Dead of Summer

by A.J. Merlin

To these kids, and probably to my fellow counselors, Kayde is a fucking god.

‘The Plaint of the Little Bisque Doll,’

“I’ve got a pain in my sawdust.” The words are soft and faint, and I have to strain to hear them. “That’s what’s the matter with me. Something is wrong with my little inside; I’m just—” he pauses and I can feel his teeth skimming my ear. “As sick as can be.”

“Because if you say shit like that, then I’ll have to believe you. And if I believe you”—his smirk catches and pulls his full mouth wide—“then I’ll make you live up to what you just offered me.”

“You’ll do anything I say, and I don’t mean right now, exactly. Starting now, you do whatever I want. Whenever I ask or tell you to. Don’t worry,” he adds, seeing me shift uncomfortably. “I don’t like an audience, so I won’t have you do anything to expose our arrangement in front of the other counselors or the kids. I don’t need them to see or know what you’ve agreed to with me.”

“For the rest of camp, obviously,” he’s quick to explain. “One anything isn’t enough to stop me, Summer. I’ll get bored. You’re mine for the rest of this camp session. I get to play with you for eight more nights, and then you’ll never see me again. I’ll get in my car after Fink pays me for a job very well done, and you’ll never see me again.”

“If you won’t play with me, if what I want is too much for you, then we’ll be right back here. Only without any promises or deals to keep them safe. Tell me no at any time between now and then, and it ends there. I’ll kill everyone in this fucking place, and I’ll make you watch.”

But this isn’t a movie, and I’m not emotionally equipped to be the final girl of a summer camp massacre.

“I’ve been imagining it, you know.” His voice turns to a whisper as he leans forward, nose brushing mine. “How it would feel. How sweet your lips would be.”

“But like I said…you ruined that part of my night,” Kayde growls, teeth very white in the near darkness. “So you get this instead, sweetheart. Open your mouth.”

Kayde doesn’t waste any time. Still pressing hard and holding me in place, he spits, and I nearly choke when the liquid hits the back of my tongue and seeps into my throat. Every bit of me burns with disgust and humiliation as he does it, but he doesn’t release his grip on me, so there’s no way for me to do anything except stare at him in horror and try not to choke. “Swallow.”

“I guess it’s good enough for tonight,” Kayde allows, dragging me back to him until my back is arched and my head is tilted back again. “Though next time, you’re going to stick out your tongue and thank me for it, sweetheart. Understand?”

“Good girl.” His lips brush mine again, and he chuckles while my stomach tries to double knot itself. “I look forward to finding out if I can break you in the next eight days.”

“That’s right, darling,” he agrees, like I’ve given him a real, verbal response. “I’ve been playing this game for years, and you’re just getting your feet wet in the kiddie pool. Poor, poor Summer. But I can’t feel too badly for you…” With that, he licks a quick, hot stripe up my jaw, and shoves me away from him with a laugh on his lips. “After all, you fucking volunteered.”

“You should expect me everywhere, Summer.” His hand moves, coming up to grip my chin lightly. “Anywhere you are is somewhere I’d love to play with you. The shower, your cabin, the woods…” He shrugs, his blond hair straight and plastered to his shoulders as he stares down at me. “I’m sure we could think of lots of fun places to play our game.”

“I’d like to see you desperate, I think,”

“Summer…” He leans forward, his jaw brushing against mine and causing my breath to hitch in my throat before he whispers, so sweetly my teeth hurt, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you? You didn’t make me promise not to hurt you. Not to really hurt you, sweetheart.”

“Why in the world would you agree to play with me without even giving me rules, hmm?”

“Smart girl,” he murmurs at last, a touch of pride in his voice. “But then again, I wouldn’t expect anything else from you, Summer. Otherwise you wouldn’t be my final girl. My little lone survivor who so desperately wants to come out of this without too much trauma. Perfect little sweetheart.”

“But you really should know…” He leans forward again, until his lips brush mine with every word. “I’m looking forward to making you regret your lack of rules for our game.”

“Better be quiet, sweetheart,” he murmurs, fingers kneading and cupping my breasts and causing me to squirm against the thigh he has shoved between my thighs. “If she sees us…I’ll have to kill her.”

“Do you like it like this? When you could get caught?” I barely need him to finish the question before I’m shaking my head hard, whimpering into his mouth. “I think you do,” he disagrees. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be grinding against my thigh like a needy little slut, baby girl. Is that what you are, hmm? My needy, slutty little camp counselor?”

“Go on and come for me. You’re being so good,” he whispers against my ear. “So keep it up for me. Come for me, Summer. I know how much you want to. Your pretty pussy is fluttering around my fingers and you need it, don’t you baby?”

“Come for me before I make you scream just so I can fuck you while their blood dries on this goddamn floor, Summer.”

“You were so good for me, sweetheart,” my ax murderer whispers against my hair, just over the sound of the water. “Just relax for me, baby. I’ve got you.”

“I hate you,” I whisper against his tanned, perfect skin, breathing in open-mouthed pants. “I hate you so much.” “I know, Summer.” His hands shift down to my hips, just to wrap around me again and hold me close in his embrace like he really gives a damn. “But if you didn’t, then this wouldn’t be nearly as fun for me.”

“The shower was so much fun,” he purrs against my ear, slotting his hips against mine until there’s absolutely no room between us. “But sweetheart, all it really did was make me want to fuck you so badly I could barely think about anything else today. You want that? You want me to fuck you? Fill up your pretty cunt and leave you begging for more?”

“Then please, by all means, be as much of a brat as you want. I’ll indulge you.” I hate the way he says it. I hate his delight and his fucking arrogance. “I’ll show you every consequence for being a brat you’d never dare to dream about, baby girl. Even in your darkest fantasies.” I can’t tell if it’s an offer or a threat, but to be safe, I’m marking those words as an absolute threat.

“I knew I picked right when I decided you were mine. My final girl,” he teases. “And you just keep proving me right, over and over.” He reaches out to gently ghost his fingers over my hips. “Thought I told you to take your clothes off.”

“Sweet girl, I’d like to remind you that you didn’t give me any limits on what I could or couldn’t do to you,” the blond points out, putting down the knife just long enough to sweep his hair into a bun to get it out of his eyes. "Remember that? Remember how you told me that you’d do anything for me, in order to save these kids?”

“Are you going to start drooling for me?” Kayde teases. “All because of a knife?”

“You didn’t know, baby? You didn’t know you were crying for me?” He swipes his thumb through the wetness, and brings it up to show me the glistening of my tears in the light. “It’s so fucking hot, Summer. I love it when you cry for me. You know how much I want to make a fucking mess out of you?”

“No, you’re right baby. We don’t want someone asking questions. Darcy would sniff it out if she could see it. What about here?” The knife disappears, only to reappear as he circles my nipple with the edge, pulling a desperate sound from my lips.

“What do you think? Would that be too uncomfortable? I promise I’ll take such good care of any slip ups. You wouldn’t mind one, right? As long as I took care of it for you? Just a little bit of blood, a little bit of pain…”

“Don’t you move, Summer,” Kayde warns. “I don’t want to cut you unless it’s deliberate.”

“Please don’t,” I beg him, my eyes finding his. “Please, Kayde, please.” “Please what?” he whispers, the knife trailing ever closer. “Please…what, Summer?” “Please don’t do this.”

“Who taught you to lie like that, hmm?” he purrs. “Who taught you to be that convincing when we both know you’re just so scared?”

But he’s just so good at this. I can admit that. I can admit that while I hate him, and I really would like to see him topple off of a five story cliff, he’s gorgeous as fuck and apparently blessed by the sex gods to be some kind of prophet amongst mortals. Which sucks for me, quite frankly.

“Good girl. So good at taking whatever I want to give you. Aren’t you just the most perfect little thing?”

“You’re so tight. Summer, baby, it really feels like you haven’t had anyone fuck you in forever. Were you waiting for me?”

“No, sweetheart. You’re perfect where you are. Right there, full of my cock. You know how pretty you look all fucked out like this? You’re about to cry again.”

“What’s wrong?” Kayde purrs, darting close and lapping at the trails of saliva running from my forcibly parted lips. “Told you before, didn’t I? Gonna wreck you, Summer. I’m going to fill up this pretty cunt over and over until I’m satisfied. Sweetheart. Gorgeous girl.”

“Such a good girl,” he sighs, content. “Just like I knew you would be. So sweet when I have something in your mouth, aren’t you? So willing when I have your wrists cuffed.”

“Yeah,” he answers, no sign of hesitation in the word. “Yeah, Summer. I would’ve killed them all, except for you.” He rolls his hips against mine, though it feels like it’s just a tease. “Every single one except you. You’re my final girl. You’re too good for what I was going to do to all the others.”

“Baby girl, I’ve been so nice. But if you’d rather that change, if you’d rather me show you something different, then I invite you with every ounce of my being to not give me the knife. Take a swing at me. Try to cut my throat.” He mimes the action with his own fingers, then taps a spot on his chest. “Stab me. Slide that blade between my ribs and find my fucking heart.”

“They’re like stars on your cheek,”

“Looks like I could map out a constellation right here.”

“Maybe not. But fuck, I want to make you come while you’re on the edge of passing out. When your eyes are all unfocused and you’re barely holding on. Wanna fuck you so I can feel your body fighting me on instinct. Doesn’t that sound⁠—”

“Oh sweetheart, don’t lie to me,” Kayde purrs, coming close once more. “And you’ve lost your right to give input for tonight, anyway. After you wanting to stab me last night, I don’t feel very sympathetic toward your fears of me. I’ve been so nice, you know?”

Could’ve made you so dependent on me like that. Could’ve made you love me.” He leans in close to drag his lips up the side of my throat. “You would’ve loved me eventually, you know.”