Witch (Family Values Trilogy Book 0) by Patrick Logan

Author:Patrick Logan [Logan, Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Pathological Ink
Published: 2016-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Anne froze—it was as if her entire body was suddenly encased in ice. She simply couldn’t move.

The knock wasn’t like the other women from the swamp—tentative, uncertain—or like when Jane had come the last time—deep, loud bangs. Instead, it was the same knock that Anne had heard what seemed like an eon ago. Slow and light, as if the person’s knuckles were simply grazing the wood.

It was Jane; there was no question about it. Even though Terry was already asleep, Anne’s eyes immediately went into the bedroom door, her thoughts turning to her daughter.

They came back for her—Jane couldn’t get pregnant, so she came for Teresa. To take her.

It seemed ridiculous, but given what Mr. and Mrs. Heath had done to Anne, she thought that no matter how farfetched, it was a real possibility.

The knock came again as Anne sat like a statue at the kitchen table, unable to decide what course of action she should take.

Run? Hide?

But Anne did neither of these.

She couldn’t; she couldn’t do anything.

Rooted in place, Anne’s eyes flicked to the door next. After what had happened, she had not only gotten into the habit of locking the door, but she had installed a wooden brace as further security at night.

“Anne? Anne, you in there?” Jane’s voice was quiet, meek. Just as it had been three months ago.

A trick—it’s a trick. She wants Teresa—she’s trying to trick you into opening the door.

“Anne?”

For some reason, this mention of her name snapped the frost off Anne, and she found herself finally able to move again. Part of her was amazed that she managed to remain so calm, that her heart rate had only raised a little bit, and the only sweat that broke out on her skin was on her palms.

But part of her also knew that time numbed all wounds, and that there was only so much that Jane could do to her that hadn’t already been done.

But they can take Teresa.

Anne silently slid of her chair, and landed on all fours on the floor. It was dusk out, which meant that she hadn’t lit the lantern yet.

That was something.

Jane didn’t know that she was in there—she might assume that the place was abandoned, that Anne had taken Teresa and fled the swamp, like the old hag in the market had suggested.

But if Jane thinks it’s abandoned, she might break in to make sure. She might even come in to see if there is any milk left over, any that I may have forgotten to take with me.

Anne slithered beneath the table, trying to push these scenarios from her mind in an attempt to maintain the strange calmness that washed over her.

“Anne? I wanted to come by, tell you that I’m sorry. I—I just lost control, I didn’t mean to—to—shit, I can’t believe what I did to you.”

Anne stared at the front door from beneath the kitchen table. It was hard to comprehend after what had happened that just three months ago she had been sitting across from the woman that was now outside, planning her future with Teresa.

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.