"Come out, come out wherever you are." The man cooed as he clutched the metal baseball bat tighter walking down the hallways.
The little blonde girl crouched in the corner tighter, protecting her older brother and gently holding a hand over his mouth so he wouldn't make a sound.
"You can't hide forever!" Cloud yelled into the dark, entering the living room where the siblings were hiding.
Sora made a noise under Jax's mouth and she winced. This was nothing new to them. Jax knew all too well how her father got after a bad day which was almost everyday. How he drank and cursed and abused. Thankfully Cloud didn't hear it and kept on searching, his bat dragging behind him.
Cloud stepped into the room, looking behind the curtains in the window, letting the moonlight shine through briefly before they fell back. He came closer; Jax put herself more in front of Sora to better protect him. She never let him get hurt if she could help it.
Sora wasn't like the other kids his age. At nine years old he acted as if he was four. Jax could tell at the grown up age of seven years old that her brother was indeed special. Jax was the only one Sora trusted and would talk to, or at least mumbled since Sora didn't really talk all that well.
Cloud looked behind the couch. "Ready or not here I come." His words were slightly slurred.
Jax's heart jarred in her chest as she heard the bat scrape against the floor, Cloud's heavy footsteps coming closer. Sora was starting to cry.
Please don't come any closer, Jax prayed, just as a hand grabbed her leg and pulled her out of her hiding spot.
"Found ya!" Cloud yelled, bringing the bat up and over his head with both hands. Jax screamed.