As soon as she closed the door, Anya allowed her legs to slowly give way as she slipped down the floor, tears flowing, eyes darting to the phone. Now, more than anything, she missed home. She missed her family. And this new place felt more alien and more horrific than ever.
After a few minutes, she closed her eyes in exhaustion, her head falling back to the door with a light thud. When she stopped for just a few moments, she could hear everything in the apartment. The hum of the heater, the soft drone of the cars outside. Noises that made her feel isolated and forlorn. Feelings she wasn't used to...
Her eyes opened, and it was pitch dark. Ahead, only a small, red dot could be seen in the kitchen, belonging to the kettle on the counter. She wondered what had woken her suddenly, and her heart was drumming.
knock.
Her small frame jumped at the noise, coming from the door on which she was leaning. She stood, and wished she had a peep hole. Instead, she checked the chain lock was secure and cracked the door open.
A force crashed through, busting the lock, and she darted back, grabbing the phone of the hook and jolted down the hall. The hallway lighting outside filtered in, lighting her way dimly.
A hand grasped her neck from behind, and she was thrown against a wall, pain shooting through her.
"Don't be scared," a male voice whispered, one that she faintly recognised. "Please, Anya," he whispered again, but her mind was spinning. She was too stunned to simply weep.
"O-ok-kay." She gasped, and the hand released her. The floor fell to her feet instantly.
It was then that he turned, in a way that allowed the light to shine on his face. While his hair was shorter, his skin pastier, he was recognisable instantly. "A-aiden?" She gasped, her voice barely making it passed her lips. She gripped the phone in her hands, but he snatched it away, his eyes sharp and frightening. "No. No calling him."
Anya's eyes watered in frustration. "W-who?"
"That weed I saw here earlier," he threatened, throwing the phone to the solid wooden floor, before crushing it with multiple stamps with his feet. Anya watched in fury and fear.