CHAPTER 9.

‘Move… move… Sela!!!’ her mind screamed at her. She needed to run. But where? Where?

Her call connected.

The soft voice of a woman on the other end of the line cut through the stifling silence. Her hand finally moved to lift the phone. Her feet finally stepped back from the door.

But before she could even say a word, a thunderous sound reverberated through the house. The door was being kicked with terrifying force. It's like an inhuman intruder was trying to break through.

"Please help me! Someone entered my house!!!" Sela whispered frantically into the phone. As the dispatcher began to respond with questions, Sela's eyes flickered back to the door, realizing that help wouldn't arrive in time.

Sela spun on her heel and bolted toward her secret library. Her heart pounded in her chest as she raced across the room. Despite the tremors that rattled her fingers, she managed to move and align the two paintings on the walls at first try.

As the paintings shifted, they revealed a disguised passage. The wall parted.

Another deafening bang jarred her to her core. But despite the terror that threatened to paralyze her, she summoned every ounce of courage and squeezed through the narrow, still-opening gap in the secret passage. With a swift motion, she pulled the panel shut behind her and her hands fumbled in the darkness to engage the lock.

When it clicked into place, Sela's fingers scrambled to retrieve her phone on the floor. The silence that followed was almost as terrifying as the noise had been. She strained her ears, trying to hear any sound that might indicate the burglar's presence. Had they already broken through her bedroom’s door?

She then continued the call and gave the address to 911. But was she truly safe now? What if…

She gasp again upon hearing another loud sound. They’ve found the secret door! Can they actually break the secret door too? Was a monster coming after her? Was she actually in another nightmare?! Oh god!!!

In a state of near-blinding panic, Sela made a dash for another hidden door, one that would lead her close to the back door of the house. Her mind raced with the possibility of encountering another intruder, but with no other options available, she pressed on.

As she navigated the spiral, narrow staircase in haste, she lost her footing in her frantic escape. She tumbled down, her body crashing hard that the impact caused a section of the wall to give way.

To her immense relief, there was no one waiting for her on the other side.

Catching sight of the slightly open back door, she scrambled to her feet, intent on making her escape. But the sight of a shadowy figure moving outside caused her to recoil in fear.

Sela turned and fled blindly.

In the chaos, she had dropped her phone, plunging her into darkness. Disoriented and scared, she found herself instinctively heading towards the basement.

The darkness enveloped her completely, obscuring her vision and amplifying her fear.

But she didn’t stop running. Despite stumbling and falling, she pushed herself back to her feet, and continued moving forward.

Until she reached the dead end.

She blindly pushed, her hand searching something on the wall for anything, maybe, a door knob, a secret door that would open for her and lead her to a safe place.

But her hand found nothing. Still, she searched desperately.

Tears started falling from her eyes when suddenly, her hand touched something… a door handle!

Without hesitation, she twisted it, pushed it and entered.

What welcomed her was not darkness. But a room lit with candles.

And there he was, the godly, white-haired vampire, lying lazily inside the red coffin, gazing at her.