Chapter 4 - The Confrontation in the Hallway
My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. I froze at the top of the stairs, clutching Lily tighter against my chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering softly, her small fingers clutching the fabric of my jacket until my shoulder burned.
"Shh, baby, it's okay," I whispered into her hair, my mind racing through the layout of the house.
The front stairs were our only exit from the second-floor landing. Below us, heavy boots crinkled against the hardwood floor of the foyer. Keys clattered onto the small side table by the door.
"Babe? You here?" Troy called out again, his voice echoing up the stairwell. There was an edge of impatience in his tone now, a sharp drop in the cheerful facade I had witnessed before.
I stepped backward, retreating down the dim hallway toward Lily’s bedroom, trying to find a place to hide or a secondary way out. Was there a fire escape? A ladder? Nothing. Just bedrooms and a shared bathroom.
Suddenly, heavy, unhurried footsteps began to ascend the stairs. Creek. Creek. Creek.
Each step sounded like a death knell. I slipped back into Lily’s room, closing the door as quietly as humanly possible, praying the latch didn't click too loudly. I set Lily down behind the heavy oak desk, putting my finger to my lips. She nodded, wide-eyed and silent.
I grabbed a heavy wooden bedside lamp, ripping the cord from the wall, and positioned myself beside the door.
The footsteps stopped right outside the bedroom.
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"Lily?" Troy’s voice purred through the wood, dangerously soft. "I know you're in there. I saw the car in the driveway."
The doorknob turned slowly. The latch slid back. The door pushed open, and Troy stepped into the room, his eyes scanning the space with a cold, predatory gleam. His gaze instantly snapped to the corner where the camera had been torn from the wall, and his smile vanished completely, replaced by a dark, venomous scowl.
