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My mother’s grip tightens as she draws me closer. Finally, her voice drops barely above a whisper. “I need you to listen carefully. There’s no time for questions. Do what I tell you to, okay?”
Fear floods my solar plexus, hitching my breath and stealing my ability to form words, so I nod instead.
My mother exhales an explosive breath. “Go to my room and find the mahogany box hidden underneath the creaky floorboard in my wardrobe. Once you have that box...” The look on her face devastates me — wide, wet, round eyes; pursed, chapped lips; and a deep crinkle above her brow. She’s terrified, but she’s holding it together, barely for me.
With teary eyes, she swallows. “Once you have that box,” she repeats, “run!”
My head shudders, rocking from side to side, refusing to leave her behind. “No.”
“Éanna, I know you’re here. Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
I swallow. Whoever is downstairs is coming, and he means business from the sound of his hoarse, gravelly, somewhat sarcastic baritone.
My mother’s eyes tighten, closing for a brief second as a plan formulates behind her crescent lids. “Go,” she whispers, thrusting my duffel bag against my chest. “Don’t leave without the box. The answers to all your questions are inside it, Saoirse. Once you have it, run. Everything you need will be inside that box.”
Tears dance along my lashes. “What about you?”
She leans forward, and her lips press against my forehead. Her breath hitches as if she’s drawing my scent through her nose. My body trembles at the finality; it feels too much like goodbye. “Never feed your fears, Saoirse. Because if you do, they will eat you alive.”
“Éanna. You can’t keep running.” The male sneers, his voice louder, closer than before. “You know he’ll always find you.”
I want to ask who he is, but the bottom step creaks, and I know my time is running out. I need to go, and I need to go now.
My mother senses my fear, but she forces my rigid body towards the door. “Run, Saoirse, and don’t you dare stop.”
I take one last look at my mother’s terrified face, and I do the last thing I want to do… I leave her behind.
Careful not to make any sound, I scurry across the hallway and into my mother’s bedroom. Silently closing the door behind me, I click the lock and rush towards the built-in wardrobe. I tear at the floorboards, ripping them up one by one. Until finally, the old wooden box is visible.
Behind the door, my mother’s screams rip through me, and vomit barrels up my throat, burning my oesophagus.
“Fuck you. You’ll never take my baby from me. Over my dead body.” Although muffled by the closed door, her words ring loud and clear. “Run, Saoirse. Keep running.”
I unzip my bag in a flurry and shove the box inside, not stopping to look at the intricate detail carved onto the lid.
I rush towards the window, push it open, and climb out onto the utility room roof. The chilly night air steals my breath, filling my lungs with a razor-sharp bite. Looking down, my fear of heights causes my head to spin. Sure, it’s only one story, and I could probably jump it with no significant injuries.Fuck.
Cold sweat seeps from my pores, and I can’t seem to control the goosebumps that have taken over every inch of my body. Then, when the bedroom door bursts open and a chorus of footsteps enters the room, I hurry out of view, moulding my body against the cold, gritty brick.
“Find her,” the same voice I heard earlier roars with venom. “I’ll deal with Éanna.”
“Don’t worry, boss man.” A new, slick, velvety bravado licks my skin, raising the goosebumps along my arms. If I had to guess, this one is nearer, right next to the open window. “She’s closer than you think.”
I clutch my bag tighter to my chest and inhale, trying desperately to steady my erratic breaths. Then, without permission, my eyes flick towards the open window, and there he is, a black balaclava concealing his face. “Hello, Saoirse.”
His hollow eyes pierce my skin, the colour of moss-covered acorns, just bright enough to shine through the shadows lingering in the moonlight. A shiver of fear races down my spine. In those earthy hues is a soulless man, the kind demons hide from. Yet, somehow, they draw me in, and I can’t find the strength to look away.
Suddenly, he folds his body, climbing out the window and stepping closer to me. My survival instincts kick in, and just as he reaches for me, I do the only thing I can.
I rush to the edge and jump.
