Page 49 of Still Afraid

Hail began pelting them, but he didn’t let go. His other hand grabbed and squeezed her right upper arm.

The pain alone made her want to scream again. But she refused to go down. If he was holding her with both hands, he didn’t have a weapon in either. She twisted and writhed and tried to push against her attacker.

“Leave me alone.”

“Tell me where it is.”

“I … don’t … know.” Her fighting back brought her out from the protection of the back hatch.

Hail crashed down onto her and her attacker. Pain radiated through her head and arms as the balls of ice pelted her without mercy.

“Come on, Chloe. Where is it?” The pitch of the voice raised, almost making it seem familiar. How did this person know her name?

The hail stopped, but Chloe didn’t stop fighting.

“Leave me—”

The clouds behind her attacker grabbed her attention. They spun and twisted … funneling down to the ground.

Her attacker turned and saw it too.

Chloe took the opportunity to shove the person away and took off running toward the house.

No! She’d dropped her keys and the hide-a-key was no longer in its spot. She couldn’t get inside.

She glanced over her shoulder. The wind whipped her hair into her face, but there was no mistaking the funnel cloud coming her way.

She searched for a safe place.

“Where do I go?”

Chapter Nineteen

Chloe’s eyes fell on the crawlspace entrance along the side of the house. She ran for it, but the wind had gotten so strong she had to fight to move forward.

She pushed past the giant oak tree that stood as a sentry between her house and her neighbors. It creaked above her head. She drove on.

Grabbing the latch, she dug her feet into the ground to keep from being blown away. Branches, leaves, and other debris flew into her face.

“God help!”

The latch gave, and she yanked the door away from the house. Without overthinking it, she slid in, feet first. She reached for the door, but it flew off its hinges and vanished.

She screamed and ducked farther into the crawlspace, putting her back against the side wall where the wind seemed to be whipping less.

The roar of the storm outside made it impossible to even hear her own thoughts.

Crashing sounds reverberated from outside. Chloe curled into a ball and covered her head and ears as best she could.

With an enormous crack followed by a crash that shook the ground, the light around her disappeared. She slammed her eyes shut and tried to focus on her breathing.

She was still alive. But she was trapped in the dark with no way out.

Within three minutes of the tornado warning being issued, Josh was with Poirot in the bathroom in the center of the house. Josh sat on the edge of the bathtub. Where was Chloe?

He called. Voicemail.

He tried again. No answer.