Hide And Seek - Brahms x Greta

First

They're closed.

Coming to a stop in front of the large iron gates, that's the only thought in her head.
The gates are closed.

Her breathing is rough and her chest heaves as she gasps for air. Sweat lowly trickles down her neck, trailing down towards her back but she doesn't notice. The adrenaline is making her head foggy and her heart race and it almost feels like too much as her head spins and she feels sick. Can I climb over? She takes a step forward, almost stumbling, but stops and tilts her head to stare at the top of the spiked gates. No, and she quickly whips around to stare down the long, winding driveway.

But Malcolm slept in his car, it'd still be there!
She takes a step forward, and stops. Does she really want to go back there? To him? Looking back to the gates, she considered just going for it, just climbing the gates and making a run for it. But there's really too many risks. She's never been past the gates, and the thought of guessing her way to the nearest town in the middle of the night frustrates her enough to let loose a growl. Raising her hands to her face, she leans forward and buries her face in her hands. Tears and dirt mixing and she lets loose a quiet sob.

"No. Malcom." She can't leave him. Not after everything he's done for her. Not after everything they've been through. She rubs her hands on her cheeks, scrubbing away the tears and the hopelessness she feels inside. She will not leave without him. Without a second thought she races into the darkness, back towards the house.

Back towards him.

—

Slowly making her way up the steps, she wraps her arms around herself and attempts to steady her breathing. Her heart is pounding and it's all she hears. Where will he be? Waiting for her just inside the door? Behind a wall watching her, like he had for so long? Or worse, will he be back with Malcolm? She clenches her jaw, straightens her back and places her hand on the doorknob. Remember the plan.

The long run had given her time to think. When she ignored the rules he stole her things and locked her in the attic. When she followed them, he returned them and left her be. Even after all the events that had taken place, he pleaded for her to stay and had promised to be a good boy. So did he still want her as his nanny? If so, then he'd listen to her. He had to, everything depended on it.

And with that thought, she opened the door and stepped into the house.

Peering in, she didn't immediately see him, and she held her breath to listen more carefully. Nothing. Closing the door carefully, she stepped inside and immediately went for the small dresser in the hallway. The week before she had seen a long screwdriver in there while she was searching for batteries. Glancing around the dark house, she quickly opened the drawer and rummaged around, shifting and moving things as quickly as she could before he heard her. Finally her hand hit metal and she grasped it tightly, pulling it out and glancing at it for just a second, before shoving the drawer shut. She held it in her left hand, just behind her should he appear before her. A bright light shone from the only open door in the hallway and taking deep breaths she walked as calmly as she could towards it.

Sucking in a big lungful of air, she held her breath as she peered into the door. It was just as she left it.

The doll lay on the floor, its porcelain head shattered into millions of pieces. The mirror had a huge gaping hole, fragments of it scattered across the room. And Cole lay perfectly still on the now deep brownish rug. A piece of porcelain still inside his bleeding neck.
She released the breath she had been holding shakily and her knees felt weak. Suddenly, she felt a pair of eyes piercing through her and she turned to face the end of the hallway. The light through the doorway filled the dark hall, but it wasn't enough to reach him. Standing under the window, the moon provided just enough light for her to see his tall silhouette, and her breath felt stuck in her throat. Slowly, to not draw is attention, she slid the screwdriver into her back pocket.