Chapter 54: You Can’t Run

Chapter 54: You Can’t Run
Chapter 54: You Can’t Run

EVANGELINE

“Now, you should run.”

The words combined with the sight of the unsettling mask make me want to turn back as a shiver crawls up the back of my neck.

All I want is to ask him to take it off.

But I think it’s too late for that.

Suddenly, my back collides with something, making me realize I’m still backing away.

Feeling the hedge wall behind me, I notice the entrance we came through to my right.

I stare at him one last time—motionless, with an almost unnerving calmness—watching me from behind the disturbing mask.

Then I step into the corridor.

One minute.

The thought sends adrenaline rushing through my veins as I leave him behind with hurried, unsteady steps.

I shouldn’t have agreed to this.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, but it’s useless.

By the time I reach the second corridor, I’m already completely breathless.

It’s just a game. It’s just Aleksander.

I try to convince myself, but all I can think about is that mask.

It gives me chills.

I glance behind me before turning left into another corridor. Even though everything looks the same ahead of me, I don’t stop.

I need to find a way out.

I try to remember the path we took before reaching the fountain, but it’s useless. Left and right now look exactly the same.

It’s like walking in circles—nothing but dark hedge walls and an opening at the end of them.

Shit. I’m never getting out of here.

Feeling lost, I stop in the narrow passage before turning into another opening.

One minute… what if...?

I try to hear any sound around me.

Nothing.

Only my breathing.

Where is he?

Not knowing is agonizing.

I need to remember this is just a game. But this place… it feels too real.

Just like this feeling. Almost familiar…

I can’t lose control.

I start moving again and enter the next corridor. But when I reach the end of it, I realize there’s no exit.

Shit.

Not allowing myself to think—or panic—I spin around. My steps turn into a run as I rush back through the corridor I came from.

At the end of it, I turn and notice a split ahead.

Without stopping, I try to remember where I came from.

I choose the right side, believing it leads in the opposite direction, but the second I turn, my body crashes into something solid.

A body.

I scream when I lift my gaze and see the mask in front of me.

I recoil instinctively, feeling my legs weaken.

Without hesitating another second, I run in the opposite direction.

I don’t look back. With my heart nearly exploding inside my chest, I keep running, turning right and left without thinking until I realize—

He didn’t stop me.

Why?

I slow slightly, my feet aching, my steps unsteady in my heels.

Hesitantly, I’m forced to stop and take them off.

Leaning against the hedges, I loosen the straps around my ankles.

Relief is immediate when I feel the slightly damp grass against my bare feet, but it vanishes when I notice the dim lights embedded in the ground, creating dark, distorted shapes.

I shiver as I notice the silence around me.

Where is he?

He didn’t come after me?

Maybe he’s close.

The thought pushes me forward again.

This is insane.

Why did I scream?

It’s just Aleksander.

But that mask…

Why isn’t he saying anything?

What is he trying to prove?

You won’t be able to run anymore.

The words echo through my mind, making my heart accelerate.

I can’t.

I can’t want this.

It’s... wrong.

Suddenly, a crack echoes around me, making me freeze for a moment.

Then I bolt, my instincts sending me running again.
Feeling the grass scratch against my feet, I run as fast as I can, running into every opening that appears, determined to find the exit.

Even exhausted and unable to distinguish one corridor from another, I refuse to stop.

One corridor after another.

The feeling of being lost—and of him being able to appear at any second—pushes my anxiety to the edge.

My heart is pounding so hard I can hear it echoing in my ears.

In contrast to the deafening silence around me.

As if something is lurking nearby.

Good girl.

My stomach twists. The memory comes from somewhere dark and distant, making my entire body shiver.

Forcing it away, I speed up, running toward the next corridor.

I can barely think straight, but suddenly, an opening appears in the middle of the corridor, making me stop.

Fuck.

I smile, relief washing over me when I see what looks like the narrow stone path at the entrance and the garden lawn beyond the opening between the hedges.

I made it.

I move forward, my heels swinging from one of my hands as an almost nervous laugh threatens to escape me.

Then I stop.

The smile disappears the second I see him appear ahead, blocking the exit.

My entire body goes on alert again.

How did he…?

Suddenly, he takes a step forward, making my heart skip a beat.

No. No. No.

I back away and before he can take another step, I run in the opposite direction.

Overcome by adrenaline, I turn left, but this time, I can hear his footsteps behind me.

Fast and heavy. They sound so close that I can’t stop myself from looking back to see him right behind me.

Just a second of distraction.

Enough to make me slip and send me crashing to the ground.

I throw my hands out to protect myself from the impact. Feeling the damp grass beneath my palms, I try to react as quickly as possible, turning my body.

But it’s too late.

He’s standing right in front of me, and before I can even try to get up, he crouches down and grabs one of my ankles.

Even lying on my back, I try to escape, dragging myself away, but he grabs the other one, pulling me back toward him.

“What…?” I murmur as he leans over me.

I try to find his eyes behind the mask while my body goes into overdrive, overwhelmed by a mix of emotions I can’t understand.

“Aleksander…” I murmur, the only word I can manage before he grabs my hip and roughly flips me onto my stomach.

Breathless, I can barely process the movement when I feel the weight of his body pressing down on mine.

“What are you…? I… I found the exit.” I murmur, my heart pounding uncontrollably as heat explodes through my body.

“Shhh.” He whispers against my ear, one of his hands beginning to slide up the inside of my thigh.