face plant, barely catching myself on the railing and keeping the loud squeak from escaping. I feel like throwing up, the adrenaline and fear intense and biting at my nerves. Making a left turn, I aim for the hallway and slip into the first bedroom just as I hear heavy footsteps from above. My heart races impossibly faster, and my hands tremble fiercely as I slide open the closet door. The metal rattles from my sloppiness. A slight, insignificant sound that feels like thunder rolling throughout the bones of the house. Heaving in a deep breath, I force my body to slow as I glide the closet door closed and hurry into the nook. I’m panicking. My chest is tight, and I have the strangest urge to cough. Could be because my throat is dry and steadily closing. I want to claw at my neck, force the muscle to open back up, and let in the oxygen I so desperately need. Its all in your head. Breathe, Addie, breathe. Hes not going to find you in here. Nana never could. His footsteps have disappeared from above me, meaning that he’s made his way downstairs most likely. I bite my lip hard, tangy copper filling my mouth. And still, I keep biting down. Shuffling and distinct noises filter through. And as the minutes pass, my breathing begins to slow. But then I hear the door slowly creak open, and my breathing stutters. I clamp my hand over my mouth, refusing to make a sound, even if it literally kills me. The closet door slides open, and his scent fills the tiny area. Leather. A hint of smoke. And something else. Something that would ordinarily make my eyes roll if it wasn’t so goddamn suffocating. “You can come out now, baby,” he breathes, the sound of his voice gravelly and deep. Oh, no. No, no, no. I don’t move, hoping that he’s just guessing. “T can smell you,” he says. And if that’s not the creepiest thing I’ve ever fucking heard, I don’t know what is. Risking a peek around the corner, I see him standing at the entrance of the closet. He’s not looking in my direction. His head is down, staring off at a random spot on the ground. “You have ten seconds before I come drag you out.” He takes a step back, and I decide to just go for it. I dart out, slipping past him and heading towards the door. He lets loose a deep, cruel laugh. It’s a sound I’Il hear in my nightmares for the rest of my existence.