Page 3 of Taken Away

She set the book aside and pushed back the blankets.

“Ridiculous,” she whispered.

Old houses made noise. Storms made noise. And June’s obsession with true crime had half of western North Carolina imagining killers behind every door.

Mabel crossed the room barefoot and opened the bedroom door.

The upstairs hallway stretched empty beneath dim amber light. No movement. No voices. Only polished floors and distant thunder.

She checked the guest room.

Empty.

The upstairs sitting room.

Empty.

Mabel exhaled.

“You’re losing your mind.”

Downstairs, Moose barked again.

Desperate this time.

Mabel returned to bed, leaving the bedroom door cracked. She reached for the bedside lamp⁠—

—and froze.

The small nightlight near the bathroom cast a faint amber glow across the bedroom.

Just enough light.

The closet door stood open.

She was certain she’d closed it.

At first, there was only darkness inside.

Then the darkness shifted.

A figure stepped from the shadows.

Black clothes. Black gloves.

A mask.

Mabel’s breath caught.

No.

No no no⁠—

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

The intruder took another step toward the bed.

Downstairs, Moose exploded against the door hard enough to shake the house. Barking. Scratching. Throwing his massive body against the wood.