Suggested by @McKashi1300
Running. Running like hell. Tears carved a warm and salty canal down your face. All you could think about was running. There were predators after you, who decided that it was a good idea to play a game of hide and seek. Oh, and yes. Predators. Like as in more than one? Yeah, 4 actually.
Your lungs burned. Your chest ached. Your legs (mainly your calves) were on fire... Suffice to say, everything hurt. You were beginning to wonder why you were still running.
And then a hand slammed down in front of you.
Right, the predators. You didn't even look to see which one this one was. You simply let out a yelp of startled fear and scrambled to run the other way, nearly slipping and ending it right there. But that bought you a few more seconds until the hand came back.
A cry of alarm escaped you and you began to dodge the hand more frequently. Before you knew it, you were in a corner. The predator was smart, and they had forced you into a corner, knowing you would run from their hands. And if you didn't, they would have caught you sooner.
Either way, you lost the game.
Your back pressed into the wall as a hand approached you, wished you could just sink into it and disappear for forever. You screwed your eyes shut as a shadow fell over you, though you didn't have to wonder what would happen to you for long.
Your vision faded to black as you fell unconscious, crumbling to the floor like a broken toy.
~_~
You were just on another supply run. For the record, you knew it was stupid. There were so many predators in the house, presumably friends of the predator that already lived in the house. Also for the record, you knew that living with a predator was incredibly dangerous and stupid. And, though others might except one, you had no reason to stay in that house that made any sort of logical sense.
Anyway, it wouldn't be such a thrilling story if your little supply run went smoothly. You were on the counter, in the open. You were just trying to get more food. But of course, fate had other plans. The light flipped on, illuminating you—the poor borrower on the counter.
A deep voice rumbled, humming in thought. He had raven black hair and almond eyes, his tanned skin and facial features hinting toward Asian heritage.
"I thought I smelled a borrower," His voice rumbled over you. You wanted to run, but your legs wouldn't listen. Even as his steps shook the counter underneath your feet, even as his shadow fell over you, even as his massive hand reached for you, your legs wouldn't comply with your wishes to flee.
Your voice failed you. You couldn't even plead. All that came out was a low whine of fear. That didn't stop the hand from closing around you.
Long and thick fingers encircled you like snakes before securing themselves around you. You pushed as hard as you could against the tanned skin, but he didn't seem to notice. Or, if he did, he simply didn't care.
The latter was more likely, you supposed as you were pulled into the air effortlessly, your feet leaving the ground and your stomach remaining on the counter. Your fearful eyes looked up at the predator holding you and you struggled again in the hold. His rumbling voice stopped you, making you freeze up.
"Hey, shh. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." His breath washed over you. You took a moment to consider his words, his assurances. His gentle grip lent credence as you slowly returned you gaze to meet his. "There you go. You're safe."
Every instinct in you said otherwise. He was a predator and you know what they did to your kind. What he'd do to you.
But the smile he was offering looked so genuine and gentle, so you accepted it. You felt a strange sense of relief fill you before you offered your own smile back—shaky as it may be.
His easygoing smile dropped into a terrifying smirk, inspiring dread to make a home in your stomach.
"That's what you were hoping for, right?" The predator's smirk only grew as you began to struggle frantically. His grip tightened around you, eliciting a pained gasp from you. "Well, hate to break it to you, little borrower, but I'm a predator and this isn't some story with readers that root for you."
Something told you that he took pleasure in seeing the tears streaming down your face at his words.
"I'll make you a deal. Survive a game of hide and seek with me and my friends. Do that, I'll let you walk out, free of harm."
You nodded vigorously, wanting nothing more than a way out of this.
You should have realized that the odds were stacked against you. You should have realized that four predators against a borrower was nothing short of a lie wrapped up in a misleading opportunity of escape.
But you didn't.
You didn't hear the exact rules. You were breathing too quickly, focusing on the wrong things, praying to a god that wouldn't save you.
You only caught onto the fact that you had a minute to hide and that the first one to find you was able to do whatever they wanted to you. This was when you realized that the owner of the house has lied to you. You weren't getting out of here alive.
The owner of the house. That was Mark. You'd already taken in his features. He had, after all, crushed your hopes and dreams.
Then there was a pale boy, piercing blue eyes studying you. He spoke with an Irish accent. Jack, you'd learned his name was, had brown hair that was short on the sides but floofed at the top. He seemed to have a lot of energy, so him finding you would be arguably worse than the others, or so it seemed.
The next person you analyzed was Ethan. He had energy too, though he seemed more innocent and kind than the others. His hazel eyes were the highlight of his pale-ish, acne-filled face. Not that he was unattractive or anything, but that wasn't the point. Out of all the predators, he would likely be the best to find you, given everything.
And then there was Tyler, probably the worst out of the four if he found you. You couldn't tell what he was thinking as he saw you. He had a stone-faced appearance, with his curly brown hair and his brown eyes that hid his thoughts easily.
You snapped back to reality as you were placed on the ground. To keep it fair, Mark wasn't playing. How that made it fair, you had no idea, but you were glad that you had one less predator hunting you down.
"All of you, go outside. I'll get you when our little guest's time is up," Mark's deep voice combined with a purr would sound warm—if he wasn't talking about a game that decided your fate.
60 seconds.
You sprinted as fast as you could.
45 seconds.
There was a nook behind the toaster in the kitchen.
30 seconds.
Just made it to the kitchen. The tile is cold under your bare feet.
15 seconds.
Climbing up the counter.
10.
Climbing.
9.
Climbing
8.
Climbing
7.
You had somehow made it to the top of the counter.
6.
But
5.
There
4.
Was
3.
Never
2.
Enough
1.
Time
...
Time's up.
You held in a whimper as the predators were released to look for you. You still tried to get to the nook.
You failed.
You felt eyes on yours and you didn't even give yourself a chance to look at who it was. You just dove for your rope, still embedded in the counter, and slid down it. You ignored the burning sensation that resulted in your palms from the action and let go before your feet met the ground.
Your legs felt the shock from the landing, but you ignored that too. All that mattered was escape.
~_~
You jolted awake with a gasp. Wait, awake? Hadn't the predator killed you yet?
You forced the blossom of hope in your chest to wilt. He was likely just waiting until he could see your reactions first. Or maybe he just wanted to toy with you for a little longer.
"You're awake," a voice commented, making you flinch. You knew that voice. That hard-to-read voice.
And you remembered who had gotten to you first. That curly hair. Those calculating eyes.
You slowly sat up warily letting your eyes trail up to meet the predator's.
Tyler
1473 Words!
Hey.. Hope you enjoyed it! I'm trying I get around to everything so if you've suggested something, sorry that it's taken so long, but I'm trying haha~
Love y'all~!
~Em~