Page 254 of There's No Us Without You
Oh. My. God.
That one word ignites my insides, and my heart slams into my chest, kicking my body into gear and sending me scrambling from the bed. I trip over my own feet and land on all fours, then crawl as fast as I can out of the room and into the hallway.
Their laughter follows, echoing after me, so I climb to my feet, my toes digging into the soft carpet as I propel myself forward. My legs are heavy, shaking from what I can only describe as a combination of fear and excitement.
This place is massive, giving me plenty of options to hide, but for the life of me, I can’t think of one single good one.
My feet slide over the dark-grey carpet when I make a sharp turn at the staircase. I race down it, jumping the last two stairs, and continue down the hallway towards the guest bedroom, my bare feet slapping against the cold tiles. It hasn’t been used since I moved in, so it’s my best option right now.
I’ve never been so scared and turned on all at the same time.
“We can hear you, little one. I think you want us to find you.” The words drift down the stairs, making the hairs on my arms rise as a cold shiver runs up my spine.
Oh god.
I press myself against the wall, willing my heart to stop racing as I shuffle along until I find the handle to the emptyroom. The door opens quietly, and I slip inside the dark void as silently as possible before easing the door shut again.
They should be able to hear my heartbeat at this rate—it’s beating so damn loud in my own ears.
When my eyes adjust to the darkness of the room, the blackout curtains allowing no light in whatsoever, I hurl myself onto the floor and drag my body under the four-poster in the centre of the room.
I flip onto my back, resting my hands on my chest and sucking in as many deep breaths as I can to try and settle my erratic breathing and heart rate.
An ominous whistle minutes later, followed by heavy footsteps, has me shoving my hands over my mouth.
Did I just hear the creak of that one stair? Or have I only imagined it?
But then my suspicions are confirmed when the footsteps grow louder, slow and predatory. I whimper and shove my heels into the carpet to push myself further up under the bed. Then I grab my knees and wrap my arms around them, curling into a ball on my side.
This is what I wanted. The heady mixture of excitement, arousal, and fear has my entire body vibrating, and it’s a mission to keep my muscles from shaking.
Three slow, loud taps on the door have me slamming my hands over my mouth again when a small squeak escapes throat.
“Are you in there, little lamb?” The voice is muffled by the door. “Because I can fucking smell you. I’m like the big bad wolf sniffing out his prey, and you, sweet thing, are my prey tonight.”
Who is this man? Because he’s not the kind and caring one I’ve come to know over the last few months. But damn if I don’t crave more of his words.
My heart is pounding in my ears—the same level of scared excitement I used to get from a game of murder in the dark Iplayed as a child—when the door opens, and the glow from the outside light allows me to focus on a pair of black boots in the doorway.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” A sinister laugh rings out in the room, and I squeeze my eyes shut, only breathing through my nose.
In one step he moves inside the room, and groans. I swear he’s sniffing the air.
Then he’s two steps in.
Three.
Four.
“You realise that the longer you hide from us, the more it’s going to hurt when we find you?” He tuts into the darkness. “But you want it to hurt, don’t you, you dirty little whore? Want us to pin you down and take what we want?”
Yes, times a million.
I keep my hands over my mouth, focusing only on slowing my breathing. Seconds later, another pair of boots appear in the doorway, and I push myself into the wall at the head of the bed, hoping to make myself as small as possible.
The thrill of what we’re doing is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Just the thought of what they’re going to do to me when they get their hands on me...
I resist the urge to moan, knowing if I do, I’ll be giving myself away, and I like this game way too much for it to be over just yet.
