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“Come on, come on,” I muttered. Sweat raced down my spine as images of hands reaching out in the darkness assaulted my brain.
Since I was young I had always been terrified of the dark. It hid too much. What if there were things shrouded in it that you couldn’t see? As always the thought sent my hands shaking as I bumped into the podium.
“There it is,” I whispered, my voice trembling as thunder cracked all around me. “Come on.”
Thankfully, the phone screen turned on. It was a small arc of light, but enough to let me see. The power never goes out. This is just what I need. I hurried down the hall quickly. As soon as I reached the hall closet, I wrenched the door open and narrowly avoided being smacked in the face with a broom.
“Where are they?” I muttered. I turned on my flashlight and rooted around the boxes. Every noise forced me to gaze over my shoulder, my body tensed in anticipation as if something bad was going to happen.
My hand brushed against exactly what I was looking for. Candles. Relief settled over me, calming the racing of my heart. I searched for a real flashlight too, but I couldn’t find one. Deep down I knew there were probably several in the basement, but I refused to go down there. Not by myself.
A loud slam made me jump, the candles spilling around my feet. This time, I wasn’t hearing things. Something heavy slammed into the front door again. It bowed inward. My heart leaped into my throat as I took a step back, waiting for I had no idea what.
Move. Run to the back office. Or head to the car. Do something!
Everything screamed at me to move, but I was frozen to the spot. I stared at the door waiting for it to move again, but nothing happened. Am I losing it? Maybe it’s-
I dropped to the ground on instinct, my hands shoved against my ears as three loud gunshots rang out. Bile rose in my throat. Whoever was out there was very real. I shakily reached out for my phone when the doors burst open, the lock spinning as it skated across the floor.
“Get him in. Come on!”
“What the fuck do you think I’m trying to do?” another voice cut in. “Goddamnit Grimm, you need to lay off the beer you fat fuck.”
“If I wasn’t already shot, I’d shoot you.” He grunted. “Shit, feels like I’m on fire and freezing at the same damn time.”
I shakily reached for my phone again. I need to call the cops. There were at least three strange men in my church and they didn’t sound like the type to attend a Sunday service. Shaking, I quickly turned off the flashlight and turned on the screen. My heart dropped. Cracks covered it, distorting what was underneath so badly I couldn’t see a thing. My finger jabbed against it and I hissed as a piece of glass sliced over the pad splitting it open.
“What was that?”
“Someone’s in here.”
My throat constricted. I couldn’t swallow as I forced myself up on shaky legs. The flashlights on their phones shot in my direction, freezing me in the light.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
For some reason my brain took that exact moment to kick my ass into gear. I turned on my heels and ran.
“Come back here!”
The growl that accompanied that voice made me run faster. I kicked off my heels, sliding on the floor as I tried to gain traction. As I turned the corner, I almost slipped but caught myself. I charged down the hall, thankful for the carpet that gave me some traction as I ran toward the one place I knew I could hide out in, at least for a little while. My office.
“Don’t run, woman,” the voice called out, making a shiver race up my spine. “Goddamnit,” he hissed.
Hit that corner, didn’t you? I knew where it was. Even in the dark I’d learned to avoid it after slamming into it more than a few times. I ducked into my office, my breathing heavy as I slammed it shut and tried to turn the lock.
The knob jiggled as I tried to twist the lock into place. “No, no, no,” I whispered. “Please, no.”
I yelped as the door jolted and I hit the ground. The world spun as I stared up into the darkness at a shadow. He raised his flashlight.
“There you go,” he grunted. “I told you not to run.”
“W-who are you?” I asked. “Stay away from me! I’ve already called the cops.”
“On what?” he laughed. “That busted up cell phone out there?” He took a step forward. “Don’t play games with me.”
I shoved myself back. “I mean it. If you touch me…”
“What?” he asked. “You going to hurt me?”
