Claws in the Dark | ✔

XV (Part II)

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Rebecca and George hid under her bed. Adrenaline had caused blood to pump as fiercely through her veins, in order for her dash and hide as quickly as possible with her brother. The monster had passed her room and she was able to relax a little.

"Sis?" George's squeaky voice slipped into her ear, and she turned to face him. His face was pale and exhibited the exact mirror image of terrified. "What was that?" he asked.

"It's going to be okay," she cooed, pulling him closer. Her phone made a soft ping in her pocket, and she took it out. It was a message from her father.

"Lock all the doors and windows, and find a safe place in the house to hide," was the message.

She didn't need to ask what was happening. It was pretty clear to her that the creature in the house was the exact reason her father wanted her to secure the house. She needed to protect her baby brother.

Instead of screening the text, she replied, "I can't. The monster's already inside. Hiding with George under my bed - there's nowhere to go." She sent the message as fast as she could, George looking over her shoulder at the phone she gripped tightly.

"Stay there. We'll get to you soon. Trapped in the church - those things are everywhere," her father replied after a little while.

Rebecca squeezed her eyes shut. A tear escaped her eyes as she fought hard to think of her father and mother, making it out of the church in one piece. She wanted them to be there, to protect them, to comfort them. She'd been resentful all these years, and now...well, now, she felt sorry. She feared the worst, but she hoped for the best.

"When are Mommy and Daddy coming back?" her little brother asked.

"They're going to be home soon," she responded. "We just have to wait here until they do."

Rebecca's bedsheet hung off the bed, so it touched the floor. She raised it up and slowly peered out from under the bed. She crept out and took all her pillows from on the bed and threw them under so that she and George could be comfortable and warm - the air conditioner was blasting, so they needed all the warmth they could get.

Before she could crawl back under with her brother, loud tumbles and violent snarls came from downstairs. The monster was probably destroying the rooms downstairs, searching for them.

Kneeling down, she pulled up the sheet and whispered to George, "I'll be right back."

"No, don't leave me," George cried.

"Shhh, if the monster hears you, he'll come up here for us, and you don't want that to happen, do you?

George pouted, becoming a little scared, and shook his head.

"I'll only be five minutes," she told him. "I'm gonna leave my phone with you and let it countdown. If I'm not back before the timer goes off, I want you to send a message to Dad, okay?"

He nodded, watching as she opened the timer and set it to five minutes. She tapped on the screen and a soft buzz informed that she put the phone on vibrate.

She gave him the phone and let a soft smile curl up on her face. She stroked his cheek and was about to drop the sheet, but George jumped out and hugged her. She embraced the hug and smiled, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"I love you, Sis," he said into her shoulder. "Come back, okay?"

"I love you, too, George, and I will," she said. The tears ran down her face and her breathing became a bit difficult; she knew what her chances were with that wild beast.

They parted and she dropped the sheet to hide George. "Start the timer," she said, opening the door and leaving the room.

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◀ MARDAIS ▶