before i could even cry out in protest to his sudden disappearance , to the fact that i could no longer feel his small arms clasping onto me tightly , i was pulled backwards out of the room by one of the house 's unexplainable inhalations , and this time , it was abrupt and furious , because those beasts knew that a part of their plan had misfired , and i had felt something other than utter terror , regret , and guilt , even if only for a moment .