- That’s the – Louisa snatched her phone and opened FaceTime. God, how great it was to have an omega brother you could boss around like an intern.
Imani answered almost instantly, holding a bowl of juicy passion fruit, sitting cross-legged in front of her laptop. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw Erich, and she waved excitedly.
- Hey, sugarcake! – She cooed to Louisa before turning her attention to the tall, awkward man beside – Oh wow, is that the Erich? Finally joining us! I’ve been bugging Louisa forever to let me talk to you. It’s been ages, hasn’t it?
A rare thing happened then. Erich actually smiled.
- It really has.
Louisa grinned. Another flawless trap. Imani’s kindness and natural charm were basically emotional quicksand—no escape. Unlike Louisa, who described her own personality as -wet diarrhea in a hurricane, - Imani was bursting with qualities the world didn’t deserve. Too sweet, too hopeful, too genuine. But that’s exactly what made her irresistible. Where else would you find a rainbow- dreaded goddess who still thought humanity was worth saving?
- So how are you? – Erich
- Pretty great! I went shopping today and got two new Want me to show you?
- That sounds… interesting.
Louisa was already thinking of handing over the phone and stepping out for a cigarette, when Erich suddenly pointed at the screen, eyes wide:
- Imani—who’s that walking behind you? I see a dark
She barely had time to stand, quickly looking around the room and shrugging:
- There’s no one Is this some prank, Erich? Trying to spook me before bed? Because if so, I swear the Tooth Fairy’s coming for your teeth tonight. – She laughed it off, cheerful as ever.
But Erich was now visibly pale, stepping back from the screen.
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- It’s getting closer. Right there—by the closet! Louisa, alarmed by his tone, touched his
- Okay, You’re burning up. Must be the fever. You’re hallucinating. Erich swatted her hand away and shouted:
- It’s not -him-! It’s that girl! She’s right behind you, She’s smiling. No!
Imani jumped up, pressing herself against the far wall. Louisa tried to smooth things over:
- Sweet potato, calm My brother gets like this sometimes. He has… episodes. A beat of silence passed.
Then came the loud, comical snoring of the doctor, who had rolled onto his side and started smacking his lips mid-dream.
And then Erich shrieked, staggering in place:
- She’s reaching for me! What do you want?! Go away!
Between the Lines. Part Four.
- Get up, Big Er! I’ll help you!
The boy, slumped against the wall of the basement, jumped to his feet and scanned the darkness for the voice. Where was she? Where was Nibi? She’d come to save him!
His whole body ached from when his father had dragged him into the house like a rag doll. The man had grabbed him by the collar—tight enough to choke—and yanked him through the halls. Erich had slammed into walls, bounced off corners, and once cracked his forehead hard against a doorframe. The place his father dragged him to? That dreaded room—the one always locked. But tonight, to Erich’s misfortune, it had been left wide open.
Down they went, the man with no face and the boy with too much fear. Into the worst darkness of all: the basement. And what, really, is more terrifying than a basement?
At the final step, the nightmare man hurled Erich down onto a pile of burlap sacks filled with vegetables. They softened the fall—barely. Then the man left, not even bothering to flick the light
- Just abandoned him in the black, with all the monsters crawling toward him from the cracks in the walls.
Why didn’t he scream while being dragged?
Simple. Fear had paralyzed him. His tongue was heavy, dry, his voice locked somewhere behind his teeth. God, he was so thirsty. But there was only a wine barrel in the corner—and that wouldn’t help.
If it weren’t for the tiny window near the ceiling, the room would have been swallowed in pure pitch. But moonlight streamed through the glass, just enough to let him see his hands, his knees, his shape. He made sure not to leave that glowing circle of safety.
In moments like these, the military called for -relocation- (Erich had memorized the word on purpose—it sounded important), and he did the same. He moved carefully, seating himself on a pile of old grandma-stuff, and leaned his hot forehead against the icy wall to cool down.
That’s where Nibi found him.
Somehow, she’d opened the little window. She was grinning wide and shouting in hushed excitement:
- Er! It’s not barred! You can climb out!
- But how?! – The boy whispered, – The window’s way too high—I can’t reach it.
- Silly boy… – Nibi replied with soft affection. – There’s a barrel right next to you. Just climb on top of it! The window’s the perfect size for you, I promise.