A home, just like any other

I’m shivering under my warm feather covers, the old peaty scent infiltrating my nostrils as I attempt to remain unseen by the owner of the loud footsteps beyond that flimsy wooden barrier. The sound agitates my sensitive ears and sends shock waves throughout my head. They feed off one another, superimposing, until my thoughts become a roaring wave of electricity.

He’s coming closer.

My shivers turn to shudders. I can feel my heart lurching from my chest and beating in time with the stern rapping at my bedroom door.

There’s no escape.

My breaths shallow and I can feel the thin hairs on my arms rise, like meerkats anticipating a threat. The creaking of the door handle disrupts the static in my mind momentarily before enhancing its frequency and power.

He’s here.

In one rapid motion, my shield is thrown from atop my petrified body. My mouth, so dry it’s incapable of making a sound, merely hangs wide open in terror.

It-it isn’t him.

A tidal wave of relief overwhelms me. My sight blurs with tears of pure joy before a tunnel surrounds me. My rigid body, finally free, crumbles.

He isn’t here...

In that moment nothing else matters. Exhaustion takes hold of me by the shoulders, and I am dragged deep into a peaceful slumber.

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Photo cred. - NF Mansion Album Cover