Page 70 of Hollow

I find myself getting to my feet, even though my knees are shaking. Every part of me is shaking with fear because she wants me, she wants me.

Maybe she wants all of us.

“Watch your head,” a voice whispers from the other side of the door, coarse and metallic and faint, barely even a whisper.

I am a dead man.

The doorknob begins to turn.

A slow creak of metal that echoes in the room.

A turn left.

A turn right.

A push forward.

The lock catches, stopping the door from opening.

Sweet Jesus.

I watch wide-eyed, breath shaking, expecting another try, another push, another chance for the creature to get inside.

But there’s nothing.

Silence.

Suddenly, the clock starts ticking again, the sound filling the air, making me realize that time had actually stopped. I glance at the clock. It’s one a.m. again.

I run to the bathroom and vomit, sickness rolling through me, the fear eating me alive without me even knowing I was its meal.

Then I splash water on my face from the basin.

I avoid looking in the mirror.

Something tells me to avoid looking in the mirror.

Quickly, I turn around and go back into my room. The only sound is the ticking clock. The doorknob doesn’t move. The feeling of something oozing under the door to eat me alive is gone.

But then…

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Off in the distance. Far down the hall.

I don’t know what possesses me, but I slide on my slippers, grab one of the candlesticks, and go to the door. I take a deep breath, and before I can change my mind, I unlock it with my key and step out into the hallway.

Just in time to see the body disappear around the corner, those grey, dead feet dragging on the floor. I make a point of locking my door behind me and then start walking after the body, following the trail. There’s blood again, and I quickly touch some of it, pressing my wet fingers on my tongue.

It’s blood. It’s disgusting.

I spit it out and wipe my fingers on my pants and continue down the hall.

I should talk myself out of this. I should stop and go back to my room. Lock the door and go to sleep.