I hear her shifting away, giving me space, yet she’s too close.
The anxiety at being close to someone at the moment makesmy skin crawl, as if she’s reaching into my chest with invisible hands, trying to rip my organs out.
I suddenly stand up, making her eyes shift to me, and a look of concern passes over her face. I ignore it as I turn away from her, walking into the woods beyond.
I will never be able to escape the demons haunting my mind. They’re part of me now; perhaps they have always been.
The closer to the woods I get, the more memories start turning up in my mind like a film reel. I can’t fucking handle it—all I want to do is run from my past and start anew. Away from all this shit and forget everything.
Unfortunately, the past always catches up with you.
I clench my jaw, pressing my nails hard into my palms. The fresh air of nature—soil, trees, and leaves—fills my lungs with the calmness I need. I turn my back to the woods and make my way over to Naya. She stands where I left her, staring out at the woods and into the unknown. Her posture is hesitant, marked by hunched shoulders and a cautious stance.
“Come,” I say, reaching out my hand.
She eyes me for a moment before taking it. We head up the stairs to the patio, only to find the door locked. It’s laughable, truly. I scan the area for a rock, finding one just below the patio. I walk down to grab it, before I smash the window beside the door. The glass shatters with a satisfying crack, and I carefully reach through the broken window, find the handle, and turn the lock. The door glides open, Naya standing behind me, more silent than ever.
“Welcome to my home.” I laugh bitterly, ignoring the twinge of agony that fills me as I step into the hallway.
The smell of mildew and dust settles into the walls, but I ignore it, taking in the familiar hallway that used to be so well-maintained but now looks as if it’s falling apart. It looks the same as it did back then, the only difference being that it’sabandoned, with dust lingering on every piece of furniture.
“Is this where you used to live?” she asks, though she already knows the answer.
Meeting her gaze, my eyes are as open and wild as my brother’s after he killed our parents. “Yup. The one and only place that truly fucked me up.” I give her a smirk, but it’s far from friendly. It’s not even full of malice—it’s as lifeless as their corpses.
I watch her swallow, taking in the space around us with a narrowed gaze. “It’s...nice,” she manages to force out, and I can’t help but laugh straight in her face.
This place is dragging all my inner demons up to the surface, fucking up the chemistry in my brain—it makes me bitter.
“Now isn’t the time for lies.”
I ignore her as she stands behind me, making my way toward the front door to put a broken nightstand in the way. It’s not much protection, but it’ll alert us if someone is coming.
We’re not safe anywhere.
Then I step farther into the house that’s been abandoned for the past few years. Grinding my teeth, I take the stairs that creak with each step, approaching the room that used to be mine.
Everything looks just as I remember, with the bed pushed up against the wall, and a black—now dirtied—carpet on the floor. I didn’t have much furniture because my parents never cared that much.
A wardrobe is beside the bed, but nothing else, and the window in here is shattered. A sharp gust of wind breezes over the room, causing Naya to draw in a sharp, shuddering breath.
”This was my room,” I mutter. ”But we can’t stay here.”
The bedroom beside mine looks the same with the same tattered furniture, except this one is warmer, and no window is broken.
“Grey...” Naya whispers, as if realizing exactly who this roomused to belong to.
“Not now,” I growl, pulling out my backpack and dumping it on the ground, dust flying around from the impact. “We’ll just stay here for now, until we have a better plan.”
She hesitantly nods, unsure of what to say.
“Block the doors and windows. If no one is here tomorrow, we’ll know we’re safe and can stay for a while.”
“Is this really a good idea? Coming back here?” she asks, worry tinging her words as her eyes meet mine.
“We have no other choice. We can’t afford to pay for a motel. The money will run out any day now.”
I glance at the bag filled with the groceries we managed to buy the other day. Food is scarce, but that’s nothing new to us. At the dollhouse, they starved us for days, and food was a reward earned only by obedience.