CHAPTER 1
My bare steps grew weaker as I walked out of my room. The mix of fear and excitement inside me had filled my body with adrenaline. I was trying to move silently, but my heavy breathing, which I couldn't suppress, was doing the opposite. As I got closer to the living room, time seemed to slow down with every step. I knew he was there, and there was nothing I could do about it anymore.
I stopped beside the door and began examining the dark room as much as I could see. When I slightly tilted my head to the right, I saw his silhouette reflected in the glass cabinet. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. A thousand thoughts rushed through my mind: "Did he see that I saw him? Was it an illusion? Could I be schizophrenic? My phone is on my bed—maybe if I pretend I didn't see anything and go back to my room, I can call for help and—"
While I was drowning in these thoughts, a sound as small as the crackling of wood burning in a fire broke the silence. When I focused again on the reflection I had been staring at, I could no longer see the silhouette, but the feeling of being watched had surrounded me. The voice inside me knew he was behind me.
I shut my eyes tightly. I had no courage to turn around or look back. If he was going to kill me, I just wanted him to do it quickly—because I was too awake to convince myself that this was just a nightmare.
I heard footsteps approaching me. Yes, he was truly behind me. I couldn't move; it was as if I had frozen. I felt a faint touch along the back of my left arm, from my shoulder down to my wrist. Goosebumps covered my skin. As I wondered whether it was him or just the wind, his arm came from my right side and covered my mouth.
The time I managed to hold my breath only caused me to lose it faster as I struggled to break free. And when I finally felt completely defeated, as if I were trapped inside a statue, I already understood. I stopped resisting, and my eyes closed on their own. My weight and balance were no longer under the responsibility of my knees.