Little Angel

Chapter 16

The house was quiet. It was one of those nights where the silence felt heavy, like even the air was holding its breath. The moonlight streamed through the kitchen window, casting a pale glow over the counters. The hum of the refrigerator was the only sound as Ella padded into the kitchen on bare feet, her little bunny slippers barely making a sound against the hardwood floor.

She was thirsty. Lucas had tucked her in hours ago, and she had tried to sleep, but a bad dream had woken her up—a shadowy figure in her room, a whisper she couldn't quite place. She'd shaken her head, told herself it was just a dream, and tiptoed down to get a glass of water.

Her tiny hand reached up to grab a cup from the cabinet, stretching onto her tiptoes. She filled it carefully, standing on a stool Lucas had bought for her because he said she should never have to struggle in her own home. She smiled faintly at the memory, holding the cool glass with both hands and sipping quietly.

That's when she heard it.

A creak.

Not the kind of creak old houses make, but sharper. Controlled. Intentional. Like a footstep.

Ella froze. Her breath caught in her throat, her little fingers tightening around the glass. She turned her head slowly, her blonde hair falling into her eyes, but the kitchen doorway was empty. She let out a shaky breath, trying to convince herself it was nothing. Maybe Noah had gotten up. Or Aiden. Or one of the twins.

But then she saw it.

A shadow moved across the wall, growing larger. A tall figure stepped into view, their face hidden by a horrifying mask—a giant bunny head with blood-red eyes and a crooked, stitched-up smile. The sight was so grotesque, so wrong, that Ella's glass slipped from her hands, shattering on the floor.

She screamed.

It was a high-pitched, blood-curdling sound that echoed through the house.

The bunny mask tilted its head at her, slow and deliberate, and then took a step forward.

Ella backed up so quickly she slipped on the water from her spilled glass, falling onto her hands and knees. Tears welled up instantly as she scrambled to her feet, heart hammering in her chest. She ran toward the kitchen cabinets, throwing herself inside one of the lower ones, curling her small body into a ball. She slammed the door shut and shoved her hands over her ears as heavy footsteps approached.

The masked figure was getting closer.

Ella buried her face against her knees, her sobs muffled as she tried to make herself as small as possible. The pounding of her own heart was deafening in her ears. She could hear yelling now—Noah's voice, Aiden's voice, the twins shouting. There was a loud crash, a curse, then another scream that wasn't hers.

But none of it mattered.

Because the bunny was in the kitchen.

She could hear its slow, taunting footsteps. The sound of something dragging along the floor, maybe a weapon, maybe just their hand trailing across the tile. She whimpered, pressing herself further back into the cabinet, nails digging into her own arms as she sobbed silently.

"Ella..." a voice whispered, soft and almost mocking.

She clamped her hands over her ears tighter, rocking back and forth. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to see that horrible mask again. She wanted Lucas. She wanted her brothers. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

Suddenly, the cabinet door was yanked open.

Ella screamed.

She lashed out, kicking and scratching and biting at whoever grabbed her. Tears streamed down her face, her cries echoing in the chaos of the house.