-

PTE

<><><><><><><><>

'S

s-and was swall

metal. My legs ached. My heart thudded violently in my

" I whispered, pan

en-his

ar. Ha

gh slithered through the room

lly goes away. It just waits in the back of your mi

n and I flinched, stoma

ile," he said,

shaking in my veins. "Let m

. But... I couldn't do thi

single day. And he never grante

cheek. I turned away and spat at him, breathi

ngue. A blade pressed against my face, dragging slow

ripped m

ened. I could

king on my panic, on my sha

this," h

, pathetic old

tray and plunged it into my neck. I cried out-once, r

your mouth, sl

, vision swimming with shadows. I couldn't

Every second of him steal

to scream

as exist inside the

my eyes, but I wou

over, he l

hai

lot

oken

mehow stil

-

up sc

rs were still clenched tight around my pi

had been too r

pounding so hard I could

h

guns

e

ake ta

a

ts could catch up. I bolted ou

ted until my voice cracked.

rushed

omething

I was

wasn't ju

blood, broken furniture, bullet holes. But... eve

rd a

urn

chen. Cooking. Hummin

reath caught

me, surprised. "J

ike a ghost had a

wounds. No si

spun und

drea

really

lt so