I did not leave my room for the next 4 days. My breakfast, lunch and dinner were sent to my room at the proper time. Other than that, I was left alone for which I was grateful. Because even seeing the face of those brothers sent a shiver down my spine and made me crawl back in fear.

For the last four nights in a row, I have woken up in the middle of the night with the same nightmare. The face of that man down in the basement, his eyes popping out of his orbits and his face turning red due to suffocation. This was the second time I had watched someone die in a very short period of time but this time, it was much more morbid.

Tonight, I once again woke up in the middle of the night with my heart pounding against my chest. It took me a few seconds to calm my racing heartbeat. The whole scenario once again played in front of my eyes and I fought the tears gathering in my eyes.

My hands struggled to find the water bottle in the dark and when I finally found it, it was empty. I thought of going back to sleep but my throat was parched. Not wanting to ruin the remaining of my sleep with thirst, I left the bed and slipped my feet into the sandals.

I walked out of the door of my room and found the whole mansion dronwed in darkness. This place was already creepy, the darkness just added to the misery. I walked downstairs and made my way to the kitchen. Taking out a bottle of water from the refrigerator, I gulped the cold water down my throat. The sweat started to dissipate and my body began to cool down.

As I turned around to leave, I came across a pair of eyes glaring at me through the dark. I let out a scream but it was caught in my throat as the intruder shut me by placing his palm across my mouth.

As my vision adjusted to the darkness, I recognized Sean Miller's sharp jaw, his slightly crooked nose and his hooded eyes, in that particular order. He was towering over me, his hands still on my mouth trying to shut me up. Seeing him reminded me of the nightmare again and I bit his hand, making him pull away.

"So she bites too." He commented, stepping behind. "You finally decided to leave your room, Miss. Woods?"

I stayed quiet, not wanting to argue with this vile man.

"So you won't speak at all?" He asked.

I stayed quiet again, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Fine, don't speak. Just keep your things packed by this Sunday." He said, finally forcing me to break my silence.

"Am I finally leaving this hellhole?" I asked.

"Yes. We are going to Florida." He said and my eyes popped out in surprise.

"Are you joking?" I asked.

"When did I last joke with you?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Wait, who do you mean by we?" I asked, focusing on his previous words.

"You and me." He cleared in a duh tone.

"I am not going anywhere with you." I spat, clenching my jaw.

"You don't have a choice." He said as he walked behind me to drink water. Now that my vision had adjusted some more, I realized he was shirtless, his trousers hanging low on his pelvis. I looked away but not before getting a quick glance of his taut abs.

"Why are you going there anyway? To drop me home?" I asked.

"To find answers." He said. "Your father had left us all in a puzzle and it needed to be solved from where it started." His biceps bulged as he took a big gulp of water.

"What sort of puzzle?" I asked.

"Now you want to talk." He raised his eyebrow.

Rolling my eyes, I took a bottle of water from the fridge and stomped out of the kitchen, before he could engage me in further talk.

...

"You are going." Jenny stated in a sad voice while packing my bag.

"Hopefully." I whispered, not wanting to jinx it. "But don't worry. I will call you."

"I don't have a phone." She pouted.

"Oh. I will call you on Jason's phone. Don't worry." I said.

"Okay." She got excited all of sudden. "What will you do there?" She asked.

Her question made me ponder. There was a high chance that I might be fired from my job. I hardly have any friends, my only family had died and my boyfriend had dumped me. So what will I really do back home?

No. That's Stockholm Syndrome talking.

Any place would be better than here. And most importantly, I would be free. Nobody would be tracking my each and every move. I would be free to leave the house, go to a cafeteria or a book shop, apply for jobs, work, date, and be with my friends. There won't be a criminal breathing down my neck.

"I am going downstairs. I need to say goodbye to Jason in case he isn't here early tomorrow morning." I said.

Leaving her there, I went downstairs and to my misfortune, I came across the Miller brothers having dinner.

"Woods, sit down. Have dinner with us." Lucas was the one who called me.

"I am not hungry." I replied with a stern face. "I just wanted to say goodbye to Jason."

"Don't I deserve a goodbye too?" He asked.

Giving him a sharp, fake smile, I sat down on the chair in front of her. Sean was silent, focused on slicing his steak. Lucas on the other hand, propped his elbows on the table and was staring at me without blinking.

"Goodbye Lucas. You will be missed." I said, obviously lying. "Is that what you wanted?"

"Yeah but you know what, I won't miss you at all. You have been nothing but a troublemaker since you stepped inside this house." He said and I rolled my eyes.

"Can't a man eat in peace here?" Sean said before our argument could continue.

"Ask your brother. He seems to be obsessed with me." I said to irk Lucas. "Maybe he likes me."

"Unless you have a dick, that seems like a distant possibility." He said and my eyes widened when I understood what he meant by that.

"You... You're.... Wow." I didn't know what to say. Lucas was the last person I assumed would be gay.

"Don't look so surprised. I can still kill you with both eyes closed." He said and stood up to leave.

Once he had left, I looked at Sean. "Are you gay too?"

You have no filter, have you, Penelope Woods.

He cast me an annoyed glance at this. "Unless you want me to give you a demonstration of my sexuality, don't ask such questions." His answer made me gulp.

"Whatever." I said and walked into the kitchen.

Jason was flipping the steak when he noticed me walk in. He was the one who used to bring me breakfast every morning when I had locked myself in the room. After Jenny, he was the second person I had warmed to during my stay here. He was funny and insightful, with a keen interest in cooking and a dream of opening his own restaurant one day. I loved listening to him talk and it might be possible that I had developed a little crush on him as well.

"So you are leaving tomorrow." He said.

"Yes." I nodded.

He turned off the stove and walked over to me. "You know I'll miss you but it's best you leave. This place isn't for you. And may you find the truth behind your father's death."

"And may all your dreams get fulfilled! Don't forget to call me." I said and standing on my toes, pecked his cheek. It caught him off guard and a corner of his lips lifted into a charming smile.

Someone cleared his throat behind me and both of us got alerted. It was Sean, with a frown etched on his face as if someone had stolen his candy. "Go to your room and check if you have packed everything." He ordered.

"Jenny is doing it." I said.

"Jenny is not paid to do your packing." He said angrily and I felt embarrassed all of sudden. "Go."

He was definitely bipolar. One minute, he was all quiet and mysterious. The next minute, he was an obnoxious prick. Then again, what else would you expect from a killer?

"Jerk." I huffed and walked past him, mumbling angrily under my breath.

I climbed the stairs and reached my bedroom. Jenny had packed everything, given I didn't have much except some clothes. I stacked the suitcase against the wall and changed into my pajamas. Knowing well that it was hopefully my last night here, I lay down on the bed and counted backwards until sleep engulfed me.

*****