Serial

Chapter Eighteen

I'd never been so scared in my life. I knew now that terrifying his victims was part of what got Levi off. He liked the hunt. He fed off the fear. I bet he'd even been the one to think up the idea of taping the women screaming so that he could listen to them after they were dead.

I'd been wrong all along. I'd thought Kyle was the most evil person I'd ever met, but it was really Levi.

"I'm gonna get you, Emmy," Levi continued to whisper as he walked the length of the closet. I couldn't quite tell where he was, because everything seemed to echo inside the storage space. But I knew he was getting closer.

I don't want to die.

The phrase popped into my head out of nowhere and quickly became my mantra.

I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die...

I had nothing on me that I could use as a weapon. Just my legs and fists, and that would be no match to a seasoned killer who was likely armed by now. Still, I'd fight back the best I could, for as long as I could.

But would it be enough? No one else knew I was here, so I couldn't even cling to the hope that someone was on their way to rescue us. And Zhara was down for the count, which meant I only had myself to depend on. A ballerina with no fighting skills.

I was completely unprepared and Levi knew it. The realization was heartbreaking.

"I'm gonna—" he began again, but suddenly his sentence cut off and there was a loud grunt. Then, I heard the sound of heavy footsteps heading in the opposite direction, as well as something else I couldn't quite decipher, before the closet door slammed hard.

Had he really just left? After all that?

I prayed that it wasn't just an elaborate plan to draw me out, but lifted the top of the box slowly so I could peek out. There was no one within eyesight, and I couldn't hear anything nearby either.

I knew I couldn't stay where I was, but I was terrified to come out. Still, I forced myself to step out of my hiding place and down to the floor below. Taking a few hesitant steps forward, I peeked out from behind a silver and red sequined costume, hoping I was right.

When I saw that the closet appeared empty, I began to tip-toe toward the door, half expecting Levi to jump out at me at any moment. I was beginning to hear talking now, coming from inside the studio. It wasn't loud enough for me to understand, but it was there. As I crept up to the partly opened door, however, it stopped completely.

I could barely breathe as I peeked out.

There, over near the door sat Levi, slumped forward, his arms tied tightly to the barre above his head. His shirt was stained red with blood and he didn't appear conscious.

Relief spread through me, as I realized someone had saved us.

I quickly emerged from my hiding spot and took a few steps into the room, looking around for our savior.

"Emmy," someone said as I appeared. "I'm so happy you're okay."

I turned to see who was talking, and could barely believe what I was seeing.

"I came as fast as I could," Kyle continued, taking a few steps toward me. He was near the entrance to the closet, so I couldn't dart back inside to get away from him. I took a step back to put some distance between us instead.

"What are you doing, Kyle?" I asked, so confused at this point that I felt like sitting down and crying.

"I'm here to save you," he said, like this was the only logical answer. "From him."