In My Skin

CH 18 || Halloween Part II

Curtains were draped across the windows, and the once-white fabric ruffled softly. With every move, glittering particles of dust followed in their wake. A few wheelchairs blocked the way. I suspected the boys placed them this way on purpose to make it look haunted.

Sadly. It worked.

I couldn't help throwing glances over my shoulder but...so far, I was doing good. It was scary, sure, but it was mostly in my head. I just had to keep my composure and I'd be fine. Piece of cake.

I rounded the next corner and instantly braked. A long corridor stretched before me, the faded glass plunging the hallway in different shades of gray. At the other end, the curtains fluttered around a figure standing in front of a window.

My heart slammed against my ribs. What. The. Hell?

I opened my mouth to call them out, but no sound escaped. I could only roughly make out a large silhouette, but whoever, or whatever it was, stood immobile.

Maybe they had placed a puppet to scare us. That was some freaking huge puppet though.

My legs wobbled. Be brave, Tay. Challenge your fears, Tay—Yeah. What a great idea to do this on my own. Just great.

I quickly glanced outside and could vaguely make out the entrance hall across the overgrown garden where everyone should be gathered. If it was a puppet, there was only one way to find out. Unless I wanted to call them out. Which I definitely didn't.

I inched closer.

One step.

Two.

A crunching noise disturbed the silence as I stepped onto a few broken shards of glass spread over the floor. I held my breath.

The figure turned.

My stomach lurched and I stumbled. The figure had moved. It moved.

Judging by their height it should be a man, but his face was shrouded in shadows. He shifted slightly, and something in his hand reflected the light.

Was that... a pocketknife? Had they really placed someone here with a knife? They might have run the other way around and staged someone here... But only the two guys and Rose had been there when I left.

An acidic, stale smell mixed with sweat wafted up my nose. Something was wrong. My fight-or-flight response kicked in and adrenaline flooded my veins, but my feet refused to budge.

Suddenly, my surroundings dimmed as if a veil of darkness had been thrown over the world. Time seemed to slow down. Every fiber in my body tensed. Lightning flashed and for a brief second, the hallway was completely illuminated.

He was tall, maybe even around Killian's height, with a mop of dark, matted hair that reached past his shoulders and a long, unkempt beard.

A booming thunder shook the building, and I jolted back into motion. A scream slipped out as I whirled around and bolted. Heavy footsteps thudded behind me, and a quick look over my shoulder made my heart nearly jump out of my chest. He was running after me.

What the hell?

My mind went into overdrive. I sprinted down the corridor I'd come from, my feet tripping over overthrown chairs and other obstacles but somehow, I kept going. Left, right, and left again. I burst through another set of doors and raced down a flight of stairs.

Where to now? I spun in place, but all around me was darkness, only slightly disrupted by subtle shades that morphed into several doorways.

Fuck.