Chapter 2 - The Cold Escape

I didn't waste time arguing with a monster.

I scooped Lily into my arms, ignoring the burning ache in my back, and ran across the front lawn.

The wet grass soaked through my socks, sending chills up my legs, but I couldn't stop.

"Sarah, come back inside!" Ryan's voice echoed down the quiet suburban street.

He sounded like a concerned husband, playing the role perfectly for any neighbors who might be listening.

I darted toward the side gate of the Miller family's house next door.

Mrs. Miller was an older widow who always baked cookies for Lily, and I knew she kept a spare key hidden under a fake rock.

"Where are we going?" Lily sobbed, clinging to my neck.

"We are going to play a hiding game, sweetie," I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady.

I found the fake rock, grabbed the key, and unlocked her side door, pulling us into her dimly lit laundry room.

I locked the deadbolt behind us and leaned against the wood, gasping for breath.

Through the small window, I could see Ryan walking down the sidewalk, a flashlight in his hand, sweeping the beam across the lawns.

He was hunting us.

"Mrs. Miller?" I called out softly, stepping into her kitchen.

The house was eerily silent, smelling of vanilla and old paper.

I found the landline phone mounted on the kitchen wall and picked it up.

There was no dial tone.

I pressed the receiver off and on, but it was completely dead.

Then I noticed the cord dangling limply from the bottom of the phone.

It had been cleanly snipped.

My blood ran cold.

Mrs. Miller hadn't been home for two days because she was visiting her sister in Florida.

Ryan knew that.

He had cut her phone line before he even confronted me, preparing for this exact scenario.

A sudden, loud banging erupted from the front door of Mrs. Miller's house.

"Sarah," Ryan called out, his voice muffled by the thick wood.

"I know you're in there, sweetheart."

Lily whimpered and covered her ears.

"The side door was unlocked, Sarah," he taunted.

I stared at the laundry room door we had just come through.

I had locked the deadbolt, but I suddenly remembered something that made my stomach drop.

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Ryan had installed new locks for Mrs. Miller just last month as a favor.

The sound of a key sliding into the front door lock echoed through the silent house.