AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I didn’t know –
I leaned away from the window, ready to rush inside, to fight. I couldn’t leave my mother by herself. I couldn’t leave her to die – and I knew she would.
My heart palpated against my chest. I didn’t think I was going to catch my breath or regulate it ever again. My hands continued to shake. Cold sweat rolled down my neck.
I should rush in. I should fight.
But I was frozen with fear. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything.
What is the matter with you? This is your mother. You’ve encountered monsters before.Dosomething.
I sucked in a shaky breath.
One thing at a time.
I moved my leg from the outside and brought it back in. I ignored the pinch in my groin and continued to shift until I was back in the room. I dropped from the sill silently to the floor, crouching low. My eyes remained fixed on the open door, on the lit hallway, waiting for any sort of hint as to what I was dealing with. I held my breath, trying to listen for a sign of my mother, anything to assure me that she still lived.
Go to her, a voice in my head urged.Check and see for yourself.
I pushed on the balls of my feet, but my fingers clung to the wood sill behind me, almost as though they were afraid to go any further into the house. They wouldn’t let me go look for her, search for her. Instead, I was rooted to the window cell, to this room.
What was going on with me?
Why was I so afraid?
It doesn’t matter. What matters is you do something. Now. Move!
This time, I didn’t think. I pushed off the windowsill and padded across the room. My lips pushed down into a thin line. I couldn’t risk even the sound of my breath drawing the monster to me. Although, now that I thought about it, perhaps it would be better if the monster was after me and my mother could get away from it in case she had fallen into its clutches.
It was the silence that unnerved me. I wished I had the ability to hear heartbeats, but the only one overtaking my senses was my own. It echoed through my head until everything else was drowned out. Shadows edged the room, tittering and laughing at the stench of fear rolling off my body like waves towards the shore. I had never seen the ocean before but I always imagined it was as beautiful as it was dangerous. Now, I didn’t know if I ever would get the chance.
I tilted my head to the side. Waited.
I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for. Maybe another sound, something that indicated where my mother or the monster might be. Another crash, something that might hint who was winning this fight.
But the silence rang in my ears like a bell, drowning out even my heartbeat.
I moved forward, slow, agonizing step at a time. One step, then the next.
I made it to the living room. The sight of the splintered dining table was clearer and easier to see from where I stood. I pushed to my toes, sucking in my stomach in order to keep my balance. I needed to work on my core because I was more clumsy than I wasn’t, but right now, I put as much effort as I could into remaining as silent as possible while also trying to take in the scene before me. It was difficult through the darkness, but the candles that lit up the kitchen still flickered despite the obvious destruction.
Blood.
I needed to see if there was blood.
I closed my eyes, lifting my nose in the air. I knew the scent of blood well. If there was a lot of it, I might be able to pick up the tangy, metallic scent. I inhaled slowly, holding my breath as I did so. I waited.
Nothing.
Further. You must go further.
Something flickered to my right.
I jumped and turned.
This time, I lost my balance, stumbling over my feet and crashing into the back of the couch. I bit my bottom lip to keep from grunting. If the monster was here, surely it would have heard that.
I picked myself up from the floor and tensed. My body was hunched forward, positioned in a manner that would let me attack if the situation called for it.
