Page 28 of Strangled
Fuck, he’s right there… mere inches away…
His fist hammers against the wood, making the hatch door rattle from the force. I jerk back at the unexpected sound, my eyes locked on the door as it shakes. He must have found the string.
He’s about to open the door to my attic—to my space.
He’s about to find me and what I made for him—forus.
For the first time in my life, I’m ready—to share this, to not be alone.
TWELVE
Idon’t know what the fuck happened.
Everything went black as panic swallowed me into an endless abyss. I could feel my legs dangling uselessly underneath me, my hands clutching desperately to a string that was all but useless.
Blood rushed from my head as I felt everything give way—just endless, humid air clinging to my damp skin as I fell.
But I didn’t.
A dull light penetrated the darkness, appearing brighter behind my closed lids as the air whooshed past me.
I felt weightless as I soared through the air and then, solid fucking ground.
My eyes snap open. I blink a couple of times. The light is muted, but it’s still faintly brighter than what my eyes had adjusted to inside the wall cavity. I’m disoriented as my gaze zeros in on the angled wall I’m facing.
It’s made of brick, pieces chipped off, others missing altogether. Even in the mediocre lighting, you can still see the years of filth layered on each slab, but it’s the ginormous, thick fucking veneer of cobwebs that has me taking a step backward.
My throat swells shut, making breathing nearly impossible when two large, black spiders come from fucking somewhere amongst the density and start spinning in the web as they fuckingfight, their legs twisting and twitching.
Goosebumps douse my flesh in a deep tingle, and I shiver, my shoulder hiking to my ears. It travels down my body and settles at the base of my spine. I can feel my hands trembling at my sides as I take another step, trying to put as much distance between me and that fucking web as possible.
I convulse at the strange sensation crawling along the nape of my neck, my body twitching involuntarily. It prickles my awareness, and my fingers itch to swipe at my flesh to rid myself of the feeling.
“Do you not like my friends?”
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The sound of my heart thrashing fills my ears, each sharp beat stealing my breath.Hishot body presses against mine from behind, enveloping me in all of him. My eyes flutter closed on instinct, his mere presence enough to consume me and my every rational thought.
I melt into him, my body slumping until it fits perfectly into the curvature of his body. His arm wraps around my waist, clutching me tighter against him.
Not tight enough,I think irrationally. My head falls back into the curve of his neck, finding solace in how perfectly it fits in that spot.
I found you. I found you. I… found… you…
I don’t even realize I’m mumbling the words out loud until his arm constricts so tightly, I can feel my ribs crack under the pressure, the sharp jolt stealing my breath away.
“My friends seem to like you,” he murmurs against my neck, his damp breath eliciting another shiver. I’m so lost in his presence, his words don’t make sense.
“What friends?” I mumble, feeling faint. It must be the relief of finding him again—for the last time.
“The one crawling on your neck.” His finger traces a path down my vertebrae. My eyes snap open, bulging from my skull. I lurch away and start slapping my neck. My chest heaves from exertion, my eyes blurring from the sting of fear-induced tears.
He grabs my arms and pins them to my side as he pulls me against him again. I struggle in his hold, thrashing desperately, but he doesn’t budge. I’m painfully aware of the crawling between my shoulder blades, the lightest tickle that makes my hands tremble uncontrollably.
