Primal Desires

Chapter 21

Rose's POV

Peering around the edge of the door, I found myself looking down a dark and empty corridor.

I was alone.

But more importantly, I was out.

***

Well, out of my room at least.

Without a second glance, I stepped over the threshold of the room I had been confined to for almost three weeks, and into the unknown of the building in front of me. Creeping silently, I made my way along the dark hallway until I reached a small set of stairs leading upwards. My room had been at the end of the corridor, and by the looks of things, it was the only one on this level – I deduced that this was the lower floor, perhaps an underground basement considering there had been no windows. The wallpaper along the walls had been peeling and a thick layer of dust gathered along the skirting board, telling me that this was not an area used often. I would bet good money that the only people who had been down there in my time here had been me, Oleg and Nathan. I hoped that meant there weren't others in the house, but I couldn't be too sure so I ensured to keep my guard up.

I slowly tiptoed up the stairs, thankful that they didn't creak, and found myself faced with a wooden door.

"Shit," I whispered. If this door was locked I would have no chance.

I rested my hand on the door handle before pushing my ear up against the door to check that no one was behind it, waiting for me to burst through. When I was met with silence I slowly twisted the handle, hoping and praying that I would hear the 'click' as the door detached itself from the frame. Luck was clearly on my side, and the door edged forward. With a deep breath, I pushed it open further, taking a careful peek around before stepping through it.

I emerged into another hallway, however this one was bigger, cleaner, more like the foyer of a house. On the opposite side of the space and to my left, were another set of stairs leading upwards onto another floor. Directly to my left, the hallway seemed to lead deeper into the house. To my right, I saw a door which I hoped would lead to my freedom. This door was different to the rest I had come across, and appeared to be the front door. The deeply tinted windows on either side of the door restricted my vision, but I could make out that, behind them, the outside world awaited. I couldn't see any sign of civilisation however, and I knew that wherever I was, it was definitely off the beaten track.

Pausing briefly to check for any signs of movement in the house, I crept towards the door. With a shaky hand, I reached out to open it, gripping the handle tightly and twisting. It didn't budge.

"Shit."

Of course, this door would be locked. Yanking on the handle again, I tried pulling it open once more, cursing to myself when, unsurprisingly, it didn't move.

Shit, shit, shit...

My hope of escape was fading fast and I could feel myself begin to panic. What could I do? I knew that I could probably take the door down with my bare hands if I tried, even in my weaker state, but I hadn't established that I was alone in the house. What if I knocked the door down, only to be taken down moments later by a bunch of Strigoi from the upper floors of the building? No, I needed to be careful. This was too precious an opportunity to waste by being careless.

Sighing dejectedly, I turned away from the door and followed the hallway deeper into the house. Perhaps there was a back entrance I could try, an open window, anything...

The hallway led into a kitchen, its tinted windows allowing a slight amount of moonlight to reflect off the shiny surfaces. Being the house of a Strigoi, this room was clearly rarely used, and this fact was reflected its cleanliness. The sides were spotless, clear from clutter besides an empty vase on the island and a lonesome glass beside the sink.