Game of Sinners

Chapter 10 - Run

"It was a mistake," you said. But the cruel thing was, it felt like the mistake was mine, for trusting you."
― David Levithan, The Lover's Dictionary

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Fire, there was fire everywhere.

Pain exploded through every fibre of my being. There was no escape. My hands were tied to the metal pole behind me that burned my wrists and caused a sickening smell to float in the flames.

This was it.

This was the end.

The red flames roared and twisted as they licked up my face. I struggled to breathe through the smoke, the ash, the fear, the pain. A strangled plea ripped from my mouth but I didn't know what I was begging for.

A man appeared in front of me. His body dark against the flames that tore at him with his yellow eyes smirking in satisfaction at the sight before him. He leaned into me so that his cold lips touched my ear that made me gasp in horror.

Death, I realised. I was begging for death.

"This is what happens to little girls who play with fire." Reece chuckled and turned to look at someone beside me.

But the fire finally consumed me and I was no more.

---

I bolted up right, breathing hard. A bead of sweat trickled down my neck as my eyes gradually adjusted to the room around me. The fading orange light slipped through a crack in the curtain and illuminated a section of peeling plaster on the tarnished wall.

It was just a dream. Just a dream.

I hung my head in my hands and tried to calm my racing heart. It was so real. Even now I thought I could smell the smoke that had suffocated me, burned me until I was dead.

I looked down at my hands. No burns in sight. Relief swelled through me to see that they were their normal tanned colour. What did this all mean? I closed my eyes and flopped down back in bed, feeling exhausted even though I had just slept for a decent amount of time.

But as soon as my eyes closed a flash of yellow orbs flung me out of the comfort of my mind. A gasp ripped through me as I tore my eyes open and was met once again with the peeling walls of the room.

Reece...that was his name. The face that haunted my dream and now my mind had a name. I hastily wiped away the burning sensation from my eyes and wrapped my arms around my stomach.

Frank had always told me to face my problems head on, to not run away when things get bad. But the mere image of Reece in my head caused my heart rate to triple in fear. I wanted nothing more than to never see his face again but deep down, I somehow knew I would.

The door opened and my gazed snapped to the tall form entering the room. Leo had gotten changed from the sleepwear he was in before and was now dressed in a grey t-shirt and black jeans. I tried my best to ignore how well the shirt fit him and showed off his toned form but my brain wasn't having any of it.

Snap out of it Alex!

"Oh good, you're up." Leo closed the door soundlessly behind him and grabbed a leather jacket off a nearby chair. My mind snapped out of its daze at the sound of his voice. Alex you have to get out! I scrambled off the bed in an attempt to put as much distance between us and pressed my back against the curtains.

Leo's eyes hardened to stone. I tried to calm my erratic heart beat but it was no use. His jaw locked so tightly it looked like he could break a tooth.