Don't Breathe by Molly Black

Author:Molly Black [Black, Molly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Molly Black
Published: 2022-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

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After washing her face and brushing her teeth in her parents’ familiar, comforting bathroom, Taylor went to bed and got under the covers, fully expecting to stare at the ceiling all night. Even after the comforting conversation with her mom, her mind was on high alert. Because after her mom had gone to bed, Taylor was left alone with her thoughts again.

But before she knew it, her eyelids were heavy, and as much as she tried to keep them open, she couldn’t fight it. Taylor descended into a deep, dark sleep.

At first, she was comforted by the stillness. Everything was quiet and flowing. She was safe. Safe with her parents, away from Ben, away from work. Things were okay again; Angie was gone, but it was like her mom said—that didn’t mean she was never here. Taylor took comfort in this darkness. In her delusional state, she even felt happy.

But then, a voice:

“Taylor.”

It was Angie. Again.

Taylor opened her eyes to a wide field under a starry sky. The full moon bled down on her. Partially aware she was dreaming, Taylor said to herself, You’ll wake up soon. Don’t worry.

But Angie spoke again:

“You have to find me. If you don’t, I’ll die, and it will be all your fault.”

“No!” Taylor shouted. She spun around, her heart thundering in her chest. But the field around her was endless. Angie’s voice bellowed, seemingly from the sky.

“If you can’t find me, I’ll die,” she sang again. “It will be all your fault.”

“I’m looking!” Taylor cried. A surge of emotions ran through her—guilt, fear, desperation. She had to find Angie. She could make this right. She ran and ran, but the field extended on forever. The sky was bigger than she had ever seen it. It dwarfed her, and each star grew brighter and brighter the farther she ran.

Something heavy landed behind her, shaking the entire earth. Taylor spun around, only to be met by a massive black wall. She looked up, and up, until she realized—

No, it wasn’t a wall.

It was a massive chess piece. A knight. It reached into the night sky, tall and sinister, surrounded by those too-bright stars.

“It will be all your fault,” the voice said again, but this time, it was distorted; it wasn’t Angie’s.

“Where are you?” Taylor shouted anyway. “Where are you?”

The ground began to vibrate. Taylor struggled to hold herself up. Panic flew through her chest, and she tried to catch herself—but she fell to her knees, falling right through the earth, into a black pit.

“Where are you?” she repeated, over and over again. Her own voice spiraled around her head.

Everything rattled around her, like she was experiencing an earthquake. The whole world trembled, and the tremendous sound of mountains breaking and oceans overflowing filled her ears.

Her eyes popped open to a stucco ceiling.

While her body was completely still, a rattling sound still shook something nearby, but Taylor couldn’t focus on it. The dream still lingered, heavy on her mind.

That had been the most real yet.

Soaked in sweat, Taylor sat up in her parents’ guest room bed, feeling like she’d been hit by a train.

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