***This story is the IP of the author and should not be copied or distributed***
I feel the scruff of his beard on my neck as he leans down behind me, chuckling against my ear and I shiver. I squeeze my eyes closed as he inhales deeply and presses a soft kiss to the spot where my neck meets my shoulder.
"I'm going to give you three minutes to run ahead of me, little deer. And then I'm coming after you. If you can outrun me for twenty minutes, you win."
"What happens if I win?" I ask, my voice shaking.
"I'll reward you."
"And if I lose?" I ask, quieter this time.
"You don't want to lose, baby." He responds, his voice low, as he runs his nose up my neck and I fight down another shiver. I can feel the roughness of his pants against my bare legs. I'm dressed in boyshorts and a tank top, the material thin enough to see through.
"Can I change?" I ask, eyeing the trees through the window. It's forty degrees outside and I'm already dreading the cold. He takes a step back from me and smacks my ass.
"Better run, little deer. The clock is ticking," he says in answer and my heart leaps. I spare a quick glance over my shoulder before grabbing the door and flinging it open. He's stepped back from the door frame and looks ominous cast in the shadows of the small floodlight over the door. I'm sprinting the short distance across the yard and plunging into the trees before the cold and the fear can steal my nerve. I don't actually know where to run or how to hide in the woods. He knows this land much better than I do. Maybe if I can just keep moving, stay out of reach, I can hold out. Twenty minutes isn't that long.
Twigs and branches tear at my hair as I move, the ground crunching under my Converse. I'm running in a straight line, trying to put as much distance between us as I can in my dwindling time. When I think my three minutes is up I pause and look back toward the house. The back door stands open, but I don't see him anywhere. Taking a quick survey of the trees around me I dash to the right, hoping I can hide in a thicket of bushes covering the ground, at least until I can get an idea of where he is. I lower myself as quietly as I can, crawling under the first of the shrubbery and trying not to think of what might be living in the branches. Once I've eased back far enough to be out of sight I turn and try to look back over the landscape, but I can't see more than a few feet of ground in front of me. I strain to hear him moving, although I know it's pointless.
I continue to ease myself backward until I clear the bushes and find myself under a copse of trees with scraggly branches that look like arms reaching for something.
"I've set a timer, little deer, so you'll know I'm being fair," I hear him speaking, his voice only slightly raised. A cold sweat breaks out across the back of my neck, spreading down my spine. I cannot freeze. I cannot just sit here and let him walk up on me. I push to my feet and a twig snaps under my shoe and sends a jolt through me. I thought I was glad to be allowed to wear shoes, but now I'm worried they'll give me away. I can't see well enough out here to watch my steps. I carefully pull my shoes from my feet and leave them in the dirt at the base of the bushes as I start to make my way around the edge of the trees.
"Fuck," I whisper under my breath as I realize I'm going to have to just run like hell and hope it's enough. I pick up my pace again, feeling my lungs labor acutely. I'm definitely not accustomed to running for twenty minutes at a time, much less in the cold and terrified. I dare another look behind me and narrowly avoid crashing into a tree trunk.. I can't tell if my socks are wet or if it's just the cold from the ground seeping into my skin, making my steps clumsier. Despite the temperature, every inch of my skin is on fire. I know he's close. I can feel his eyes on me and my heart is pounding in my chest. I whimper in fear and primal desire. I desperately want to win, to outrun him, but I know I won't. He loves his games, and he's always fair. But he always wins. My core clenches when I think about what might happen when he catches me. The fear bleating in my chest heightens the feeling and makes me a little light-headed. My foot catches on something and the ground rushes toward me as I throw out my hands to protect my face. My fall is loud and I can hear his low laugh somewhere, much closer now.
"Be careful, I don't want you hurt unless I'm the one inflicting the pain, little deer." I whimper as I shuffle back to my feet. I don't know how long I've been out here, but I've got to be close to the time limit. I feel like I've been running in one direction for a lot longer than twenty minutes. I cut to my left, expecting him to be between me and the house that lies somewhere to my right out of my line of sight. I swear I can hear something beeping now and a sob rips from my throat. Just a little longer. I just have to keep moving. I'm chanting this to myself as I vault myself over a fallen tree trunk and land hard on the other side. God I hate this and I hate myself because I don't hate it at all.
I hear a heavy footfall to my right and my head snaps in that direction, knowing if I can hear him it's because he wants me to know he's there. I change directions again, running away from the sound, but it doesn't matter. I feel a thick arm wrap around my waist and I let out a shrill scream as I'm jerked back against his larger body.
"Please!" I scream, kicking out, hoping I can still break free. I know I've lost, even if I did manage to get away now, but I can't help it. My instincts demand that I fight, that I keep running away from this brooding man locking my body against his. His rough hand comes up to cover my mouth as hot tears prick my eyes.
"Begging won't help tonight, baby." I close my eyes as the tears fall and pool where his hand grips the lower half of my face. He lets go of my waist with his other arm and I open my eyes to see he's holding his watch up for me to see. It reads 19:20. 19 minutes and twenty seconds. He's taunting me again and I can hear the smile in his voice when he says, "You almost made it."