Chapter 16 – Patterns in the Dark
360 Words
Luna had never thought of time as a weapon. But now, trapped in Hayes House, it was all she had.
Every movement, every habit, every sound Rick made became data in her mind. She started noticing things:
He always left his watch on the mantle before dinner.
He drank exactly two beers in the evening, never three.
He locked the front door at 9:30 sharp, like a ritual.
When he read in the study, he lost track of nearly everything.
She scribbled in Julia’s notebook at night, under her blanket, the words small and tight:
Pattern = weakness. Weakness = exit.
The act of writing steadied her shaking hands.
---
She began small experiments.
When Rick sent her to fetch tea, she deliberately took longer, counting how many minutes passed before his voice called her name. (Four minutes before he noticed. Too short.)
When he went upstairs to shower, she lingered in the hall, listening. Water ran for seven minutes before shutting off. (Seven minutes of freedom. Not enough.)
When he left the room to take a phone call—his voice always low, urgent—she leaned closer to the door. She could never catch words, only fragments. But tonight, she heard it clear:
“…she’s adjusting.”
The breath left her lungs. Was he talking about her?
---
Later that night, she tucked the notebook back under her mattress. But when she reached to smooth the sheet over it, her blood ran cold.
The book was turned slightly.
Not the way she had left it.
Her breath hitched. She scanned the shadows, the corners of her room. Had Rick already found it? Had he touched her words, her thoughts?
The silence pressed against her ears until she swore she could hear her own blood.
Finally, she forced herself to lie down, eyes wide, her body rigid with fear.
She had to believe the notebook was still hers. She had to believe he hadn’t read it.
But as the wind rattled the trees outside, another truth gnawed at her chest:
Rick didn’t miss things.
And if he hadn’t already found her secret… it was only a matter of time.
- Writer
