KYLE
I could hear her sobs. She was terrified.
“Tessa?”
She didn't answer.
“Tessa? Open the door.”
Again, no answer.
The silence behind the bathroom door was more terrifying than the fight I’d just finished. I pressed my ear against the wood, hearing nothing but the sound of ragged breathing.
"Tessa," I rasped, my chest tight. "Tessa, it's me. Kyle. Open the door."
“That man is gone.”
She wouldn't answer as if she was numb.
I couldn't wait for her to trust me. I reached down, gripped the hem of my black shirt, and ripped a thick strip of fabric from the bottom. I wrapped it tightly around my knuckles, padding my skin before I drew back and drove my fist through the hollow-core door.
Wood splintered and shrieked. I did it again, opening a hole, then reached inside, my hand sha
