ringing in his ears. After a few panicked breaths, Remi eased out of the cramped closet, his teary eyes darting around the room nervously as he expected the man to pounce on him like a feral beast. Tentatively taking a step, Remi made his way towards the window. His body felt like ice; his fingertips numb and his throat still tight with the firm grip of terror. Each step sounded louder than the last, and Remi could still imagine the ragged breathing of the man. His hands trembled as he gripped the windowsill, his fingers slipping on the cold, cracked wood. The cool air nipped his face and tickled his ears as he leapt from the window. He crashed into a bush with a loud thud, leaves crunching under his body as he scrambled to get up and darted towards the tree line, tripping over his feet until he made it to safety.
It was the last time he ever stepped foot in an abandoned building. The memory of the man, his chilling blue eyes searching the room— Remi could still feel the weight of them on his skin, the fear clawing at his throat. He didn’ t look back as he ran into the trees and far away from the school. The man’ s voice echoed in his head, the eerie tunes the songs of his nightmares, the sounds of his trauma.