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"Oh Jessica, Jessica, Jessicaaaa! I'm back!"
The metal door scraped shut, and the black cloak swirled around him as he exulted.
The room was filled with the stench of filth and rotting flesh. In the darkest corner lay a pale figure, wrapped in so many bandages she resembled a sarcophagus. Her hands, or what was left of them, were thin and shackled to the pipes.
Dehydrated and exhausted beyond the limit, her eyes were sunken, her lips cracked, and her bones pressed against her skin, yet she still breathed.
She lay in her own filth and blood, smeared on the remnants of her clothing.
He strolled over to her with a pompous hop and placed a bag in front of her.
He wore his usual fox mask and bent forward with a teasing smirk behind it.
"Did you miss me?"
It had been a week since their last "game." and the skin around her nails had just dried out.
"Hopefully not too much." He smiled and casually pulled out a key.
Jessica slowly opened her eyes and didn't even seem surprised to see her captor; it was as if she had given up all hope of making it out alive.
"I see no fear." He commented as he freed her hands. "I guess you're tired of holding on."
"Me too." He grimly whispered. "The stage has been set for my grand re-debut and I can't disappoint my audience."
Her hands fell, and she grunted in pain from her sore arms and open wounds.
"I get it, you didn't like our last game very much." He tilted his head to the side. Jessica mustered all her strength and shot him a cold glare, ready for one final push, not caring anymore. "But let's play a new one, shall we?"
Jessica parted her dry lips and whispered through her sore throat, "I'm done… playing your games… Bitch."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure you will." He chuckled.
"I even brought you an early reward." He pointed at the McDonald's bag. "You'll need all your energy for this one."
Jessica eyed the paper bag suspiciously and glanced back at him.
"What is it?... Poison?" She asked, leaning against the wall, too weak to move.
He curled his lips into a smile and calmly unwrapped the paper bag, taking out the boxes and a cup of Pepsi.
"I'm disappointed that you'd think I'd poison you, Jessica. I'm not that low." He slowly removed the fox mask, revealing his face.
Jessica's eyes widened at the sight of his black hair and sharp features, equipped with a mischievous grin.
"You." She gasped, her voice trembling.
"Me." His grin deepened.
"You did this to me." She gasped. "..Why?"
He picked up some fries from the box and bit into them. "Why not?"
He gulped the piece down, sipped some Pepsi, and turned his eyes back to her.
"Now, eat."
Jessica was still shaken by the revelation, but his words brought her back.
"No." She still refused.
"The game is called Run, Jessica, Run." He explained. "I will personally escort you out and open the door of your life. You'll have a five-minute head start, and then I'll start to hunt you. If you escape me, I'll never come after you again. But if I catch you…"
He pulled out a knife from his cloak and mimed slashing his neck.
"Trust me, eat it. You'll need it." He gestured casually, but Jessica remained sceptical and didn't go for it.
After a moment, he sighed and reached for the bag, but she suddenly lunged forward, snatched it, and began devouring the food.
"Don't choke on that." He said with disgust, but she ignored his remark and gulped it all down within a minute.
He waited patiently until she finished the drink and calmed down. Once she was calmer, he gently reached out his hands.
Jessica glanced at his hands and hesitantly took them. He pulled her to her feet in one swift motion. Her legs were tired and immobile, causing her to grunt in pain as he dragged her towards the door.
It took a moment for her to move, but eventually, she started walking, albeit sluggishly.
He pushed open the metal door, and her eyes landed on a long set of stairs leading out of the room.
It was the first time she had been out of the room since he captured her. It was a different feeling than anything she had ever experienced; she felt hope returning, along with fear.
"I just love the smell of fear." He whispered as they climbed the stairs.
Jessica gave him a side glance and turned back, gritting her teeth.
She would play his game one last time, escape this son of a bitch, and come back to hunt him down, to inflict the same pain he did to her.
She promised herself she was going to do it, no matter what.
Once they were at the top of the stairs, there was a wooden door. He gently pulled it and a stinging ray of sunlight hit her eyes, almost blinding her.
They stood in what seemed like a wooden cottage surrounded by a forest, or at least that's what she could make out from the scenery outside the windows.
He gently pushed her forward, and she stumbled to stand without his help, but managed to hold on to a table and pushed herself up.
"The game begins as soon as you step outside that door." He said, pointing at the main door leading out of the cottage.
"Good luck, Jessica."