Killer Geek (SLOW UPDATES)

Twenty-Two

My legs burned as I sprinted to the backyard, the rain making every step a challenge. I stumbled over a garden hose, barely catching myself before I hit the ground. My chest heaved as I crouched behind the shed, pressing my back against the cold metal wall.

The storm was deafening now, the wind howling and the rain pelting down relentlessly. I strained to listen, every muscle in my body tensed, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heart and the storm around me.

Then, faintly, the sound of footsteps.

I clapped a hand over my mouth, biting back a sob. He was here. He was looking for me.

The footsteps grew louder, more deliberate. I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping the knife so tightly my hand ached. My breaths came in shallow bursts, and I prayed he wouldn’t find me.

“Yn,” the distorted voice called out, sing-song and cruel. “You’re making this more fun than I thought you would.”

Tears blurred my vision, and I struggled to stay quiet, every instinct screaming at me to run, to fight, to do something.

The footsteps stopped.

I held my breath, the silence stretching out endlessly. The rain continued to pour, masking the sound of anything else.

And then, just as suddenly as it had stopped, the sound of retreating footsteps.

I exhaled shakily, my body trembling as the adrenaline started to fade. I didn’t move, didn’t dare to hope that he’d given up.

But the seconds stretched into minutes, and the only sound was the storm.

I was alone again.

For now.

I pressed myself tighter against the cold metal of the shed, the rain dripping from my hair and down the back of my neck, soaking me to the bone. My breaths came in shallow, quiet gasps, my pulse hammering so hard I swore he could hear it.

The storm masked so much, but I strained my ears, desperate for any sound—a crunch of gravel, the splash of a footstep in a puddle—anything to tell me he was still near.

The seconds dragged like hours, each one stretching into eternity. Was he still out there? Or had he really left?

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to peek around the edge of the shed. Slowly, carefully, I leaned forward, the rain stinging my eyes as I scanned the yard.

Nothing.

No movement.

Just the storm, relentless and blinding.

I let out a shaky breath, daring to believe I might have lost him.

But then, a shadow shifted in the corner of my vision. Before I could process it, he stepped out from behind the tree just a few feet away, the white of his mask gleaming in the dim light.

“I found you,” the distorted voice sang, his tone filled with cruel delight.

A scream tore from my throat as I stumbled back, the knife slipping slightly in my slick grip. I didn’t think—I just ran.

My feet slipped and skidded on the rain-soaked grass, but I didn’t stop. Adrenaline surged through me, the only thing keeping me moving as terror clawed at my chest.

Behind me, his laughter cut through the storm, low and taunting. It mingled with the crash of thunder, making it feel like the entire world was closing in on me.

“Run, Yn!” he called, his voice mocking, distorted by the voice changer. “Let’s see how far you get!”

I pushed myself harder, my lungs burning as I sprinted across the yard and into the woods beyond. The trees loomed around me, their branches whipping at my face and arms, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

The ground was uneven, littered with slick leaves and hidden roots. My bare feet slipped more than once, but I forced myself to keep going, the knife still clutched tightly in my hand.

“Come on,” his voice taunted again, closer now. “You can’t run forever!”

Tears blurred my vision, but I blinked them away, focusing on the faint glow of light in the distance. The neighbor’s tool shed. It wasn’t much, but it was something—a chance to hide, to catch my breath.

I darted toward it, my chest heaving as I reached the door and yanked it open. The small space was cluttered with tools and garden supplies, but I didn’t care. I shoved myself inside, slamming the door behind me and sliding the rusty bolt into place.

The air inside was damp and stale, the faint smell of gasoline filling my nose. I pressed my back against the door, my hand still gripping the knife as I struggled to calm my breathing.

Outside, the storm raged on.

I waited, counting the seconds, the minutes. He had to have lost me by now. He had to.

But then, a soft tapping at the door.

My heart stopped.

“Knock, knock,” the voice said, low and chilling.

I bit back a sob, my grip on the knife tightening. He wasn’t supposed to find me. Not here. Not this fast.

The tapping stopped, replaced by the sound of footsteps circling the shed. I held my breath, my body trembling as I listened to him move around the small structure.

“You can’t hide forever, Yn,” he called, his voice muffled but no less terrifying. “You know that, don’t you?”

I didn’t respond, pressing myself further against the door as if that would somehow make me invisible.

The footsteps stopped, and for a moment, there was nothing but the sound of the storm.

And then, with a deafening crash, the window shattered.

Glass rained down, and I screamed, instinctively ducking as his arm reached through the jagged opening, grasping wildly.

Panic overtook me. I bolted for the other side of the shed, shoving aside tools and crates as I searched for another way out. There—a small side door, half-hidden behind a stack of bags.

I scrambled toward it, throwing the bags aside with trembling hands. My fingers found the latch, fumbling with it as his arm withdrew from the window.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he snarled, his voice sharp and menacing.

The door creaked open, and I squeezed through the narrow gap, stumbling into the rain once more. I didn’t stop to look back, didn’t stop to think. I just ran, the cold air cutting through my wet clothes as I sprinted deeper into the woods.

His footsteps thundered behind me now, closer with every second.

“I’m going to catch you, Yn!” he shouted, his voice rising above the storm.

I pushed myself harder, ignoring the burning in my legs, the ache in my chest. I couldn’t let him catch me. I couldn’t.

The forest opened up suddenly, and I saw it—the edge of the road.

Hope surged in my chest as I barreled toward it, my feet slipping on the wet pavement as I stumbled onto the empty street.

A car. I needed a car. Someone had to be out here, even in this storm.

But the road was empty, stretching out in both directions, the headlights of salvation nowhere in sight.

Behind me, his laughter rang out again, closer than ever.