AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The moment I stepped outside my prison, I was overcome by silence. The house was strangely quiet, or perhaps it was just the ominous sound of fear that I felt. I took my first bold step forward, tiptoeing so no one could hear me. I had an advantage sinceI was barefoot.
A large collection of animal heads stared straight ahead at the opposite walls as I walked down the corridor. I wondered how many Levine men had killed animals and how much pleasure they had derived from hunting and killing before moving on to humans.
Another hallway with different doors was ahead of me. I guessed that one of themled to Ethan's room, so I turned to the stairs.
There was no one at the bottom of the stairs or walking around as far as I could see. I listened carefully—nothing. So I hurried down, clutching the railings. At this point in my life, I couldn't risk falling.
When I got to the bottom, I found myself in a large room the size of a ballroom but with a rather large television that took up most of the wall.
There was no door in the TV room, so I entered what appeared to be an expensive dining room and came to the fireplace. My gaze was drawn to a pointy metal rod, which was the best weapon I could find at the time. The more I looked around, the more I relaxed because it appeared that I was the only one there.
However, as I entered another room, I noticed the first men standing guard. They stood tall, their rifles holstered, their legs apart like statues. I honestly wondered if Ethan's order was to not breathe.
On what could have been my thousandth door, I began to lose hope. I quickly opened and closed the doors, expecting to find nothing. I'd noticed that there were a lot of windows, but they were always sealed.
I walked away from the door when I felt hot. My mind wandered back to the details I had been too preoccupied to notice. I had just checked into a cooler, almost breezy room. An open window!
My legs quickly returned to the door, and I yanked it open. There was a floating curtain and an open window behind it. I hadn't felt this excited about something so simple in a long time, soI walked slowly over to check it out.
The gap was small, but if I got my fingers in there, it would widen and I'd be able to escape.
The harsh breeze of freedom hit my face, but I smiled in it. I eventuallymanaged to open the window by placing my fingers in it. I was only one breath away from escaping, and I was craning my neck to try to get out when I heard a voice behind me.
My erratic heartbeat and heavy breathing were the only sounds I could hear. Ethan was behind me.
"Where do you think you are off to?" he asked me coldly, and I knew all my dreams of freedom were over.
Even worse, this could be the end. In my frantic need to escape and help my uncle and friend, I had completely disregarded the very nature of our agreement: my staying there would ensure their safety. And I, like a fool in distress, heeded all my survival instincts instead of thinking reasonably. I had broken the terms of our agreement, which probably meant death.
