Theirs to Chase

Chapter 6

Eveline

I scramble out of the pumpkin house on shaky legs, trying to find my surroundings and locate where I am.

What the hell was that?

He seemed different, but it was the same pumpkin mask and clothes as when he went to call the cops. Did he even call them?

Helvete.

I look around, panic making my chest heave, but it’s so dark. I need to find the exit—I can’t fucking be here anymore. Heaving, I spot a map of the park, and with the help of it and a dimly lit lamppost, I manage to find which way to take to find the exit.

This feels like a sick game of hide-and-seek.

I find the exit, the looming gates with that ominous pumpkin above it. But as I try the gates, they refuse to budge open because the electricity is off.

“ Little pumpkin, come out, come out, wherever you are,” a voice singsongs behind me, deep and raspy.

I look back, seeing his bloodied clothes and that pumpkin mask covering his face. Fear spikes inside me, even when I know I have no reason to be scared…right?

I try the gates again, wiggling them in a futile attempt to force them open.

He steps even closer, an ominous presence in the shadows behind me. I can’t breathe, can’t think, as I desperately try to open the gates.

I’m locked in, trapped with a man who both terrifies and arouses me.

Where the fuck are Nadia and Max?

I veer off, my only thought on hiding from Eros who now seems to stalk toward me. I run through roller coasters, looking around in an attempt to find the office.

Why hasn’t no one called the cops?

My heart sinks, feet pounding against cobblestones as I push my way forward, barely daring to look behind me in case he’s stalking me. I suddenly halt outside the spooky ride, where the sign reads “D?dens T?g.” Death’s Train.

It’s a journey through tunnels closing in, scenes of ghostly figures appearing, and the unnerving feeling of someone poking you in the back from the backrest of the train cart. A haunting melody drifts through the air, provoking a slight tremor in my limbs.

That’s not the only thing catching my attention.

A shrill scream tears through my own soul, and I move without thinking, rushing toward it, straining to identify that feminine voice.

“Nadia?” I call out when I stand precisely outside of the spooky ride, hearing the creaking of a cart before it stops. Nadia and Max emerge from it, their faces ashen, like the ghosts said to haunt this ride.

“Nadia?” I call again, anxiety knotting my stomach.

Tears brim the corners of her eyes as she spots me, rushing forward to crush me in a hug.

“What the fuck were you doing in there?”

Max looks at me, his eyes darting nervously around. “We were pushed into the ride which started before we could get out…”

Nadia holds me closer, a little tighter at his words.

“T-there were people there. T-tied to the t-trail…”

Her tears stain my dress, and I’m frozen in place, staring at him.

“We saw a man in the shadows, smiling with a sickening sweetness as our cart crushed the people.”

It’s not until then that I notice the blood stained on their faces. A lump lodges in my throat as I take in both of them.

“He was toying with you,” I whisper, and Nadia nods.

The lights are suddenly turned on, making the blood even more evident, and Nadia’s breath hitches at the sight.

“We need to get out fast, before the power cuts again. The gates won’t open without it.”

Max nods, gripping Nadia’s hand.

“None of this feels right,” Nadia mutters, voice trembling.

“I think we were set up,” I say with a tightened throat. “Remember when I told you our boss said she never invited us?”

“Fuck…” Max breathes, nearly retching.

“Eveline?” a voice calls from the shadows, filled with concern. Eros steps into the light, his hair even more disheveled than before.

Heat flushes my cheeks at the thought of what we did earlier, and my earlier suspicion is gone as if by the wind. He was with me when the people were murdered. Guilt hits me, knowing I’ve now been suspicious of him multiple times.

“Are you okay? I couldn’t find you after I went to the office. I couldn’t find a phone.” His green eyes look into mine, and it suddenly feels as if I’m swallowing glass that tears through me.

“Didn’t you c-come back?” I stare at him.

“I did, but you were already gone. You made me worried when I couldn’t find you after.”

Bile burns my throat. He never came back. Then who did I fuck? Nausea rattles my stomach as the realization hits me—I was so caught up in the moment, so turned on, that I didn’t stop to think about who I was with.

“Eveline, are you okay?” Nadia asks, worried eyes looking me over.

“Yeah, you look pale,” Max chimes in.

My mouth dries. “I’m fine,” I lie.

Eros’s eyes catch mine with a worried glance, but all I feel is a sick twist in my stomach.

“Let’s go,” I say, and we scramble toward the exit. “Y-you said there wasn’t a phone in the office?”

He shakes his head. “I was thinking we could get to my house and call the cops. Right now, we need to get to safety.”

I glance at Nadia, knowing she’ll go home with Max—they cling to each other like they might never let go. Max steps forward to push the gates open, which are luckily unlocked, and the four of us scramble to get outside.

“You shouldn’t be alone tonight,” Nadia says, hugging me in silent approval.

“If you’re not comfortable with that, I can drive you home,” Eros offers, and Nadia’s eyes catch mine, a glint of mischief shining through.

“Call me tomorrow,” she says, though I can tell she’s too preoccupied with hugging Max to pay me much attention—traumatized from the night’s events. So am I.

“Yeah, fine,” I whisper, watching as my best friend and Max dart from the park, as if the devil himself is hunting them.

Eros takes me to his car, and I can’t help the trembling in my body. My mind is still unable to process what happened before—a surreal dream I can’t escape.

“Shhh, don’t worry. We’ll be home soon,” he says, fingers squeezing my thigh as we drive away from the amusement park. The car door locks, echoing how trapped I suddenly am.

That tone—it’s the same the murderer used when he fucked me deeply.

“Shhh, don’t worry. You will soon come.”