Scream 4

Chapter 30

You were feeling very warm in the firelight, even though the night cooled down significantly. You scratched your neck lightly, freeing multiple (H/C) hairs sticking there with sweat.

You stole a glimpse at the clock. It was 11:04, meaning you should have already been back at Emma's. She'd had already left you three text messages. You had texted her back, of course, saying you were fine and that Jed had something he needed to take care of first. Her lack of reply instantly told you she wasn't very happy with it, but what could she do? You were an adult.

Either way, it was getting late. There was no sign of him yet, and you were unsure of what to do in his absence, or how to approach him after your... Experience...

*Creaaaak*

"Meow..."

You walked towards the source of the noise; Tom. The furrball of adorableness was sitting in the corner of the hallway until it spotted you. A smile broke over your face when it swiftly dashed towards you and brushed up against your legs in the same way it had before, purring in contentment when you crouched down to pet it. "Hope we didn't traumatize you... Sorry if we did."

Tom cocked its small head at you, making you grin even more. You'd never know what this cat had seen or hadn't seen.

It did seem to take a liking to you, though. You, or the affection you were giving it. Cats were selfish creatures like that and weren't nearly as emotionally connected to humans like dogs were.

Hissss! Tom turned sharply to glare daggers at the stairs. You stopped and watched with hidden amusement as his fur bristled.

Like, literally, bristled. Trying to make itself big and scary-looking despite the only thing being there was a staircase.

It seemed to trouble the animal enough for it to go and investigate, traversing through the kitchen and hopping up the steps until it was out of sight.

That was weird. Cats were usually cowards. Which, you reasoned, was why pussy was often used to describe a cowardice person.

You peered around the house in search of Jed but despite you best efforts, couldn't find him anywhere. You strained your ears but he was nowhere near the landline phone.

And so you ended up at the foot of the staircase, considering your options. Don't do it, that tiny voice in your head warned you. It's impolite and will only end up in trouble.

...Buuut, the little devil on your shoulder whispered the exact opposite.

Do it.

Don't do it.

Do it.

Don't do it.

And so on. If someone invited you to their house, the last thing on your mind should be to snoop around without permission. After another full minute of internal arguing, against your better judgement, you climbed up the stairs anyway.

Curiosity 2, (Y/N) 0.

You quietly tip-toed up to the first floor, making sure you didn't see Jed anywhere. When you didn't, you continued down the hallway, creeping along the wall like one would do in a spy movie. The wooden floor cracked underneath your footsteps and each one sounded more painful to your ears than fingernails on a chalk board.

At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The hallway itself ran the length of the house with only four doors. One you assumed to be a bathroom, the other a bedroom, perhaps a lounging room as well but you could only guess what purpose the last door had, which happened to be the one Tom was clawing at with its paws.