Page 18 of Guarded By the Hellhound
Raider.
My eyes get misty, and my first instinct is to cry when I think about Raider and the fire. I bite my lip, willing the tears to go away. I don’t know where I am, who took me, or what’s happening next.
Except I do know who took me. I saw his face. He took me right from under the nose of all those first responders. He injected me with something. I feel my neck. Yes, he came prepared. Almost as if he planned the whole thing.
There's not just one light coming on in my brain, it's afreaking light show. I blame the smoke inhalation that I didn't think of it before. Of course, he set my house on fire; of course, he came to abduct me. I think Raider scared him off, and he needed to get me out of the house. Since I’m not too stupid to live, I would never respond to any threats. I don’t have friends anymore, so I have nobody to threaten me with. Hence, arson.
Thinking of Raider makes me sad and desperate. I keep seeing him in my mind just before the roof came down, shoving me to safety. A hoarse sob escapes my throat, and I wipe away the tears. I have to be strong. I have to believe. He said he would be fine. He’s a hellhound, guarding the doors to hell. Made out of actual fire.
The bigger problem is that he doesn’t know where I am. That I don’t know where I am. So, I wipe my last tears away, put on my big girl panties, and stand up.
The room is small and windowless, made entirely out of wood. The planks are askew, and I can catch glimpses through the cracks. I try the door and - it’s not locked.
My first instinct is to start running, but I hesitate. It could be a trap. But I’m also not gonna stay here and wait for him to come back, so I slowly open the door.
The door opens into a narrow corridor. Everything is made of wood. It’s cold, and I try to determine what kind of building I’m in. It’s not a house, not an office.
Suddenly, I hear screams and laughter, and I run towards those sounds, completely forgetting my attacker.
“HELP!” I yell, but my voice is still hoarse from the smoke.
The hallway ends abruptly with a barricade, and I push and shove; the sounds are louder here.
“HELP!” I yell again, but nobody hears me.
I turn around, and there’s a door to my left. It’s locked,but when I push a little harder, the lock brakes. I almost fall down a steep staircase, and I take a step back.
“Kaaaaaaaatheriiiiiiiiiine,” I hear someone calling out from the corridor. “Katherine, where are you…”
I don’t waste a single moment and rush down the stairs, only to enter another locked door. I push, and I shove, but it doesn’t budge. I want to give up, but then I hear footsteps above me, and with a scream, I push again; this time, the door caves.
I fall into another corridor, but at least I’m closer to the sound of people. I push myself up and stumble to the right. Everything hurts, but I try to go as fast as possible, holding onto the wall for support.
There’s another door, relief flooding my systems when I realize it’s not locked. I step into a dimly lit room filled with mirrors, and then it hits me. We’re at the Halloween Carnival, and this is the House of Mirrors.
I curse, it’s a freaking maze in here, and I’m not sure if I am able to make my way out. People, I need to find people.
Catching my breath, I close my eyes, carefully listening if I hear anything. The only thing I hear are footsteps and that scary, sing-songy voice calling out for me.
“Kaaaatheriiiiiiiiiine, I know you’re in here - there’s nowhere to hide from me!”
The footsteps come closer. I have to make a decision. Staying will definitely kill me, so I look for the closest exit, and I bolt.
Stumbling, I go through room after room, but there’s nobody in here. I don’t see other people; I can’t find my way out, and my fight leaves me a little bit more exhausted with every step. My feet hurt. They’re bleeding from being cut open on the wooden floor. My lungs hurt, my throat hurt, my breathing hurts, and I am so, so cold.
The next room leads to another hallway, this one filledwith mirrors, which immediately disorients me. I think I’m about halfway down when my vision gets blurry, and I steady myself in the mirror, taking a short break. My breath comes in short pants as I do everything I can to calm myself down.
It’s silent in this part of the attraction. The sounds of the carnival drift towards me from afar; they must be coming from outside. I bet he managed to shut this place down tonight. I shudder when I think about that. I’m in here all alone with my stalker.
A strange noise startles me: clank, clank, smash. I inhale sharply, tears forming in my eyes. That sounds like something heavy breaking stuff, and it’s coming closer.
Summoning all my strength, I push myself off the mirror and make my way towards the door at the end of the hallway.
“Kaaaatherine, can you hear me?” I’m so scared. Tears are streaming down my face as I limp towards the door. I reach for the lever and pull it down. And it doesn’t open.
Clank.
Clank.
