Good Things Never Last

Chapter 31

As the man behind the mask grinned, I froze, peering into the mask's dead eyes. We didn't move for what seemed like an eternity, just staring at each other through the glass.

I cautiously rose from behind the chair, squeezing out of my hiding spot but never losing the apparent eye contact I had with the masked man.

I take a step back, away from the window, to put more distance between myself and the man. Finally, I break eye contact and dash out the door and along the halls.

I ran for a while, taking random sharp turns and taking myself deeper and deeper into the castle's walls. The only sound that could be heard was my footsteps thumping against the stone floor echoing through the corridors.

I slow down as I round another bend, struggling for air after my sudden dash. By this point, my body was exhausted, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Slowing down to a halt, I steady my breathing, allowing me to breathe normally once more.

As I stared down at my worn trainers, the corridor fell silent, and the only sound I could hear was my weak gasps.

Cold fingers slithered around my waist, causing me to jump and kick, but they managed to keep me in place. As I backed up into an object, the chest of the man I was fleeing from, I felt warm breaths against my neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist, making his chest press against my back, and his tall stature towered over me.

"I told you not to get caught princess"
His low, soothing voice sent shivers down my spine and made my cheeks flush. I became utterly immobile in his hands, causing him to drop his guard and ease his grip on me. His sudden carelessness reminded me that I could still get away, but I'd have to wiggle free of his hands, which would be difficult.

I still wasn't moving, trying not to alert him when a thought occurred to me. I carefully turn to face him, keeping as still as possible, looking up squarely at the mask with a devious grin on my face, confusing the man in front of me. Before he could react, I raised my knee and struck him where it hurt, causing him to release his grip on me as he buckled over in pain.

I went in a U-turn and ran away from him as quickly as I could, taking as many twists and turns as possible. After running for a while, I found myself back at the stairwell and I decided to head down it, hoping the green man thought I'd stay in the castle.

I rushed down the stairs to the main door, a tight discomfort in my chest present from the lack of oxygen it was receiving. I came to a halt at the doors, quietly opening them and hoping that they wouldn't creak. Then I slipped out into the grounds and continued running.

This time, I headed for the forest, which had a lot of cover and made me practically impossible to see once I was within the tree line, but I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard a bang from behind me.

I cautiously looked over my shoulder and saw the masked man peering right at me in the doorway after he had swung the doors open. His hood had fallen to reveal his golden locks. In the sunlight and he didn't appear to be tired in the least. My spine shivered at the sight. He had the appearance of a murderous psychopath, and I was his next target.

As I reach the forest, panic rushes through me, and the cool breeze from the trees causes goosebumps to cover my arms.MI ran for my life, terrified of every twig that cracked or branch that split, till I heard a small pitter-patter noise coming from behind me. I didn't even have to turn around to realise it was Dream; the sound of his footsteps, which grew louder by the second as he closed in on me, was enough.

As the difficulty of breathing quickly became overwhelming, my panic breathing slowed me down even more, and that's when I felt fingertips brush against the ends of my hair. Shit.

Even as the piercing ache in my chest intensified and the footstep behind me drew closer and closer, I kept going. In an attempt to catch ahold of me, one of his hands would graze across my back every now and again.

My body grew exhausted soon after, allowing the man to finally grab ahold of me before toppling backwards, losing his footing. I stuck my hands out in an attempt to protect my face before I felt them hit the ground, gentler than I expected.

I slowly open my eyes to see my hands on either side of the mask, with a few inches separating our faces. He was the reason I landed softly since his arms were now wrapped around my waist, allowing me to use him as a cushion from the fall. My knees lay on either side of him as I propped myself up on his chest, heat rushing to my face.

Before I could mutter a word or even consider moving from the awkward positions, I was flung over, quickly finding myself underneath the man with my back against the muddy ground.

"That's more like it princess"
I could hear the cocky grin from behind the mask as I rolled my eyes at him, my face blossoming with colour.
"So are you going to get off of me or?"
"Oh umm yeah"
He stood up, scratching the back of his neck before taking my hand and pulling me up beside him.
"Thanks"
It came out as only a mutter but that's all he really deserved. I just watched as he walked away from me, towards what I assumed was the base.

We walked in silence for a while, a single thought lingering in the back of my mind.

"What's your name?"
He looked at me, his head tilted as if he were a puppy, evidently taken aback by my strange question.
"You know my name, it's Dream"
He returned his attention to the direction we were going, his pace quickening dramatically.

"Your name can't be Dream"
"Oh come on now, you can't seriously be that curious"
His voice was deep and chilling, making my mouth fall slightly agape at his words, only to shut rapidly.
"But I am"

Silence.

There was no response at all, and it remained that way until we returned to the base.
We continued to play our little hide and seek game for the remainder of that day, only for me to get caught every single time, which was expected. But what was shocking was how much I enjoyed spending my time with the masked man.