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I can still hear the creatures of the dark moaning, groaning, and whispering unintelligible words into my ears.
As much as they scare me, as much as my heart shrivels and splinters, that’s nothing compared to the monster that’s standing in plain sight.
Every year I survived up to this point, every illusion I painted about getting over the past shatters into tiny black crystals.
I’m back to being that little girl who ran and fell, then ran again.
And again.
And—
The man in the mask approaches me with steady steps. Calm yet firm.
He’s slim but broad. Silent but lethal.
This is it.
I’ve escaped for so long, but I realize that was only an attempted escape. In reality, I’m stuck in the loop he created for me.
I try to summon the warrior inside me that I’ve been cultivating for over a decade, but there’s no sign of my usual boldness or bravado.
There’s just a girl. Cold, hungry, and absolutely terrified.
My legs aren’t moving anymore. The creatures of the dark have managed to catch me and they’re imprisoning me in place for their lord.
I open my mouth.
Mom.
Dad.
No words come out. Not even a tiny, horrified sound.
With both hands in his pockets, the masked monster eats up the space between us in seconds. Then he’s right in front of me, towering over me, his height invading the horizon and murdering its stars.
Rough shadows fall on the mask, turning darker, nearly black in the dim light. The holes where his eyes should be are hollow, bottomless, even.
Sharp fangs of horror sink into my skin. It doesn’t matter how much I tell myself to move. My mind has already turned against me and there’s no way to undo the spell.
“Have you already come to your senses?”
His voice is deep, distorted notes of destruction, a mythical beast with an agape mouth and shallow breath.
“Strange. I thought I would need to scare you for a bit more. Push you into a tighter corner. Toy with you till you collapse.”
The ringing in my ears heightens until all I can hear is my own heartbeat—high and torn to shreds.
“I love trapping misbehaving little creatures while they beg and cry. I might let them go or drive a sharp knife into their chests and watch them flounder and choke on their own blood. Metaphorically, of course.”
Stop. Stop coming closer, stop…
“Why are you so frozen?” The monster pulls a hand from his pocket and reaches for my face.
My feet tremble, and every particle of my survival instinct demands I bolt out of here, but I can’t.
Not when my mind has already checked out, leaving me as a defenseless eight-year-old. I’m thrown back ten years in time, with only myself as solace and company.
The moment his skin touches mine, I stop breathing altogether. Maybe if I pretend to be dead, he’ll leave.
