So Dark The Night by Margaret Daley

Author:Margaret Daley [Daley, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-07-15T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Emma’s black world came crashing down on her. Panic and indecision held her immobile as she strained to listen for any sound of approaching footsteps.

Hide. Now!

Those two words propelled her into action. She raced for the door, her outstretched hands seeking any objects in her path. Maybe she could make it out the front before they saw her.

“What if she ain’t here?” came a high-pitched male voice from the living room right off the foyer.

Emma froze. Trapped. She remembered that voice in the woods. Its cadence flashed a memory of hiding in the bushes, so terrified that she would be found.

“She’s here. I’ve been watching.”

The chilling words choked her with renewed terror. She turned her head from side to side as though scanning the hall for a hiding place when in reality all she could see was a black wall before her eyes.

Go back to my room? Hide under the bed? In the closet?

She shook those places from her thoughts. Too obvious. Then she remembered the door to the basement at the other end of the hallway. Without another second’s hesitation she backtracked and went past her bedroom, trailing her hand along the wall until she encountered the doorjamb.

“Let’s check downstairs first, then upstairs,” the gruff voice said. “She’s probably hiding since that lady knocked over the chair.”

Grace! What have they done?

“Yeah, but she’s blind. She’s can’t go too far. We’ll get her.”

The almost feminine sounding voice grated down Emma’s spine as it had in the woods. Quietly she eased open the basement door and slipped inside, turning the lock. It wouldn’t keep them out for long, but anything that slowed them down gave her hope someone would come.

Poised on the top stair, she tried to recall the day before when Amber had given her the tour. For a few seconds she couldn’t think of a thing as fright erased her memories. All she could concentrate on was the heavy thud of footsteps advancing through the first floor, getting closer and closer to the basement door. Then the incessant ringing of Grace’s cell in her purse by the front door vied for her attention. Muffled voices followed, then silence for a moment. Hope flared. Maybe they would leave. Footfalls started again, coming down the hall.

With her hands on the banister, she descended the steps into the musty-smelling room where the washer, dryer and furnace were located. Not a lot of places to hide. Four feet into the center Emma remembered the light that dangled from the ceiling. If she could unscrew the bulb, then if they came down here, at least they would be in the dark like her. Where had Amber said it was? Closer to the washer and dryer?

Flinging her arms in the air, she moved toward the far wall and discovered the single light. With trembling hands, she took it out of the socket, the bulb slipping from her fingers and crashing to the cement floor. The sound echoed in the dank, small basement, shooting a fresh wave of fear through her.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.