Chapter 4 Lurker
910words
I slammed the cupboard so hard that everything around me quivered.
Not a second later, it flapped wide open. Again.
"Ugh!" Frustrated, I made a rude gesture at it. "The hell with you."
I climbed off and snatched up a small bag of potato chips Mom gave me to tame the growling beast inside my stomach.
They hadn't thought about bringing the most important, most essential thing over—food. So they took a boat back to Bowmore for last-minute grocery shopping. Or takeaway shopping, whichever place was open at this hour.
Meantime I had to find the will to survive and deal with the fact that I was alone in the middle of freaking nowhere.
I tore open the pack and stuffed a chip into my mouth, and reached for the door.
I headed outside toward the cottage for something to drink other than the lukewarm tap water Dad managed to connect to the caravan.
It was a little past seven, but my surroundings were a deep, murky shade, inked by all kinds of clouded, distorted shapes.
The charcoal sky sparkled with stars and was moonless—the tall, grassy fields alive with the monotone choir of crickets chirping.
Mom and Dad neglected to leave on the lights inside the cottage, forcing me to struggle my way past unfamiliar territory in the dark.
I voiced my dismay as I stumbled over what I hoped to be a garden hose and not a snake, clutching my chips to my chest.
I managed the small distance between the caravan and the cottage in one piece.
It wasn't until I sought to find the backdoor that I tripped over a pot plant sprouting out of nowhere before I grabbed onto the wobbly doorknob. The door screeched as I pushed it open, the noise almost deafening in the skin-crawling silence.
"Now to find the light switch," I mumbled to myself. I didn't think of bringing a flashlight—not that I had a clue where mine was.
I dropped my chips on top of what I was sure had to be the kitchen counter and patted my way against the wall.
There was a long creak from the other side of the kitchen, followed by a gentle rustle of movement.
I froze, blinking wide-eyed in the direction where I heard the disturbance.
Some kind of animal?
Dad had found animal droppings in the bathroom's corner, suspecting rats or bats. I prayed it wasn't the latter. Rats, I could escape. Bats attacked hair, which I had plenty of.
I stood still for a long moment, straining my ears as I listened for any more odd noises, but nothing sounded out of place.
I decided it had to be the wood settling, and I must have mistaken the sound. Dad had said that this was a common issue when he and his team were out investigating a haunted place.
When you're alone in the dark, you are prone to mistake simple noises for other stuff.
It was a good thing I didn't believe in ghosts.
I stretched out my arms in front of me, dragging my feet as I moved so I wouldn't trip over anything.
A few notable heartbeats later, my fingers grazed a flat, metal object against the wall. I flicked it on, and bright light splashed across the room.
I recoiled, covering my eyes and mumbling a few expletives. I glimpsed up toward the light, cringing, before looking down again, my vision swimming with stars and other distorted shapes.
"You've got to be kidding me," I snorted. They had a spotlight for a kitchen light. No doubt this was Mom's brilliant idea.
She had more spotlights than she had clothes. It wouldn't surprise me she deemed it fit for everyday living purposes.
Hoping I wouldn't suffer from extensive blindness, I kept my eyes on the floor and snatched up my chips. I headed toward the rusty brown fridge in the corner, warbling like it's about to give up on life.
When I opened the fridge door, I got swamped by the waft of garlic and decomposing food. No water—but there was a bottle of half-drunk cheap wine.
"Awesome." I slammed it shut to reveal a large figure standing beside me inside the dark hallway.
I staggered away as the tall silhouette pushed toward me. My foot got caught on the side of a box, and I sailed backward.
In a matter of seconds, I realized several things.
One, I now lost my small meal of chips to the dirty floor. Two, I was alone on an isolated island with a stranger inside our home. Three; this was so going to hurt.
I closed my eyes and braced for the impact. Instead, the person's arms folded around my back and tugged me into a standing position.
I felt warmth press against me, laced with the scent of floral and ocean. I shrieked, swatting at the figure in front of me.
I reopened my eyes in time to see him grab onto my forearms and held them in place, pinning me with an expression that made me stiffen.
"What the hell are you doing inside our house?" I wanted to sound threatening, but my voice came out in a pathetic whimper.
