The Golden Core | Secrets of the Core #1

Chapter Twenty-One

Winter froze for a moment, glancing quickly between the sound of his footsteps and her final chance to escape. She wanted to risk it and try to make her way up the stairs, but she knew there was no time. Her hand fell on the cold railing while walking towards the steps before noticing the door to her right. Getting stuck in another room for who knows how long was not the way she intended this to go, yet every other option failed her. There was no time to think. If she chose to leave this torture, she had to do it now.

With the door appearing in her vision as she ran towards it, Winter fumbled with the door knob trying to get inside under the pressure. "Come on, come on," she mumbled, her clammy hands doing their best to get it open. Just as the knob almost flew from her grasp, the closet appeared. Great, not only was it a room for her to be stuck in, but it was also a lot smaller. A small sigh left her lips as she jumped inside, barely enough time to shut the door as Phoenix rounded the corner.

"How could she have gotten out?" he asked, his voice almost a yell. "That basement was locked! There was no way she would have escaped!"

A smirk appeared on her face from behind the door. She couldn't help it; it wasn't her fault she was smarter than Phoenix thought. Winter backed up, hitting her elbow on a broom. This must be where he kept all of the tools he needed for various issues. It was too dark to see, but what if this was where keys to specific rooms were held? Maybe she could take something to help her escape. Her hands touched almost everything in the tiny space, but from what she could tell, there was nothing she wanted.

"I know you're here, Winter. You can't hide from me! You should know better than this," he spoke as he walked by the door jiggling the knob.

She sucked in a breath, trying her best to stay quiet. The shadow of his feet was right in front of the door and he wasn't moving. What if he caught her? Winter shut her eyes, too scared to find out if he was actually going to open it and take her hostage again. Not that she was free yet. Being stuck in this room was almost worse.

The click of the door frightened her, the tiny squeak as it opened slowly becoming her worst fear. She made herself as small as she possibly could, almost stumbling over something round on the ground before clinging against the wall to the right. Staying as still as possible while Phoenix peeked inside, the little bit of light was giving her freedom by shining in the opposite direction. His eyes darted between both sides, but it was too dark for him to notice her against the wall.

After what was most likely a couple of minutes but seemed like an eternity, the door finally slammed shut. Winter released a breath, silently laughing that he didn't find her. He gave up! She could actually get out of this terrible place! Grinning from ear-to-ear, she waited for his footsteps to pass the other way while he grumbled to himself. Now was her chance.

Before talking herself out of it, she twisted the knob and pushed the door open. Hesitating for a second, she glanced both ways then slid out when she realized there was no sight of him. Winter wanted to look back while she moved quietly up the stairs, but turning her head back once could result in getting caught. To her surprise, she actually made it to the top. Phoenix must've gone to another room. Her hands were trembling. What if there was another way up to this floor? It wasn't like she knew the entire floor plan. Was he waiting to grab her at the right moment? Thinking about that now was useless. She only had a few minutes, if that, to get out of here. Her focus was a necessity.

While turning to the right to head to the one place she thought she could escape from, she heard his voice. It sounded closer, almost like he was going to pounce this very moment. "Winter." The sound was strong. He wanted her to know he wasn't someone to mess with. Of course, she already knew that. "Come here, we've got to talk. Don't hide from me."