Page 62 of Unravelling The Beast

He unlocks the front door, allowing me to enter first and the entire space is almost pitch black,other than some of the moonlight that is pouring in through the windows.

I carry Cree upstairs to his bedroom, still knowing where I'm going and when I walk in, I turn on his nightlight before laying him on the bed. I start to undress him while he sleeps and when I've finished dressing him in his pajamas, I cover him with his duvet and kiss him on the head, as I do every night.

When entering the dark corridor, I quietly close his door behind me, but as I approach the stairs, I notice a silhouette of a man at the top. Panic grips itself tightly around me immediately, and my heart accelerates as it stands completely still.

My ears begin to ring, and my body starts to tremble as thoughts of what happened in this house flash through my frantic mind.

Just as I'm ready to shout for Arlo, he steps forward into the moonlight and I feel my shoulders relax and take a breath of relief, but I shouldn't because he's looking at me with such wicked intent that it's almost terrifying.

I have a desire to run away from him, but instead I just stand there, frozen, while staring at him with wide eyes.

He hooks his finger at me in an eerie manner, encouraging me to approach him and my feet shuffle over the cold, hard floor, as if I'm under his evil spell.

As soon as I'm within reach, he reaches out, snatches my wrist, and flings me into his muscular body.

“We're gonna play a game.”

As I speak quietly, my brows pinch with uncertainty while I look up at his moonlit face.

“A game?”

He lowers his face to mine and whispers in an ominous tone, sending a chill up my spine.

“Yes, a fucking game.”

My heart rate increases even more as I attempt to swallow the lump that is growing in my throat.

“What kind of a game?”

I freeze as he suddenly brings his knife up to my cheek, the blade shining against the moonlight.

“Hide and find.”

I just stare at him, wide-eyed, as he continues.

“Rules… You will hide, and if I find you, I have the authority to do as I wish and you'll obey without question, like a good fucking girl, no matter how sadistic it may be.

As he presses the point of the sharp metal firmer against my face, I release a quivering breath.

“If I don't find you within ten minutes, I will give you my word that I'll leave that delicate little throat of yours alone for a while.”

He speaks against my opened lips as he sweeps his knife down to my neck, forcing my eyelids to flutter shut with sick longing.

“You do not go outside. You can't scream, but you may run for your fucking life. The mansion will remain entirely dark. You have two minutes, beautiful.”

He murmurs harshly into my lips, awakening every fiber of my being.

“Go on, tick fucking tock.”

As he removes his blade from my throat, my eyes ping open, and a thrill runs through me before I sprint by him, my pulse pounding with excitement and terror as I race towards the stairs.

Iremain in the same spot in the poorly lit corridor, utterly silent, while hearing her small, bare feet sprint down the stairs. I'm sure I can still hear her heart hammering against her chest from a distance. I turn my head to the side, attempting to pick up on anything that might indicate where she'll hide from me.

I know this mansion like the back of my hand, so I have the upper hand in this scenario. Of course I do, as I always do. I'll find her in less than two minutes. While counting down the seconds for roughly two minutes, I start to feel an overwhelming sense of eagerness and impatience to find her and do whatever sick and twisted fantasy that I want; it’s like a lifetime has passed already.

When the moment finally comes, I glance down at my pocket knife, flick it close and slide it into my pocket before turning around and creeping my way to the stairs.

My heart is pounding in my chest, smashing into my rib cage as I hurriedly look around the huge, dark home, realizing I am still very unfamiliar with this house. His cruel voice booms in my thoughts repeatedly. Tick fucking tock!

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