false god

prologue

Her heart raced as her feet collided with the ground, the sound of leaves and snow crunching below telling her chaser which direction she was going in. Her head pounded as she felt adrenaline coursing through her. She looked over her shoulder to see if she was still being pursued, only to trip over a tree root and her face met the cold, harsh ground. She let out a panicked sob, a pain shooting through her leg; there was no way she could get up now. Clawing the ground—dirt piled up under her fingernails—she continued to drag her limp body when she heard the familiar sound of howls. . . Except as she listened closer, they weren't wolf howls. She bit her bottom lip to conceal any frightened shouts she'd let out. From the sounds of it, they were close.

Finding a hole hidden under a tree stump, she managed to squeeze into the tight space and wait silently as a cacophony of footsteps ran past her hiding place. Nervously she fiddled with the necklace that condemned her to her fate, hoping that they'd find something else to satisfy the hunt and she'd be spared from their hunger. Her body freezes, her heart pounding harder than before as she hears the crunching snow from under someone's boot. "Guys," they call out, and she struggles to hold back her sobs. "Guys!" she recognised the voice; how could she not? It belonged to the girl she loved. The girl she thought loved her back. The one who'd held her in their arms when the night grew cold and her resolve waivered. The voice of the girl she'd nursed back to health—who'd waited on her hand and foot when she was fighting off an infection. "I found something," she could no longer contain her sobs, and they began to spill from her lips. Her lover the one to betray her. . .

The clamour of footsteps alerted her to the other girls that were there, it was eerily silent for a moment. Finally, the voice of her supposed 'best friend' called out for her. "It's okay, you can come out now. We won't hurt you," she promised. But she'd broken countless promises before, how could anyone trust her?

"Yeah, listen to us, wherever you are, the hunt's over," that voice sent a chill up her spine. It belonged to the girl whom she didn't trust for a second.

The rest of the girls joined in, begging for her to give up her hiding space, but she knew better than to trust them. The minute she pulled out that queen from the deck, they no longer saw her as a part of the team, but rather an enticing menu. She refused to be eaten today. Not when she'd made it this long. No, they'd have to find another girl.

Long, bony arms reached in and snatched her by the hair. "I got her!" someone cried, yanking her above the ground. She shrieked, digging her nails into their hand—they yelped but did not let go. She did everything she could to get out of whoever's deadly grip, but after wriggling and squirming around, she'd been exposed and shoved in front of everyone. She was in clear view of everyone, but their faces were all covered in cloth.

"Take off your masks, that's the least I deserve," she spat, glaring at the mask of the leader—the antler queen they'd declared her. When no one did as she instructed, she scoffed. "Fucking pussies. You're happy to eat me, but you can't look me in the eye?!" she felt cold hands wrap around her mouth and the knife brought to her throat, a solitary tear slid down her cheek. She glanced beggingly at her lover one last time, seeing only remorse staring back at her. Finally, she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, dreading what was to come.