I swallow, my teeth chattering from the amount of adrenaline that’s being pumped into my body.
“I promise I won’t say a word.”
This makes her smile.
“Come on, come out, come out, wherever you are,” Dad singsongswickedly from behind the door. “Where are you, Gavin? Are you afraid of me? You pussy!”
“He isn’t in here! Please! Stop!” Mother begs as red drips down the floor from her arms and fingers. It begins to form a bright crimson puddle.
But he doesn’t stop.
He never stopped.
I wake with a gasp.Fury boiling in every single vein, my chest tightening with every single deep, fast breath I’m taking. Sitting up, with perspiration leaking down my chest and stomach. I still remember every detail of the day that changed the trajectory of my life.
I’m not like him. I’m not like him.
I reach for the other side of the bed, eager to run my hand up and down Coraline’s back. She’s always the first thing that’s in my head when I wake up. And right now, I’d like to bury the darkness away by being inside her. But to my disappointment, I’m greeted by empty sheets, her scent gone.
She isn’t in here. The room is empty and cold without her.
I bring my knees to my chest and run my hands through my hair. The roads are cleared. She’s going to leave me soon, but I can’t let that happen.
The sketchbook on my nightstand catches my attention. It’s a pencil-sketch drawing…of me.
She’s drawing again. Creating. Dreaming.
I smile, running my hands across the shading by my beard. She managed to get every single detail, even sharpening the scars on my chest. Fuck, she’s so talented and so good at what she does. How could she ever doubt her abilities? Even in this drawing, she managed to capture every single detail.
I feel like I’ve been in a dream since she arrived, and I refuse to wake up without her in my bed ever again.
CHAPTER 28
CORALINE
When I opened the door from Gavin’s bedroom, I spotted a dark figure walking toward the basement.
I can’t tell if it’s a woman or a man underneath the flickering lights, but it’s massive, and its aura isn’t welcoming. I know it’s not because my heart is pounding to uncontrollable limits, and a sensation of unease washes over me. Dread, fear, and anxiety possess me as I watch it in slow motion. This time, it’s demon-like and not a ghost or spirit. It’s a dark, black, blurry, massive silhouette. I tread lightly, my pulse rocketing at the base of my throat as I reach for a knife in the kitchen. I pull it from the wooden holder on the counter and grip the handle so tightly it burns my palms.
I knew this place was haunted, but Gavin is in denial about it. Every time I bring it up, he changes the subject and avoids giving me a clear answer. He’s avoiding it. I know I’m seeing things, and it won’t stop.
Maybe I should talk to it?
“What are you? Who are you?” I cling to the walls as I get closer to it.
I can’t believe I’m talking to it. Whatever the thing is, it doesn’t respond but continues to float and disappear deeper into the basement staircase.
It all comes back to the basement again!
I halt and glance in the direction of Gavin’s bedroom, as my hand shakes against the knife handle.
Rubbing my temples, conflicted, I stand in the living room shaking.
In every horror movie, I yell at the main character to not be a dumb ass. “Don’t follow the noise or investigate a strange encounter”. Yet, now that I’m in that position, I can’t help it. If it doesn’t have a beating heart, it can’t physically hurt me, right?
Screw it.
All logic gets thrown out the window, and my curiosity gets the best of me.
