~AMARIS
The violent, heavy vibrations of that thunderous knock were still rattling the very core of my bones when my survival instincts kicked into high gear, scratching frantically right under my skin. The pure, blinding terror of being caught in my absolute weakness forced my body out of its paralyzed state. I frantically dragged the backs of my trembling hands across my wet face, scrubbing at my eyes and wiping off the heavy layer of tears, cleaning them dry in an instant. I bit down on my swollen lower lip, forcing the pathetic, broken sobs back down into my aching chest, trying to construct a mask of innocence before the wood could splinter.
The next sound I heard wasn’t a knock.
It was a total, aggressive break-in.
The door latch twisted with a sharp, metallic screech of pure for
