I don’t want Mat to end up like me. It’s enough that I, the top-floor boys, and my long-dead predecessors know this kind of life.“There were kids like you who got pulled into this ‘game’ before. Back then, I was the one who brought them in. One girl and one boy. The girl was lucky and survived, but the boy died.”“….”“Just like Jerome and the others use the workers, they’re only using you. It never ends well… believe me. That boy…”I swallowed. My throat hurt.“That boy burned alive.”Silence followed.Mat broke it.“That boy…”He looked me straight in the eye.“Was it Cal Purs?”“….”I was taken aback. I hadn’t expected him to know about Cal. What on earth was Jerome planning with Mat? Was Mat really Cal’s substitute? Or Hue’s…? No. It was absurd. Jerome just wanted more thrill in our little game. Mat was nothing more than that. It was far more likely he’d use Mat as he did Cal. Jerome didn’t truly care for boys like Mat. The only one he cared for was me.Mentioning Cal’s name had buoyed Mat. He was so stupid I couldn’t even sigh. But I wouldn’t give up on him. One regret was enough—one Cal was enough.My silence must have struck Mat differently. He stubbed out his cigarette and touched my cheek.“Jerome told me everything, Ray…”Mat pressed his face against my chest, nuzzling like a spoiled animal.“It’s been hard, right? So stop being stubborn. Then you won’t get hurt anymore.”“…Didn’t Jerome say I should encourage you?”Mat’s face fell in confusion. He must have thought ‘give hope’ meant ‘give up.’ I let out a bitter laugh.“Jerome loves it when I’m rampaging and screaming. Didn’t he tell you?”“So… I…”“You said he told you everything? He once got really disappointed in me. Now he just wants to love me without that ever happening again.”At those words, Mat’s face went ice-cold for a moment. It was jealousy. I felt a chill run down my spine. I couldn’t imagine how, but Mat seemed to love Jerome.Suddenly I understood why Jerome had drawn Mat in. To him, everything was just a game. Mat’s feelings—no, Mat’s entire existence—were just a toy to be played with and discarded. Foolish, ignorant Mat would never realize it, and would be used and thrown away.But… how could Mat love Jerome? After everything he’d seen happen to me? He was a monster. They all were. I couldn’t fathom loving them.I watched stunned Mat in my arms and sighed quietly. This game was harder than dealing with Jerome. I had to face Jerome and save Mat at the same time. Only one thing was clear: I had no chance to save him right now.While Mat clung to me awkwardly, I heard many footsteps entering the cabin. Soon a dozen workers appeared in the living room, their shirts off from the heat. Mat sprang up at the noise and cowered in a corner. The workers glanced at him but didn’t say a word. They approached me in silence, and behind them stood Noose, holding that rope fashioned into a noose.Noose grinned and stepped forward. I sat on the mattress and looked up at them. I remembered the worker’s promise, that I’d get more by morning.“You look tired. Have you been waiting up for us since last night?”Noose said cheerily.“Looks like this bastard’s excited to see some pussy again.”“….”“Yeah, that’s the look, Marine. Keep that face for me—it’s hot as hell.”Noose’s words were cut off as the workers lunged. I sprang up and dodged but was soon grabbed by claw-like hands.“Let go, goddamn it!”I screamed and fought, but they stripped off my pants. Gritting my teeth, I twisted my head to meet Mat’s as he huddled white-faced in the corner. His stupid face made my vision blur.In that moment, all of it felt like my future—inevitably set in stone.This couldn’t be. I couldn’t live or die like this. I wouldn’t let those top-floor boys toy with and discard my life.I braced myself and took the thrust. Until I killed them or died trying, I couldn’t give in. I watched Mat’s face, growing dazed, as he witnessed my rape.Through it all Noose didn’t touch me. He just stood by the mattress, stroking his mustache, watching as each worker took a turn. Though he was aroused—his zipper tented—he didn’t lower it. He waited for something. Whenever our eyes met, he’d tap his noose against his thigh and grin. Looking at that leering face, I knew the night would be long.Eventually the workers finished and left—only the three of us remained: Noose, Mat, and me. Mat crouched motionless in the corner like an invisible ghost. Noose ignored Mat. He crouched beside me on the mattress and spoke smoothly.“How’s your neck? You’ve got a nice purple bruise.”Noose’s hand touched my throat. I slapped it away with my bound hands. He laughed with satisfaction.“Last night was dangerous, Marine. You’re an outsider, so you don’t know, but coyotes roam these woods. They’re vicious. Some have even tasted human flesh.”“…But it was pretty quiet last night.”“That’s because of me.”Noose bared his disturbingly white teeth. I sat up instead of replying. Semen trickled uncomfortably down my back and buttocks. I slid my hand between my legs and wiped it away. Noose’s gaze darkened, but he still didn’t touch me. He spoke in a slightly hushed voice.“Coyotes and I have no secrets. We know we’re each other’s enemies. Animals aren’t driven by instinct or gut feeling—that’s bullshit. Coyotes act purely on experience. They rely only on what they’ve directly learned. And they hunt by smell. I know the scents: familiar ones, ally ones, prey ones, fear and cold sweat and… coyotes even know my scent. The scent of crushing infants’ skulls, of strangling young fools racing through the forest…”Noose suddenly thrust the noose at me.“The scent of Noose.”I stared at the swinging rope, then glared back.“So? You’ve been around coyotes so long you can’t understand human words, so you want me to bark like a dog? Woof woof?”Noose’s face twisted. Unlike Jerome, Simon, or George, he belonged to a different breed. He exploded like a rabid dog at just a scratch. That was why he was called Noose.But tonight… he simmered instead. His face red, he calmed himself. I watched him for a moment, then turned away. I roughly cleaned myself, pulled up my pants, and looked back. Noose forced a smile.“Ha, ha, yeah, Marine. That’s it—words. The problem is not understanding words.”I sat up and tossed aside the filthy blanket, watching Noose. He listened patiently.“Acacia’s problem is that he treats you like a person. He wants to converse with you.”“Treat me… like a person?”I asked incredulously. Noose babbled as if he truly didn’t know any better. George had never treated me as human—only like a wild animal.Unfazed by my reaction, Noose twisted his lips and nodded.“You spout despair and revenge, yet can’t lay a finger on him. Watching you is maddening.”I decided to listen. It was a rare chance to learn how George and Noose related.Noose tugged on the rope binding my wrists toward him. I stood and sat before him. He still didn’t touch me—only his eyes glistened in lewd delight.“I know how to handle beasts. That’s why they call me Noose. I don’t use guns. I only use my noose trap. Do you know what that means, Marine? I know beasts. I know how to let them be beasts. Shooting is easy if you know beasts. But a trap—Marine—you must lead the beast to it, make it slip its own neck into the noose. A trap works when the beast acts most beastly, instinctively. It’s silent, inescapable—that’s why it’s called a trap. I know that. I can make a beast be beast.”“…”“Acacia’s doing it wrong right now. He overthinks, calculates—he won’t be a hunter that way. He shouldn’t be trading wits with you. Scum like you, worthless dog…”Noose suddenly reached out. He grabbed my thigh and grinned. A chill ran through me.“I’ll start by slicing off your fucking head. If your balls are blown out first, you won’t have mind to think or wag that tongue. That’s it, Marine. You know war, right? A man shows his true self when death’s at his heels—that’s when the trap works. The noose springs then. When you realize there’s nowhere left to run, that’s when you believe it. It’s not luck. And when the noose catches you, you know there’s no escape.”I couldn’t move, my leg cramped beneath his hand. I could only blink at him. This man was pure cruelty. If George had approved, Noose would castrate me without hesitation. He damages flesh, leaves the mind intact—because a shattered body breaks the spirit. He knew how to make a person miserable.“Noose is going to…” I began, but he interrupted with a punch to my face before I could finish. I almost bit my tongue. Fists rained down as I tried to block, but my lips split, and blood poured. My body was a map of last night’s scratches; my neck crushed, my bones beaten—I was spent.Noose climbed onto my waist and pounded me. I raised my arms in vain; my lips cracked, my skin tore, and I could barely breathe. Bound, I couldn’t fight back. With a final twist of my hair, he sent me sprawling. I crumpled, numb, while his boots struck my ribs and gut mercilessly.“Gah—die!” he snarled, looping the noose around my neck.It cinched tight, choking me. He held the knot and dragged me by it, forcing me to crawl after him on all fours. Any hesitation would have suffocated me.Dragged along, I caught sight of Mat—pale, trembling—about to bolt. I prayed he’d come to his senses. But Noose was hauled back by another hand before Mat could move. It was George’s rough voice.“That’s enough.”Through my blurred vision I saw George.Noose still held the noose tightly but froze. After a moment, George strode forward. Tears slipped from my eyes as I looked at him.He looked unchanged, still wearing the silicone mask and wig, dressed in his suit. George lightly gripped Noose’s wrist, and Noose, grumbling, released the rope.“Come.”George spoke coldly to Noose, then left the living room without a word to me. Noose glared but followed him without protest.As they departed, I collapsed in exhaustion, limbs splayed, gasping. The noose still chafed my neck, but I had no strength to remove it. My head spun, my face a mess of tears and saliva, drenched in sweat and throbbing with pain. I didn’t want to move at all.Moments later Mat’s face appeared. He knelt beside me, trembling, and began to work at the knots around my neck. We said nothing.After freeing me, he disappeared briefly, returning with a damp cloth. He gently wiped my ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) face, then sat silently, seeming to struggle with words. I finally spoke in a weary voice.“Why again? What for?”“My… my lower… parts too?”I wanted to clean myself, but I had no strength after the beatings and being dragged by the noose. I let Mat lead me to the mattress and lie down. He removed my pants, spread my legs, and carefully washed me.I lay back, propping my head on my arm, watching Mat silently. He was surprisingly skilled—he must have done this many times. I didn’t ask; I just let him. He cleansed the semen from my thighs and body, and even soothed the bruises on my neck with the cool cloth. Exhausted, I fell asleep under Mat’s care.

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