Just A Taste

Isabella

December 12th, 2024- University of South Carolina, Campus Grounds- 12:04 AM

Shuddering from the blistering cold, I send my friend Marlena another text: Hey, are you finished up there yet?

I waited a few minutes for a response, but it never came. I attempted to call her three times. All redirected to voicemail. Jeez, she's probably staying the night. AGAIN.

Huffing in annoyance, I send one last text: I'm going to our room. Have fun!

After no response, shocker, I know, I began my trek across the campus. Frozen down to the bone even in my white sweatsuit, gloves, beanie, and plush scarf.

Stomping away from the male dorms, I think about my friend. How must it be to live her life? All she does is party, have sex with her boyfriend, and flirt her way through tests to stay enrolled. She has no siblings, her parents are divorced, and very uninvolved in her personal affairs.

Unlike me, she doesn't have to care about the rules or having perfect attendance. Lucky.

Rubbing my heavily gloved hands together, I shout loud enough to express my anger, but not loud enough to disturb the peace. I'm done. This is the last time I'll escort her across the campus to sneak into her boyfriend Scott's dorm room before the midnight curfew.

Now I'm late for the curfew! So much for my perfect record. Daddy won't like that one bit.

Just thinking about him makes me shiver worse than the cold. Maybe he won't ask me about it? Or if he does, he might give me leniency, considering I was helping a friend?

We both know that's wishful thinking.

Yeah, you're right, I answer myself. There's nothing I can do now besides accept punishment.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" A male voice calls to me. His voice sounds desperate, or perhaps he urgently requires help.

Oh, I guess I'm not the only one wandering around past midnight in the bitter cold.

I turn to the side, toward the sound of his voice, and see him. A tall man wearing a black custom-fit suit, a matching fedora, a dark crimson scarf, black leather gloves, and leather loafers. As if his clothes weren't strange enough, he's carrying a red and white cooler. Like one you would find at a football game or barbecue.

"Um, can I help you?" I shout, my voice muffled through my hot pink white bunny rabbit scarf. "I'm still new here, so-"

"White rabbit!!!!!" He roars, charging at me, withdrawing a long, serrated hunting knife from his suit jacket.

Shrieking like a banshee, I take off running as fast as my frozen legs can carry me. My head is spinning, making me feel dizzy. This can't be real, right? A crazy guy randomly showing up and trying to kill me? This has to be a prank by the jocks or something!

Shut up and think about it! He has a knife and was looking around for someone. What does that mean? He was looking for a victim, Issa! You're the victim!

No, no, I can't be! I just got here a few months ago, I worked so hard to get my scholarship, and I haven't had sex yet! I can't die here!!!

My frantic movements, combined with panic, made me almost slip a few times. I quickly regain my footing, managing to dodge his blade by a fraction of an inch. Unfortunately, my beloved scarf wasn't so lucky. It was torn in half by the unforgiving force of the campus psychopath.

"Keep it, you crazy bastard!!" I yell, throwing it and a handful of snow into his eyes, temporarily blinding him.

As I escape, I realize something. He called me a white rabbit, so maybe he'll go away now that he has the scarf?

Girl, shut up and keep running!

He roars, flinging snow everywhere, trying to recover his sight. Crap! I gotta go!

Everything is closed right now besides the dorms, but I'm too far away from them! And if I stop to call for help, he'll catch up! Where can I go? What can I do?

The woods! It's dense, hard to navigate, and would give me a place to hide until I can call 911!

Summoning every ounce of adrenaline available, I sprint toward my leafy green sanctuary.

As I go deeper and deeper into the woods, I consider my options: one, I could duck under a fallen tree. Unfortunately, the trees were in the process of being 'thinned' for the new semester, but in this case, it's helpful. There are dozens of fallen trees and hollowed-out logs scattered throughout, which could serve as hiding places. Two, I could try and find the elusive 'shed' that's supposed to be out here, but no one knows where it is. The location is remote enough that my pursuer would grow bored and leave. Or three, I could create a fake trail by moving around randomly, then climb a high tree and wait for him to pass by.

"White raaaabitttt!!!!" He cries in a singsong tone. "Come out and plaaaayyyyy!!!"

Crap, he sounds closer. Plan three it is!

Quickly and sporadically, I pace back and forth several times, heading in random directions, before removing my boots and climbing up a tree. I use a few leafy branches to brush away my steps leading to the tree before making my ascent. Rationally, he should follow my 'trail' and move on. However, he's also running around with a cooler and a hunting knife with the intent of killing me, so I gather he's not very rational.

"Where aaaarreee yooouuuuu???" He calls, his footsteps crunching in the crisp snow. "The more you hide, the tastier you'll be when I find you!"

T-tastier???? Ew, what's wrong with this guy?

Eventually, I reach a good stopping point. High enough up that I'm no longer visible to him, but not too high that I can't see what he's up to.

Suddenly, there's silence. Eerie, heavy, and deliberate. I risk a peek down to see what's going on and shudder at the sight. He's sniffing the tattered remains of my scarf. No, that's not the right word. He's deeply inhaling it into his nostrils, occasionally stopping to exhale outward in pleasure.

"Mmm, you smell incredible, white rabbit!" He exclaims with closed eyes. "Your perfume is so unique, I could track you anywhere with its scent." His eyes shoot open, locking onto my location with startling precision. "There you are!!!!" He begins climbing the tree at an alarming pace. What is this guy, some kind of animal?

No, no, no! I can't get caught!

Completely disregarding my safety, I jump from my current position to a shorter, nearby tree. Although I don't nail the jump exactly, instead clumsily thudding into a thick branch, then sliding down the trunk, ripping holes in my winter wear with each sharp passing branch.

When I reach the bottom, I take off running as fast as I can. Panting heavily as my body slowly numbs from the gaps in my clothing, and my lungs fill with the bitter cold from excessive movement. If I don't do something, I'll die before the psycho gets me!

"You can't esccaaaappppeee!!!!!!" He roars, chasing me on all fours like a dog, carrying the cooler around his neck.

Okay, that's it. I need to distract him again. Looking around, I notice several rocks jutting up from the ground. They won't be super effective, but it's better than the alternative. Quickly, I kick loose a few sharp-looking rocks, pick them up, and throw them at the psycho's face.

He shrieks in agony as they strike his eyes, cheeks, and nose. His advances slow down significantly, and he begins to shake violently.

I laugh hysterically, watching him suffer. "Take that, you bastard!!!"

Finally, I was free, I thought to myself. But then, the ground beneath my feet disappears. I feel weightless, and then a sudden drop. My stomach rises into my throat as I fall fast and hard down a slippery hill. Like a fleshy pinball, I slam into rocks and fallen trees, knocking the wind out of my lungs.

Beaten and exhausted, I flop into the snow. Unable to evade the psycho any longer. This is it, this is how I die. Maimed, sliced up, and carried away in a cooler like a butchered animal. Tears form in my frost-bitten eyes at the morbid idea.

"There you are!" He shouts, descending the hill at full speed, knife gleaming in the pale moonlight. "Finally!!" He crawls to my side, sniffing my various injuries. "Mm, fresh blood smells good mixed with your perfume, white rabbit!"

Then he does something disgusting. He licks an oozing cut on my arm, moaning in pleasure as he samples my blood. "Oohh, you're tastier than I thought you'd be!"

He grabs my exhausted, frozen body and forces me onto my back, looking up at him like a rabbit caught in a trap. Straddling my hips, he raises his knife high. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick!"

A loud growl echoes from nearby. This makes the psycho freeze in terror, looking around frantically. Whatever it is, he's scared of it on a chemical level. As in, every fiber of his being is affected by its presence.

Thing is, it doesn't sound like any animal I've ever heard, but what else could it be? An alarm? A hungry predator lurking around for weak prey?

"N-nooo!!!!" He shrieks, dropping his knife. It gets stuck in my side, making me wail in agony. "You can't just show up like this!! I CLAIMED HER, DIABLO!!! SHE'S MINE!!!!"

Diablo? What the hell is he talking about?

Looking around, I don’t see a person, but there's definitely something there. A dark shadow darts back and forth between the trees, flickering in and out of existence like a ghost. While its presence comes closer and closer, my attacker begins to freak out. Climbing off of me, he yanks his weapon out of me and starts waving it around wildly.

Sharp pain washes over me. Instantly, I feel colder than before.

He starts screaming incoherently, rapidly looking in all directions as the shadowy figure closes in. The two begin physically beating each other with their bare fists, with occasional slices by the psycho. No matter how much damage is inflicted, the shadow doesn't relent. It keeps attacking without mercy.

I take advantage of the situation, put pressure on my injury, and try crawling away as fast as possible. Which, honestly, is hindered greatly. My fingers are numb and ache horribly as I use them to pull my weakened body through the snow. Frantically, I dig my knees and feet into the ground, trying to gain either some traction to increase my speed or to somehow get into a standing position.

The psycho lets out a gurgling scream. I risk a peek, terrified at what I see. The shadowy figure has gained the upper hand, holding the psycho up against a tree, ripping his throat apart with its bare teeth. He sputters, pushes, and claws at his attacker, but it's useless. The shadow yanks ferociously, severing the carotid artery, flooding the surrounding area in the psycho's blood. It spits a large hunk of flesh out, as if repulsed by him, then tosses his lifeless body into the nearby bushes.

Its eyes, almost glowing in the darkness, lock on me. Slow and deliberate, it stalks toward me, a dark aura eradiating off of its body.

Fuck.

"No, no!" I cry, crawling further away, kicking behind me. "I won't tell anyone, I swear, just please let me go!!!!"

The shadow grabs my legs and flips me over, revealing that the shadow is human. A man, by the looks of it. Most of him is obstructed by darkness, but I can make out certain things. For one, he's shirtless in winter! How insane is he?

He has a large, muscular physique with well-defined abs, pecs, and arms. All of which are soaked in the psycho's blood. His legs are thinner, but well-toned and covered with black torn jeans. His feet are covered in heavy, leather hunting boots. As if this entire encounter was a casual hunting trip for him.

Petrified in fear, I beg, "Please...don't hurt me..."

Crouching down, he hovers over my body, then leans in to examine my face. Loose, wild strands of hair tickle my cheek, his hot, soothing breath travels from my cheek, then my neck, and then finally, my open, bleeding injury. I gasp involuntarily from the act, my body tingles in a way I've never felt before. Like I'm being lovingly caressed without a single finger touching me.

Is this what it feels like to want someone?

Girl, he might kill you! Focus!

Pushing through the strange sensation, I whisper, "What're you going to do to me?"

He looks up from my injury, tilting his head. Like what I asked him was confusing. Without speaking, he pulls a piece of fabric out of his jeans, balls it up, and shoves it into my injury. Hard. I cry out in pain, tears running down my face.

"Shh..." He whispers in a hoarse, haggard voice. "The pain won't last, I promise." He comes back to my side and instructs me, "Push down on it hard and slow down your breathing. Help is on the way, white rabbit."

Then he disappears like the wind. As if I had hallucinated him all along. The monster that appeared like a shadow, tore a man apart like an animal, and saved my life like a human.

As he promised, I hear police sirens fast approaching. Hope fills my heart as I control my breathing and push the blockage deep into my injury. It hurt so much that I feel like I will pass out any minute.

Police officers and Emergency Responders find me, following the trail of blood and chaos, no doubt. Once the psycho is bagged up, the area is taped off for investigation. It's a funny gesture, as if any of them would accept the truth if I were to tell them. Which I don't.

My story is: the psycho chased me into the woods after stabbing me, I tried to hide, he found me, then an animal showed up and mauled him to death. Nobody believes it. Which is perfectly fine.

Because I know the truth. And someday, I'll find my savior and thank him properly. For both saving me and awakening a deep, swirling pool of desire inside me.