Tag, You're It

Chapter 8

I was at the grocery store, buying late night snacks for myself. As I was walking out to my car, somebody ran into me. All of my stuff fell to the ground and I attempted to pick it up when the person who ran into me caught my attention.

I smiled warmly at the man who, in my opinion was attractive in his own right. The stupid girly side of me needed to make sure he knew I wasn't mad at him.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you. It wasn't my intention to make your stuff fall to the ground." The man's voice was smooth, and yet something was off about him. I trusted my gut and stood up slowly with my groceries, making myself look busy while I tried to find my phone.

"Oh?" I ask, trying to pretend to be attracted to him. "Then what was your intention?" I hold back my fear and paranoia and attempt to flirt to distract him awhile longer until someone else came out.

"Well, I was playing a game." He says quietly, his voice dropping.

"A game?" I ask, utterly confused.

"Yes, would you like to play?"

I bolt up to find myself still on the floor. Great. I probably just- A crash sounds off to my left, and though I don't see anyone in the room, I know someone is in here. I don't move for a moment and wait patiently for any sound to indicate where they are. It was pitch black in the room, and that would make sense because there weren't any windows unless you went to Alec's room. My body was tense everywhere and yet I didn't dare move a muscle.

Whoever the other person was, they were patient as well, and didn't move for a long time. I was about to give up my waiting game when I hear feet shuffle from where the crash had occurred earlier. My heart rate increased but I still didn't move for a long time.

The footsteps stopped once they were closer and I was tempted to move. Heavy breathing was heard in my ear and I screamed bloody murder before landing a solid punch to whoever it was. Their grunt told me they were a male.

I crawled backwards. My hands were suddenly bleeding as I realized I'd backed right into whatever had crashed. By my memory of the room earlier, I figured it was the vase. I shook in both fear and adrenaline, listening to the otherwise silent room. "You should have listened when he told you to stay in your room." The voice comes from my right, but I could have sworn he was on my left. Was there more than one?

My mind was reeling. If this wasn't Alec, then who on earth was it? Alec hadn't ever mentioned any other males. Alec hadn't really mentioned anything come to think of
it.

I grab a piece of the broken vase in my hand and continue to back up until I'm against a wall. It was one less way to escape, but it was also one less way to be ambushed. My heart was thudding violently in my chest and I couldn't feel my hands. I thought that was probably a good thing.

"You're not safe out here at night." The voice was deep, like a roll of thunder and it shook my bones. Somewhere in me I knew he was coming closer but I couldn't, for the life of me, hear him. "You're not safe out here at night." His words were right in my ear.

I moved quickly, acting like I would punch him with my right, and when he grabbed that wrist I shoved the piece of glass into his side. Immediately, I was released and I scrambled out of the room, slipping into the hallways. As I went to turn, a large piece of metal fell in front of me. I didn't panic and rather went to a different hallway.

Every time I tried to leave the hallway I was in, the large metal block would fall. I stopped trying after a while and crawled on the ground. Maybe there were sensors where my head would be, and that triggered the door. I got close to going into the other hallway when it fell, almost hitting me. As I rolled away I felt myself curl into a ball, trying to make sure my heart stayed inside of me. My next guess would be more difficult, but I would try it.