When the door creaked on its hinges, Emily's breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding in her ears. Her grasp on the dagger grew stronger, the icy metal piercing her skin while her knuckles turned pale. Her veins pulsed with adrenaline, sending a paralyzing surge of fear through every nerve ending.
The popping tension in the atmosphere ignited a raging wildfire of fear inside of her. Ideas swirled around like a frantic tornado, a disordered hurricane of doubt and fear. What was waiting for her beyond that door? What terrifying creatures were hiding in the darkness, prepared to strike at her unprepared spirit?
She refrained from envisioning the responses to those inquiries due to the dread of the unknown darkness ahead. However, she realized that she could not stay immobile under the control of her fear. She steeled herself with fear, preparing for the unknown horror ahead, her thoughts a warzone of mixed feelings.