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My blood shatters at that question, one million pieces of iced blood floating around in my numb body. I feel empty, but full. Full of terror and hatred. I knew whatever was talking to us in that room wasn't good. It was evil, everything my dad wasn't. He didn't have a bad bone in his body. But whatever breathed over my shoulder, whatever filled up the air in that basement, was filled with so much evil I could barely catch a breath without filling my own lungs with that same toxicity.
"It wasn't my dad," I whisper. "I know for a fact it wasn't him." I shake my head. “My dad is long gone. Whatever that was has been lingering on the surface, building and building hate and malice. Throwing a board across the wall felt like only an inkling of what it’s capable of. It felt like only the beginning. Like… like a warning or something.”
Piper's eyes fill with tears, with fear, flowing to the brim. I turn away from her, not able to take on anyone else's emotions when my own are out of whack. I glance out my window, seeing the blackened forest in front of me. The rain whips through the pines and makes the ground muddy and wet. Hazel finally turns on her windshield wipers, and they squeak as they whip from side to side, brushing the heavy drops off the glass as quickly as they possibly can.
I close my eyes, hating the feeling of driving in the rain. My body locks up from head to toe, and I rest my forehead against the cool glass, hoping to get back to my cursed mansion soon. For once, I think I'd rather deal with the evilness that is Malik, only so I can get out of the car.
My house comes into view, barely noticeable in the dark. The castle-like towers push up to the dark, heavy rainclouds that sit low in the sky tonight.
Barely any lights are on, the entire mansion encased in darkness, save for a low glow that comes from one of the upper-level rooms.
Malik's room.
"Are you going to be okay?"
I nod, grabbing my backpack and opening the door. The rain instantly hits my sock-covered knees, and I push off, giving them a small wave and shutting the door. I let the rain slap my face as I run to the house, not even bothering to wipe the drops away.
"Please be unlocked," I whisper. I don't have a key. I don't know any combinations to the garages or anything like that. If I'm locked out, I'll have to pound on the door until someone answers. But this place is so big, I doubt they'd even be able to hear me upstairs if I knocked. Especially in the rain.
My thumb presses on the lever, and I push down, the door easily gliding open. The stale air slaps me in the face, and just as I'm about to step inside, I feel the chilling sensation of someone watching me.
The sound of footsteps in puddles startle me, and I spin around, hoping to see one of my friends, but it's not them.
Four large, hulking figures stand in the darkness. So dark I can't make out who they are. Not exactly, anyway. But one stands out, and I don't need to see a hair on his head or the darkness in his eyes to tell me who it is.
Malik.
"What are you doing?" I shout over the rain, the drops turning thicker, dropping faster, the small drizzle turning into a light pour. “I’m not doing this shit again! Leave me alone!” I shout.
He steps forward, and the malice in his eyes make them seem possessed. Demonic.
My eyes widen, and I take that as my cue. I spin around, my foot lifting and stepping inside the house, when thick arms wrap around my stomach, lifting me off the ground.
"No. Stop!" I look over my shoulder, seeing the empty space where Hazel's car was only a minute ago. "Help!" I scream.
Malik's hand slaps over my lips, his skin wet and slippery against my face.
I can hear the door shut and see one of his friends still cloaked in the shadows of the night, his hand on the handle to the front door.
Malik starts walking, taking me down the steps and around the side of the house.
"Stop. Please, fucking stop, Malik! I'm sorry. I'm sorry for today. I'm sorry for whatever I've done. I'll leave you alone. I'll leave… I'll leave this fucking town. Just let me go!" I scream.
They don’t speak as they walk, their footsteps heavy as they make their way around the house. I can barely make out the outline of Malik's car, but it sits there, beneath the overhang, staying fresh and dry. One of his friends opens the trunk, and Malik tosses me in like I'm a fucking inanimate object.Again. He turns me around silently, and I feel a coarseness around my wrists. My eyes widen.
He's tying me up.
"Stop! Please stop!Someone help me!"
"Shut the fucking bitch up," someone says.
I thrash from side to side, doing everything in my power to get out of the situation I'm in.
I can’t. I can’t handle their games tonight. Not after my day. Not after my fucking week. I refuse to run through the woods again. I refuse to be scared and terrified and fucking soaked in my sopping wet clothing.
But fighting is useless.
These guys are strong. Powerful. Menacing. There's no way I could ever get away from them. Not when there are four of them, and only one of me.
