The House of Mad by L.E. Reiner

Author:L.E. Reiner [Reiner, L.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Bat Press
Published: 2021-02-11T06:00:00+00:00

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The slamming of doors startled August as he ascended the stairs. Jon stormed down the hall toward him, and in the distance, Emma cried.

“Jon? What's wrong?” Jon pushed past him and ran down the stairs, leaving August conflicted. Emma's cries beckoned him, but something deep within his core sent him after the brooding Hunter. “Jon!” August called while chasing him down the stairs.

“What in God's name is going on here?” Grady barked while exiting the stairwell to the basement, and August skidded to a halt.

“I, uh…Jon and I are playing a game. Tag. I’m it.”

Grady’s eyes narrowed. “You insult my intelligence—”

The front doors burst open, interrupting the two. Thunder boomed, and the storm thundered through the entry hall. When Jon stepped into the madness of it all, August's heart fell into his stomach. “Jon!”

“Jon, stop!” Grady yelled, and he and August darted to the front door. The violent winds sprinkled rain along August’s heated flesh as panic surged through him. “Get the doors, quick.” But August hesitated. “Do as you’re told, August!”

“We can't just leave him out there.”

“We can't keep the doors open. Howlers could be nearby.”

“I'll go,” August said while backing out of the doorway, further drenching himself. “You just stay by the door and wait for us.”

Grady groaned and then closed the doors. Once the deadbolt was replaced, August knew he only had a matter of time to track down Jon. He wasn't entirely convinced Grady wouldn't just leave them out there to die if they took too long.

The wind howled, and the ferocity of the downpour soaked August, chilling him to the bone. The rainfall had only just started, but it flooded the earth beneath his feet. “Jon!” he shouted into the darkness. But his intended target wore all black, and even though the fog dissipated, the thick storm clouds would not give way to the moon.

August ran through the entrance gate. Chasing Jon was a bad idea, he thought, because he wasn’t prepared for a fight, not in the darkness of the night. Not when the Howlers' fur was blacker than the black. He halted at the forest line, eyes frantic to find any movement within. “Jon!”

“August?”

The hairs on his body stood upright. He whipped around to find the same little girl he'd seen late at night in the mansion, pale skin washed out by a white nightgown, drenched by the rain. His body went rigid at the sight of her. “Wha…what are you doing out here?”

Her heavy eyes and downturns lips disturbed him—created a pitfall within his stomach, as if she were the harbinger of tragedy or unfortunate news. The girl didn't respond to his inquiry. She looked to the forest then disappeared into the trees.

“Hey!” August called, “come…come back, it's not safe!”

“Come on!” she yelled, and spark of lightning streaking across the black sky guided the way to her.

He raced after her, chased her into the forest, but she was much faster than him. The entire time he ran, he thought he ran straight for his death.

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