[F4M] The Cult’s Chosen One

The fog rolled in thick over the small, forgotten town of Black Hollow as Erica stepped out of her car. She had only planned to stop for gas and maybe snap a few photos of the eerie old buildings for her horror page, but the silence pulled her in deeper than she expected. No cars, no people, no lights in the windows. Just the uneasy feeling of being watched.

Erica’s boots clicked against the cracked pavement as she walked down the empty main street. A chill brushed the back of her neck, and before she could turn, a hand covered her mouth. Another arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into the shadows of an alley.

“Don’t scream,” a deep voice murmured against her ear. His grip was strong, unrelenting, dominant in a way that froze her and strangely grounded her. “If you make noise, they’ll hear you.”

She struggled, muffled, until he slowly removed his hand. Erica’s breath shook. “Who are you?”

He didn’t step into the light, but she could see the sharp outline of his jaw, the intensity in the way he held her still. “You shouldn’t have come here, Erica.” Hearing her name made her heart lurch. “They’ve been waiting for you.”

“Who?” she whispered.

“The Ones Below,” he answered. “A cult. Old, powerful. They believe you’re their Chosen One.” His fingers tightened around her hips as if he were holding her in place for her own safety, or for his own reasons. “I’m the only thing keeping them from taking you.”

Erica swallowed hard. “Why help me?”

He finally leaned forward, breath warm against her cheek. “Because if they get you, you’ll belong to them.” His hand slid to the small of her back. “But if you stay with me, you’ll belong to me.”