Saanvi

    Saanvi sniffled and lifted herself off the floor. She turned around and looked at the door behind her. Bits of wood had fallen off when the demons had banged on the door.

    Saanvi didn’t realize they had stopped hitting the door until she stopped crying a little while ago. She didn’t want to open the door even after the banging stopped. She was too scared to step foot outside this room.

    She thought they might be out there. Waiting for her.

    Saanvi placed her hand on the doorknob. She kept it there for a while, not moving. She knew she couldn’t stay there forever. She had to leave at some point. Better now than later, she thought to herself.

    Saanvi turned the doorknob and slowly opened the door. It creaked quietly. She opened the door until she had a small gap so she could see the outside hallway.

    There was light from the windows that lit up the hallway. It’s already daytime? I wonder how long I’ve been in here. The room Saanvi was in didn’t have any windows. It was very big closet with barely anything in it.

    She opened the door a little more, letting her see farther down the hallway. She stuck her head out and saw nothing. There were no demons… That she could see.

    They could be on the ceiling like the ones that had chased her. Remembering the other night, she looked up at the ceiling outside the room. She didn’t see any demons hiding up there. But the hallway was long and they could be on the ceiling farther down the hallway.

    Or they could be around that corner. Saanvi looked at the wall were the hallway turned right. The demons could be hiding around the corner. Waiting for her to step outside.

    With the terrifying thought that the demons could be waiting for her, she pulled her head back in and quickly but queitly shut the door. She looked at the door and stepped backward, away from it. She bumped into the wall behind her and fell down.

    Saanvi put her hands on her head. I need to get out of here. Come on, Saanvi, you go this. Just step outside and run.

    She took a deep breath and stood up. She walked over to the door and opened it. She took another deep breath and poked her head outside.

    Saanvi didn’t see anything so she took a step outside. She was a foot away from the door and stood still.

    She waited for a demon to fall from the ceiling and chase her. She waited for one to run around the corner and come after her. But nothing came.

    Saanvi waited another minute and when nothing came, she took another step. Then another. And another. She walked in front of a window on her left and the light fell over her.

     Saanvi then saw something black in the corner of her right eye. She screamed and ran back to the door. She didn’t look behind her to see what it was. She ran into the room and slammed the door behind her and looked it.

    Her heartbeat was racing and she was breathing heavily. She grabbed her head then her hair.

    Saanvi waited for the demons to come and start banging on the door again. She waited for them to try to get in. But after a minute of waiting, nothing happened. No sounds of the demons trying to get in. There was nothing.

    Why aren’t they trying to get in? Where are they?

    Saanvi caustisously walked closer to the door. She put her ear to it. She heard nothing. There were no sounds coming from outside.

    She kept her ear on the door as she put her hand on the doorknob. Saanvi slowly turned the knob and opened the door, making it creak. She paused.

    She expected to hear the demons running toward the open door that she hid behind. But there was nothing.

    She continued to opened the door further and further when she heard nothing.

    Saanvi couldn’t take it anymore and she opened the door all the way and looked out into the hallway. There was nothing there. No demons. No Devil. Nothing.

    She slammed the door and locked it. She grabbed her head then her hair.

    She screamed. Saanvi screamed as loud as she could. She let out every bit of anger, frustration, and sadness she obtained ever since she had stepped foot into this mansion.

    “I’m going crazy!” She sobbed. “I got scared of my own fucking shadow! I need to get out of this place!” Saanvi fell to the floor. She sobbed quietly and whispered, “I need to get out of this place.”

    Saanvi laid on the floor for a few minutes. She finally had the courage to get up and open the door. She threw it open and stepped outside. She wasn’t being cautious... She didn't care anymore. She just wanted to get out.

    She waited for a moment and continued walking. She walked through the hallway and walked around the corner.

    If any of those motherfuckers come at me, they’ll see what I can do, Saanvi thought to herself.

   She stomped through the hallway as the light from outside filled it up.

    Saanvi remembered how long the hallway was and she groaned. She started to jog through the hallway. She wanted to get out of the mansion as fast as possible.

    Oh, wait. I can’t leave yet… I need to find Ryder. I wonder if he made it out already. Saanvi stopped jogging and paused. She didn’t know what she should do.

    Should she try to look for him? But what if he already made it out? Should she leave and see if he made it out? But what if he didn’t make it out and it’s too late when she comes back?

    Saanvi started to run again as she made a decision.

    She would go outside to see if he made it out. And if he wasn’t out, she would go to the police station and get backup.