05
Pure terror followed, but before they could even react, the rev of a chainsaw filled the air. The Chainsaw Maniac
had caught up.
Miranda’s face twisted in horror. Sean stood frozen, his expression unreadable. But in that moment, I knew
exactly what they were thinking, let the Chainsaw Maniac kill us first.
Severin sighed, barely paying them any attention. He finally had me in his arms, probably thinking, ‘These idiots just have to interrupt.‘
Severin looked completely unfazed. Behind him, the headless Chainsaw Maniac suddenly froze, like it had sensed something.
The roar of the chainsaw cut off instantly. For a moment, everything was dead silent. Then, without warning, the Maniac turned and walked away.
Severin didn’t even glance at it, he just slammed the door shut behind him. His eyes locked onto mine, so calm. Then, out of nowhere, his hand wrapped around my neck. Not too tight, but firm enough to keep me in place.
“You burned my castle,” he murmured, voice slow and deliberate. “Blew up my territory. Tell me, how should I
make you pay for that?”
His face was clearer than ever now and just like that, everything came rushing back. All those nights, just like this one, where I had clung to him.
All the times I had given him everything–my heart, my trust–all of it. And for what? To be nothing more than a plaything to him.
The injustice of it hit me like a punch to the gut. I thought I was over this. I thought I had let him go. But standing here, with his hands on me again, it all came crashing down.
I didn’t fight him, didn’t beg or plead. I just turned my head away, refusing to look at him, even as tears slid down my face.
The second he saw them, his whole demeanor shifted. His grip loosened in an instant and before I could react, his fingers were brushing my cheeks, wiping them away.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” His voice softened, almost hesitant. “I only said a few harsh words. But you dumped me and blew up our home.”
I let out a shaky breath, looking up at him.
“That time,” I whispered. “You called me a plaything.” My throat tightened. “I was ready to stay with you. And
that’s what you thought of me.”
Severin froze. He hadn’t expected that I had heard every word and there was no taking it back. Everything had been going according to plan. It was so close to working.
I couldn’t let it fall apart now.
Severin lowered his head, his expression unreadable. His fists clenched at his sides, like he was holding something back.
I waited for him to explain, to say something. But he didn’t. He just turned and walked away.
I stood there, frozen, not sure how to feel. Relieved? Heartbroken? Neither felt right, but there was this tightness in my chest that wouldn’t go away.
I should have been glad he didn’t kill me, but instead, I felt… off. Like something wasn’t sitting right. Severin was gone, for now, but I knew better.
He was the final boss of this level. I had no idea why he was here, but that didn’t change anything. I still had to get through this.
Each floor of this apartment had its own boss. Everyone else was scrambling to figure out their stories, digging through their pasts to find clues, hoping it would get them to the next stage.
9:29 AM
My Cheating Boyfriend Got Me Into a Horror Game
But I knew the truth, none of it mattered. The only way out was through him. If Severin didn’t want me to leave, I wouldn’t. It was as simple as that.
So I just sat there in the hall, watching everyone else search while I did nothing. Sean, though, was acting weird.
Ever since that night, since the moment he saw Severin in my room, something had changed. He kept coming around, trying to get close to me, even though Miranda clearly hated it.
He was suddenly all thoughtful and caring, acting like he actually gave a damn. And it just made me laugh. Like, really? Now he wanted to be nice?
He was part of the reason I was stuck in this nightmare and now he wanted to act like he cared. Did he hit his head or something?
I ignored him, but he just kept pushing. And the more he tried, the more it pissed me off.
