The House at the Edge of the Cliff

The Trapdoor

It was hard to make out what it was at first. It was quiet and muffled behind the door. After a minute I was finally able to discern what it was.

It was the sound of a girl crying.

I stilled my breathing until I had just stopped taking in breaths completely. Was I even hearing this correctly? Was this actually happening or was my mind playing tricks on me? I would not be surprised if it was, I had been through way too damn much for the past few days...weeks?...Months?... I did not know anymore.

Ever so slightly, as to not alert the predator in the halls, or the person inside the room, I tested the handle. Locked, just as I had suspected.

The only locked doors I had come across in here had a captive inside, all the other ones were open. Maybe I just stumbled upon one of my friends!!!

In reaction, I almost called out to them but caught myself just in time. If I called out to them I would reveal myself to Gunner, but If I just tried to unlock the door then it could make whoever was inside think I was Gunner and start to panic. Revealing my location then as well.

I stayed there, staring at the lock as contemplated what I was going to do. It was a twist lock, with another chain lock near the top of the door.

My entire body was saturated with nervous sweat, but my mouth and eyes felt so dry despite all the tears flowing out of me. I only had one chance with this. If I fucked it up we were both dead.

After such an agonizingly long moment of trying to figure out what I was supposed to do, I decided. I slowly and very carefully started to undo the locks. Moving slower than Gunner talked with my movements as to not make the door release any sounds.

I started first with the chain lock at the top. Then moved down with trembling hands to the handle. Once unlocked, I held it there for a slight moment before cracking it ever so slightly.

" Don't panic, I'm coming in to help," I whispered softly before slipping in and closing the door behind me gently. The figure in the back corner of the room perked up from their huddle. looking at me with a face I could barely recognize through the darkness.

" Y-Y/N is that you?" Mila's voice cracked through dried and bloody lips as she looked up at me with half-lidded eyes. I let out a relieved sigh as I rushed towards her. Ignoring the smell in the room.

I helped her sit up as her head almost flopped limply at her shoulders. She looked like a dried-out husk of what used to be a tall angry woman.

" Mila, what happened? Are you ok?" I asked, trying to keep my voice down.

" After... After you left. He knocked us all out. I woke up an-and I was in here. I have not been let out since. He comes in and gives me water every now and then, but I'm...I'm so thirsty... and hungry." She hacked out in a voice that sounded like a creaking door.

That would explain her weak state... and the smell coming from a certain corner in the room. I looked around in worry, my eyes moving towards the door, then back to Mila.

" I've lost him but we cannot stay put for long. He patrols the halls and if we stay in one place we are going to get caught." I told her. She groaned as she coughed, grabbing onto me harshly.

" J-Jacob. He talked with me for a little bit outside of the room. He got out and was going to let me out... but he had to run cause the quiet man started coming." She croaked.

" Did he tell you anything? Like any escapes that he might have found?" I asked. Deciding not to mention until after we were out of here about Jacobs's fate.