IMOGEN'S POV
The fire was everywhere. Orange flames licked at the walls, crawling up the faded wallpaper like hungry fingers. The heat pressed against my skin, making it hard to breathe, hard to think. I stumbled through the hallway, my bare feet slipping on the warped floorboards.
Behind me, I could hear her footsteps. Uneven. Dragging. The sound of something broken trying to walk.
I didn't want to turn around. I knew what I would see. But the footsteps were getting closer, and I could hear her voice now, calling my name in a sing-song tone that made my stomach turn.
"Imogen... Imogen, where are you going?"
I ran faster, my lungs burning from the smoke. The hallway stretched on forever, doors appearing and disappearing like mirages. Every time I reached for a handle, it dissolved under my fingers.
The footsteps stopped.
