Page 14 of Into Pitch

The staffer steps aside and pushes open the door at their back, gesturing me through.

I don’t move.

“I’m not kidding. I can figure out a way to take out these fancy doors you’ve got, and dude with a chainsaw back there is the least of your worries.” I tack on for added measure.

They gesture again and I huff as I slide past them, keeping my pipe leveled at what I’m assuming is a male by the size of his frame. I step into this hall, and every muscle locks up when I find more of those grotesque dolls—which I’m thinking aren’t really dolls after all, because they all wear masks—staked to the wall.

I spin around, the door slamming behind me before I can make it back to the staffer to make good on my promise.

“Something wrong?” a voice purrs and I pivot back to the man who now stands at the end of the hall. He’s not as tall as the mystery mirror man had been, but he’s got a mask on just the same. This one shaped like a wolf over his face and giving nothing away.

“Listen, I’ve had a really weird night.” I growl and shift my stance at the ready. “I fucked some dude in a plague mask, saw a woman hacking off a man’s arm, threatened to beat up not only a guy with a chainsaw, but the staff behind me. And I swear to all that is holy that if you think I’m going up on this wall, you are going to find that I’m not the one who’s going to become butterfly wall art.” I snap.

His head cocks and he pauses his advance. “You survived Plague?”

I don’t know if it’s a trick question or what he’s getting at, but I’m guessing plague mask equals Plague. Real original.

“Yeah, well he was the least of the scary I’ve witnessed tonight.”

He laughs—actually laughs.

Then to my horror he steps aside, waving for me to pass. I pivot forward, passing his creepy as shit menagerie of bodies and pray none of them reach out as I brush closer to them than the wolf.

“Just like that?” I ask warily as I approach him.

“Just like that,” he chuckles. “If I kill you now, I’ll have a very pissed off doctor on my hands. We don’t play with each other’s toys.”

He points to my wrist and I’m not stupid enough to take my eyes off of him as I ease around him. I’d dealt with enough of my mother’s coked out boyfriends to know that placing your back on a predator is never a smart move, neither is taking your eyes off one.

“Thank you for coming to Pitch, it was a pleasure having you.” He sneers and the door at my back clicks open. I stumble out of it and stiffen when I hear the absolute chaos at my back. Spinning, I raise my pipe as if expecting more horror and freeze when I find it’s just a party.

I’m outside, the strobe lights now blinding the sprawling back lawn behind the asylum where people are partying. I stumble back and look to the other doors people are filing out of that seem to be guarded by more staff members.

It’s a strange mixture of reactions that funnel out into the final party area. Some are riding a high I don’t quite understand and are dancing to the music that booms through the open night air, others are scattered about like me.

I blink in confusion when I see one guy stumble past holding a bloodied bandage to his forehead, and another wails where she covers—is she missing her whole fucking arm?

I push through the throng of wounded or blissed out people. Worry building in my chest as I search for Imogen. Someone races past me screaming, my eyes widening in terror at the scorched marks down his face. I don’t have time to ogle the horror though, so I keep moving.

When I don’t find Imogen in the bodies around me I shove back for another exit door. Because there is only one person I’d march back into hell for, and if she’s still in there, I’ll gladly go back in and drag her ass out. I make to shove past the masked staff there and am abruptly shoved back.

“My friend is in there,” I snarl and jut my finger toward the door at their back. “You will let me pass or I’m kicking everyone—”

One of the staff catches my wrist holding the pipe and I scoff when they wrench it over, exposing the charm at my wrist.

“You survived Plague and you want to go back in?” They hiss back. Survived him? He fucked me. He didn’t pin me to a wall like the wolf-guy. I’d say I got off light. Why is everyone so surprised I’m not dead right now?

“You know the rules, only forward.”

Fuck this guy.

I send my free fist directly into his windpipe and am rewarded with one right back to my ribs. Only the one I get packs a lot more muscle behind it. I curse as I’m knocked sideways and another grabs me, a fist wrenching my hair back as I’m forced down to my knees in a shocking twist.

“You can wait for your friend or you leave. You read the rules.” This one hisses and I reach up, my nails biting into flesh where I can at his wrist.

“Oh, I’ll take those rules and break them right off in your too tight—”

“Sadie!”