Read Online Angel in the Full Moon by Don Easton - Free Book Online

laughed.
    Hang followed Pops back down to the basement. Pops gestured to the walls with his hand and said, “Watch this.”
    Hang saw that the upper half of the basement walls werecovered in wood panelling, while the lower half of the walls consisted of dark brown boards that framed large, square pieces of brown panelling.
    Pops pushed on a segment of the dark brown board and Hang heard a metallic click. A magnetic latch behind the panel opened to allow the panel to protrude slightly from the wall. Pops pulled on it to release the rest of the magnetic latch and a thick square section in the wall opened up to reveal a passageway.
    â€œSee how it is done?” asked Pops. “There is a wooden handle on the back of the door for you to pull shut after you go inside. I do not think you will ever have to use this room, but it is good to be safe.” Pops demonstrated once more, by closing and opening the door again.
    â€œI understand,” said Hang, admiring how perfect the wall looked when the secret door was closed.
    â€œFollow me,” said Pops, crouching down as he took a few steps into the passageway.
    Hang followed, pausing briefly as Pops reminded her to close the door behind her. After, she turned and accepted Pops’s hand to stand up as she entered the secret room.
    Pops flicked the switch on the wall and a bright overhead light recessed behind wire mesh in the ceiling lit up the small room. Hundreds of shiny brass-coloured screws shone down from where the bare plywood was screwed to the ceiling. The walls and floor were covered in crimson enamel paint.
    Hang saw a toilet in the centre of the room, close to a sponge mattress on the floor. On one wall was a large calendar.
How long do I have to hide if the police come?
The room was dank and musty. Hang shivered and saw a propane bottle attached to a portable heater sitting beside one wall. It was not turned on.
    â€œNobody would ever find me in here,” said Hang.

    â€œThat’s right. They won’t,” nodded Pops with satisfaction.
    Everything made sense to Hang except for one thing. Two piles of chains lay on the floor on each side of the room. She walked over and picked up a handful of chain and asked, “What is this for?”
    Pops just smiled.
    She saw that one end of the chain was bolted to a metal ring on the floor ... and she spotted the shackle on the end that dangled in her hand. Fear gripped her body like a vice as she slowly turned her head to stare up at Pops.
    â€œPut it on,” he said. His voice was menacing as he loomed over her, threatening her with a fist.
    Hang shook her head, too frightened to speak. She stepped back and quickly tried to swing the chain at Pops’s face, but he grabbed her around the throat with one hand, smashing her down on the floor and landing on top of her.
    Hang tried to yell and clawed frantically at the hand squeezing her throat. He grabbed at her fingers with his other hand. She heard a sound like the crunch of celery and felt the searing pain in her fingers when he snapped them backwards.
    Hang writhed and kicked out violently with her feet. Pops punched her hard in the side of her ribs. She continued to squirm and gasped at the intense pain in her side with every breath she took. His next punch buried deep into her stomach, forcing what air she had to come gurgling past the hand clamped to her throat and out through her mouth and nose.
    She realized Pops was standing at the opposite end of the room with a bemused look on his face. She leapt to her feet and dashed toward the passage door. The chain went taut and she fell on her hands and knees, far short of her goal. It was then that she looked down at the shackle chained to her ankle and realized that she had been unconscious.
    Hang knew she had nothing to lose and screamed as loudas she could, while cringing and waiting for the next attack.
    Pops did not move. Instead of trying to silence her, he started to laugh. She