COPYRIGHT
Malady by Natalie Bennett
© 2020 by Natalie Bennett. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where the publisher or author specifically grant permission.
Cover Design: Opulent Swag & Design
Editing by: Pinpoint Editing
BLURB
Let's play a game...
Words can be powerful things, and those four just granted me a golden ticket straight to hell.
Two beautifully deranged boys have decided I'm their next acquisition.
To make things fair they give me a chance to save myself.
All I must do is beat them at a few games of their choice.
Truth or dare.
Hide and seek.
Simon says.
Seems simple until you account for the bloodied twist, they each have.
They say in all chaos there's calculation.
For my sake I hope that's true because if we’re going to play, I’m playing to win.
Malady is a completed novella. There's no cliffhanger, but it must be read after Crucible.
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT
BLURB
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EPILOGUE
CALAMITY
OPAQUE MELODIES
CHAPTER ONE
OTHER BOOKS
DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND
KEEP IN TOUCH
CHAPTER ONE
Raelynn
I was surrounded by darkness.
Surrounded by darkness and could still feel them watching me.
Realistically, this probably wasn’t possible. Not unless the cameras that’d been placed around the house were equipped with some freakish sensor like in movies. That didn’t matter, though. Paranoia had no regard for logic. My nerves had been stripped bare and rubbed raw. Beads of sweat were gathering on the nape of my neck and starting to run down my back, causing the fabric of my dress to cling to my skin.
Jace said he would be in touch, but neither my personal cell nor the one that had been stashed in the pantry rung. He’d left me hanging in limbo, no doubt on purpose.
I was too terrified to move, yet too enraged to keep sitting on my ass and doing nothing. I shifted away from the sofa and began feeling my way through the living room. The movement elicited an ache between my legs that had me grounding my teeth together.
It was a heavy reminder of what one of those deranged fucks had done not more than a few hours ago. Or maybe it was only one, I wasn’t really keeping track of time anymore. My thoughts were pulling in a million different directions.
Run.
Hide.
Call for help.
The second option wasn’t feasible for two reasons. One, Jace and Kaiden somehow had access to my house. No lock would measure up against the key that would unlock it. Two, there wasn’t any help to call, which left me with only one choice.
Hearing a soft creek, I froze, spine stiffening. All the oxygen in my lungs became trapped. I looked in the direction of the kitchen, straining to see if someone was there. Silence stretched on until my chest began to burn and dots danced before my eyes. I dragged in deep breaths of air and waited for my vision to clear before darting forward.
With my hands outstretched, I knelt and found my duffel bag exactly where I’d left it. I delved into the front pocket, finding my keys undisturbed. There was no time for relief, I was far from being in the clear and something about this didn’t sit right with me. It couldn’t be this easy? Could it? No. Not after what Jace had told me—running meant I forfeit.
Tough shit. I had no desire to play he or his brothers fucked up games.
I hated to leave behind my cat, and the idea of going without speaking to Kayla, bothered the hell out of me.
What else was I supposed to do, though? I looped my duffle over my arm, and then headed outside, ditching the cellphone from the pantry in the yard. I considered doing the same with my own but having zero way to contact anyone at all made me feel even wearier than I already was.
The silence from the house extended to outside. I shivered from the chill that was starting to strip the warmth from the air. Moving cautiously, each step taken as if I were walking across a minefield, I kept one eye on the field and the tree line expecting Jace or Kaiden to be lurking there.
Making it to my Lexus without incident, I wrenched open the door and checked the backseat. In this situation anywhere and everywhere was a hiding place.
Seeing it was clear, I tossed my duffel inside without care. There wasn’t anything in it but clothes.
I put my phone in a cup holder and settled in the driver’s seat.
Something was wrong. The dash and middle screen should’ve been lit up, my fob detected the second I opened the door.
Still acutely aware of my surroundings, I hit the lock button, nothing happened. Holding onto a last strand of hope, I pressed my foot down on the brake and held the push-to-start button.
Nothing happened.
Not a cough or a sputter.
“Come on,” I muttered, trying it again despite the obvious. “Damnit.” I leaned back and rubbed above my brow.
What the hell did I do now?
As if I’d asked this aloud, a buzzing sound erupted from within my glovebox. I jumped, lodging my heart in my throat. I stared for a second before reaching over with weighted wrists. Pulling down the hood revealed a cellphone, much like the one I’d just ditched in the yard.
A chill skipped down my spine, and it had nothing to do with the weather. How had they done all of this without my knowing? And why?
The buzzing stopped and started up again, the number on the screen showing as unknown. I answered the call with silence, bringing the phone to my ear. An exaggerated sigh came from the other line and just by the sound of it, I knew I was speaking to Jace. Kaiden wouldn’t toy with me, he’d get straight to the point. I was disturbed to even know this.
“I’m a little disappointed in you Rae. Did you really think you could just hop in your car and drive away? That we wouldn’t have considered that?”
Of course, I’d known. I’d known before stepping foot out of the house, but I had to try.
“You said you wouldn’t stop me from leaving.”
“Aht, aht,” he reprimanded. “I said I don’t recall trying to stop you from leaving.”
Tapping my fingers against the steering wheel, I tried to think of a new plan. It dawned on me then he knew I’d gotten in the car. That I’d tried to start it. Jace either had remarkable timing, or he could still see me. So, there were cameras outside too? Or…?
“How did you know I got in the car?” For sanity’s sake I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. But I needed to.
“You don’t really need me to answer that, do you?”
“Actually, I do.” I shoved my key fob beneath the seat for safe keeping. The damned thing wasn’t going to do me any good right now.
“I watch you. All the time. When you sleep. When you shower. When you touch yourself while thinking of me and my brother.”
My stomach twisted into a knot. That was the worst possible way to answer what I’d asked. I took a deep breath to try and get hold of my nerves.
&n
bsp; “You’re a fucking creep.”
“Eh. I’ve been called worse.”
“Psychopath?”
He laughed. “I’m creepy and a psycho? Is that your kink then? Because it didn’t stop me from making you come. Repeatedly.”
I didn’t hear that. I checked my mirrors and the windows of my house, then slowly scanned the field.
“Look right.”
“What?”
“The person you’re looking for. He’s to the right.”
Just how clearly could this asshole see me? Turing my head with a deliberate slowness, I strained against the darkness, staring harder at the field.
A flicker of movement garnered my full attention. I squinted, and an outline began to take shape. As I stared, it got larger, making me realize it was coming closer. The sensor light on the side of the house came on, illuminating someone in a tux of all things. If that wasn’t already disturbing enough, they were sporting an all-white tragedy mask.
“What the hell is that?”
“A playmate of sorts,” Jace replied flippantly.
A playmate? I was taken back to the scene in the bathroom. Jace had worn the companion disguise, the comedy mask.
My muscles tensed, the voice in my head screaming at me to get my dumbass out of the car and run. But where? There wasn’t anyone around for—wait.
I dropped the phone, ignoring whatever Jace had started to say. As if they’d predicted my next move, the person in the hoodie started running.
My breath caught.
I flung open the door and bolted from the driver’s seat.
I left everything behind as I sprinted down the driveway, including my own goddamn phone. Going back for it would send me right into the arms of my assailant.
Not happening.
The masked creep laughed, alerting me they were male. The sound of his heavy thudded footsteps seemed to echo around us as he pursued me.
This was such utter bullshit! I wasn’t in good enough shape to run for my goddamn life. I was a disgraced pageant queen, not an Olympian athlete. I wasn’t dressed for it either. My flats bit into flesh every time they collided with the asphalt. Terror was the only thing saving my sorry ass. Adrenaline surged through me, pushing my body past its limitations.
I swore I could feel the guy behind me breathing on the back of my neck, causing me to push myself a little harder.
The neighbor’s house was a few yards away, I could make it.
I had to.
There was a light on inside, I could see it through the side window. I sent up prayer pleading for whoever lived here to be awake.
My lungs were heaving by the time I reached her porch, nearly levitating to the front door. I pounded against it, yelling for someone to let me in.
Whoever was chasing me should’ve snatched me by now. I didn’t dare look back to see what they were doing. I needed to go forward and if this door didn’t open within the next ten seconds, I was going through a window. I drew back to knock again, and nearly fell inside, almost bowling over the elderly lady who had unknowingly just came to my rescue.
She shut the door and locked it before turning to eye me with heavy concern. “Oh, my goodness. Honey are you alright?”
“Phone?” I gasped, hunched over with my hands on my knees.
“What was that?” she crept closer.
“Cellphone. Can I use your phone?”
“I don’t have one of those but help yourself to the landline.”
She didn’t have a cellphone. What century was she still living in? I stood straight and tried to pull myself together as much as I could as I realized I was scaring her.
“Where is it?”
“Right this way.” She clutched the top of her robe and moved past me.
I double-checked she’d locked the door, and then followed her into a kitchen that had apple décor on nearly every wall and surface. The phone hung on the opposite end of the room, a prehistoric piece of beige plastic.
“Go ahead. I’ll make some tea.”
Tea wasn’t going to fix my problems, but she was sweet, and I didn’t know want to drag her any further into my mess.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, moving across the kitchen. I had no friends. My lovers were bat-shit crazy and trying to kill me.
Dialing the police would be playing a round of roulette I’d likely lose when it came to this town. The only people I could call were my parents. Just as I took hold of the phone, the power went out, plunging me and my neighbor into darkness.
“Shit,” I turned and checked any visible windows.
“The weather has always done that. Any sign of wind and I’m back to the stone age. Don’t fret honey. I keep candles in the curio cabinet.”
I watched her set the tea kettle down on a counter and shuffle out of the room, refraining from yelling at her that there wasn’t any wind.
In fact, the silence was eerier than before. I reached up and twisted my hair into a sloppy ball, then rubbed the back of my neck. It smelled like apple pie in here, for some reason my sub-conscious noticed that.
Unable to simply stand still, I started searching drawers for anything that I could use as a weapon. A loud knock caught me off guard, but I should have expected it. I was being chased. I don’t know why they hadn’t grabbed me when they had the chance, but the guy didn’t just vanish into thin air. I rushed from the kitchen to the living room.
“Don’t open the…door.” What the hell? The woman wasn’t even in here.
A muffled yell and a series of soft thuds had me whirling in the other direction. I searched everywhere trying to figure out where it had come from. This was a one level house. It didn’t seem to of come from the hall. I knew the kitchen was empty.
That left the dining room. I wanted to slap myself. Where else would a curio cabinet be?
With caution, I crept back through the kitchen and into the next room. Not knowing exactly where this woman had her furniture placed slowed me even further. I spotted the massive hutch right away. It was metal and shiny, easy to make out in the dark. One side of it was open. As I got closer, I spotted the candles laid haphazardly on the table.
“H-Hello?” I called out.
There was nothing.
No response.
Shit. There had been knock, that meant there was another door. I searched the room, noticing all the way at the end there was a wall obscuring another hall.
Going into a pitch-black enclosed space seemed a ridiculously stupid thing to do.
But ditching an old woman who tried to help would haunt me the rest of my life, regardless of how long that was.
I swallowed, and shut my eyes, breathing out a stream of air. After rubbing sweaty palms on the skirt of my dress, I started towards the hall. The power came back on when I hit the halfway point.
My spine stiffened, I paused immediately and quickly scanned my surroundings. I was still alone, and from my new vantage point I could see a side door was wide open, but the small space behind the wall was empty. There was a handrail a few spaces in front of it, though, and I couldn’t tell what was down the stairs. I waited for the masked guy to appear, but the landing remained as it was.
Damn it sucked being a decent human being. I tiptoed down the first set of steps, half expecting someone to reach in and drag me outside.
A cool breeze drifted in, alleviating some of the heat I felt in my face. I kept my back to the side and glanced around the corner. My legs went weak when I spotted her. She was sprawled at an abnormal angle, one arm twisted beneath her unmoving body.
There was blood. Too much of it for her to be okay pooled from where her chest met one of the steps, spreading across the linoleum to drip down to the next.
From my peripheral, I saw him.
He made no attempt to enter the house. Instead, he wordlessly held up the phone I’d left back at my car. The timer was going, indicating someone was already on the other line. The mask had me keeping silent as I reluctantly took it, gloved fingertips smearing
blood onto the back of my hand. I could’ve run, but the space between us was too small.
“Why did you kill her?” I asked before whoever was on the other line could speak.
“It was your actions that killed her, Rae. Don’t blame others for your mistakes,” Kaiden replied.
“She was old! And innocent.”
“No one is innocent.”
“You won’t get away with this.”
“You should return to the car now. Gavin will make sure you get there.”
I looked at the guy still standing in the doorway. That’s who was beneath the mask? He had always been an asshole, but life was full of those. I didn’t expect that to equate to a killer. Feeling his eyes all over me from behind his disguise, I shifted slightly away from him.
“Why do I need to go back to the car?”
“Because it’s time to play.”
CHAPTER TWO
Raelynn
He followed me the entire way back.
I wasn’t too keen on him being behind me, but surprisingly he kept a respectable distance away, and whatever he’d used to kill the woman who’d tried to help me was nowhere in sight.
I wrapped one arm around my middle and cradled the cell with my other. I knew the image of the her lying on the stairs would haunt me soon, but right then all I could think of what was coming next.
Kaiden hadn’t said a word since telling me it was time to play. He was still on the other line, cheerfully whistling an Elvis tune.
The walk back seemed longer than the run had been. Reaching the end of the driveway, I tried to prepare myself for whatever I would be told to do.
Simon Says. That’s what Jace had said he wanted to play. God knows how this was going to go. It was a classic childhood game, one I remembered from my elementary school days. I doubted this version would be remotely the same, but I had no other option than to play. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—run through town getting other people killed. I had to be the one to help myself.
Which meant I had to win.
“I’m here,” I said, noticing my car door was shut.
“Are you in the driver’s seat?”
“…no.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Hop in.”
His upbeat tone ground on remainder of my nerves. I pulled the door open and got in the car. The dash lit up as did the center screen. Whatever had been done earlier was already fixed.
Malady (Deviant Games Book 2) Page 1
