Page 3 of Casper
Having only one direction to flee, I took off, running as fast as my legs would carry me. Now I was really glad I’d worn running shoes. Unfortunately, the halls were tight and narrow, the visibility at almost zero.
I tripped over something on the floor. Unable to see clearly in the dim lighting, I shoved it aside. It felt like a rubber limb. A glance over my shoulder revealed the guy in the mask right behind me. Something told me this wasn’t part of the haunted house experience. Instinct had my stomach knotting tight, adrenaline flooding me.
Shoving to my feet, I continued to run. I heard the heavy foot falls of the man behind me. In a desperate attempt, I shouted for my friends, calling their names one after the other. With the haunted house music playing, along with everyone’s shrieks in the distance, nobody heard me.
I had to get out of there. Maybe Codie had the right idea by trying to pair me with Casper. It would likely be a lot safer than being on my own with some weirdo tracking me.
For a moment, it seemed like I was drawing closer to the main part of the house. The sound grew louder, and I did mybest to follow it. Then I turned the corner and found myself staring at a blank wall. There was nowhere else to go.
I must have missed another exit when I’d been running. Maybe I could call one of my friends. I started to reach for my phone which was tucked away in a small pink crossbody purse. I never got the chance to pull it out before the man in the mask was suddenly there.
“Why are you following me?” I demanded, trying my best to sound brave and angry.
He stood there for several long moments, silently staring at me. The longer he stared, the more terrified I grew. This guy could murder me in here and be gone before anyone found my body.
Finally, he cryptically asked, “Are you scared?”
“What the fuck do you think?” I spat, my voice shaky. “I’m trying to find my friends. I really don’t have time for this.”
Usually, I was automatically friendly, always trying to find the best in people before deciding they sucked. Not in this case. This guy was not getting my friendly side.
“You mean Casper Callahan? He’ll never find you in time.” The guy took a menacing step toward me and stopped.
“What are you talking about? What does this have to do with Casper? I’m not here with him.” My heart jumped into my throat. Why would this jerk think I had anything to do with Casper?
“It sure looks like you are. I saw you standing with him. You went into the house of mirrors together. He can barely take his eyes off you. There’s no point lying.” He moved fast, pinning me to the wall that marked the dead end behind me.
“I’m not lying.” I struggled against him. His much larger body would not be moved.
He easily held me in place. “See here’s the thing. Casper broke one of my legs and an elbow last year. Seems the Kingsthought I was holding out on them. That was their mistake, but I paid the price. Since he broke something of mine, I think it’s only fitting that I break something of his. See where I’m going with this?”
I stared at him, hating that it was too dark to make out any details and his gross mask prevented me from seeing his face. Was this guy for real?
“That has nothing to do with me. Why don’t you take it up with Casper?”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing.” Pinning me in place with one hand on my chest, the creep helped himself to a handful of my breast through my corset. “I don’t see why we can’t have some fun before I break you into pieces.”
“Get off me,” I shouted. Putting up a fight, I hit and kicked him the best I could. He was oblivious. “Let me go.”
He pressed a hand over my mouth, silencing my screams. His hand smelled of cigarettes and car oil. A nasty combination.
“You’re a fighter, huh? Even better than I’d hoped.” His sinister laugh sent chills down my spine.
My cries were muffled. My hands pounded against his chest, doing nothing to get him to back off. I thought for sure he was going to leave me for dead.
“Let’s see what we have under here.” His free hand travelled down my body, descending under my puffy tutu skirt.
Before he touched me, he was suddenly jerked away. I slumped against the wall, sucking in a deep lungful of air tainted with haze from the many smoke machines. Casper was there, dragging the guy away from me.
Casper slammed a powerful fist into his face before tearing the mask off his head. I didn’t recognize the guy beneath. His hair was buzzed, his face unfamiliar. Casper seemed to recognize him though.
“Look at you playing the hero after all,” the guy smirked. “And she said she wasn’t here with you. I knew she was lying.”
Casper didn’t say a word in response because of course he didn’t. He didn’t need to. Instead, he punched the man a few more times before wrapping his hands around his throat and choking him. I watched in wide-eyed shock, believing I was about to witness a murder.
The guy wasn’t willing to go down without a fight. He pulled a knife from his pocket, flicking it open. Casper jerked back in time to avoid serious injury. The blade only grazed his forearm.
The two of them fought for the knife. The man kept trying to stab Casper while Casper attempted to wrestle the weapon from his grasp. A knee to the stomach made the man double over. Casper grabbed the hand holding the knife and twisted hard. The snap of his wrist was audible, making me cringe.
