Psychos (Depraved Sinners 1)

A terrified gasp tears from my throat as my head whips around. I scan down the long hallway that I’d just walked through, but I see nothing but the dark, hollow tunnel. The door behind me is still open and there’s nothing blocking my view of the dim light at the opposite end. The only other door that could have made that noise is my cell door but it’s halfway up the hall. I would see a shadow if someone were there.

I stare a moment longer, my gaze sharpening as I scan from left to right, desperate to find what caused the loud bang, but there’s nothing. Not a damn thing unless he—or it—is inside my cell.

Fuck me dead. How is this happening to me? I’m a good girl. I don’t deserve this type of torture. Fuck my father. Why did they have to accept his deal? Why couldn’t they have just taken him instead?

My whole body trembles with fear and, realizing that whatever game is being played is happening behind me, I whip my head back around and start racing up the high concrete steps, only as my gaze snaps to the top of the stairs, I find a large dark hooded figure looming before me, his presence the most haunting sight I’ve ever seen.

A loud screech tears from my throat and I fall back, dropping down the bottom step and catching myself against the wall. My eyes widen in horror and as the dark, hooded figure begins stalking me down the steep stairs, another horrendous scream tears from the very back of my throat.

Turning on my heel, I bolt through the long tunnel-like hallway, my feet pounding against the hard stone beneath. My breath comes in hard, sharp gasps as tears stream down my face, but I don’t dare relent. One foot in front of the other just like before, only now it comes with a whole new desperation.

I look back over my shoulder to find the hooded figure gaining on me, yet somehow, despite his speed, I don’t hear a single noise coming from him. It’s not possible. The way he is hurtling toward me, there should be thunderous footfalls echoing my own, but there’s nothing.

I pass straight by my locked cell and race toward the other end of the hallway, trying to ignore the fact that I’d left it wide open, meaning there’s either someone inside of it, or someone very close by in the long tunnel.

The dim light gives away absolutely nothing, and as I reach the end and follow it around a narrow corner, I come to a fork—two separate pathways, each one daring me to take it.

I pull up short and quickly glance over my shoulder again, but the hooded figure is gone, which only seems to rattle me more.

“The fuck?” I whimper, the terror making my knees tremble as I try to figure out where the fuck to go.

My wide eyes flick between the three directions. Left, right, or back the way I came.

Fuck that. I can’t go back there, but what does it matter? Regardless of which direction I choose, they’re going to stalk me through the long, daunting hallways. I’m fucked no matter what decision I make, but what I do know is that I can’t stop.

I break off to the left, my feet slamming against the ground as I keep my stare up ahead. This hallway is wider than the last and judging by the old-school fire lanterns braced against the wall, it’s much shorter as well.

My gaze shifts from side to side, trying desperately to get a feel for the space and find wherever the hell these bitch-ass fuck knuckles are. There’s nothing blocking my way up ahead so I forge through, needing to put more space between me and the fresh hell behind me.

The lanterns flicker from the dim fire within them, stretching my shadow far across the hallway and distorting it with every step I take, but when that same loud BANG echoes from behind me again, my shadow is the last thing on my mind.

Picking up my pace, I run as fast as I can, bolting toward the end of the hallway. I break out into an open space that’s about as big as my fucked-up little dungeon. My eyes widen in panic. It’s small and round with five different pathways leading away from here.

“Fuck,” I pant, trying to catch my breath as I spin around, scanning over each of the pathways and trying to figure out which is the best one to take. I hear a faint dripping coming from my right and a ferocious growl from my left, but the growl sounds as though it’s coming from a million miles away. It’s probably the same animal from earlier begging me to race toward it so it can finally sink its teeth into me.