Page 79 of Petals and Fangs

“Stay away from me, you sick bastard.”

“Or what? Are you going to run? Where are you going to go? There's no escape from me. We can smell you and track you even when you try to hide. There's nowhere you can run.”

“Ethan, if you're out there, help!” I scream. I'm trying to hold back my tears. I don't want to give him the satisfaction of hearing me cry.

“Ethan is not here to help you, Lily. No one is here to help.”

“Help! Please! Security!”

“Poor girl,” he says. I hear him chuckling behind the door. The laughter gets louder and more sinister by the second.

I'm so afraid of what might happen next. I just want him to leave. I want to get out of here and just find Ethan. I don't feel safe being locked in here. This was not supposed to be a scary place. I shouldn't feel fear or dread. It should have been a haven for me. It should make me feel safe.

“You will make a fine vampire,”" his voice appears again.

“You're a freak.”

“You're a tough one. But that's what attracts me to you, Lily.”

“Get the hell out of here,” I say, on the verge of tears again.

The voice vanishes for a few seconds. I feel myself calming down a bit, but my hands are still trembling. I start pacing around the room and looking for a place to hide.

I don't feel safe anywhere. As I slowly walk towards the door again, I softly place my ear on the door again.

“See you soon, Lily Snow.” The voice startles me once again, making me feel a cold chill going down my spine. It then disappears. I expect it back anytime soon.

I can't handle this anymore. I can't keep waiting. I must leave.

I start turning the knob. My hands are trembling. I don't even know if this is going to work, but I must try.

“Come on, please.”

Finally, it turns. I can't believe it. I pull the door and it opens. I quickly jump out and look around the hallway. There's no one here. The hallway is completely empty. It is totally dark. Not a single ray of light shines. It is so quiet you can hear the silence. The only sound that I can hear is coming from my heavy breathing.

I stumble in the pitch-black hallway. I am so scared to the point that I can hear my heart pounding in my chest. The air is thick with silence. I suddenly collide with a solid figure.

“Ethan?” I whisper, my voice trembling.

“Lily. Thank goodness you are safe,” he wraps his arms around me and breathes against my head.

“Where were you? What happened?” I finally speak again, feeling a mixture of both relief and dread.

“The electricity cut off. I tried to get to you, but the doors wouldn't budge,” he explains, his voice steady, but laced with frustration.

“I thought you left me there all by myself.”

“Of course not. Never,” he assures me.

I hug him tightly. I feel safe and protected now. I know I don't have to worry anymore because he is here and everything is supposed to be okay, but I can't help but feel the chills running down my spine.

“He was here,” I say, looking up at Ethan.

“Of course, he was. I can swear on my eternal life that he was the one behind the electricity being shut down.”

“Good God, I felt like I almost collapsed out of anxiety.”

“That bastard is playing a dangerous game. He needs to pay for this, and he is going to,” Ethan grits his teeth.

---