Chapter 192: Trapped Like a Rabbit in the Storm

Words : 1554 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 192: Trapped Like a Rabbit in the Storm Easter~ I didn’t sleep that night. Even after locking the door and tucking Alexander into bed beside Rose, I couldn’t close my eyes for more than a second without hearing Natalie’s scream, or the echo of a boulder crashing through walls. The room smelled like dust and smoke. Every creak of the house made me flinch. I sat cross-legged on the floor, cradling my slowly growing belly with one hand and holding a knife I found on the floor outside in the other—just in case. I don’t know how long I stayed like that, staring at the door like it might burst open at any moment. The fight didn’t stop. Even when the sky outside lightened with dawn’s pale glow, the growls and crashes continued. Something or someone growled—low and feral—just outside the window around noon. Rose stirred in her sleep, whimpering softly, so I held my breath and didn’t move a muscle until whatever it was passed. Then I heard the little voice behind me. "Auntie Easter?" It was Alexander. His curly hair stuck up in every direction, and his cheeks were rosy with sleep. "I’m hungry," he said, rubbing his eyes. I blinked back the fear choking me and forced a smile. "I know, sweet pea. Rose too, huh?" As if on cue, Rose woke up crying, her little hands reaching for me. My stomach twisted—not from hunger, though I hadn’t eaten in nearly a day—but from dread. I’d have to go back out there. Alexander tugged at my sleeve, his big brown eyes wide. "What is going on? Why am I sleeping in your room? Where’s Mommy? And Uncle Jacob? And Tiger? And Foxy and Bubble and Eagle?" I swallowed the rising panic and forced a gentle smile. "They’re... they’re outside. There are bad people out there right now, so they asked me to stay here with you and Rose. Just for a while. Until it’s safe." His little lip trembled. "Is Mommy Natalie gonna come back?" I couldn’t lie. Not to him. Not now. "I think so," I said softly, stroking his hair. "She’s strong. She always comes back, doesn’t she?" Alexander nodded, though he didn’t look convinced. I let out a shaky smile. "Your mummy and uncles are all fighting really hard to protect you. So we just have to stay here and be brave." He swallowed, then gave a small nod, like he was trying really hard to be strong. "Okay, I’ll protect Rose too." My heart cracked a little at that. He was barely nine. I stood up, legs shaking, and moved toward the door. I hesitated, placing my hand on the knob. The noise outside was quieter now. Duller. But it was still there—echoing, angry, inhuman. I turned to Alexander again. "Lock the door behind me, baby," I told him. "Don’t let anyone but me back in." He nodded and scooted off the bed to follow. I stepped into the hallway. The smell of blood and smoke was stronger here. The walls were just as it was yesterday, cracked, some parts of the ceiling had caved in, and the air itself felt heavy. I didn’t linger. I rushed to the kitchen, which looked like it had been through an earthquake. Shattered glass crunched under my feet. The cupboards were torn open, some hanging crookedly. But I managed to find a few cans of soup and some crackers that hadn’t been crushed. I filled two bottles with water from the jug on the counter, my hands trembling so badly I nearly spilled them. I ran back. The door clicked shut behind me. Alexander and Rose sat cross-legged on the bed, waiting quietly. "There we go," I said with false cheer, setting the food down. "Breakfast in bed, huh?" Alexander giggled a little, and I nearly cried from the sound. They ate in silence, their little mouths working slowly, eyes flicking every now and then to the window where the muffled sounds of war still drifted in. Every few hours, I would go back out. Just for water or more food. Each time I left, I felt like I was walking into a storm I couldn’t see. Like something in the walls was watching me. Whispering things I couldn’t hear. But I had to. They were just babies. We stayed like that until the evening. When the sky outside turned orange and the shadows in the corners of the room grew longer, I prepared to go out again. Alexander clung to me. "No, Aunty Easter... don’t go." "I’ll be right back," I whispered, kissing his forehead. "Promise. You’re so brave, sweetheart. Protect Rose for me, okay?" He nodded slowly, lip trembling again. I slipped out and shut the door. But this time, there were no sounds. No thunder. No footsteps. No Jacob. No Natalie. No Tiger. No Fox. No Bubble. No Eagle. Nothing. It was like the house had died. I crept through the hallway, every footstep echoing like a gunshot. The rooms were empty. The smoke had cleared, but the air still felt strange. Tainted. "Jacob?" I called softly. "Tiger? Hello?" My voice sounded like it didn’t belong. Like it didn’t fit in this empty, broken place. And then I heard it. A groan. I turned my head and saw him—Griffin—collapsed against the wall near the sunroom. He was clutching his chest, fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt, eyes wide with pain. "Griffin!" I rushed to him, dropping to my knees. "Hey—hey, what happened?" He gasped, eyes rolling slightly. And that’s when I saw it. His eyes. They weren’t human. They were black. Pitch black. No whites, no pupils. Just endless, soulless dark. "Oh God," I breathed. "Help... help me..." he choked. "I’m here!" I cried, grabbing his hand. "I’m right here, stay with me!" But he collapsed. His body went limp. "No, no, no—please, Griffin, wake up—" I shook him, slapped his cheeks lightly, pressed my ear to his chest. He was still breathing, faintly—but he wouldn’t open his eyes. "Help!" I shouted, my voice slicing through the air. "Somebody help us! Please!" Nothing. The estate was dead quiet—eerily still, like the whole world was holding its breath. And then... it hit. The cold. Not just cold—wrong. Like the air itself had turned against me. It crept in fast. Not the kind that makes you hug your sweater tighter. This was something else. It moved, like it had a mind of its own. It crawled under my skin, wrapped itself around my bones, and pressed into my lungs until my breath came out in little clouds of white mist. I shivered violently, arms wrapped around myself. "W-What is this?" I whispered, more to myself than anything else. There was something in that cold. Something old. Older than anything I could explain. I could feel it watching. And just as suddenly as it came—it vanished. Warmth flooded back in like someone had flipped a switch. I blinked, confused, disoriented. Then I looked down. Griffin was gone. Gone. Like he’d never been standing there at all. I screamed—a raw, primal sound that didn’t feel like mine. It clawed out of my throat, sharp and broken. My legs moved on instinct, carrying me back inside, through the hallway, up to the room. I slammed the door open. "Alex—!" Empty. Rose was curled up on the bed, fast asleep like nothing had happened. But Alexander was nowhere. Gone. My knees buckled. I collapsed onto the floor. "No. No. No. No—" The word tumbled from my lips as I scrambled across the room, searching under the bed, ripping open the closet, checking behind the curtains, anywhere. Nothing. Vanished. Just like Griffin. I didn’t think. I couldn’t. I grabbed Rose—still asleep—and took off. Down the halls. Through the ruined foyer. Past walls streaked with blood and glass. My heart was beating so loud it drowned out everything else. I ran straight for the main gate, my only thought: Get out. Get help. I never made it. I slammed face-first into something I couldn’t see. A wall? No—something worse. It buzzed under my skin, rejecting me like a virus. I tried again, pushing, slamming, screaming. Still nothing. My fingers tingled with static as if the air itself was pushing back. Panicked, I turned, bolted for the side fence. The trees. The hidden passage Tiger once showed me. All of it—blocked. Every escape. Gone. I stopped running. My breath caught in my throat. I wasn’t just trapped in this house. I was trapped in something else entirely. The estate—this place that had become my home, my sanctuary—was now a prison. A graveyard filled with dead bodies and me... me and my baby girl. I sank to the ground, holding Rose tight against my chest as sobs overtook me. Big, ugly, broken sobs that shook my whole body. "I’m sorry," I whispered into her soft curls. "I’m so sorry, baby." I didn’t know where Jacob was. I didn’t know if Natalie was even alive. I didn’t know if Alexander was dead or just... gone. And I didn’t know what kind of force had taken over this place. But I knew one thing. I was alone. And I had never been more terrified in my entire life. Why? Why did they leave me behind?

Chapter 192: Trapped Like a Rabbit in the Storm

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