Shadows of deceit : The Augustus secret

Chapter Twenty-one

Ashley

The pitter-patter of raindrops on my window created an eerie symphony with the occasional booming thunder, as if nature itself was mocking my inability to sleep. I reached for my phone to check the time, the glowing display revealing it was only but 11 pm. Silence engulfed the house, a hollow emptiness taking hold of the night, as if all life had been extinguished and swallowed by the darkest hour of this cold night.

I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that sleep would elude me for the night. My head was a whirlwind, thoughts and worries swirling endlessly. Restlessness clawed at me, and I knew it would be a long night. The need to think, to sort through the jumble of thoughts in my mind, consumed me. This was going to be a sleepless night of deep contemplation.

I stalked around the room, my steps rhythmic as I wrestled with my thoughts. I stood by the window, my gaze fixated on the endless pour of rain outside. My mind wrestled with the reasons behind their insistence that I keep my distance from Isaac. I mean at first I admit, I really hoped that the reasoning behind Stefan telling me to keep away from Isaac would be I don't know, a hint of jealousy or something but having Jess, his own sister telling me the same thing? Do they really believe that I would just fall for Isaac's charm and let him influence me for God knows what reason?

I mean sure yeah, I don't trust Isaac, but I also don't trust them. They keep giving me reasons on why I shouldn't trust them. They hide stuff, and I don't know if it is important or not but the action itself raises doubts. Isaac is the only straightforward person among them. He didn't even try to hide his thoughts and feelings and maybe that makes him a fool, but it also makes him honest. And right now, I could really use some honesty to make sense of it all. So, I will get closer to Isaac, and no. No, I am not making up excuses to get closer to him for other reasons besides doing my job. The library thing was a slip up I admit, and it won't happen again.

In an instant, darkness enveloped me, the only flicker of light coming from the window in front of me. My heart skipped a beat as a piercing scream echoed through the room, the blood in my veins turning to ice. The power went out suddenly, and a panicked voice began to shout in terror, the sound reverberating through the halls. The woman's scream was filled with sheer terror, a desperate cry for help. It was a blood-curdling, high-pitched shriek that seemed to pierce the very air, chilling me to the bone. What in the actual fuck?

I wanted to get out and see who or why someone was yelling but I knew damn well not to. For all I know someone is getting murdered right now and I was scared, I really was. I was torn between my desire to investigate and my fear of what lay beyond. I knew it was dangerous to venture out, but the screams and the unknown sent a shiver down my spine. The room was steeped in utter darkness, and the only thing I could hear were the panicked yells.

Suddenly, a sound of shuffling footsteps in the hallway echoed through my door. A sliver of flickering light, dim but still visible, shone through the crack. Whoever was out there must be holding a flashlight, its beam dancing wildly in the blackness.

Time seemed to crawl by as the screams finally fell silent, leaving an eerie stillness in their wake. But the light from the hallway continued to flicker through the crack in my door, its shifting glow a constant reminder that someone was still there - standing right on the other side.

A knock on the door seemed to echo through the silence like a clap of thunder, making me jump in fright. The suddenness of the sound sent my heart racing, and I held my breath, paralyzed with fear. Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at the door, every muscle in my body coiled in anticipation.

"Ashley, it's me." The sound of Isaac's voice from behind the door sent a wave of conflicting emotions coursing through me. On one hand, there was a sense of relief at the familiar sound of his voice, but on the other hand, a tinge of fear still lingered. "Are you okay?" He sounded worried.