Chapter 69

• Louis climbed into the apartment on all fours. Black blood dripped from his chest cavity onto the floor below. He was stalking towards me, and I had no idea what to do. I took a step back, returning to the reading room. Perhaps I could barricade myself in or even try to hide in the secret room. Anxiously I glanced around me for something that might help me, then I remembered the blade Henrietta had given me.
• I'd left it somewhere on the floor in the reading room. She'd told me to keep it in case of emergency, and boy, was this ever an emergency. Louis kept moving forward on his twisted and distorted limbs, getting closer and closer to me. I took a slow and deliberate step backwards towards the reading door, preparing to lunge into the room and slam the door shut. I knew the reading room door would be a flimsy barrier, but it only took a few seconds for me to grab the blade.
• Louis growled at me, his lip curling upwards to reveal a vicious set of pointed teeth. I believe he anticipated what I was about to do. My tense body language and desperate glances towards the reading room door probably told him. My heart was beating so fast, I felt like it was going to explode in my chest. I took a deep breath and prepared myself as I stared at the monster in front of me. This was supposed to go off without a hitch.