Elara's breathing rasped beside me, sharp and uneven. She hadn't moved since the lock had clicked, her wide eyes fixed on the door as though sheer fear might keep it shut. My legs had gone numb beneath me, my palms damp and trembling. I could still hear the echo of his footsteps outside the door, the sound fading but never gone. Minutes passed, or maybe hours. I didn't know anymore. Every sound in the dark seemed to stretch until it broke apart. The house itself seemed to breathe, settling into a hush so deep I could hear my own heartbeat.
"Elie," Elara whispered, her voice a fragile thread. "Do you think he's gone?"
"I don't know." My throat ached from dryness. "Don't move yet."
We stayed there, motionless. The moonlight that slipped through the narrow window cast a silver bar across the dusty floorboards, catching the faint movement of dust in the air. It looked like the world outside still existed calm, ordinary while we were trapped in some quiet nightmare.
