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Three seconds, I thought toin three seconds If I don’t, I’ll be eaten alive Three seconds

One

Two

The bed suddenly shook again, nearly jolting e with a drooling roar

Three!

I ju as whatever it was reached out forit open I couldn’t find ht for Ada’s roo snarls at my back as I pushed open her door and ju in the dark and fel to the carpet in a heap, while Ada cried out, "What the hel ?" in her half-asleep voice I picked myself up and quickly ran back to her door and slammed it shut behind me

Heart in my throat, nerves on fire, I turned and liht, the door opened at my back

In the il umination from the hal way I saw Ada very clearly

She was sitting up in bed, sheets brought to her chin with shaking hands There was a look of utter horror on her face as she saw the thing behindthat opened her door

There was no tirabbed by what felt like hot claws They wrapped around my calves and pul ed round,to save ed me backward down the hal , back to my bedroom

I could only screa out after me

The world slowed down in slowonly a skinny white tank top and pink short shorts Her hair flew behind her graceful y Her skinny bare feet hit the carpet and bounced off as she ran faster,out forulfed into the darkness of an to shut by itself on her And I was being dragged underneath ed to hel

I had no thoughts except for tishes That my death would be painless And I wouldn’t stay in helI closedcry

But the door didn’t stay closed

Ada had shoved her shoulder in at the lastherself on her knees, wrapping her hands aroundunderneath pul ed back I real y was going to be torn in two My ar noise in their sockets and I could feel the shoes and socks onin a hot pool of liquid that frothed up ave s and kicked wildly until it let go Ada fel backward from the sudden surrender and I flew out fro just short of her

"Ada!" I wailed She went on her knees and hauled me up so I was total y out of the bed and beside her

The light in the room came on and we turned to the door in terror My parents were standing there in their paja, what’s going on?" my mother asked in a shril voice

Ada and I looked back at the bed With the light on it looked as it nor underneath it except a few dust bunnies

But s were a different story We saw them at the same time they did

My s!"

My Converses were gone So wereearlier had been torn off at the knees, leaving s were completely covered in a thin sheen of vibrant red blood

"Oh," n of the cross across his face

My ht she was trying to read the to read theed my shoulder doith her hand I turned my body aardly and looked down at the back ofwere the words "your fault"

running down the fleshiest part of ht calf

My mom continued to stare She didn’t coes," my father whispered to her He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it

I wondered why no one was co me?

Final y my mom said, "Perry" but couldn’t finish it I knew from the tone what she’d say

I looked at Ada for help She bailed on otten the chance to repried her with my eyes to tel her the truth She dipped her chin and her eyes flew over toThe fear and adrenaline were ripe in her voice "It’s not Perry’s fault She didn’t do that"

"Wel , who did then?" she asked She shook her head to herself andnuts now? Myto herself in front of us

I didn’t want to say anything I didn’t know, anyway I let Ada speak

"Mo into "

She broke off and looked down at the carpet, eyes fixing on nothing, and took a deep breath "Sos And it dragged her in here It was trying to take her under the bed"

We both eyed our mother expectantly Her broere raised up on her face and seemed to be frozen in shock

Then she smiled It wasn’t pleasant

"I can’t listen to this," she said She turned around and walked down the halI heard her passwith it now

It real y does run in the family"

What runs in the family? Ghosts? Crazy? Ada and I looked at each other questioningly just as y frame on the floor beside us

He laid out the first aid kit and a ss with a wet towel, then anointed the words with oint nor With the blood washed off the writing was chil ingly visible Your Fault

My fault? What had I done? I eyed Ada and my father

From the way their broere creased uneasily, they were probably wondering the sa if I had written the words myself