I pressed my palms against the cold wood of the door, my ear straining at every creak in the silence beyond. My fists were bruised from pounding against the frame, but no one answered.
The room was a tomb.
I paced the floor until my legs ached, counting my breaths just to keep from unraveling. But it wasn’t only the confinement that gnawed at me — it was the sound of the house itself.
Another growl followed. Louder. Nearer.
“Hello?” My voice cracked against the silence. “Is anyone there?”
Nothing answered but the scuff of claws against stone.
I stumbled back from the door, my heartbeat a drum. The room suddenly seemed smaller, the walls pressing inward. I searched for anything to use as a weapon. My hands closed around the candlestick from my nightstand. Its weight was pitiful compa
