Children's Games: A Story of Modern Consequence

Chapter 57

~Emilia~

Emilia opened the door extremely slowly, careful not to trigger the bell that would ring if disturbed. A strong chemical smell invaded her nostrils, making her rush to cover her nose and mouth.

She stepped through the small gap and closed the door behind her. She checked that her wrist knife was still in place, then secured her gun between her hands and aimed at the stairs at the back of the shop. She crept forward, passing through the middle aisles in pitch darkness.

There was a liquid covering everything, making the floor shine and the shelves become glassy, and she immediately knew that it connected with the chemical smell. Everything had been doused in ethanol.

She continued on to the stairs, pausing and listening for any signs of movement before she decided on going up.

The first floor of the house was just as they'd left it. The clock in the living room read 2:34am, and there were still a few packs on the kitchen bench that were ready for when they departed. But she wasn't ready to put her gun away yet.

One of the packs had fallen onto the ground, its contents spilling out onto the kitchen floor. She stepped around the island to catch a better look and held her breath at the sight. There had been a struggle; the contents of a first aid kit were sprawled across the tiles in a small pool of blood. It was splattered on the cabinet doors with drops and smudges of the sticky red liquid trailing away and disappearing at the sink. Emilia quickly stepped around the mess and hesitantly peered into the sink.

Someone had tried to wipe themselves down of the blood, but the weapon still remained, the knife's serrated edge bleeding into the sink. There were two tea-towels soaked half with blood and half with the water from the dripping tap. Emilia looked away, back to the blood on the floor that now looked like it had been lazily wiped up, rather than accidentally smeared.

Before she could decide on much else, there was a thunder of stomps, and she cracked her neck whipping her line of view to where it came from. Someone was running up the stairs from the basement. Emilia froze, her muscles tensing as she recognised Anna's breathing. By the time she thought about running or hiding, it was too late.

In record time, she snatched a rolling pin from its place on top of the fridge and swung at Anna just as she emerged from the stairs. They locked eyes as the hard wood smashed past Anna's AK15 and into her chest. Her swing was strong enough to knock her back down the stairs as she yelled bloody murder.

A boost of adrenaline was released in Emilia's veins allowing her to run up the stairs. She ran past their bedroom with the unlockable window and entered the bathroom. Its window was only small, but she'd be able to fit. She threw the rolling pin to smash the fogged glass and stood on the toilet seat to hoist herself up... But she was two floors in the air.

The sound of Anna getting up and stumbling up the stairs again caused Emilia to jump back down and crash into the linen closet at the end of the hallway faster than she thought possible. An ache rebounded across her chest, never having feeling so scared in her entire life.

"Katerina, you asshole!" Anna screamed as she ran up the last flight of stairs.

She screamed some more, a terrible, heart wrenching sound full of complete despair and desperation, calling Emilia names and cursing her out with a scratchy voice. She stormed through the hallway, scraping a baton in one hand and her gun in the other across the wall. The panelling on the walls created a ticking sound as her weapons dragged across its grooves, making Emilia flinch at the countdown.

Anna was breathing heavily, and it felt like it was going straight down Emilia's neck. She was taking her sweet time hunting her friend, and she kicked open each door trying to hunt her prey.