Classified ☑

[ chapter 10 ]

"Hello?" I called out again, letting the intruder know I knew they were here.

A cold sensation seemed to grip me, sending a shiver down my spine as I heard another creak. This time, it came from another direction.

I tensed in realization. Either they were moving fast and quietly, or there were two people in the house. The thought made my pulse race even faster.

My phone was in the pocket of my hoodie. All I had to do was call 9-1-1. I prayed that the brightness was dimmed as I peaked at it, turning the volume all the way down.

I took a few more wavering small steps towards the front door. There was a long creak as my foot put pressure on the floorboards. I bit my bottom lip to keep myself quiet. Slowly, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed the police.

My finger hovered over the green button as I heard a long scraping noise, like something was being dragged on the floor. Hesitantly, I looked up just as the noise stopped and glanced around the house but didn't see anything.

I was going to have to talk to my uncle about getting an open house floor plan.

My thumb moved to tap the green button on my screen before I heard the pounding of footsteps run at me. A heavy weight was thrusted into me as the phone fell from my hand, clattering against the wood floor. I had no idea if I was successful or not in calling the police.

My body crashed against the front door as the person pushed their body into mine, digging into my abdomen with their shoulder. I hooked my foot behind their back leg and used my body for momentum as I pushed off the door with my other leg. They fell with my leg tangled up in theirs, causing me to fall with them.

I was on top of them now and tried to get up. They wrapped their arm around my neck and I used it to lift them up and smack their head against the hard floor. They groaned loudly as their grip loosened around my neck. I got up and sprinted to the front door.

My heartbeat hammered in my ears as I flung the door open, stopping at the top of the steps. Cole's car still sat outside, but his lights were off and he was nowhere to be seen.

Pounding sounded behind me again as a heavier weight crashed into me this time, sending us flying down the steps and onto the gravel driveway. A ringing noise sounded in my head after it hit a step, causing my vision to slightly blur.

I grunted in pain as I pushed myself up, not sure where I was running to.

A hand grabbed my ankle as I tried to get away. This person was visibly bigger and stronger than the person before, who was nowhere in sight now. The thought sent an icy chill through my body as I tried to yank my leg free.

The person on the ground still had a tight grip on my ankle. They caught me when I was off balance, trying to get away, and pulled harder than before. It knocked me down in one swift motion.

My head smacked against the gravel and I felt a metal taste in my mouth as the person hovered over me. Whoever they were, was covering up their identity by using a sheer black mask that covered their entire face, making them even scarier.

I wanted to scream for help, but my mind seemed to have a hard time registering what was happening after getting smacked twice.

The person above me wrapped their hands around my neck as I grasped for air. Finally, my body seemed to react as my legs flailed underneath the bigger body.

The world around me started to go dark as I felt air leaving my lungs. This time it was a different kind of dark, like my brain was shutting off.

Just when I thought I was done for, a body crashed into the one on top of me. To my relief it was Cole. He was on top of the stranger as he punched him over and over. They tried to push Cole off of them, but he had the upper hand as he put pressure on them, preventing them from being able to get up.