Games Holly Molly — Night

She didn’t run. Her legs refused. Instead, she turned her head just enough to see past the hedge.

That’s when she heard it: not Sam’s footsteps, but a second sound. A dry, papery shuffle, like a book being closed very slowly from the inside. The streetlamp at the corner gave one last orange cough and went dark. night games holly molly

Silence. Then a rustle.

Maya held her breath. The hedge smelled of wet earth and secrets. She saw Sam move—not running, but gliding, his bare feet silent on the asphalt. He passed her hiding spot. She exhaled. She didn’t run