The clock on the wall ticked ominously as Kieran’s captor slid a piece of paper across the table. Scrawled in jagged, almost frenzied handwriting were the words: You have ninety seconds to hide. If you are found, you die. Good luck.

Kieran’s heart slammed against his ribs as the masked figure leaned closer, the glint of a blade catching the dim light. “Your time starts… now.”

The countdown began.

89... 88...

Kieran bolted out of the room, his mind racing. The house was a sprawling maze of creaky floors and dim hallways, its eerie silence broken only by the ticking of a clock somewhere in the shadows. He had to find a place—a spot no one would think to look.

74... 73...

He passed a closet but dismissed it immediately. Too obvious. His breath came in short gasps as he sprinted down a narrow corridor, nearly tripping over a loose floorboard. In the distance, he heard the scrape of boots against the hardwood. They were coming.

58... 57...

Bursting into a bedroom, he scanned the space. Bed? Too cliché. Curtains? Too risky. His eyes landed on a vent cover near the floor. With trembling hands, he yanked it off and squeezed into the cramped, suffocating space. Dust filled his nose, and he fought back a sneeze as he replaced the cover.

42... 41...

The air was heavy with silence now, except for the sound of his pulse pounding in his ears. He tried to calm his breathing, each inhale like a scream in the stillness.

28... 27...

The footsteps grew louder, deliberate, taunting. They stopped just outside the bedroom door. Kieran clamped his hand over his mouth, praying his ragged breaths wouldn’t betray him.

15... 14...

The door creaked open. A slow, deliberate creak, as if the masked figure knew he was near. The room filled with a suffocating tension. Through the vent’s slats, Kieran could see the boots—black, heavy, menacing—just feet away.

6... 5...

The boots stopped. A pause. Then a low chuckle, almost amused. “You’re close,” the voice teased.

3... 2...

The boots moved away. Kieran let out the faintest exhale, his heart still racing.

1.

Silence.

Had he survived?

Suddenly, the vent cover was ripped away, and Kieran’s world erupted in chaos.

“Found you,” the voice purred.