Page 30 of My Undead Love Life

SCRATCH.

My entire body jerked.

Luck’s hand moved toward me as if he wanted to steady me, but he stopped short before touching me.

Mad shifted beside me as well, his breathing controlled.

Oxi did not move at all.

Time stretched until it stopped feeling real. It was torture.

It slammed against the door hard enough to make the hinges groan. The entire closet seemed to shake around us, tiny and dark. My legs cramped from staying still. My fingers ached from gripping the sleeping bag so hard. My eyes still burned from a mix of exhaustion and fear, but I was too scared to close them for more than a blink.

Just when I thought it would never end, silence blanketed us.

We remained pressed together on the makeshift bed of sleeping bags, and the guys had their weapons drawn.

I hadn’t even thought to grab mine.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

It might’ve been longer, but nobody checked the door.

Whatever had spent hours trying to get inside was still out there somewhere. I didn’t know if it was gone or waiting. Neither possibility made me feel better.

My fingers had gone numb from how tightly I was gripping the sleeping bag.

Mad finally exhaled slowly beside me. “We need to stay here another night.”

“Without light?” Oxi muttered under his breath.

Mad shifted, rustling the fabric of the blankets. “We shouldn't draw attention to this door.”

“The door blends into the wall. If Spencer hadn’t noticed it, I wouldn’t have,” Luck pointed out.

“Exactly.” Mad paused. “The candlelight could show beneath the crack, and then it’s a beacon to where we are.”

Oxi groaned quietly. “Right.”

Mad continued, “That'd be a sure way to let whatever the fuck that was know we're in here.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Oxi stated.

“Nope,” Luck agreed. “But I really have to piss.”

“Use the bucket, don’t announce yourself.” Mad huffed.

Luck got up, somehow found the bucket, and a stream of pee hitting it hissed through the silence. Once he was done, he sat back down. We’d been using the bucket, but it filled up quickly. Thankfully, there was a drain in the floor.

The dark didn’t seem as frightening as whatever was out there. We couldn’t draw any more attention to ourselves, especially not after hearing that thing spend hours scratching at the door to get to us.

Honestly, I was surprised it hadn’t broken through.

I stared blindly into the darkness. Somewhere in the tunnels, an animal let out a distant growl, but it was further away now. I could only hope it was the animal that had tried to break in.

“What should we do while we pass the time?” Oxi asked after a while. The question sounded unfathomable in the cramped closet after what we’d just gone through.