The Tranquil Predator ✔️

Chapter 32

Author's Pov

Patricia lay there motionless. Her pupils had dilated to get used to the dark environment. She could see somewhat clearly now. She could make out the wooden pieces of the bed above her. Her eyes had adapted to the surroundings. Turning her head to her side she kept her eyes on the small entrance to the room. The door was slightly ajar giving her a slight view of the corridor it opened to. She still had the phone in her hand when suddenly a message came from Arjun. She had switched on the silent mode so luckily the phone did not chime. The message read:

Hide, I am on my way.

Patricia read the message and pressed the phone to her chest. A teardrop escaped her right eye. That's it, she was not going to use her phone again. The brightness of the screen could be a problem. The place needed to be as dark as possible. Patricia's ears were alert. She tried to make out his location when suddenly her heart stopped beating. She looked towards the door and saw a pair of feet enter the room. Patricia immediately moved her palm up to her mouth to force it shut. There should be pin-drop silence.

She could sense him, smell his sweat, hear his heavy footsteps as he walked towards the bed. His footsteps were heavy and calm. And that just scared her even more. She held her breath and closed her eyes, one hand was over her mouth, the other was clasped around her body making a fragile and pathetic shield as if that would protect her. But what else could she do? Hiding under the bed, weaponless and scared.

"Where are you kitten?", he chirped in the dark empty room and plopped himself on the bed oblivious to the fact that she was right under it. The jolly voice which she loved so much a few minutes ago, filled her heart with fear and disgust now.

Her face was as white as a sheet, trembling with fear, trying to calm herself because she didn't want him to hear her heartbeat. He was like a hunter looking for his prey.

"I noticed the different varieties of knives you had in your kitchen. Don't mind me, I just borrowed one. You won't need them anyway now" he chuckled and walked out towards the window.

"I know you are somewhere in this house, and I will catch you", he said as he locked the window shut and left the room. His footsteps had a monotonous beat to them as if he was in no hurry. It was a matter of life and death for her but for him? It was just a game. Patricia's heart beat went in sync with his footsteps.

"Dang it! He must be doing this to every single room he is entering", She thought. He was turning the house into a cage.

Once she was sure he was away from the room, she breathed a sigh of relief. Patricia stared at the wooden planks above her, with an open mouth. She knew Arjun was on his way, but what if Praveen catches her first? Once he has locked all the windows, he will start searching properly, like under the beds and all. Every second mattered, and for the time being, she had to fend for herself. But how?

Taking a deep breath, she started concocting a plan in her head.

She could take a weapon and fight him, but she was someone who had never harmed a fly, and Praveen? Well, he was a psychopath. Or she could take the other option which was run. Run out of the house.

That was a problem of it's own. Because to run away, she would have to open the window lock, which would make a noise and alert Praveen.

Patricia frantically started visualizing all the instances of her escaping. Maybe it was possible. She was on the first floor right now, the ground around her house was pretty soft. Plus it had been raining a few hours ago so the mud must have moistened making the ground softer. So if she does jump out of the window, she won't be that badly injured. Now comes the jumping part. When to come out of her hiding and run for the window? When Praveen is far away from her room. Or when he is downstairs, because it would take him some time to climb up the stairs. So he won't be able to catch her.

Moreover, if she jumps when he is upstairs, it would give her even more time to escape, because he will have to go downstairs again and catch her through the front door. Not to mention, this room faces the backside of the house, so Praveen will have to run all the way to the back to catch her. This would reduce his energy considerably.

"Alright! That's the plan then!", she thought, and alerted her senses, to gauge Praveen's position. She had only one chance and she needed it to be perfect. The quiet atmosphere, helped her find the intruder.

Listening carefully, she figured out where he was. He was in the hallway downstairs that led to the storeroom. He was far enough.

Patricia quickly crawled out from under the bed and went towards the window. Taking one deep breath, she turned the latch and unlocked the window. It felt like the click sound had been amplified owing to the stillness in the house.

With utmost silence, she climbed onto the slanted roof and stared down at the ground. The cold wind did its best to make her shiver. But she paid no heed to that. Her ears were focused on something else.

On the shuffling of footsteps. They became louder and louder indicating the owner was coming near. When they were close enough, Patricia jumped off the roof.

Sure it was just one floor, but still, it was a stomach-dropping fall. Patricia landed on her feet, wobbled, and fell ahead on her stomach. The wet mud went inside her mouth, gagging her. There was an excruciating pain she felt in her ankle. She gasped in agony and involuntarily rolled on her side lightly touching her sprained ankle.

But there was no time for crying. She had to run. She had never thought, her plan of escaping the house would work. So the plan from here? Yes, there wasn't one. With all the strength she had, she picked herself up and made a beeline for the woods ahead of her.

She didn't have a destination, she had just one goal and that was to run away from Praveen.

A/N:

The next chapter might be a bit violent so please skip if it makes you uncomfortable.

Btw, this the house she lives in...It's a bit bigger and is on the hills which leads down to the town. And there is the forest down her path and also behind the house