Page 19 of Mourning Wings
Aswe move deeper into the mansion, the sense of isolation becomes more pronounced.
Wefind ourselves in a room that appears to be a library, its shelves lined with ancient-looking books and dusty relics.Theheavy air seems to press in on us, and the silence is occasionally broken by the distant sounds of footsteps and hushed voices.
“I’mstarting to feel like we’re in one of those old horror films,”Isabelwhispers.
“Pleasedon’t.”
“What?I’mjust saying.Itfeels like we’re being hunted.I’veseen this before.”
“Isa,”Igroan, rolling my eyes. “Let’sjust keep moving and stay out of sight.”
Isabelchuckles. “Okay,Mommy.”
Igrab a book from the shelf and toss it at her, narrowly missing.Herlaughter only grows louder.
Grabbingher arm,Ipull her along as we move through the library, passing a grand fireplace.Themantle is cluttered with strange trinkets, framed portraits of grim-faced ancestors watching us from the walls.Ispot a small door partially hidden behind a large leather chair and motion forIsabelto follow me.
Weslip through and find ourselves in a narrow passageway.Thewalls are lined with old portraits that seem to watch us with disdainful eyes.It’scramped and the air is musty.
“Doyou think this is a good place to hide?”Isabelasks.
“It’sas good as any,”Ireply, trying to sound reassuring. “Ifanything feels off, we get out of here and regroup.”
Wehuddle in the tight space, hoping no one finds us.
We’vebeen hidingfor what feels like hours.
Mylegs are tucked up against my chest, butIdon’t dare move.Ican feelIsabelbeside me, her breathing slow and steady, thoughIknow she’s just as tense asIam.Myheart hammers in my chest, andIclose my eyes, willing it to quiet down.
Thesound of a clock chimes unexpectedly.One, two, three…Itechoes through the walls, each ring stretching the silence tighter.Twelverings.Midnight.Thesignal.
Isabelplaces a hand on my arm, her grip tight.
Ipush myself up slowly, legs shaking as the blood rushes back into them.Mymuscles scream in protest, but there’s no time to linger.Thesearch begins now.Myfingers tremble asIpress them against the hidden latch we came through earlier.Islide the panel aside, just a crack, enough to peer out.Nothing.Theroom is empty.
Isabelleans forward, her hair brushing my arm, andIcan hear her barely-there exhale of relief.
Atthat moment, footsteps echo in the near distance, steadily approaching before halting abruptly.Atense silence follows, andIfreeze, trying to remain as still as possible.
Aftera few seconds, the footsteps resume, moving away from us.Ilet out a slow exhale.
“Let’sstay here a bit longer, then make our way back to the main hall.Ineed to start looking for clues.”
Isabelnods, her eyes wide with unease.
Butthen, a group of masked men strides past us.Mybreath catches in my throat asIsee the glint of metal in their hands—knives, long and wickedly sharp.Theymove with a predatory grace; their intentions clear in the way they hold their weapons.
Isabel’sgasp slips out before she can stop it, andIlock in place, silently praying they didn’t hear.Tomy great dismay, one of the men abruptly halts, turning slowly toward us.IfeelIsabel’spanic radiating off her as she presses herself against the wall.
Asthe man turns, my heart sinks.It’sone of the brothers we met earlier, the one who introduced himself with that unnerving sneer—Theodore.Hisforehead scrunches behind the mask as he scans the area, suspicion flickering in his gaze.
Whyare they carrying knives?Thequestion pounds in my head, making it hard to think.Thisis supposed to be a game, but the way they’re acting—like they’re hunting—doesn’t add up.WasIsabelright?
Heseems to look right at us, and for a moment,I’msure we’ve been spotted.Buthe shrugs it off, turning back to the others.Theybegin to walk away, their footsteps fading, butsomething’s wrong.Theyvanish from view far too quickly.Thecorridor stretches out ahead of them—they should still be in sight, but it’s as if they’ve disappeared into thin air.
“Whatthe hell?”Iwhisper.
Beforeeither of us can move, one of the brothers appears out of nowhere, his hand clamping down onIsabel’sarm.