“A knife,” I whisper again, my hand tightening around the handle, the metal cold against my skin.
“Good,” he says. “If they get too close, you use it. You hear me?”
“Liam…” My voice wavers. “I’ve never—I don’t know if I can.”
“You can,” he says firmly. “I know you can. But only if you have to. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way if there’s another way. Just stay safe. I’m coming, Addie.”
The screen goes black. The phone slips from my hands, and I stare at it, my chest hollow. Whatever warmth Liam left quickly evaporates, and I’m suddenly cold again.
Naomi’s voice trembles as she speaks. “W-we have to d-do something. We have to h-hide.” It’s not a suggestion—it’s a plea, and the desperation in her voice makes it worse. I glance at her, then at Sam, and I feel the walls closing in. There’s no way out. No escape. We’re trapped in our own house like animals cornered in a cage.
My brain is moving too fast and too slow all at once. I can’t think straight, but I have to. Mum. She’s still in her room. Alone. Vulnerable. I can’t hide knowing she’s out there.
“You hide,” I say, turning to Naomi. My voice shakes, but I keep it firm. “Mum’s in her room. I can’t leave her like this.” Naomi’s wide, tear-filled eyes meet mine, and for a second, I think she’s going to argue. But then she nods, the fight slowly draining out of her.
“Closet,” I say, pointing to the small space in the corner. “Go. I’ll lock you in. Break yourself out later if you have to. Or Sam will let you out. Just go.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, she frantically runs to the closet, her sobs barely contained. I watch her disappear inside, my chest aching. This isn’t supposed to happen. Not like this.
My eyes land on the little box on her desk where she keeps the key. I’ve always known about it, but I’ve never needed it. Until now. My fingers fumble as I grab the key and lock the door. The click is louder than it should be and practically echoes in the silence. I slip the key back into its hiding place after I’m done, my hands shaking so badly it takes me a few tries.
“I’ll help you find a spot,” I whisper to Sam. “We need to hurry or—”
“No,” she cuts me off, and her voice is surprisingly steady. It’s not a suggestion. “You’re not doing this alone, Addie.”
I want to argue. I want to tell her that I’ve been doing things alone my whole life, that it’s always been my job to protect everyone. That because of this, I never got the chance to really live. But there’s no time for that. I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat, and we start searching the room.
The sound of something breaking downstairs makes me freeze, and my body goes cold.
What a brilliant reminder of how completely screwed we are.
I force myself to stay still despite every instinct screaming at me to do the opposite, and the bile rising in my throat. I push it down. Fear wastes time. I can’t afford it.
“Promise me,” I say, turning to Sam, my voice shaky as I grab her arm, although my grip is firm. “If something happens to me, you’ll protect Mum too. Don’t let them get to her.”
Sam’s determined eyes meet mine. “I promise,” she says, and for the first time, I believe her.
I glance at the closet one last time before moving to the bedroom door. I ease it open and flinch at the sound, the dread settling over me. The hallway is darker than it should be. My breathing is louder than it needs to be.
A creak from the stairs makes my body go rigid. That’s when I see the figure at the bottom of the stairs, completely still and watching. My pulse pounds in my ears, and for a second, I can’t move.
I retreat into the room, my legs trembling. “What is it?” Sam whispers, her voice tight.
“They’re on the stairs,” I whisper back, and see Sam grip her knife tighter.
“What do we do?”
I take a deep breath, forcing my thoughts to slow down. “If they come up, they’ll probably check the closest room first,” I say. “I’ll sneak around from the other side and…” My voice trails off as I look at the knife in my hand. The thought of using itmakes my stomach churn. “It’ll give you time to get out. You have to be quick.”
“And you?” she asks, her voice low.
“I’ll figure it out,” I say, even though I don’t believe it.
She hesitates, then nods. “Got it.”
I glance down the hallway, my heart pounding in my chest, as I realise how wrong my current position is. I’m so out in the open, I might as well just hand myself over.
I need to get to the corner, where the shadows will hide me and my movements.
