Mia's pulse quickened as her mind raced. She could barely make out Jake's silhouette against the darkness. Her fingers drummed against the cold glass, her breath fogging up the window. Every second felt like an eternity.
"Jake!" she hissed, louder this time, but still no answer. The silence pressed in on her, as though the very air had thickened.
She could no longer see him. The beam of the flashlight remained dead, swallowed by the oppressive blackness of the night. Her heart sank. What if he was hurt? Or worse? The figure—whatever it was—had been standing right where he'd gone. Panic gnawed at her resolve. She needed to act.
Without thinking, Mia rushed to the corner of the room, fumbling for the emergency lantern she'd spotted earlier. Her shaking hands barely managed to flick it on, casting the cabin in a dim but steady glow. It wasn't much, but it gave her a small sense of control in an otherwise helpless situation.
A muffled sound came from outside, barely audible but enough to make her freeze in place. A soft shuffling, like footsteps. They were slow and deliberate, as if something was creeping closer, each step more menacing than the last. The weight of the silence that followed made her stomach lurch. She clenched her fists, every muscle in her body tense with dread.
Mia's mind darted between possibilities. Should she go out there after Jake? What if the figure was still lurking in the shadows, waiting for her to make a move? But leaving him out there alone felt wrong—she couldn't abandon him.
Summoning her courage, she grabbed the lantern and cautiously stepped toward the door. Her hand hovered over the handle, trembling, as she tried to steel herself. Just as her fingers brushed the cold metal, she heard it—a low, guttural whisper.
"Mia..."
Her blood turned to ice. The voice was distorted, barely human, but unmistakably calling her name. It was coming from just outside the door.
She jerked back, her mind screaming at her to lock the door, to barricade herself inside. But instead, she stood frozen, staring at the door as if it might burst open at any moment.
"Mia... come out..." The voice slithered through the cracks of the door, closer now, more insistent.
She stumbled backward, knocking over a chair in her haste. The noise shattered the silence, and suddenly the whispering stopped. In the deafening quiet that followed, Mia's heart thudded in her chest.
Then the door handle rattled.
The sight of it moving sent a jolt of adrenaline through her, and she sprinted to the far end of the room, grabbing the fireplace poker from its stand. Her hands tightened around it as she pointed the lantern at the door, her mind racing with dread.
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Next Chapter will be out soon.
Stay tuned. Bye!
