Chapter 3

My breath hitched with every creak of the old building.

I was alone. Mark was gone.

I clutched my phone, fingers hovering over 911, even though Chloe said they were alerted.

Chloe. She' d be blaming herself.

Her call came again, almost making me drop the phone.

"Sarah? Are you okay? I called David. He' s my older brother, remember? The Sheriff's Deputy. He lives just a few blocks from you. He's on his way to check your building, make sure the exterior is secure."

David. I' d met him a few times. Rugged, capable, fiercely protective of Chloe.

A small sliver of relief, quickly overshadowed by the dread.

"Tell him to be careful, Chloe. This isn't just some escaped animal."

"I told him. He knows it's serious."

Then, I heard it. Not a sound from the hallway, but a thought, seeping under the door like a poisonous gas.

Patience. She has to open it eventually. If I scare her too much, the skin might get damaged. It must be perfect.

My heart hammered against my ribs. He was right outside my door.

The bookshelf suddenly seemed pathetically inadequate.

I backed away, stumbling over the coffee table.

His thoughts were calm, methodical. It was worse than rage.

The building' s main door buzzer shrieked, making me jump.

It buzzed again.

Through the peephole, I saw David' s uniformed shoulder.

"Sarah? It's Deputy Miller, Chloe's brother. Open up. I just want to check on you."

His voice was calm, reassuring.

But Brutus was out there. David wouldn't see him from the front entrance. He'd come up the stairs.

"David, be careful!" I yelled through the door, my voice hoarse. "He's here! He's in the hallway!"

"I'll check it out, Sarah. Stay put." His voice was fainter now, moving away from my door, towards the stairwell.

Silence.

Then, a muffled thud. A grunt.

Not David' s.