FELICIA HEILGENDORFF

The steps creaked as she placed her foot on them. She cursed herself inwardly, her heart racing so loudly, she could barely hear anything else. It was so silent, she thought, unsure whether that was a good or a bad thing. She stretched out her leg to skip two steps and lightly reached a higher level. She looked upwards. The stairs continued twisting and turning rapidly into the darkness. It was all she could not to scream. She didn’t think there was another level up there, just the stairs. Both of them must be hiding on the stairs. Or had he already killed him? It was too bloody quiet here.

She took a deep breath, then jumped further up the stairs, keeping her eyes trained on the space in front of her, hoping beyond hope that she would be ready to fight him once he turned up there.

She kept going, ever more determined, dreading each step more and more. And then he was there.

It went so quickly, she could hardly have reported what exactly happened afterwards. The knife in the dark, pain and then writhing on the steps, his hard cold hands gripped around her wrist.

He laughed lightly. “I’m glad you could make it,” he said, his eyes glittering with excitement.

Somewhere far above them a boy screamed in fear. He grinned.

“Let’s go find your brother together, shall we?” he said, as he hauled her to her feet, his knife still pressed against her throat.

© 2016

FFfAW, Week of September 20, 2016

Photo prompt provided by Joy Pixley