Capewood (Book I) *Completed*

Katherine

I want to thank everyone who has been reading so much for getting me to 900 views! I never expected to make it this far in my writing journey here on Wattpad. I never saw myself getting past 100 views, let alone make it all the way to 900! Thank you guys so much for your continued support and interest in my story. This is the last chapter, and I have a special note for you guys at the bottom! 

I wake up in a small white room with monitors hooked up all around me. People in blue scrubs are wandering in and out of the room, and none of them seem to realize that I am awake. Monitors and wires are hooked up to me, and I notice that there is a pair of silver handcuffs hold me still to the bed as I try and get up. 

A nurse hears the metal clanking of the handcuffs moving and jumps back with a shocked expression on her face. "She's up!" screams the nurse. The entire staff in the room jump back from the bed as two people in black suits rush into the room. One of them has a tattoo that extends past the collar of his shirt, and his stare sends chills down my spine. The other has her hair tied into a tight bun that makes her look like she's going to be 

"Katherine LaClair?" asks the man.

"Yes?" I say. "Look what happened in that arena, is Alicia okay?"

"We need to ask you a few questions, Ms. LaClair," the tattooed man says completely disregarding the question I just asked. I roll my eyes and hold up my wrist to indicate the handcuffs attached to me.

"Excuse me; you need me right now a lot more than I need you," I say looking at the men with an annoyed expression. "I asked you a question, and considering I haven't gotten my Miranda rights, I suggest you either start talking, or I'll raise hell in this," I pause and look around the room. "I'm assuming this is a hospital?" I ask raising one eyebrow.

"You'd assume correctly," says the woman with the tight bun. 

"Oh look, you can answer questions," I say. "What happened to Alicia?"

The glance at each other and then look back at me confused. "She is dead, Katherine," says the tattooed man. "She died in the ambush when we stormed the compound you kids were in. Which leads us to the question, we know the masked man had you kids in that warehouse, but we found quite a bit footage of you, in particular, killing other kids. Care to explain that?"

It's taken me a moment to understand the exact circumstances that my situation has put me in. I'm currently handcuffed to a bed being questioned about murders that I was forced to commit for me to keep my life. 

"We," I start to say, but then start to break down I'm not in the maze anymore. This is real life. These people don't see that I was in a life or death situation, they see me stabbing someone in the stomach. They see me stabbing a girl in the head. They see me allowing someone to drown so I can get out of a room filled with water. "We were forced into a game of survival," I whisper. "It was kill or be killed. I didn't-" I begin, but I couldn't finish the word. "I couldn't just allow myself to die," I say crying. 

The people in black suits look at each other sympathetically. "Let's be real with you, Katherine,"  says the man. "We are with the CIA. My name is Agent Thomas; this is my partner Agent Beckton. We have been following the case of the masked man for many years now. Every couple of months kids in entirely different parts of the United States and Canada. They all go missing at the same time, the same night, and no one seems to be able to find any of them after they go missing." he says.

The woman steps forward and sits down on my bed. "A couple of years ago one of the kids that went missing had a .babydoll mask left in their room," she reaches into the bag on her side and pulls out the all to familiar mask that I've seen for however long I was stuck with Eros and his goons. "There was a note written on the inside of it," she says flipping it over and showing me.

"Catch me if you can!"  was sprawled out along the brim of the mask. The ink had faded from the writing, and the agent in front of me take the mask back out of my hand and places it back in her bag. 

"We don't blame you for you've done, Katherine," she says to me with a sincere look. "Charges aren't even being placed on you. However, you're the only person who has ever made it out of one of these 'games'" she says using quotation marks with her fingers. 

"Wait, you mean the winners didn't get to come home?" I ask her with a terrified expression.

"Katherine, as we've said, you're the first person that has ever made it out of these events," says the tattooed man. "I'm sorry to throw this on you, but I have to ask this. What happened in the arena?" 

I feel like my entire world has just fallen down. All of that killing, all of that fighting for survival, all for the promise of being allowed to go home and see our family. To find out that all of that is a lie is both a mix of unexpectedness and complete expectancy. 

I take a breath and explain from start to end what exactly happened in my time during the game. They sit there in a mix of horror and intrigue as I describe in vivid detail everything Eros has made me do. From the exploding cabins to the maze, to the room filling with water. Eventually, they hold up their hands. "That's enough, Katherine," says the lady with the tight bun. "You don't have to do this all at once." 

I nod at her and lean back into my pillow and take a deep breath. "Thank you," 

"Katherine we need your help," she says as she reaches her hand over to my handcuffs and unlocks my arm from the bed. I recoil my hand and begin to rub my wrist. "Will you help us track down the masked man and help us take him down once and for all? Your the closest thing we have to a clue, with your help, we should be able to figure out his next move."

"Sorry about handcuffing you, We needed to make sure that you couldn't get up and just run away," says the tattooed man.

"Also makes it harder to kidnap a girl chained to a bed," says the tight bun.

They say that difficult moments in your life allow for you to learn who you are. Throughout my time in Capewood I have had nothing but learning experiences about who I am as a person. I'm a survivor through and through is what it comes down to.

A knock on the door sends me and everyone else in the room jumping. We turn to see an eerie looking boy standing in the doorway holding two pieces of paper. "Hello, Katherine," he says softly. He walks over to the bed and hands me the two sheets of paper. The two agents grab onto him, and he just smiles at them. "You have nothing on me." 

I grab the first sheet of paper and look at the writing. 

I'll be watching, Katherine LaClair. I can't wait to add you to my collection. 

-Eros

I get nauseated and lean over the side of my bed and throw up. The agents have the boy pressed up against the bed and have him in handcuffs. I look at the other sheet of paper and once again read the words scribbled across the stage.

For Autumn and Alicia

-Julian

"Yes," I say to the two agents standing in front of me dragging the boy out. They look back at me with satisfaction and nod as they usher him out of the room and down the hallway. 

"He'll find you Katherine LaClair!" screams the boy as they go down the hallway. "Eros always gets what he wants!" He begins to laugh maniacally. 

"Yes, I'll help you," I whisper as I lean back into the bed. I curl up into a ball realizing that even though I'm free of the maze, I won't be free of Eros. 

You won't have to find me. I'll find you.

Well, that's my story! Thank you so much for all the views and votes! I read every comment, private message, and look at every vote. Thank you beyond all comprehension for allowing my story too far exceeds my expectations of what would happen in this. 

As for my announcement, if the cliffhanger didn't make this obvious, I'm having a book 2! It's called Hunted, and the first chapter will be facelclaims for the cast! Let me know what you guys think!

Until next time,

Caleb