small bursts of fire, and soon, the entire cavern had ignited. Time slowed and I locked eyes with Sabbath. They were pitch black and bore deep into my own. I could feel the darkness within him reach down my throat and into my very soul. He was right. I couldn’t outrunthe truth any longer. I wasn’t just his. I was a part of him, just as he was a part of me. We were bound together. Forever.

Sabbath leaned forward and kissed me hard. He then forced my mouth open and that same darkness from before poured from his body into mine. Only this time, I didn’t fight it. I swallowed every last drop and embraced it.

Give me all of your darkness.

My brain ached and everything rippled, like water disturbed by a tossed stone. The chanting grew, and I listened as Sabbath moved his lips and sang to me. Only this time, instead of his usual song, he was singing with the others. No. He was chanting.

What is happening?

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