Rat Race (Devil’s Playground #2)

18. Aubrey

Aubrey

You look like you’ve seen a ghost.

T hey’re fucking crazy.

The type of crazy that had my stomach tingling and my thighs clenching. I wanted Cam in ways I never even thought of before.

Being with them became a need. An obsession.

I once thought I was alone in the world and no one would ever be able to match up to my level. Every time I played with people and toyed with the idea of being in a relationship, it always felt flat.

They turned boring. Except Cam. They were the complete opposite of what I had expected and continued to surprise me.

During the last few hours in the maze, it became clear, even if Cam didn’t know it, that this was their world. They had the power to change people. To rule if they wanted to.

The darkness inside them was all-consuming and only showed up when they were backed into a corner. When they had a show to put on. A fucked-up, bloody show that would have the people outside know exactly what family they came from.

And I’m honored to take part in it.

I took a step back, my masterpiece finally coming together.

My watch lit up, pings filling the air.

3_TOAST_BOY_5

Fuck that guy! He got wHat he deserved!

AMZYFIELDER

Crazy bitch…. Ride the cowboy again.

“Vic is going to fucking love this,” I murmured with a smile.

Cam was at my side, a small huff of a laugh falling from their plump lips.

Hiram was nailed to the wall with spikes from the previous trap, blood still falling from the wounds. His face, which had slowly turned gray, and his eyes wide in fear, were surrounded by a painting in his own blood.

A clown. Complete with a twisted big smile and a large red nose.

Behind him on the wall was written, Happy Birthday, Vic!

It was gory. So gory. And everything I had wished for Natalie at the beginning of my time in the maze. A deplorable, embarrassing end that would forever go down in the game’s history.

I’m going to make history. Alongside Cam.

Children would look back on our Games, watch our live streams in detail. Try to recreate what we had done for years to come. They would know who we were.

My fame wasn’t just limited to my after-dark channel anymore.

The Aubrey that came into the Games with the intention of killing her archnemesis from high school seemed so far in the past that it was almost hard to believe we were the same person.

That Aubrey was hell-bent on getting her enemy and not stopping until she felt satisfied. She probably would have gone after Hiram if it wasn’t for a certain thembo cowboy hauling her ass out of the way as water rushed toward them.

But they did. They grabbed me by the hand and— literally —swept me off my feet. Up until then, not a single person had blown me away like they did.

Had excited me the way they did. And ultimately put me in my place like they did.

And fuck, I enjoyed being put in my place.

They knew what I needed, desired, and they weren’t afraid to give it to me.

“Good job, Peaches,” they praised. A thrill ran through me at the tone of their voice. The feeling of their hand slapping my clit still fresh in my mind had a shiver running up my spine.

Fuck. How did I get so lucky to run into this fucked-up thembo cowboy? For the first time in my life, I truly felt lucky .

I hadn’t met Cam because of my own skill or because of something I could control. It had been all them.

They had single-handedly changed the trajectory of how the Games were supposed to go for me. Fuck, if I was being honest, they changed the trajectory of my whole life.

Even when we got out of the maze, there was no going back. They had tattooed themselves on my heart, there was no getting rid of me or the bond we had forged.

“Welcome to the dark side,” I said and threaded my fingers through theirs. “Glad to finally see the real you.”

Their smile had my heart skipping a beat. I wondered if they knew how tightly they had me wrapped around their finger.

“I’ve always been here, darlin’,” they said and pulled me closer. They had to lean down to brush their lips across mine. “Are you ready to win this thing?”

I ran my hands up their muscled arms. I wanted to do so much more. I didn’t give two fucks about winning. I wanted to hole up in the maze and fuck them until I forgot my own name.

They were the only person that ever brough that level of pleasure to me. I wanted more of it. Wanted to see what they would do once I was all theirs. No camera. No audience. No death game.

Would they let the darkness loose if they knew no one was watching? Would they whorship me or would they degrade me?

A shiver ran through my body.

The need to please them was something I’d never felt before.

I wasn’t stupid. I knew more sponsors would come from this. That Cam and I would be set. Prize money aside, companies were going to bounce at the opportunity to have the maze duo promote their shit.

But the real world meant nothing to me anymore. Sure, the money would be nice. So would the attention and sponsorships. But it would be nothing without them. There was nothing more exciting waiting for me out there than the continuation of my life with them.

All I needed was right there in front of me. And I was never going to let Cam go. They were stuck with me, and if they ever even thought about leaving me, I would make both of our lives, and those of whoever dared interfere, a living hell.

Not just that. I would kill whoever dared take them. Slit their throat and gut them before dropping them off at Cam’s doorstep so they would know how serious I was about them.

I didn’t need to say any of that. Cam knew it. They knew just how much I was willing to do for them.

But for Cam, winning the Games was everything they had set out to do, and with it so close, there was no way I’d be ruining it for them. We could focus on everything else after. Because there would be an after. We would have an after… whatever that looked like.

So I wrapped my arms around them instead and said, “You know it, cowboy.”

And sealed it with a kiss.

It was oddly quiet in the lead up to the finish line.

The only sounds were our footsteps and slightly labored breathing.

We’d been stuck in the maze for hours. We killed multiple people—well, I did at least. We’d been betrayed, hurt, almost boiled, almost drowned.

The tiredness was wearing on us both.

My limbs were heavy, dragging me to the ground with each step I took. The only thing keeping me from stopping for a break was Cam’s desire to win. For them, I would keep going.

Even if my thighs screamed at me to stop. Even if my energy was sucked from me after the brutal orgasms they had given me. Even if the sweat had caused my makeup to run and my clothes were dirty and torn. Even if I wasn’t wearing panties anymore.

It’s all worth it.

We had been walking for maybe twenty minutes when we turned a corner, and right in front of us was an opening out of the maze. No one had come after us, and there were no signs of any other players in the vicinity.

Maybe they all died.

Or maybe the Architects had set this up just for us as a reward for giving them the show of a lifetime.

It was like a beacon. Beckoning us closer. It looked so easy.

That should have been my first red flag.

But I was just too tired to notice.

Bright lights shone through the opening, creating a break in the fluorescent lighting of the covered, concrete maze.

It’s asking us to run to it. To make a break for it because, in just a few steps, victory would be ours.

I could taste it on my tongue. Feel the cool air slap against my heated face.

But this wasn’t the only path leading out.

There were two more openings leading to the main exit. The hallways were dark but still noticeably empty.

As soon as we stepped around the corner, screams rang out. Excited, loud, ear-ringing screams. It was such a jarring noise after walking in dead silence for so long.

Like most years, the audience and press run were right outside the finish line. They would get to see the first and last of the contestants to make it through.

Whoever was first would have their photos splattered across all social media channels and news outlets.

My guess was that it was used to motivate the players. Just like the finish line at the end of a marathon, loved ones would be waiting for you and would celebrate when you won.

But this was far more fucked up, especially for the families that had to watch as one bloodied player after the next made it out of the maze, while their loved one was left inside to be taken care of by the clean-up crew, never to be seen alive again save for the replays of that year’s maze.

How pitiful. To only be remembered by how flashy your death was.

But that was the name of the game.

And it would happen for Ella. For Natalie. For Hiram.

They were dead. The only thing keeping their memory alive were the ghosts of them on every maze stream thereafter. Their “best moments” would be replayed over and over again until even their family members got desensitized.

“Wait, help me fix my makeup,” I said, pulling Cam back with a jerk.

They let out an annoyed huff, but it was twinged with playfulness. They turned to me, their hands running through my hair before their fingers swiped the sides of my lips and eyes.

I leaned into their hand, enjoying the warmth that seeped into my skin.

I’m down bad.

And it was clear for all to see. But I didn’t give a shit. I would take everything Cam was willing to give me. No matter how little.

I was reveling in the attention… until I saw a flash behind them.

I had only moments to react, but I knew if I didn’t, Cam might be lost to me forever. It was pure instinct. The way my body and mind synced together within as little as a second to protect them.

Protect them. Something I never wanted to do for even a moment in my life. Never had I wanted to sacrifice my safety for someone else.

It wasn’t who I was. I protected myself first and foremost. Always . Because no one else stuck their neck out for me, so I was forced to do it myself.

Except for Cam. Cam had been there for me throughout the entire maze, even when their life was at stake.

And now I’m returning the favor.

I placed both my hands on their chest and shoved them as hard as I could. Not expecting it, they stumbled back, their eyes widening.

Fire burst out from either side of the wall, cutting a path between the two of us. Bright red and orange filled my vision, blocking most of Cam’s figure from view. When another burst went off behind me, I gasped and turned around, the sound of my hair sizzling hitting my ear.

So fucking close.

Flames were raging around me, licking at my skin. It was incredibly hot, burning me and causing my outfit to stick to me.

Just like previous years.

I should have prepared better. Should have known that a straight shot to the end was too good to be true.

But in previous years, the contestants were often alone. I wasn’t. Not only that, but I was with Cam, and I had the utmost trust that they would get me out of it.

I couldn’t make out anything, a red haze covering my vision. The panic I felt made my breath quicken, causing me to inhale more heat, more smoke. Intense fear clawed at my throat.

I hugged my torso, trying to make my body as small as possible.

Breathe in and out.

But I couldn’t. The heat went straight into my lungs, burning on its way down and forcing a cough from me.

It wasn’t until I turned back to Cam that I realized the flames were crawling across the floor of the concrete maze, inching closer and closer to me. There was no way out. No lever to stop them from overtaking me.

I’m going to die.

It became clear in the few moments I had.

I had been lucky to make it through the trap floor, but this trap seemed designed to kill. The Architects had wanted there to be one last bang before crossing the finish line.

And they sure fucking got one.

“Cam—”

My voice died when I saw that Cam wasn’t even looking at me. No, they were staring back at the exit where the finish line was.

Just over the flames, I could make out a familiar face.

Elijah. That fucking bastard. He was smiling at them as his back stood facing the exit.

“What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?” His crazy laughter echoed through the hallway.

“Cam,” I called, panic edging my voice as the flames grew closer. “Please find the switch.”

They wouldn’t fucking dare.

When they took a step forward, my heart fucking shattered.

I had never experienced a betrayal more powerful than I felt in that moment. It crushed my heart. Felt like I was falling through the trapdoor all over again, knocking the air out of my lungs.

It hurt. Even more than the fire licking at my skin and the heat crowding my lungs.

How can they do this to me?

Realistically, I knew that the people who entered the maze were all fucked up and would probably throw someone under the bus to save themselves. Fuck, I was one of them. But foolishly, I had thought Cam was different. That I could believe their words. Their actions.

Are you ready to win this thing? They had wanted to bring me across the finish line with them. But the more I watched them and Elijah, the more frightened I got.

Don’t leave me.

I wanted to say it, but the words weren’t coming out of my mouth. Like my brain didn’t want to fully come to terms with what was happening.

Even if the fire threatened to end me.

They took another step.

Cam, don’t you leave me!

They took another and another , all without looking back.

And then I finally found my voice.

“Cam, don’t you fucking leave me here, you cunt!”